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I was tagged in a bunch of photos on Facebook from MAGFest 8 recently, and it really sunk in how much weight I’ve lost since starting my fairly intense diet and workout regime nearly four years ago. It’s compelled me to compare and contrast two photos – one from right before I changed my way of life to become much more fitness-oriented, and one from the present. Exhibit 1 – February 2006 
This was at one of the [West Coast Shizzie] gatherings where our adventures into Karaoke Revolution began and we were enjoying copious amounts of it. I believe this was the one where I earned the nickname of “Material Bear” for my near-perfect rendition of Madonna’s “Material Girl”. It’s been re-attempted a few times since, but it has yet to be replicated. As for the picture, it makes me cringe. I have a hard time believing that I could let myself get and stay that out of shape. All I can attribute it to is not knowing that I needed to regulate my diet and get more exercise. If I recall correctly, I was lifting and doing striking drills on my own at the time, but not with enough frequency to counteract the unmonitored intake of food, soda, and alcohol that was negating any progress I did make. It would be three more months before I would begin on my current fitness journey and I do recall some scary times right before doing so. I remember laying in bed on more than one occasion with my heart pounding and not being able to sleep because of it. You may think that it was too much caffeine, but my caffeine intake back then was lower than it is now. I’m sure it was an excess of sodium in my system, which is liberally placed in a lot of food that’s bought in the grocery store. Processed foods are definitely a big culprit and I was eating a lot of those at the time. Granted, excessive sodium can be counteracted by flushing (drinking lots of water), but I was loathe to drink water at the time as the tap made it taste strange. Suffice it to say, I was stuck in a cycle that I wouldn’t break free from for another three months. Exhibit 2 – January 2010 
As I mentioned above, this is from MAGFest 8 in the Shizz Suite. I was having a conversation about music with a fellow Shizzie after an enjoyable day of working the Concatenation Records merchandise table and rocking out to some outstanding videogame cover bands. Here you can see a much slimmer and more defined version of myself, and while I still have some intense work to do to get where I want to be, I’m much happier with everything these days. Even while I was away from home, I was able to maintain a fairly routine diet of healthy foods in the morning and afternoon by going to the grocery store before festivities began and stocking up. I did come back to Seattle at 215, even with doing three hour-long weight and cardio routines, but I think eating at the hotel restaurant each night as well as drinking a fair amount (though no more than on a usual weekend) contributed to my weight gain as well. However, after getting my diet and exercise routines back to normal, the weight has dropped right off and I’m back to my usual range (between 205 and 210). As it is, I still have a few reminders in certain areas of my body (mainly my stomach) that I’m not done yet. When I do reach my goal (between 190 and 195), it will make all the work I’ve put in even more fulfilling and I can put that long chapter of unhealthiness in my life to rest. Discuss this post at [The Forum of Jason Vincion]! Posted on January 18th, 2010. |
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