This Saturday’s guest post is from Mac at Get Fit Slowly. I “met” him on Twitter and he is a pretty cool guy. Listen

When I first started writing Get Fit Slowly way back in October of 2007, I introduced myself as “Fat Guy.” I fell firmly (or not so firmly as the case was) into the obese category on the BMI scale. Weighing in at 221 pounds and standing 5’10” tall, I was close to my heaviest weight ever and I was sick…sick of being fat! JD and I decided to blog about our journeys in the health and fitness world because we thought it would keep us accountable to our goals. We thought that an audience would keep us motivated–that it would help us stay the course. At first, this reasoning worked wonders. I was successfully losing weight and getting in better shape. Our readers were actively offering support and advice and things couldn’t have been better.

But relatively quickly, a funny thing happened. I realized that I didn’t really need my blog in order to be successful in my quest for a healthier life. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to insult my readers. I love them. They’re inspiring, funny, strict, and loving. Some of them are like my grandma, always lending a sympathetic ear and telling me that they believe in me. While others are like my uncle, calling a spade a spade and telling me to suck it up and get the job done. My readers definitely got me started on my way. But I finished the job because I had a vision of the man that I wanted to be. I wrote a description of that vision back in October of 2007:

I have two kids and a wife they love me and want me to be around for a while. I love them and want to be around for a while. I want to help my kids make good lifestyle choices. I want to set good examples for them…I want my wife to want me. I want to walk down the street with my shoulders back, unafraid that my manboobs stick out too far. I want to fit into my 34 (or even 32) waist pants. I want to be confident about my physical appearance. I want to be healthier.

All this may leave you wondering why I still blog. There are several reasons for this. First and foremost, I’m not finished with getting fit slowly. Is there ever and end point to being fit? Can’t you always be fitter? Get Fit Slowly is still a place where I can chronicle my fitness journeys. It’s still a place for me to both give and receive advice on reaching fitness goals. I don’t think that will ever change. But there’s a bigger reason why I am still blogging at Get Fit Slowly. I LOVE IT. I love thinking about fitness. I love writing about fitness. I love motivating people to get fit. I love offering advice to people who are where I used to be. I have big dreams and aspirations for where I want Get Fit Slowly to go. I want people to read about where I was and where I am and realize one thing: there’s nothing special about me. I want them to realize that if I can do it, so can they. I want to help them achieve all of their fitness goals and live the life that they want to live. But most of all, I want them to realize that the only thing they need to get the job done is the desire to make the change. If you have that desire, but feel like you need some guidance, please stop by Get Fit Slowly, introduce yourself, and ask a question. I’d love to share my journey with you and help you find your answers.