I'm going to make this as short as possible, but I think its important to know the whole story. :rolleyes:

So, I have been overweight as long as I can remember, even in 7th & 8th grade I remember wearing 34" jeans even back then.

High School didn't really see a big change in my weight that came after I started college, and by the end of college I was up to #228 :o

Then I started a job away from home, and actually joined a gym, where I made some modest gains, but it was only like 20 lbs or so that I lost, before I packed up and left for another job back closer to home. The exercise stopped.

Being a computer geek, coke and crap food go hand and hand, and sitting on your ass all day makes it all the worse.

Fast forward through a few demanding jobs, with lots of traveling and a very unhealthy lifestyle I got up to and staid around #235...for a few years.

I had slowed my metabolism down so far by drinking 8-10 cans of soda a day, and only eatting one meal, and snacks that it made me feel like crap.

Over the winter of 2001-2002 was when I finally had decided enough was enough, or I wasn't ever going to make it back from the road I was heading down. I had ballooned to #278, and was wearing 40" jeans, and standing at 6'1" tall. I had started to have acid reflux and because of eatting so poorly was tired all the time, and often slept soon after I got home from work. I was only 29.

I simply decided that was it, I wasn't into the typical gimmics so I knew it was just going to take persistence and flat out hard work. So I started at a wopping 3 mph on the treadmill, and after doing it for 35 mins the first couple of weeks was soar and painful cause of how much I weighed.

I completely stopped drinking all forms of soda, coke, etc, and only drank water...and lots of it.

I don't even have pictures from Feb'02 when I started exercising, the pictures you see are from May'02, after i lost 40lbs and got back down to #238.

And there are pictures from Feb'03 when i was #175....

I am about #170, and still working out, but haven't really pushed hard with gaining mass, but I have the opportunity now to work from home, so I am going to be purchasing equiptment for home, and will try to put on about 15lbs in my upper body, and I'll be happy.

I debated putting this up, cause John really is a great example, much better than myself, but I figured it would help show no matter how out of shape you are, you can achieve your goals if you really want to.

Here are the pics... (shudder)


Me, fat -> thin (http://homepage.mac.com/bse3/PhotoAlbum13.html)

I have to admit your first pictures did make me shudder , BUT you look really great now, great work, and progress id imagine that took some serious dedication, and im glad you put forth the hard effort :jumping: (that little smiley face is jumping for joy at your transformation)

Great job again

AJ

:bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow:
Wow! You make quite an impression with your first post. You are obviously very dedicated. Do people even recognize you?
How has your life changed since tearing off that weight?

:bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow:
Wow! You make quite an impression with your first post. You are obviously very dedicated. Do people even recognize you?
How has your life changed since tearing off that weight?

Well its funny you say that because I race cars, and in Sept '02 was the last time I saw alot of people from the track, until a show in Mar'03, when I got down to #165..people I had know for years walked right past me... :tu:

So it was fun seeing the look of amazement on their faces...

Simply amazing. Wow. :tucool:

:claplow::claplow::claplow::claphigh::claphigh: :claphigh: :d_eek: :d_biggrin

Awesome job!!! :bow:

too bad the flash blocks out much of your before pictures, that may be the best trasformation i've seen yet!

props :tu: :tucool: :tu: :claplow: :claphigh: :bow: :jumping:

You have to be kidding me, how pathetic........ a mac user :D


Very nice job on the transformation! :tu:

Wow! It's just amazing what you've done! Awesome transformation. You should not think twice about putting your transformation pictures up alongside mine, or anyone else's. Fantastic job! :tu:

Good lord! Now that's inspiring!

Absolutely great man....just awesome. I gotta ask you though as a member of the stretch mark club...where the hell did they go??!?! I can see them VERY easily in the before...but they seem gone in the after and it looks like you may have a little bit of left over skin from your stomach...I also have a good sized gut and I'm wondering what my chances of getting rid of that AND the extra skin are....any insight?

THanks and great job! :tu:

Wow dude you are an insipiration to us all!

Awesome job!:) Congrats on your hard work.

Wow! Truly incredible. Way to go! :) You look great.

nac.com homepage maybe? awesome transformation by the way, congratuations.

This is fantastic ........... you inspirate me very much! :tu:

Rene

Absolutely great man....just awesome. I gotta ask you though as a member of the stretch mark club...where the hell did they go??!?! I can see them VERY easily in the before...but they seem gone in the after and it looks like you may have a little bit of left over skin from your stomach...I also have a good sized gut and I'm wondering what my chances of getting rid of that AND the extra skin are....any insight?

THanks and great job! :tu:

As far as stretch marks go they are definitely there, just alot more blended in with my normal skin color. They seem to be going away more and more as time goes on.

As far as loose skin, that too I think will go away over time. There were a couple points that I lost the weight just too fast and did have some hanging skin, but it has gone away also.

I don't think it will ever be tight, but thats why I'm hoping to put on about 15lbs of muscle mass and that should pull things alot tighter.

You have to be kidding me, how pathetic........ a mac user :D


Very nice job on the transformation! :tu:

I'm glad you got the description right :claphigh: Rather than calling me a Mac fanactic.

Keep in mind I'm a professional computer geek (unix geek) and truely disliked Mac cause of their expense, and at the time they weren't any better than Win95.

But with their introduction of Mac OS X , 3 years ago I converted, and haven't looked back. The stability is wonderful, and viruses?...whats a virus :whistle:

I'm glad you got the description right :claphigh: Rather than calling me a Mac fanactic.

Keep in mind I'm a professional computer geek (unix geek) and truely disliked Mac cause of their expense, and at the time they weren't any better than Win95.

But with their introduction of Mac OS X , 3 years ago I converted, and haven't looked back. The stability is wonderful, and viruses?...whats a virus :whistle:

OK, I was WAY impressed until i noticed you are selling your IPod. What would possess you to do a thing like that!?!? That is the ONE truly flawless product to ever come from that company.

OK, I was WAY impressed until i noticed you are selling your IPod. What would possess you to do a thing like that!?!? That is the ONE truly flawless product to ever come from that company.

For one reason...I bought the iPod Mini...much nicer to run with...much lighter. ;)

Congratulations!!! Your weight loss is amazing. Just damn amazing! Good luck with your current goals, I know you will reach them. You can do anything after all that.