It's been a while since I posted, but I think I'm going to be more active on the forum. I've fallen off the weight loss wagon so many times that I was starting to think I'd never lose it, but that's no longer the case.
So I've managed to go from a 6x shirt to a 3x shirt, and a size 56 pants to a size 48-50 (I don't have any 48 to try, but I can pull up a 46, but not button them). 3x is a little snug, so I don't wear it in public yet, but I can button it up without sucking in. The last time I was able to do that was around 2004.
If anyone needs any encouragement, keep reading. I'd love to say I put in a lot of hard work, but the truth is, I didn't. I just started doing small stuff up until recently.
Watching From The Sideline
I found out that a good friend of mine was trying to break into personal training as a side job. He works at the hospital as a respiratory therapist, and he managed to get another friend of mine from 386 down to what can only be described as an action figure body.
After watching the progress of my friend, I decided to start eating better. Not exercising, just eating better.
1. I cut out soda. This was a huge thing for me because I love a mix of Dr. Pepper and Root Beer. After soda, I started cutting out everything containing High Fructose Corn Syrup. Eventually, I made it down to water, fresh made tea, and fresh made lemonade with 99% of my meals. From there, I've managed to completely stick to water for 99% of my day. I rarely drink anything sweet with a meal because I no longer get the cravings.
2. I had 2 rituals that I cut out as well. On Wednesday night, I'd get 6 chicken tacos from Roberto's because it was 99 cent chicken taco night. Sundays were guys night, and I'd eat anything I wanted. Slowly I phased out my crazy Sunday eating and started eating sandwiches without mayo.
I also stopped making excuses. Stupid excuses like "well I messed up Friday, so I'll start over Monday." I still have my slip ups, but they are planned. Even if they are unplanned, I don't beat myself up. I just start over with EVERY MEAL. The other day for dinner I had a Fat Burger with bacon, egg, etc. with chili cheese fries. The next day I cut down on my calories to balance it out. I went to the gym as usual, but I had 3 meal replacement shakes throughout the day, followed by a healthy dinner.
3. Eventually... well recently (3 weeks ago), I cut out taco night and replaced it with Salad night.
4. These aren't in order, but over time, I started making healthier food choices. I use spinach instead of lettuce. I bake instead of fry most times. I use 2% milk and almond milk instead of whole milk... and most recently, cauliflower rice instead of regular rice. And if I do eat rice, it's brown rice or black rice. Black rice is expensive but can be found at walmart. Finding healthy alternatives has become a hobby of mine and I'm loving it.
With all of these changes, I managed to go from 6x - 4x without a single minute of exercise. The reason I'm not providing actual numbers is because I stopped looking at the scale. Seeing 414 pounds killed my confidence. I also know that numbers mean nothing. I'm about the fit of my clothes and look of my body, and the numbers depress me.
5. At this point, I decided to ask my personal trainer friend for help and he agreed. Starting mid September 2016 we started working out. He created a workout routine for me which consists of weight training and 30 minutes of cardio on the exercise bike (I have a bad knee from an injury years ago).
From September to now, I've gained muscle and gone from a 4x to a 3x. I plan to post pics soon of my progress, but didn't want to until I was sure I'd follow through.
6. During this time, about mid October, a long time female friend of mine (20 years) expressed an interest in building a relationship. She's my first girlfriend from when I was 14. It was surprising because we've been friends for so long, messed around occasionally, but nothing serious. Anyway, she's a vegan and I'm a carnivore. However, she's also very health conscious and respects my choice to eat meat. She's a self taught nutritionist and has been majorly supportive. She's the one that taught me about black rice, Quinoa, and a lot of other stuff.
Having her support has been a huge factor in making progress as far as eating healthy.
7. By far the best investment I've made financially was the OUTRAGEOUS $10 I spent at walmart on a personal blender for smoothies. Best $10 I've ever spent. I use this thing 2-4 times per day, depending on my mood. Every smoothie I make has spinach and kale in it, regardless of what kind of smoothie I'm making. Each smoothie ranges from 300-500 calories and only contains good healthy stuff. I tend to use a lot of Greek Yogurt in my mixes as well. It's worth the $10, but if you have more to spend, I've seen a Vitamix personal blender for around $300. Not sure how much more I'd get out of it, but I can't justify buying it.
