I dedicate today as Tony Day! Ok, not really, but it is Thursday which means it is time for another (ongoing) success story/interview. Today’s interview is with another ongoing success story: Tony from I Don’t Want To Die of a Heart Attack When I’m 25. He also has a guest post up over at MizFit’s blog of awesomeness, so clearly it is the Day of Tony. (Feel free to celebrate with balloons and confetti.)
Let’s start the interview.
Weight Loss Story
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I’m an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota. My major is communication studies. Do I have any idea what I’m going to do with my life after I graduate? Not really. Right now, I’m just taking it one day at a time.
What moment or event started your weight loss journey?
There wasn’t really any one particular moment. Losing weight had been on my mind for a while. I just had to stop being lazy one day and consciously work on losing weight, which was what I did.
What was your starting weight? What weight are you at now?
My heighest weight was around 317 pounds. Now I am around 250 pounds (maybe a little bit heavier after thanksgiving lol). [As of today Tony has lost a total of 62.5 pounds.]
What would you say is the most important factor in your weight loss?
Educating myself on how to lose weight in a healthy way. You have to be reasonable when it comes to weight loss. You can’t just go cold turkey on the foods you love and go on extreme diet—that’s not going to work. There is no quick fix.
Fitness
What is your current fitness or exercise goal?
Honestly, I’m just focusing on maintaining as much muscle as I can and losing as much fat as I can. This means lifting weights and doing High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) for cardio to maximize fat loss.
Are there any obstacles you had to overcome to begin exercising / keep exercising?
I have knee problems so running is kind of out of the question until I lose more weight.
What’s your favorite exercise?
I like the elliptical. [Me too!! Haha, sorry for the excitement over the elliptical machine.]
How do you deal with boredom in your exercise program?
Do HIIT [High-Intensity Interval Training... short but intense workouts]. It seriously makes the time go by much faster. Also, change up your routine if you get bored. There is so much to do for physical activity up there. Also, invest in an mp3 player.
Food
Describe the diet or healthy eating plan you’re following.
I count calories. I’ve been using the harris benedict formula to calculate my BMR and adjusted it to my activity level. You have to experiment with the amount of calories you eat a day to find out what will work for losing weight. I try to lose no more than 1% of my total weight a week.
What is one cardinal rule of nutrition you have learned that you always follow or never break?
Honestly, there is no rule in my weight loss plan that I haven’t broken. I’m not perfect and I don’t plan to ever be. I guess the one thing you have to try to do is not feel like a failure when you mess up (I’m still working on this). Just let it go and move on.
Are there any foods you outright avoid and DO NOT eat?
No. If you really crave something, eat a little of whatever you want. Just make sure you eat it in moderation. Life is too short to not enjoy the foods you love, plus I find that if you don’t fulfill that craving a lot of the time you end up binging.
If you diet, do you allow for a regular reward meal (cheat meal)?
I personally don’t do cheat meals because they don’t work for me. I end up eating a lot more unhealthy food on those cheat meals/days and it’s just bad. It does work for some people though.
Is eating healthy expensive for you? How much do you spend on food in a given week/month?
I spent around 160 bucks on groceries a month. fruit is definitely the most expensive thing on my grocery list.
What are 3 of your best eating or dieting tips you would like to share?
1)EAT ENOUGH. Believe me, if you are eating foods that are good for you, you can lose weight by eating more than you probably think you could.
2)EXERCISE. It keeps you motivated and makes you feel good.
3)Don’t give up if you mess up. We are all human.
Blogging
How did you first become interested in blogging and can you tell us a little bit about your blog?
I started blogging in April about my weight loss progress because I knew it would help me stay on track. My blog is called I Don’t Want to Die of a Heart Attack When I’m 25 because developing diseases associated with obesity was a legitimate concern of mine when I started losing weight.
Has your weight loss blog helped you with losing weight?
Yes. Definitely.
What are your top 5 favorite weight loss/fitness blogs?
Here are a few of my favorites:
The Fat Lazy Guy’s Log – An awesome blog by a guy who is very positive.
Escape From Obesity – This woman is an amazing writer.
Setting Her Free – A blog by a woman who has lost over 50 pounds.
j3nn.net- A fellow member on a forum that I read daily (the daily plate). Her blog has a lot of great recipes.
The Office Diet – this blog offers some great tips for busy people.
Inspiration:
Do you have any favorite sayings or quotes?
Honestly, I wish I did, but I don’t lol. I’m really bad with quotes. A few songs that keep me motivated are:
“No One Said it Would Be Easy” by Cloud and “Cult This Year” by The Mountain Goats
If you were to give advice to anyone considering starting a weight loss journey, what would you say?
You can’t just consider it. You have to want it, if you’re going to lose it. I know it sounds cheezy, but it has to come from within.
What tips would you offer someone trying to lose a significant amount of weight?
Take it easy. Don’t go on some drastic quick fix diet. A pound or two a week is enough weight to lose. Be patient and the results will come. Lastly, focus on conscious eating. This will help you the most in the long run.
Thanks for sharing your story and giving some great advice Tony! :) If you haven’t read Tony’s blog before make sure you check it out.
{ 4 comments }
Hey Mary! This is so awesome. Lol, Day of Tony–that’s hilarious. Thanks for posting the interview and have a great weekend!
Tony’s last blog post..I Hate Sitting Here
Awesome stuff, Tony! I love it when people talk about BMR and the Harris Benedict equation! I wish I’d mentioned it in my interview :D
FLG’s last blog post..And the answer is…
I love your blog and wanted to let you know i nominated you for a fabulous blog award
@Tony
No, THANK YOU! Seriously, thanks for sharing your story. I am learning so much from all you guys. Hope your weekend is great too. :)
@FLG
Tony did mention some cool stuff. Between everyone all the good stuff will come up.
@Mary Rogers
Thanks mary! I am glad you like my blog. :)
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