My name is Chris Date, and I'm a powerlifter. Or so I fancy myself. More importantly, I am a Bible-believing, born again, conservative Christian. I believe the only way to God is through Christ, and I laugh when I consider that I ever believed in evolution. However, although I would prefer to discuss Jesus, the Bible and science, it's likely you're not here for that. (If you are, visit my theology and apologetics blog at
http://www.theopologetics.com/.)
Weightlifting was key to my journey to health (or at least a greater level of health) in the mid-2000s when, over the course of less than a year, I went from heavier than 360 pounds to lighter than 230. Over the next couple of years I put much of that weight back on, but began powerlifting competitively (or at least training for that purpose) in December of 2009 as motivation to shed the fat and get healthy again. Here at the Date Power! blog I would like to share with you my experience in the world of competitive powerlifting.
MY JOURNEY TO OBESITY
I've struggled with obesity for pretty much all of my life. From my early years in elementary school to my late years in middle school I packed on the pounds like it was going out of style. In high school I managed to get in shape, but by the time I was married at the age of 20 in May of 2000 (picture at left; I'm the fat guy on the right), I was well on my way back to a serious problem.
By the time my first child was born about a year later, I was a horror story waiting to happen (picture at right). I don't know what I weighed, but it was a lot, as you can see. I was lucky I was so young; had I been terribly older, I don't know if I would have lasted long enough to have had a second chance. As the years went by I dieted a couple of times, experiencing fleeting success, but nothing lasting.
The picture at left was taken in June of 2005. Any success I had had at dieting had long since disappeared. Looking back, I don't understand how I just sit by and let it happen. For some reason, I just didn't realize it was as bad as it was. (Click on the picture, it's clearer full-size.) I'm amazed I never had a heart attack; the mercy of God is a wonderful thing.
It was a few months thereafter that a good friend of mine, himself one who struggles with his weight, called a spade a spade.
MY JOURNEY TO HEALTH
In late August of 2005, about a month after the picture at right was taken, my good friend David suggested to me that he and I begin counting our calories, holding each other accountable to sticking to our limits. I thank God that He used David in this way. Had I continued down the path on which I was headed, I likely would have ended up with diabetes at best, or having a heart attack at worst.
In addition to counting calories, I began exercising regularly. Of course I engaged in the obligatory cardio exercises: running, the stationary cycle, etc. But what I found I
really enjoyed was weightlifting, and I think that's what really helped the fat come off. The pounds quickly began melting away, and I was looking and feeling better than I had since well before my wedding over 5 years earlier.
By March of 2006, I had lost nearly 100 pounds. The picture at left was taken at the St. Patty's Day Dash, a 5k held annually in Seattle. (The guy in the middle is my friend David, whom I thank for the transformation I've undergone.) Not only had I managed to lose nearly 100 pounds in fewer than 7 months, but I managed to run the entire 5k, no walking.
Over the next 2 and a half months I continued to lose weight. In late May of 2006, as shown in the picture at right, I was down to about 235, around 130 pounds lighter than when I began. After just 9 months, and simply through diet and exercise! I was in the best shape I'd been in since high school, and in part I had weightlifting to thank.
MY JOURNEY TO POWERLIFTING
Unfortunately it was about this time that I hit a proverbial brick wall in my weight loss, and it seemed I could do nothing to break through. Looking back there are a variety of things I could have done; hindsight is, as they say, 20/20. The plateau was disheartening, and on some emotional level, I gave up. I took the calorie counting and exercise less seriously, and I began slowly but surely to put weight back on.
At the time I'm writing this, it's been nearly 4 years since that picture was taken, and I'm back up to about 290. It could be much worse; I could have put on all the weight I'd lost and more, as is often the case with dieters who lose as much weight as I did. Fortunately, I'm still around 70 pounds lighter than when I began. Still, I didn't want to continue to slowly return to my heaviest weight, so in November or December of 2009, I endeavored to take things more seriously again.
One day a trainer at the YMCA who had witnessed my weight loss years earlier suggested I try powerlifting competitively. While I'd been gaining weight, Mark had trained a newcomer to powerlifting, Jill (both shown at left), all the way to the 2009 World Powerliftng Championships. He had seen something in me before and felt I could compete pretty well, too, and that it might motivate me to get fit again. I hesitatingly agreed.
WHERE I'M AT TODAY
It is now April 2010, and my first powerlifting competition is coming up in late June/early July. I still haven't lost any weight; in fact, I've gained a few pounds. However, I have lost some fat, and I've put on the muscle I lost over the years, and am lifting heavier than I have ever lifted before. Just the other day I bench pressed 345 pounds, 30 pounds heavier than I've ever pressed. Several weeks ago I deadlifted 465, whereas when I was at my fittest the most I'd deadlifted was 435, and that was with wrist straps (which make up for a weak grip).
So I'm excited to see what lies in store ahead of me. I'm going to crack down on my diet in the hopes of getting to under 275 before the competition, so I don't have to compete in the Unlimited weight class. Keep me in your prayers, and your encouragement is welcome. You can email me at
chrisdatepower@hotmail.com with questions, encouragement or any other sort of feedback.
By the time my first child was born about a year later, I was a horror story waiting to happen (picture at right). I don't know what I weighed, but it was a lot, as you can see. I was lucky I was so young; had I been terribly older, I don't know if I would have lasted long enough to have had a second chance. As the years went by I dieted a couple of times, experiencing fleeting success, but nothing lasting.
