In high school I really started to thin out. I was still a dork and not the least bit athletic … but despite that, a good friend had talked me into joining the football team our sophomore year. Me. On the football team. Yeeeeaaahhh… Good thing (or maybe not) they took everyone that signed up!
Football practices were grueling. I rarely got in a game, mind you, but that was fine. Practice was about all I could handle anyway! It certainly whooped me into shape. (Which reminds me, I’ve got a good story to share with you … another time though … remind me to write about the jock strap incident sometime.)
After high school, I dropped out of college when I got my girlfriend (and future ex-wife) pregnant and took a job as a garbage man, of all things. Yes, I literally picked up people’s garbage. Did that for 7 years in fact. It was a tough job – on my feet all day, running, lifting, constantly moving. Despite that, my diet was not great and I started to gain weight again. It’s amazing how our bodies adjust to our lifestyle. I got tons of exercise, but gained weight regardless.
This was pretty normal for me for most of my adult life. I’d gain weight, lose weight, gain, lose, I was the classic yo-yo dieter. Slim Fast, Atkins, diuretics, I tried lots of diets. Nothing stuck … because diets never do. Quick fixes are not the answer, but I didn’t know that.
For a long while, I was even a regular at the gym – many years in fact. My son and I would go every morning before school/work – lift weights, cardio, even play basketball. My diet was still an issue though, so my weight never really changed.
Believe it or not, I was working out 5 days a week at time of this picture.
That brings me my why #2 – many of us believe that we just need to exercise more to lose weight. That’s not the case for most people. 80% (or more) of weight loss happens in the kitchen, not the gym. Don’t get me wrong, exercise is vitally important for many reasons, but it’s only one small aspect of weight loss.
Can you relate? Feel like you could use a bit of help figuring out healthier ways to eat for weight loss?
Jeff Spitzer