In 2013 my wife took this photo of me after a kiteboarding session at Waquoit Bay. I really did not like seeing myself with this rounded belly and until then I had not even realized how fat I became. At my highest I was just shy of 200 lbs but despite on and off efforts to bring it down for years, nothing worked.
In January 2017, as the Joe Sharron Challenge started, I pledged to get my weight down to 175 Lbs and I took it seriously. 15 years of struggling but I thought, if Joe deals with his handicap day-in-day-out, I can tackle this little one and it’s out in the open, now I’m accountable, yet I had no idea how to do it. The following month got me on the right track; I watched a video called “The Science of Fasting” on a French TV channel, it is available in English on YouTube https://youtu.be/t1b08X-GvRs and I highly recommend watching it, it changed my life. It was about extreme fasting and how it has been used to cure many diseases and weight problems since the 1900’s. Right after watching the video, I went on a 7-day fast and started researching the keto diet. I found the DietDoctor.com website and a $9 subscription over 3 or 4 months got me an incredible wealth of information on keto, diabetes and IF (intermittent fasting). This really worked for me and I reached my goal at 174 Lbs in July 2018. When my doctor however told me that he was not happy with my bloodwork, I had to return to eating less fat and more carbs; within one month I regained 10 lbs, that was unacceptable. I then returned to a “semi-keto” diet and a 23/1 IF to stabilize around 180 Lbs. My goal was to hit 175 Lbs and stay there, I hit the mark but was not able to maintain it due to the diet changes, but I’m not done yet
What did I gain from these challenges?
Bringing my weight down enormously boosted my self-esteem. I was neither seeking nor expecting it, but I feel much more confident and prouder of myself. Generally, I tend to doubt myself and this helped me a lot. I am also continuously in good health, I sleep better, hardly have any mood swings, I have consistent energy throughout the day even when hungry and I can last a long time without food, including when I exercise, which is a huge advantage.
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