I had always been a little bit bigger than most kids my age, but my weight was considered to be healthy by doctors. I was simply not slim. During my time at college, I gained a significant amount of weight, but by the time I graduated, I had dropped almost 70 pounds, bringing my total weight from 270 to 200 pounds. I was able to keep this weight reduction up for some time, and when I relocated to Chicago after I graduated from college, I started jogging.
In 2010, I completed a marathon, and shortly after that, I relocated to Austin, Texas. During that time, my spouse was diagnosed with a terrible illness, and I began to steadily gain weight due to my despair. When I was 34 years old, I weighed 350 pounds.
Things came to a climax early in the pandemic in 2020, when my weight was already so high, and I realized I couldn’t let it grow any worse. I knew I had to do something about it. As a result, I made some modest adjustments to the regularity and quantity of the food that I was consuming, and I made an effort to take better care of myself by improving my diet. It was a humble beginning, but it was one.
When I went to the dentist in April 2021 to have a cavity fixed, the dentist told me that my blood pressure was too high. Due to the fact that I have always had a significant fear of going to the dentist, this has always been a pretty typical occurrence for me. On the other hand, this time they demanded a doctor’s signature before they would let me go through with the treatment. The results of my blood test made it very evident that things were not headed in a favorable way overall, despite the fact that my blood pressure is normal and there was no need for any kind of medical intervention. Even though he couched it in a diplomatic manner, my physician made it quite apparent that I needed to reduce my body mass index (BMI) or face the prospect of future drug requirements.
The fact that my spouse had been given an official diagnosis of adult-onset type 1 diabetes was another aspect that played a role in my decision to begin my road toward weight reduction. And despite the fact that his health concerns are distinct from mine, we both came to the realization that the way we ate and lived our lives required a significant amount of modification in order to get the desired results. We were aware that it was high time to get down to business. We never once bothered to glance back.
For me, tracking macros is effective due to the fact that it is not an overly restrictive method. Your diet may include any meal; the important thing is to maintain a healthy energy balance. Because I believe it to be the most viable option and because I’ve had success with it in the past, I choose to pursue it once again.
And when I had lost a significant amount of weight, I began to place a greater emphasis, rather than merely on the number of calories I consumed, on the quality of my diet (reaching a protein target).
What follows is a typical day’s worth of fare for me.
Eggs, turkey breakfast meats, and a protein smoothie make up my morning meal.
Wraps, salads, or prepared meals from places like Clean Eatz and My Fit Foods may serve as lunch.
Fruit, yogurt, almonds, granola bars, dark chocolate, popcorn, and Veggie Straws are some examples of healthy snack options.
Dinner is the same as lunch, however, unlike lunch, you are more likely to make dinner on occasion.
Dinners often consist of salmon, tacos, spaghetti, and even breakfast on occasion.
For a sweet treat, the So Delicious caramel cashew ice cream bars have recently been my go-to.
I didn’t waste any time and got straight to performing some mild workouts.
I would go for walks on a daily basis, and I also performed some yoga that I found on YouTube. But at first, I concentrated mostly on improving the quality of the food that I ate.
After a few weeks, I decided to become a member at Base6 Fitness, which is located just down the street from me. In addition to yoga and barbell training, they provide HIIT courses. At first, I thought it to be daunting, but after some time, I discovered a wonderful group there that kept me motivated.
After shedding 85 pounds, I decided to start running, and now one of the things that drives me is to set a new personal best. In addition to that, I do two to three yoga sessions, a handful of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) courses, and barbell exercises per week.
Because I made these three adjustments, I was able to successfully lose weight.
There are no unhealthy foods. For a very long time, I fell into the trap of trying to eat better but then eating “for the very last time” an excessive amount of junk food. I had to get rid of the mentality of “all or nothing” and work on developing a healthier connection with food in order to achieve balance in my life.
Change should be introduced gradually. An all-or-nothing mentality seems to be a recurring motif in this narrative. For example, I couldn’t go from sitting on the sofa to subjecting myself to punishing exercises. In addition, I was unable to put pressure on myself to rapidly reduce the number of calories that I consumed from a high baseline. The results of even minor adjustments were significant. I began out slowly and gradually increased the amount of exercise I did as well as the improvements I made to my diet.
The need for rest is essential. In addition to letting go of my all-or-nothing mentality toward eating, I also needed to do the same for physical activity. Rest is very necessary for maintaining your health and making a full recovery. I didn’t want to exhaust myself by subjecting myself to an excessive amount of pressure.
I’ve managed to shed roughly 135 pounds thus far. It took place over the course of two years, with the majority of the weight loss occurring in the most recent year.
I don’t believe I was aware of the full extent of the difficulties caused by my extreme obesity. The weight gain is gradual, so by the time you notice it, you may have convinced yourself that it’s normal or that you’re just growing older. Simply getting into better condition and reducing excess weight makes day-to-day activities simpler and more pleasurable.