This is not medical advice. As always, YMMV, consult with a health professional, and take care of yourself.
I woke up on January 1st, 2019 with a very different feeling than I had on previous New Years’ Day. While I’m normally a sucker for the “fresh slate” opportunity that a new calendar year often elicits, my year was all but clear. With our second child on the way, a signed book deal, and a signed term sheet to sell our company, I knew that my year would be focused on simply following through on what I had coming, rather than choosing what I wanted to do. In hindsight, that let me focus myself on one personal project – getting myself physically, mentally, and spiritually in a better place than I had been. The biggest component, I knew, would be losing weight. Over the years, I had grown to 250+ lbs and a BMI of 33, I was technically obese.
Fast forward to as I write this in early December, I’ve lost ~55lbs (+/- 3 lbs), and have been effective in keeping it off. I’ve gone from an XL to M shirt size, 38 to 34 waist – having to clear out my entire wardrobe has been a champagne problem.
In the hopes of helping others, here is what I did.
Measured every day
I bought a simple Bluetooth scale, which allows me to measure myself every day, and compare it to my baseline.
Changed what I eat
A friend suggested a very simple diet that worked for him (which I’ve listed below). This immediately started showing results – which gave me early confidence that I’d be able to pull this off. Having a meal plan also reduced my choices, so I didn’t have to struggle with what I could or could not eat. Just follow this.
Meal 1: 3 eggs, vegetable, fruit
Meal 2: Fruit
Meal 3: 8 oz of fish/chicken, vegetable
Meal 4: Scoop of almond butter
Meal 5: Scoop of Almond butter
Meal 6: 12-16 oz of fish/chicken, vegetable
Meal 7: Fruit sorbet (or vegan ice cream)
What this also gave me more insight into is what I should or should not be eating in general. Cutting out most processed foods, complex carbohydrates, and, most of all, dairy, made a huge impact. I’ve since deviated away from this diet, and rather just focus my eating on almost entirely lean protein and vegetables. I don’t even feel good after having cheese or bread, as much as I love them dearly.
Changed when I eat
While I saw really strong early results, I started to plateau. On a friend’s suggestion, I tried intermittent fasting, after much hesitation. I started fasting 8PM – 12PM (essentially skipping breakfast, my favorite meal of the day). Instant results – not just on the scale, but in my energy as well. As much as I love breakfast, I feel better if I don’t eat anything until lunch.
I’ve experimented with pushing it a bit further – going down to one meal a day. While that has proven effective, skipping dinners isn’t that cool when you have a family and social commitments.
Exercised daily
We bought a Peloton, which I do ~20 minutes of, almost every day. On days when I don’t use the bike, or am on the road, I often do floor exercises (side note: they’re great to do with kids).
Daily inspiration
r/progresspics. Bookmark it. Visit it daily. If they can do it, you can too.
Nutrition coaching
I joined an on-line coaching course, Precision Nutrition, which definitely helped teach me a number of good habits, like eating slowly, etc. If I hadn’t been doing all the other things above, PN also includes a full exercise routine, meal planning, and other good habits to build.
Are you looking to lose weight? My friend Kevin, based on his own extreme transformation, has started a company that rolls together much of the above and more, including 1:1 coaching (I’m a small investor). Sign up for the beta if interested!
