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Before |
Today |
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Height: 6'5" |
Height: 6'5" |
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Weight: 370 lbs |
Weight: 269 lbs |
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Pant Size: 50 |
Pant Size: 38 |
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Shirt Size: XXLarge to XXXLarge (20/36) |
Shirt Size: Large to XLarge (17/36) |
You did this while traveling for work?
I travel for work, so I had to figure out how to make this work. I hate working out, but when I was on the road it was easy. I woke up, threw on my workout clothes and would head to the hotel gym. There's no excuse. I would have my workout done and could enjoy the rest of my day.
Since I was on the road, my clients always took me out to dinners. I had to learn how to eat right. I would order chicken, no salt or butter, veggies on the side. I would be smart about what I put in my body. A salad might seem like the right choice, but throw on some salad dressing and you might as well eat a burger. If I got a salad, I would order it dry.
More: How to Lose 100 Pounds
When I was home, I never worked out in the morning. It's such a pain for me to pack up all my belongings to shower at the gym. I'd rather work out after work. It was a stress relief too. But, I had to stay motivated to go to the gym after work. You know people would ask to hang out afterwards, which made it hard. But, I would get to the gym, put my headphones on and workout.
I never listened to music either. I put P90X or Insanity on my iPod; I bought them and then burnt them onto my phone. I liked listening to the workouts because I would know what to do at the gym. The workouts are different and intense.
Now that you've hit your goal, are you letting certain foods back into your diet?
MB: Well, I had pizza the other day, and boy was it good. I cut out all the fried and greasy stuff when I first started. Then I allowed myself to have a taste of some stuff. I knew how many calories I had to eat and knew how much each item was worth in calories and how many calories I would need to burn to maintain or lose my weight. It's very mathematical. It really is a numbers game. I feel that people say, "Oh no, I can't eat that because I'm on a diet." To me, diets don't work. There's an end to a diet. You need to be smart about what you eat and make that a daily habit.
More: A Lifestyle Choice: Getting Fit
A chicken wing is about 87 calories. If it's deep fried, it's 120 calories; add on the sauces...if you have 4 wings, that's half of your days calorie intake. So if you know the amount of calories and you have one it's okay. It's all about discipline. If you don't have discipline, it won't work.
How has this changed your life?
MB: I've completely reinvented my lifestyle. Whenever I reach a goal I always make a new one because I don't want to let myself go. When you accomplish something people always say, "Let's celebrate, let me take you out to dinner." Not me. I set out to accomplish something, even if it's just to maintain my weight. I never want to go back to what I was like.
My health, my lifestyle was terrible. I am 28 years old and my body was like a 60-something-year-old or older. I feel incredible now. I have energy, I enjoy going out, and I like being in pictures. I'm not that sweaty guy at the bar anymore.
How have you handled the new attention?
MB: Well, I love when I see someone that I haven't seen in a long time and hear, "Oh my gosh, you look great." I always show them my app that I use to log calories and share my story with them. It's amazing to me how many people say that I'm an inspiration. I just needed to lose weight.
I hope people can use my story and get healthy. As for the new attention, yes I have been getting attention from the ladies, but I'm not interested. It's flattering, but they didn't notice me when I was fat. My girlfriend did. And she stuck with me through this journey. In fact, we did this together. She's lost about 30 pounds.
It's a whole new lifestyle. It's simple, eat right and workout. No diet pills or plan. I just decided to change what I eat and start to exercise. It's great.
What's your weight-loss success story? Please share below.
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