My journey from 240 pounds to 190

Today I hit my goal of losing 50 lbs (23 kgs) and I wanted to share how I was able to lose the weight in just 4 months.

My wife Cheryl and I really wanted to lose weight, and after talking to a friend about the Advocare 24 day challenge we decided to try it in late February. We purchased the supplements and did our best to stick to the diet. I lost about 12 lbs in the 24 days, but soon after it was over, we went back to our old eating habits and the weight came right back.

Fitbit weight logs

After a few weeks of being back where I began, I wanted to try the challenge again, but I didn't want to purchase the supplements due to the cost, so I began searching for a similar program where you would eat healthier but it did not require any supplements.  I quickly found the Whole30 via some Google searches, and I decided to buy the book.

I read the book and was convinced that was the program for me, so I planned to start on June 1st. Cheryl and I picked out some recipes from the book for the first week, and I went to the grocery store and stocked up on whole30 approved food. The most difficult part of the program was making sure I was prepared each week, and having to cook dinner after a long day at work. The food is all tasty and there really are no restrictions on how much you eat so I never went hungry.

After the first 2 weeks I was waking up feeling energetic for the first time in years, and I felt like I had the energy to start exercising. In the same shopping center as my grocery store was Orange Theory Fitness Parker. I had first noticed it when we were getting ice cream from the nearby Cold Stone, and I saw a class coming out and the people all looked in great shape, and I thought to myself I wish I could do that. So when I finally had the energy, I signed up to try a class at OTF Parker on June 13. The first class was brutal, I could barely jog on the treadmill, and in the weight room I felt like I was about to puke, but I enjoyed it and I knew the benefits of high intensity interval training (HIIT) so I signed up.

I could only handle 2 days a week at the start, but I was soon bumping that up to 3,4,5 until I was able to do 6 days a week, it is important to have a rest day as well! Each class is different, and the trainers are very motivating, and it is a good balance of cardio and strength training. You are in control of how hard you go and in the end your hard work is reflected in your results. I try to go faster on the treadmill or heavier on the weights in each class, to make sure I keep progressing and get fitter.

I was strict on the whole30 rules for the first 60 days and now I am still eating whole30ish with some treats every now and then.  Diet is a huge factor in any weight loss journey and I had to get that under control before starting my fitness program.

I credit whole30 and Orange Theory Fitness Parker for my success, with both of those programs I have been able to make massive progress in a short amount of time, and I couldn't be happier with the results. Not only have I lost 50 lbs, I feel a lot more confident, I have gone off my blood pressure medication, my cholesterol and blood pressure are back to normal, I can run again, my Wife is proud of me and I no longer have to tell my 2 year old Preston that I can't hold him any more because my back hurts.

I still want to get under 15% body fat so I have a little way to go, but I am extremely happy with where I am, and I plan on continuing to eat whole30ish, and I will continue to do OTF as long as I physically can!

The next goal will be to start doing 5Ks and work up from there, eventually I would like to run a marathon, and compete in an olympic distance triathlon, so there is always something to work towards!