After Jack’s weight led to dropping out of school and being unable to enjoy family outings, he found a new eating style that worked for him.
This is his story of bacon, confidence, and discipline.
“This isn’t even my final form.”
Weight Gain Background and Contributing Factors
Jack was always a larger child, and recalls frequently eating large portions. Members of his family have struggled with their weight as well.
However, most of Jack’s weight gain happened after he finished high school and moved out of his parents’ home.
Jack’s mother had done most of his cooking at home, but after moving out, he quickly gained 40-50 pounds (18-22.7 kg) from a steady diet of fast food.
Jack shares something he’s observed about himself and others who have struggled with weight loss. The urge for instant gratification is difficult to fight, and is a significant factor in weight gain.
“Fast food feels good right away.”
Jack reached a peak weight of 330 pounds. (150 kg)
How Being Overweight Impacted Jack’s Life
Jack was an excellent student, and was accepted into a program to study law. However, a long staircase that he had to climb daily to reach his classes became a problem when he was arriving sweaty and out of breath.
Jack dropped out after three semesters.
“I’d say that my size was the main factor behind that… I feel like if I was healthy and… in the right frame of mind, I would have been able to push through and succeed at it.”
Jack had tried going to the gym before, without much success. He had tried cutting sugar, without success. He had tried walking, without success. He had tried running once and injured his ankle – a risk when running at 330 pounds – also, without success.
The Turning Point
At the beginning of 2013, Jack and his father and brother went skiing as they had done for years before.
This time, Jack could not ski for more than ten minutes before he had to stop because of the stress and pain on his joints.
Jack spent the rest of the trip sitting with his laptop in the ski lodge while the others enjoyed skiing.
Another sobering moment was the realization of how his lifestyle had led to his living environment being a mess of “filth” that had to change.
Starting The Weight Loss Journey
Jack wasted no time in researching his options.
He discovered the /keto forum on Reddit, where he learned that ketogenic diets allowed him to continue eating things like bacon and steak. This sounded like a lifestyle he could certainly maintain, so he “jumped in with both feet.”
The first two weeks were difficult, and Jack admits that if he’d made a complete change of lifestyle, he would have failed. However, ketogenic eating seemed a good fit for him and the foods he already enjoyed.
“It was definitely a decision of convenience to begin with… I saw something that worked for other people that I could stick to.”
Challenges and Staying Motivated
Jack shares that he didn’t have the most encouraging support system around him, so the online community was a big part of what kept him motivated and focused.
Because ketogenic diets sometimes attract controversial judgments, Jack has responded to questions about his food choices by saying he’s cutting out sugar and carbohydrates to avoid diabetes – something that is true, although not his primary motivation.
“Being actively engaged in learning what is good for you is the best and the only way to become healthy and lose weight.”
After making small changes over three months, Jack began exercising and lifting weights three times a week. He also dropped his daily calorie intake by about one-third.
Once Jack felt well-adapted to his ketogenic diet and no longer experienced hunger, he began following an eating protocol called Intermittent Fasting, where he ate all his meals (usually two daily) within an eight-hour window. He did not consume anything with calories outside those eight-hours.
Jack lost a total of 80 pounds. (36.4 kg)
What Jack Learned About Food, Exercise, and Himself
Jack shares that he’s always admired strong discipline, like his father’s work ethic, and always strived to improve.
Though this journey, Jack has learned that he can improve his own discipline with hard work.
“I feel like being severely overweight is a good indicator that you lack discipline in yourself in a lot of aspects of your life.”
Jack also describes a new level of confidence in his ability to achieve goals.
“I don’t see reaching my goals as ‘if’… it’s ‘when.’ “
It wasn’t always this way for Jack, though. A year ago, he would have said that didn’t describe him at all.
Jack’s Advice For Your Journey
“People say you should always try your best at something, and I feel… like your best is the maximum that you can consistently maintain.”
- Put in the best sustainable effort you can. Doing too much, too soon, can be a recipe for burnout, so try to set your lifestyle up in a way that you can maintain for the long term.
- Limit your sugar intake. You will avoid extra calories and inflammation in your body. Jack avoids anything with over 10% of its carbohydrate calories coming from sugar.
- Avoid processed food whenever possible. Cooking is always preferable to buying packaged food.
Resources Discussed In This Podcast
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/Keto – the ketogenic diet support community on Reddit.com
On Jack’s Workout Playlist
Contacting Jack
Jack is studying health science and lives in Perth, Western Australia. You can e-mail him here!
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