Mod note (Andy): ThrowbackThursday, this was originally posted on 5/18/12
A week or two ago there was an article written about how your weight might inversely effect you during the hiring process. During the conversation I dropped some personal information about me losing 130 (now 135 pounds). I was PM'd by somebody asking me to tell my story. Well I have some free time and this story actually ties in to finance. So here we go!
I have always been large. I am 6'3 and hovered around 300 pounds. I was very active in football and weightlifting but I'd love to eat. My entire family is large so healthy living was unknown to me it was living. I wasn't the best football player but I was getting attention from so mid-tier schools in Texas. I was popular and had no serious problems with my body image but no girlfriends.
Well one day in fall 2002 I went to a Best Buy to buy a new device called a DVD player. They were closing but let me in anyway. What happened after that changed my entire future.
When I left the store I was involved in an "incident". All of the soft tissue in my left knee was shredded and I was in the hospital for a week. I was out for the rest of the football season and unable to play ever again. I sank into a deep depression and just became just a big negative Nelly. Well I trained to become a Marine (even with one bad knee I could get approval). The Marines fell through also and I went into a deep dark hole and gained 150 lbs through college.
I cannot explain the self hatred I had for myself. It was a viscous cycle. I ate because I was depressed and was depressed because I lost control of my life and body. I would actually skip classes because I could not fit comfortable in the seats. Well this were finance helped changed my life back.
My finance professor called me to his desk and said he could tell I loved investments. After a little conversation about my goals he handed me a book called "The Intelligent Investor". When I read it I knew exactly what I wanted to do. My life had purpose a direction. I could see myself in a nice suit making big investment decisions in some corner office. I wanted to be a PM. That coupled with a crush I had on a very special smart/ smart-ass girl was all the motivation I needed.
I adopted a rule that I called the "Nutritious and Delicious Rule". I could eat anything I wanted if it was nutritious and delicious. I stuck to that rule no matter how much I craved Pizza (Delicious but not nutritious). I also watched my portions by using smaller plates. It was still a struggle but I wanted to be healthy and fit.
On the exercise front I researched High Intensity Interval Workouts (HIIW). So every morning I would do HIIW and a small circuit of free weights at my home gym. I could see myself getting fit as my intervals got longer and I could go harder. I felt great!!!
My overall goal was to get healthy to live a healthy life. When people asked me, "How is the diet?" I answered that it's not a diet just eating right. As a side effect of my healthy living I began to lose weight. It just melted off I couldn't buy clothes fast enough!!! Also, with the time a dedication EVERYTHING became easier. I didn't want unhealthy foods their smell would ruin my appetite. I needed to work out my body would demand it. It was just so damn easy after 4 months of hell.
Losing this weight has been the greatest thing ever and I am still not done. Still I feel absolutely amazing and wear great suits and casual clothes every day. Also the ladies began to flirt which was something I never really exp. When I was losing all the weight girls began noticing me and I became very popular and a ladies' man. However, one girl noticed me and took a strange interest in me. I had a crush on here since I met her. She was a PHD (PSY) student at Texas. We met through friends and after seeing me struggle not to eat a burger she used me in one of her research papers about obesity. We ended up dating and now we have been married for 3 months!
So choosing finance saved my life and gave me a life. I lost my old man to a heart attack and I don't want history to repeat itself. I won't stop till I'm 215. I plan on being Captain America for Halloween so that's my goal.
Peace out WSO and thanks
