I started putting on weight shortly after I turned 20, after years of being broad, yet extremely athletic and fit.
Up until I was 22, I tried a variety of faddy 'diets' with no avail. Some would work, and I'd lose a few lbs. Some were a waste of time.
It took me until Mid 2012 to realise it wasn't just my eating habits I needed to change, but my exercise regime, and my whole attitude to food. I developed the mantra that there is no such thing as a 'diet.' Our Diet is what we we eat, no matter what we eat. And we adjust our diet to suit what we want our bodies to do whether it be lose weight, or gain mass. People can have bad or good diets. The best type of diet to have, is one that is balanced in all the food groups, and provides you with enough nutrients to sustain your body. And if you want to lose weight, you tweak it to tailor this . But I also found out that banning 'bad' foods entirely isn't fair also, and that even the naughtiest foods can still be enjoyed when balanced with a mostly healthy diet and exercise.
I started my weight loss journey in May 2012. I was around 14 stone. I took a few months off training (decided to return to boxing) due to an achilies injury, and return in the autumn.
I went away for the weekend to a car show with some friends. When I came back, pictures of the weekend had been posted on various social networking sites and forums. And I was mortified, Absolutely Mortified, to see the picture below. And to think I'd been strutting around in a bikini top that weekend!
From the side (and holding it in!)
So I weighed myself. 15 stone 3lbs, which was far too big for my 5"8 frame. My legs mostly remained muscley (proper boxers legs!) but my arms and middle had just gone too far.
So that week I returned with my tail between my legs to training. I started training up to 6 nights a week, for anything between 2-4 hours a day. I addressed my eating, stopped eating Carbs after 3pm, and vastly increased my protein. I cut out processed foods, and started to mainly 'eat clean.' I allowed myself one cheat day a week where I could eat anything I wanted, and breakfast became my time of the day for something sweet on other days.
The first stone came off in just over 2 weeks, and by the first month I'd lost just over a stone.
As everyone is aware, the first stone is always the easiest!
After another month, and a total of 2 stone lost, I took another comparison picture:
I then took my achilies injury again, and took a few months R&R. I continued to lose weight though, presumably due to my high metabolism. I returned to training on the 7th of January this year and have now lost a total of 2 stone 3lbs. This is my start one month ago comparison:
And this morning I put on a pair of trousers that I had bought when I was at my heaviest:
I eat things like:
Fajita chicken and cous cous
Red pepper stuffed with wholegrain rice and chicken:
grilled ham and egg baskets:
wholemeal pasta with a homemade tomato sauce ad chicken
To fight (box) I still need to lose another 2 stone 6lbs. I'm 12 stone 6lbs just now. which is a now over half way to my goal from 15 stone 3lbs.
So lets do it!
Up until I was 22, I tried a variety of faddy 'diets' with no avail. Some would work, and I'd lose a few lbs. Some were a waste of time.
It took me until Mid 2012 to realise it wasn't just my eating habits I needed to change, but my exercise regime, and my whole attitude to food. I developed the mantra that there is no such thing as a 'diet.' Our Diet is what we we eat, no matter what we eat. And we adjust our diet to suit what we want our bodies to do whether it be lose weight, or gain mass. People can have bad or good diets. The best type of diet to have, is one that is balanced in all the food groups, and provides you with enough nutrients to sustain your body. And if you want to lose weight, you tweak it to tailor this . But I also found out that banning 'bad' foods entirely isn't fair also, and that even the naughtiest foods can still be enjoyed when balanced with a mostly healthy diet and exercise.
I started my weight loss journey in May 2012. I was around 14 stone. I took a few months off training (decided to return to boxing) due to an achilies injury, and return in the autumn.
I went away for the weekend to a car show with some friends. When I came back, pictures of the weekend had been posted on various social networking sites and forums. And I was mortified, Absolutely Mortified, to see the picture below. And to think I'd been strutting around in a bikini top that weekend!
From the side (and holding it in!)
So I weighed myself. 15 stone 3lbs, which was far too big for my 5"8 frame. My legs mostly remained muscley (proper boxers legs!) but my arms and middle had just gone too far.
So that week I returned with my tail between my legs to training. I started training up to 6 nights a week, for anything between 2-4 hours a day. I addressed my eating, stopped eating Carbs after 3pm, and vastly increased my protein. I cut out processed foods, and started to mainly 'eat clean.' I allowed myself one cheat day a week where I could eat anything I wanted, and breakfast became my time of the day for something sweet on other days.
The first stone came off in just over 2 weeks, and by the first month I'd lost just over a stone.
As everyone is aware, the first stone is always the easiest!
After another month, and a total of 2 stone lost, I took another comparison picture:
I then took my achilies injury again, and took a few months R&R. I continued to lose weight though, presumably due to my high metabolism. I returned to training on the 7th of January this year and have now lost a total of 2 stone 3lbs. This is my start one month ago comparison:
And this morning I put on a pair of trousers that I had bought when I was at my heaviest:
I eat things like:
Fajita chicken and cous cous
Red pepper stuffed with wholegrain rice and chicken:
grilled ham and egg baskets:
wholemeal pasta with a homemade tomato sauce ad chicken
To fight (box) I still need to lose another 2 stone 6lbs. I'm 12 stone 6lbs just now. which is a now over half way to my goal from 15 stone 3lbs.
So lets do it!
