Growing up I was the fat kid. It’s ok, it meant I ran a little slower, couldn’t do pull ups, had a harder time getting dates, that sort of thing. I pretty much assumed that I was born a fat kid, live a fat man, die a fat man. I had resigned myself to the idea that I couldn’t change. Was I happy about it? Heck no! But, there didn’t seem to be much I could about it.

Skip forward a few years to college. In order to help pay for a school, I decided to try AFROTC (Air Force Reserve Officer Training Core). The daily physical training and getting away from Mom’s cooking did wonders for me! I was still “bigger” than most, but having my pants a little looser was an incredible feeling… Even more, it made me realize that I wasn’t consigned to the physical shape I had grown up with.

Sadly, the Air Force didn’t work out and I found myself no longer running and working out daily. Sure enough the weight came right back again. This time I ballooned to heavier than before. Before I knew it, I was over 230 lbs, trying to squeeze into size 40” pants! Also I started getting strange heart fluctuations, could barely make it up stairs to my apartment, and was sweating walking across campus.

Then came the internship which saved my life. For the summer I move out to Kansas (where I knew no one and had never been before). I had a dingy little studio apartment, $50 to my name, and a burning desire to change my life. Over the next three months I changed my diet, exercised my butt off, walked, ran, biked, and swam. The results were incredible. In roughly three months I dropped 40 pounds! And I did it without any crazy exercise equipment, or magic diet pill.

Coming back to school for my senior year I kept the pressure up, it helped that everyone was astounded by the weight I lost. People kept asking what my “secret” was… They all left disappointed as I told them I had done it the old fashioned way of eating better and exercising more. Over the next few years I continued to run, swim, and lift weights using a variety of different programs and workouts. At my peak I hovered around 165 lbs and had a burgeoning six-pack! I also went out and ran several marathons just for kicks with zero training. (FYI – This is not a good idea!)

Now here I am five months after getting married. My pants are tight again, my six pack is hidden under a layer of insulation, and I don’t even think about running!

I’ve come to the realization that one’s weight/physical fitness level is not a destination, it’s a lifestyle. That’s part of the reason I am working on this website. It’s my hope/desire/goal that by talking about and sharing all the things I’ve learned so far about working out and healthy living it will help keep me motivated. Another reason for this website is that most other websites are run by body-builders, or women sharing their success stories.

So here it is, I’m a guy, late 20’s, no six pack abs, wife, full time job, grad school on the side… In others words I’m about as typical as you can get… Maybe a lot like you? But I’m here to help us both. Expect clearly defined workouts, product reviews, healthy recipes, and solid information.