Hey all, I accomplished one of my most feared goals today. I went to a public swimming pool and swam hard laps for 3 hours. Let me preface this story by telling you about my past. When I was in middle school I was apart of the swim team. They used to call me fish because of how fast I could swim and how much I loved the water. In this time I shattered the record for the fastest butterfly stroke in my age group and got a medal and trophy for it. when I was about to transition to the 7th grade I dropped out of the swim team to pursue the drama club. This is when I stopped exercising completely and began to gain a lot of weight. In high-school I believe I weighed about 300 pounds my junior and senior year. I began losing weight by eating right and eventually I worked at a steel mill where I could only eat two meals a day and was on my feet for over 12 hours a day 6-7 days a week. Some of you may remember my "Bathroom question" post that is still one of the highest upvoted posts I have ever made (Thanks for that lol). I made this post when I was working in the steel mill and began to drop weight. After my time in the mill I went from somewhere around 300 pounds to 274. this was the lowest weight I had been in YEARS! This did not last as I had decided to quit at the mill and attend college (I did not want to do back breaking work at a soul sucking job for the rest of my life. This job allowed me absolutely no social time as I would get up for work, get ready for work, work, then go home and sleep for work the next day).
At my time at commuter college I gained most of the weight back and at the moment I believe I am about 287 pounds (this is what I weighed at my last doctors appointment). Over this summer break my depression came back in full force and I really did not get out at all. I thought I had tamed it a few years after my brother had died but all of those horrific thoughts and feelings hit me again. fast forward to now. I transferred from my commuter college and am now living at a university with one of my high-school friends as a roommate. To say he is jacked is an understatement. He looks like Thor. He told me about the recreation center on campus that is free to all students. It is a massive complex with everything you can think of. Most importantly, this complex has a pool.
So after weeks of being a shut in at my apartment. I said screw it and went to the rec. This was the best decision I have made in years. I swam laps as hard as I could with many breaks in between but I managed to stay in the water for 3 hours! My heart rate was extremely rapid and I was gasping for air the entire time but I freaking did it! I FREAKING DID IT! I was able to make myself not care how my body looked and I got in that damn pool. no-one judged me and I didn't judge myself. The lifeguard was looking at me with some concern though lol. Probably thought I was going to go under a few time. I currently can't feel my arms or my legs but I can tell you with 100% honesty that I can't wait to get back into the water. I also met a fantastic guy who is an exchange student from the Ukraine and we talked and swam together for hours. This is the first friend I have made in months.
When I got home from the rec I bawled my eyes out. I was crying because I was happy. Even thought my arms and legs are killing me, I rediscovered my love for the water and I know for a fact that this is something I can do to lose weight. The time to reclaim my life is NOW. I know as a 21 year old man I am not getting any younger. Another thing that helped me get off my butt were the amazing post by you people. Seeing the amazing transformations that most of you have gone through gave me immense hope and gave me the determination that I am feeling right now. I have a few things to day to you all. Firstly, sorry for the wall of text. Secondly, thank each and every one of you for being one of the greatest and most supportive community on this platform. And finally. The time is now. You reading this right now. If you need to lose weight. THE. TIME. IS. NOW. If I can get out there, you can too. You can do this and you can become healthier. The last thing that I have to say to you is that I believe in you and I love you all so much.
TLDR: I finally got off my ass and exercised properly for the first time in years. You can do it too! I believe in you.
[link] [comments]
No comments:
Post a Comment