At 365 pounds (166 kg), Dan felt trapped in someone else’s body. After multiple weight loss attempts and plateaus, what finally helped him drop over 130 pounds? (60 kg)
Hear the answer, and Dan’s tip for controlling “mindless” eating.
“Do, or do not. There is no try.”
Weight Gain Background and Contributing Factors
Dan was active and fit for most of his life. He served in the U.S. military and recalls long service days of eating over 5000 calories without any impact to his size. He describes the ideal weight for his frame as 210-220 pounds (95.5-100 kg).
However, when he returned from Iraq, he weighed around 175-180 pounds (79.5-81.8 kg), and his family of German heritage quickly set out to “fatten” him up. This, combined with stress and an appetite left over from the military, led to a steady weight gain.
“I went through a bout of depression and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). While I was adjusting to that, I was eating. That was what I knew… I’m a food addict… I just know that now I gotta watch it.”
Dan experienced some struggles finding a job after his military service, which added additional stress. He reached a peak of 365 pounds (166 kg).
How Being Overweight Impacted Dan’s Life
Dan felt trapped in someone else’s body. He knew the judgments people made about him, and didn’t want to be labeled as lazy and possibly turned down for jobs.
Dan was unable to be as active as he wanted. As someone who grew up being active, he was his own worst critic, and his judgments about himself held him back from living a full life.
“I was always known as the athletic person, and now I was all of a sudden known as the fat person. I didn’t go out as much. If my kids wanted to go play, I was like, ‘I’ll be under that tree,’ kind of out of sight.”
When Dan found a new job, he went shopping for new clothes and had a surprise waiting for him: nothing fit. His usual stores had nothing in his size.
“This time I couldn’t. I had to go to the ‘Big & Casual’ to get clothes. That was disheartening.”
The Turning Point
Not long after his shopping experience, Dan had a moment with his daughter that he’ll never forget.
After celebrating his new job with dinner at a Chinese restaurant, Dan’s daughter began rubbing his belly. When he asked what she was doing, she said:
“ ‘ Well I was rubbing your belly and making a wish, like you said about the [statue] at the restaurant.’ She thought I was Buddha from the Chinese restaurant! That just gave me a perspective on how my family, and my children, saw me… I don’t want to be that for my children.”
Starting The Weight Loss Journey
Because of his athletic past, Dan felt that getting active would be the best way to start. He began exercising and doing massive amounts of cardio, with little success.
After some research, he read something that stuck with him and changed his approach:
Dan began substituting protein shakes for his breakfast and lunch, and made sure to have a sensible dinner every day. Combined with his cardio and the addition of weight lifting, the first 20 pounds fell off quickly. Then, Dan hit a plateau.
He didn’t realize it at the time, but he had cut his calorie intake too much and was only eating approximately 1500 calories per day.
Dan stuck with his plan for over six months (without gain or further loss) before he got frustrated and saw a nutritionist. He learned that his BMR was 2100 calories! (Basal Metabolic Rate: the calories you burn daily just by living & breathing.)
Dan was not losing weight because he was not eating enough.
He increased his eating and adjusted his diet to 40% carbohydrates, 35% protein, and 25% fat. His energy levels skyrocketed and the weight resumed dropping.
Staying Motivated
Dan shares how he encountered a few additional plateaus that he was able to correct with updated BMR calculations. However, the more weight that Dan lost, the harder it became to continue losing.
He shares that he now realizes his expectations were unrealistic because he was comparing himself to people on television reality shows who appear to lose dozens of pounds every week. (My thoughts of NBC’s The Biggest Loser here.)
Dan also discovered Crossfit, and felt at home immediately. However, despite all the cardio and Olympic-style weight lifting, his body composition still wasn’t changing much.
What Dan Learned About Food, Exercise, and Himself
This was when Dan discovered the Paleo diet. Strict Paleo involves avoiding wheat, dairy, and legumes, among other things. Dan found that, with a few personal modifications, this worked very well for him.
“I lost 30 pounds of fat and gained 6 pounds of muscle… and I got to eat bacon.”
Dan was eating more healthy proteins and fats, tracking his calories with MyFitnessPal, and feeling better than ever.
However, Dan knows that he still has the tendency to eat “mindlessly.” To avoid that, he pre-measures his favorite snacks into plastic zip-lock bags so that he can simply reach for one bag when he’s hungry without worrying about over-eating.
Dan’s Advice For Your Journey
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Lose the weight for you, not for anyone else or to satisfy anyone’s expectations of you. (Tweet this)
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Weigh your food with a food scale. Keep in mind that labels (in the U.S.) display pre-cooked weight.
(This is the food scale I use in my own kitchen.) -
Pre-measure your snacks. Dan uses plastic zip-lock bags to hold pre-measured amounts, so that he doesn’t eat more than the portion size he intends to.
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Drink water after every meal and snack.
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Track your calories before the meal. Planning out your meals in advance with a tool like MyFitnessPal lets you make choices in advance, free of the hunger that can influence your decision-making later.
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Plan ahead for special events. Celebratory dinner or a parting coming up? Reduce your portions earlier in the day so you leave room in your calorie “budget” for the evening. If a restaurant will be involved, find out if they have a menu online with nutritional information.
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Find a physical activity you enjoy and stick with it.
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You really are what you eat. Your body responds well to clean, natural, whole foods.
Resources Discussed In This Podcast
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MyFitnessPal – online food tracker and support community (smartphone app here)
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DailyBurn – food & activity tracker smartphone app
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Lose It! – food & activity tracker smartphone app
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CrossFit – the exercise community that Dan says has changed his life
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/Fitness – fitness community on Reddit.com
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/LoseIt – weight loss support community on Reddit.com
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/Crossfit – Crossfit discussion community on Reddit.com
On Dan’s Workout Playlist
Contacting Dan
Dan blogs at FriendlyNeighborhoodFatGuy.com. He can also be found on Facebook and Twitter. Stop by and say Hello!
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