My Name is Joseph Francis. im 17 years old 6’3 300Lbs Range and i listen to the podcasts everyday. im obese but have recently decided to take a stand and change my life. now i have been over weight all my life and now that i get older and im starting to notice things like the fact that being overweight is literally ruining my life. as i put weight on i began a decline in activity it started with hanging out with friends. i stopped completely for weeks at a time and i often found myself at home sleeping and eating. then i dropped out of school (which im currently working my way back) and the reason i did this was because the school is on a massive hilltop and i was simply too lazy to get up and climb it. so with so many things being affected and my life starting to seem like an empty shell i woke up 1 morning and started lifting weights and stretching. i dont know what triggered the change but i got up and went out that morning i walked around i picked up some applications and enjoyed the day which is something i havent done in a long time. and when i came back from the walk i picked up my i-pod and started looking into podcasts and thats when i found MTM its done wonders to motivate me and ive recently been working out daily and just this afternoon i walked over 3 miles while listening to the podcast just simply enjoying life. im very skilled at the game of soccer and im going to make an attempt to be in shape for a Major League Soccer tryout for the New York Red Bulls Under 18 team and MTM is going to play a key role in helping me get fit and motivated to do what i want to do without restriction. the majority of my family have weight issues and with weight issues comes high risk of diabetes which many of them have. so ive been checking out the forums and there truly is a great presence of support for 1 another and everybody from what i see all get along so its not only helpful but a positive stress free environment which i believe everyone needs.

Hey Joseph! What sort of weight range are you looking to be in? I am guessing a person that is as tall as you wouldn’t want to be under 200 pounds, hey? I’m just curious.

The school on the hilltop can definitely be a struggle. I would walk/bike to my work a lot more if there wasn’t a HUGE hill in between. It is pretty much entirely uphill, and entirely downhill the whole way, with a peak in the middle.

Have you kept in touch with any of your old friends? Were the applications for school or for work?

Meredith

Hi Joseph:

Like you, the Motivation to Move show has been a recent addition to my iPod listening. Scott does a terrific job of making things understandable and keeping things positive and upbeat.

In reading your forum post, it sounds like you’ve recognized that the inactivity of your friends and hanging around with them has been a factor in your weight gain … hmmh? That’s an astute observation. I’m glad to hear something triggered your lifting the weights and stretching. You’re on the right track with taking a stand and you’re absolutely right that it’s all about you taking control of what happens. What’s key to remember is that you’re in charge of it and that your weight and body are things you manage, work with and come to understand.  Likewise you’re in control of what the good health will bring you – when you’ve got this, you’re underway … in a big way. It’s good to see that you’ve got a major goal with the upcoming soccer try-outs and that these are supported with skills and talent.

School, on top of a hill? It sounds like getting an Education could achieve two ends … an Education and being the cardio component of your fitness program.  It’s an ideal image for striving and achievement, as well.  The word mediocrity comes from two words media (half-way, like medium) and ocrus (mountain).  Mediocrity is about being stuck half-way up the mountain. Let’s see you make something of that mountain and get to top of your game with that hilltop school, everyday. You know, … I think having an iPod to listen to may actually be something that helps many people become more and more active.  Just like you, I’ve tuned into Scott and been walking and walking, listening and re-listening.  And, you know, I’m learning along the way … just like you.  Perhaps, it’ll be good for you to use while hiking up to that hilltop school?

Anyway, by introducing yourself on the forum you are starting well. I hope to read more of your entries … perhaps as you complete the 100 day exercise challenge?

Take good care of your good self.

well for my height im suppose to be in the 205 range. now with muscle figured in id like to make it to around 220 atleast. i know im not going to make my full goal by the tryout date but if im on the right track atleast i can say i made an attempt! the applications are for work. i havent worked much at all since i got into the extremely lazy routine so it would be a good change to have something to commit to aswell as working out and trying to push myself for the vision i see through myself.

and thats exactly what it was my friends actually dragged me down. the average hang out would consist of getting wasted and sitting around all night. not beneficial at all. and in the wake of my new view on everything im seeing that hill the same way you have. the classes are 40 minutes each so for those 3-4 mintues in between each class im rushing around getting everything pumping at a good rate instead of sitting at home doing whatever.

i appreciate your replys. and i think i will begin a 100 day exercise challenge as well as some others like the water and late night snacking challenges because they are all beneficial because i have issues with them all. especially late night snacking… the usual go in the fridge and look for things to eat even when your not hungry routine is killing me.

It would be great to have you on the 100 day challenge.  How about setting some goals, not only in the fitness realm like weight and muscle mass, but also some goals for life.  That will give you something to plan for and also will let you know what you’ve achieved.  Check out the 100 days of exercise 2007 forum.  Many of us have shared goals so we can support each other in tracking our progress and also hold each other accountable for taking the actions we need to do to meet our goals.

well long term (between now and june) i want to lose as much weight as possible and be in decent physical condition for the june tryout. plus september soccer starts in the high school divisions so i have to be in good shape by then. weekly i want to lose 2-3 pounds a week and i will be pushing myself to the extreme every week to get to that goal. i want to change my eating style because now i just eat whatevers in the house and that can range from french fries to bags of chips and those things need to be cut out for me to reach my goals. id like to try and have a weekly goal but just the weight that im going to be pushing to lose will likely be a tough goal to begin with. im going to be walking and running a couple hours a day while on a 1500 calorie a day diet (ordered by doc after i went on my streak of lazyness leading to 30 pound gain in only a few months) so in the first few weeks i should be able to tell if my goal is doable but with how driven i have been i think it can be done

Welcome, young grasshopper.  Great job realizing the path you were on and changing it this early in life. It took me until my late 20’s to really grasp my self destructive behavior. My husband is in your height and weight range, and I’m not sure how realistic 1500 calories a day is for you. That’s my limit and I’m only 5’. He’s been doing 2300 and losing 5 pounds a week! So if you feel super hungry, consider upping the calories a little.

