http://www.youtube.com/obijay

As I continue on the weight loss train and goal tracker, I’m starting to see the changes in my body. In the picture below is me from 2011 on the right, and me about a week ago on the left. Now when I started this journey near the start of the year, I’m pretty sure I was still at the 2011 size if not a bit bigger. While I still have a long ways to go, the size differences are notable. At first I only noticed the arm, mostly because my weight loss has actually shifted my tattoo. The text is wrapping around my arm more, but it skewed the lantern symbol and circle. While a mild annoyance, I’ve high hopes it’ll balance out as more muscle builds up. Worst case, I get a cover up to patch it up.

After I made the side by side image though, I can see the other changes. I stand straighter, I don’t take up as much space front to back. It’s pretty neat.

The strange thing about all this is as my body shrinks, my weightloss has slowed down. However, I’m not taking that as a deterrent, instead I’m just shifting my fitness goal for the year, and truthfully the rest of my life. I will just continue this exchange of fat for muscle, and not worry about the scale so much. I know eventually the weight will drop, but so long as I keep losing the flab, who cares about a number so much? My annual checkup confirmed I am still very healthy. Also, a friend of mine posted up this photo of six ladies, all the same weight. Yet look at the body differences. Folks carry weight differently.

Both my wife and I would watch shows like the Biggest Loser, see a dude that looks like he could go toe to toe with King Ghidora. Yet he’d get on the scale and be about 80lbs lighter than me. The human body is wacky and wild like that. What I used to upset me and get my mood down, I’ve finally learned to let go and realize, we’re all different and it’s cool.

Larry graciously set up a section for us to post in for Goal Tracker 2013. Since he went through the work of setting it up, I figured I might as well make use of it.

I’ve battled with my weight my entire life. I’ve been decently fit all along, somehow I’ve avoided all the stereotypical issues that comes with being terribly overweight, but the extra pounds are hard on my body and joints. Despite that, I’ve been happily married for years, and really just kind of let everything go a few years back.

Then around the start of the year, I was going through photos on Facebook, and saw a shot my friend took at his wife’s baby shower.

Ohgodno

…yeah, that was me around this time last year. A whole gamut of feelings came about, but the biggest one was disappointment. I was appalled I let myself fall so far, and I knew this year had to bring about serious change, or all those health problems I avoided would decide to take hold before I knew it. I’ve been challenged by our mighy site owner before with the 100 pushup challenge I think in…2010, 2011 maybe? I did reach that goal of doing 100 pushups a day after about 4 months, but I fell off that wagon hard and am working my way back up. Larry has known me long enough to know that putting a challenge towards me engages a mighty level of stubbornness and a refusal to fail. So shortly after the new year, I started hitting the gym at my office about 2 times a week. Since then I’ve increased it to 4 times a week and in longer sessions. I think I’ve reached the limitation of the machines offered there and will be joining a proper gym where my wife and a friend work out, and be joining them so we can inspire each other. I am also doing a bit of a video blog of my own, found here

http://www.youtube.com/user/obijay

At Larry’s suggestion, I will be converting the pull up video to black and white and transposing a plastic bag floating through the screen before submitting it to Sundance.