Ves
April 11th, 2005, 06:12 PM
:claplow: :claplow: :claplow:
This is a bit different as it isn’t a number based goal nor is it even really measurable. This is more of an “I want to be healthier.”, “I want to get in better shape” type goal. When I decided a few years ago that it was time for me to correct my weight problem one of the main reasons I did so was so that I could enjoy my time with my kids more. It’s a horrible feeling to want to get out their and have fun just playing with your kids but to be confined to the bench with the rest of the parents just watching your kids run around and beg you to play with them on the jungle gym. All because you’re just too out of shape to “play” for too long. This was a real issue for me my confidence suffered as bad for this as it did for looking unattractive while being overweight.
I made the choice the change a year or two ago and had some initial success but nothing really long lasting (I didn’t really change my eating or exercise habits initially). This past January I made the choice to fix this issue for good. It started as simply an eat less and exercise more “diet” but through time and education (thank you so much JSF community) it has evolved into and eating clean first phase cutting diet. I will “eat clean” for the rest of my life now.
I am quite proud of my results. I started around the first week in January at around 288; I am now down to 240. I suspect my body fat is somewhere between 20 and 26% (mybodycomp says 15% though). I feel great and can’t remember having so much energy. I have a lot to be depressed about emotionally right now but working out and getting my diet straight has given me the strength, energy and confidence that happy pills wouldn’t ever be able to (I have never taken those things and certainly don’t see the need to now).
While I have a bit more to lose (20-40 pounds) before my ultimate fat loss goal is reached and I can start a muscle building slow bulk, this weekend marked a milestone that I won’t ever forget. Here in Virginia the weather was spectacular and I had the kids all weekend. My kids are age 8 (the boy), 6 (my eldest girl) and 4 (my youngest girl). They have had a rough past couple of months (Mommy and Daddy just recently separated and will ultimately get a divorce) but this past weekend I was happy to bring a bit of joy back into their lives.
We went to the park 2 or 3 times, one with a huge modern jungle gym. We ran, jumped, played on the swings, played freeze tag, etc. Daddy was their every step of the way, never more winded than they were and always ready to go at it again. On Sunday we went to a birthday party for one of their friends. It was at one of those birthday places that soccer moms competitively fight over for birthdays. It was a huge warehouse with a rubber floor and filled with 5 or 6 blowup carnival style playsets (blowup moonwalk, blowup bouncy obstacle course, blowup boxing ring, etc). We had the place for about an hour and the owners encouraged parents to join their kids and play too.
When they let us in most of the parents went and sat down to watch but I didn’t. Not this time. I ran, jumped, bounced, slid and boxed with my kids. I spent alone time with all 3 of them. But there was a single moment that I won’t ever forget:
I challenged my son to a race through the obstacle course. It was a huge blowup obstacle course that started with two huge tires (one for each lane) that you needed to jump through, then a run through a forest of bouncy blocks, then over and under two sets of huge hurdles until you reached a climbing wall which ended in a slide. The entire surface was bouncy like that of a moonwalk or trampoline so just walking was difficult. The race was to the climbing wall and back. My youngest daughter wanted to go too so we gave her a head start.
It probably took us 5 minutes to finish but it was a blast. I cheated by tripping my son up along the way. I am 32, I called it an old man advantage (like hitting from the senior tees). Ultimately it didn’t matter as he leapt across the finish line first (8 year olds are nimble on bouncy surfaces) but I was close behind. We layed there for a minute or two with our arms and legs spread out staring at the ceiling just breathing heavy and laughing. He then looked over and said in such a way that it could bring hardened grown men to tears “I Love you dad. I am happy you’re my dad”. All I could pretty much do is just smile. Then my youngest daughter comes barreling across the finish line jumping up and landing square on my chest with a thud.
I know this is a bit sentimental for us hard core iron pumping types and maybe a little hard to understand if you aren’t a parent but to think I would have missed that moment had I not made the choice to live healthier will motivate me for a lifetime. So I figured I would share.
Ves
PS I made a pact to myself that I would post progress pics (although I didn’t take any shirtless before pics when I started) after I reached the 50 pounds lost mark. That should be within the next week or so.