8. Last night, I splurged on an exercise bike. Schwinn 270 Recumbent Bike (Look it up). It cost me about $400... but I want to put in an extra 2 hours of cardio each day and going back and forth to the gym at my friend's apartment is a gas drain. That's another thing. Having a friend with access to an apartment gym is great. If you have a friend like that, ask them to let you in or work out with you. It's free, so you'll save $10 - $30 per month in gym fees, which was a huge barrier to me going.
Some Health Tips
I'm not a doctor, nutritionist, or anything else. Just a fat guy with some advice on what worked for me. You may wanna consult somebody with official permission to tell you what's right for you.
1. Try using almond milk and greek yogurt to make Alfredo sauce. Contains lots of protein and tastes great. It's also low in calories. I used about 60 calories worth of almond milk, 200 calories of parm cheese, and 120 calories of Greek Yogurt to make my alfredo sauce. It lasted me for 2 days. I ate about 8 helpings of alfredo over 2 days, but it was less than 400 calories (sauce). I also added mushrooms, tomatoes, chicken, and crawfish. I'm guessing the entire pot was about 1,000 calories or less and it was delicious. Since I'm allowed 5,800 calories over those 2 days, I ate every drop and licked my bowl (literally). It was delicious. My point here is that if you have guilty pleasures, find a way to make them healthier so you can enjoy them. It makes losing weight easier.
2. Buy a personal smoothie maker (single serving size) and blend veggies into everything. I also do a daily health boosting smoothie of my own creation. Here's the recipe:
Frozen berry mix (works better than ice), orange or apple juice (100% juice only), bee pollen, honey, spinach, kale, hemp seeds, and if I happen to have any leftover fruit I'll toss that in as well.
3. Substitute in cauliflower rice or broccoli rice instead of regular white rice. It'll reduce your starch intake and it tastes pretty good. If you can't find it in the store, you can make your own with a food processor.
4. If you mess up, just start over with the next meal. Don't wait until the next day.
5. If you want to try something new like the Smoke Mountain Sandwich at Arby's... which contained about 800 calories, prepare for it. I ate 2 of these in one sitting and didn't feel a shred of guilt about it. I made 3 smoothies at about 300 calories each. total calories for the day were 2,700 of the 2,900 I'm allowed to have. I indulged and still came out 200 calories under my limit. Preparation is key and you don't have to starve yourself.
I absolutely will not miss out on anything new and delicious. Starting in January 2017 I'll be going down to 2,500 calories per day.
6. Juicing and Smoothies are great to lose weight fast, but you'll put it back on if you crash diet. Just incorporate them into your daily routine. I've made a complete lifestyle change that I can maintain, and have done so for over a year now. Small changes and substitutions add up over time. Smoothies also help you cut down on your craving for sweets.
7. Don't beat yourself up over mess ups. I keep coming back to this. If you wanna eat a couple of Reese's Big Cups like I did last night, do it... If you drink sweet liquid (juice, soda, etc.) with your meals, just drink water instead to compensate for the Reese's or your dessert of choice. Most sweet liquid contains 200+ calories per drink anyway. So balance it out and enjoy.
I understand that all calories are not created equal, but there is no substitute for deliciousness.
8. Avoid as much processed and fast food as possible. I try to cook 3 days per week, and I try to make enough to have leftovers for a day or 2 so that I don't have to cook daily.
9. Buy a crock pot and small meal prep containers. Make soups, stews, etc. and freeze them. They'll come in handy when you're hungry and don't want to cook. That's when I tend to get fast food. Meal prepping has helped me avoid countless trips to a fast food place.
10. Garlic naturally reduces high blood pressure, and I put it in everything except smoothies. I tried it once and a sprinkle or 2 won't change the flavor. I just prefer it in my food.
11. If you want to increase your veggie intake, try making the cauliflower rice, spinach, and a protein. It'll give you a 2 to 1 ratio of veggies in your meals... and cauliflower rice tastes very similar to actual rice, especially if you add butter (or a healthy alternative) and season it well.
Well that's it. Hope this post helps someone. If you have any extra advice I'd love to hear it. Thanks for reading.
