Sunday, August 11, 2013

And So It Begins...

Welcome to my blog!  I've contemplated this for a while and thought it would be a great way to put my thoughts onto paper for others to see (and support, and laugh at, and question...).  I have a great job, a wonderful wife, and 2 very personal goals I want to accomplish over the next year or two (if my golf swing will cooperate).  With that being said, I think a proper introduction of who I am and how I created my blog name would be appropriate.

Me
I'm currently 28 years old, a Clemson alumni, and a huge fan of golf, football, and the great outdoors.  I live for rounds in the 70s, watching the Tigers run down The Hill, and quiet evenings spent in a deer stand.  I have a wife of one year who is a saint - she's loving, caring, and puts up with my antics (hopefully she's the first one to follow me!).  We've been together as a couple for over 6 years and I look forward to the many years ahead of us.

How Did I Come Up With This?
The first part of my URL is losing 65 (Getting Skinny).  To be frank I'm not the smallest I've ever been, and have started to realize the problem it creates in daily life.  I enjoyed college and the first few years out of school, most of which were spent drinking beer and eating Zaxby's chicken finger plates.  I've seen so many people around me lose weight successfully and I need to be one of those people.  I have a wonderfully supportive wife, and I want to be there for her and our future children in the years to come.  I don't want to wither away into one of those people who is limited by their size and can't do things with their kids.  I've jokingly told people if I ever ended up like that, they could take me out to pasture and shoot me.  I feel like I'm to that point.  SO, why 65?  65 pounds would put me back to my freshman year of college.  I'm going to start with the Paleo diet and running 1-2 times a day (depending on the weather and my state of delirium in the mornings).  It's going to be a big lifestyle change, but it's something I'm finally embracing.  Eventually I'm going to be at a point where I can beat Brian Sharp on the golf course and in a race (I bet he just laughed after reading the second one).

The second part of my URL is to 5 (From the Inside).  What is so special about the number 5?  It's a golfing goal that I've wanted to obtain and maintain since I joined Thornblade in April.  Back when I was a freshman in college I was in that 5-7 handicap range.  Actually, my GPA and handicap weren't that far apart, and I didn't have a 4.0.  To date, I'm floating in the 8-10 handicap range which is quite an accomplishment for 90% of your average golfers.  I want to get to the point where my index is down to a 5, which is layman's terms means a 7 handicap.  A 7 handicap would mean I'm playing below 80 consistently.

Tie these two things together and what do you have?  Getting Skinny From the Inside.  Getting skinny is understandable, but the second part, From the Inside, references bringing the club head inside the target line to create a draw.  Good golf comes from inside the target line - I'll explain more as I expand on these two things through out my journey.  

I've seen people have great success posting their journeys online because it keeps them accountable with so many people.  Feel free to yell at me, throw rocks, kick me in the shins, etc. if you see me trying to cheat in a public forum that can't be considered a cheat day (Just for the record, every Saturday will be my cheat day so I can eat tailgating food and drink beer.  I'm going to have to starve myself and exercise to the point of vomiting to allow that).  I look forward to allowing everyone a view into my world of struggles, accomplishments, birdies, and everything else my life has to offer as I run hundreds of miles and hit thousands of golf balls.  Thanks for checking in - I'll leave you with a few pictures that I'm using as motivation.

If only I could grow that hair back...


Top left - the sweet spot.