March 7, 2012
How I lost 150 pounds in one year
As a little kid I was always skinny, but when my growth spurt to 6-foot-2 began around age 15 that turned into chubby and by the end of high school I was fat. After a year of college fat gave way to obese and, for the most part, that's where I stayed. I lost significant amounts of weight several times since then, including a huge loss about five years ago, but inevitably I always put it all back on and then some.
Last winter I got Chinese takeout or had Pizza Hut chicken wings delivered nearly every night, with various other fast food meals and plenty of late-night snacking mixed in. All that gorging made me the fattest I'd ever been, which was incredibly depressing and in turn led to even more gorging. I was a mess, physically and mentally, but thankfully for whatever reason something finally clicked in my brain in late February of last year.
I was 28 years old and getting fatter by the day, which seemed like a recipe for a terrible life followed by an early death. I committed to attempting another weight-loss effort, knowing that if this one failed like the rest of them I'd probably just have to make peace with always being obese. And like a true addict I couldn't just start the diet, so instead I decided to give myself one final week to gorge on all the bad stuff I could possibly think of eating.
I can even remember my last bad meal. I ordered my favorite dish, hunan chicken, from my favorite Chinese restaurant, Yangtze in St. Louis Park, and then topped it off with some donuts and ice cream. I went to bed that night miserable, knowing how long the road ahead of me would be and how unlikely it was that I'd see the end of it. I woke up the next morning, sluggish from my final binge the night before, and stepped on the scale: 355 pounds.
That was March 7, 2011. Today is March 7, 2012 and this morning the scale read 202 pounds.
I lost 153 pounds in 366 days, and I did it without stomach stapling or crazy diets or a trainer. And as "Gleeman and The Geek" listeners know, I never stopped drinking beer. Throughout my previous weight loss ups and downs I learned that the simple balance between calories consumed and calories burned is the driving force behind any lifestyle change and as a baseball stat-head the knowledge that things work on a linear scale was reassuring.
My goal early on was simple: Eat fewer than 1,250 calories per day and force myself onto an elliptical machine for at least 10 minutes. I completely cut out all the foods I loved, going cold turkey on takeout and delivery and snacks, and also focused on eating at least two meals each day instead of letting myself get so hungry that dinner became a smorgasbord. I ate oatmeal and bananas and chicken soup and Lean Cuisine microwave dinners.
And the weight came flying off, as I shed 40 pounds in the first six weeks. That was certainly a positive thing, but because I'd done that (or something close) several times before I knew it was merely the first step down that long road. In the past my undoing always stemmed from slipping up once, which seems like a harmless thing at first but eventually leads to falling completely off the wagon.
My brain has proven incapable of occasionally going off the diet, so even after losing 40 pounds if I allow myself Chinese food or a few slices of pizza I know within a week I'll be back where I started. I've now gone one full year without consuming even 2,000 calories in a day and likely haven't topped 1,500 calories in a day more than a handful of times. It's been tough, no doubt, but my mantra of "why do I need it?" has talked me out of numerous slip-ups.
Along the way I upped my elliptical machine workout to an average of 30 minutes per day and developed a routine of working out around midnight, propping my laptop up on the console so music or a movie or a live sporting event could keep me occupied. I can remember barely being able to make it 10 minutes that first day, breathing heavily and sweating and feeling like my lungs were going to explode, but if not for boredom going an hour would be easy now.
I also gradually began to incorporate different, more fulfilling foods. I still eat microwavable meals about once a day--my favorites are chicken enchiladas suiza from Smart Ones, Thai-style chicken spring rolls from Lean Cuisine, and barbeque seasoned steak with red potatoes from Healthy Choice--but about six months ago I started to cook my own chicken-and-rice concoction that has become a daily and sometimes twice-daily meal.
