I'm new to the forum, but not new to forums...I've been part of internet forums for a few years now, YouTube member, and a pretty lame blog...all of my other internet involvement has been focused on my hobbies...trucks, cars, bikes & photography...but I had a change in my life that has refocused me on the importance of health...so here I go with the longer version...
When I was a kid they called me husky or big boned (much more polite than fat). I always thought it was a complement until I was a teen and realized what my own family was thinking...
Here's a couple of pics of me back in grade 12...many moons ago (when I had hair...oh my god?!?!)
I wasn't way over weight, but I had a bit of a "spare tire"...anyway, at this point I had bought my first car and no longer rode my bike everywhere...loss of regular exercise, and the start of the decline...
Shortly after that pic, I started college...and the beer gardens were found (drinking age here is 18...kinda young)...another step in the wrong direction...then college came to an end and I had to find a job, get a life, find a wife...all that junk...life started just happening...next thing I knew I was married and had kids...and I was in my thirties before I really knew what I was doing...somewhere along the way I had migrated from over weight to obese...
In this picture I am about 33 or 34 and weigh in at 245-250lbs...visiting mom & dad...my baby sister is in the pic with me...
I had just taken a promotion and had moved from working in the field to being a manager in the office...within three years I had gotten up to 277lbs at my peak...
Here's a pic of me from a year ago...at age 40
Then during the following year I kinda let go...weight floated between 265 & 275...but ate whatever I wanted and had as much beer as I wanted...both bad ideas, of course hind sight is 20/20 as they say...here's a few more pics of me through 2011...
I think you catch the theme of the summer...anyway, by the end of the summer of junk & beer I was finding that in the afternoons and evenings I was thirsty, really thirsty (not beer this time, just water)...I was drinking 3 to 4 liters (a gallon ish) of water a day...I figured something must be wrong...went to the doctor at the beginning of October, went through some blood tests and found out that I have Type II Diabetes...now, I don't think the beer and junk food caused my diabetes but it certainly didn't help...(I didn't realize that everyone on my mothers side and a few on my fathers side have this as well...I guess it was in my genes)
So all of a sudden I have a real reason to make healthy choices (maybe less of a reason than a realization), and I realize that I'm not invincible...I want to be healthy enough to chase my beautiful wife around the bedroom (and even catch her once in a while)
And I want to be around for my daughters, who are the most important people in the world!!
So, since the diagnosis...I have had a physical done and when they weighed me I was surprised at how much weight I had lost, down to 255lbs...mostly due to the water filling my belly instead of snacks...but I have also met with a dietitian and she explained to me how high blood sugar effects your body, so a healthy weight and diet are quite important to someone with diabetes...and I have lots of reasons to want to live well...the picture of my daughters is from a few years ago now, the oldest is now a teenager and the twins are not far behind...so I want to teach be example how to live a healthy lifestyle so that they don't make the same mistakes as Daddy...
Anyway, I've rambled enough...so I'll see you around the forum...
Later.
When I was a kid they called me husky or big boned (much more polite than fat). I always thought it was a complement until I was a teen and realized what my own family was thinking...
Here's a couple of pics of me back in grade 12...many moons ago (when I had hair...oh my god?!?!)
I wasn't way over weight, but I had a bit of a "spare tire"...anyway, at this point I had bought my first car and no longer rode my bike everywhere...loss of regular exercise, and the start of the decline...
Shortly after that pic, I started college...and the beer gardens were found (drinking age here is 18...kinda young)...another step in the wrong direction...then college came to an end and I had to find a job, get a life, find a wife...all that junk...life started just happening...next thing I knew I was married and had kids...and I was in my thirties before I really knew what I was doing...somewhere along the way I had migrated from over weight to obese...
In this picture I am about 33 or 34 and weigh in at 245-250lbs...visiting mom & dad...my baby sister is in the pic with me...
I had just taken a promotion and had moved from working in the field to being a manager in the office...within three years I had gotten up to 277lbs at my peak...
Here's a pic of me from a year ago...at age 40
Then during the following year I kinda let go...weight floated between 265 & 275...but ate whatever I wanted and had as much beer as I wanted...both bad ideas, of course hind sight is 20/20 as they say...here's a few more pics of me through 2011...
I think you catch the theme of the summer...anyway, by the end of the summer of junk & beer I was finding that in the afternoons and evenings I was thirsty, really thirsty (not beer this time, just water)...I was drinking 3 to 4 liters (a gallon ish) of water a day...I figured something must be wrong...went to the doctor at the beginning of October, went through some blood tests and found out that I have Type II Diabetes...now, I don't think the beer and junk food caused my diabetes but it certainly didn't help...(I didn't realize that everyone on my mothers side and a few on my fathers side have this as well...I guess it was in my genes)
So all of a sudden I have a real reason to make healthy choices (maybe less of a reason than a realization), and I realize that I'm not invincible...I want to be healthy enough to chase my beautiful wife around the bedroom (and even catch her once in a while)
And I want to be around for my daughters, who are the most important people in the world!!
So, since the diagnosis...I have had a physical done and when they weighed me I was surprised at how much weight I had lost, down to 255lbs...mostly due to the water filling my belly instead of snacks...but I have also met with a dietitian and she explained to me how high blood sugar effects your body, so a healthy weight and diet are quite important to someone with diabetes...and I have lots of reasons to want to live well...the picture of my daughters is from a few years ago now, the oldest is now a teenager and the twins are not far behind...so I want to teach be example how to live a healthy lifestyle so that they don't make the same mistakes as Daddy...
Anyway, I've rambled enough...so I'll see you around the forum...
Later.