Progress Report 1.

Still feeling pretty awesome about the fact that I did a 5k. It was about 2 weeks ago I know, but still its a point of pride. Now only moments after I did my run I made a very blindly made a promise. I promised my best friend that if he stopped smoking I would run a marathon. If there is a way I can help the people I care about I will do it. Especially if it will help them stop smoking. I lost my Dad to cigarettes, and would really rather not see anyone else important to me go that route. My buddy  turned to me, smirked and said OK, your on.........WHAT? So now he quit, 6-7 days smoke free (Woot, props to him) and I have to keep my end of the deal. I did manage to scale it down to a 10k, but still that is a lot from someone who didn't even break the top 500 in the run I just did. So now I plan on using this as inspiration to help motivate me to get in better shape.
     I finally made my way to the gym yesterday after not going for awhile. One problem I have with the gym is, well its always so much easier to do the cardio part of your workout. Its not as intimidating as the strength training. I look back there and it looks like that's where all the popular kids hangout, I find myself feeling like the heavy kid who wants to sit in the back of the bus with all the cool kids all over again. I of course realize, just how stupid this is and that it is just an excuse but there you have it. I have to get over this stupid misconception and just do it. I think I did well though. I did 45 minutes of cardio, some weight lifting and then cardio again. I'm trying to get used to running and tried the treadmills for a change. Its a little different then the elliptical and stair climbers I normally use. But I think I wont have a problem with it. I did get a bit of a morale boost when someone mentioned I had lost a noticeable amount of weight when I was exercising with him, so that's awesome.
     I also did my research on the Dash Diet I wanted to use and am amazed at how simple it is. This diet is essentially a diet to lower cholesterol and blood pressure. But from the studies I have read its good for weight loss as well. The tenants are amazingly simple as well. Watch portions, stay under your calorie intake range and eat healthy foods. Its not rocket science, choose low fat dairy, whole grains, lean proteins, and fruits and veggies.And DRINK LOTS OF WATER. This is my Achilles heel. I have never been a big water drinker.  That's about it. If I couple that with a decent exercise regime, I'm hoping the pounds just melt off. Well that's all for now, again if anyone has suggestions on motivation or even exercises for a newbie, I'm all ears. Laters.
    

Oh Hai there.

     Steven James Belsito of Saratoga Springs passed away this week due to heart complications at the age of 35. He is survived by his Mother, several Brothers and Sisters as well as numerous Nieces and Nephews. A long time Saratoga resident Mr Belsito graduated from Saratoga Springs High School. Mr Belsito was a sufferer of diabetes and had high blood pressure.  His hobbies were watching TV, reading and cooking and eating with family and friends. While he always dreamed of traveling the world, Mr Belsitos health kept him from doing so. In lue of flowers the Belsito family asks that donations be made to the American Heart Association.

     This is what I had assumed my future would be when I was about 25. I was all to well aware of the fact that I was morbidly obese, and ran the risk of several health problems that being overweight only made worse. Diabetes runs in my family as do heart problems, so being as heavy as I was only made it worse. I was oddly content with this future. Until I made the decision a couple of years ago that life was worth living, and living it well, meant I had to get in better shape. I have some big guns in my arsenal in this war against myself. I have the best friends anyone can ask for. They urge me to do things that I don't think I can. I'm not sure what it is they see, but they help me see this version of myself that I never knew existed. Now I'm not doing this for them, honestly its all about me but they are an invaluable help. Some have helped by just taking walks late at night after work, others have helped by giving me a self esteem boost when needed. One or two others bullied me into getting a gym membership, or trying to run a 5k. I'm an extraordinarily lucky SOB to have these people in my life. And I thank them all. With out their help I wouldn't have lost the close to 70 pounds I have already lost.

    So now what do I do about the weight I have left? I still have a lot to lose and I have to step up my game. I have been trying to find the determination it takes to go the gym every day. Its so hard but I can do this. I'm doing a mix of weight lifting and cardio, while changing to a sensible diet. I don't want to be a muscle head, I just wanna be able to go the beach and not be embarrassed to take my shirt off. I mean come on I have a bitching Batman tattoo to show off. Its not fair to the world that they miss out on that. I looked at different diet plans and after some research I think I'm going to try the Dash diet plan. This diet started as a heart healthy diet and has garnered much acclaim as the best diet out there right now. It has been rated as the # 1 Diet for the last 2 years. There are a lot of other diet plans that advocate cutting out certain food groups while over doing it on others. I have never thought very much of these types of diets. A well balanced has always made so much more sense. Here is a link for an interesting article in US news that talked about the best diets around. http://health.usnews.com/best-diet/best-overall-diets. I found this rather informative and it helped me. As for or working out I'm just trying to get to the point where I don't feel like a moron when I go the weight lifting area. While no one has ever said anything to me while back there, I feel like I'm being judged. I am fully aware that this is just me being awkward and judgmental but it is a bit intimidating to go back there.

     Whats the end goal, what is it I want to achieve by the end of this? I want to be healthy and have a much better sense of self esteem. I wanna be able to play sports with friends and not be a hindrance. I want to live to see my nieces and nephews grow up and be healthy and fit enough to spend time with them. The big pay off though, what really has me trying to do this is what I plan on rewarding myself with when ( not if ) I lose all the weight. I plan on taking a trip across the county. On this trip I want to do things that being a huskier guy I haven't been able to do. I wanna go kayaking, sand dune surfing, hike a volcano, all kinds of out door adventures that being a fatty has hindered me from doing. My plan is to get a couple of friends to make this trip with me and just camp across the nation. All the while having fun and experiencing life.

     I plan on using this blog to keep an account of how I do. The ups and downs, the whole damn thing. This way I'm held accountable in a sense to others. This way also I can receive advice and tips from people who may be able to help. So any suggestions you have will be greatly appreciated.