Today’s post comes from DailyBurn user Chris Hough. Chris is a passionate guy who is dedicated to achieving his goals.  A major life change, moving from the city of Chicago to Boulder, CO, helped this ex-frat guy reconnect with nature and himself, resulting in a 40 lb weight loss. Follow him on twitter: @chrishough for passionate rants about society, design, and technology.

Hello, my name is Chris Hough and I am recovering fat kid.

For as long as I can remember I was a little fat kid, a “double” striper for those who played football when they were a kid. You know the kid who weighs to much to play any of the other exciting positions so I was forced to play the line, basically all the time. Yes, it was fun! Some could argue, well its genetics right?

No. Everyone raised in the Midwest knows our cuisine, and how bad the foods are it consists of. Everything we ate was saturated in butter, fried, and if people were cooking more than a can of corn or green beans it must have been a holiday. Even then, the holidays consisted of twice baked potatoes, canned sweet corn with a stick of butter on it and nuked in the microwave, green bean casserole, oh and don’t forget the heaping mound of stuffing.

In college I was your typical frat guy. Yes, I loved that too, I was “all in” even the dj at that frat house. This also meant that I was sucking down can after can of cheap beer followed by pizza or any other greasy food right before bed. They call this the freshman “15” but for me it was more like “50” and I blew up like a balloon.

After College

When I left college I moved to the Northwest side of Chicago, and for years I bounced up and down in weight. I would go the gym but still hit up the local pub food Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The Midwest people eat, and I was no exception, food was something you consumed, you didn’t ask where it came from, or what was in it. You just shoved it in your mouth.

Something Had to Change

It wasn’t until a major change occurred in my life and I was lucky to be able to move to Boulder, Colorado. This was the beginning of the end of the fat kid. I started to learn how to work out, how to eat, but most importantly how everything in this process is interrelated. At the recommendation of my lady, I downloaded the Dailyburn iphone app. At first I was skeptical, but I really enjoyed tracking my workouts each day and seeing the progress I was making. It was far easier to bring my iphone to the gym than a pen and paper and it kept my weeks far more organized, out of my head, and easier to follow. I quickly learned that in my opinion 90% of health is mental, that as I started to lose weight, eat right, I started looking good and feeling better about myself. Even simple notches off the belt turned into huge wins reenforcing the concept of staying healthy and being fit. It was a concept I had thought was previously unobtainable or only for those with deep pockets.

At the height of my weight I was 5.7 over 225lbs. The photo on the left was taken on my friend’s boat just outside the Drake Hotel, Chicago, Illinois, in the summer of 2008. It was by far the worst I have ever looked, how I felt about myself, and my overall attitude. I was tired and slow ALL the time. The photo on the right was taken in Chautauqua Park, Boulder after a long hike on gorgeous day in late summer of 2010. I weighed in at 170lbs. In just two short years of eating right, regularly tracking my workouts through the Dailyburn I shaved off over 40lbs and I felt great. I was no longer exhausted and tired all the time, the creativity I had when I was younger came back with vigor and I felt alive for the first time in my life.

From “Beef” to “Excitable Dude”

I used to be known as “Beef” in college, now my friends call me the “Excitable Dude.” I am bold, I say what I mean and I do what I say. I know how hard this process was, it was the most difficult transition I have been through in my life. There is not enough paper in the world to list all of the things I had to unlearn in my life to get me to this point. Today I weigh 165lbs, I have had to donate all of my jeans and drill new holes in each of my belts to keep using them. I shared this story with you, because I know how hard it is, I was there, and I wish you the best of luck on your journey. Just be. Just believe.

Editors Note: I am proud to say that Chris is my man, and YES I made him download DailyBurn.  Chris brings intensity to everything that he does, including gym workouts.  We both encourage each other by having fun at the gym together, and making healthy cooking a priority in our home. Way to go Chris!