The Fit Gator is Athletic – fit and healthy. The Fit Gator is Dedicated – willing to make the necessary sacrifices to continually improve. The Fit Gator is Relentless in Pursuit of Victory – motivated and driven to succeed, even in the face of adversity.
Welcome to 1fitgator, my personal fitness blog chronicling my journey to losing weight and getting back into shape.
And though this IS a fitness blog, it’s more than that. It’s as much, if not more, about the mental struggles as it is the physical ones. It’s about overcoming obstacles to finally accomplish a goal that I set for myself over a decade ago.
See, I turned 40 back in October of 2012 – and for over a decade, probably even longer, I’ve been overweight and out of shape. Now I’m not one of those “I was always the fat kid” stories… Quite the opposite in fact. I spent most of my youth outdoors and/or playing sports. I was actually pretty scrawny growing up.
That’s me, 3rd from the left in the camo shirt with shorts – back in high school *Click Pic to Enlarge*
But as the years passed, the time playing sports and doing outdoor activities waned. I got a job, met a girl, got married, bought a house, had kids… Basically “Life” happened. And somewhere along that path, I gained weight.
I never took it seriously, because I knew I could always lose the extra pounds whenever I really wanted to. I could simply “flip the switch” and get back in shape quickly since it was so easy to stay in shape when I was younger – heck, I was an athlete! Yet, I continued to procrastinate and then finally came to the realization that it’s true what they say, “Tomorrow never comes.” Fast forward to me now. 40 and fat. I’ve become a shell of what I once was. I’ve set a very poor example for my children. Lazy. Unmotivated. No exercise. Bad diet – rife with junk food, fast food, and soda. Why did I ever let it get this far?
This was me (The husky fellow 2nd from left) prior to starting my journey, Tailgating for the UF v. FSU game on November 24th, 2012. UF won 37-26. *Click Pic to Enlarge*
However…change is still possible. As it’s been said, “It’s never too late to become what you might have been.” The journey starts here! Follow me and watch as I transform myself into… the “Fit Gator!”
fit gator 
U realize u take better care of ur car than u do ur own body? If u fueled ur vehicle with the equivalent garbage u have been fueling urself with, it would break down. Your body IS breaking down too, don’t kid urself. You’re not a weak person, man, food holds no power over u. U alone decide what u eat. So eat clean for one week. Just one week. With no “slip ups”. No pizza. No Cokes. No fast food. No Sonny’s. No beer. No birthday cakes. Fruits, veggies, fish, chicken, protein and plenty of water. Pounds will drop like EJ Manuel in the UF game. Just one week with no excuses at the end of it. U get to look back at say, “I knew I could do it”. Then do it again. And again. Changes u make now will stay with u for a lifetime, but u have to make them. Not making changes will affect for a lifetime too, though Id venture to bet that will be much shorter. U have started fitness regimes too many times in the past not to finish it THIS time. I know ur not a quitter, I’ve played too many 5-games series with u to believe u are going to tuck ur tail and run just because this is difficult. You are a champion. And my idol. The world has yet to see what a focused Andy Sampson can do. So stay focused and keep your eyes on the goal. Win THIS time.
Nice Manuel reference. 🙂