Genesis

I knew there was a problem when the scales I needed to weigh myself couldn't be bought in normal shops. I also had a chest scare, which I thought was heart related, but luckily turned out to be reflux. I guess the combination of these two things really got me moving to get fit and lose some weight. I have hypertension and I believe I can resolve this by getting fit and losing weight. Also my 'good' cholesterol is low. My doctor says exercise is key to fixing this. All things point to getting fit.

So around November of '05 I started walking. At that point I weighed 163kgs (25.6 stone, or 360 pounds) and had a BMI of 49.8. At first I could barely get around the block without my shins and calves screaming bloody murder. I reduced what I ate, started eating better and started stretching my lower legs to get rid of the pain.

Over a couple of months I worked up to walking 4.5km without pain, started riding an exercise bike for 30mins in the evening and kept eating ok. I counted calories for a bit to get a better idea of what I was eating, and tried to get the calorie deficit happening. I joined the local gym and I lost about 20kgs.

Then the inevitable plateau came. I hovered around 144-146 kg. Work became more intense, and whilst I still attended gym from time to time, the best I was doing was maintaining weight, and certainly not getting any fitter.

It was just after the new year of 2007 that my wife suggested that we should do some bicycle riding. My wife isn't much of an outdoorsy sort of person, or an exercise freak, so I took her suggestion on board. I also knew I needed to set a goal. Something to aim for where weight loss and fitness was a side effect, not the end game. I don't even remember what inspired me go in that direction - I think it was a chat at work with a friend, but I decided I was going to participate in a triathlon.