Here are the ingredients for the huge batch I make each week:
- 15 cups of cooked white rice (which is about five cups uncooked)
- 28 ounces of Kame oyster sauce
- 12 ounces of Hormel natural choice chicken, cut into small pieces
- 4 ounces of John Morrell diced ham
- 12 ounces of Green Giant valley fresh steamers mixed vegetables
- 32 ounces of egg beaters, scrambled
- 2 ounces of soy sauce
- 0.75 ounces of minced onions
- 0.25 ounces of ground black pepper
- 1 ounce of salt
Put it all together in a big fry pan and what you get is a variation of chicken fried rice that tastes good, isn't terrible for you, and will keep you feeling full enough to avoid going off the diet. And as someone with zero cooking ability I can assure you it's incredibly easy to make, with the added bonus that the above recipe will feed you for an entire week and needs just a few minutes in the microwave for each meal.
I use that chicken-and-rice mashup as the baseline for most meals. For lunch I'll heat up a couple scoops of it along with the aforementioned Thai-style chicken rolls or a cup of microwavable Kraft macaroni and cheese. For dinner I'll heat up a couple more scoops along with the aforementioned chicken enchiladas suiza or barbeque seasoned steak with red potatoes. Every day and every meal, with Minute Maid light orange juice or water to drink.
Nothing crazy and no tricks, just find some reasonably healthy stuff that fills you up and tastes good, and eat it every day while avoiding slip-ups. I'm not sure if that approach is the healthiest or the smartest or even sustainable for the long haul, but I do know that it, along with 30 minutes per day on an elliptical machine, allowed me to go from 355 pounds to 202 pounds in 366 days with the following progression:
March 7, 2011: 355 pounds
May 11, 2011: 305 pounds
August 12, 2011: 265 pounds
September 9, 2011: 253 pounds
October 21, 2011: 245 pounds
December 1, 2011: 235 pounds
January 27, 2012: 215 pounds
March 7, 2012: 202 pounds
I'm certainly proud of myself for losing so much weight, but I'm also incredibly embarrassed on a number of different levels. For one thing I've lost 30 or 50 or even 90 pounds before several times, often writing about it in this space, and then I've always put it back on. That sucks, plain and simple. Beyond that, the biggest key to losing 150 pounds is being incredibly obese to begin with and ... well, that's not particularly fun to talk about either.
Praise for losing weight has always seemed odd to me, because no one is ever praised for simply being thin in the first place. It's like praising a shortstop for improving his defense from horrendous to mediocre, but not praising a different shortstop for always being a good defender. I'm also not in anything resembling great shape, as I still want to lose about 20 pounds and will never be accused of being toned or muscular.
I'm not an expert, I'm not bragging, and I'll probably always be embarrassed about my struggles with weight and how I look. But what I am, for now at least, is someone who stopped his downward spiral enough to shed 153 pounds in 366 days and my hope in writing this is to encourage myself to avoid yet another backslide and perhaps to encourage others to make a change for the better.
Being fat sucks and, if you're like me, being ashamed about how you look fuels depression and then depression leads to over-eating. As happy as I am with how I look and feel now, it makes me retroactively depressed about times in my life when, looking back, people may have been embarrassed to be seen with me or not wanted to hang out with me. Or even just judged me differently because of the person I presented in public.
I'm a lazy 29-year-old guy who's been fat since high school, doesn't have great metabolism or genetics, works from home, barely leaves the house, and can't cook. If I can get on a simple diet and stick to it for a year, then literally anyone can do it and probably do it even better. Find some low-calorie foods you like enough to eat on a regular basis, learn to cook a meal or two that you enjoy, and push yourself to exercise just a little bit.
My issue has always been needing to feel full and binging, but by building a diet of low-calorie foods and a rice concoction I've managed to feel full most of the time and by going cold turkey on everything bad I've stayed binge-free. Whether it's analytical or obsessive-compulsive, knowing that burning more calories than I take in equals weight loss and establishing a consistent routine of what I eat, when I eat, how I work out, and when I work out was crucial.
I eat at approximately 10:30 am and 6:30 p.m. every day, consuming some combination of those same half-dozen or so low-calorie options for each meal, and then do the same workout around midnight. Immersing myself in those patterns kept me from slip-ups, helped me stay confident that my plan was working, and perhaps most importantly kept me from having to think too much about eating or working out in general.
