Introductions: Allen, co-host of Get In Shape Guys
Hello everyone, my name is Allen and I too am an overweight office guy. I program for the web to earn a living and I have a fairly typical commute in the Atlanta area. I typically drive about an hour both to and from work and I sit at a desk in front of a computer for approximately 8-9 hours a day. So doing some simple math, I am sitting on my butt AT LEAST 10-11 hours a day. When you consider most people are only awake about 16-18 hours a day, I spend at minimum a whopping 63% of my day sitting on my hind end. Now, that being said, I do like to eat. As a matter of fact, I’d have to say that eating is one of my hobbies. It’s not just a thing I do for nutrition mostly, I just absolutely love food. When you combine my love (of all foods) and the fact that I have a fairly sedentary daily routine, something’s gotta give, and currently it’s been my belt holes!
When I met the beautiful woman that is now my wife some 11 years ago, I weighed in around 190 lbs. In the past decade, I’ve gained on the high-side about 35 lbs and am currently hovering around about a 25 lb increase. If you want to do the math, feel free, but I’ll give you all the critical numbers below. The key here is I was in great shape when I met my wife and I feel that it’s unfair to her that I’ve let my belly gain ground and my health and appearance give way. So I’m here to change all that.
So, my goals are simple:
- Lose weight
- Become healthier overall
- Get my body into great physical shape for both appearance and athleticism
- Not devote my entire life to being a workout junkie – I have a beautiful family that I can’t neglect at the expense of my workouts (at least not for too long)
- Inspire others to do the same
So currenlty, as of this morning, here are my key statistics (this is all using a Health-O-Meter scale that I purchased at Costco a couple years ago for about $30) – overall I’m happy with the scale. For $30 it’s not a bad investment.
Where I am today: 11/16/2010
| Age: | 32 |
| Height: | 6′ |
| Weight: | 214.6 lbs |
| Body Fat: | 26.8% |
Where I want to be:
| Weight: | 200 lbs |
| Body Fat: | 18% |
These are just my intial goals. Why not more weight, why not more body fat? I want to be realistic starting off. That 200 lbs includes me losing weight and gaining muscle weight at the same time so I believe this is both realistic and healthy. I really don’t know if I want to drop under 200 lbs as I like being a decent sized guy. I’m personally not a fan of a “thin” looking me, and I don’t think my wife would be either, so I’ll reevaluate if necessary as I get closer to my initial goal.
Here’s few quick notes on how I plan on losing weight and getting in shape:
- Short, quick, hard-hitting workouts that can be completed in 15 minutes or less
- At least an hour to two hours a week of anaerobic exercises – basketball, sprints, hardcore interval training
I hope you all enjoy following us on our Get In Shape path and I encourage you to do the same.
Allen