Like many of you, I'm a hardcore computer nerd that enjoys a inordinate amount of gaming. My professional life is that of a Electrical Engineer and my work place was ~1 hour from my house. That meant spending almost 2 hours a day in the car on a good day. I had sedentary hobbies including coding, gaming, and just about anything web related.
Needless to say, my lifestyle left little time for exercise. My diet included a large amount of soda, fast food, salt, meat, and potatoes (never been a sweets/dessert guy). As a result, I got fat. Walking upstairs left me winded and going on a 15 minutes walk in the park made me sweat with my calves cramping and my knees, ankles, and feet hurting. Never mind the occasional hike I'd do with my wife - those left my incredibly sore. I was in bad shape, I had no one to blame but myself. Sure, I could blame WoW, my commute time, my career. But no, I take full personal responsibility for my physical health. I neglected my health. At the age of 30, I was 5' 8" 240 lbs and my cholesterol was well over 300.

So I decided to change and this is my story.

Being fed up with my job, stress, commute, and health I knew I needed a change - a drastic one.
I quit my job, short sold my house, moved back into the city, and got a new job. I now live 8 minutes from work.
Since I no longer spent 2 hours per day in the car, I decided I would use that extra time on fitness and health.

So I committed myself to fitness. I made a few rules

  1. I could not game until I went to the Gym
  2. No gym == No Games
  3. I would take 2 walks per day
  4. Gym time must be at least 30 minutes

As for my diet, I changed it completely. This is what I've done for the last 7 months.

  1. Casein Protein Shake for Breakfast (I was never a breakfast eater)
  2. No Soda - quit the stuff
  3. Drank Water and Tea and sometimes coffee.
  4. 15 minute walk at 9 AM
  5. Frozen Grapes (100 calories worth) after walk
  6. Lunch Mainly Consisted of Salmon, Chicke, Broccoli, Brown Rice and Quinoa.
  7. Another Walk at 2:30
  8. Frozen Grapes at 3 PM
  9. Leave Work at 5 PM
  10. Eat Dinner, usually something healthy such as skinless chicken
  11. Do the Gym for an Hour
  12. Eat another Casein Protein Shake
  13. Spend Time with Wife and Do Chores
  14. Game until bed time (As a result of this, my game time was drastically reduced of course)

My daily calorie intake was around 1600-1800 calories. For my exercise routine, I did the following

  1. MWF - Strength Training (hit all muscle groups each day)
  2. I also did Elliptical for Cardio for 30 minutes every day
  3. Sometimes I'd do a short swim or walk my dog for an hour
  4. On the weekends, I'd do hike or some other light physical activity.

As a result of all of this, I am the best physical shape my life. In 7 months, I have lost 70 lbs.
I started at 240 and now weight 169 lbs. I actually have muscle definition in my arms, chest, and legs. My stomach is flat and I am seeing a hint of abs.

All physical activities that were once hard are now easy. It is such a life changing feeling to know that you can do a tough hike and not even feel it.
I've run a race and finished it with a decent time and wasn't sore and dead for the next week. I feel great and am no longer depressed.
I am more out going, social, and am doing a variety of hikes and outdoor activities that were once closed to me.

So if you are like me, a multi-boxing nerd that need some balance, know that you can do it.
You can still keep gaming and having fun, but do no neglect your health.