By late 2008 my weight had ballooned to the highest it had ever been, 220-225 lbs. due to bad eating habits. Exercise was pretty much non-existent so I was overweight and unfit.
I also started having mild sleep apnea but never attributed it to my weight gain...I always thought I was just a "little" overweight..:)
Certain incidents in my life made me realize that I was way overweight ( and in denial about it ) so I decided to do something about it.
So I decided to take charge of my health and set 2009 as the year for fitness and to get back in shape.
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| Late 2008 ( ~220lbs ) |
I made many common mistakes during my journey and found some wonderful things along the way and picked up some great habits as well.
I have had to re-learn most of the ideas around diet and exercise since the most common advice given by many successful trainers (online or otherwise) and friends and family just DOES NOT WORK.
Some changes may work in the short term and you may lose weight but most often that weight comes right back.... That's because the advice given usually revolves around makind drastic ( and often unwanted ) changes to diet and lifestyle in general...
Present :
I eventually lost over 60 pounds and at my lowest weight I was sitting at 157 lbs. by 2010.
Since then I have gained some more muscle and also changed quite a few things regarding my diet and exercise.
I am currently hovering between 164 - 168 lbs and I have been able to maintain the weight for over 2.5 years now.
Below are some of the recent photos from late 2010 and 2011.
So far my goal to lose weight this year has been extremely successful and rewarding.
Since starting in 2009 I have run several 5Ks and even a half marathon in 1:44:44 which was by far my best PR.
I absolutely love running , lifting my weights and of course walking my dog...
Here's a side by side comparison :
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The Workout Routine :
My current routine includes 3 days of weight training and 3 days of cardio and 1 day of rest....between 30-40 minutes a day.
I typically run between 8-10 miles a week and maybe walk 2 miles. My weight training consists of leg presses,squats,dips, pushups, pullups, chin-ups, rows, bench press, military press etc.... I mostly dont do isolation exercises like biceps curl, tricep pushdowns etc...but focus mostly on compound movements.
Diet :
As for the diet,I listen to my body. I no longer follow the clock to tell me when to eat but eat when I am hungry.
I got great results with fasting so I usually fast 1-2 days a week where I only eat dinner.
For the most part people think exercising a lot will burn calories which is NOT TRUE... Eating less is by far the best way to lose weight. You should exercise to maintain and increase your fitness levels but you must eat less to lose weight...
I mostly avoid fast food and even more so processed food. But its not a rule set in stone.... Some days I might go and have a burger at Wendy's for lunch or a Croissanwich from BK for breakfast if the mood strikes.
The point is to eat a wide variety of foods in moderation and never deny yourself any of the good foods.
When my wife and I go out to eat, we regularly split the entree and if we have dessert we split it too. This helps us control our portion sizes and eat in moderation while eating foods we enjoy.
Latest Photos from Late 2011-Jan 2012 :
