Early Attempts at Health – 1995
When I was 15, I realized I weighed about 200 pounds. My Grandad also had a concern about his weight, and together we started a weight loss process that got me down to about 170 pounds. We drank non-fat milk, ate plain chicken breasts, and counted calories like they were collector’s items. I ran cross country (albeit poorly), and got in reasonably good shape for my age. However, I didn’t compete in any sports and lacked a real routine for fitness, with starts and stops here and there.
Genetics were not on my side. Both of parents have struggled with weight throughout their lives (more on this later), but have both had periods of weight loss. High blood pressure was a common occurrence in my family. As a kid, I ate peanut butter sandwiches for lunch and dinner, with lots of fun pack chips, cheerios, kix, and, later on, home cooked meals. We had a limited amount of food for three growing kids.
My idea of food and how to eat was skewed by the fact that friends had better access to food, but I didn’t understand that they also had developed self-control. We ate fast food on the occasions where we could afford it, but many times it was just very basic foods like hot dogs in tortillas and small bags of chips and classic sugar-free popsicle flavors (think root beer, lime, and tangerine).
Fast Food Worker – 1996
I started working at the local Arby’s after my parents asked me to get a job to pay for my car insurance. It is important to note here that I had never had access to food of this type before. Arby’s presented an unlimited amount of very-high calorie foods that were what is now referred to as superstimuli. Blessed with all the triple cheese melts, curly fries, and mozzarella sticks I could ask for at a below cost price, I began eating very differently.
A friend invited me to work at Wendy’s. Eating 10-20 mini frosties a night is a bit excessive. I began to gain even more weight. I left after only a few months and went back to Arby’s, but looking back at the pictures, I was already overweight. I had little to no impulse control, and did things like eat 50 peppermints a day for a two to three week period. This was while still eating all the other food. My teeth suffered, and I began to suffer.
By the time I left fast food to work for IBM in late 1998, I was well over 200 pounds. I began a battle with anxiety and depression, which mixed well with poor life choices. I kept eating poorly, often eating over 2000 calories in a single meal. I didn’t understand my relationship with food and coping with the stress of being a young adult and dealing with young adult issues. I had no concept of self-control and ate what I wanted despite evidence that it was bad for me.
Morbidly Obese – 2004

Eventually, I hit 320 pounds by the time I got married to my amazing wife in 2004. I have pictures of that time, and it looks painful. I couldn’t wear normal clothes. I couldn’t wear normal shoes, developing a habit of preferring flip-flops that I still have to this day. Somehow, I lost about 40 pounds, almost seemingly at random, only realizing this when my doctor told me on a routine visit. She compared the weight I had lost to carrying around a bad of cat litter all the time, then putting it down permanently.
I hovered around 270 pounds for years. I would binge eat every night, plowing through a 5 ounce piece of cheese and a big bowl of tortilla chips after dinner. We had ice cream in the freezer. Our daughter was born in 2010, and I tried to change, but wasn’t sure where to start.
Trying to Lose Weight – 2010
I wanted to start losing weight, but didn’t understand how. I tried all sorts of crazy diets. Keto, CICO (not insane), and various others. They didn’t work because I couldn’t maintain compliance. I didn’t have the peer group that drove me to help myself. My mental state was not sufficient to maintain – I was weak.
The suffering caused by calorie deprivation was a serious issue. I would have migraines that were exacerbated by my high blood pressure. The high blood pressure was exacerbated by stress. I would eat massive “healthy” snacks at work in an attempt to be healthier without any attempt at exercise. I started walking 10,000 steps a day with the early Fitbit, and climbing the stairs at work multiple times a day.
My mom started her fitness journey around this time – losing most of the weight she had carried for years and working out daily – she almost became a fitness instructor! I am so proud of the effort and support she has provided over the years. Love you, Mom!
Keto Diet – 2013
In 2014, I began a leadership training course at work that caused me to reconsider my life choices. I began seriously using a ketogenic diet to lose weight, and suffered through all the headaches and so-called keto flu. I lost 40 pounds and looked better than I had in years. My wife and I had a recommitment ceremony, and I still enjoy looking at the beautiful pictures on the wall from the event at our local community center.
I started adding carbs back into my diet slowly, but I was going the diet alone. My Dad started losing weight around this time. He is still an inspiration to me and has kept slim for many years now. He walks every day, keeping his streak going. Unfortunately, adding carbs back in led to backsliding and resuming old behaviors.
Relapse – 2015
I gained all of the weight back. I was stressed out at work and depressed, with my anxiety wreaking havoc on my life. I hit a low point around when my sister got married to her wonderful husband in September of 2016. I was morbidly obese, and had to wear extra wide shoes with my huge suit for their wedding. I still cringe at the bright neon green in the group picture from the wedding and remember having to discuss with them wearing the shoes to their ceremony.
Vegan – 2016
We had gone to a full vegan diet after reading/watching How Not to Die by Michael Gregor, with its cherry-picked statistics about all-cause mortality and animal cruelty discussion. Our first real vegan meal was a kale and sweet potato slow-cooked soup. My body didn’t know how to handle it and I got sick for a few days afterwards. The vegan diet didn’t work because we found vegan junk food and didn’t actually stick to the real, whole vegan food that would have led to weight loss and health benefits.
