Many may find this a little funny, but my nickname in Little League was “Pee-Wee”. You see I was a small kid. I was just athletic enough to make the team. Plus, I think they had to take everybody. In high school, I ran track, played football and even a little baseball. I was athletic enough. In track, I ran 2 to 5 miles a day in the form of sprints. At lunch, I would eat for two. I started college tipping the scale about 145 lbs.

My Senior Pic

That year, I turned 19. I was work nearly full-time and going to school just part-time. I tipped the scales @ 210 lbs and a waist size of 34. I was lifting weights a couple days week, and thankfully I had not yet met my dear friend of beer and more pizza. My weight fluctuated over the next few years depending on my level of activity. When I made it to main campus at Purdue, I had some great friends and killer room mate that kept me motivated and in the gym. I was even a member of the Purdue Bodybuilding and Power-lifting clubs, and not to mention even while I had a car on campus. I rode my bike nearly every where, even drunk a few times. (don’t ask) Sadly, I graduate @ 230 lbs.

After school, I moved to the far north burbs of Chicago and took work as a construction manager. I lived alone and while I love to cook. I hate to cook for one. It was this time in my life I found Hooters, and I was no stranger to chicken wings. You ever hear of all “you-can-eat-chicken-wings” at Pete’s. Yeah, I can tell you some funny stories,but anyway. My friend Tony andI would regularly order and eat 50 wings, a couple pitchers of beer and fries.

Surprisingly, I hung around 230lbs. even while I abused myself with beer, wings and pizza. I was in the gym 3 to 5 days a week. I soon found myself down-sized, a all to common theme in my life. I moved back home and had what I affectionately call the “Summer of Dave”. It was a glorious summer of all you can eat Wednesday nights at Roscoe’s in LaPorte, more beer than anyone person should drink and beach. It was this time in my life that I found my first real sales job. After they hired me, I was told that I reminded them of Tommy Boy. I was either going to be great or go down in flames. Their gamble paid off, I was “Rookie of the Year” and set several sale records, but I was in my car 5 days a week and gone overnight several days a month.

Well, this left me very little time to hit the gym let alone to do cardio. I ate out nearly every day. I could tell you where every McDonald’s was from Michigan City to Indianapolis and every Chicago beef place on the southside. A few places knew me by name in and outside of the restaurant. I got married around 250lbs. 

Over the years or learning the mortgage industry, having the Girl, owning a business or two and then shuttering them. I soon hit 300lbs. I may have been a tad heavier, but that is the number that I remember. I trudged alone with friendly and often not so friendly jabs at my weight. When one night after a real estate class, I found myself feverish and shaking almost uncontrollably. I just thought I had the flu. Well, I was wrong and nearly dead wrong.

I took the next day off and went to the doctor. Well, I got the news that I kind of thought I was going to get since I had a history of it in my family.  I was diabetic. In fact, the initial blood test the nurse took all the meter said was “HI”. She told me that meant it was 600 plus. She was surprised that I was up and walking much higher could have put me in a coma. (for a baseline anything less than 120 is good) When I had some blood work done all my numbers were in the extreme highs from my A1c to cholesterol to whatever else they tested. I really wish I could remember them all, but I can’t, but I can remember the doctor telling me that those numbers would never come down.

For the first time in a long time, I got serious about my weight. I trained, drank less, watched my diet here and there. The good news those numbers did come down and I was living a normal life again. Sadly, my weight has yo-yo’d. My best weight post-wedding day was just 260lbs, and that was after switching doctors and meds.

Oh, the meds I take

1. metformin – 1xday -
2. actos – 1xday
3. nuvagil – 1xday
4. victroza – 1xday
5. cinnamon – 2xday – 1000mcg
   

   me & the Girl

I could write down a lot of meds that I used to take, but as I dropped in weight and rode the bike harder. I was able to drop all of my blood pressure and cholesterol meds. In this tale of woe, this past summer I hit 265lbs. It was a great milestone for me. If you were a friend of mine on facebook or follow me on Twitter, you know I was riding the bike nearly every day in the gym or with the Girl. Sadly, in just a few short months, I creeped back up to 295lbs. Yeah, I know talk about yo-yo.

Well, that brings me to this day, 11/1/2011. I have been tired for sometime. Tired of being heavy, for being fat, being the butt of jokes, and not trying to be cliche. I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. So, starting today I am doing a 90 day challenge. I know I am not going to solve all of my problems in 90 days, but it is a great way to start. The reason I am doing this blog and video is that I am asking all of you who read this, know me or in some way want to hold me accountable can.

I am asking all of you to hold me accountable, hold my feet to the fire and at time encourage me. I will post daily/weekly updates to my diet and exercise plan on several platforms from Foursquare, to my Facebook profile and fanpage, to Twitter, Google+ and other apps on Android and iPad. The hashtag will be #90dave.

Here are my starting measurements…

• chest – 57 inches
• biceps – hard to do alone
• waist – 55 inches (at the belly button)
• hips – 47 inches (i think I did these right)
• height – i just a tad under 5’11
• weight – 292.2 or it could have been 29.6

My goal weight is 225lbs for my body style I think that will be a good weight on me. However, I am willing to adjust when I get there. I have no  huge dream of running a marathon. I am not interested in that. I just want to look freaking awesome.

So, I am ready for the 90 day challenge.