| Lifestyle Change |
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| This story isn't for everyone, it's my personal story about how hard work, dedication and motivation has changed my lifestyle. I know what it feels like to be heavy and I know I never want to be that way again. I had to deal with a lot of sacrifices, but they were all for the better. Since my weight loss, I noticed more attention and respect from others as well as a boost in self confidence and believing I can do anything I dedicate my mind and body to. In January 2002 I weighed ~240lbs and was having trouble keeping up with my friends on flat land hikes, I was always the slowest one. As a New Years resolution I wanted to get in shape, so I set a goal to climb Mt. Whitney (the highest mountain in the contiguous US) by October 2002. I never climbed a mountain before and in June 2002 while trying to climb my first mountain, Mt Baldy, I couldn't make it and knew I had to train harder. I came back a month later in July and made my first summit. I summited Whitney in October 2002, and it took me three days. In less than a year later, in September 2003, I hiked Whitney from parking lot to summit and down in less than 12 hours (including a 2 hour nap on the summit); I never thought I would be able to do that! As of April 2004, I reached my goal weight of 160 lbs, a loss of 80lbs and feel great everyday! The best shape I was ever in was back in Junior High, when I was voted most athletic in the school and in High School, while playing Football (Freshman thru Junior year) and was the strongest weightlifting kid in my class all those years. I think I'm in better shape now because when I ran Cross-Country in Junior High, I could never finish 3 miles without walking, even when my best mile was 5:52. By April 2004 I was running a 10K (~6.2 miles) almost every day without walking at all. My friend Jake Sanchez (previous marathon runner) told me a couple things I found helpful: 1. Running is the most demanding sport that will get you in shape the fastest, 2. Running is not easy, it's something you always have to work hard at. I like running now because I feel healthier and have more energy throughout the day. I'm not always ready for a workout, sometimes I'd rather stay in bed all day, but I know what I have to do and I just do it. My favorite saying is "do today what will make you feel good tomorrow"; in other words, work hard today so you don't feel bad if you take an easy day tomorrow. I always feel better after a work-out. Just to give you some quick stats between the old shell of me and the new me from January 2002 to April 2004: Waist Size: was 42, now 30 Neck Size: was 18.5, now 15.5 A of people asked me how I did it. I attribute most of my conditioning to getting in better shape for bigger mountaineering climbs. My excess weight was slowing me down and not allowing me to do the things I wanted to do. I tried the easy way out with GNC suppliments like "Ripped Fuel", "Fat Burner Solution", and others; I lost weight, but gained it back and then some everytime. My body developed a tolerance to caffine and other diet drugs. This is why short term diets, quick fixes, and miracle pills will not work; it must be a lifestyle change. I found the only way to truely loose weight is to get in shape by good old fashioned working out and eating healthy. I cut out the fast food, and started to eat fresh and healthier foods. On the workout side, I started with small steps: walking on easy hikes, working out with weights and 30 minutes on the cross trainer at the gym. I then progressed to harder hikes and carried several gallons of water in my backpack to build strength and endurance. |
| Before and After Picture of Me |
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| Helpful Weightloss Tips: 1. Workout 3-4 days a week for at least 30 minutes or more each day. It sounds like a lot with our busy schedule, but understand we need to make time for it. Human beings were not created to work in cubicals or sit on couches for hours and atrophy. We were created to move (as a hunter/ gather) 16 hours a day, so 30 minutes or working out is too much! Turn off the TV and exercise! 2. Eat in moderation and frequently. Plan on taking home half the food from resturants because their portions are usually enough for two. Then eat your leftovers or (healthy) snacks throughout the day, ie. take the 3 meals you were going to eat and split them up to 6-half sized meals. This keeps your metabolism up and prevents over stuffing yourself. 3. Eat healthier and homecooked foods. It doesn't help if you make your 6 meals a day on pizza diet! Unfortunately, the best tasting foods are fatty, so resturants use fats to make their foods taste better. 4. Drink 8 cups (64 oz) of water a day. Sometimes we think we're hungry, but we're really just thirsty. 5. Don't eat late at night. Eating late gets your digestive system working and doesn't allow you to get a well rested sleep. When you don't sleep well and you're tired the next day, your body demands more food for energy so your body can wake up. This domino effect causes people to be hungry in the morning and then overeat. In addition, if you go to sleep after eating, your metabolism is slowed down and most of the food gets stored as fat! 6. Don't deny your cravings. Rather plan on working out so that you deserve that 1 donut (not dozen). Working out will decrease your cravings for junk food, if you don't believe me, try it! Last, there are a lot of other things I have learned and one day hope to write a book about it. Until then, my suggestion is to join a running club and find a work-out buddy so you motivate each other. I highly recommend "Galloway's Book on Running" and "The ABS Diet", they both have a lot of good info! I hope my personal story has inspired most of you to always keep striving for your goals, whatever they may be. -Phillip |