Need to lose 50 lbs!

A little more about myself...

I was a chubby kid growing up. Mom taught me to never waste food, so I always ate everything off my plate. Eating healthy is tough when your Filipino parents shove food down your throat but keep telling you how far you are (haha amirite?).

Started working out senior year of high school and was in pretty good shape until third year of college. Started smoking at age 20 and gradually put on weight until I was 25. 25 years old, 195 lbs wasn't going to cut it, so I joined a gym and had a trainer who put me on track to build a ton of muscle and change my diet. Within a year and a half, I was down to 170 musclebound and I still smoked.

Started medical school at around the same weight and lost 5 lbs in the first year or so, due to the tropical climate. I quit smoking in June 2005 and never looked back. Then gradually as my priorities shifted towards academics and away from fitness, I gained weight--back up to 195 by graduation (2009). I promised myself never to get over 200 lbs, but it happened a couple years after that.

At that point (it's summer of 2011) I finished the ever-popular Beachbody Insanity program and lost 30 lbs in 60 days. I'd say I put 90% effort into the workouts and virtually none into the diet management. And I slowly gained the weight back over the next 5 years, up to 216 lbs!

In February of last year, I my focus was strictly on exercising, from body weight training, calisthenics and interval training, but never really managed my diet. Yes, despite doing plenty of research, being an M.D., I neglected to use the tools at my disposal for my own good. Smh...fml...

On Feb 7, 2016 I started to actually count and record my intake along with doing some interval training. I'm finally keeping the carbs down (but not going full on keto). As of today, (Feb 14) I managed to drop 5.5 lbs and my size XL shirts are feeling a bit looser. And for the first time in 3 1/2 years I'm under 200 lbs. I'd like to lose enough weight to fit into the suit I had tailored for me when I was a med student.

I realize there are many people on the same journey, with more to lose and a lot more at stake. And there are people who have successfully reached their goals and have dealt with far greater adversity. But the true adversary is internal--it's hormonal, biochemical and genetic; with strong influences from social and psychological elements. Not a fair fight, so I need some help. We all do. And we're not alone although we feel that way most of the time.

Well, enough of my rant. That's my story in a nutshell. I could use some friends and allies. Add me up!