Fat to Fit: My Journey So Far (1)

EPISODE 1 - Hey there!

I've been giving this a lot of thought. Should I bother writing a blog? If so, how should I go about it? As you can tell, I decided the answer to question one is 'yes', otherwise you wouldn't be reading this! As for question two, I gave that the most thought.

I guess to begin with, I had to decide why I was writing this. The conclusion I came to is that I'm going to write this; A) to clear some space in my head, and just get a lot of what goes on in my head... out; B) to share my experiences and life with anyone who's interested, and; C) to help and/or inspire other people who are working hard towards a goal, whatever that may be!

So, that being the case, I decided that the best way to write this is to just be open, honest, and candid about my life, the decisions I make and have made, and the things I'm doing to get to where I want to be.

Background of... me

So, obviously, I wasn't always an aspiring bodybuilder. From the earliest age I can remember, I was overweight, at times very overweight, at others, just obese. Until the age of about 20, I was bullied for my weight, which wasn't great, and has left me with some pretty huge self-esteem issues. As a result of that, I spent a lot of my life trying to lose weight. but never had any real success, which I believe was actually because everybody was out to help me! But, that comes later.

So, overweight through primary school, couldn't seem to lose weight. Obese through secondary school and still couldn't lose weight. But, during secondary school, I really discovered sport, specifically, rugby. I played a bit of rugby through the lower years of the school, but didn't really get into it until I was about 16. Looking back, I don't know whether that was because I was then allowed in the school gym and could focus on getting 'bigger' and stronger, or just a coincidence, but that's when I finally really got into sport.

Thus, I entered the next phase of my life. from 16-18, give or take, through sixth form. This was the start of the times when I began to think that my ability as an athlete was directly proportional to time spent in the gym. As we go through these blogs, there will be a lot of times when I realize how I had, in fact, been doing things wrong. Back in those days, I ate pretty healthily but cut big corners. It's clear that I was kidding myself. This is a case of where everyone was trying to help me lose weight, but just couldn't do it. I would tell myself I was eating really healthily, but in truth I was eating puddings at school and telling myself it was just a treat, but in truth it was just a lack of willpower.

Enter the days of uni. At this point, I was a rugby addict. I lived and breathed rugby, I went to the Fresher's Fair in my 'Lean, Mean, Scrummage Machine' (the 'lean' part was a lie, or at best unrealistic), and was embracing my size as a sign of my rugby ability. I remember when I made friends with some lifelong (I believe) friends, and we were weighing ourselves for fun, and I was shocked to see myself at only just over 17 stone. I stated that I would be worried if I dropped below 17 stone. I look back now and realize how ridiculous that was, 17-something stone is great for rugby, but my body composition wasn't. I would say that my rugby flourished at Leicester uni, and that it was the first real step on my path to fitness. I was pushed harder in training than ever before, my fitness and strength went through the roof. Then I tore, practically snapped the ATF ligament in my ankle, and that was rugby done for that season. That did my fitness and body comp no favours.

As it would turn out, that was the end of my time at Leicester uni, but I owe a massive amount to the University of Leicester Rugby Football Club. I can honestly say that that club was run exactly the way a team should be run. I couldn't have asked for a better first experience of university sport. This meant that, with my move to Swansea University, I was leaving a club that I had fallen in love with, to pastures new. This is where owing ULRFC comes in. Unfortunately, well, as it turns out: fortunately, arriving at Swansea uni and joining the rugby club there, just wasn't something I got on with. It was a new team, a new environment, and I just didn't feel like the club environment worked for me, mainly because it just wasn't Leicester Rugby Club.

As a result, I moved to American Football. Two of my flatmates in first year played for the Swansea Titans, and after much deliberation, I decided it was time to try a new sport. I went along to training, I started playing on the O-line, and I fell in love with American Football. I started watching the NFL and supporting the Baltimore Ravens, and discovered a man who would have a hand in changing my life forever. Ray Lewis, #52, Middle Line Backer, and the guy who I had suddenly realized I wanted to be. Ray Lewis inspired me in a massive way. His attitude to life and the game he played, his talent, his drive, he was what I wanted to be. The only problem? He was lean, fast, agile and I was, well... 19 and a half stone with an unhealthy amount of body fat.

So, that's where rugby's impact on my fitness journey ends. American Football has taken over, and things are about to change!

Thanks for reading,

Will!