Hey guys!
First off, I want to say that I'm proud of all of you for losing weight, or at least trying to. It's definitely the hardest thing that I did in my life.
In the summer before my senior year of high school, I weighed at 320lbs - for my then 5'11" height. I gained more than 50lbs during 5 months after my wrestling injury. I was fat and unathletic. On my first day of classes during senior year, all my friends were... shocked. I'm just saying it as it is. I was really, really looking like a different person. While I still was obese before the summer, I definitely didn't look like an amplified baseball, which I did at the beginning of my senior year. That was my first red flag - and one of my motives for losing weight. The second, and most important, motive was that I would not have been able to practice the sport I love - wrestling - unless I weighed 285lbs at the most.
I started in October to go hard at it. I've always been a weightlifter, but I didn't go at it with the sole mindset to lose fat and only did it 2x a week offseason. I started to wrestle offseason 5x a week after school, and l lifted every morning. I could not even do a single pull-up. And as a wrestler, that sucks real hard.
By wrestling season, starting in early November, I was nervous. I was floating in the 295-290 range. I weighed myself EVERYDAY, which is very very important to keep track of everything. While I didn't make weight by the first practice, I still had my goal in mind to continue every day. A week and a half after, I was at 282 for my first match of the season.
During the season, I went in as hard as I could. My diet changed. I used to be a binge eater, but sleeping early because of fatigue and wrestling discipline helped against this. I was able to shave off 30lbs by January. By the end of the season, I was at 239lbs. Exercise, even if not as intense as I did, is essential to shave of those lbs'. Simply by putting it in my routine I was able to control what I ate better, and it triggers a sense of self-control that was unprecedented to me before.
Of course, from then to now, it was difficult. I lost weight down to 210 going into May but I gained 9lbs up until mid August. Now in college, with a more intense wrestling and a better ability to control my schedule, I went from 220 in mid August to 195 now. Here are the most important tips I learned:
- Exercise is your friend. As explained above, it gave me a better sense of self-control and definitely helped me regulate my food intake.
- I didn't necessarily count my calories. I know I spend a lot of energy at practice, but I try to stick to healthy stuff. I have an approximate 70% protein and virtually no-carb diet.
- ^Cutting carbs, kinda like keto, is super super super useful. I felt better even just a week in. Even if it's just cutting unprocessed carbs for you at the moment, and if you feel the need for carbs, just eat a fruit. Plenty of healthy fibers and carbs in there if you need it :)
- Weighing myself everyday was very good. I was able to track my progress week by week. Even if my actual weight fluctuated during the week, it was still nice to compare my weekly progress. It was something that made me proud.
- Find an athletic passion. Everybody's got one. May it be wrestling or dancing, while both don't have the same cardiovascular and muscular intensity, if you have some type of physical activity to hold on to during your weight loss journey that you're passionate about is essential for your success.
- Believe in yourself. I mean it's hard to do at the moment if you're only beginning, but focus on having the discipline of a true warrior. Make yourself proud every day.
- Losing a lot of weight fast definitely has a psychological toll. I was very unconfident socially and internally before I started to lose weight. Almost a year after, I still struggle with those two. I still have the "fat kid" mentality even though I don't look at all the same.
If I think of anything else, I'll add it to the list. But if you have questions or comments, just post and i'll try to answer to the best of my capabilities :)
Oh, by the way, I can now pop 19 pull-ups :) BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!
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