This is me three years ago. 31 years old and weighing 110KG ( 242 pounds).
Stop smoking
At that time I smoked, drinked a lot of alcohol and eating was my hobby. My lifestyle wasn’t that healthy and with 2 young daughters. I wasn’t setting the right example.
I’ve tried to quit smoking a few times but always relapsed after a few weeks. Same story with the weight loss. After the first ten pounds I slowly begin to fall back into bad habits.
In February 2018 I’ve followed a “quit smoking training”. Beforehand I was very sceptical about this training and didn’t think much of it. I already knew smoking was bad for me and there wasn’t a good reason for continuing this addiction but hey, they call it an addiction for a reason… After this training (1 session of 3 hours) I made the decision to never, but really never smoke a single sigaret ever again. This time I was more determined then ever before. I wasn’t “quitting smoking” I just decided I will never smoke again.
The following weeks were hard. But really hard… The emotional roller-coaster was real. One day everything is great and the next day I felt like shit and I wanted to cry all day. But hey, I wanted to set an example for my girls so smoking again wasn’t an option anymore.
Two months past and I felt great about not smoking anymore. The cravings to smoke were gone, but I’ve replaced this craving for another craving; eating.
In this 2 months I’ve gained another 10 pounds and one day I was looking in the mirror after a shower and what I saw wasn’t a healthy men that didn’t smoke anymore. I saw a men that’s becoming more obese everyday and this wasn’t the men I wanted to be. Not the example I wanted to set.
Changing everything else
The next day I downloaded an app with a couch to 5k running program and my fitness pal. If I can stop smoking, I can lose weight and have a healthier lifestyle.
The first runs were awful but I was motivated like never before. I wanted to be able to run 5k without walking. It took me like 6 months after I was able to run the full 5k and that feeling of succes was something else. Something I worked so hard for, with up and downs. There were days I didn’t want to go out for a run but went nevertheless. Just do it some brand will say .
During this time I’ve started to make small changes in my food and drink intake. Alcoholic beverages just at special occasions.
Skipping (almost) all the birthday cakes at the office (with 40 people on the floor, almost every week there was some cake).Still tracking all my kcal intake and was happy doing it. It made me feel like I’m in control of everything.
Drinking my coffee without sugar. I drank about 6 cups of coffee a day. That’s 48 grams of sugar a day. 7 days a week. 52 weeks a year.That’s 17472 grams of sugar a year. Almost 70.000 kcals with such a small change.
Taking a lunch walk instead of eating at my desk. That’s a 1000kcal a week by doing so little.
With those two little changes I’ve created a deficit of 122.000 kcals a year. Kind of crazy of you think about it.
I think it was in the summer of 2018 that I wanted a bit more then just running. My knee was hurting from time to time so I bought my first road bike. I now had something else to burn the kcals with. Little did I knew at that time. It was a used one but I loved it. Some things about cycling however I wasn’t a fan of from the beginning. Being a little overweight, a tight lycra outfit was a bit intimidating.
At the end of 2018 I’ve reached my goal weight of 85KG. Losing 25 KG in a year was hard, but it wasn’t just the weight dropping. It was my lifestyle that really changed. Cooking more from scratch instead of using processed foods. Instead of the whole bag of chips, just take a few hands of it. Enjoying nature instead of playing video games all night. I was happier then ever before.
Performance and training
In the beginning of 2019 I discovered the TR podcast and listened to all of them during my time to and from work (3 hours a day in the car). Just losing weight was really a single goal anymore so I wanted to focus more on the training side of things. Bought myself a Tacx Vortex and joined TR in May of 2019. My first Ftp was 222 with a weight of 80KG ( 2,78 wkg). Till that time I was just spinning outside without structure and without a plan. I also bought a MTB hardtail and loved to get out on the trails and finding new limits.
From the start on, I really loved the structure and the challenges that come with the workouts. Passing workouts successful felt great and looked forward to every ramp test. Always with great curiosity. Finding new limits and pushing my body forwards.
My last test results I weighted 76KG with an Ftp of 310 ( 4,08Wkg). I love to see the numbers grow, but it’s the process I’m more proud of. Stick to a plan, go for it and show dedication. How bad do you want it right? I’m not racing (yet) so I don’t compete with anyone else but myself.
This is still my goal today. Finding new limits and enjoy the process of it all. Trying new things, reading about the science that goes behind everything and most importantly; Enjoying my healthy life and trying to pass it on to my girls.
Thank you
Looking back at the last three years…i’m so glad I made the right decisions at the right moment. Hoping that my journey maybe inspires someone else to do the same thing.
Take one step at a time, make a plan and show your dedication. If you really want it, you will get there. And no one can stop you from achieving this goal!
Thank you @Nate_Pearson , @Jonathan , @chad , @ambermalika and the rest of the TR team. You really changed a life.