Vegetarian and Hitting Bottom – 2016
We became vegetarians due to issues with trying to maintain strict compliance while eating at restaurants We added eggs, cheese, and milk to our diet. It was a relief to be able to enjoy dairy food again.
The lowest point came on our Disneyland trip over Thanksgiving in 2016. I felt horrible, and was terrible to my wife and daughter. I didn’t want to be there, as you can see in the photos from that trip. I spent time alone in our hotel room and bickered with my wife. It was a sad excuse for a family trip, and I deeply regret it now. I began to focus on losing weight, but in an unfocused manner. Somehow, I lost 20 pounds by the time Easter rolled around.
Intermittent Fasting – 2017
With that much progress, I started researching intermittent fasting. I would only eat between the hours of 11a to 6p each evening. The weight started really coming off.
By June of 2017, I weighed in around 200 pounds, a 70 pound loss.
I was getting more fit and taking better care of myself. Surrounding myself with fit and strong people motivated me to be better with my eating and fitness. I started emulating my friends at the gym and it made me work harder to be more fit.
Running and BJJ – 2017
I had also started running. I used the Couch-to-5k program, and worked my way up to running a 5k almost every day for a month or two. I started Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, prompted by Jocko Willink. Discipline equals freedom, he told me. I lost another 30 pounds in the first couple of months of getting the crap kicked out of me every day. It was a painful lesson, but I loved the process. A coach recommended that I start lifting weights before BJJ, so I did. I had to start eating in the morning due to the caloric demands of five-day-a-week BJJ and lifting.
However, the weight started coming back on, and in December of 2018 I weighed about 190 pounds. I told people I was putting on muscle in exchange for fat. I’m really not sure if that was the case, but I was active and I ate what I wanted within reason. Over the next year, I ranged between 200-210 pounds.
My wife was super supportive in the process, and began to lose weight as well. She’s a trim 130 pounds nowadays and looks like a supermodel.
Carnivore – 2019
After seeing all the hype from Dr. Shawn Baker and Dr. Peter Attila, I began eating the carnivore diet. I was attempting to check all the extreme diet boxes. I had lots of steak, fish, hamburger patties, and pork. Unsurprisingly, my cholesterol skyrocketed, completely against the internet wisdom that it would be normal. I did lose some weight, moving into the 195 pound range. Meanwhile, longtime meat-eaters at the gym began moving to vegan due to their cholesterol issues.
Pescatarian and IF – 2020
March of 2020 greeted us with COVID-19 and severe meat shortages as everyone hoarded food and toilet paper. I had to switch to a vegetarian diet again. The weight almost immediately started coming off. I had to stop BJJ due to COVID, but started doing the Murphy Workout regularly. Then I started lifting weights again. I’ve had to adapt my routine to being at home without equipment.
I’ve been between 170 and 175 pounds for months now, over 150 pounds lighter than I was 16 years ago. I slowly added fish back into my diet, eating catfish and tilapia. I’ve learned a lot of lessons over the years about how to care for myself and what my body needs to feel healthy.
Current Routine
My daily routine has changed over time to adapt to growing older and trying to stay healthy:
I fast until 11a – walking about 6000 steps first thing in the morning
I’ve started running a 5k each morning after I cook breakfast for my girls
I have a green smoothie for lunch, inspired by Scott Jurek, and some sort of cheese toast or similar
I’ll have a snack of fruit and nuts in the afternoon
I walk on a desk treadmill during all work conference calls and throughout the day – I walk at least 20,000 steps every day
4 days a week I use Mark Wildman’s kettlebell routines
I stop eating at 6p each night
Sample Meals for a Day – Late 2020
Breakfast – None, I fast until 11a each day
Lunch – Green smoothie
Protein powder
½ banana
1 date
Broccoli
Kale
Spiralina
Nutritional yeast
Blueberries
Frozen Fruit
Cheese toast or leftovers from dinner and some dark chocolate
Snack – Apple and nuts (pistachios, walnuts, pecans, or cashews)
Dinner – A solid vegetarian meal
Veggie burgers and baked fries
Oatmeal and potatoes
Buddha bowls
“Jesus” bowl
Veggie burritos
Final Thoughts – October 2020
I’m not going to be a model. I have loose skin everywhere, my face has sagged without all the fat holding it up. But I can run 5k fasted at a better time than I could 3 years ago. I’ve run 10ks. I’ve walked 120+ miles a week for weeks in a row walking 6-10 hours a day. I feel better than I have in my whole life, even on bad days. It’s been an interesting journey.
Why I Wrote This
I see others struggling with weight, and emotional issues. I’d like to help other people out, and that’s part of why I am sharing my story here. I don’t have all the answers, and I can only talk about what worked for me. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions, and I will do my best to provide support or tell you what I have done to get to where I am now.
Disclaimer: I am not a dietician, nor a doctor – just a guy who lost a bunch of weight and have kept it off for several years. This is not medical advice, but I am happy to share my experiences