Because for a longtime fatso whose over-eating comes partly from depression thinking about your life and diet and body can be the worst thing for any weight-loss effort. So instead of thinking too much I just eat the same stuff and do the same workout I did the day before. Stick to your routine, without exceptions. No cheat days, no slip-ups because you're out with friends, no skipping a workout because you're tired.
Do it, every day, and one year later you'll have changed your life.
I lost 42 lbs doing P90X. It is hard to stay motivated but even if you only do one or two excersizes per week and then a couple of ab workouts you are sure to at least lose a few belt sizes. Cheers
Comment by Mitch Clingman — June 4, 2012 @ 10:53 am
Here’s the $64 question: once you get to your target weight, how are you going to adjust your diet? Are you going to stay on what your eating, but just eat more of it? Are you going to work out less? Are you going to incorporate different foods into your diet? Are you going to allow yourself a binge once a week?
I ask because losing weight can become an obsession of its own, where the constant thrill of success trips and dulls the dopamine sensor in the same way food used to. I am curious how you have thought that through and what your strategy will be?
Comment by Chuck Hildebrandt — June 11, 2012 @ 8:14 am
Aaron-
Congratulations, you’ve done a fantastic job! I am reading Chris Jaffe’s SABR recap, which provided me an update on your status.
While I never was anywhere near your max weight, I did take of 45 pounds once — and I put it back on. Chuck’s comment just before mine hit home: once I quit getting the thrill of losing, I slipped. So good luck on what I think is the harder part of the journey.
Comment by Glenn — July 2, 2012 @ 10:42 am
Congratulations Aaron, this is pretty amazing. I also read Chris’s SABR recap and followed the link here.
I have to echo the others here who say that what you have done deserves praise. The reason many of us find weight-loss stories interesting is that we all have areas of our lives where we would like to make a change, and we find stories of people who have made that kind of change inspiring. I’ve always been skinny, but I wish I had the kind of self discipline that you have displayed over the last year.
Comment by Dave in NYC — July 2, 2012 @ 3:02 pm
cutting out those fatty foods is number 1.
it’s incredibly difficult to avoid fatty foods even when you’re picking up those “fat-free” labels which are still very fatening.
research is everything. eating natural non-processed foods helps. lots of water, and lean meat.
surround yourself with healthy foods.
when you crave something fatty, eat a lot of healthy foods until your craving goes away. nobody craves fatty foods when they’re full.
Comment by someone — July 3, 2012 @ 5:37 am
I am totally inspired and followed a similar routine before only to gain what I lost back but this time I’m focused and there IS NO STOPPING MEEE!!!
Comment by Chynah — July 3, 2012 @ 7:34 pm
Hey Aaron. Very, very inspiring post. Finally a weight loss story I can relate to, as I’m also around 6′ 2″ and 350 pounds, and I’ve also decided to just stick to calorie counting and sport.
Congratulations, I only have one question. Do you have any problems with excess skin after this relatively fast weight loss? That’s one of my main concerns regarding weight loss…
Comment by John Joe — August 28, 2012 @ 4:00 am
Thanks for sharing!
Comment by Greg Mech — September 9, 2012 @ 7:38 pm
I am literally in the same boat I’m 26 years old and started off at 364. I’m 2 weeks into my weight loss goal and I’m down to 355. I am going to start walking now that my eating habit is changed and my body is use to it. This story is an extra boost of inspiration and confidence I need to help me get through this and achieve my goals, thanks for sharing
Comment by Roland — September 18, 2012 @ 8:24 pm
I did the exact thing you did in almost the exact same way. Except I’ve gained 70 pounds back in a year. I’ve read the (unsolicited) advice posted here, so I’ll throw in my two cents: do not change anything.
Comment by Ginger — October 15, 2012 @ 4:46 am
Cool website buddy I am gona suggest this to all my list of contacts.
