A lot of things can make a person wake up one day and feel the need to change his life.
For me, the motivation for some significant self improvement came into my life at 9:23 PM on May 3rd, 2017 when my son, Thomas, came into this world. As I held my precious baby boy and he looked up at me with those big blue eyes, one of the thoughts that came into my head was “Oh hell, I’m going to have to keep up with him!”
Where am I now?
I currently weight 300 pounds. Ish. I add the qualifying “ish” because after Mrs. Gryphon and I moved into out new house in March, the scale has been MIA. I think this weekend I’ll be buying a new one. I need better than “ish” when I’m doing weigh-ins to see my progress.
So, dear reader, I’m sure you’re asking me, “Why, Mr. Gryphon, are you telling me this?”
One word: Accountability
Where do I want to be?
My main goal is to become a healthier me so I can watch my son grow up. I want to run with him in the park, roughhouse with him in the yard, and not get winded when I teach him to ride a bike.
My secondary goal? Superhero Body.
Okay, maybe not some steroidal Batman kind of thing, but I want to look better when I cosplay.
Yes, I’m a big proponent of body positive cosplay, not one of those “Ermagerd, are you cosplaying outside of body type? Eeewww!” types, but still… When I cosplayed as He-Man, I played it for laughs.
Honestly, I felt like people were going to laugh regardless, and if I was in on the joke and laughing too, at least the laughter would be with me and not at me.
I’ve picked some cosplays in the past that have hidden my body shape. In fact, my first two, the Bioshock – Big Daddy and Digimon – Togemon were chosen with the ability to hide a fat guy in mind.
I have two cosplays coming up that, while they don’t quite “bare all” like He-Man did, perhaps need a more svelte figure to pull off.
First, my wife and I are planning a gender-bent Who Framed Roger Rabbit? cosplay for Anime Nebraskon 2017 in November, and my male verson of Jessica Rabbit ought to be, perhaps, a touch sexier looking than I tend to feel.
Second, we’re planning to team up with VDR Cosplay for a Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle group cosplay at Naka-Con in March 2018, and I’ll be cosplaying as Kurogane, a tough warrior out of feudal Japan. A big guy, but not really the kind of big guy I am.
The cosplay helps me set goals that feel a little more tangible than the nebulous goal of “I’d like to be under 200 pounds again”, and will hopefully inspire workouts to help me get that body I want for these characters as I start.
What am I doing to get there?
Since Thomas’s birth, I’ve already started taking a few steps to better health.
- Using a Couch to 5k app, Zombies, Run! 5k. I’m heavy and my right knee hasn’t been the same since an injury about 10 years ago, but I’m making progress.
- I’ve been drinking a couple of tall glasses of water every time I feel hungry. Turns out, most of the time I think I want a snack I’m just thirsty.
- I’ve been making smaller, healthier snacks easier to get to in my house. If I drink my water, wait 10 minutes, and still have the need to munch, I grab one of the 100-200 calorie snacks I have set aside, like 2 large hard boiled eggs (about 160 calories) or a Sargento Balanced Breaks (About 180 calories).
Going Forward
My plan, once I buy a new darn scale, is to start doing weekly check-ins with you, my readers. You’re going to help keep me accountable. I’m going to be checking in with with weigh-ins and photos, and I want your encouragement, advice, and help as I try to better myself.
Until next time, dear readers,
Mr. Gryphon
