Progress – Re-Engineered Lifestyle

Starting Again…

So now that I’ve started again, I need to set the stage for the starting line. So here we go; moment of truth. Weighing myself and taking measurements was an even bigger eye opener than the pictures but since picture are worth a thousand words you can see below how bad it’s been.

So now that I’ve started again, I need to set the stage for the starting line. Back in 2017 when I first made the decision to start this blog and keep a record of my journey to a healthier life, I was just over 320 lbs. I had just come out of trying the Keto Diet and phentermine pills but the side effects of the Keto Diet (the “Keto Flu”) were horrible which made it clear that that path was not for me and was feeling very defeated because I was at my all time highest weight. I made a choice to hire a personal trainer and start working out regularly, but didn’t really change much of my eating habits. Yeah I did eat better but nothing too different from what I was used to. Working out worked, the weight was coming off, the fat was melting away and I could see my body changing. It was great, exhilarating. But too much of a good thing is not really that good. It took over my life; my day revolved around my “workout” time and everything else was not as important. It was too much, I was burnt out and hence I could not keep up that lifestyle. I stopped to take a “break” and that break became permanent.

Now I’ve reached the same weight I was back in 2017 (320+) but this time around, the weight distributed differently in my body. I don’t know if it’s that I’m just getting older or what, but I’ve never had this big of a belly. The breaking point came earlier this year when I went to a convention in Las Vegas and saw pictures of myself afterwards. OMG! I was so embarrassed and couldn’t believe I had gotten to this point AGAIN!

Below are said pics – Can’t believe I’m sharing these publicly.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. I had an excellent time at the convention and I thought I looked cute and stylish and came back home with lots of new ideas for our business but after seeing these, it was like a bubble bursting. I thought to myself that people wouldn’t take me seriously looking the way that I do. People tend to judge fat people, I’ve fought against that my entire adult life and I know that it’s not always true but still can’t help thinking about it. Now that I am a business owner, of a design business of all things, having a good appearance is an asset that I unfortunately can’t take advantage of. Thankfully my partner makes up for any deficits on my part.

So here we go; moment of truth. Weighing myself and taking measurements was an even bigger eye opener than the pictures but since picture are worth a thousand words you can see below how bad it’s been.

Starting Weight: 10/28/2019	324 lbs
Chest	50.5 in
Waist (@ bellybutton)	53 in
Hips	53 in
R. Thigh	31 in
L. Thigh	31 in
R. Bicep	17.5 in
L. Bicep	17 in
Neck	18 in
R. Calf	19 in
L. Calf	19.5 in

Below are pics showing the changes from Nov 2017 to April 2019 and then to now.

Crazy how months of hard work can just go down the drain so easily. This time around I don’t plan to make the same mistakes. I’m optimistic that in a year from now I’ll still be on this journey and writing about the ups and downs but living healthier and happier.

I’ll be updating my progress on a weekly basis here and adding pictures as we move forward here. Any comments are welcomed!

Hope you stick around.

Until next time! – Luis

Shame…

So it’s been well over a year since I last posted. I dropped the ball. The reason why I started this blog in the first place was to be held accountable for all my lifestyle changes and to have a sounding board on where to be able to steam all my frustrations, successes and failures, but as just said, I dropped the ball. I had been consumed with “fitness”. What to eat, when to work out, always planning for the next day and definitely not enjoying the results of all my hard work. I couldn’t find a balance between living a healthy lifestyle and a normal life. I was burned out, so I stopped and said to myself that I just needed a month or two to unwind and then I would be able to get back on track. Obviously that didn’t happen.

Back at it…

It’s been a long while since my last post but that doesn’t mean I’ve fallen off the bandwagon. I’ve been super busy at work for the past couple of months and unfortunately I’ve neglected my blog a bit which is something I really do not want to do. Part of the reason why I created this was to keep me accountable and motivated throughout my journey and to share my successes and my struggles with whomever is interested.

Since my last check-in, when I shared I had finally pushed through my weight loss plateau it seems I’ve hit another one. I haven’t really lost much weight since and because I’ve been weighing myself more frequently now (which I told myself I wouldn’t do) I see a lot of fluctuations throughout the week that can be a bit discouraging when you feel like you’re working your ass off (literally).

Weight aside, this past month has brought me a few “non scale victories” which I am happy about. During my business travel, I was able to buckle up the air plane seat belt without the need of an extension and/or feeling like the I cut the circulation to my lower extremities as I often felt when I was too embarrassed to ask for an extension. Flying is still not as comfortable as I would like it to be but it was definitely a big improvement.

Continue reading “Back at it…”

Quick Update

I limit the times I weigh myself throughout the week because I feel it’s too much stress. The past few weeks I’ve been struggling to lose weight so I’ve been stepping on that scale more and been disappointed every time. I’ve been fluctuating around 290 lbs for about a month now if not a bit more. I’ve been determined to push through that plateau and not let it deter me from continuing on so I’ve upped my training schedule and worked extra hard to eat better these past couple of weeks and it seems to be working. I weighed myself this morning and I’m down almost six pounds since last week. I’m now at 284lbs which is still a lot but it’s been years since I’ve been at this weight so I couldn’t be happier. Continue reading “Quick Update”

Progress?

