What do we mean when we talk about “off the scale” victories? Well, changing your life, changing your body isn’t just about a number and it isn’t just about your weight. If you reach a certain weight and the number on your scale stops going down, try not to lose heart.
When you’re on a weight loss journey, hitting a plateau can be really demoralising, but if you’re still doing everything right, look for other signs that your body is changing; check your measurements, see if your clothes fit better; check your fitness, see if you can make it up the stairs without getting out of puff; check yourself – how’s your confidence? How would you feel about trying something new? That’s just what this week’s Amazing Loser Kyle did, when he gave Jiu-Jitsu a go and found his strength increasing, his self-esteem increasing, his waist size decreasing, even though the scales stalled…
- Name: Kyle Curtis (ask him anything on Talk)
- Location: Parker, Colorado
- Job: Registered financial rep
- Height: 6′ (182cm)
- Age: 34
- Highest weight: 310lbs (140kg)
- Lowest weight: 192lbs (87kg)
- Plan: Ketogenic diet
How did you get to the position where you needed to lose weight?
What negative experiences did you have of being overweight?
I was the “Fat Friend”. It was not a fun experience. Not that anyone was mean to me about it, but I knew it deep down and it made me miserable. I had no confidence at all. I was very depressed. I couldn’t play sports with my friends any longer and I pretty much just lost myself in video games and food. My wife would try and get me to stop but I didn’t as the depression was too deep.
What made you decide to change?
I had a child and I started to think about what would happen if I died. I struggled with this thought and putting in the effort to lose weight for a long time. I would always say I would and I never did, instead always finding an excuse. I would say I was dieting but really I was sneaking junk food. One night I woke up in the middle of the night and looked at my wife and said, “This is going to kill me. I feel like I am dying.” I decided I had had enough and started looking into how I was going to do it.
What made it different from the times before?
How did you do it?
I found /r/keto on reddit and saw the results people were getting. I could tell it was a very strict diet and very difficult, but the results were shown every day. I decided to dive-in headfirst. I was miserable for about a month. I had an emotional connection with sugar, and I would often have mood swings from the lack of it. Eventually the anxiety and mood swings went away and the results started showing.
I also knew I wasn’t getting any exercise and decided to change that as well. I knew if I just went to a gym and lifted weights and ran I would quit. I decided I was going to do something that scared me. So I started doing Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and Kickboxing. I was terrified of getting punched, kicked, and choked. I knew if I could conquer that fear, then the diet would not be an issue. A year later and I am down 118 pounds and am competing in my first Jiu-Jitsu competition this weekend.
1. It is so much easier than most people say it is.
2. It’s far more mental than physical. Get your head straight and the diet will not be as bad.
3. Do it now. Don’t wait. You will thank yourself later.
Is there anything else we should know about your weight loss story?
Find a workout program or sport to get involved in. It makes the diet so much easier to keep. It’s even better if you do it with others or make friends at the gym. They will keep you accountable. Without my Jiu-Jitsu training, I would have never made it this far. The diet is for the body, the workout is for the mind. You will feel like a million bucks.
Don’t treat a diet like a diet. Call it a life change. You shouldn’t ever go back. People often think they can go back to eating terrible and are shocked when they gain it back. Find a diet that lets you manage your calories without losing your mind from being hungry and stick with it.
When you are starting out, track everything you eat. You will be shocked by what is going into your body. It also helps you cut down and keeps you accountable. Myfitnesspal was a great app for this.
