Fit2Fat2Fit (11 page)

While my parents pulled a fast one on me with the potato skin myth, I'm not one to let something go to waste. In the time-honored tradition of turning “lemons” into lemonade, I actually use this false myth to solve the grocery store dilemma. It can also help you to focus on the right types of foods (lean meats, nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables). Who said Mom and Dad's little white lies wouldn't come in handy?

I want you to envision your local grocery store as a large potato. The back wall and the aisles on the far sides of the building are the skin. The middle aisles are the white, fluffy goodness that we love. Please note: the skin is where you need to stay. Avoid the middle at all costs.

The outside edges of the store are absolute nirvana to a life of health. Here you'll find fruits, vegetables, lean meats, healthy seafood, and excellent sources of protein. And while it's true that your local grocery store isn't going to have a “10 Fillets of Salmon for $10!” sale anytime soon, you'll save much more important things, namely your resolve, self-esteem, and health.

So for now, I'll forgive my parents for their small fib about potato skins. After all, the more you view your weekly shopping experience as eating that outside part of the potato, the closer you'll be to your goals.

It seems that the world challenges your good nutritional intentions at every turn.

It would be easier if you could text-message the entire world, asking everyone to support your life decisions. How wonderful would it be to walk into a grocery store that carried only healthy foods? I truly believed, back in my fit days, that once the decision to lose weight and become healthy was made, the will to follow meal plans and workout routines would naturally become the new routine.

Spinach Egg-White Omelet

Makes 1 serving

Spray a medium-size skillet with olive oil nonstick spray. Mix the egg whites and whole egg together. Once the pan reaches medium-high heat, add the eggs and wait 30 seconds. Then add the onions, jalapeños, spinach, mushrooms, red bell pepper, and chicken breast, placing them in a line along the middle. Once the eggs start to bubble and become firm on the bottom (usually 1 to 2 minutes), indicating that the omelet is ready to flip, sprinkle the outside edges with water using your fingertips—as it bubbles it creates a space that helps make it easier to use a spatula for flipping. Flip/close the omelet and cook for another minute or so; then flip the omelet to the other side for another 1 to 2 minutes, or until done. Once the omelet is cooked to your liking, serve with the salsa on top and enjoy.

It took 75 extra pounds for me to realize that the simple choice of becoming healthy was only the beginning.

What came next was learning to deal with the constant barrage of choices that had to be made in order to support my approach to nutrition. When I stopped at the gas station for a fill-up, I had to remind myself not to pick up Zingers, but to eat from my bag of healthy treats. And, as I mentioned earlier, twice a week I used my evenings to prepare meals ahead, making the difficult choices a little bit easier.

And things did get easier. The second day, while immensely difficult, was a bit easier to handle than the first. The second week continued to barrage me with choices, but my resolve and willpower seemed to be equal to the task.

As I explained earlier, the personal trainer in me decided not to exercise during the first month of Fat2Fit. While I was hopeful that careful eating would pull me through, little did I know that sheer nutrition could lead to such overwhelming results.

In six months, I had gained 75 pounds. In one month of proper nutrition, I lost 19. My body fat dropped by 5 percent, and my energy level skyrocketed. My testosterone level almost doubled (249 to 475), my total cholesterol went from 147 to 116, my LDL(bad cholesterol) went from 80 to 62, my triglycerides went from 132 to 59, and my insulin level went from 51 to 5 (normal).

Was it as simple as making a single choice and watching the results flow in? Sadly, no. I'd simplified the world so much as a personal trainer that I was blind to the reality of how difficult this process can be.

But there's another reality. Every choice presented to us is an opportunity. And every day, we have 10, 20, 30 opportunities to make the right choice. The key is being prepared, which makes every right choice that much easier. It worked for me. Losing 19 pounds without lifting a weight or doing a push-up was better than I'd expected.

Unfortunately, my journey to becoming fit would involve more than just nutrition, and all that fun stuff was still to come …

T
here was something sinister in his smile. Sure, he had been a supportive friend as I had gained over 70 pounds, but now that I was on my way back, his smile didn't match the current conversation.

I was in the middle of lunch with one of my closest friends, and I had just finished relating my sense of nervousness about the coming week—the first time that I would start working out in seven months. And all he did was slyly smile, as if he was enjoying my unease. His expression conveyed a single thought: payback.

When I was a personal trainer, taking on a new client was always an interesting prospect. Taking on a client who also happened to be a family member or a friend complicated matters, as I noted when talking about James.

After all, one of the key characteristics of a good personal trainer is to push “trainees” to accomplish what they can't on their own. And being strangers helps this—as the trainer, you feel less guilty about really engaging them, and you're far enough removed from their bad habits or poor routines that it doesn't frustrate you.

Family and friends, however, challenge you in a different way. They're usually much more honest about their struggles and breakdowns, but they also have an underlying expectation that the bond you share will guarantee results (no doubt with half the effort!).

Months before the idea of Fit2Fat2Fit had even entered my brain, the friend in question had asked me to take him under my wing and provide some personal training. I agreed, with a mix of excitement and trepidation. His would be an interesting training regimen, as he wasn't overweight but simply wanted to build and tone muscle.

I suggested that we work out at a gym so that I could have the full arsenal of equipment at my disposal. He politely declined, asking to be trained in the comfort of his own basement. That response caught me off guard. I had seen how fear of the gym had held overweight clients back, but this friend had nothing to be embarrassed about.

