After a dire warning from his doctor, Tim made changes to his lifestyle that resulted in 140 pounds dropped.
“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths.”
Weight Gain Background and Contributing Factors
Tim’s childhood was full of junk food and unhealthy snacks in the home. Unfortunately, he was often pressured to finish all the food on his plate, leaving him stuffed.
“The food sources that I had weren’t very well rounded.”
By age 6 or 7, the comments from other children about his weight had already begun, and Tim had some unfortunate experiences with bullies.
At 13 years of age, Tim discovered Everquest, a popular internet role-playing game where thousands of people interacted with each other online.
Players often grew close over many hours of game-play, and Tim recalls that – with his parents recently divorced – he was less interested in interacting with people in the real world, and more interested in spending time online.
“I was going through a rough time. I didn’t want anything to do with people… As a way to hide parts of my life that were failing, I covered up by playing this video game.”
Tim continued playing Everquest and gained approximately 25 pounds (11.3 kg) a year over the next five years.
“By the time I was 18, I was well over 300 pounds. I got to be very heavy, very quickly.”
He recalls drinking entire 2-liter containers of Mountain Dew, a high-sugar drink, every day. He describes having no self control, and washing down large quantities of pizza with soda and milk.
He tried various diets, including low-carb and a lettuce-only diet, but he gained it back every time.
Tim reached a peak weight of 335 pounds. (152 kg)
Impacted on Tim’s Life & The Turning Point
Tim had to buy bigger clothes, but recalls that his biggest pet peeve was the difficulty he had finding footwear. He also found it frustrating getting in and out of vehicles, and had difficulty sleeping at night.
At 18, he began to experience symptoms of Type-2 Diabetes: dry, cracked skin on his feet, constant waking to urinate in the middle of the night.
He visited his doctor and was given some sobering news:
“He told me, ‘Tim if you don’t change your lifestyle now, you’ll be lucky to see 50.’ ”
In addition to the impact of this statement from his doctor, Tim noticed that a close friend was slowly transforming his body with exercise videos and better eating habits. The inspiration stuck with him.
Starting The Weight Loss Journey
Tim recalls that even small changes resulted in some quick results. In the first months, he began drinking diet sodas instead of regular sodas, and skipping one sugary treat daily.
He quickly dropped 20 pounds. (9 kg)
The motivation and momentum he gained from seeing the drop in weight was all he needed to keep going and make more changes.
What Tim Learned About Food, Exercise, and Himself
Tim spends a few hours every Sunday preparing meals for the upcoming week.
He’s also learned that he can be more disciplined during the week if he allows himself to “loosen up” meal restrictions occasionally, such as on weekends for social activities.
He avoids going to lunch with co-workers because he knows himself well enough to know that he might be overly tempted.
Another helpful thing for Tim has been separating his food choices from those of others in his home. He keeps a separate space for storing his food and snacks, so that he’s not tempted by what others have.
Tim’s Advice For Your Journey
- Find your inspiration.
- Don’t drink your calories.
- Increase your protein intake.
- Be aware of your carbohydrate intake.
Resources Discussed In This Podcast
- /ProgressPics on Reddit
- Bodybuilding.com
Contacting Tim
Tim shares current fitness news and his regular updates on his blog at:
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