Overweight since childhood, James reached a peak weight of 350 pounds (159.1 kg) and had serious knee issues.
Hear how grieving the loss of a pet inadvertently started James down the path of changing his health for the better.
“There are many roads to… improving yourself. It doesn’t matter what you do… just do something, and do it consistently.”
Weight Gain Background and Contributing Factors
James was overweight from a young age and had a rough time after his parents’ split. James notes that his father was overweight, and he feels he inherited some of the weight issues. James pushed himself to stay active, but eventually experienced serious knee issues that made it more difficult to be active.
Life before his weight loss involved “a lot of candy, and cookies, and just – crap.” James reached a peak weight of 350 pounds. (159.1 kg)
How Being Overweight Impacted James’ Life
In his younger years, James had tried participating in sports, but ridicule and self-consciousness were a problem. In addition to being heavier than other kids, he was also much taller, and still experiences self-esteem issues to this day rooted in what he experienced during those years.
Over the years, James tried shakes, pills, diets, and experienced the frustration of being unable to drop any significant weight.
The Turning Point
Several events and realizations happened at just the right time to make James realize he needed to change his life.
James inadvertently started a daily habit of walking when his friend and pet, Dylan, went missing. The first day, James searched for Dylan for an hour before he could no longer continue walking.
The next day, James walked for another hour, and another the following day. He searched every day for several weeks before he came to terms with the realization that Dylan was not returning. By this point, James had grown accustomed to his daily walking and decided to stick with it.
Around this same period of time, James’ was inspired by an anime he watched, called Welcome to The NHK, that featured a character about James’ age who was in very poor health. The similarities with this character tickled something in James’ conscience, and he had to take a hard look at himself and the state of his life.
James also drew inspiration from a favorite song that connected with his feelings about those prior events and helped him be open to the need for change.
Starting The Weight Loss Journey
James began by slowly adjusting to eating less and continuing his routine of walking every day.
After the first month, he began tracking his caloric input with MyFitnessPal and immediately noticed his sugar intake was too high. He identified the foods and snacks that were making up the majority of his sugar intake and eliminated those.
James admits the transition wasn’t easy and describes “fighting the food monster.” He found success with replacing sugary snacks with healthier options. For example, he replaced the high-sugar yogurt he used to eat with fruit or baby carrots (a current favorite).
However, James was honest with himself about what dietary changes were not sustainable long-term:
“Self: you know and I know that you cannot live in a world where mashed potatoes exist and you cannot eat them.”
Staying Motivated
James describes a disappointing observation: some of his obese acquaintances began to show signs of resentfulness toward his new lifestyle. Did he let it get him down?
Not in the least. While he is “no longer in the fat guy club,” James doesn’t worry about the judgments of others because he only gets one body, and he has to live with it, so he intends to take good care of it. James is “in the James club!”
What James Learned About Food and Himself
James experienced a “massive palate shift” when he stopped eating things that were high in sugar. He describes having vanilla ice cream on a special occasion after he’d gone some time without sweets, and enjoying the full flavor of vanilla as if it were the first time he ever experienced it.
James’ relationship with food has changed from one where food was a reward, to one where food is now just fuel for his body. He says exercise is now his reward, and that it has become a positive reward loop for him.
In addition to losing 105 pounds so far, James is getting stronger and has also quit sodas and smoking!
James’ Advice for Your Journey
- Stay close to people who accept you for who you are.
- Be honest with yourself about what you can stick to:
“If you aren’t happy with the diet in front of you, you won’t stick to it. That’s it.”
- Find exercises that you enjoy doing, that you can stick to doing.
- Have a long-term goal, but focus on the immediate, closer goal – such as your next ten pounds.
- Even better, try not to focus on your weight as much as focusing on getting healthy.
- If you cannot go to a gym, do what you can with what you have. James gets his resistance exercise by lifting items in his “collection of heavy things” at home.
- When you feel hunger, drink a glass of water and wait 30 minutes to see if you’re still hungry.
- Snack on healthy things like baby carrots.
- Avoid pre-packaged meals, and cook as often as possible.
- Take time to reflect and appreciate how far you’ve come. James keeps a “trophy” shelf of sorts where he has the last soda can he drank, the cigarettes he gave up, and his “fat pants.”
- Avoid obsessing over the scale. Weigh yourself only when necessary or you will “drive yourself crazy.”
Resources Discussed In This Podcast
- Magenta by Nano [ YouTube ]
- MyFitnessPal – online food tracking and support community
- /LoseIt – weight loss support community on Reddit.com
- /Fitness – fitness discussion on Reddit.com
- /Weightroom – weight lifting discussion on Reddit.com
- Fitness Blender on YouTube – free workout routines
On James’ Workout Playlist
- Demigod by Cryogenic Eschelon [ Artist Site ]
- Respect for The Dead Man by Pay Money to My Pain [ YouTube ]
- Rules of Nature theme from Metal Gear game soundtrack [ Amazon / iTunes / YouTube ]
Contacting James
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