How I lost 20 lbs while managing a family, business and a new move
I’ve always been someone dedicated to staying healthy.
I’ve owned gyms.
Have online health coaching programs.
And everything in between.
But recently, life caught up to me.
It happens so fast.
One day, you’re good to go.
The next, you’re 20lbs heavier than you’ve ever been.
And you don’t know how you got there.
That’s where I was at.
Here’s how it all started.
I have been and always managed to stay pretty healthy while running my businesses.
But then we decided to move to Hawaii.
I know…YAY, Hawaii.
Holy crap, that’s awesome.
And while it is.
But…
I’m focused on my businesses.
Moving.
Finding a new place to live.
Buying new stuff.
Not being able to cook.
Constantly eating out.
Being a dad.
It all caught up to me fast.
I knew I couldn’t let this keep going, or I would be 40lbs heavier.
It snowballs so fast.
And with my daughter watching my every move.
I had to be a mentor and role model to her as well.
I couldn’t allow her to see this as the new normal.
Here’s what I did.
Step 1.
I put everything on my calendar.
Workouts, shopping days, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two snacks.
I’m a nibbler, so I eat small meals all day.
I don’t live in a gym or have 8,000 hours to meal prep, and I hate spending obscene amounts of time doing this.
I have the benefit of working from home.
But still have a structured schedule with meetings, etc.
So it’s not a free-for-all.
And from working with about 5000+ clients, I know that structure creates success.
Without structure and planning, you will 100% fail.
Step 2.
For workouts, I wanted to be able to use what I had on hand.
At the place I live, we have a gym, a pool, and a nice running path outside.
I set aside 15 min for a workout M-F, weekends off.
My workout schedule looked like this:
M - Swim
Tues - Gym
Wed - Run
Thurs - Gym
Fri - Swim
I’d replace the swims with runs if I didn't have a pool.
Step 3.
For nutrition, I downloaded a calorie-tracking app.
I calculated my daily caloric intake through the app.
Easy to do with something like Myfitnesspal.
I set a range that kept me healthy, not starving, but in a zone to lose about 1-2 lbs per week.
The meals needed to fit into my regular cooking and daily schedule.
I like to eat the same thing daily.
Remove the variable of food, and it becomes easier to follow.
Here’s what I ate weekly
Portuguese sausage or granola and pineapple or papaya for breakfast.
Turkey and Muenster cheese Sandwiches or a Pupusa with Quest protein chips.
On a rotation, I eat ground beef stir fry or tacos, steak, fish, and a veggie and fruit for dinner.
Cooking takes me about 15 min on average for dinner.
Breakfast and lunch is less than 5 min.
Notice how this is all food my family can eat.
One meal for everyone.
Setting a good example of what healthy looks like.
Not insane vegan non-GMO healthy.
But simply healthy.
Simple works.
Simple is effective.
Simple lasts.
Complexity creates failure.
At this point, I’m still working through this.
Slow and steady.
At first, I was losing about 1.5 lbs a day.
Now it’s about 1 lb a day.
To 20lbs down, patiently.
Slow, sustainable, and steady.
The next step is making sure I can maintain.
Which will be a topic for future blog post.
I hope you liked this article. If you did, please consider sharing it on social media; I would be eternally grateful!