Weight Loss Success Story - Tyler I. • Simple Nourished Living

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Weight Loss Success Story: Tyler I.

Read on to discover how Tyler has transformed his life, losing 150 pounds with clean eating and exercise, overcoming depression and serving as an inspiring example for others…

Tell Us A Little Bit About Your Weight Struggle
All my life I was overweight. This was nothing new to me. At age 22, weighing 365 lbs, I was depressed, overweight, high blood pressure and ready to give up.

I had been struggling with depression for years and it was going untreated. I was told by a few doctors that I NEEDED to lose weight. One doctor told me “If you were 40, I’d tell you you’re likely to have a heart attack in the next 6 months”.

It did not matter how many doctors told me this. To me, it sounded like a broken record. It was something I knew needed to be done but was just trying to drown it out.

No changes will be made until you want them to be made. They cannot be done for someone else or by someone else. You and only you can make these changes!

What Was Your Wake-Up Call Or “A-Ha Moment” That Caused You To Really Commit Yourself To Succeeding?
My “A-Ha moment” was one morning when I was getting ready for work. It was no different than any other morning and yet it was a life changing morning for me.

I was sitting on the couch putting on my boots. I stood up and found myself out of breath. From tying my boots! It’s like a switch was flipped in my head. I said enough is enough. I’m 22 years old. What the heck am I doing to myself?

From that day forward, I decided to commit to living a healthy life. I started doing lots of research on diets and exercise. Figuring out which diets would work for me. Figuring out which ones wouldn’t work for me.

I lost my first 30 pounds from diet alone. This was a start! It was a great feeling and I wanted to keep going.

I got a gym membership to a well-known gym and began small. I started doing 10 minutes per day of cardio and about 30 minutes per day of weight training. I slowly increased these numbers over the next few months.

Getting to the point of doing 45 mins to an hour of cardio per day and an hour and a half of weight training.

I TRULY did not dread cardio anymore. I would grab my towel from my gym bag and drape it over the screen on the elliptical machine and just start. I would not look at how much I had done. I had set playlists I would listen to and I knew when I got to a certain point, I had been going for XXX minutes.

If I felt like I had more in the tank, I would keep going! After 8 months of clean eating and exercise, I had finally achieved 150 pounds of weight loss.

Now weighing in at 215 lbs and I could not be happier!

How Have Your Eating Habits Changed Since Beginning Your Journey? What Did You Eat Before And What Are You Eating Now?
Before losing weight, I ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I never once paid attention to serving sizes or the macronutrients. They just did not matter to me.

After doing research on dieting, I found out EXACTLY what I needed to eat. My diet became completely clean and as some people would say “boring.”

Ultimately, it wasn’t boring for me. I knew that if I kept fueling my body with these foods, I knew exactly what the outcome would be and I loved it.

Now after losing the weight, my diet is very forgiving. I can eat cheat meals, I can go off the diet for a day or two and eat whatever I want. I don’t gain weight anymore.

I transformed my body into a fat burning machine. Life is no fun if you can’t enjoy the treats like cake, candy, ice cream, etc.

The biggest thing is portion control. Don’t go overboard!

My diet is still 95% clean eating. The broccoli, chicken, rice, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, etc. but I do have room to enjoy the sweets in life now as well!

What Is The Difference In Your Fitness Before You Started And Now?
Aside from the physical aspect of things, the mental impact weight loss has had is astounding. I am a completely different person with a completely different outlook on life.

Instead of going to the gym and being that guy who was very quiet and was ashamed of myself and ashamed to be there, I am the opposite now.

I love going to the gym. It has become my favorite part of the day. I met my now fiancée at the gym and we work out every day together.

I love to help other people at the gym and share my weight loss story!

What Has Been The Biggest Change/Payoff For You So Far?
The mental aspect of weight loss has been the biggest change and payoff so far. I feel so much better all around. I am much more pleasant with a much better outlook on life and a desire to help others in the ways that I needed.

I don’t hate my body anymore and would love nothing more than to help be a motivation for people who really need it!

How Much Weight Have You Lost? How Long Did It Take You To Lose It?
I have lost 150 pounds total and it took me 8 months to lose the weight. I have been maintaining my weight after weight loss for over 2 years now!

Any Advice and/or Words of Wisdom for Others Who Are Struggling?
Don’t ever give up on yourself. Remember why you started this journey. Throw the scale in the trash! It can be your best friend or your worst enemy.

Weight loss is not always linear. There will be days when you will gain weight and days where you will lose weight. But if you’re consistent with it, it will be consistent in a downward pattern.

Use the mirror as your scale. You will see the physical changes and know that you’re doing it correct!

Follow Tyler on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ti_ccclxv/