Yes, it’s true. I’m on day 26 of closely watching my caloric intake, fat, sugar, sodium, serving size, etc… It’s crazy I’ve done it this long. I’ve ate bad for at least 10 years. Maybe trying to “eat healthy” here and there, but nothing ever lasted. I’ve even been to the gym more the past month than I have in the past few years combined. If you looked at me, you would never guess I was overweight. Technically I am. I’m 28 years old, 5’7″ tall, and weighed in at 170. The most I’ve ever weighed. For my age and height, this is overweight. So you’d be surprised to know how many people are obese, and probably don’t even realize it. And the people who think they are “overweight” are really morbidly obese.
My girlfriend, Samantha (Sammy, Sam, Amazing, etc…) is a Dietetic Technician, Registered and she is also on this journey of calorie counting. It’s great because she knows the perfect foods to eat at every meal, and why certain things appear to be healthy but really aren’t. Now everything I buy at the store, I read the label, and usually compare it to something else, and I’m usually shocked. Especially when it was something that I’ve eaten for years (aka Spaghettio’s with Meatballs). I’ve completely ruled out pop/soda, but I never really drank much of that. My problem was lemonade, sports drinks, energy drinks, and juice. I have always drank water, but now I’m drinking about 10-12 cups a day on average. And if I drink anything else, it’s all-natural juice with no sugar added.
But another culprit was alcohol. I’d say on average, I’d drink an 18-pack of beer a week. Some weeks non, some weeks a case of more! And everytime I’d drink, I’d stay up crazy late and eat a ton of more bad food. It would usually be on the weekends, so that’s about 9 beers Friday night, and 9 beers Saturday night. Let’s do some quick math. Each can/bottle of Bud Light beer is coming in around 110 calories each. Boom, there’s 990 calories just in beer each day. That’s 70% of my 1400 calorie limit! And there is no way I’m going to be able to get enough nutrients a day out of 410 calories. I’ve started taking vitamins too, but that’s not enough. My new beer plan is to stick with Bud Select 55 (55 calories each) and have a 6-pack at most per week. And if I drink, I will work out that day to basically cancel it out. Riding the stationary bike for 30 minutes is about the same as drinking that 6-pack. If I feel the need to drink and stay up late, and I’m tired, I’ll have a 10 calorie Sugar-Free Red Bull.
All in all, this lifestyle change is amazing. I am getting more hours of sleep per night, usually, eating better, working out, in a better mood, and I just feel like a healthier person. And a few days ago, I weighed myself… already down 10.1 pounds! I’m going to add a new section called Health and keep it updated with good foods, new workouts, my progress, and more. I have been told that I’ve motivated a couple people into eating healthier. I hope this motivates you!