You sound very intelligent and mature for your age, you’re going to do great! Nice to have you aboard.

Bree

thanks 1500 is actually good for me as long as i dont continue to look in the fridge. 1500 the other day got me a cup ramen noodles some of my junk :O which ive since cut off and a tv dinner with some fruits in between. i got 1510 but its close enough :D. im currently stuck in the house due to bad weather so i can still strength train and that sort.

so far today ive had a bowl of cereal. -350 range at first i was going to have something around 500… for breakfest and i quickly scrapped that idea so im doing well

and for the hunger thing. i usually just eat to pass time which is what got me to this weight in the first place. and at restaurants id eat until i couldnt fit anymore and felt sick. then id sit in a car for about 20 minutes then go to sleep when i got home.

and for some of you who may care im canadian. moved to new york about 4 years ago from eastern ontario. :D thought id throw that in. go leafs!

Hey Joseph:

Glad to see we have you as a fellow Canuck.  I’m out here in Oilers and Flames territory and probably am an Oiler fan ... Gretzky started as number 99 while I was in my last year of High School in Edmonton.

Anyway, ... how’s it going with the getting in shape ... what’s up? 

Hope to hear from you soon.

Take care,

the last couple days my plans have be grounded by bad weather. so things arent going so good right now but they will look up at some point. yesterday we got about an inch of snow and hopefully it should melt away so i can start the CT5K program on a good note and not sliding where :D

thanks for asking. how are things going for you?

joesdragons - 10 January 2007 01:04 PM

the last couple days my plans have be grounded by bad weather. so things arent going so good right now but they will look up at some point. yesterday we got about an inch of snow and hopefully it should melt away so i can start the CT5K program on a good note and not sliding where :D

thanks for asking. how are things going for you?

Hello again, Joseph:

It’s -43C this morning.  And, I walked a km to work ... not bad except for the drifting snow.  I wore a belaclava and had to keep my iPod on the inside of my jacket so the battery wouldn’t give out.

This morning was a lower body work out.

What is the CT5K program?

Couch to 5k basically it trains your body to run and makes it possible by giving a recording with music that for example the first week is 5 minute warm up(walking) 60 seconds running then a 1 or 2 minute walk then another 60 seconds running and each week (9 in total) it adds more and by the time your done you can i would guess run a couple miles non stop? there are a few people doing it im not sure who off the top of the head because i quickly glimpsed at a reply but from what i hear its great and it works well.

bad weather grounds me though because are try running in the cold when im a poor runner at the moment and im overweight so the challenges and the breathing become a factor but the roads seem clear and im going to give it a go

Don’t feel bad about not running in the cold. I can’t do it, and I live in Tennessee. It gets below 50, and forget it. I’m from South Dakota, so you’d think I’d be OK with the cold, but I’ve always hated it. Last time I tried there was a headwind and I had a hard time catching my breath. Now I go to the activity center and use a treadmill. Much easier, weather’s always perfect.

I’m on week 8 and up to 2.5 miles running. I run a bit slower than his pace, but I’ll work on the speed after I can get through the 30 minutes.

Bree

joesdragons - 10 January 2007 01:35 PM

Couch to 5k basically it trains your body to run and makes it possible by giving a recording with music that for example the first week is 5 minute warm up(walking) 60 seconds running then a 1 or 2 minute walk then another 60 seconds running and each week (9 in total) it adds more and by the time your done you can i would guess run a couple miles non stop? there are a few people doing it im not sure who off the top of the head because i quickly glimpsed at a reply but from what i hear its great and it works well.

bad weather grounds me though because are try running in the cold when im a poor runner at the moment and im overweight so the challenges and the breathing become a factor but the roads seem clear and im going to give it a go

Hey Joseph:

Like you in up-state New York, Edmonton and Grande Prairie, Alberta are in the midst of serious   snowfall.

The CT5K sounds interesting – I’ll have to look around for it.  I’m doing something similar in structure – a walk-to-run program. It’ll be impressive to see you get running in nine weeks.  My program takes thirteen weeks to accomplish my goal of running steadily for a few kilometers. I’ve used the program in the past and found that anything that gradually moves you to longer and longer distances through interval training is better than starting with long distances of running immediately.    For me, it’s had some impact on my knees if I’ve run too early.

I hope you can get to your workouts when you can. 

Take care,

well luckily spring is fast approaching and this is the most snow we’ve had all year ... not much but enough to making everything slipper. go to the podcasts directory on itunes. search couch to 5k. theres something called podcasts for running. thats the program. check it out