theslowrunner

Congrats, and yes, you should focus on feeling happy for the moment. Not too many people achieve what you have done. And maybe it's true that your weight wasn't merely an excuse, but the true reason stuff in other areas of your life perhaps didn't work out. As long as you don't feel under pressure that everything will be easy now, enjoy the moment!

I feel your life crisis... I worked in retail. In the same store for seven years. It was eating me alive, and when I left it and startersd to adventure , my whole life turned around. I love seeing or hearing about other people's adventures. It's remarkable how something so seemingly small, like a hike, can affect someone's life so much. I see it's done wonders for you.
In terms of me, I get outdoors whenever I get. Evenings, weekends... but during the summer I try to live in my tent. I'm a tree planter in Canada; I spend two and a half months out in the wilderness. It is a remarkable experience and is preparing me to hike the pacific coast trail from Mexico to Vancouver.

Keep adventuring.

What does being a tree planter entail? Basically this: Wake up at 5am and convince your sore body out of your sleeping bag. Crawl out of your tent. Do some yoga. 6am, breakfast buffet, and make lunch. 7am, load a few thousand (at least 18000) trees into the truck with your crew. All six of you load into the truck. Drive through beautiful logging roads and see tons of wildlife. 8-9am. Arrive at cut block, fill bags, grab shovel, go to work digging holes and putting trees in nice and straight. Do again. and again. and about three thousand more times until 6pm. Clean up boxes, get in truck, sleep. Get to camp. Shower. Eat, eat, eat, and eat some more. Yoga. 9pm. sleep.

Yep, that's basically it. Plus days off, which basically just means a day in the laundromat, library and leisure center.


I LOVE that idea of hiking across a stretch of Europe. It's definitely on my list. I want to accomplish a coast to coast Canada trip first before doing anything in Europe.

Hi! This is of course random, since I don't know you...and I don't want to intrude on your journal. Just stopped by to say congratulations on your amazing weight loss; I can't even begin to imagine how much effort and discipline went into that achievement! Plus it seems you had some heartbreak to contend with. Again, not knowing you, I find it hard to believe that such a huge physical change doesn't also bring with it some psychological changes as well, but then I also tend to believe that the core of our personality does not change all that much. Anyway, hope things go well for you...speaking as a much older person I can assure (?) you that life stays precarious :-)

Duuude! That is beyond insane. Major congrats on the transformation, because it isn't as easy as some make it seem.How did you do it, and what was your secret? The Navy may pan out for you this year, or it may not. But you still have a future that is so much healthier and promising. Whatever goals you strive for, you can reach them. I definitely wish ya luck.