From Success To Failure To Success Again

All my life I struggled to lose weight and get into shape. I did 36 different diets. Read hundreds of books. Studied tons of programs. Had gym memberships. Even went to a hypnotist and a witch doctor. Nothing worked.

Then, in 2012, I was finally cracking the code. I was doing a diet of strict vegetables, at a thousand calories a day, and exercising for an hour a day. I went from 345 to 275 over 6 months, then plateaued. I had to keep the thousand calories, because even eating a little bit more than that (and I kept notes) would cause me to gain weight. It was adrenal fatigue, along with a thyroid condition that is incredibly hard to treat, but doesn't call for surgery. My body doesn't process calories the same way. With those two thinks, and my constant structure of dieting, I've struggled with a few things.

For those of you who are starting your weight loss journey, you should know that when you lose the weight, if it's more than 75 pounds, you have to reduce your calories by 20% of your maintenance calories. Yes, fat people that lose weight, actually gain it back easier, because, they listen to skinny people or fitness people or doctors who haven't read the latest studies and science that tells us that for roughly every 20 Pounds (of body fat) a person loses, they have to reduce their standard Maintenance calories by around 5%.

For me, at 275, in 2013, I finally cracked the code, and took my weight in 6 months from 275 to 189. The lowest body fat I'd ever been in my life. Also, 160 Pounds off my highest weight.

Then, I made a shift in my working out. I went into bodybuilding and ignoring the science, which told me that my maintenance calories were 65% of what 2,500, which is 1,625. I instead followed the basic diet to the weight listing program, and my weight kept increasing well I worked out. Taking me from 189 to 220. Then, I threw out my shoulder, developed a case of tendinitis in my hands, injured my foot, and my father died all between January and March of 2016. And I went from two work outs a day, 7 days a week, to barely working out. And, my weight shot through the roof and my weight went to 362.

Now, I have my science back, I know where I went wrong, I know how I injured myself, and I know what to do to get it right this time around and to get it right permanently.

First and foremost, Calories Matter: I've tested every diet imaginable, only those that created large calorie deficits were successful.

Second, food Matters: An ounce of pasta is 38 Calories, an ounce of skinless chicken breast is 31 calories, an ounce of broccoli is 10 calories. 111 Calories in an ounce of sugar. That means that one pound of pasta is 608 calories. One pound of chicken is 496. One pound of Broccoli is 160 calories. Protein causes higher and longer levels of satiation, and actually burns extra calories in the process of breaking down those calories. Which is to say, dense protein stays in the stomach longer, causes an increase in your metabolic rate, and keeps you fuller.

Three, the quality matters: No, not organic food. Not special grown. Not any of that stuff. I did primal diets. I did all raw. I did the smoothie diet. And I've looked at all the research. Your stomach holds two receptors, stretch and density. The goal, in order to have the biggest result in your weight loss, is to make sure your receptors are being met. As I pointed out, Broccoli is 160 calories per pound. Skinless boneless chicken is 496 calories per pound. 192 Calories in a pound of Carrots. 112 Calories for a pound of spinach. Which is to say, you can consume Upwards of 4 pounds of food (more if you go all vegetarian), for under a thousand calories. This would be 960 Calories.

Four, Mono-Meals Transform Dieting: I've become a big advocate of mono-meals, not mono-dieting, that method of nutrition is atrocious and only temporarily effective, and fails over the long term. Mono-meal dieting is eating one food group per meal. Eat vegetables, then, just eat vegetables for that meal. Eat protein, then just eat protein. Have a break of a minimum of one hour between each meal group. There's actual science behind why this works. This is adjust in some of the basic primal diet and other studies. But, our bodies evolved on gorging when we found food. This meant that plates weren't well balanced.

Now, don't get me wrong, balance in your diet is incredibly important. Having the proper nutrition, calories, nutrients, helps to ensure proper weight loss. But spreading out those nutrients while eating singular food groups, are huge. I save fruit and peanuts for snacks. Walnuts, if you don't have a nut allergy, are amazing source of iodine, which, if you struggle with stubborn fat distribution areas. For me it's my sides and my legs get and retain most of the fat, then, they can be a great tool to mobilize fat cells.

Five, Maximum Deficit Is Best: Your fat cells can take a certain level of calorie deficit, roughly 31 Calories. The way to find this out is to find out your body fat % and take how many pounds of fat you have from your body. So, I have about 40% body fat, at 350 pounds, that means that I have 140 pounds of fat on my body, and 31 calories per that is about 4,340 calories of deficit. This is the maximum deficit reduction I can make in a day without effecting fat cells. My average BMR is about 3,000, so, it's unrealistic that I would create a 4,340 calorie deficit, as I would have to fast, and work out for about 2 hours in order to get to that level. But, when you take the previous math on meal density, and quality that I wrote out. It becomes clear that my goal is to get as few calories in my body, with as high of density of food as possible, so that I remain in a highly nutritious state and balanced, with the energy necessary to live active and focused.

Make these calculations for yourself and you can optimize your approach to weight loss.

In the meantime, friend me, and join me on my journey back to health, fitness, and a 32 Waist and 52 inch shoulders.