I'm a fatty

I'm starting this blog because I assume there are lots of people out there thinking the same thing I am.  I don't mean that in a conceited (or whatever it sounds like) way, but here's my deal.  I'm in my mid-30's, 35 to be exact, and I've just started gaining a little weight.  Here's my weight history. . .it's pretty simple.


I'm a male, 5'11", regular build.  In 1995 I weighed 165 pounds.  I went to Spain for 3 months and gained 20 pounds because I ate like a man.  3 meals a day, and good meals.  Lots of bread, fish, cheese, meats, and healthy stuff like that.  No skittles, no Mt. Dew.  Anyway, quickly after I got back from Spain and went back to my normal eating habits, I dropped down to 175 and I weighed that for about 13 years.  That takes me to about 3 years ago.  Around 2008, I got up to about 180 and stayed at 180 for about 3 years.  Over the past year, I've fluctuated like crazy, directly proportionate to how much I exercise.  So take a look at this:


May 1995 - 165
August 1995 - 185
January 1996 - 175
January 2008 - 175
July 2008 - 180
January 2010 - 185
January 2012 - 200


So what happened over the last 2 years?  Well, I'm 35 for one thing.  I started exercising (mostly running) in January 2010 and ended up running a half-marathon in November of 2010, and at that point, I was very happy with my weight and shape.  I weighed about 180 then, and just knew that running was the answer to all my problems.  I didn't really change my eating habits at all (which are TERRIBLE–another post) and kind of enjoyed running and the challenge of the half-marathon.  I did the same thing in 2011 but didn't train or run at all during the year, so the half was an embarrassment.  I walked over a mile and hopped about 2 miles.  And the not running during the year also meant I wasn't burning off the crap I'd been eating (still didn't change my TERRIBLE eating habits).


Along with the absolute total absence of exercise in 2011, near the end of the year I started working way less.  My work is one of the ways I burn tons of calories.  I play guitar in a band and I'm the type to kind of jump around and act a fool all night long.  So based on something I saw in myfitnesspal and some other calorie counting website, I figured that playing guitar for 3 hours the way I did burned about 800 calories.  And we were a full time band.  Played at least 3 times a week, usually 4.  So I was burning about 3,000 calories a week at "work".  Well, "work" kind of died off at the end of 2011, so I was playing 2 days a week, and sometimes not at all.  Going from burning 3,000 calories a week to about 800.  And still not changing my TERRIBLE eating habits.  


Summing up, all of the preceding situations have led to my being uncomfortably overweight.  Now, if I don't take my shirt off, somebody that knew me 5 years ago probably wouldn't notice a difference.  But, I see myself in the mirror and see a drastic difference.  And that's what's important.  I jokingly call myself fat to kind of avert attention away from it by joking about it, just like I do with my big ears.  But the fact is, my BMI is too high, my weight is too high, and I'm uncomfortable with myself.  And I have a 6 year old boy and 2 year old girl that I plan on playing sports with through their college years, so I've got to do something.  More posts with plans coming!!!