I found myself feeling slightly bemused at some of his difficulties as I took him through the paces of his first workout. Starting out, the problems were simple enough—he needed some extra water breaks, and he frequently mentioned that he “hadn't worked out like this … ever.” I was patient, but persistent. I was going to get him to work his body like never before.

Then came complaints about, of all things, his nose going numb! As a personal trainer, I had heard every excuse in the book, but a numbing nose in the middle of a 45-minute workout? I had my doubts. This was followed by pangs of nausea that he said were coming on stronger with every exercise. After another, lengthier break, I encouraged him to keep it up. Halfway through the next set of push-ups, he sprinted to the bathroom and vomited. End of workout.

As a good friend and personal trainer, I called him the next day to see if he would even consider letting me back into his basement to continue to train. While he said he was still game, he also commented that our single workout had caused bizarre behaviors—like walking down the stairs backward. Apparently he was so sore he couldn't walk down the stairs like a normal human being. The pain was too severe.

The soreness was winning the war. And sadly, I thought it was as convincing as the nose that went numb. The excuses and complaints were piling up faster than the push-ups.

We lasted only two more sessions. While no other experience involving vomit took place, the nose of constant numbing made numerous returns, and the slight tension between trainer and trainee continued to build. He graciously ended our agreement.

So as I drove home from that lunch many months (and 75 pounds) later, I smiled at my friend's reaction to my impending workout routines. He was clearly going to enjoy my struggle with the exercise portion of my journey back to fitness. And I was eager to prove that his experience was just another example of someone not doing enough to get the fitness he desired.

Two days later, as I pulled into a parking space in front of the gym, I hesitated. For the first time in my life, I was actually nervous to go in. What would people think when they saw me, overweight and struggling through basic moves? After all,
my
picture was on the wall, advertising my Fit2Fat2Fit journey.

Getting into the gym, rough though it was, was the easy part. Apparently, doing a single set of push-ups was more than my body could handle. Halfway through my first exercise group, I couldn't get over the sensation of my stomach hitting the mat, and my knees buckled to the floor. I was doing knee push-ups, and just barely surviving.

After every set of reps, my arms were shaking (slightly at first, violently by the end). I kept glancing around, wondering what judging eyes could be watching me. I pressed on, though, and made it through my first workout in seven months.

At least I didn't vomit
, I thought as I headed home, physically shaken and mentally defeated. It was a struggle to admit to my wife that knee push-ups had been required and that so much strength had been lost in such a short period of time.

The worst of it came the next day. I knew I was in trouble when the pain in my chest and arms actually woke me up. Getting out of bed, I felt like knives were stabbing into my muscles, and the staircase to the kitchen looked like it was 300 miles long.

The personal trainer in me rationalized it as a condition called DOMS (delayed-onset muscle soreness). However, as I took every step as slowly as humanly possible, and actually cried out in pain when I picked up my two-year-old, my friend's face came into focus.

To me, the pain might have been DOMS. To him, and to many of my previous clients, it was something else: payback.

It's truly amazing what you can find on television in the dead of night when you can't sleep. No, the airwaves aren't filled with trashy movies, second-rate reality shows, or sports bloopers. Every single minute from about 1:00
A.M
. to 5:00
A.M
. is filled with something slightly more intoxicating—infomercials.

There are 30-minute specials on every product imaginable. If you struggle with acne, weight, rotting food, a shortage of fresh pasta, stains on your carpet, or even a lack of hair, the late-night infomercials are a one-stop shop. If you call within the next 15 minutes, you get even more amazing deals!

One night, early in my Fat2Fit journey, I couldn't sleep and found myself surfing through these infomercials. I stumbled upon a series of specials about exercise. After about two hours of being sold to, even the personal trainer in me was convinced that I could lose my 70-plus pounds of extra weight by barely lifting a finger.

The first special I watched made things seem terribly easy. All I had to do was put 10 minutes in per day, and the weight would come off. There were no special diets, and I wasn't required to put in hours at the gym. Even better, there was no special equipment. By following an exercise routine that provided roughly an hour of physical activity a week, I'd lose inches and pounds. Really!

That was followed by what can only be described as a human torture device—one that could conveniently be stored under your bed when not in use, and firmly attached to the back of any normal bedroom door when needed. The key, it appeared, was that regular exercise didn't do enough. However, by doing the same routines while bolted into a fancy (and costly) contraption, I'd lose inches and pounds. If that wasn't enough, I was introduced to a much less costly and intimidating contraption—one that ensured I was doing a proper abdominal crunch every time. Contrary to popular belief, I was told, the only thing holding me back from rock-hard abs (that glisten in the sun) was a five-minute routine. I didn't have to lift weights or do hours of cardio; all I had to do was buy the video and the bar and I'd lose inches and pounds. Yes, really!

As I was getting ready to fall asleep, I was greeted with one final infomercial. Taking a completely different tack, this was hard-core: 12 individual workouts, six days a week. I would be working out one to two hours a day on this regimen, and it would be the hardest thing I'd ever done. This would be like having a personal trainer at my house every single day, I was told. If it didn't physically kill me, I'd be the talk of the town. But just to show that it wasn't too cumbersome, I was promised that it would take only three months to find the best shape of my life. If I bought the entire package, I'd lose pounds and inches pronto.