Inspiring.

[Alex]

Link to original page on YouTube.

[Mocha Man]

Alex, I really appreciate you sharing this video. Reminds me of my life. I grew up with asthma and being made fun of. I was 5'10" one time and weighed 225 lbs. Couldn't run. Walking just about always gave me an asthma attack. All I would hear was people yelling at me and making fun of me. So two years ago I decided it was time to make a change: During the summer between my freshman and sophomore year of high school I started running despite my asthma trying to persuade me that I couldn't. I started boxing, swimming, and lifting weights as well. 3 months later I had lost 50 lbs.

I showed up on the first day of school and nobody really recognized me. By the time people noticed who I was, another month had passed and I had gained more muscle. Then everyone wanted to start talking to me. Unless you've been in a position where you had been made fun of your whole life, followed by a position of everyone wanting to talk to you, you couldn't imagine how difficult it was (is). Everyone seems to want to talk to me now, but I don't see a reason why they should treat me different now as opposed to when I was 225.

Slowly, I am beginning to talk to people more and I have began bodybuilding with my friend, which is going really well I might add, as we are competing as to who can have the tonest six pack by the time summer arrives.

Moral of the long and drawn out story: people change; don't treat them differently from how they were before their change (unless their change was to become a better person for everyone around them, hope that makes sense). Treat everyone with respect.

I'd appreciate it if you guys didn't flame this post of mine, as some people may actually take it to heart.

[CynicalC]

Not flaming but, if it was so hard being made fun of your whole life, what was keeping you fat? You can't really blame it on your asthma if you just "decided" recently that it wasn't going to hold you back...

[sombo]

Were you never the scapegoat for ALL of your classmates picking on you? And I do mean all. You feel like you have no friends, no one wants you, you are an ugly outcast that everyone would rather just push around and make fun of. When you're a kid and you get that, along with almost no support from family, you feel isolated, alone, and very little self worth. It damages you as a kid and you aren't yet capable of mentally or emotionally overcoming it. Many kids commit suicide from this sort of thing alone.

If the spirit is strong enough though, there does come a point where you have a sort of revelation. Where your inner voice decides it can't take it anymore and instead of ending everything to escape it all, decides to get revenge by proving them wrong. At that point your mind and soul finally have the power and maturity to overcome all the negativity being thrown at you and fights back with positive energy. But it usually takes several years before reaching this "breaking" point, where either you finally succumb to the abuse, or fight back in a way that's positive.

I know how that feels, to be ridiculed, picked on, pushed around, beat up, and just generally made to feel unwelcome by your peers. I had to live with that all the way in to my 20's before I finally found a place where I felt welcome. It wasn't until I reached 23 and joined the US Army that I felt I finally found a place where I no longer had to fight, no longer was pushed around or picked on, but rather was looked up to for my knowledge and experience.

It takes time and hard work to overcome the negativity that your peers force upon you at a young age. When you finally reach that breaking point in your life you usually find yourself doing things that you never thought were possible; like overcoming your asthma. At that point in life, you finally have the strength to push past the pain of something like asthma because the pain of ridicule and rejection is worse and you either fight the pain of not being able to breath or you continue to fight the pain of your peers hating you.


Sorry for the long post.

[Mocha Man]

Originally Posted by sombo

Sorry for the long post.

Don't be sorry This is exactly how my whole life has been pretty much haha. Have you been stalking me my whole life? jk.

@CynicalC, sombo summed up everything perfectly, so refer to his post haha. It was really hard to overcome my asthma as I could barely walk half a mile without having an asthma attack. Now, I run 13 miles a day without a problem. The biggest factor was, as sombo stated, my "breaking point" and my decision that I needed to finally change my life or else be made fun of for the rest of my life.

[sombo]

Originally Posted by Mocha Man

Don't be sorry This is exactly how my whole life has been pretty much haha. Have you been stalking me my whole life? jk.

Hahaha, no. I just know how it is to be in that position. I was picked on and ridiculed from elementary school all the way through college and into my first job out of college. Never really did figure out the reason for it for that long other than maybe my size (I was a small kid and considered an "easy target"). To this day I still have issues talking to and relating to people (especially women) due to so many years of my childhood being years of rejection. I'm a great listener, but I have problems when it comes to talking and opening up or just letting loose.

[razorgamez]

Very similar here, I find it hard to open up and let loose but am a great listener....working on loosing the weight. Can some one recommend a gradual work out and meal plan? I need to loose 75 pounds to be considered not over weight. I want to do it over the next 6-12 months.

Originally Posted by sombo

Hahaha, no. I just know how it is to be in that position. I was picked on and ridiculed from elementary school all the way through college and into my first job out of college. Never really did figure out the reason for it for that long other than maybe my size (I was a small kid and considered an "easy target"). To this day I still have issues talking to and relating to people (especially women) due to so many years of my childhood being years of rejection. I'm a great listener, but I have problems when it comes to talking and opening up or just letting loose.

[Xoulrath]

Originally Posted by razorgamez

I need to loose 75 pounds to be considered not over weight. I want to do it over the next 6-12 months.

According to what? BMI? While that can work for some people, for others it is extremely unhealthy and there are many in the medical/health field who don't agree with this measure. It is used because it doesn't cost anything in terms of special equipment to figure out body fat. Unfortunately it can be highly inaccurate for some people. Something to keep in mind. Your goals should be eating right on a regular basis and getting a work out program that you will stick to set up.

