My Weight Loss Adventure
Honestly, I wish I could tell you I was born a different beast. That I've always just been this wild animal that loved fitness and eating healthy. But, then I remember that photographic proof like this one exists to say otherwise. That's me, at 15, in Hawaii. Yeah, Hawaii. I was lucky enough to spend three weeks on that beautiful island staying with my grandma, but I wanted nothing more than to be lazy, occasionally swim in the pool and play low level computer games. Don't get me wrong, I was into skimboarding and the occasional bike ride, but being lazy was my main game and maaaan was I good at it!
By the time I got around to 18, I was actually extremely active; I practiced football, but was very familiar with the bench. I spent hours every day at the beach skimboarding, rode my longboard, mountain biked and I even loved hitting the weight room. However, I also had a terrible love for Circle K (gas station) hamburgers and drinking their 64 oz big gulp soda, EVERY DAY for lunch. Yup, that's right I consumed 800+ calories per day in soda alone, not even counting the large size bag of chips or candy bars that I'd add to the pile. Even though I had countless friends telling me to cut the soda and I would lose weight, I didn't want to believe them. It was easier for me to say, "I'm just a bigger guy, this is how I'm built". I think we can all agree with one look at my diet and active lifestyle, that clearly wasn't the case. I was just shoving crap into my body with zero idea about nutrition.
I know what you're thinking here, "Well this looks like a before photo...this must be where he turned his life around?!". Nope, but it was an attempt. This was me at around 248 pounds, 6'1" and 22 years old. I had decided I was going to follow the Insanity workout and meal plan. I bought all my low fat foods and planned out my meals; I was ready! Then I did one workout and gave up. See, I got to here with my love for corn dogs, cans of chili and going through a 30 pack of Mountain Dew a week. I'm certainly not going to say Insanity doesn't work or their meal plans don't work, but it didn't work for who I was at the time. It was such an abrupt change; there was no way I was going to be able to stick to a diet like that given my past habits of eating.
This was the before that finally stuck, 24 years old, 250 pounds and 6'1". I had known I had an inguinal hernia on each side and was consistently using it as an excuse as to why I couldn't workout. This was day one that I decided I was too damn young to not be in the best shape of my life. I needed to lose weight, get my hernias fixed and get my life together. I loved hiking, longboarding, mountain biking and all sorts of other things, but I always let my weight get in the way of really enjoying them to the fullest. This was day one of my path down following a ketogenic paleo diet. This was the day I turned my habits around and started becoming the animal that I am today.
One year, no cheats and sticking to 50 grams of carbs or less every day got me to this point at 25... a weight of 180 pounds. Yes, that means I stuck to my diet during holidays, birthdays and any other reason people may use to justify derailing their diet and goals. I even had both my hernias fixed three months in and was set back from workouts for another three months after. I also didn't use a gym membership; I used body weight exercises, lots of longboarding, balance training, eating good quality foods and exploring nature. I had all sorts of knowledge from my love of lifting heavy things but never had known about diet until this point. I learned so much over that time and I read everything I could get my hands on. I developed a drive to help others reach the same success. 180 pounds was a record low for my adult life and damn did it feel good and worth every sacrifice I'd made. I was a more active person, doing several mile hikes and learning things I didn't know I could even do.
Now? Well, now I'm proud to say I've been a NASM certified personal trainer for over 4 years with a dedication to helping others find a love in their journey for fitness. I don't miss workouts and I have a love for all things fitness, adventure and health. Getting in shape has allowed me to find more hobbies and go on so many adventures I couldn't have before. This is my journey so far I hope I've inspired you to stick around for my blog posts and join the journey ahead. More importantly, I hope I can help you find a love for this just like I have and help you improve your balance and fitness too.
