There was a time, where, let’s just say, I wasn’t the way I am now.
I was always a big guy, but sometime after high school, I got big-big. About a slice of pizza away from 300 pounds. Bending down to tie my shoes made me out of breath and it was literally torture. I ate for pleasure, rarely challenged myself and any time I would try to loose weight, it was through extreme means that were completely unsustainable. I even tried the “lemonade diet,” where you fast for seven days with the exception of lemon water with a teaspoon of syrup and some cayenne pepper. I lasted around 3 hours. It was sad, but I eventually joined a big commercial gym in hopes to get moving. I lost a little bit of weight, but with no knowledge of how to really workout, I fell flat on my face.
I was determined though, and in early 2016, I joined a smaller gym which had HIIT (high-intensity-interval-training) and martial arts. I was hooked after my first day. Why? Because it kicked the shit out of me so bad that I knew it had to work. And it did. I lost damn near 100 pounds. This didn’t solve all my problems. Now I was skinny. Too skinny. Tired as hell all the time, in pain and feeling as if I had the testosterone of a ten year old.
My nutrition was exactly what I thought it should be to get “healthy.” Whole grains, lots of chicken, calorie-free, water and chemical based salad dressing on top of huge beds of kale and spinach. I mean, does that sound fun to you? It’s f’n not. It was by the grace of God, my good friend, now podcast partner told me about a ketogenic* diet. I read every book, article and study on “ketosis,” and dove right in. What a game changer. I continued to see results and was learning at a rapid pace, not only about diet, but every aspect of the human body. I became a Strength and Conditioning Coach at Legion Muay Thai, a martial arts gym chock-full of total killers, studied fitness in Austin, Texas and became an Onnit/Total Human Optimization Certified Trainer and personal trainer, eventually earning a certification as a health coach with PHCI (Primal Health Coaching Institute). My education continues to the very moment you are reading this, constantly, consistently using myself as a guinea pig and tracking every marker of every thing in my body from head to toe and leaving no stone unturned to make it better.
Part of that education has been coming to learn that working out for hours a day, even hours a week, is not necessary for optimal health and fat loss and sacrificing sleep to get a workout in is just stupid. Movement, however, is necessary. Nourishing your body with real and delicious foods, getting in touch with your primal side and sticking to a plan is also necessary. Managing stress, sleeping like a baby, creating good and positive relationships, having fun and getting sweaty once in a while- totally necessary.
This is what I do, what I live for and what I want to share with you.
*A “keto” diet is not for everyone, but a diet based on real, whole foods is. Whatever your preference is, there are many options to fulfill sustainable lifestyle choices in both nutrition and fitness.
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