Transformation Tuesday

aarondnguyen

Hi guys! This is my transformation since I first started tracking my calories. It's been a long journey but it was worth it every step of the way. For anyone that is just starting, I will warn you: once you see results, it will become an addiction! But personally, if I can do it, anyone can.

Balance and moderation are key. Don't label foods as "good" or "bad" -- there is no such thing. There are only bad quantities. Meal-timing and meal frequency are also irrelevant. Our bodies don't have a biological clock that slows down its metabolism when it's night time. Take your standard 2,000 calorie diet. If you eat 5 meals a day, each meal would amount to 400 calories. On the other hand, if you eat 2 meals a day, each would be 1,000 calories. At the end of the day, the energy your body expends to metabolize these calories will be the SAME. This is known as the thermic effect of food (TEF) and it is the law of thermodynamics. There is no going around it, any way you look at it. Thus, you cannot "boost" your metabolism or make your body become more "efficient" by (manipulating) meal timing and/or frequency.

And you can have carbs at night, whether it's 7pm or 11pm.. or whenever. Calories consumed at 11pm are the same as those consumed at breakfast. I am living proof of this. It just gets a little tricky when you start to consider when your "next day" is. I personally don't have my first meal until around 2pm or later -- not that I starve myself or anything, I'm just naturally not hungry in the mornings. And yes, this means breakfast isn't the most important meal of the day!!

Everyone is different. I think the whole message about how skipping breakfast may lead to unwanted weight gain is due to the fact that some people tend to over-eat later in the day when they skip breakfast (because of their busy schedules or whatever other reason). But if you are tracking your calories honestly and consistently staying within a calorie deficit, you will lose weight! Consistency is everything. Cardio isn't required to put the weight off either. It is good for cardiovascular health but is by no means necessary if you aren't a cardio type of person (like myself -- I prefer high intensity interval training like sprints as opposed to long distance endurance). A lot of this may sound counter-intuitive, I know. But I paid my dues when I spent about a half year constantly preparing meals, eating 5 times a day, every few hours.

Find out what works best for you. Take it day by day.. and slow progress is better than no progress! Here is 2 years for you -- with a lot of trial and error before I found the type of dieting style that works best for me

I apologize in advance if any of the above sounds repetitive. I made another post in the Success Stories section of this forum. But feel free to add me! My goal here is to motivate and inspire anyone who just started on their fitness journey as well as anyone that is currently on one and needs support to keep going!

tonileigh820

Wow great job!

I am happy to see someone who also doesn't eat breakfast. Everyone says that I NEED to be eating it, but like you I am just not the least bit hungry in mornings! I eat 2-4 times a day, just usually not before noon. I'm glad to see someone getting amazing results without the "most important meal"!

aarondnguyen

Thanks! And I couldn't agree more

SapiensPisces

I'm not a breakfast person either. This post is full of some really great information. Passing along to my FL.

Congrats on your success. You look amazing!

idnac74

Awesome results! Sometimes i eat breakfast, sometimes i don't. Its great to see goals can be achieved and im not doomed for skipping breakfast.

beachlover317

Congrats!

amandakev88

amandakev88

Alright, besides the obligatory applause gif, your intercostals [i think thats what those crazy muscles you have are called] and your obliques are INSANE.

but for real, thank you so much for sharing. im rarely hungry in the morning either, i eat late, and im sick of the BS 'trainers' spread about cutting carbs after a certain time, eating a huge breakfast, etc. Its just not feasible for some people. If i eat a huge breakfast in the morning I get slow and sleepy, not energized]

aarondnguyen

Alright, besides the obligatory applause gif, your intercostals [i think thats what those crazy muscles you have are called] and your obliques are INSANE.

but for real, thank you so much for sharing. im rarely hungry in the morning either, i eat late, and im sick of the BS 'trainers' spread about cutting carbs after a certain time, eating a huge breakfast, etc. Its just not feasible for some people. If i eat a huge breakfast in the morning I get slow and sleepy, not energized]

Thanks! I've put on some weight since this picture.. this was during the peak of a cut that I went through for Halloween (a year before this, a childhood friend and I were talking about how awesome it'd be to dress up as Spartan warriors... I never would've guessed I'd pull through haha).

And it's no problem, my goal is really to help spread the truths about dieting and debunk all the nutrition myths out there. I'm looking to become a certified personal trainer soon as well.

culo97

Thanks! I've put on some weight since this picture.. this was during the peak of a cut that I went through for Halloween (a year before this, a childhood friend and I were talking about how awesome it'd be to dress up as Spartan warriors... I never would've guessed I'd pull through haha).

Spartan Warrior Halloween Costume, that's a motivation I haven't heard before. Very creative. Pictures?

Congrats on your progress.

aarondnguyen

Spartan Warrior Halloween Costume, that's a motivation I haven't heard before. Very creative. Pictures?

Congrats on your progress.

Thanks!!




Pulled from my instagram

Vicxie86

For me personally, i find that too much carb at night weighs me down even in the morning, so i try to consume all my carbs by 7pm and keep my carb under 50g at night. I don't always succeed at doing so but 80% of the time, i stick to it.

culo97

Spartan Warrior Halloween Costume, that's a motivation I haven't heard before. Very creative. Pictures?

Congrats on your progress.

Thanks!!




Pulled from my instagram

Looks like a fun night. Your hard work paid off.