intofitness.net

The Warm-up Version
In the summer of 2007 I decided to step on a scale just for the heck of it.  The number I saw shocked me out of my sedentary life of obesity that was leading me down the road of cardiovascular disease and an early death.  On August 30, 2007 I purchased a personal training membership at LA|FITNESS and have never looked back. This blog chronicles my journey as a fitness fanatic.

After 14 months into fitness

The Superset Version

Before - circa June 2006

My name is Gerry, and I have been overweight most of my life, except for maybe 16 years (ages 0-6, 14-24). Those years were when I was a young child and when I was a competitive tennis player. But even during those lean years, food and overeating, as well as a yo-yo pattern of gaining and losing weight, were the physical issues that plagued me for as far back as I can remember.

At the age of 34 in May of 2000, I was denied a lower premium on my life insurance policy so I decided to get a physical to find out why. The routine physical showed no sign of disease; however, the blood work forecasted a grim future:

Glucose = 92 {normal 70-110} 
Triglycerides = 1084 {normal < 200}
Cholesterol = 257 {normal 100-200}
HDL = 21 {normal = 35-60}
Other cholesterol ratios were too high to be calculated.

My doctor said:

Gerry, if you don’t make a change in your life, you will contract Type II diabetes, and will most likely have to be on high blood pressure medication for the rest of your life. This will lead to cardiovascular disease and wide array of medications. You will die of either a heart attack, stroke, or complications from diabetes.

The fear of that conversation produced a change in my diet and exercise for about a month. My subsequent blood work improved over the next five months. But eventually the fear wore off, and I went back to my old habits of overeating and not being active. My doctor suggested follow up blood work and regular physicals, and had scheduled another round of blood tests for me, but after seven years, I still had not gone back for those tests or physicals.

Before - circa July 2007

In July of 2007 at the age of 41, my father-in-law underwent heart surgery. While we were visiting him in the hospital I noticed that the other cardiac patients were of varying ages. One in particular was in his 30s and extremely obese. Upon my return from that visit, I vowed never to end up in the cardiac ward. I was tired of that nagging pain in my knees as I walked up the stairs. I was weary of the pain in my ankles as I walked the short distance from my bed to the bathroom every morning.

So that’s when I decided to weigh myself.

My stats that summer were:

• Weight = 250 pounds
• BMI = 37
• Body fat = 33.4%
• Waist = 44 inches
• Pants = size 42 (tight)

The brand new LA|FITNESS gym in my neighborhood was having its Grand Opening event. I wanted to get a free t-shirt, which was the only reason I planned on going on August 30, 2007. But during the evening of August 29th, I had a very vivid dream that I was working with a personal trainer, and I was really fit and buff. I took the dream to be an omen, and the next day I listened to a sales pitch about the benefits of personal training. I bought a membership because I knew I needed to lose almost 80 pounds… and yes, I did get my free XL t-shirt, which barely fit.

I met with my trainer, Evan, for the first time on September 10, 2007. I was kind of nervous and scared, but also very determined and excited to change my life. I could barely lift any weight, was only able to do five “girl” push-ups, and was out of breath all the time at the gym.

I started out lifting weights just once or twice a week, but I also attended an intense spin class about 4-6 times per week where I usually burned about 800 kcal per hour. I cut my caloric intake down to about 1600-1800 calories per day. Over time, I dropped weight, decreased body fat, and built muscle.

After six months in April of 2008, I decided to take up cycling on the road, and purchased my first road bike. After a couple of months of riding, I wanted to train for a 100-mile ride during the Tour de Poway in October with a goal of finishing the race in under six hours. I thought that would be a great goal for someone who had only ridden a bike for a couple of months.

These used to fit snugly on me

In July of 2008, I reached my fitness goals. Now, at the age of 42, I’m in better shape than most 20-year olds with the fitness level of an athlete. Oh yeah, I finally did get a physical and see the doctor. He was ecstatic. My current stats are:

• Weight = 175 pounds
• BMI = 26
• Body fat = 7.1%
• Waist = 31 inches
• Pants = size 32 (loose)

My last blood test in 2008 yielded:

Glucose = 92 {normal 70-110}
Triglycerides = 90 {normal < 200}
Cholesterol = 144 {normal 100-200}
HDL = 44 {normal = 35-60}

My Current Weight

I lift weights in the gym several days a week. And although I don’t do spin class as much anymore, when I’m training for long rides, I typically ride my bike 150 miles per week. I finished my first Century at the Tour de Poway in 5 hours, 56 minutes, riding through the pain of muscle cramps in my right quad the last 10 miles.

Having been encouraged by my new trainer, Murray, and inspired by Joe Thorn, I’m now learning how to run. While I regret not having written about my experiences and all that I learned while becoming fit in the last year, I’m following Pastor Joe’s example, and writing about my experiences as I take on my next challenge of running.

I’m training for the “Triple Crown” in San Diego, which is special designation given to someone who completes three half-marathons in one calendar year: the Carlsbad Half (January 2009), the La Jolla Half (April 2009), and the America’s Finest City Half (August 2009). You get a medal for completing each one, and then a special commemorative medal for doing the Triple Crown. As part of my training, I also ran a 5K and a 10K in November 2008.

It just goes to show you that it’s never too late. Take control of your life. Hit the road on a bike, get on your feet, or pump iron in the gym. If I can do it, so can you.

Striking a pose

You can reach Gerry at gerry(at)whatsbruin(dot)net.