Large To Lean and How You Can Too

My journey began close to a year ago and I am still making progress each day, but I would like to share a bit of my experiences with you in hopes that it will help you along. You may think that in that timeframe is unrealistic or even unobtainable, but what I can say is that I surprised myself with each milestone I hit. Of course it can be difficult sticking to your diet and starting up an exercise program that you stick with, but feeling good about yourself and your body is worth it. From totally out of shape to leaner than my college years and completing the Savage Race this past year and running my first 5K, here is a bit of what I’ve learned:

Find your reason for the change. For this journey to be a lasting one, it’s going to need to be a lifestyle change. This won’t be a crash diet or a summer body type thing. If you are going to go for the healthiest you can be in years, you are going to need to begin with the strongest motivator that you can think of. For me, it was a pact between a close friend and myself. I’ll admit: I’m competitive. The better he did, the more it motivated me to push myself and vice versa. You’d be surprised how much easier the challenge is with someone sharing the same experience.

Nutrition is huge. I had a breakdown of my daily maintenance calories and target macronutrient goal for the first time and it made a huge difference! Then a handy app, myfitnesspal, allowed me to scan or search for just about anything that I ate or drank and it told me what my calorie intake, protein, fat, carbs and more were for the day. I cannot emphasize enough how much simpler this made the task of eating right. I found foods that I enjoyed eating and fit my daily goals, as well as explored other options I wouldn’t have normally thought of. Most importantly, I saw for myself just how much damage could be done with some of my favorite meals out and it opened my eyes to the importance of calories consumed versus a realistic amount of calories that could be exercised off.

Workouts can be fun. Some people will opt for a trainer to help them get started, others will find a program and follow it, whereas I started going to group workouts at Orange Theory Fitness. I spent an hour doing almost anything you can imagine–rows, squats, pushups, sprints, kettle-bell swings and so much more. There is music blasting the whole time and instructors going around and keeping the mood and intensity high. For me, the energy and the group kept me coming back. I could choose an early morning session or one in the afternoon to fit my schedule and ultimately the consistency that lead to my success.

Make it a series of short-term goals. Having an idea of where you’d like to get to with your physique is good, but hard to envision. Try 5 pounds, heck I figured I could make that happen. And it did. Then another and I only became more invested. I can say that my long-term goal changed as I gained progress, becoming more ambitious. By knowing and seeing that every week I was approaching a benchmark, I felt good about myself and it kept me on track through each week.

Cheat a little. It’s a marathon, not a sprint and your mental well-being is just as important as your body. Every 5 pounds or 2 weeks, go out and have dinner with the family, spend the day at an amusement park, have that slice of cheesecake you’ve been craving. