I ended up becoming overweight for a few reasons, at my height I weighed 370lbs. A bad breakup with my girlfriend started an unhealthy cycle where I stopped taking care of myself the way I should have been. Additionally, I was working away from home and not making good choices on the road concerning food choices and, of course, my lack of exercise. I needed to embark on a weight loss transformation.
[This is me at 370lbs, read to the end to see my transformation photo and story]
The biggest breaking points for me were my low energy levels and overall health issues. I was ‘pre-diabetic’, and I had a conversation with my doctor about this. The conversation was a ‘wake-up call’ of sorts to get my stuff together and reverse the unhealthy trend ‘before it was too late’. Also, finding clothes that could fit became a real challenge. In short I was given an ultimatum. Embark on a weight loss transformation or suffer the consequences of an irreversible lifestyle.
All of this made me feel pessimistic about my situation, and it was hard to see how to turn this around. Truthfully, there were many times when I felt it was impossible to make a positive change.
During the first few months, the starting point was for me to clean up my diet. So I learned about meal prepping. I would get rid of junk food, and perhaps my biggest weakness: cheese. As I was so out of shape, I had to start getting more active. Initially, this was simply getting up and going for a walk around my local area/neighborhood. I would then gradually increase the amount of walking in an attempt to build a base level of fitness. At first, this was extremely difficult however this became the Genesis of my weight loss transformation.
Within the first few months, I started to prepare my own meals and took ownership to clean up my diet. Instead of taking the easy option and having take aways I would buy lean cuts of meat, fruits, vegetables and complex carbs etc. However a key milestone here for me was that I started meal prepping. This saved time and ensured that healthy food was always available. The next key milestone in month one was to start some physical exercise. Of course, at first this was simply walking around my local neighborhood but breaking that psychological barrier was important. There was a period of lockdown due to COVID so my exercise options were limited. I tried to get into a routine and good habits. So this would be a walk after work for example. Having a home gym really helps!!I lost about 30lbs within these first few months.
Within months 3 – 6, I noted that a base level of fitness was being established. I lost 40lbs within this period. I wasn’t as breathless as when I first commenced my journey. I continued with my healthy eating habits, and I was encouraged by my progress. The gyms started to re-open post lockdown so this was a huge milestone for me. At first this seemed to shock my body, however after a few weeks the pain went away and my body adjusted. I started doing a full body split so my body would get used to exercise. After 6 weeks or so this evolved into an upper and lower body split but was a gradual way of introducing more resistance and difficulty to my exercise program.
During months 6 – 9 whilst maintaining good eating habits I began to develop my training programme further into a 2 day split and then a 3 day split. Having being exercising for about 6 months I was experiencing the ‘newbie gains’ and I was building strength whilst shedding fat simultaneously. Approximately 30 lbs was lost in this period.
Here’s some key items which worked for me:
Meal prepping and consistency was essential for me. I used the Myfitnesspal app to help track my food intake. My caloric intake was initially very high and I tried to gradually reduce my calories. Initially this may have been around 4,500 calories. To start off with, I analyzed my current calorie intake, the key point here was to eat ‘normally’ for a week whilst tracking my intake. As my weight decreased, so too did my caloric intake. I would eat 6 small meals and ensure I ate protein with every meal.
Trying to aim to do something every day was key. Even if just a walk.
‘If a man made it, don’t eat it’. So fresh natural food products. Nothing processed.
I started off using a full body split, as this has been shown to be most effective for fat loss, and also for those people just starting on a fitness program.
Simply ensuring that I took ownership of my own shopping. I bought all of my own food, and this way, there was no junk food in the house.
Of course, every journey has setbacks as well as successes so here are a few items that didn’t go so well:
Cutting calories too fast too quickly. I thought I could take some short cuts and expedite my progress by going on a 1,000 a day calorie cut. However, this didn’t help my hunger levels and I wanted to eat more. The moral of the story here is don’t cut too hard too soon.
Trying to do too much too soon. For example, more advanced bodybuilding splits. When you start doing an exercise program this is hard for the body to handle, so occasionally my enthusiasm got the better of me and my body had it’s own way of telling me to back off a bit. So small increments in a training program compounded over time lead to better sustainable results. There was also a psychological aspect here, small increments led to achievable goals and the feeling I was improving.
Thinking that a low-carb diet was a long-term sustainable solution. Yes there was some rapid initial weight loss, but this was more water weight. Energy levels and mood levels were seriously affected, and this was not a sustainable diet. Weight Loss transformation is best achieved with slow and steady marginal gains as opposed to rapid results.
Not planning out my exercise routine. I found that if I didn’t have a clear plan about what to do in the gym I wouldn’t make the effort. So I needed to ensure that I had a plan, which was written in my book.
Eating out at restaurants too frequently. One ‘cheat meal’ a week. But anything more than this would seriously affect my gains. So I had to monitor my social circle as well to ensure I was surrounded by people contributing to my goals.
In summary, taking action with my diet and starting some form of exercise was a real game changer for me. It’s difficult at first when you have doubt in your mind about whether you’re destined for a life of unhealthiness. Good results stem from making good choices consistently. Granted there is a place for fast weight loss, for health reasons if you are severely at risk. Check this blog out here. I now coach people on how to transform their bodies and lives. The difference between me and so many other ‘fitness influencers’ is that I have been where you’ve been. I have walked that path. I am not a lifelong athlete. I came, I saw, I conquered!! You can too!!