I had always struggled with my weight growing up. I was a bigger kid, despite getting plenty of exercise while working on our family farm and playing sports such as wrestling and football (I was not lazy). Upon reaching high school, I began lifting weights and working out on a regular basis, but I still struggled with my weight. I went to college and tried extremely hard to lose weight by working out daily and eating healthy, but still I could not make any significant progress. I was extremely self-conscious about how I looked, constantly spending large periods of time putting on shirts that did not make me look like I had a large belly. I would never let myself be seen without a shirt on, even by my family. In fact, that is the reason I only have a single set of pictures without me wearing a shirt. Sadly, I would attend pool parties with my friends and never even go swimming to avoid being seen without a shirt. The bottom line is I was miserably uncomfortable with myself.
