Back in 1999 after coming back from Puerto Rico I started packing on the pounds.
On the left is me on July 20th, 2003. I was around 220 lbs and on the right is me on March 21st, 2012 at 160lbs.
At 42 I thought my life was over. I had constant back pain, I could hardly move and very high cholesterol.
Taking action
Then in 2005 I decided to take action to improve my quality of life.
I changed my eating habits (limited sugar and no more fast food) and started exercising.
I started with just walking in the water at the gym. I think those in their 80's got around better than I did. After about 8 months I was able to get around better and I found out about a spinning class and started doing that.
(Me in spin class 2012 after losing weight)
The first month or so all I could do was light pedaling. Boy what a workout. Then that is when things really started coming off and taking off.
My body did best eating the following
- Breakfast: 1/2 cup berries, palm full of walnuts and natural yogurt.
- Lunch: Homemade lentil stew.
- Dinner: switching between salmon, chicken or tuna salad.
- Snacks being an orange, apple and/or natural nut bar.
In 2008 I started running outside, cycling and my classes I take regularly are spinning, bootcamp, body works & zumba.
I ran my first full 26.2 mile marathon on a treadmill in 4 hours 15 minutes at the gym.
Later that year I ran 5 competitive full marathons outside and did a 200 mile bike ride the following year.
In late 2008 I got a little too thin (I got down to 148 lbs) and so I started making what I call a chunky monkey protein drink. I'll have to share that sometime. So good.
So don't think it is too late to make changes
Here are my tips:
- Come to a place where you say, enough!
- Be determined to make the changes
- Change your diet, like cut out the sugar, drink lots of water and track the calories
- Start exercising how you can
- Think about finding a group at the gym to join
- If you are tempted with food think about the exercise needed to burn it off
- Have fun!
Soon you will find yourself loving your new fit body.
Be sure to check out some of my other posts:
- How to draw a Stick Figure - Complete full body tutorial
- Tropical Paradise - Boracay Philippines - If you need to get away this is it!
- Steemwho.com is now live! This is your who's who guide
- Promoting Steemit while onboard a cruise. Be sure to watch me dock
- Moving to paradise. From creating QuickPay for Quicken to living on a sailboat in the Caribbean - Part 1
- Moving to paradise. From creating QuickPay for Quicken to living on a sailboat in the Caribbean - Part 2 - Sint Maarten to Virgin Gorda and almost crashing on the rocks
- Our Aqua Safari at Bora Bora - What a wonderful time
- My introduction
Its never too late, you are so true with that. Great job and an inspiration to a lot of people. Congratulations and stay at it
Thanks for the comment. Yes most certainly will.
Hey Mike, I did an update post regarding my Transformation and your Transformation post on my blog. I'm trying to clarify the specific stuff I was poking fun at and trying to push more visitors over to this post so people can see a real genuine transformation. Please consider upvoting Mike's Post before you upvote mine. Thanks
https://steemit.com/life/@brianphobos/many-before-and-after-pictures-are-real-and-inspirational-like-mike-s-transformation
Thanks @brianphobos that is very kind of you and I do enjoy your articles and look forward to reading many more.
@mikehere I didn't know about your post until just now. I randomly found those "before" pictures from a couple years ago on my hard drive and on the spur of the moment made the post. Your transformation was real and I'm surprised it didn't get a more attention. In a lot of the comments people have brought up that there are transformations that are real. And this is very true. Yours is one of them. The point of my post was to point out that people who are in the health and wellness industry are pretty easily able to fake what seem to be pretty stunning transformations in a very short amount of time.
I apologize if you felt like I was making fun of your transformation. That simply wasn't the case. I will probably do a follow up post about this subject point out that some transformations are real and inspirational like yours. I upvoted your transformation post by the way! Great work.
Yes, I wasn't even going to make a comment on your post but so many people were just talking about all of them are scams and I know personally because I'm one of them how hard we had to work on it to make the needed changes.
So many people that know me here have been inspired by my transformation and I thought I would share them here too. But there are so many other great stories too that I wouldn't want to see made fun of or met with skepticism and so they never share them.
Of course there are people out there that try to scam others but they can do that with most anything.
Thanks for taking the time to comment and I look forward to see your fitness posts. Thanks. :)
Agreed, NEVER too late! So many of "chronic health issues" affecting a lot of people are the result of the unnaturally low levels of activity and high levels of sugar in modern life. Simple changes can have a profound long term effect on one's health and well being.
Yes sugar was certainly the main problem for me.
I honestly agree with people who say life only starts after 40: people now what's going on much better, they know themselves and their limitations and abilities, and are not afraid to be who they are.
all of that results in much better quality of life.
I, too, feel much better than I ever did in my life, and I am not in my 20s anymore :) looking forward to my older years - more wisdom, less "fluff"
thanks for sharing a positive, uplifting story!
That is awesome. You are most welcome.
Thanks for sharing! Great story, very motivational. 5 marathons in a year! Too much for me :) I'll stick with one, and that only because my wife forces me :)
Yes and I ran 3 within 5 weeks of each other. Each time I run one at about mile 17 I ask myself "I paid to be in this much pain. I'll never do this again." But after a few days I end up looking for the next one ;) I guess like childbirth some say.
Great post mate...'Fitness for Life"!!
Absolutely! Thanks.
WOW mike that is quite the accomplishment
Thanks!
So did you have to deal with loose skin as you lost that much weight? I've heard people talk about that as a challenge in losing a lot of weight. Thanks.
I did for a long time and it was really sad/funny looking when I did pushups or planks. But after keeping it off for so long and continuing to do exercise it has firmed right up.
That's great. I think that's helpful for folks to know. Thanks.
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