It was sort of my unique twist on intermittent fasting.ĥ sets, 12-20 reps (alternating, 6-10 reps per side, rest 1 min.)Īt less than 8 percent body fat, I feel so much better and love what I see in the mirror each day. This approach allowed me to eat more calories at night, kept me full until bedtime, and eliminated the cheat snacks. I had a smaller post-workout shake immediately after my workout, then ate a big meal later for dinner. Then I would have one or two small meals or snacks before my workout at 5:30 p.m. This also gave me a bigger window to perform fasted cardio before lunch, which was usually my first meal of the day. I started skipping breakfast, since I was busy working and could keep my mind off food. In the end, it was worth the extra effort. I had to eat ahead of time or plan ahead and take my food with me. It required me to say "No thanks" a lot, when I really want to say "Yes, please!" This was especially hard at social events with friends and family. I had to start eating what I needed versus what I wanted. To get lower than 8 percent, I had to change my whole way of thinking. I had to be much more disciplined with my diet and cut out all cheat meals to get under 10 percent. By just cutting calories and working out, I was able to get under 20 percent body fat. What Aspect Challenged You The Most?īy far, the most challenging part of my transformations was my diet. This helped me tremendously with cheat meals at night, which is usually my worst time to cheat. I only ate only three or four meals per day while cutting. I ate about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight, and only my fat and carb intake changed.Ĭarbs started off at about 1.5 grams per pound of body weight per day and dropped to 0.5 grams per pound of body weight per day as I started cutting. After that, I dropped my calorie intake to 10 times my body weight, about 2,000 calories. After that, my diet fell by the wayside, and by January 2015, I was back to over 200 pounds.ĭiet, diet, diet! Oh, did I mention diet? I started eating above maintenance calories before the challenge started. My weight dropped down to the 160s that year-much less than I weighed when I graduated high school! My wife told me I looked like a skinny version of Tim McGraw, which was not the look I was going for. I did a complete 180 and became so focused on dieting and eating healthy that I took things too far. Did You Hit Any Stumbling Blocks Along The Way? I still had cheat meals and desserts with my kids, so my transformation was not in full swing yet, but I was making progress. I slowly lost weight and developed better eating habits. I also got my home gym in order and started working out more. I took this opportunity to start planning better meals and eating healthier. In 2010, my job responsibilities changed, and I started working from home. How Did You Go About Implementing Change? For my children's sake, I wanted to make sure I'd be around for as long as possible for moments like school graduations, weddings, and grandchildren. My oldest child was in the fifth grade, and I started thinking about all of life's big moments she would miss. My mom passed on the morning of her 60th birthday, which was way too early to lose a loved one, especially when it could have been prevented with proper diet and exercise. When I lost my mom in 2013, due to the heart complications she developed from type 2 diabetes-and the damage it did to her organs-I developed a sense of urgency to turn things around. I could see the weight gain in my face, and I took notice of my overall weight gain looking in the mirror. I was astonished how different my face looked when comparing it to my photo from five years before. The "wow, you're out of shape" moment came at work one day when I had to renew a badge. Then you have to finish the night off with dessert with the kids, right? This poor diet combination and zero physical activity shot my weight up to 220 pounds by 2009, 40 pounds more than I'd weighed in college. I would eat another unhealthy dinner, or I'd overeat even if it was healthy. I started slowly inching toward having a "middle-age bod," which is not a popular look. For lunch, I'd grab fast food and down some high-calorie vending-machine snacks. I had a desk job, and my daily diet consisted of a high-calorie latte first thing in the morning, followed by sugary drinks throughout the workday to keep me going. What Caused Things To Slow Down?Īs I got older, my metabolism slowed, and I focused more on being a good father, husband, and provider, and less on my personal health. You Were Fairly Active As A Child And Teen.
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