Looking Into the Mirror

Age 14 (7th grade, 165 lbs)

Age 18 (Senior in High school = 151 lbs)

by Patrick Vaughan 

 Similarly to Sam, I too went from fat to fit as you can see from the pictures above. However while our situations were similar, I decided to take a slightly different approach in order to achieve my "fit" goals.

Growing up I have always loved sport. However while I always possessed the enthusiasm of any of the greatest fans (Spartans or otherwise), I did not always possess the drive to put in the work. In other words, I was just flat out lazy. Most of my "free-time" in childhood consisted of watching Cartoon Network, playing Pokemon on my Gameboy, reading books, and occasionally inviting friends over to do more or less of the same sort of things. I simply figured that I was putting the time in during my hour or two of practice, so I didn't need to worry about any sort of supplemental training. Unfortunately I was wrong.... 

I was well aware of the fact that I was gaining weight. In fifth grade, I had already topped the scale off at 140 lbs. By sixth grade 160 lbs, and finally in 7th grade 165 lbs. You can see the trend forming here.... However by the end of 7th grade, I had topped the scales off at 171 lbs at only 5'6 inches. Up to this point, I had been told be many of my good friends that I was fat, but it was always in jest so I didn't think very much of it. 

Sometimes I would ask my parents or relatives and they would tell me things like "Oh it's just Baby-fat, It's what happens when you start growing! - you'll be well over six foot at this rate (something that never quite panned out for me), and even the typical oh you're just big-boned (but let's be real, who has ever seen a human skeleton with big bones?)". So with this reassurance, I happily continued on with my inactive life. 

It wasn't until that summer of seventh grade that everything changed for me. I was attending a summer swim camp for the first time, and I didn't know anyone in the program. So like any other spirited kid, I flung off my shirt and cannon-balled into the pool. That's when I began to get taunts from the other students of "Fat Pat". For the rest of the day kids continued to make up rhymes indicating that I was fat such as, "Patrick-bo-batrick, Fe-fi-fo-FATRICK, Patrick". By the end of the day I was demoralized.

That's what did it for me. Everything began to connect together, I was fat. For the rest of the summer I relived every agonizing second of those days (partly because it became a daily occurrence at the camp for me), and I never took my shirt off again for the rest of the camp.

This is what I call that look into the mirror moment. That moment where you look at yourself both physically and metaphorically and decide that I need to change. Starting eight grade I took this to heart. I began to make simple substitutions like changing from chocolate milk to skim milk, I stopped buying cookies, I no longer forced myself to finish my plate when I felt full (despite my parents disapproval of leftovers) and I made certain that I had as many nutritional groups from the olden-day food pyramid as possible. That was the extent of my dieting changes. 

What changed my life, began with what I began to do before and after dinner. Push-ups and crunches. These were my first step to a healthier life. Don't laugh, but that first night I did three sets of three push-ups, and a total of ten crunches and I was dripping in sweat. It would be considered pathetic by most standards, but for me that was the start and I was proud of it. I would do this religiously every night, until I found an old pair of five pound weights in our basement and I began to supplement my workout with bicep curls. As I surpassed the fives, I searched until I found tens in the basement, and added a variety of creative (and sometimes dangerous) lifting techniques. I was enthralled with how much stronger I was becoming!

That's when I started to add other simple things into my day, such as taking the stairs two at a time without putting my hands on my knees for support, riding my bike to my friends houses to hang out, and I began to involve myself in more outdoor activities such as kayaking and fishing. Well Eventually along this line of progression, one thing led to another and I began to run. Only down the block and back at first, but eventually I was able to run a mile, and then two.

Flash forward to my Junior year in College and I am doing things physically that I never would have dreamed possible of myself all those years ago. I now participate in Triathlons (having completed 2 sprint Triathlons - .5 mi swim, 10 mi bike, 3 mi run, and an intermediate Triathlon - 1 mi swim, 26 mi bike, and a 6 mi run). I currently have ambitions to run a Half-Iron Man and Eventually a Full-Iron man, having logged to date a longest bike ride of 85 miles, a longest run of 18.6 miles, and a longest swim of 1.8 miles. I have clearly come a long ways.

My challenge to you all is to go look at yourselves in the mirror, and ask yourself if there is something that you truly want to change about yourself. If you answer yes, then think about this, "even the journey of a thousand miles, begins with a single step" (Laozi). So no matter how small take that next step, and build upon the progress of the day before with another step. It may be slow at first, but in the end it will all be worth it. Take it from Sam and myself. You will never regret looking back into that mirror later on down the road, because it will always be a sign of how far you have come. Success happens when you put in the time, effort, and the dedication to your fitness goals.

So, do you accept my challenge?