So todays weigh-in signifys the mid point in my goal of becoming ‘fit by 30’. I started on March 8 2010 and my big 3-0 is on June 5th 2010.
I originally started out with an aim of getting a BMI under 25. I soon realised that the BMI is inherently flawed and as such probably not the best yardstick with which to measure my success so I decided that it would be much better to just lose a sh*tload of weight and get myself exercising. I’ve set the bar of my weight loss at 100lbs but I fully expect to never reach it as I will be replacing some of my fat with muscle.
With that said though to date I’ve already lost 70lbs (holla!) so the final 30lbs is possible but I’m not sure if that’s the kind of body shape I want. I think I’ll let my body decide that one and it’ll let me know what it’s comfortable with.
In terms of achievements along the way I of course have continued to lose weight at a fairly sane/steady pace and today see’s me surpass a loss of one quarter of my original body weight. I’m 3/4 the man I used to be, haha.
I took up running and graduated the Couch to 5k in 8 weeks with my first 5k race on June 13th I finished in 32:19. My second official 5k race was on August 9th and I finished in 24:19 which saw me drop 8 minutes off my original time in 2 months and still remains a personal best for the distance.
I’ve ran 10k a couple of times (usually when I had no intention of doing so when I started the run) and my first 10k race is this sunday, I hope to finish in under an hour and should be able to do so comfortably.
I’ve bought a bicycle and while I haven’t yet began due to a busy running week and wanting to get a little more assured in the saddle again before I hit the mean streets at rush hour I intend to commute 14 miles a day to work and back.
I also joined a group called the Greenwich Tritons, these guys run triathlons and ironmans and crazy sh*t like that. I ran with them last night for my first training session and it kicked my arse but goddamn was it good fun. I’ll be easing myself into the swimming and cycling sessions in due course as well with a goal to completing a sprint triathlon in either mid/late 2011 or early 2012.
And just finally I’ll mention my clothes… I was an XXL t-shirt and 40/42” waist in March. I now fit 36” waist and the t-shirt I’m wearing right now is a M (although it varies brand to brand. I’m more of a baggy L if anything). Not only has this decimated my wardrobe (although being stubborn and a fan of hip hop my XXL tee’s still factor in my rotations regularly, but boy are they baggy).
As I write all this and think back to the position I was in just 7 months ago I never though I’d be in shape, I was consigned to a life of being big and out of shape. In a way the stroke which my dad suffered was actually a good thing (and this is something he has actually told me himself) because it seems that was the only catalyst capable of enacting such a wholesale change in my life (he’s doing fine now and asides from a loss of raw strength back to his old self). I started out to make my dad proud and to stop him having to worry about his only son suffering the same problem he had later in life (and boy was I bigger than my dad anyways) but now I do it because I enjoy it and this is how my life is now. I enjoy the little things like buying clothes I like rather than clothes that fit, like running for the bus/train/whatever, like not feeling like I’m unfairly taking too much space on the packed train in the mornings.
I wrote this to give a brief update of my own progress but at the same time I hope that I can help someone else who believes that such a drastic lifestyle change is unattainable to them. You can do it if you WANT to do it. that’s the biggest barrier you’ll face and unfortunately it’s the one you have to break through by yourself. once the motivation and determination is there the rest is easy.
If anyone wants to ask me anything there’s an ask link on my homepage in the sidebar.
