As you can see, I have stopped posting daily links only as I want my blog to be more personal.  I am hopeful that something I am going through can help others.  That being said, this post is all about chasing a healthy lifestyle.  I have never been that guy that liked to run, lift weights, eat right, etc.  I went throughout all of high school eating like crazy and never gaining a pound.  My metabolism was through the roof!  I prob weighed around 150 pounds in high school.  I am now close to 300 pounds.  That is 2 of my high school selves!  Woah!  I know that I need to work on shedding some weight and start eating better.  But it is SO hard to do it.  Walking is no big deal although I get winded when I do it since I have not been doing it on a regular basis.  I have joined the gym 3 different times over the past 4-5 years.  Only one stent did I go regularly, get cardio and lift weights and I dropped to maybe 255.  But I got the flu and never went back during that time.  Here is my issue:  I start going to the gym gung-ho, ready to get it done.  Within a few weeks, I get lazy and stop going.  Gyms love people like me.  Pay for your membership but not actually go and use the gym.  One less body taking up space!

So I am come to a crossroads.  Being as heavy as I am causes me to wake up in pain every day. I already have issues with my left hip due to an accident when I was 18.  All the weight I have on me makes that hurt as well.  I desperately need to lose weight and I know I can do it.  My problem has always been motivation.  That one time I lost good weight was when I went to the gym with my buddy Ken.  I did very well when working out with someone that kept me motivated.  My problem is the cost of the gym he goes to.  Sounds like another excuse right?

So earlier this week I went online and signed up (again) for Planet Fitness since it is a month to month deal at $10 a month and only $1 down.  Annual fees are only around $30.  All in all it is a great bargain for all the equipment they provide.  I went yesterday afternoon for my first gym visit in over a year and walked the treadmill for 30 minutes.  It is a start as I have to get my body used to this again before I really start pushing it.  I need to start lifting weights again too.

I am hoping that all of my friends will push me and motivate me through this.  I used to have a FitBit but it actually quit working and I cannot afford another one.  Maybe one day I can buy a new one.  For now I will use my iPhone with the RunKeeper app to track my walks.  My goal is to go to the gym every day (yes that includes weekends) as I have seen one of my friends do on Facebook.

As for eating better, I truly wish that healthy food items were not so expensive.  Also many of the healthy items out there just do not taste good to me.  So I am going to focus on leaner meats, more veggies and salads, those kinds of things.  Grilling more that frying will be my goal.  I also need to eat smaller portions and stop stuffing myself.  I hate leaving food on my plate but I need to get used to doing that when I begin to feel full.

I will post updates as I progress on my journey here on my blog.  Daily posts on Facebook will show my cardio workouts, etc.  If anyone has any recommendations or you just want to help motivate me, find me on Facebook!