After spending the last two weeks or so reading many articles and threads here,i figured it was time to say Hi!
And,a VERY big THANK YOU!
You see,im approaching 37 years old,Married with 5 kids,and spent my life sat on my rear in IT.
(6’2",215 lbs…Most of which is situated in my gut.6 pack?-I have a big round 1 pack!,almost fainted when the tape measure went to 43" around my belly)
I had never been to a gym since school,and physical excersize was limited to a stroll to the fridge for another beer//pork pie.On top of this i had smoked since the age of 15.
So dont tend to feel particularly great on any day.
Recently,I was booked into hospital for a minor operation,and prompty failed my pre-op medical.I was not fit enough to undergo General Anaesthetic.
Blood pressure was far too high,and cholesterol was through the roof.
I had known for a long time that i was “unfit”,but only once i had failed that medical did i realise just how bad i’d got.
Stairs leave me pretty wrecked,and a 5 min run will see me gasping for breath like a fish out of water.
Knew i shouldnt have had that last Big Mac!.
Spent a fair bit of time feeling utterly despondant.
Then by pure chance,i found this place.I wasnt looking for anything to do with weights/fitness,a link in an email on a totally unrelated topic brought me here.
And you guys have given me something which even after just a couple of weeks,is very valuable to me.
Determination.
I now have a way of beginning to put right the years of abuse my poor frame has endured-And get d*mn fine advice and information while im doing it.
Since finding these forums,my diet has undergone EXTREME change.
From eating a big fried breakfast and as many cheeseburgers/kebabs/chocolate bars as i wanted daily,while drinking up to 6 litres of Coca Cola…To now not eating any junk food at all,and watching very carefully the calorie/fat contents etc of everything that goes into my mouth.
For the first time ever-I have begun doing both cardio and lifting.
Ok-So the first session i had felt like i was going to die,like right then on the spot…and i paid for it dearly with severe pains for days afterwards.
I did however,feel better about myself than i have in decades after just the first week.
For starters im aiming to lose a few lbs from my gut,and add some much needed muscle mass. (My wife’s most recent comment was “I’ve seen more meat on a sparrows kneecaps”)
I realise i know very little about what im doing at this point,and that this is going to be the longest,hardest road i have ever taken.
Which is why im very thankful there are such helpful people around,who have travelled the same road.Perhaps i wont make quite as many mistakes!
Thanks again T-Nation,For the Inspiration,and knowing there is somewhere to turn!.
You have been warned.