A Christmas miracle, of sorts. Against all odds...

[paulcarek]

I don't know you, Bill, but I'm proud of you. Thanks so much for sharing your story, and good luck!

[Luke]

Bill, that's awesome, really happy for you! None of that stuff is easy, so congrats on getting started and keeping with it.

Everything you're doing sounds great, except you may be over-doing it with the weights. I'm not a personal trainer and I don't have a medical degree, so it's best to check with someone who is/does. I do know my way around a gym though, and if you are spending a full hour on weight machines, it probably means you are hitting multiple body parts. This is fine if you are taking rest days, but if you are lifting 6 days a week you may be hitting each body part too often. You'll know better than I do just based on how you feel. If you are feeling sore, it's best to rest that body part or take a full day off from the weights. A lot of strength training workouts only consist of 3 or 4 lift days per week because rest is just as important as the lifting and eating right. I can elaborate if you are interested, but I'll keep it somewhat concise and stop there.

This is an awesome, all natural supplement that helps your muscles recover overnight and can even help you sleep more soundly. It should have a noticeable impact on your muscle soreness the day after lifting. It's just Vitamin B6, Magnesium, and Zinc. A bunch of companies make it so you can just shop for the best price:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/opt/zma.html

[Louieman]

Very cool story, thanks for sharing

[Sean]

Bill, glad to hear the good news. I hope you have continued improvement in the new year.