Weight Loss Stories – Frank Lost 149 Pounds in 12 Months

Name: Frank
Age: 41
Family Status: Married with kids
Occupation: Self employed
Hometown: Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Pounds or Inches Lost: I lost 149 pounds!
Height: 5’7″
Waist: 32″
Starting Weight: 332 pounds
Current Weight: 183 pounds

Frank’s Weight Loss Story!
I’ve been heavy all my life and on January 1, 2006, my life changed forever. My daughter’s love was reason enough to motivate myself, 36 years of age (at the time), into dropping 149 pounds.

Weighing in at 332 pounds and standing five feet seven inches tall, I had many health related that included type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea (wearing a sleeping appliance) and sore feet. I was also on medication (six pills a day) and I knew that something had to done. I wore a pants size of 48 inches and a neck size of 19 inches. I basically looked like a miniature elephant!

I’m a self-employed businessman of three businesses and my stress level was very high. Being busy is not unusual for me but it was a crazy life. Juggling the businesses, with the kid’s soccer, basketball, swimming and any other sport you can think of, my life was a walking time bomb.

It all started out on New Year’s Eve when my daughter, Marlena, gave me a Happy New Year’s hug and I remember her saying, “Daddy I can’t even put my arms around you. Why are you so big?” I explained to her that I just plain and simply liked to eat. Being Italian, I loved pasta, homemade pizza and bread. She didn’t really understand why her daddy had to be that way when most other dads were all in good shape.

I remember visiting my doctor in November of 2005 just before my weight loss journey and explaining to her that I had sore feet. I asked her what to do? My doctor stated with a faint voice that I needed to lose weight. I asked her “what did you say” and she said again that I needed to lose weight. Leaving my doctor’s office depressed and embarrassed, I started a few months later with my weight loss journey.

My journey began with a purchase that saved my life, a treadmill. On January 2nd, 2006 my journey began. I did an hour of walking every morning before breakfast. After my workout, I had Go Lean cereal for breakfast with non-fat milk or egg whites mixed with oatmeal and a handful of blueberries. I normally had some fruit for a snack, turkey pita for lunch loaded with vegetables (no mayonnaise or sauces, just mustard) or a bowl of lentil soup. Then, another fruit for a snack or some almonds in the afternoon and salmon or boneless chicken with vegetables and a yam for dinner. Once a week, normally on Saturday, I cheated. I ate whatever I wanted and this was my “cheat day” which included a 6″ whole wheat chicken sub sandwich for lunch and for dinner I had chicken fajitas.

Every day, I drank 10 to 12 glasses of water a day which in my eyes is a very important key to weight loss. After one month of walking on the treadmill, I was 20 pounds lighter. I started walking faster and after a few more months, I started running. After four months, I lost 70 pounds and had gone off all my medication and did not have diabetes or high blood pressure anymore. My sore feet had disappeared and the sleep apnea was gone. When the sleep apnea left me, so did the loud and obnoxious snoring.

I then brought in the weights in my workout routine about 4 months later to tone up and did some biking along with running 5 to 7 km per day. I would cycle approximately 20 km at night. In July 2006, my weight fell to 195 pounds. Presently, I am 183 pounds (as of January 7th, 2011) and have never been so happy in all my life. To date, I have lost a total of 149 pounds and kept it off! Food will never control my life again. With a 32-inch waist and 14 1/2 inch neck, I feel like a million dollars.

My motto is “mind over mouth”. Your mind controls your eating habits. My health was too important to put at risk. There is no “magic pill” that will take the weight off. The weight will come off with hard work, from watching what you eat and working out on a regular basis. The best feeling in the world now is when you see someone and they don’t recognize you. You know all your hard work has paid off.

Presently, what I do is just replace the bad foods with the good foods. So, instead of having three plates of pasta, I will have a quarter of a plate of whole wheat pasta, piece of boneless chicken, plate of salad and some vegetables. Every day (5 days a week) I do 40 minutes of different strenuous cardio routines and 30-45 minutes of weight training working different muscle groups daily. I normally take the weekends off to rest my body. Oh yeah and I still have my cheat days on Saturdays!

I proceeded to go back to my doctor’s office after my weight loss without her knowing and was waiting in the examining room. When the doctor came in to the examining room she stated, “Can I help you with something?” and I said “Hi it’s me, doctor”. She said “Who?” and I said “Its Frank and guess what, my feet don’t hurt anymore”. She jumped out of her chair and said HOLY S@$#. The greatest feeling in the world is that my doctor never recognized me!

For anyone trying to lose weight, working out is a great stress reliever. If I found the time to take the weight off being self-employed and having a busy schedule with my kids, anybody can find the time. There are NO excuses anymore! It only takes a half an hour to an hour a day and you’re on the road to a new you. Don’t forget to drink a lot of water also, which helps big time. I have managed to keep the weight off for 6 years!

Frank’s Weight Loss Questions & Answers!

When did you become unhappy with your weight?
When my daughter hugged me and I was 332 pounds.

What made you decide to lose weight?
My daughter inspired me to lose weight.

What were the most important changes you made to lose weight?
Food choices, portion control, exercise and a commitment.

What was most challenging about losing weight?
When other people were eating unhealthy foods around me.

How long did it take you to start to see results?
2 weeks.

How long did it take for you to reach your current weight?
1 year.

How long have you maintained your weight loss and how do you do it?
6 years. I maintain it by sticking to my diet and exercise plan.

How has your life changed now that you’ve lost weight?
I feel amazing and I’m off all my pills.

How did ShapeFit help you reach your weight loss goals?
I just found out about ShapeFit.com and the weight loss stories are very inspirational.

Frank’s Weight Loss Tips!

Weight loss tip #1:
Portion control.

Weight loss tip #2:
Commitment.

Weight loss tip #3:
Exercise.

Weight loss tip #4:
Live life.

Weight loss tip #5:
Drink a lot of water.

Frank’s Weight Loss Eating Plan!

Breakfast:
Egg whites, oatmeal and blueberries.

Lunch:
Chicken salad with oil and vinegar.

Dinner:
Chicken stir fry.

Snacks or Mini Meals:
Apple, banana or orange.

Frank’s Weight Loss Workouts!

Weight Training:
I work a different part of my body every day when I’m weight training.

Cardiovascular:
I do a different cardio routine every day.

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