In November, I will turn 36 years old. I can't believe that I am in my late 30's - this wasn't supposed to happen to me. I was supposed to always be young and athletic and in shape. Father Time can be very cruel.
I have always felt like I have been in pretty decent shape. There have been various stages in my life where I have been in better shape or worse shape; no one would have ever said to me that I was too skinny or too overweight. When I graduated from high school (1991), I weighed 168 pounds. When I got home from my mission, I weighed 190 pounds (1995 - sickly looking). I have fluctuated between 205 (2000) and 240 (2003) for the last 15 years. I usually hover around 225 pounds, which is where I currently am.
I write all this because I have determined once and for all that I am going to get into shape. I have decided to do this publicly for two reasons. First, I know that if I write it down, it becomes more real and more important to me. And second, I know that if other people are reading what I write, I will be more accountable and hopefully, be more careful with what I eat.
Confession time: my problem areas lie from about two inches above my knees to the top of my belly (I call my belly 'La Pansa' - it's a Spanish term that means belly or gut. I like that my belly has a name - it reminds me of one of my favorite Seinfeld episodes where Jerry and Kramer say to hello to each as if their bellies were speaking. Sounds stupid and it was, but it's really funny)
Another confession: exercising is not my problem. I work out constantly. I lift weights, I take Michelle's muscle conditioning classes, bootcamp classes, I play basketball weekly, I swim pretty much every day - working out is not the issue with me. I love to exercise. My problem lies in my diet. I eat like a man on death row. I love to eat. And I generally don't eat very healthy foods. I do not like most fruits; vegetables are OK but I avoid them when I can. Fast food has also been an issue with me. My diet is my downfall.
So, with my confessions complete, I begin a new chapter of my life: the healthy chapter, without La Pansa. I have paid a family friend of mine to create a diet and a workout for me which is supposed to help me lose body fat and turn it into lean muscle mass. I have even taken "before" pictures which I was going to post . . . until I saw them. I will post them when I have my "after" pictures to compare them to. That should be in 12 weeks.
In the interest of full disclosure, here are my measurements. As of this morning on my special scale in my house, I weigh 222.9 pounds, my body fat was 22.3% and my waist size is 38 inches. My goal is that I would like to weigh about 205 pounds with about 14 to 15% body fat. I will keep you all posted weekly.
2 comments:
Ah - one of my favorite Seinfeld episodes of all time. "Helloooo . . . la la la . . ." Almost as good as when Kramer was imagining he was a roast turkey.
I always think you look good and have never seen you with a "pansa." You want to see a pansa - post some pictures of me. :) My daughter told me tonight that my belly "looks like Pooh bear's belly." Nice! I will be glad that you are going to eat healthier though. We both could work on that - as I eat Skittles and Dots.
I think the program is fantastic! It's my brother's brother and sister-in-laws program (are you confused?) that they have been doing in Utah for years now. Before it was only available in Utah at a couple different locations, but now they have created an online version that can be done for a fraction of the cost. It's helped a lot of people and is not a fad diet or gimmick. It's just a solid health and fitness program that makes sense to me. Anyway, check it out at 4weekslimdown.com.
Ahh, that made me laugh...Chad, the "hellllooooo" episode of Seinfeld will ALWAYS remind me of you & Michelle. As do candy pumpkins. Thanks for the reminder. Good BYU memories. And, good luck with your healthier new life. I should probably follow suit.
Post a Comment