First Entry
February 17, 2007I figured I would use this opportunity to introduce myself and explain why I’m here. I have always been the skinny guy. It’s been difficult in the past for me to get to a gym because I felt ridiculous. The guys there were either already in shape, or they were big, and trying to loose a few pounds. I never saw any thin guys like myself. I also kept friends who were the kind to laugh and blow off any mention of trying to make a change in my life. At 23 I was smoking up to 2 packs a day, eating poorly, and not exercising at all. I finally decided to quit smoking, and ended the 5 year habit the day after graduating college. I haven’t picked up a cigarette since. Then I moved out of my folks’ house and in with my roommate, and I started to make more changes.
He is a vegetarian, and I’ve since become one as well (it’s been close to two years now). I’m not political or aggressive about it, I just feel better. Shortly after moving into the apartment, they built a nice gym. The kind you’d pay to go to. And there was a trainer on site who gave AMAZING deals to residents. And so I finally decided to hit the gym with a trainer and see what I’d been missing. That was about a year and a half ago. After a few months with the trainer, I began going to the gym on my own. I was on again, off again until this past January. I decided that I wanted to really make some changes. I’ve set my goal to have a significantly improved physique by May, so that I can go to the beach and not feel embarrassed. Of course, I have long term goals, to make even more gains, but I’m focused on the summer for right now. I feel confident that I have the time and the will power to really make changes in my body between now and then. Just since January I’ve noticed increase in my definition and bulk. I weigh nearly 10 lbs more than I did a year ago.
My biggest challenge is taking in enough calories, and the right kinds of foods. I’m a teacher, and I often end up eating what the kids eat for lunch off the bar–which, unfortunately, is lacking in the nutrition department (but that’s a whole other issue I could go on about for days). I’m also a less-than-talented cook. I hear things from guys that are already big, or guys who eat lots of chicken and fish, but it’s not as often that I hear how to put on the weight in the first place from a guy who was small to begin with. I can generally substitute veggie burgers, etc. for the meats, and still get the same nutrition, so it’s not as big of an issue that I’m vegetarian.
After my next paycheck, I’d like to buy a weight gainer, and I think that would make a severe impact on my growth. I also use NO-Xplode right now, and I like the results I’m seeing, but I wonder if there is something that might work better. I can tell from looking at other guys’ profiles, as well as from the articles that I’ve read, that Whey protein is important as well.
Joining Bodyspace is a way of immersing myself in the fitness community. Making connections with folks who support and celebrate positive physical changes in others and themselves. When I quite smoking a few years ago, the biggest contributor to my success was that I told everyone I was quitting, I joined a support group, I planned in advance, and I developed new habits to help break the old ones. I made it a life altering event, and I followed through. I’m doing that again with my fitness goal. I want to tell everyone what I want, develop new habits while breaking old ones, and really stay committed. Already, I feel as though going to the gym is a necessary part of the day, not a time that is taking away from something else. And so I definitely can tell that, this time, I’ll follow through for the long term.
I look forward to tracking my progress on this site. It will be nice to see my progress photos and measurements increase, and I can already tell that there is no lack of support to be found here. Here’s to a new me!
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