How I Dropped 30 Pounds of Fat in One Year
Greyscale minimizes my farmer's tan!
It’s been over a year since I stepped onto that scale at the doctor’s office. The nurse adjusted the little sliders, and I couldn’t believe what I saw:
“231 pounds?!?”
Several years before, after a several months-long surfing adventure in Indonesia, I weighed in at a lean 190 pounds. I felt quick, agile, and full of energy, ready to joyfully attack whatever life threw at me.
A few years later and with nearly 40 pounds of extra fat around my waist, I felt soft, tired, slow, and in need of a nap!
What happened?
Life happened. That’s what.
I had returned from my big trip with bills to pay. Soon I had a full time job that often required 10 or 12 hour shifts. On top of that, I began taking classes to switch careers and suddenly I had a serious girlfriend.
I wasn’t taking the time to eat right and exercise. The pounds simply piled on, day by day, week by week.
Maybe gaining weight and getting out of shape was just an unavoidable part of getting older? I had seen it in my friends. As we entered our late 20s, got serious jobs and relationships and had less time to take care of our health, the beer guts grew and that ‘spark’ of energy seemed to be there less and less.
I didn’t want to keep heading down this path.
I asked myself, “What can I do?”
To make matters worse, I was suddenly unemployed and living off my savings. I didn’t have the money to join a gym, pay for a trainer, or buy fancy supplements or workout equipment. And even without a job, I still had at most 30 minutes a day to exercise.
With no money, very little time, and very few resources, how could I get fit?
It was a bit overwhelming.
But, as they say, “Rome was not built in a day!”
I decided to start with what little I had to work with, and go from there, day by day. I didn’t get fat overnight, I wasn’t going to get in shape instantly, either
First and most importantly, I started to pay attention to how I was eating. I stopped eating such large portions and stopped using food as a source of comfort.
Eat a few less of these per week, and you'll be surprised how much better you'll feel. Once in a while, though, mmm... (photo by alexik)
I began to do some basic bodyweight exercises and interval training. Gradually I started add to my options by making some of my own exercise equipment and trying out some simple programs that other people had success with.
After a few months, I was beginning to see results! I felt less flabby, stronger, and my energy levels began to rise.
I kept at it and now, many months later and pounds lighter, I feel like I am in the best shape of my life!
So what is this blog all about?
Basically, my point is that you don’ t need to join a gym, buy special equipment, or take exotic supplements to have a healthy body that you can be proud of. All it takes is making simple choices relating to food, exercise, and just how you live your life in general.
I hope to share some of the things that have worked for me: diet tips, exercise and workout advice, tutorials on how to save money by making your own equipment.
If something I suggest seems like it might help, please, try it out. If it works for you, great. If not, try something else.
But most importantly, realize that if you make a committed decision to transform yourself, you WILL be successful. Just recognize from the start that it’s not going to happen instantly.
The ‘secret ‘ is that little steps, taken one after another, eventually get you where you want to be.
So take your time, take it slow, but get busy!
All the best,
Ian
