How I Lost 33 Pounds...And Kept It Off

How I gained, lost, and kept off 33 unwanted pounds.

No pills. No points. No fad diets.

There I stood shocked! Disappointed. Angry. Embarrassed.

Photo courtesy of http://www.morguefile.com/creative/earl53

The scale read 195 pounds. Not outrageous by most standards. Outrageous for where I was only 2 years prior.

In high school I was a lean 165 pound, three sport athlete touting the pre-college 6-pack. I had it made in the shade.

College hit and everything changed. Swap 2 hour practices for 6 hour video game benders. Home cooked meals for Hot-n-Readies. Milk for Mountain Dew.

The closest thing to fresh food was the on campus dining establishment- 'Fresh Food'. HOWEVER, it was an all you can eat buffet. Go ahead and negate any nutritional benefits 'Fresh' may have offered. When the goal is maximizing the all you can eat brunch (go for breakfast; stay for lunch) all health breaks loose.

Needless to say my lifestyle left me up 30 pounds in 2 years, with a dismal probation worthy GPA (1.8), and a girlfriend of 2 years that wisely dumped me. (I wonder why??)

On the scale, in my parents bathroom, I felt fat, dumb, and alone.

I decided it was time for a change.

Don't think I went from hopeless to healthy in 0-60. I started with one thing. Exercise.

Signing up for a triathlon sounded like a great way to get started and give me a goal. Yes and no. Did you know you have to swim...with people...LOTS of people. NEVER AGAIN!

Running, Swimming Biking. Every day it was something.

Almost immediately I realized I needed a plan. I searched for triathlon training programs and created a training calendar.

I was TREK-ing along, but noticed some major ups and downs. Motivated some days and lethargic the others. It was what I was eating. Fast and processed foods left me with a food hangover.

My meals switched from take-out to homemade and I noticed a difference immediately. More energy. More alert. More....ME!

Secret's out... I love to 'Twist & Shout'

Amazingly, I lost 33 pounds in 5 months. It wasn't just that. My self-esteem shot up. My confidence came back. I was killing it at school (3.75 GPA) while taking 21 credits. Every facet of my life changed when I made a change.

I went from surviving to thriving.

That girl that dumped me, Meghan. Well, she is now my beautiful, wonderful wife of 3 years and our relationship has never been better.

Life isn't perfect. I didn't find fit and quit. I'm a fellow finder of fit each and every day. I still move daily, still plan my exercise, count calories, and watch what I eat.

I've discovered the foundation of fitness through painful trial and error. Now, my passion is to help those that are ready to make a change, lose weight, and finally live healthy and fit once and for all.

If that's you I want to get in touch. Tweet me. Message me. Follow Finding Fit so you never miss an opportunity to hear this life changing message.

If you have a finding fit story to share I would love to hear it. Please leave it in the comment section below.