I met Bob at uni back in 2000.... JESUS CHRIST, 2000!! Anyways, I think it was in foundation management and Bob was in my tutor class. A friendly, charming and full of banter lad - I instantly warmed to him. Since uni we have stayed connected via Facebook. I'd be lying if I said we were best buddies, having gone our separate ways since uni, but this last year, since I began the blog, Bob has offered support and friendship that has been invaluable. I received occasional updates and "thanks" but was blown away when this week he informed me he had lost 30lbs since March and thanked me for my blogs. I hate to sound like an old cliche but this made me beam with happiness. Putting your life and thoughts, albeit a tiny proportion of your life, onto the internet for the WHOLE WIDE WORLD to see is effing scary - believe me! Ex boyfriends, fake frienimies, future employers - nightmare!! But Bob's journey not only makes me feel happy that we're all battling to balance our lifestyles and fitness/aesthetic goals together; but the nattering on here actually makes a difference in someones life. In turn he has inspired me to continue in my battle to balance my nutrition and unlock my potential. (I've had a glass of wine so if in the morning this reads terrible please forgive me)
I'm beaming! This is Bob's story...
So a bit about me…My name’s Bob, I work as an assistant director in the tv industry and I used to be a porker. Well maybe not a porker, but I was carrying a little bit more timber than I would have liked. I’ve never been the fittest of individuals, as a child and a teenager I was rubbish at sports as I have little co-ordination and even less skill. My only real physical movement was walking to and from school every day, which was a good hour walk. I could eat for England and never but on weight. Lucky boy! I went to uni, and obviously being in control of my own diet and the drinking culture, meant I filled out a bit. As I’m almost classed as a giant (6ft 5 and a bit) it never really showed. It wasn’t until I returned from a years study American 2003 that I started to gain weight/fat.
Having missed Greggs Sausage rolls for a year, I over compensated on my return and before I knew it my favourite Banana Republic shirt didn’t fit anymore and was stored away in a cupboard.
As I entered professional life I kept a steady weight as I used to walk every where, joined a gym and would go 2 – 3 times a week, usually for stints of 2 -3 months at a time. But then I bought a car…or fatmobile. All of a sudden I would get up in a morning, then sit in the car, drive to work, sit at a desk for the majority of the day, sit in the car, get home, sit on the couch with a cuppa and half pack on hob nobs, then go to bed. I was still going to the gym, but my efforts were pointless. Naively I started to wonder if there was something wrong with me! Nope, simply eating too much and not moving enough. This combined with increasingly pressurized jobs, and eating whatever was at hand meant my weight eventually hit 18 stone! In my uni days I was between 14 and 15 stone. I would hate to know what percentage my body fat was, but I would say it was 30% plus.
In the summer of 2008 apart from being heavy I was physically and mentally exhausted. I’d worked the previous 9 months with only a handful of weekends off, and when I did have them off I was too tired to do anything. I decided to take a bit of time off work and rejoined a gym in London. Over the course of 3 months I was going to the gym 6 times a week, doing mainly cardio and was introduced to the concept of interval training. The weight dropped off me and I got back down to 16st. Over the following year I managed to keep active and reached 15st, which I was pretty happy with. I had completely changed career and now spent most of my day on my feet. I was eating healthily but still feeding my sweet tooth. I always had in my head though that I wanted to get back to the weight I was when I was living in America and fit back into that Banana Republic shirt!
Last year my weight started to creep up again, as I was doing a bit more desk work. I was still going to the gym on a regular basis, but the catering provided by work meant my weight was flat lining around 15st 10 no matter what I did. I had a trainer for a little while but it didn’t seem to make much difference. At the end of last year a lot of things in my life changed very quickly. I started the new year with new set of life goals and good intentions when it came to my health, but I had a number of false starts. Reading Kelly’s blog really helped and seeing how hard she was working made me realize what it takes to get what you want. Reading her posts let me gain the perspective, that going to the gym 3 times a week and just doing cardio I would not achieve my goal, and I would be more likely to give up and be back where I started in 2 months time. By the end of March this year I was back to 16st., nothing major to worry about but I was feeling tired again and was annoyed when I didn’t like the fit of any of the clothes I’d wear. So re-reading Kelly’s blog and taking a lot of her points on board I hit the gym and changed how and what I was eating.
And….last week I hit my target. Since April 3rd I’ve lost 2st and 2lbs, 4 inches off my waist, 5 inches of my stomach, and 3 inches off my chest. I can run 17km without taking a breathier, I can do an hour with my personal trainer without passing out, and I can fit into that Banana Republic shirt. But the bad news is…it’s too baggy!
STAY TUNED FOR PART 2: HOW HE DID IT: including before and after pictures!. Coming up this week.
Love
x
No comments:
Post a Comment