The “Tech 15″

What is it about working in the tech industry that causes people, especially guys, to gain the equivalent of the “freshman 15″?

Recently I saw a few friends from Microsoft who have grown in the middle. And I know many more people who are so much more plump in the before v. after picture. I was also one of those people. Below are pictures of me at the end of 2002, 2005, and current. Can you guess when I worked at Microsoft?

Since I left Microsoft in 2005, I’ve had to work really hard to keep the weight off. At the height of my enormity I weighed in at 180 pounds. I didn’t feel good but always made excuses (too busy!) to go work out. Around the same time my father fell ill and it took him a long time to recover. His illness was a wake up call for me to get in shape, stay in shape, and live healthy.

Even though I’m still in the tech industry, I’m more conscious now about eating healthy and exercising regularly. I’ve seen so many of my friends gain weight under the stress and from the irregular hours. The extra pounds in and of themselves one can shed, but it’s the added complications such as hypertension and diabetes that can accompany being overweight which cause the long term damage.