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So a few years ago, I was fat, out of shape, & miserable in my own skin. My doctor wanted to put me on a third prescription because I kept gaining weight. I really didn’t want to do that. So rather than take the meds, I decided to do something about it. I was 44 at the time. 1/
I never have been an athlete, I HATE cardio, and I’m not great at sports. But I knew I needed to exercise. Back in college I had lifted weights and enjoyed it, so,I decided to try it again. 2/
I started with a Bowflex. I worked on that until I maxed it out. Then, for my 46th birthday, I got a squat rack, a barbell, and 600+ lbs of free weights. I was officially hooked. And it changed my life for the better. The weight was starting to come off. But I was still fat. 3/
Eventually I realized that lifting alone wasn’t going to make me satisfied with how I looked. I was going to have to that thing we all dread: diet. And y’all probably know how much I like to cook. And I’m actually pretty damn good at it. 4/
So I went on a diet. That worked pretty well. Results were improving. Lifts were getting better too. And my family did not kill me for being really hungry and grumpy. And I started meeting folks on Twitter doing the same as me. #fitfam This was 2 years ago. 5/
One of the first people I fever really reached out to for lifting advice was @tellquint , who was kind enough to help me with some positioning issues I was having with squats and deadlifts. Finally got to meet him in person and work out together last month. 6/
It was great getting help from the #fitfam on Twitter, but to make the kind of progress I wanted, I was going to need a coach. One with the patience of Job, who knew his stuff, and who would be a good fit for an impatient old client. That’s where @FitzgeraldSTA comes in. 7/
In January @FitzgeraldSTA took me on as a client and has programmed my workouts, helped me with some diet advice, and even guided me through recovering from a couple of pesky injuries. I can’t recommend him enough as a coach. And he (& @IngriPauline too) are fun to hang with. 8/
I’ve been working since January with today in mind. I wanted to be able to show that, as @FitzgeraldSTA told me earlier today, 50 is the new 30. Y’all can tell me how I did. The first pic is when I started in 2014, the rest today. 9/
So the rest of my day is going to be eating the stuff I’ve wanted since March and couldn’t have, and drinking lots of good beer. Then I’ll get back to it, and go back to work. It’s going to be a great day. 10/
I am exceedingly blessed by the Lord with a fanatic wife @kgstaggs and awesome kids @fanerinaogs and @therealslimnate, who put up with a lot in the lead up to those pictures I posted. They are the best and I can’t thank them enough.
And finally thanks to all the #fitfam , who are too numerous to name but you know who you are. Y’all’s support has been phenomenal and I am so grateful to have met y’all. You’ve cheered the successes and encouraged when I was down. We need to meet in person very soon. 12/
So if you’re in Tuscaloosa and wanna do some beer drinking, I’ve been at @DruidCityBrew hanging with @bohicks and am heading to @LoosaBrews next. Come have a beer. And to the rest of y’all, many, many blessings. Enjoy the rest of your day. Hope it’s a great one. 13/