Comment by HCG diet — November 21, 2012 @ 6:17 am
Sorry for the bad news, but I did the same thing and you WILL gain the weight back. Reason, you never learned how to eat properly, and once you go back to regular foods, the deficit you put your body in will begin storing more fat because it will not know when the next time it will get any. I did far more than elliptical excercise, really got into incredible shape, muscles, the whole 9, but it disappeared fast as soon as I got off my extreme diet. Just giving you a look into the future.
Comment by Michael — January 4, 2013 @ 1:01 pm
I loved reading your testimony; thanks for writing this entry. It provides me with relivant advise on how to try to shed this excess weight myself. I’m 37 and have been carrying an extra 110#’s for a decade now! My goal of shedding that over the course of year seems tangible – like you said, be prepared and dont expect to upset your entire lifestyle; make it work for you – I LOVE IT!
Comment by Jen — January 5, 2013 @ 10:21 am
This is so motovating thank u so much i randomly looked at it and ifs march 7 2013 i need to start now so inspiring
Comment by LOve — March 7, 2013 @ 7:34 pm
Aaron. I am 355 pounds and I am 15 years old. You inspire me so much. This is so hard trying to keep away from the foods I love. Maybe we can chat and you can help me out.
Comment by Brianna — April 7, 2013 @ 11:30 pm
I have now LOST 62lbs in 13 WEEKS!!!!
I have a long way to go though. I had not weighed myself in years, stepped on the scale to see 420.1lbs. I am 6’4″ and weighed 420.1 lbs just 13 short weeks ago. Your story has helped to keep me going as I am always online reading about other peoples progression and comparing to my own. I guess I have become obsessing about it. I now weigh 358 and can walk longer and further than I have been able to in the past 5 years. I am 33 years old and can not believe I ever let myself get this far out of control. I still slip up, this weekend for the final four I had pizza wings and beer and I keep beating myself up for it. But I can’t quit. I must keep going. I need to do this for me. I need to to this for my wife. I need to do this for my kids. This is the hardest thing I have ever done and I worry I won’t be able to make it all the way 🙁 Wish me luck…
Comment by Steve — April 8, 2013 @ 8:32 am
Aaron like you I Lost 140 Lbs several years ago using a similar method. Found the weight and started to RELEASE it a couple weeks ago. I used a a system called Burn the Fat Build the muscle. I found it to be the most balanced form of lifestyle change out there combining Nutrition with Pschcology and excercise. The best and most significant part of the puzzle was a S.M.A.R.T. goal setting program from the start. I feel that once I achieved all my goals the first time I stopped working my goal system which caused the slip along with a pretty severe back injury I used as an excuse for a long time. Please look into setting up a goal setting system for yourself so you can stay focused and continue to release body fat and build muscle. real about terms like NLP to stay focused. I know is sounds corny but I read all my goals to myself every morning when I wake and every night before I sleep. My 90 Day goal being most important. It is basically brainwashing your subconscious to keep on track and keep achieving. You know about hitting walls and plateaus. So at this point for you make the goals fun and more exercise and conditioning based. Like running a 6 k or doing a pull up or physical activities you have never done. I I KNOW HOW HARD YOU WORKED TO GET IT OFF. I put it back on. I swore I never would. I kept it off for about 2 years. But I stopped the goals. then I got injured and then I was over 300 again. Not to give the guy a plug but the book that inspired me was by Tom Venuto. It is more Tony Robins then it is a diet. Tons of good overall life changing info. By the way you can eat anything you want and almost as much if you hit a goal and earn a cheat meal. I lost the same
weight and got to pig out and enjoy many many meals. I’m Italian a Chef and love food. So it can be done.
You can contact me if you want. pcefaratti@gmail.com I would like to chat if your ok with it.
Comment by Paul — June 25, 2013 @ 2:29 pm
Sounds fimiliar , I am 40 and will start today to go from 350 to 200.
I have not been at 200 since high school.
Thanks for sharing your story.
