When did you draw the line in the sand?

About a week and a half ago I started running again after 7 plus years of almost total inactivity. I played baseball in high school and was about 165 after finishing high school. I'm 25 now and I weigh about 185. I'm 6'1" so i'm still "skinny" but also proof positive you can be in terrible shape and still thin.

I can't totally explain why I decided I've had enough of not doing shit with myself. Part of it was frustration with a breakup (yes, its emo). Some of it was because I was bored with sitting in front of the computer. Some of it was because it seemed like it would be fund. But now that I am doing it, I'm running because it feels good. Even though its such a short time, I feel a little more confident in myself and I'm improving.

I know a lot of you have stayed in shape non stop, but I'm just curious as to why you started to do it and/or what motivates you to keep going.

I always played sports but I never used to hit the weights.

Then one day a friend and I posed for a picture after a shooting match. he sent me a copy and I could see a big ole belly and fat round face and decided it was time. This was when I was about 31 years old.

I ate healthier, started weight training, and quadrupled my cardio! Dropped from 220 to 170 in about 6 months, then added about 15lbs of muscle. Im now at 190 and 13%bf but very happy with myself. Im going to try and get down to 8 to 10% bf.

I do miss eating all the good junk food though.

I'm 23 and never got serious about my diet or being in shape until recently. Always did a lot of sports, but never excelled at much beyond snowboarding, wakeboarding, rock climbing, etc. Always much to small to play football or basketball or water polo (graduated high school 5'10" 130 lbs).

I drew my line the first time I ever checked my body fat with calipers about 8 months ago. I always thought I was in really good shape and fairly strong having been a fairly consistent runner but never lifting weights. I was fairly disappointed when I turned out to be around 15 percent and could only bench 115 lbs or so. Six months later I dropped to a 31" waist from a 33" and was at 9 percent body fat.

I've dropped a wee bit more fat since then but I've recently changed my diet and started gaining a bit more noticeable muscle. I like having solid numbers as a goal. Originally it was 10% bf and benching my own body weight (160), but I passed the former a few months ago and the later a few before that. Right now I'd like to hit 7% and get my bench up to 250lbs 1rm (currently 215). Hoping to do it by the end of the year. I don't really expect to drop past 7 unless I give up drinking on weekdays completely, I do like to have a beer every now and again so I don't stress about it too much.

Part of it was frustration with a breakup.
Same. I came from 150 about a year ago to 180 today (lots of water weight tho). I had never lifted weights in my life, just played a lot of sports. Anyway, that bitch really pissed me off. But it finally gave me time to actually go to the gym. I want to hit just over 200 and then cut. I've never felt better in my life and I'm obsessed with the results.

Waikiki 2007*
http://members.shaw.ca/JJG20/dusk.jpg

Now
http://members.shaw.ca/JJG20/sep5.jpg

Can't remember the year or anything, but it was a little while after highschool.

Never really had to worry about exercise or food. Soccer + normal highschool life made everything ok.

Went and played a pickup game of basketball one night... was so embarrassing when I realized how out of shape I was. That was that.

I was always fit through hs with basketball/swimming and mom's cooking.

When I hit university I started eating like shit and playing cs/wow for hours and hours per day. More than I played Tribes/Diablo in Middle/HS. I never got fat, I lost about 25 lbs over a few years.

I just decided I wasn't happy with my looks/fitness level anymore. I started doing stuff. Although comments from a now ex definitely motivated me to start fighting/pushing the weights/finding something to do every day.

.

Then one day a friend and I posed for a picture after a shooting match. he sent me a copy and I could see a big ole belly and fat round face and decided it was time. This was when I was about 31 years old.


I saw a gut in a picture and that made an impression.

Also, I've been a size 34 for 7 years or so, and my pants have felt tight as hell at work. Its so annoying to have to sit at a desk all day in tight pants. it will not stand, man.

I feel miserable when I miss training...
the line has been drawn I do not know who did it or why, but I know i can't go back.

I feel miserable when I miss training...
the line has been drawn I do not know who did it or why, but I know i can't go back.
This.
I never understand when people complain about working out or getting back into a routine after time off. Even on my rest day I feel crappy. If something comes up and I miss a day when something is scheduled I feel like shit.

I came out of high school at 180, began dating an old high school fling a few months into college, and by the time I broke up with her 2 years later I had packed on 50 lbs (booze/terrible diet/not doing shit)...

I got on the scale and when it read 229 I almost fell over from disbelief. "Letting myself go" was a complete understatement. I went back and looked through pictures of me from HS vs pictures of me now and couldn't believe how big I had gotten.

So, I started getting after it.

My story is nearly identical with the OP except I'm older (32). I've always been rather thin, I'm 6'2" used to hover between 150-160. When my wife got pregnant with my first child I gained the weight and went up to 185. I didn't feel bad or anything like that. I had been taking aikido and that was my primary means of working out. However after the kid I became too busy for that and dropped it completely. I hate the gym and therefore never worked out at all. About a year and a half ago I had a routine physical and my blood pressure was near high so I had to go back in 6 months. Again it was in the same area so the doctor said I needed to get in shape and lose a bit of weight. It came as a shock because I'd always had the great metabolism. I suddenly felt old.

I ignored all of that of course until around three months ago when I listened to Patton talk about the p90. It seemed like a perfect workout for me since I could do it from the house whenever I wanted. I decided to give it a shot. I've never stuck with any sort of workout program so I knew it would be a challenge.

In the first week it really kicked my ass but I felt great. Over time I felt stronger, had more energy, and I'm seeing physical results. Its never been my goal to be huge but I wouldn't mind more muscle mass and tone (though I refuse to shave/wax my chest). So far its delivering that. I'm more than halfway through now and I'm seeing some great results all over. After this I'll move on to the p90x. I'm hoping this turns into more of a lifestyle change than just 90 day boot camps. My wife cracks up at how I've become obsessed with it all. I figure there are a lot worse hobbies to have.

my first wake up call came when i was in my senior year of high school actually. i didnt even notice that i was getting chunky until a buddy jokingly pointed out i had a double chin. i immediately threw myself into working out (primarily running) and went from about 6 foot and 180ish to 6 foot 2 and 145 by the time i started college. (i grew a couple of inches as well) i went from not being able to run up a flight of stairs without being winded to being able to run 5-6 miles at a 7 minute pace. (i also completely overtrained but i was young enough to handle it)

i maintained a pretty decent level of fitness for a few years after that and then i hit 21.

bars, bad diet, and a sudden lack of activity meant i fell into old habits and i found myself creeping up to that dreaded 200 mark.

last summer during the infamous NYC trip fancy cat and i were lamenting the fact at how out of shape we had become after a long night od drinking and decided to run a marathon. we came up with this idea in july of 2008 and settled on a marathon in january 2009.

as we both began training we realized a marathon probably wasnt the best idea for two out of shape drunks and settled on a half marathon.

i started making a concerted effort to eat better, train with long-term goals, and tracked my progress religiously.

over a year later i've run two half marathons, have a third planned, and plan on a marathon in april.

i'm excited by the goals i've set for myself in the future and even though i have days i dont want to workout i find myself motivated by what i have yet to accomplish.

This.
If something comes up and I miss a day when something is scheduled I feel like shit.

I fucked up my wrist lifting yesterday, and now I don't know how many days I'm going to have to sit out. I didn't think I'd ever be this upset about not going to the gym, it's infuriating.