» Wed Jul 10, 2013 5:18 pm Well, it's about 33% responsible, give or take. So "helped change". Provided inspiration.
The time is late fall 2011. I'm a fat guy. Not obese, not disgusting, just fat and out of shape. Never have been in shape actually, always was the fat kid. I ranged in weight from 260 to 270 (pounds), at age 36. (And I'm 6'1", unavoidably a big guy anyway.) I've weighed around that since I was like 16. I eat too much mainly, and I've had some very sedentary type desk jobs, but mostly I ate too much and "don't have time to exercise". The usual bull.
I buy Skyrim the day it comes out. Me love TES long time. Now, I'm already thinking about attempting (again) to lose weight, making time to exercise (again), but I need a nudge. I found it in Skyrim. In short, Bethesda makes some really buff and toned dudes. Yes, by some accountings they're kinda off-model in the way we all know and love, but damnit the dudes are in good shape. Specifically it was Ulfberth War-Bear, that guy's physically impressive. I'm aware of how homoerotic this sounds, yes, but it's not, really. It's more like, "That guy is in good shape. I wish I could be in good shape. Wishing doesn't make it so, does it? Why do you eat so much and not exercise, you slug? Your excuses sound hollow even to you."
So with these thoughts whirling, it's time to turn off Skyrim and think of bed. I turn on the radio. Immediately I hear an ad for a local gym that's having a promotion, no signup fee and only $20 a month. Clearly someone is telling me something. And the thought occurs to me, "You know, second helpings really are quite expensive, I guarantee you spend way more than $20 in a month on them. Your other worry is that your rent has gone up and your salary has not, right?" The next day before work I go sign up.
This is already kinda tl;dr so I'll jump to the results: I now range 195-200. Around 12-15% body fat (from 30%+). I don't quite have that 6-pack just yet, but I will by fall. A woman I've known since birth but otherwise haven't seen in a couple of years didn't recognize me recently. The doctor took me off the hypertension medicine that I've been on for 12 years. Needless to say, my self-confidence is vastly improved. And I just adore the gym still, 60-90 minutes five days a week, it's a lifestyle now. (Elliptical, rowing, lots of lat work, at least 6 different varieties of situps.) Very little sugar, low carbs, high protein, salads are my friend, water water and more water, very rare soda. I'm keeping calories low, as I'm not going for a "big" look, it's the compact, Bruce Lee sort of look instead.
People mostly don't ask "What actually made you decide to do it?" As none of those that have were gamers of any sort, I just had to pretend it was the other 67%. But I know. So thanks Bethesda, you helped.
(Yeah, I know, pics or get out. It honestly didn't occur to me that I'd even keep at it this time, much less actually accomplish anything. So no visual diary. And I'm still kinda goofy-looking, and definitely hairy, anyway. I'm Russian in ancestry, what can I say. I'm doing you a favor by not posting pics.)
