Yes, I know, I have an “about me” page but a lot of people don’t go there and, to be honest, it doesn’t tell all of the story.  Plus, I wanted to give you all an idea of where I want to take Dave’s Press in the very near future.

The “Who”

Surprise!  My name really is Dave…or David…I respond to both.  And, yes, that is my cheesy picture to the left.  It was actually taken two and a half years ago after I had actually lost most of my weight.  I was born, raised, and currently reside  in Georgia (Metro Atlanta).  I did a four year stint in the Navy where I had the chance to live in a couple of different locations: Philadelphia and Charleston.

When I decided to go in the Navy, I weighed about 230 pounds.  Unfortunately for me, they didn’t take anyone at my height (6 ft) over 182 pounds.  This was my first adult attempt at dropping weight.  I have already told you I did four years so you already know I was successful in losing the weight.  I dropped 48 pounds in a month and half.  I know…that’s just crazy.  However, I did it.  A lot of jogging and very little eating.  No habits changed.  I remember the night before I weighed for the final time, my recruiter stopped an bought me a bottle of the most horrible tasting, gut wrenching, bathroom ruining, don’t-get-more-than-an-arm-distance-away-from-the-toilet laxative known to man.  I mean this stuff should’ve been used at Gitmo.  A bottle of this and I can guarantee the terrorists would be talking   The result?  I went from 187 pounds to 181.5 pounds overnight.

Ugh - About 300

I did it all wrong and guess what?  I ballooned back up starting after boot camp.  In the Navy, you better not be sensitive about anything because if your shipmates get a whiff that they offended you, you might as well hang it up.   It is a scenario very much akin to hanging a raw steak around your neck and playing with wolves.

After the leaving the military and four years of fat jokes, I returned to civilian life just about where I left it…around 230 lbs.  I tried on an off for the next few years to drop the weight.  I was always mildly successful but always seem to end up heavier than when I started.  It wasn’t until I was well around 300 lbs. that I had the life changing experience that changed me for good.  That experience was being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes.  Since then, I’ve lost a bit over a 100 lbs.  That leads me to the the “why” I created Dave’s Press.

The “Why”

I have a full time job and it isn’t blogging.  I wish it was blogging but it isn’t.  Do I want to make money from doing this?  I could care less.  Of course it would be nice but I plan to be very selective should anyone wish to advertise and I don’t have any immediate plans of selling a product.  I wouldn’t mind bringing in enough to cover the hosting but it isn’t a must.   That’s why you see the Google ads here and there. 

I have the right to change my mind down the road but I can guarantee that I won’t try to sell you a product or a plan that I haven’t tried myself and can vouch for it’s effectiveness.  I posted some affiliate ads recently but have removed them since. 

Now, why did I start this blog?  Over the last three years, I’ve had a life changing experience and one that I want to help other people achieve.  I started with absolutely no knowledge of fitness and nutrition.  I made a lot of mistakes.  In making those mistakes, I also gained a lot of knowledge.  I have a habit of becoming very focused when I put my mind to something…almost to the point of obsession.  I read a lot and have done literally hundreds of hours of research on the net.  Long story short, I feel I now have a lot I can offer to those just starting on their journey and a lot for those that have been doing this for a while.

To be perfectly honest, it isn’t all completely altruistic.  I also like to write and I also like to design websites.   Although there isn’t a lot of design involved with Wordpress, I still get to write.  I also consider social media a “hobby” so starting a blog seemed a natural fit!  Add those together with my interests in fitness and nutrition and you really have a no-brainer.  In other words, I was able to roll four hobbies into one.  Since I’ve started writing here, I’ve had a blast and I hope you have enjoyed some of the content here as well as gained some knowledge.

Lastly, it keeps me motivated.  I’m always looking for something knew that helps motivation.  I would love to say that I’ve been motivated for the last three years but that would be stretching the truth.  Has it worked?  Hell yes.

The Future of Dave’s Press

Let’s face it…I really doubt I’m going to bring anything truly new to the fitness and nutrition table.  What I CAN bring is solid material…day after day…post after post.  I plan on doing my best to stay consistent and up-to-date on all of the latest training techniques.  I also plan to bring a bit of humor from time to time.  I’ll have to let you be the judge of that.  I will be adding new sections to the site eventually.  I can’t say what those sections will be but I’m open to suggestions!

What You Won’t See on Dave’s Press

If you are looking for a way to “drop 20 pounds in 20 days” or “get 6 pack abs in two weeks”, I would suggest you look elsewhere.  You won’t see them in a post from me.  You could see a Google ad from time to time promoting something similar.  I do my best to control those ads but they will inevitably pop up.  You won’t see any posts promoting illegal substances related to bodybuilding (a.k.a. steroids).  There are plenty of sites out there for that as well.  And, lastly, you won’t see me give up.  When I find something I enjoy, I stick with it.  My wife would say that I’m so much that way that, at times, it can be detrimental.  I just do what any logical man would do and tell her, “yup, you’re right.” 

My Promise

My promise to you, the reader, is that I will do my best to post quality, reliable fitness and nutrion material on a daily basis.  I’m not going to lie.  Doing this on a daily basis is time consuming and will be difficult with a 5 year-old son fighting for my attention.  I also promise that if you need help, I will help you.  If you contact me, I will respond. 

In closing, thank you for reading all of this!  Also, thank you for visiting my blog.  As always, if you would like to contact me, just leave a comment, use the contact form, or just email me at dave@davespress.net.