Comment by js8710 — July 17, 2013 @ 2:17 pm
wow im the same size you started at and I need a change. the hardest part ids finding what to eat, but I need to do it for my health and ultimately for my life. This really inspired me to change and do something about my weight..Thanks
Comment by curtis — July 23, 2013 @ 8:56 pm
This may seem silly, but do you have a recipe for the chicken fried rice? Do you cook the chicken separately?
Comment by Haystacks — August 17, 2013 @ 11:30 am
I would like to know how much you weigh today? And I just want to add my biggest problem is that all my friends and family are too supportive. They say, I love you the way your are. I think you look great. They forget that I can’t walk, have High Blood pressure, a thyroid condition, and am just plain FAT! I hate my clothes, the fact that getting around is really uncomfortable. I broke the driver seat in my car all because I’m so fat. I am 170 lbs overweight, and I’m going to try why you recommend. Because I need to do something.
thank you for sharing!
Comment by Not the Only one — September 5, 2013 @ 2:57 pm
I know this was written about 2 yeras or so ago. But, I’m inspired, right here, right now. Thank you.
Comment by Alexis — October 4, 2013 @ 1:20 pm
I’m currently in the same position you were in 2011.. terribly embarrassed about my weight/how I look.. I’ve been trying to find the motivation to make the change but I’ve been looking everywhere but inside myself. Then I found your article and saw that it is possible if you put your everything into it. Thanks, Aaron!
Comment by Summer — October 11, 2013 @ 10:40 am
Great job! I’ve lost 226lbs in nearly two years so I know how much effort that it takes to accomplish the feat you have undertaken. I’m going to Vegas to run the marathon next weekend. Two years ago I wouldn’t have even thought about walking a block let alone running a marathon.
Comment by vegaskev — November 4, 2013 @ 9:08 pm
I have a similar story and this is inspiring to me, since I since gained about 30 pounds back. Keep up the great work!
Comment by Hamiltank — February 3, 2014 @ 10:58 am
Since I ran across this page, i have been so inspired, I started counting calories and using my fitbit to track my intake vs calories burned and I have already lost 15 lbs this month. I am so glad I found your page, it was the inspiration I was waiting for. I totally book marked it, I check back and reread for more inspiration! Thank you for posting your journey on here!!
Comment by Debbie — February 6, 2014 @ 8:26 pm
I am starting this tomorrow. I weigh 250, I hope to get to 150. Thank you for the inspiration.
Comment by Sel — March 9, 2014 @ 5:37 pm
Wow, you sound exactly like me. I am going to print this off as an inspiration! Thanks so very much for sharing.
Comment by Chrissy — May 20, 2014 @ 10:06 pm
I am 20 years old and 375. I have always been struggling with weight I am a woman and also 6 feet 3 inches tall.. I lost 25 lbs but just put it right back on, Your story has truly inspired me to not give up. I can do this!
Comment by RachelLynn — May 30, 2014 @ 1:04 pm
Great work! Keep it up. I lost 190lbs in the last 12 months and it is inspirational to see other people sticking with it and losing a lot of weight too! So hard to find anything real about losing a lot as opposed to the millions of people who will help you lose that first forty pounds!
Comment by RobH — June 19, 2014 @ 3:23 pm
I was looking for some interesting post on losing weight,. I am really impressed with your post as I got to learn too much from this. THanks for sharing it
Comment by Ethnic Food — June 30, 2014 @ 12:58 am
I think it is great you did it. I am going threw the same thing trying to lose a lot of weight about the same as you. I will try some of things you did and see if it works for me .
Comment by vicky — September 1, 2014 @ 8:20 pm
Thank you.. i needed to hear / read something like this to know that im not alone with my depression about my weight..and gave me a little assurance that my efforts wont be in vain…and a year isnt that long… i can do this.
Comment by Candace — October 29, 2014 @ 11:50 am
And here I am just trying to lose 25 pounds as a woman and everyone tells me to eat at least 1200 calories a day? I don’t understand. Obviously, there is no such thing as “starvation mode”. It’s just people over eating once the diet ends.
