Facing a relationship’s end after years of yo-yo dieting, Dillon knew life wasn’t going the way he wanted.
Hear what changed, and why portion control was his greatest weapon against fat!
“You didn’t put the weight on in one day, and it’s not going to come off in one day.”
Weight Gain Background and Contributing Factors
Dillon was overweight from a young age. While his parents worked hard to provide for him, he was often alone in front of the television and ate a diet that regularly included fast food.
He recalls eating chicken nuggets almost daily, and being rewarded with food from McDonald’s.
“When I needed comfort, I found comfort in food.”
Dillon’s peak weight was 340 pounds. (154 kg)
How Being Overweight Impacted Dillon’s Life
Dillon describes being teased and ridiculed as a child, and how he had to grow a thick skin to cope. He used his personality to get people to laugh and distract people from his weight, and makes the comparison to being an illusionist:
“Look at my hands over here! But there’s a whole other thing going on behind the scenes that nobody sees.”
After college, Dillon bought a “goal shirt” that he was briefly able to wear after crash dieting, but he learned through repeated experience that yo-yo dieting is always unsuccessful until a true “lifestyle change” is made.
He shares how he tried pills, juice fasts, and many other things, but nothing worked until he made the lifestyle changes that made sense for him.
“Everybody’s different when it comes to weight loss, and you have to do what works for you, day in and day out.”
The Turning Point
With the ending of a relationship, Dillon decided that life was passing him by and he wasn’t living life the way he wanted to.
“Something has to change in me, so that I can carry this on, day to day.”
Starting The Weight Loss Journey
For the first month, Dillon focused on preparing all his own meals to include lean proteins, vegetables, and fruit.
Nothing changed.
Frustrated at not seeing progress, but determined to make a real change this time around, Dillon purchased a food scale and began to research calorie-counting. (Here is the food scale I use in my own kitchen. -Sam) What happened when Dillon changed his approach?
“The weight melted off after that.”
Staying Motivated
Lacking someone to really talk to about the journey he was starting, Dillon reached out to his brother, who had struggled with his own weight in the past as well. His brother helped Dillon with advice and accountability.
Another place of encouragement was Facebook. Dillon shares that, while he didn’t tell people he was trying to lose weight at first, he did post fitness-related photos and eventually shared about the one-hundred pound milestone. He received lots of praise and support that he says really felt great.
Dillon shares how a public commitment can really help some people stick to their goals.
“People tend to not let others down before they let themselves down.”
Dillon also discusses how helpful community forums like Reddit have been for him, and how interaction with like-minded people has helped him.
Setbacks Dillon Experienced
During what was supposed to be a temporary celebration with good friends who were moving away, Dillon fell back into poor eating habits and started re-gaining some weight. After his friends moved away, he shares that he felt depressed, which made the situation worse for him.
When Dillon realized he was approaching 300 pounds (136 kg) again, he snapped out of the depression and got back on track with his new lifestyle.
What Dillon Learned About Food, Exercise, and Himself
- Portion Control. Because Dillon enjoys eating high quantities of food, he chooses low-calorie foods like vegetables that he can load up on.
- Diet is critical and ultimately more important than exercise for weight-loss.
“You can work your butt off for an hour, two hours [exercising], and you’ll barely burn any calories… You can make all that [work] go away by just not eating a small bit of french fries.“
- Exercise provides a perspective on how much work is required to burn off bad food choices. Dillon shares the example of the much-beloved burpees, and how they can be avoided with better eating.
- Sleep. Dillon’s hectic work schedule and a two-hour commute mean that he has to prioritize either exercise or sleep. Because he knows the importance of recovery for his body, he prioritizes sleep on work days, and gets in dedicated exercise time on his days off – sometimes twice a day.
- Support. Dillon has been repeatedly inspired and supported by the members of online support communities who share their stories.
Dillon’s Advice For Your Journey
- Start now! “The you in a year from now would appreciate you starting today.“
- Get a food scale. (Here is the food scale I use in my own kitchen. -Sam)
- Be prepared for setbacks. You will experience challenges and setbacks, but the better prepared you are, the easier they will be to overcome.
Resources Discussed In This Podcast
- MyFitnessPal – online food tracking support community
- Full Fitness App
- Nike+ – running app
- /LoseIt – weight loss support community on Reddit
- /ProgressPics – motivational photos sharing community on Reddit
- /Fitness – fitness community on Reddit
- /XXFitness – fitness community for a woman’s perspective on Reddit
- /Bodybuilding
- Fit to Fat to Fit by Drew Manning [ Amazon ]
- Spartan Up by Joe De Sena [ Amazon ]
On Dillon’s Workout Playlist
- Old Man Markley, a punk-country band [ Amazon / iTunes ]
- NOFX [ Amazon / iTunes ]
- No Use For A Name [ Amazon / iTunes ]
- Pennywise [ Amazon / iTunes ]
- Bulls On Parade by Rage Against The Machine, Live [ Amazon / iTunes / YouTube ]
Contacting Dillon
Dillon has been able to accomplish all this while working a hectic night-shift schedule! When he isn’t working or exercising, Dillon can be found on Reddit encouraging others. Message him here!
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