I used to spend hours at the gym doing cardio because I thought I was "fat". Looking back I really just didn't have any muscle definition and I wasn't doing any of the right exercises. Now, after several years away from the gym and letting myself go, I'm back in the gym 3-4 times a week doing some circuit weightlifting, cardio, stretching kind of keeping myself from forming a solid repetitive routine. I've started to see some weight loss from 230 down to 215 which is fantastic! I'm really looking forward to next year and continuing my training. In January of 2016 at my annual checkup my Dr. told me that I was at increased risk for heart attack, stroke, diabetes and that I was now officially medically considered to be obese. My cholesterol had raised from the previous year by 30 pts, and my weight was up by another 15lbs. I kind of shrugged her off as being dramatic for several months but in July I got a blood pressure monitor at the drugstore and found that consistently my blood pressure was slightly elevated. That month my buddy asked me to join a bicycle race with him since I occasionally biked at that time. On August 1st of 2016 I started going to the gym 3-4 days a week to do cardio because I had a bicycle race that i signed up for with a friend. This was after YEARS of letting myself go and not really care about my health. I had gained about 60lbs of, most likely, fat from March of 2012 to August of 2016. My diet consisted of junk food, fast food, candy, soda and whatever else I could buy on a college budget. Now, my diet hasn't really improved that much but I am eating a lot less fast food than I was before and i'm drinking about a gallon of water a day. I still eat candy and drink the occasional soda, usually only 1 a day. I don't think that at the point I have reached I can just eliminate the sugary and salty foods that I so love. I do want to succeed after all.