Part 2 - How I lost 130lbs

How did you lose 130lbs? Was it a specific diet? What kind of workouts did you do? These are questions I often get when people find out about my weight loss. In a previous post, I shared why I made the decision to change my life and lose weight, and what I learned about myself and life during the process. If you have not read it and are interested in the catalyst that got me started, check it out here - Part 1 - Losing 130 lbs | Life Lessons Learned. The following story is part two and focused on how I lost weight, what I would have done differently, and recommendations for anyone wanting to make a similar change.

Disclaimer - The process of losing weight is by no means easy or for those that are only kind of interested.  It's going to take heart, passion, commitment, and grace, and humility when you slip up. You must decide to do it and continue to re-commit and stick with it. I am not saying this to discourage you. My intention is to prepare you and encourage you to make your first commitment and decision to start a new habit. Just take one step at a time. You can take your time with it. I did most of my weight loss in 1 year, but you can relax and enjoy life and do it in 2 or more years. This decision to change and adapt a new lifestyle will last a lifetime.

Mindset turned out to be more important than food and exercise for my journey. I mentioned find a catalyst and anchor and keep committing. This is part of the mindset I am talking about.  I am talking about the myths and past beliefs I had that were getting in my way of just doing it or continuing when it got tough: all the self-imposed excuses. Here is a list of a few that I had:

• It will take too long.
• I have to pay money.
• I don’t have time in the day for it.
• It’s impossible.
• I can figure out another way to be happy.
• My metabolism is just weak.
• My genes are wired for being overweight.
• I don’t deserve to be fit and physically attractive.

Patience is key here and also forgiveness. Forgive yourself if you have these beliefs and just accept that they are there. You are still alive and ok exactly the way you are. At a certain point, paradigm shifts will occur.  At first, I looked at food and exercise as the thing I had to do to be in physical shape, instead of looking at food and exercise as my medicine to live my life to its fullest. When my weight loss goals shifted from achieving a physical feat of losing a certain number of pounds to being in great shape and having extraordinary health to live a long successful life where my body supported my evolution, more opportunities opened up for me to live life to its fullest and experience the world with more ease. To this day it remains a constant commitment for me to give my mind and body the nutrition and resources to allow me to be the best version of myself.

Get to the why, The Anchor, The Catalyst, The Goal.

When people find out about my weight loss story, the most common question is, “How did you lose the weight?” It helped that I had a catalyst to get me started. You must find the reason why you want to make a change in your life. At some point, there will be a point where you can't take it anymore. Find your catalyst and don’t worry if it seems shallow or short-term.  You can always change it later as I did. It can be anything. Here are a few examples that got me started, to get you thinking:

• I want an attractive body.
• I want to feel great all the time.
• I want to fit in xyz size clothes.
• I want to walk up a flight of stairs without sweating and breathing heavily.
• I want my body to help me be my best.
• I want to hike in nature with ease

Just figure out what your go-to anchor is, your why, and know it might change later. Hang onto it and change it when it’s not pushing you along anymore. Let it evolve at its own pace.

Food

Let’s talk about food or what many might refer to as “diet.”  I like to use the word “food” because “diet” has a negative connotation, and “diet” does not always mean “weight loss.”  Diet could be for reasons like allergies or health. Diet could be focused on gut health, lowering body fat percentage, or increasing heart health. In my opinion, food was 80% of the weight loss. (For all of you 80/20 method fans out there, I am talking about where 80% of the outcomes come from.) How did I decide which foods to eat or not eat, “the diet”? I started with just counting calories, similar to weight watchers. Then I changed to a low carb and high protein diet.  Then, I was strictly paleo. Then I went into maintenance mode and just ate well during the week and splurged on the weekend. I then switched from weight loss or maintenance weight to living a healthy life of longevity for my food.  That’s when I switched my food preference to a well-balanced whole-food plant-based diet.

Food Recommendations - Is there a “diet” for weight loss that works better for you than the other? Please take your health into consideration and consult a doctor if you need to. For strict weight loss consideration only, my advice is that all weight-loss diets work. You can pick Atkins, weight watchers, paleo, vegan, vegetarian, keto, etc. If you are aiming to lose more than 15-20lbs, you will hit a plateau. In general, I recommend switching the diet every 6 months. If you get sick of certain foods, hit a plateau, or your body is not feeling right, switch it up.  Remember, every diet works for weight loss. Be patient, keep weighing yourself, and checking vitals with a doctor.

Exercise

Exercise is the other 20%. This is very important though. Our bodies have been working overtime for a while now just getting us from point a to b. That has not been easy either.  We need to be patient in retraining our body to lose weight and gain strength, endurance, and a working metabolism. I started simple and basic. I went for walks after work every day for 30 minutes to an hour.  Then, I started walking up the stairs at work instead of riding the elevator. Then I got a bicycle.  Then I joined a gym and paid for a trainer because I had no idea what to do with weights. Then I started doing Muay Thai kickboxing 3-5 days a week! Keep the cardio fun and to your personal liking. Maybe even make a goal out of it like playing soccer or basketball.

Recommendations - My advice for exercise is similar to food when only considering weight loss. Any exercise practice works! Just get out there, start moving and break a sweat. Remember to consult a professional if you have past injuries, physical ailments, general concerns, or just have no idea what to do in the gym. When you hit plateaus or get bored of a certain workout, make a change here too. Exercise will evolve over time and it is not all or nothing.  For instance, if you find out you love going for walks.  Keep going for walks for the rest of your life. If you hit a plateau, thinking about sometimes switching it up by adding in a light jog, riding a bicycle, or doing a home workout. You will need to build up your strength and conditioning and cardio so again be patient. Seek trainers if you can afford it or spend time on youtube for weight training and bodyweight exercise assistance.  If you do it on your own or with support, build a 3-month plan and then switch it up.

This journey started with a catalyst, re-programming mindset, making a decision, and keeping my commitment. The great thing about mindset changes and paradigm shifts is that you can start to apply them to any aspect of your life.  Perhaps you have already done something that created a mindset shift. Think life lessons and big life events!  That time you changed careers or overcame a seemingly impossible obstacle. What did you learn about life? If it fits, leverage that experience and apply it to weight loss. Goal setting can be challenging if you’re like me and look up the ideal weight for a 5’7” male and make that your ultimate goal. Set small, achievable goals and when you reach those goals, make a new one. My first goal was to walk up the stairs at work without being out of breath. Once I reached this goal, I added another flight of stairs until I reached the third floor without being out of breath. I created a goal to stop eating fast food and soft drinks. Then that evolved to counting calories and so on. Remember to get started with a catalyst and a vision. Why do you want to get started? What is something you want that your body gets in the way of you having? Create a future vision for your body. My current one is for it to look like Jason Mamoa! Start by going for a short walk around the house every day, then around the block. Keep building and growing one step at a time.

Be patient, stay committed, have fun, forgive yourself, and accept yourself with grace and humility. I need you, you need you, and the world needs you!

By Jeff Fink, 2021