Military veteran trying to get back into healthy shape

[LeftFootEric]

Hey everyone! My name is Eric.

I was in the Marine Corps for 8 years. When I finished, I completely stopped working out.

I am 6'4". At the end of my enlistment in early 2012, I weighed about 230 lbs. Now I weigh about 306 lbs. So here I am trying to get back closer to 200 lbs.

For the past week, I've been running. My primary concern is taking baby steps just to get into the habit of doing things, rather than diving in, becoming overwhelmed and giving up.

I've been running 1 mile on a daily basis. My first run time was 12:42 on October 13, 2014. Just a few hours ago (October 19) my run time was 10:29. I've made a pretty significant improvement, but I still hate running. I've been maintaining my run times and notes in a blog. It helps me stay motivated to know my time is improving, even if I don't feel any better when I run yet.

I'll be checking this place out for some motivation and tips.

 

[maganda]

Hi eric!

Kamusta ka? welcome to the forum! You are in a right place! Diet and exercise alone is not enough, we all need support thats why we're gonna do this together! Congratulations for your run time of 10:29!

 

[jen_renee]

Welcome to the forum, Eric.

 

[Serge1]

10.29 for a mile? Bloody hell it takes me that long to waddle to the fridge! Well done on making such an improvement - am sure you will get to your goals.

 

[LeftFootEric]

@Maganda - Mabuti po!

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone!

That 10.29 run time was my sixth time running a mile. Every time I run I improve. Sometimes I only finish like 7 seconds better than last time, but sometimes I finished almost an entire minute better than last time.

I think I have the "habit" down now of going out there and running. I'm about ready to start eating different. I was watching some meal prep videos last night. I think I'll try doing something like that the next time I go to the grocery store (Friday).

I've been buying frozen microwavable food for about a month or so. That was the start of yet another initiative to cut down on my food budget. I used to eat fast food every single day at work. I was spending $15-$20 daily on food (about $105-$140 weekly). Now I've got myself down to a $50 weekly budget for food. So far it has been working pretty good. I've been drinking juice boxes (extremely cheap) and Capri Suns. But I digress..

I'm gonna give this meal prepping idea a try starting the next time I go grocery shopping. I've found a few ideas using fresh food that look pretty good.