Head Start to Fit-ness

Ever since I graduated from high school, I have struggled with my weight. I remember my first semester in college; we had a physical fitness course where we measured our body fat and weight. At the time, I was about 150 Ibs and had about 10% body fat (I had played basketball and then fencing my entire life, not to mention the fact that I had the metabolism of a beast). This was extremely lean for 6'2". By the time I graduated from college, I weighed over 240 Ibs and ?? body fat. The "freshman 15" was, for me, the freshman 40. I became so caught up in my studies and extracurriculars that I neglected my body in the process. Since then, I've sought to maintain a lean physique and live a healthier life. Looking back on my college experience, I now know that the moment I left high school, the days of "I can eat and do whatever I want" were gone.

One summer in graduate school, I decided to change my life. I bought a jump rope and some elastic bands and went to work. I shed about 20 pounds or so over the course of a couple of months--not bad considering I knew virtually nothing about losing weight--I had lifted weights in high school, but strength training when you are 18 years old and lean compared to losing weight at age 24 and overweight are two completely different things. Nevertheless, I saw some results and I felt better about myself.

Eighteen months later, with a new wife and my acceptance letter to seminary, we decided to try a gym. If you are unfamiliar with biometrics, you're missing out on a horrendous (yet effective) experience. If you ever see professional athletes running up and down stairs with various things strapped to their bodies or people holding a pair of dumbbells over their heads with one foot off the ground and squatting, then you know what I am talking about. We decided to hire a personal trainer three times a week. It was a costly investment but we experienced results in the first month. By the end of the year, I had what my wife calls a "leopard face"--when I shed a lot of pounds, my face becomes very lean (this is fairly common).

Unfortunately, despite these results, I have wained in keeping the weight off. Without the proper motivation, maintaining a lean physique is extremely difficult. Last year, we began working out at a new gym. At first, we enlisted a personal trainer and then tapered off. I began again at 240 Ibs with 26% body fat. Five months later, with the help of the trainer, I had nearly reached my goal of 205 Ibs with 15% body fat. I have the tools and the knowledge to lose the weight--it's just a matter of juggling this with everything else.

Losing weight entails accountability. If you have nobody to keep you accountable, then it is very easy to slack off. This is where you come in. Since you will be checking in on me from time to time to see my results, this means that I will be accountable to you (after a fashion). In return, I hope to provide you with useful information on how to lose weight and stay fit. Fit-ness is not just about how much you weigh but your overall well being. I have already begun the journey by writing three articles on Hubpages. The first one discusses how to lower your BMI (body mass index). The second article covers the various factors involved in weight loss. The third article talks about successful dieting. Hopefully, I will write many more articles in the future (I am aiming for 1-2 each day). Below are links to each of the three articles. I will continue to write the articles for Hubpages and then talk about them here. I will be sure to post links to the articles so you can read them.

Until tomorrow..

ARTICLES
Lower your bmi
Weight loss factors
Successful dieting