As far as gradual goes, just jump right in and do some exercise. Obviously you aren't going to just start marathons today, but if you are serious, then go for a walk today. Not tomorrow, not next week, today. Don't wait to start because there is no best time. Just do it.

Push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, crunches and planks are all great exercises that can be tuned for various levels of intensity. Resistance training is great as it requires minimal in the way of equipment while also really benefitting your core. A kettle drum and a few workouts with it are a great way to go also.

As far as food and drink, cut out soda and drink water. Stop eating fast food. Buy fruits and vegetables, the fresher the better. Beans are a great source of protein, as is peanut butter. Look for breads and wraps that are high in fiber.

Once you get a system going, you will actually start to hate processed food. Until that happens, allow yourself to splurge once a week on a fast food meal so as not to overwhelm yourself.

[ryanG19]

Originally Posted by razorgamez

Very similar here, I find it hard to open up and let loose but am a great listener....working on loosing the weight. Can some one recommend a gradual work out and meal plan? I need to loose 75 pounds to be considered not over weight. I want to do it over the next 6-12 months.

Adding on to what Xoulrath said about diet, you can drop a pound a week by cutting out 500 calories a day (3500 kcals in 1lb of fat). I found this easiest by switching to diet pop (none preferably) and snacking on fruits, veggies, and gum. Pick 2-3 cheat meals a week and eat whatever you want within reason. Losing weight and even bodybuilding is 80% diet, 20% activity.

Once you break through the first two-three weeks of being so sore you cant move, it becomes easier. I've never had a problem hitting the gym because I LOVE going. You aren't making a short term change, you are making a lifetime change. Keep a journal of your workouts and food. It takes literally no time (write between sets) and you'll know where you started vs. where you are. Weigh yourself weekly on the same day at around the same time (I do Mondays). Mornings are best as you haven't eaten a disproportionate amount of food yet.

Resistance training burns calories for about 48-72 hours, so try to lift at least 3 but no more than 5 times a week. For reference Ronnie Coleman (did) and Branch Warren lift 5 days a week. Cardio is best done after an overnight fast before you eat breakfast. If you can't do that, then do it immediately after you are done resistance training.

Don't make excuses for not working out on a scheduled day. One hour is what, 5% of your day? Get in there, grind it out, feel better, and leave. Add cutandjacked or bodybuilding.com on Facebook as they spew all kinds of stuff that will keep you interested and motivated. I keep a list of quotes at the front of my lifting journal that I read almost everyday. The second to last one says "The greatest feeling in life is doing what someone said you could never accomplish". Google lifting quotes and find 5-7 that suit you the best.

Lastly, go to T-Nation.com. There is a wealth of knowledge from trainers who actually read the raw primary literature and make valid (usually) points on it. They post one new article everyday at 10am.

[CynicalC]

As cliche as it sounds, just do it. You can lost that weight in a matter of months. You don't need a meal and workout plan. If you go into it with the mindset of "the doctor says I should lose weight," you fail right from the start. You need the right state of mind. You have to actually want to be a healthier person, for yourself. The rest is easy. Exercise and don't eat like a fatty. It's that easy. Do a hundred pushups a day. Sounds like a lot? It's not. See what your max is, and break them up. If you can only do 10, do 10 the second you get out of bed. Get ready for work and do 10 more before you walk out the door. Duck into an empty office and do 10 more when you get to work and throughout the day. Whatever you have leftover, do over an hour while you're watching tv after work. Then do the same with situps. 100 situps and 100 pushups every day. This is exercise. Walking around the block is not exercise unless you are morbidly obese.

Eat oatmeal for breakfast. It's stupid cheap, quick and easy. 1 cup of oatmeal and a cup of milk or water in a bowl. Microwave for 2 minutes and add 2 tsp of maple syrup and some fruit. Berries that take no prep work are nice. raspberries, blackberries, blueberries. Or a cut up banana. I like strawberries. Cut them all up at the beginning of the week. Squirt them with lemon juice and they'll keep in the fridge without getting weird.

Chicken. Broccoli. Rice. All you need for lunch every day. Sub broccoli with some other greens if you want. (NOT a salad with cheese, croutons and 2 ounces of dressing :P) Grill a few chicken breasts Sunday night and that's lunch for half the week. Try some different grill seasonings and hot sauces to keep it interesting, and not teriyaki or barbecue sauces either.

So after you finish reading this, get on the floor and do as many pushups as you can in 30 seconds. Then set a timer on your phone for 10 minutes and do it again. Good luck!

[JeffM]

Originally Posted by razorgamez

Can some one recommend a gradual work out and meal plan? I need to loose 75 pounds to be considered not over weight. I want to do it over the next 6-12 months.

Good advice so far.

I just lost 18 lbs in three months (about a pound a week). It hasn't been necessarily easy but I did it by maintaining a 1710 calorie a day diet, eating mostly anything I wanted, cut out sodas, and tried to eat healthy. A good place to keep track is myfitnesspal.

I also have been running 20-25 miles a week training for a 1/2 marathon. When I started, three months ago, I could barely knock off a mile without stopping. I just made the decision to do something and started by walking a mile every other day and sticking with it.

Last weekend I did 12 in 2:20:00. I run using the Jeff Galloway method of alternating walking and running.

Like CynicalC says: You just have to start and keep with it.

Best of luck we are rooting for you.

Jeff

[akima]

Really beautiful video Alex. Thanks for sharing it.