Saturday, July 6, 2013

First post ever.

Hello,

I am a big guy - for now. I was encouraged by friends to start a blog telling my story, maybe it could motivate other people to lose weight or make another change they've been putting off. I am not a confident person, but four months ago I changed my life and I want to share that journey here. It started officially on April 8th, 2013. Essentially, I am in an ongoing battle to lose weight, which I have been in most of my life. I was always a big kid growing up. I would lose weight wrestling and playing sports in high school, which did not help my mental state any. After high school, my weight took off out of control when the activities stopped, and I ended up around 4 bills. I do not want to say the number because is is just disturbing to me to think that I actually made it to that number.

My wife and I would go to bed every Sunday night complaining about our mutual weight issues and how much we wanted to change our habits, but never did. So what made me all of a sudden change? In March 2013, my father died in a car accident. He drove off the road (reasons still unknown), and the coroner's report indicated he had a 90% blockage in 2 arteries, fluid in his lungs and just overall poor health.  These things could have contributed to his crash, but we will never know for sure. I also lost my mother in 2005 due to complications of an infection that could have been worsened by her poor health and obesity. My mother's death caused me to eat more, but my father dying in March pushed my wife and I over the edge and we decided to finally do something about our own health. I know everyone has their story and their tragedies, and mine may not be as bad as yours, but I am just a normal FAT man trying to get his weight and life under control.

I saw my friend on Facebook doing a 10-day cleanse and I was thinking to myself that I needed something like that to get me started. I asked him questions and learned that the cleanse was just a part of a total 24-day challenge through AdvoCare. It peeked my interest, so I did more research about it. I have done other diets or 'lifestyle changes' in the past, like all of us have that wanted to lose weight quickly. I also found out that he was going to a gym in Eagan, MN called Minnesota Top Team. Years ago, I even worked at a fitness club, trying to get myself motivated to lose weight and that OBVIOUSLY did not work. I have joined other clubs and that would help for a little while. I would start to get in better (so-called) shape - not really, I just could do the stairs better than before. I would always quit after awhile, when I got bored or lost motivation, but seeing my friend's results inspired me. What's different this time, someone reading this may wonder (if anyone beside my wife ever reads this), is that I know I have too much to lose and do not want my kids to have to lose a father or mother at a young age, like I have lost both. I am going to do everything in my power not to die young of natural causes. I started the AdvoCare 24-day challenge and my membership with Minnesota Top Team on April 8th, 2013 and lost 30 lbs. and 11.5 inches. Three months later, I am now down 58 lbs., and my journey is just beginning.

I eat better now and I am realistic. I have to be that way - I am afraid of failure. I am motivated by the people I know that are just waiting for me to fail and put the weight back on. I am also motivated by the information I learn everyday on how some foods are so bad for you, those that marketers are trying to get you hooked on, whatever it takes - like cigarettes, but worse. (More on this in a future post) I eat "clean" - no pork and no dairy (except in raw forms). I limit beef to mostly grass-fed when I can and I try to eat more chicken, turkey and fish. I eat no fried food and limit fast food restaurants; I still go out to eat, don't get me wrong, I just make a lot better decisions. For example, when I go to Culver's, I order a salad called "Avocado Pecan Bleu" (not available in all markets) with grilled chicken, no cheese and usually no dressing. At Chipotle, I order a chicken salad with no cheese or sour cream. I skip the beans and rice, and top my salad with onions, peppers, mild and medium salsa, corn and guacamole. Sometimes I feel like I am pretending to be lactose intolerant. When you go out, you have to be smart and most places are really understanding now because there are so many food allergies. They want people to keep coming back, so they accommodate. Sometimes I joke with the staff about being difficult and they are very nice about it.

I have tried a lot of nutritional products (multi-vitamins, shakes and supplements) and done a lot of research online and in stores about health food and vitamins. I am not a professional or a doctor, just trying to be an informed consumer and share my story. I started using the AdvoCare products when I started with the 24-day challenge and I continue to use them. (I'll explain more about the benefits of these in a future post.) I started with the Spark energy/focus drink, a great tasting powder you mix with water. Spark has three- to four-times the vitamin amounts compared to anything else that I have seen at Target or Whole Foods. The AdvoCare Spark and shakes taste better than the other ones I have tasted. Some competing products even scare me after reading reviews. I trust AdvoCare as an organization and believe in their products, so much so that I am now a Distributor. I am not a salesperson, I do not push anything on anybody, I just want to help people like I was helped and honestly, I wanted a discount on my own products. That is what most people do it for and whatever else you do with it is up to you.

I think I have rambled on enough for my first post. My new motto: DO FOR THOSE WHO CANNOT.  Thanks for reading my blog, Losing the Fat Man, and if you like it, come back to follow my journey, win or lose. Let me know if you have any questions!!!






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