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Hi from Delray Beach, FL

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  • Hi from Delray Beach, FL

    My name is Eddie, and I'm glad I found the Jefit app. I hit rock-bottom back on July 4th week of 2014. I couldn't stand the sight of myself anymore. I hit 315 lbs., and felt disgusting. My legs were getting swollen, and my ankles were always itching. In the weeks leading up to that week, I would look up each symptom as I felt them, and every time they lead to the same thing...pre-diabetes. If not being able to find clothes to wear wasn't motivation enough to drop weight, the thought of becoming a diabetic was worse. I sat down at work, during a quiet late night, opened a Word document, and went off on myself. I was brutally honest about the state of my existence. After going off for a few pages, I took it home, and read it over and over. I passed on any 4th of July festivities, because of the same old reasons. I locked myself in all week, and just kept reading it. As time passed that week, I kept hearing Morgan Freeman (yes, he has a way of creeping that voice in everywhere!), from "The Shawshank Redemption", saying over and over:

    "Get busy living, or get busy dying."

    I heard Morgan a lot that week, and it became my mantra. Sure, I had thought about the latter a lot over the years, but since it wasn't coming naturally, it could only come from a slow, painful or self-inflicted happening. None of those appealed to me at all. So I was going to have to GET BUSY LIVING.

    I made a choice to start attacking the things that were leading to the pre-diabetes. I read and read tons of websites that whole week, and the funny thing is, my entire eating lifestyle started changing with just a few food items: Chick Peas, Celyon Cinnamon, and Curry Powder. I started reading about these super-foods, the way they help lower blood sugar, fill you up, and their health benefits. By Friday, payday, I set out with a list. I bought a Ninja, almond milk, frozen berries, power greens, chick peas, onions and peppers of different colors, garlic, broccoli, and cauliflower. I started drinking a gallon of water every 24 hours. I learned about the benefits of adding olive, sunflower, and peanut oils to different vegetables. Week after week, I ate perfectly, started getting tons of energy back, and was feeling positive for the first time in a while. By the end of August, I had dropped from 315 to 265...50 pounds! It felt great, but I still had a long way to go. As the fall and the holidays crept in, I worried about all the family meals and crappy food heading my way, and made plans to deal with it. The holidays always give me the blues, so I was concerned. All through September, October and November, I didn't gain any weight, but I wasn't losing any more, either. I was stuck at 265, and after losing so much so quickly, I started to get frustrated. I made it to February having only gained 5 lbs. back. Once that dreaded, stupid "holiday" that falls on Feb 14th past, I set out to finish my goals.

    On that all-important 4th of July week, I set out a goal of making it back to my High School wrestling weight, 30 years ago, of 185 by July 4th of 2015. That would mean a total weight loss of 130 lbs. in a year. By mid-Feb, I was still stuck at 265. As luck would have it, they suddenly opened a new Planet Fitness down the street from my house. I live on a tight budget, so I traded my $10 bucks a month on my Google Play account for my $10 a month membership. I didn't want to fall into previous traps, of getting bored by doing an hour of cardio every day. I read up on the importance of variety, of tricking your body, and of weight training. That's when I found the Jefit app. It's been about 2 weeks that I've had it now, and I love it. The more I learn how to use it, the better it gets. I started with the "8 Week Fat Burn" plan, but have tailored it since the first week. I found the exercises went too fast, so I added a bunch of exercises into each day. I work at night, and now look forward to going to the gym every morning. I've been going for about 2 - 3 hrs 5 or 6 days a week, taking my time, savoring the workouts, and it feels great. I've been forcing myself to take the necessary "rest" days, but I don't like them! I feel like I'm cheating, so I've still sneaked in for an hour on the treadmill. I come out of there soaked, and have been sleeping like a baby every afternoon. I hadn't lifted weights since High School, and getting back into a routine has reinvigorated me. I love the "personal training" aspect of the exercises, the animated diagrams, and the detailed instructions. I know, I know, everyone starts out balls-out, but I can't help but feel that reaching that July goal will keep my fire burning.

    Thanks for listening to my diatribe, and I look forward to meeting more of you on similar paths. Oh, and my screen name comes from my years as a progressive house DJ on South Beach in the late '90's, so you can call me...

    EddieWax
    Last edited by EddieWax; 03-03-2015, 11:36 AM.

  • #2
    I'd call your post more of a testimony than a diatribe. Sounds like your moving in the right direction. I have one suggestion, get off the treadmill and do some running outside. Right now (in Boston), I'd kill to be able to go out and run in shorts and a tee shirt.

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    • #3
      Originally posted by PSH59 View Post
      I'd call your post more of a testimony than a diatribe. Sounds like your moving in the right direction. I have one suggestion, get off the treadmill and do some running outside. Right now (in Boston), I'd kill to be able to go out and run in shorts and a tee shirt.
      Thanks for the positive words. After I wrote it, I felt like it was a diatribe. It felt like I really spilled, and people were going to say, oh, geez, spill it all, why don't ya. I guess I'd been keeping it all to myself and needed to clear my brain. As for the road running, I have a permanent stomach injury that is painful and uncomfortable with any impact, so I stick to the low impact. I walked in the park by my house before this, and there were too many "unsavory" types around, so I'm sticking to the gym. That's why I don't have any Ab training in my routine yet, either. Part of the motivation to reach my goal weight is that I'm hoping it will pull my stomach muscles close enough together again that I can have a surgery I've been wanting since 1996. I'll be looking forward to getting out on the road again after I drop much more weight, so my mid-section will be less "heavy". Sorry I have to squander our 85 degrees, and I hope your snow stops soon! Thanks for the reply and encouragement!
      Last edited by EddieWax; 03-04-2015, 11:17 AM.

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      • #4
        You know what I like about being able to write a statement like this, in a forum with other users of the app? If you were to make a statement like this on FB, you'd have an entire day's worth of "likes" and "way to go" posts, which can be a burden. Sometimes you just want to tell your story, without needing the "strokes". Plus, what ends up happening is, you now end up doing things and keeping up with your plan for everyone else, instead of yourself, then it becomes a real drag. I like this private forum much better. I can read other people's thoughts, they can read mine, without a lot of hub bub. Right on Jefit.

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