Harabecweathers
Explorer
Hello world, and hello to this interesting place. New member up here in the great north — still warm, mind you, because 2020 landed us in the bad timeline (community reference). Reddit lurkers kept mentioning this forum, and the savvy savers on there convinced me to take the plunge and join. A little about myself: weight has been a struggle my whole life (mid 30's :/), sitting around the 200lb mark at 5’9.5 height. I graduated at roughly 200 and it crept steadily up to 230 :O. I did all the things the internet tells you — hit the gym, and the internet said gain muscle and that the lady's will complement you — and the only complements came from my buddies saying I could beat them at arm wrestling now, which wasn't the kind I was after lol. Growing up, my weight was a huge negative impact on me: clothes I liked didn't fit, I felt insecure in my body, family members made comments, and at the beach and pool I always had a shirt on. Over time I did learn to accept myself and felt a bit more comfortable in my own skin. Turns out girls don't care about weight as much as I thought, and now I'm married lol. The one thing that has always eluded me, though, is the fit body I used to picture — one that could wear anything and run shirtless around the block without anxiety or dread of being judged. I do know that's all mental, but it's a goal I've always wanted, and I accept that 100% isn't reachable. Even getting to 50% beats staying where I am. As they say, the journey starts with a first step, and nothing in life comes instantly: it takes dedication, sweat, time and determination. My hope is that the sage advice on here keeps me taking those steps.