My own journey.

Since I was a child I've always weighed more than others. I remember staring at photos of when I was a toddler and I was chubby. Even my birth weight was more than normal.

I have always been the "fat kid" who loved food. I also participated in "binge eating" which is very unhealthy, but all too common in today's society.

Every time I saw snacks and junk food I'd overload on it.

In 5th grade I was about 5 feet tall and weighed about 110 pounds...since then, I always remember having to get "Husky" size pants for school and shopping in the regular men's aisle.

In middle school I reached a waist size of 36 and progressively continued till once in High School I maintained 38 and, subsequently, reached my limit of 40. This was fueled by inactivity and an urge to eat whenever...and whatever.

When I got to college, I decided to do something about my weight. I got so conscious that I ended up starving myself and eating very little my Sophomore year. I also exercised twice a day. This dangerous method eliminated weight from 220 pounds down to around 170, in less than one semester (or 3.5 months)

That summer I remember my brain looking for excuses to eat unhealthy, and not just that, but to overeat. So I did.

Until I graduated I overate, and overindulged. I remember eating for no reason whatsoever other than just eating for the heck of it.

This resulted in a weight of 255 pounds in December 2008 and I felt bad about my weight.

But I continued to ignore my problem until March 2009, when I got a free evaluation from the work health screening and saw my BMI was 33.

I got a Personal Trainer in June 2009, but didn't adhere to a strict workout program and failed to change my diet. This resulted in some weight loss, but not much.

In late 2009, I started running a bit, maybe not more than 1/4 mile. I also casually worked out. I increased my running to 1 mile a week, then 3 miles a week. I also ran my first 5k (3.1 miles), but didn't finish the entire distance (stopped at mile 2). I resolved to run the entire 5k in 2010.

Total weight loss in 2009: 25 pounds.

In 2010, I resolved to run a 1/2 Marathon (or 13.1 miles). I started running 2 miles a day, 5 days a week and then increased that distance to 18 miles a week (3 miles per day, 6 days/week) in June 2010. I also did some cross training on my own and casually ate "clean" My weight was also "casual" at 219 pounds.

It wasn't until July 2010 that I heard about Hal Higdon, a marathon expert. I started following his program to train for the November 2010 Rock and Roll Half Marathon. This started forcing me to run smarter, not harder. It also got me running 10 miles (as my max), which I achieved in August/September 2010. I weighed 210 pounds at the time.

In August 2010, I learned about Shakeology and BeachBody...I gave Shakeology a try. Immediately, within the first month I dropped 5 pounds.

In August, I also tried Insanity, a Max Interval extreme workout program. For 10 days I experienced brutality at its finest! At this time I weighed 205 pounds.

In September I considered trying P90X. I also became super conscious about my eating choices. With a combination of diet changes and extreme workout routine, I dropped down to 176 pounds in 90 days.

This first post is meant to inspire and motivate you. It's not meant to sell any program or philosophy. It's not meant to "call you out" on your diet choices.

It's just about me. I've been a fat person all my life. I know I got there because of the choices I made. The point is, I've gone from wearing XL shirts and size 38/40 pants to Medium shirts and size 33 pants.

I'm living proof that you CAN change!

Throughout my posts I will share tips that have worked for me, including advice on eating, running, nutrition, and more.

Let me know what you think, I'm here for you!