A Doctor's Confessions About Being Fat

A Doctor's Confessions About Being Fat

Getting overweight was never my goal! I was a 6'2" thirty-four-year-old who was pushing close to 270 pounds, and I don't really know how that happened. I had elevated levels of cholesterol, triclecrides, and blood pressure. Because of my weight, I was certain that I would get diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and a host of other obesity-related illnesses.
Things only take a turn for the worst. I work out of a health club as a chiropractor, specifically specializing in sports injuries. Sadly, I was not a health professional who put my words into action, as are many others.
If you call sunny Arizona home—the land of perpetual summer—you can count on spending at least some time at the lake, water park, or at a BBQ and pool party. Suddenly, I realized how many excuses I had been making. I was aware of the health hazards of being overweight, but it was my low self-esteem and shame that pushed me over the edge to do something about it.
As a result, I was prepared to lose weight as a doctor. I took a chance on a few of those "quick fix" vitamins, as embarrassing as it is to confess. I gave many of the trendy eating plans a go. Every one of those "weight loss experts" had a book that I purchased. Even if I did manage to shed a few pounds, I would never be able to maintain my diet for more than a week. I used to put on all the weight when I stopped dieting. After that, I went to the gym and ran nearly every day, trying to work my muscles to the bone. Running every day isn't the greatest idea when you're close to 270 pounds, and that got really old fast.
Once again, I found myself with zero bearings, zero concentration, zero motivation, and zero guidance. I was going to have to face my weight and everything that comes with it after I got so frustrated with the lack of progress and decided to do nothing. Despite my best efforts, it was unsuccessful.
All the while, the chiropractor whose practice I purchased from brought up the fact that he was launching a weight loss program based on his knowledge of triathlon training at his facility. That piqued my interest. I was considering giving the program a go, but I didn't live close enough to his office to make frequent visits. Consequently, I started looking into the sport online.
Triathlons and triathlon training seemed like a reasonable weight loss strategy the more I researched them. Training for an event that requires swimming, cycling, and running is, of course, going to require that approach. Even less appealing than the thought of donning a swimsuit and getting a workout in was the prospect of plunging into the pool for an exercise swim. I realised that running was really hard on my knees and that swimming would be much gentler on them.
Additionally, I started reading up on the benefits of wearing heart rate monitors and the effects of exercising at various heart rates. Numerous examples of how to use heart zone training to monitor your progress and optimize your workout program were provided by the writers of books on the subject, many of whom were triathletes.
I was first uninterested in triathlon, but my interest grew as I perused some online resources. The athletes competing in triathlons were an inspiration because of how fit they appeared. Then I made up my mind to step it up in my quest to shed pounds. I enrolled in my inaugural triathlon despite my near-270-pound frame. My planned sprint race—a 500-meter swim, a 15-mile bike ride, and a 3-mile run—was scheduled for five months from now. Although the course was significantly shorter than most triathlon competitions, I was not physically capable of completing even a single event, much alone completing all three in succession, during that time.
My approach was based on a mix of what I read about heart zone training and triathlon websites. I used to swim, cycle, and run in succession during my workouts. I also made time each week to lift weights for around an hour. The workout routine was never monotonous because of this. On a given day, I would begin my workout by just biking for 25 minutes. Then, I would run for 10 minutes, lift weights, and repeat the process. I would simply go swimming the following day. The following day, I planned to swim before going for a run. My knees were doing fine, with minimal discomfort. Simultaneously, I began to eat better—not on a strict diet, but by limiting sugar and white bread, among other things—using only common sense.
The heart rate monitor quickly proved to be an invaluable tool. Working at a moderate pace prevented me from slacking off. The Polar 610, the monitor I was using, also had software. I had no trouble transferring my workouts to my PC. I was able to record my workouts in an unbiased manner after that. Among other things, the program recorded the number of calories I burned while exercising, my average heart rate, the number of hours I spent exercising each week, and much more. After each workout, I eagerly anticipated uploading my session to evaluate my progress.
Additionally, I was able to workout at various heart rates. I remember going for a 10-minute run at 70% of my MR, followed by ten minutes of cycling at 80% of my MR, and then ten minutes of running at 70% again. I planned to go for a short bike ride the following day. However, I would go through my usual routine of exercising at varying heart rates: 10 minutes at 70%, 5 minutes at 80%, 10 minutes at 75%, 5 minutes at 80%, and finally, 10 minutes at 70%. I used to dread exercising, but this method made it so much more enjoyable that I started looking forward to it.
This form of training was something I maintained for a full five months. My first triathlon was on a day when I had lost forty pounds.
Somehow, I managed to pull it off. As absurd as it may sound, I had a great time competing in my first triathlon. Although I felt proud of my achievement, I still needed to shed a significant amount of weight. Six months later, I enrolled in yet another triathlon and kept training. The pounds continued to drop off.
I had lost sixty pounds by the time I ran my second triathlon race, which was eleven months after I first heard about them.
It seems like every week a new patient would return for treatment, even if I hadn't seen them in months. Doc, something happened to you; you appear completely different! That was the consistent response every time.
Additionally, I experienced a complete transformation; I no longer experienced knee discomfort when running, I found joy in my job, my relationships with my loved ones improved, and I no longer felt ashamed to attend pool parties or water parks; in fact, I eagerly anticipated them.
Everyone from my patients to the members of the gym where I had my practice wanted to know how I managed to lose weight. A member of the gym came up to my desk and looked at the comparison photos of my before and after. He made the following statements: "That is me" in reference to my overweight photo, and "That is the way I want to look" in reference to my slim photo. I couldn't believe it; it was such a wonderful sensation.
My first triathlon was a year ago today, as I sit here and write this article. I placed second in my age group at my third event, which was only a few weeks ago.
Taking up triathlons has given me a whole new outlook on life in addition to a new physique.
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