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
"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
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