Shall we begin like David Copperfield?

Shall we begin like David Copperfield? 'I am born...I grew up.' Or shall we begin when I was born to fitness? That's really where we should start, don't you think? I was 24, a happy man, engaged to a beautiful woman. I led, what I once thought was a healthy enough lifestyle. I didn’t drink as much as I once did back in my teenage years, I wasn’t over weight, I rarely fell ill.

However, in the summer of 2013 my then fiancée Jessica and I ventured on our first holiday abroad as a couple to the exciting party island of Ibiza. The heat was something I hadn’t experienced before, by 9am it was scalding hot, and even wearing a tiny tank top was too much. Walking around the streets of San Antonio all I saw were young, fit and healthy men and women. The guys resembled body builders and athletes of which I’ve only seen on television. This was where I finally began to realise how tiny my body was in comparison. Standing at 6”3, long legs, long arms, long hunched back. I resembled a skeleton with a pulse. 

But, I soldiered on, I have a great talent of not letting anything really get to me. We partied on for a week, going on many boat cruises and getting burnt to a crisp.

A few weeks later back home, in miserable old cold Huddersfield, I fell ill and had to take a few days off of work. Jessica persuaded me to book an appointment with my doctors who I rarely saw. This was my “ah-ha!” moment. This visit on this particular day was to change how I looked and felt about myself. I had been feeling very light headed recently, and noticed some weight loss, as previously mentioned, I led what I thought was a healthy life so I was completely puzzled as to why I had fallen ill. The doctor took one look at me, placed me on the weighing scales and measured my height, then gave me a BMI of 13, which for someone of my height, weight and gender was severely low and is normally indicative of someone who may be suffering from anorexia.

Now I had always known I was a skinny guy, I just figured that some people are born slim and find it hard to gain weight. But to hear those exact words from a health professional, to hear that I was that unhealthy that my body was similar to someone suffering from that horrible affliction. That really struck a nerve. That really hit me hard. It was time for a change.

My lovely fiancée Jessica had previously dealt with her weight issues by hitting the gym and sticking to a healthy diet. Now it was my turn. I decided to force myself to eat more. Previously, all through my life, for some reason I would never finish off a meal. But this never seemed strange to me, I always thought it was a good sign of a great meal if I left some on the plate. I would feel full quite quick, and if I tried to shove more in my mouth it would really make me feel ill. This was to change. I quickly learned that I had a hidden talent for eating a lot of food, something which my now wife notices on a daily basis. Over the next few weeks my meal portions increased along with how many healthy snacks and fruits I consumed. But this was not enough, I did the usual “clueless guy” thing and googled “how to gain weight”. Now, obviously every site suggested eating more but also most sites suggested hitting the gym. The only gym I was comfortable with was the gyms in Pokémon, but a proper gym? Me, this skinny clueless newbie heading to a gym full of beefed up bodybuilders and athletes? It was a frightening choice, but one which had to be done for my well-being.

So folks, this was the beginning of the end for me. No more skinny, frail, unhealthy James.

Next post, “ A stranger in a strange land”.