So after almost two weeks of traveling I’m back home. I’m still pretty busy so I had not been able to sit down and write and post something as I would’ve wanted but hopefully I can get back to my semi-normal routine soon. Lots of things going on at work, getting some more responsibilities, which is good but at the same time makes me worry. I can deal with stress, but usually that meant eating and eating and eating some more. I am an emotional eater and find comfort in food, which has been a lifelong struggle that’s hard to let go.

On one hand I managed to visit the hotel fitness center a few times during my travels, so at least I can say I tried to keep up some sort of exercise routine. On the other hand, I do not think I did as good with the food and drinks. First week I did OK, only having a cocktail (I’m a Vodka kind of guy) with dinner and keeping the snacking to a minimum throughout the day; but during the second half of the trip I attended a conference which meant lots of business dinners and lots of free drinks. In past years I’ve been guilty of overindulging, this year I did not take it too far but still managed to drink a good amount of alcohol during the networking events. I had been tired from so much travel the week before so I was glad to end the trip on a happy and festive note so I may have slipped a bit. Compared to other years I did excellent so I’m not feeling guilty and I’m proud of myself for showing some sort of restraint but I know I still have a long way to go before I can get through one of these events without falling back into old habits. At the end of the day it was a successful business trip and I had fun, so that is really all that matters. Continue reading “Progress?”

Awkward Progress Pictures (3rd month)

So even though this has not been the most productive few weeks, I still need to keep moving forward and tracking my progress (no matter how small it may be).

The good news is that I have not gained any weight, however I haven’t lost any more either, which strangely makes me feel good. As mentioned on my previous post, I’ve been in a bit of a rut lately, not eating so good and having very little motivation for working out. This week, I did a little better with the food, however I didn’t get to work out as much as I would’ve wanted to but at least I got a couple of cardio sessions before driving down to Corpus Christi to attend a friend’s wedding. I had a great time seeing some old friends and celebrating the bride and groom so of course I had a few drinks and a slice of cake (no regrets here!) Continue reading “Awkward Progress Pictures (3rd month)”

Losing steam and getting back on track

I’m a bit ashamed to admit that I’ve fallen into a bit of a slump. At the end of January I got sick and in my attempt to let my body heal I might have fallen back into old habits. It’s been 12 days since my last post and since then I’ve only exercised four times, and while that is still good I haven’t really been making much of an effort with my meals. I’ve stopped planning my meals as I was doing and I haven’t been keeping track of my caloric intake (MyFitnessPal) which for me is a great tool. I’ve been busy at work so I’ve let that also affect my routine, which means I’m cooking less and ordering take out more or getting some fast food on the way home which would not be bad if I made better choices on the food ordered. As a results I’ve gone up a couple of pounds, which is not necessarily the end of the world, but it’s had a big impact on me mentally. I’ve worked so hard to get to where I am and I feel like I’ve undone all of my progress in these past few weeks. Of course that’s nonsense, but it’s easy to feel like a complete and utter failure, even if you’ve already accomplished a lot.

Continue reading “Losing steam and getting back on track”

Slow Week Recap – Being sick sucks

Just when I thought I’d hit a nice rhythm with my training routine and making nice progress, I come down sick. Why does the universe hate me? OK, maybe I’m being a bit dramatic, but seriously why did I have to get sick now.

Last week I had been feeling a little run down and maybe I should’ve taken it easier and had some rest but I thought I was just sore and had to push through. Guess, I was wrong.

Continue reading “Slow Week Recap – Being sick sucks”

Progress Update

I’ve been feeling somewhat sick this week and with work keeping me super busy and the crazy weather it’s been a struggle to keep active and find the motivation to work out and eat right. But the sacrifice is paying off. I’ve officially hit the 30 lbs lost mark. Still got a long way to go and I’m sure it’s just going to get harder but I’m in this for the long run.

Looking forward to continuing on this journey and seeing what the future holds.

Awkward Progress Pictures (2nd Month)

I can’t believe how quickly these past couple of months have gone by. When I started this journey back in November it felt like an impossible task to do, considering that the holiday season was upon us. But now, the holidays have come and gone and we are now in a new year, full of new opportunities to take and obstacles to conquer.

The first month in my journey was really successful, more so than I could’ve imagined loosing about 21 lbs total. I was determined to to loose some weight before taking some time off to be with my family and friends in Puerto Rico so I wouldn’t have to listen to my mom and my grandmother telling me how fat I was and so I could fit better in my clothes. It is so hard finding clothes that fit and look nice on you when you’re over a certain (but that’s a topic to discuss another time). The holiday’s were a success, mission accomplished, now it was time to get back on track. I am very happy with my progress these past couple of weeks even though this week it’s been a little slow with the crazy weather we’ve been having here in Texas and with work keeping me super busy.

Continue reading “Awkward Progress Pictures (2nd Month)”