The beginning...

This all started with a very good friend and colleague being diagnosed with Leukemia. Initially doctors were of the opinion that he had the aggressive kind and he was immediately put on an extreme treatment regiment. As a precaution, the doctors repeated the tests, just to find that it was actually not as serious as they found originally and it could be treated and controlled in the long run. For a weekend the poor man had a death sentence hanging over his head and if it was not for his internal fortitude, who knows how things might have turned out?

To me this was an extreme wake-up call. Although he is fourteen years older than me, he seemed in such good health, while I was grossly overweight, having to take chronic medication for the control of hypertension and gout. What was waiting in my future?

He and another friend and colleague, Johan car pools and had just just started to hit the gym early mornings in an attempt to get fit and miss the notorious Gauteng N1 gridlock. Johan has a magical "Black Tag" from Planet Fitness that allows him to take a friend along. As it turned out, our friend with Leukemia was strongly advised not to exercise strenuously any longer in his fight with Leukemia, so Johan was without his gym partner.

We discussed it and I became his gym partner. Only not five o'clock in the mornings, but over lunch times, as my situation makes it a bit difficult to get away from home that early. 

I've been into this for three weeks now and after reading Hélène Horak's  story, would like to share this journey with my friends and family as well. Therefore this blog was started. I plan to discuss my relationship with food and exercise, celebrate successes and share my hardships. At least giving up will be really embarrassing on such a public platform, providing even more motivation.

With the little bit of exercise and improved eating (Still a long way to go to get to better eating habits!) I've lost 7.4 kg up to now. 

Now the worst part... the obligatory before photos. I absolutely need them up here to keep my motivation going. I apologise if it makes you nauseous, please realise it is even worse for me.