Introduction - Where I was

I think I am a pretty average guy in most ways. I'm 32, been married for almost 9 years, I have a job, a mortage, etc. OK, so I do have 5 kids, so I guess I'm not average there...
My wife and I thought we couldn't have our own kids, and we wanted a big family, so we adopted 4 kids (age range now 2 years - 17) and then a month later she was preggers :) So we were blessed with 5 children in 10 months.

I haven't been average as far as my weight either, not since I was 19. December 6th, 2005 I weighed in at 311.5 lbs. At 5'9" that was morbidly obese, and I felt like it. I decided it was time to do something about it. At first I did what I have done in the past to lose weight, I started exercising and cutting calories. I had done that successfully two times in the past (2000 & 2002) and lost around 40 - 50 lbs. However, I did some thinking about this and it didn't seem like I was so successful after all, I mean I gained the weight back plus more! I really wanted a lifestyle change so I could be healthy for the rest of my life. I wanted to live life, not let it pass me by. So this time around I set out to educate myself and determine what had gone wrong in the past.

When I started exercising I could do 7 pushups. I couldn't run at all. When I carried my son upstairs to put him in bed I would be gasping for air hoping that no one could hear me over the monitor. It is so discouraging when you are in this state. You think, "How can I possibly do this?". I had no idea what to do for exercise. In the past I would jog, but no way I could do that. I thought about walking but it was December, and cold, and well walking is just boring for me. I decided to jump rope. Why? Well I had a jump rope already, it didn't require that I join a gym, and I had done it in High School. I had to rest a lot, but I got started by jumping rope 3-4 times a week for 15 - 20 mins.

The key is to find something that works for you. Don't be discouraged because of where you are starting out. There are some great advantages when you start out really out of shape. First of all, you are going to see some vast improvements pretty quickly, both weight loss and performance wise. Also, it won't take 60 mins of cardio in order for you to see these results. If you have been inactive for a long time, just doing 15 mins of some activity is a huge change for your body. And a huge change for your mind. When you see those changes happening, you can't help but to feel better about yourself and to have more confidence. The key is to just get started and let the momentum carry you forward.

As far as eating, I think most of us know pretty much what is good for us and what isn't. Should you drink soda? No. Should you eat fried food? No. Will cookies help you be lean? Nope. Is an apple good for you? Yes. Veggies. Yes. Whole grains? Yes. I think most people understand this. Forget about your macronutrient ratios & how many grams of protein do you need, those are the details. Start out by doing something for exercise and eating better. Last December that is exactly what I did. By eating better I mean when I went to Burger King & got a grilled chicken sandwich, and either a salad or chili, with a diet drink. Is this perfect eating? No. Is it a million miles better than eating a whole medium pizza & 24 oz of soda? You bet it is. It got me moving in the right direction. Even taking Christmas week off I lost over 10 lbs that first month. I didn’t know what HIIT was, I didn’t know what a superset was, I doubt I could have even told you what a yam was. It didn’t matter because I was so much better off than where I was. I got results anyway. You can too just by getting started.