Transitioning From "Thin" to "Fit"

2005 - 2008

Last post we left off at my 70 pound weight loss and subsequent 25 pound weight gain. My father passed away on December 6, 2006. My step-father-in-law committed suicide 25 days later, on New Years Eve. While dealing with the multitude of emotions through those traumatic losses, I realized a couple of things. First, family genetics were not my friend, at least in the health department. When dad had passed, his body looked like a road map from all of the various bypasses he had undergone. My genetic card deck contained heart problems, circulatory problems, bone cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, and the list goes on. I realized that since genetics were not my friend, I had to be extra careful and totally change my lifestyle to one of committed health and fitness. From my father-in-law's death, I realized life was too short not to live to its fullest and be happy. So, I proceeded. 

2009-Abs starting to push through

I knew how to eat. Prism had taught me that. But, I was not lean and muscular. I had read so much about health and fitness. I knew what to do. But, I lacked the motivation to do it on my own. So, I contacted a personal trainer: Rob Grissom from Elite Force in Dayton, OH. I worked out with Rob three times a week for a few years. And, the results were astounding. Rob is a great guy. If you live in the north Dayton area and need a trainer, look him up. The pictures on this posting are of the results I got while training with Rob.

2009-Back muscles noticable

You would think that through everything I have blogged so far that I would have learned my fitness lesson, wouldn't you? Well, NOT. I am definitely still a work in process. Money and my schedule got tight. So, I stopped training with Rob thinking that I could do it on my own. Over the course of the next couple of years, training slowed down, eating clean diminished and 20-25 pounds started creeping back on. I am happy to say that the jeans and slacks you see in these "after" pics are the pants I am currently wearing. So, I am back at this slimmer point. In the near future, we will talk about how I got back here and where I hope to go from this point.

Today's Takeaways:

• Processed foods (white flours and sugars) can be an addiction. If they are an addiction for you, you cannot play with them. Once they are gone out of your life, they must stay gone.
• Exercise must be consistent. If you are not disciplined enough to do it on your own, hire a trainer.
• When you fail, start again. You have nothing to lose (except fat) and everything to gain (health and self-confidence).

Until next time,

Mike

The Quest for Fitness Begins

In the last post, I shared the early days of my ongoing battle with weight and struggle with fitness. During my seventy pounds weight loss on the Prism program, I developed a habit of exercising 30-minutes at least three days per week. In addition to the health benefits, I was motivated by the fact that by adding the exercise increased my allowed calorie intake to move from 1,500 per day to 1,800. Hey, 30-minutes of exercise was definitely worth more food!

"To Be" State

One of the activities in Prism was to visualize on a daily basis what you would look like when you reached your target weight. In order to do this, we were instructed to find a picture of what we thought we would look like in our "future state." Being somewhat of a perfectionist and techy, I went on an online search for a male body 5'9" tall, my build and my goal weight of about 170. I came up with this model and superimposed my face. It really did help to plaster this vision into my psyche on a daily basis.

After I lost the weight on Prism my father was diagnosed with dementia and lung cancer. I was working a full-time job and attending school full-time completing my undergraduate degree. I lost focus and started packing on some weight. After it crept back up to about 205 pounds, I contacted a personal trainer. That is when my quest for fitness truly became jump-started. Next post, we'll start talking about that transformation.

Today's Takeaways:

• Eating "clean" is the first step to fitness
• Exercising allows you more calories, or food
• Visualize where you want to go to provide clear focus of who you will become

Until next post,

Mike

Welcome to the Fitness World of Mikey G-Post One!

My First Birthday

Thanks for stopping by my blog! Let me get started by introducing myself to those of you who do not know me. I am on the young side of the Boomer Generation. I was born to parents who grew up during the Great Depression. Because they knew what it meant to do without, my mother was always concerned I was hungry whenever I opened my mouth. So, she would always stuff me with a bottle. Thus, my battle with food began. By the time I celebrated my first birthday, I already weighed a whopping 32-pounds.

I can't remember ever not having a battle with my weight. When I was younger, I also had some pretty tough battles with bronchitis. So, overexerting myself physically meant a struggle in breathing. So, I spent a great deal of my school days as a TV watching couch potato.

Slim & Trim at 19

When I was a senior in high school, I decided I had enough with the weight struggle. So, I went on a fitness quest and gained great results. I started riding my bicycle an hour each day. I reduced my meals to nothing more than salads. Instead of ordering a Big Mac, large fries and a Coke at McDonald's, I reduced my order to a small cheeseburger and Diet Coke. I received great results quickly. I actually nearly made myself ill. But, I was no longer the fat and insecure kid I once was. I had new self-esteem, self-confidence and dates!

Heaviest at 250

Fast forwarding a few years, I married a beautiful girl and then the weight struggle resumed. Up 20, down 20. Up 35, down 25. Up and down like a yo-yo until, at 5'9" tall, I reached an obese 250 pounds.  I knew I had to do something. So, in 2005, I joined the faith-based Prism Weight Loss Program. Through Prism, I learned about the health hazards of refined processed foods. The addicting power of processed white flour and sugar. How my eating was tied to my emotions. And, the spiritual implications of my attitude and diet. It forever changed my relationship with food. 

Through what I learned in Prism, I was able to lose 70 pounds; down to a slimmer 180. But, food addiction isn't an easy beast to subdue. The weight started coming back on. Stay tuned for the next posting where I start delving into my true fitness journey.

Peace,

Mike