Make sure to read Parts 1 and 2 below if you haven't yet!
That Time I lost 150 Pounds Part 1
That Time I lost 150 Pounds Part 2
So There I was, devastated having heard that now I was going to be laid up on my couch for the next 6+ weeks waiting to have this surgery and recovering. I knew I didn't want to go back to being overweight, and hating myself, and I had so much more to accomplish. So I decided to embrace the next 2 months and figure out a game plan --- and I failed at that.
I spent the next 2 months sitting on my couch at home every day, leg elevated watching TV, and slipped back into some less than healthy eating habits. I stopped eating the "chicken and chili bean" concoction that had become my breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I ate pizza and drank coke zero and iced tea just about every day. I would snack on potato chips, I had really sort of given up at this point...
The crazy part? Somehow I actually continued to lose a few additional pounds, and did NOT gain any weight back. Now at first, you may think that sounds amazing... but it wasn't. The reason being? Because I didn't fully understand what was happening with my body, and figured I didn't need to maintain anything. I was so naive and figured I could just eat what I want and do what I want and I would always be thin going forward.
This line of thinking carried me through the next year and a half of my life. I had the surgery, I got better.. I did the physical therapy they recommended to make sure my back strengthened, I did what was asked. The one thing I never did, was go back into the gym. Part of the decision not to go back was the thought that I didn't need it, but mainly I was just scared.
I was scared that I would get hurt again, that I would do one exercise wrong and that I would be back laid up on my couch. And what difference would it all make? I was thin, and healthy and feeling like I didn't need it.
it wasn't long, maybe 3 or 4 months before I had slipped back into my old eating habits on a consistent basis. I would have Popeyes chicken for lunch every day with a root beer. I would drink wawa iced teas, and eat junk food at night.
I continued this trend for about a year until one day I noticed that my shirts and pants were getting a little tighter. Then eventually I was buying one size up and they weren't fitting at all. I had no clue what I was going to do, because I was afraid to go to the gym and clearly the realization hit that I needed to start taking care of myself again.
Anybody who knows me, knows I HATE cardio, so I wasn't about to start running or jogging or hitting the treadmill.
This was a long lesson learned because I put back on about 80 pounds of the weight that I lost, and have kept it on ever since until JUST RECENTLY I decided to actually start learning from those past mistakes and work on getting back to that thin and healthy me.
What I learned NOT TO DO:
So let me throw a little summary/recap at you as far as what's happened, and what I learned NOT to do , and then I'm going to share with you my current weight loss goal/plan/ and talk about what's next and how you can be a part of it.
You can think of your body as a car. In this case, my body was a broken down car that needed some work. When you first fix your car, you need to get the right tools, and you need to start putting in some work. At first you'll spend a LOT of time fixing your car until it's up and running. Once it's up and running though, you'll just need some regular routine maintenance to keep it running smoothly.
I spoke to a good buddy of mine who is a big fitness expert, and he explained how this correlated to what happened with me and my struggles. When I first hit the gym, I was kick starting my body. I was putting the right fuel into it, which would be my healthier eating habits. I started using the right tools, which would be my exercise routine, and all of this kick started my engine which would be my metabolism. Once I was at it for a few months, my body started naturally working on it's own to burn through calories and keep me in good shape and good health. All i would had to have done was continue healthy eating habits, and work out maybe 1- 2 times per week and I would have kept the weight off and stayed where I was at with my health.
Once you get started and you get to where you want to be, maintaining it requires putting much less into it than when you first start.. this is something I wish I really wish I would have known back then. So By me deciding not to work out, and eating all of that junk... my body was still taking care of itself from all of the work that I had put in.. until eventually it stopped again. I was no longer burning calories, and losing fat.
My fear of working out and potentially injuring myself once again really hindered me from living the healthiest life I could have over the last few years. It wasn't until I had met this amazing person over the last year and a half who is really big into fitness, and who really inspired me to start looking for a different approach. Another way to lose weight, work out, and get healthy that won't require me to do those same exercises or even lift weights at all if I don't want to.
I have decided that I want to get healthy again, and lose the weight once and for all... so here is my plan.
Future Plans: The Road Back To A Healthier Life
So over the last few months I've actually been back and forth with starting to get back to good health. I would get motivated, then something would happen to stress me out and I would lose it. The last time I was Really focused on getting back to it was in December, and then i got into a car accident and injured my right foot. This caused me so much stress and pain and anger that I put my health on hold...
But lately I've really decided that I'm going all-in on focusing on my health for the sake of making sure I'm around as long as I can be for my little guy.
I'm going to start a series of videos and blog posts which will follow my progress from start, which is my current weight, until I reach my goal. I'll be sharing tips with you, my progress, and things I have learned all along the way. My goal is to be as transparent as possible so that you can see that I'm a real person going through the same struggles as you. I also want to show you that anybody can get healthier and "reclaim their life" if they put their mind to it.
I want to thank you for reading this Journey of mine, and the biggest thing I've learned not to do, is Take anything for granted. I started seeing results and having success, but I didn't stick with it. I took it for granted, and that was the absolute worst thing I can do. Success breeds confidence, hard work breeds success, and it all goes hand in hand.
Be on the look out for my New video series soon. I'll be posting it a few times per week, and I'm excited to share this journey in hopes that you may be inspired to make a positive change in your life as well.
Thank you for reading this little series, and feel free to comment with any questions or feedback you may have!
-Derek
SingleDadLife