This is a bit different as it isn’t a number based goal nor is it even really measurable. This is more of an “I want to be healthier.”, “I want to get in better shape” type goal. When I decided a few years ago that it was time for me to correct my weight problem one of the main reasons I did so was so that I could enjoy my time with my kids more. It’s a horrible feeling to want to get out their and have fun just playing with your kids but to be confined to the bench with the rest of the parents just watching your kids run around and beg you to play with them on the jungle gym. All because you’re just too out of shape to “play” for too long. This was a real issue for me my confidence suffered as bad for this as it did for looking unattractive while being overweight.
I made the choice the change a year or two ago and had some initial success but nothing really long lasting (I didn’t really change my eating or exercise habits initially). This past January I made the choice to fix this issue for good. It started as simply an eat less and exercise more “diet” but through time and education (thank you so much JSF community) it has evolved into and eating clean first phase cutting diet. I will “eat clean” for the rest of my life now.
I am quite proud of my results. I started around the first week in January at around 288; I am now down to 240. I suspect my body fat is somewhere between 20 and 26% (mybodycomp says 15% though). I feel great and can’t remember having so much energy. I have a lot to be depressed about emotionally right now but working out and getting my diet straight has given me the strength, energy and confidence that happy pills wouldn’t ever be able to (I have never taken those things and certainly don’t see the need to now).
While I have a bit more to lose (20-40 pounds) before my ultimate fat loss goal is reached and I can start a muscle building slow bulk, this weekend marked a milestone that I won’t ever forget. Here in Virginia the weather was spectacular and I had the kids all weekend. My kids are age 8 (the boy), 6 (my eldest girl) and 4 (my youngest girl). They have had a rough past couple of months (Mommy and Daddy just recently separated and will ultimately get a divorce) but this past weekend I was happy to bring a bit of joy back into their lives.
We went to the park 2 or 3 times, one with a huge modern jungle gym. We ran, jumped, played on the swings, played freeze tag, etc. Daddy was their every step of the way, never more winded than they were and always ready to go at it again. On Sunday we went to a birthday party for one of their friends. It was at one of those birthday places that soccer moms competitively fight over for birthdays. It was a huge warehouse with a rubber floor and filled with 5 or 6 blowup carnival style playsets (blowup moonwalk, blowup bouncy obstacle course, blowup boxing ring, etc). We had the place for about an hour and the owners encouraged parents to join their kids and play too.
When they let us in most of the parents went and sat down to watch but I didn’t. Not this time. I ran, jumped, bounced, slid and boxed with my kids. I spent alone time with all 3 of them. But there was a single moment that I won’t ever forget:
I challenged my son to a race through the obstacle course. It was a huge blowup obstacle course that started with two huge tires (one for each lane) that you needed to jump through, then a run through a forest of bouncy blocks, then over and under two sets of huge hurdles until you reached a climbing wall which ended in a slide. The entire surface was bouncy like that of a moonwalk or trampoline so just walking was difficult. The race was to the climbing wall and back. My youngest daughter wanted to go too so we gave her a head start.
It probably took us 5 minutes to finish but it was a blast. I cheated by tripping my son up along the way. I am 32, I called it an old man advantage (like hitting from the senior tees). Ultimately it didn’t matter as he leapt across the finish line first (8 year olds are nimble on bouncy surfaces) but I was close behind. We layed there for a minute or two with our arms and legs spread out staring at the ceiling just breathing heavy and laughing. He then looked over and said in such a way that it could bring hardened grown men to tears “I Love you dad. I am happy you’re my dad”. All I could pretty much do is just smile. Then my youngest daughter comes barreling across the finish line jumping up and landing square on my chest with a thud.
I know this is a bit sentimental for us hard core iron pumping types and maybe a little hard to understand if you aren’t a parent but to think I would have missed that moment had I not made the choice to live healthier will motivate me for a lifetime. So I figured I would share.
Ves
PS I made a pact to myself that I would post progress pics (although I didn’t take any shirtless before pics when I started) after I reached the 50 pounds lost mark. That should be within the next week or so.