Comment by Cecilia — January 9, 2015 @ 6:57 pm
Now I am a believer! All those diets people are selling and you have shoen that even a not impossible diet and exercise can get it done! Dude, for real – you need to start a movement of real people and real methods that work. Thin people just can not relate to the type of change you went through – so stop speaking to them, and start speaking to the millions who are trapped and hopless everyday to tell them there is another way – a middle ground to take them away from the edge of the abyss. I started tonight following your diet, now its the gym tomorrow. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Comment by Dude Zero — February 24, 2015 @ 10:14 pm
Congrats!! This has really been an inspiration for me! I am 50 pounds over weight and really needed to hear this. Thanks!
Comment by Diamond doll — March 18, 2015 @ 6:02 pm
I came across this post on your blog, and literally this post is me. It has inspired me to finally lose the 150 or so I need to lose. I’m a few months in and about 35 pounds down and thought I’d thank you for this post. It has been a major motivation for me, especially on the days I want to eat that “Chinese takeout” or order a pizza. Thanks also for the recommendation of the Healthy choice and Lean Cuisine meals as they are set in stone so-to-speak, so I can’t add a little more to them. I also bought myself an elliptical at the beginning of my journey and have used it everyday since I bought it. I just keep remembering the “no excuses” attitude you explained. I know I have a long road ahead, but I am determined to lose the weight. Thanks again Aaron.
Comment by Matthew Knight — March 30, 2015 @ 2:32 am
so , Aaron , where are you now? , I’m about to start my 150 lb loss journey.
Comment by Arturo Marquez — August 16, 2015 @ 6:14 pm
It is wonderful that you lost all that weight! Congrats! But from the way you did it, I was able to see why you hadn’t been able to keep it off! You were basically depriving your body of proper fuel through knowledgable, portioned, clean and balanced eating. You also had no resistance training so you have been essentially creating a lean muscle mass BURNING machine! And that can’t last long-term! If you want REAL and lasting results, I can educate you or anyone else on proper diet and exercise that is sustainable and long-term. The key is Lean Protein, Complex Carbs/Fruits amd Veggies/GOOD fat! AT LEAST 5 times a day in the right portions. Your diet would have slowed your metabolism considerably. And that is why if you were to have “cheat” meals, your body could never efficiently burn it off. Knowledge is POWER!
Comment by Phoeniix J — September 3, 2015 @ 1:18 pm
Impressive! Thank you for sharing and congrats!
Comment by Denise — January 6, 2016 @ 8:55 am
Testify.
Comment by David — January 6, 2016 @ 9:01 am
I see this is 4 years old. Very inspiring. Would love to hear how things are going now and hopefully you’ve kept it off.
Comment by Michael Natale — February 29, 2016 @ 7:24 am
I know this was a long long time ago, but I’m so glad I found this. It’s like a sign that it’s the same month and everything that you started. As a sort of experiment, I’ve chosen to replicate, for the most part, what you’ve done. I work out a bit more though. The elliptical is crazy! I can’t do that for long right now, but walking and the exercise bike works for me. I want to see what can happen for me too. What do I have to lose? Besides weight anyway.
Comment by Chelle — March 15, 2016 @ 6:43 pm
Aw, this was a really nice post. Taking a few minutes and actual
effort to produce a good article… but what can I say… I put things off a whole
lot and don’t seem to get anything done.
Comment by Tegan — November 16, 2019 @ 7:36 am
Good article! We are linking to this great content on our website.
Keep up the great writing.
Comment by Nadine — December 29, 2019 @ 7:46 pm
Aaron,
This is a very old post now, but I have a question if you ever see it. How were you able to fit beer into a 1250 calorie diet? I like to have a beer or two 3-4 days a week, and refuse to give it up as a homebrewer who loves his hobby. I’m recently started working off a 2000 calorie a day diet and have a hard time throwing a 200+ calorie liquid in every so often. My question is to only hope to understand.
Comment by Matt — January 28, 2020 @ 10:09 am
Impressive, congrats.
Comment by Try keto — March 14, 2021 @ 7:30 pm