Started from the Bottom...

2006 to 2010. 

My Friday nights were World of Warcraft and Chinese Food. I’d pass out around 3am while watching the Lord of the Rings. I would wake up Saturday with several new tits, a new love handle, and I’d be 20 lbs heavier. Gym time!? No! Time for more video games. And more food.

Lots of food.

Always food.

#ballin

 What I was headed for.

This was my life. I had a girlfriend, a job, and an addicting hobby. (Level 90 Shaman, 90 Hunter, 85 Paladin, 80 Warrior.) I was fat, happy, and content with life. I ate fast food every day - Double downs from KFC, Burger King, and boneless b-wangzz from A-Bees (after 10pm obvs) like it was no one’s business. Simply put, I just did not give a damn. Eating was what I enjoyed most in life. I lived to eat. I looked forward to it more than anything.

Then one day in 2010 it clicked for me. I couldn’t live like this anymore.

Weighing in at just under 450,000 lbs, and having 323% body fat wasn’t working anymore.

#selfiein2009

 Having the density of neutron star is just not a good look at the end of the day.

It’s a very cliché story, but a lot of you guys will know what I’m talking about. 

 I got dumped by a girl, I was miserable, depressed, and upset, and I wanted to prove a point. 

That was the catalyst for me. That’s what made me look in the mirror and realize I needed to change some things around. So how did I do it? As Super Mario says, “Here we go!”

How I looked in 2010 is a far cry from how I look now. We're literally talking about a loss of about 60 pounds of body fat, and a gain of 20-30 lbs of muscle - a drastic shift in body composition. To consider 2010 point A, and today point B would be skipping over A LOT of details and A LOT of time. Plenty of changes in diet, nutrition, and my training have occurred. I plan to cover all of them.

Lets start from the beginning.

Progress. Still pale though.

It may not seem like much, but this was definitely progress. Visibly less body fat in the chest and midsection, better posture, and slightly more muscle. How did this happen? 

Diet was the majority of it. I cut out foods like soda, candy, snacks such as chips and pretzels, and most breads. I cut out fruit too, except apples. Apples are low-glycemic compared to other fruits that are loaded in sugar. So what was I eating? 

I was a big fan of low-glycemic carbohydrates at this time. Low-glycemic carbohydrates are also referred to as complex carbohydrates - carbohydrates that are larger than a simple carb, usually contain fiber, and take longer to breakdown, therefore reducing the insulin response in your body. This leads to your body burning more of its own fat reserves over a long period of time.

Most of my carbs were whole wheat wraps and breads, brown rice, oatmeal, and vegetables. At this time, I was also on a meal schedule. I was eating approximately every 3 hours. I did this to curb my appetite, keep my blood sugar stable, and prevent myself from binging. All of my meals were essentially the size of my fist. By minimizing spikes in blood sugar, and thereby insulin, we burn more fat. Insulin stunts Lipolysis - the metabolic pathway for burning fat.

Example meals during this time period:

• 1/2 Whole Wheat Wrap with Grilled Chicken, Roasted Pepper, and Balsamic Vinaigrette
• 1/2 Cup of Oatmeal with scoop of Protein and Tbsp. of Peanut Butter
• 1/2 Cup of Brown Rice with Black Beans, Chick Peas, and Grilled Chicken
• 1 Slice of Pumpernickel Bread with 3 Whole Eggs and Turkey

The majority of my meals were protein based. This is important because protein increases your metabolism, by utilizing more energy to digest and breakdown. Protein also makes you feel more full. If weight-training as well, adequate protein intake is required to rebuild and repair muscle tissue, ligaments, and tendons.

This was a VERY basic plan. It worked, but it worked slow. Granted, I wasn't training in the gym the way I train now. I also didn't go everyday. But still, having said that, it was progress nonetheless, and progress I was happy about.

The weight on the scale went down from about 260-270 at my very worst, to mid-high 240's.

Training wise, I didn't know what I was doing. I lifted weights. I took whey protein. I ate protein. Nothing special. I was consistent though. I went about 4-5 times a week. 

Consistency always yields results.

It took about a year and a half to make that transformation. Yes, that's a long time, but I didn't have a personal trainer. I didn't have a nutritionist, and I didn't have anyone cooking for me or preparing meals. It was a slow start, but I learned a hell of a lot. I learned what I needed to do in order to make progress, but most importantly - I learned that I was determined and I could accomplish anything if I really set my mind to it. This was the foundation I needed, and a mindset that would mold my attitude for years to come.

So what have we learned?

1. Long-term, albeit slow but likely permanent and healthy body fat reduction can be achieved by switching our carbohydrate sources from simple, refined sugars to complex, whole-food based carbohydrates.
2. Making our meals more protein-based as opposed to carbohydrate-based will assist in weight loss tremendously.
3. For a beginner in the gym, your training methods are not extremely important. (Things like form and breathing are always important.) Ideally, your whole body will be worked as to increase your metabolic rate and burn more calories, but just GETTING to the gym consistently will still yield results. This should be your focus, while gradually learning more exercises and techniques.
4. World of Warcraft is just bad news.

Part 2 will cover the next part of my transformation, and what I changed as far as diet, nutrition, training and supplements between 2011 and 2012.

Matty D