The Beginning

Oh my!

This is me in 2007, I reckon I'm about 20st there, not at my absolute heaviest but it gets the point across, I was a petty big lad. I mean I occupy a lot of space there.
The absolute worst picture of me is my graduation picture from Uni, it's so bad I took it down from the wall at my mums house telling her I wanted it in my place, then stuck it in a cupboard somewhere.
When I started this process it was a big motivation for me (I might do a seperate post on motivation if I can write one that doesn't sound too preachy)

There's no single reason why I let myself get this big. I was always pretty big at school but kept things under control by playing football/rugby etc.

It wasn't really until Uni that I piled it on. I think at the beginning of 1st year I was 16st and when I left I was 20st. This really comes down to me doing what ever I wanted for 3 years. No excuses, I just went mad.

Then I got a job in an office which mostly involved sitting down and hovered at this weight for a good few years, going up at some points and going down at others.

Thinking back at my mental state I don't feel like I was ever really depressed, I had a good job and my career was progressing well. I bought my own house very young and was very social with several circles of good friends.
I would put my weight gain down to 3 main things.

1. I love to socialise, to go out with mates, eating, drinking, smoking etc.
2. I had poor self control  (notice I said "had")
3. I have never been what you would consider thin, I have always been fat or fatter so I never really had a sense that I had let myself go. There was no photo I could look at which I thought. What ever happened to that handsome chap?

This last point might seem indicative of a person who has low self esteem, some people think that about me but it's really not true. I am a realist. I know what my strengths are and I am not delusional about my weaknesses. It is exactly this quality which lead me to take a very rational and calulated look at my life and decide to change!

Next up.....21 down to 17