Hello everyone,
It’s been a while since I’ve shared my journey, and I want to explain why. Work-related responsibilities have kept me busy, but I’ve also been dedicating more time to my two youngest daughters, who are now in their early teenage years.
Let’s dive right in…
From a weight loss perspective, I’ve been making significant progress by shedding inches of fat while simultaneously building and maintaining muscle. Most fitness and nutrition experts will tell you that achieving both at the same time is a challenging feat, and I completely agree.
For the past 4 to 5 months, my weight has remained in the 260 to 267 pounds range (starting weight was 485 in November of 2020). Normally, I’d be stressed about this, but the ongoing reduction in inches, increased strength, and improved mobility have kept me motivated and confident for the most part anyway. I am in the middle of doing a complete 4-week reset as I write this blog.
As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve primarily followed a ketogenic diet. However, as I approach a more normal weight range and become fitter, my body’s needs have evolved. I now find myself craving simple carbohydrates like white rice or potatoes, especially on heavy training days to provide immediate fuel. This is mostly likely a testament to now having a normal and healthy metabolic system. However, and considering my history with type-two-diabetes and insulin resistance, I do try to approach this change cautiously. My most recent blood test, taken about two months ago, showed an A1c count of 5.0, which is fantastic news. Cholesterol levels have improved significantly, and my c-reactive protein levels have also reduced considerably.
Now, aside from giving you an update, I’d like to emphasize two crucial points in this post.
First, it’s essential to understand the foundational scientific formula that applies to weight loss for everyone struggling with obesity: you must burn more calories than you consume. This might sound like common sense and perhaps even is the butt of many jokes, but the reality is that we often forget this powerful truth. Secondly, it’s important to note that this scientific truth applies to everyone regardless of any underlying factors or conditions such as a slow metabolism, insulin resistance, hormone imbalances or thyroid issues. The first law of thermodynamics holds true in spite of these conditions – that is not to say that one progress may be slower, but over time, even the pace of the law will improve significantly if you stick to this simple truth.
The journey towards obesity can be triggered by various factors, including emotional, mental, or traumatic experiences, as well as physiological challenges and genetic predispositions. Over time, these factors can compound at a horribly efficient rate – in other words, you may have started with some type of emotional trigger, but then overtime the other drivers kick in, because one often leads to another. This of course, in my opinion, is what makes obesity so damn incredibly difficult to overcome.
The key message here is that the foundational truth of burning more calories than you consume applies universally, regardless of genetics, insulin resistance, or any other contributing factors. It’s a simple principle, but the complexity arises from the many challenges we face on this journey.
There’s a notable experiment conducted by a Professor of Nutrition from Kansas State University who proved that the source of calories doesn’t matter as long as you apply this foundational principle. He ate mostly Twinkies and other sugary, processed foods but still lost weight (27 pounds in 10 weeks). This might be surprising to some, but understanding this principle can help us let go of negative narratives and excuses that hold us back.
You see the reality is that there is no magic diet formula (apart from the newly minted Semaglutide type). You can choose any dietary lifestyle you prefer (Mediterranean, Keto/Atkins, Paleo, Intermittent Fasting), but without applying the foundational principle of burning more calories than you consume, it simply will not be effective. As a matter of opinion, my caveat is that if you’re Black or Latino, I highly recommend considering the ketogenic lifestyle, as you likely have a propensity for insulin resistance (at risk of developing type-2-diabetes) and the keto option will help reduce glucose spikes, while leaving you satiated.
I’ve covered a lot about the mental and emotional aspects of this journey, which I’ll continue to explore in future posts. But for now, I encourage you to grasp onto this simple principle and let it overshadow the negative narratives that often hinder and haunt us.
I have personally dealt with individuals who struggle for years to lose weight and swear that something is medically wrong with them, but after all the bloodwork comes back as normal and healthy, they are upset or disappointed that something wasn’t wrong them – imagine that! This takes me to my next topic and that is the need to do the work and discipline of properly tracking your meals and macronutrients.
Once you’ve fully accepted this principle of burning more calories than you take in, tracking your food and macronutrients is the next crucial step. Many apps can help with this; my personal favorite, which I’ve used for years, is “Lose It!” It’s available as a free or paid version, and I recommend the paid version for a more comprehensive experience. Meticulously track everything that you eat and drink, no matter how small, to ensure accuracy, which can often be evasive. Keep in mind that the FDA allows for a. 20% margin of error on nutrition labels, so even our best efforts can be a miss – hence the importance of monitoring and making tweaks as may be required.
Some may make fun of your dedication, labeling you as obsessed. However, don’t let that discourage you. You’re taking control of your health and well-being, and that’s something to be proud of.
Finally, it’s essential to find someone to hold you accountable for your progress. Whether it’s discussing your results with a friend, using an app’s sharing feature, or engaging with an online community, this accountability will help you stay disciplined and focused.
Before you make excuses, consider this: as humans, we tend to gravitate toward the path of least effort, especially when we’re already dealing with the challenges of obesity. “Out of sight, out of mind” is a common mindset, meaning that if something isn’t in our face, we tend to ignore it. Tracking your intake and sharing it with others eliminates this out-of-sight-out-of-mind mental trap. It becomes a shared journey, not a hidden secret.
Now, going back to what I stated above regarding not allowing any existing chronic disease to deter you and how it will not change the law of thermodynamics. While it does not change the principle, it can make your efforts tougher from a few perspectives – my advice is to just power through, after 30 days it gets easier and with each passing week, it gets easier, and the law of thermodynamics will work more effectively for you. The concept here is efficiency, these chronic diseases or hormone imbalances will indeed hamper the law from working efficiently. This means that you will need to make adjustments to the intake and output from a lifestyle perspective. In my own journey, you can see my daily calorie intake and output change over time – as I’ve gotten leaner and my metabolic systems work better, my body uses the calories coming in a much more efficient and effective manner.
In conclusion, I don’t mean to sound harsh, but if you’re struggling with obesity, you can’t afford to tackle this battle with anything less than absolute determination. Perhaps one of the toughest lessons that I had to learn is that no one is going to come and save me; it’s you against you. If you have a good support system and people rallying behind you, then consider it a blessing and use it wisely, but the hard works is yours and yours alone – and you have everything it takes to see it through.
My thoughts and prayers are with you on your upward journey.
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