Weight Loss Success Story: Tyler (344 Pounds)

On and off here I like to feature weight loss success stories. It’s great motivation for me personally and for our community here as most of us are trying to lose weight or live healthier lives. It’s always a great opportunity for someone to share the story and success they are proud of as well as a chance for us to learn from what they did right.

Today’s success story interview is with Tyler who blogs at 344 Pounds. I’ve been lucky enough to exchange emails with him on a number of occasions in addition to reading his blog and can tell you that he is a really awesome guy.  He has also changed his life in a drastic way in the past 16 months. Read on to find out more about that!

Can you tell us a little about yourself? Age, what you do, that kind of thing?

I’m 24, still not old enough to rent a car without an underage surcharge.  I have a typical office job 8-4 and get an hour for lunch.  My wife is a teacher and my 16-month old daughter is starting to get into everything.  I like loud music, working out, and driving my new Maggie w/ a hemi.

I’m your typical boy.

Was there one moment or event started your weight loss journey?

I was in the bathroom at work and I looked in the mirror, something I tended to avoid back in those days when I was hovering around 350 pounds.  I never liked looking at myself and seeing what I had become, it was depressing.  Mirrors, much like pictures, show the harsh reality of what we’ve become without any bias or prejudice.  I stared at all the crevices on my body, the skin folds, the three chins, and everything else I had ignored in that mirror that one morning in January of 2009 in my office.

You recently weighed in under 200 lbs. What was that like for you? How long did it take to get there? Did you ever doubt it would happen?

It was amazing.  It took about 16 months and  I doubted it would happen the entire time.  I’ve been grossly overweight all my life and I would dream in high school about what “skinny” would look like, knowing that I would probably never see it.

How did you celebrate reaching your goal? What’s next for you now that you’ve lost the weight?

I celebrated by posting a picture of the scale on my blog.  That’s probably one of my favorite posts ever.  I didn’t do much really to celebrate, I didn’t feel like going out to eat and going back above 200.  It was just a normal Wednesday weigh-in, except I had accomplished something I wanted to my entire life.

What would you say was the most important factor in your weight loss journey?

The blog and accountability.  Knowing that someone would be there and criticize me the following Wednesday if I gained a few pounds was constantly in the back of my mind.  I didn’t want to let my support system down, and they kept me accountable during the entire journey.

How did you achieve your weight loss? Did you diet? What is your food philosophy?

I achieved by weight loss by working out and counting calories.  I stayed around 2,000 calories a day and pretty much consumed anything I wanted to, as long as I didn’t go over 2,200 calories.  I didn’t diet, but instead adapted a healthy lifestyle that allowed me to still eat “real” food.

What are 3 of your best eating tips you would like to share?

First, don’t starve yourself, you’ll eventually break and binge.  Secondly, if you want some hot wings Friday night with your friends, go get them.  Afterward you’ll constantly regret it, then you’ll start to regret what you’re doing, and quit.  Having a healthy lifestyle is about eating right most of the time, then eating what you want for the rest.   Go wild a few meals a week.

And lastly, avoid the fads.  I’m sure you know someone on the low carb diet, cabbage diet, high fiber diet, whatever, and I’m sure they lost 100 pounds in 4 days.  But, counting calories is the absolutely only  way to lose weight and keep it off, which is why it’s been around since time began.  If you burn more calories than you take in on any given day, you’ll lose weight.  It’s not a suggestion, it’s not my opinion, it’s simple math.  It’s a fact.  A lot of money is spent by a lot of different companies every year trying to make the arithmetic much more complex, requiring different pills, foods, or equipment to lose weight.

It doesn’t require any of that junk.  It’s free.  Move more and eat less.  It’s not a fast process, but it’s a process that is proven and will work for you.

Are there any obstacles you had to overcome to begin exercising / keep exercising?

The birth of my daughter, moving, getting a new job, and having a full-time job and blogging on the side, all the while doing several weekly radio interviews, television interviews, etc.  Not having enough time is the number one complaint I hear from folks on why they can’t lose weight.  Well, coincidentally, it’s the number one BS excuse I’ve heard on why people can’t lose weight.

Has your weight loss blog helped you with losing and maintaining your weight loss?

Yes.  It holds me accountable.

You’ve been featured by several news organizations for your weight loss story. How did that happen? What would you recommend to someone else who wants to share their story via traditional media?

They just contacted me.  I’d recommend being reliable for a very long time.  People used to comment in the early days that they liked my blog in particular because they could count on me.  I didn’t miss a Wednesday weigh-in, I didn’t quit my journey and start it again, I didn’t give excuses on why I gained weight on a particular week – I told them I ate junk, apologized, and redeemed myself next week.

Now that you’ve reached your goal weight, will you continue blogging?

Yes.  I’m at my goal weight, but my body is not how I want it to be.  I’m going to change my body again over the next year, it won’t even be recognizable this time next June.  We’ll see, anyway.

If you were to give advice to anyone considering starting a weight loss journey, what would you say?

Don’t quit.  Just because you have a bad meal or two, or go on vacation, that doesn’t mean your weight loss journey is over.  It’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle.  If I have a bad weekend, which happens occasionally (especially when I travel), I just start back Monday morning.  You have to find the ability to not think of a meal composed of junk food ruining everything, but just another meal.  You eat a cheeseburger and fries, or some hot wings, then the next meal you eat something healthy and go to the gym afterward.

Losing weight is a balance.

What tips would you offer someone trying to lose a significant amount of weight, say 100 pounds or more?

Start lifting weights.  When you lose over 100 pounds, you might be satisfied with your reading on the scale but your body will look “deflated” with loose skin and no muscle definition.  You need to build muscles to get that “ideal” image I think most of us invision when we lose weight.  It’s not an image of huge muscles, but of a toned body that looks good at the beach.   I don’t have it yet.  But I will.

Thanks for sharing your story Tyler! If you enjoyed this weight loss success story, check back next week for an even better success story (I’m a bit biased because it’s Kepa’s story!). And make sure you check out Tyler’s blog if you haven’t been there before – it’s a good one!

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Tagged as: success story, Tyler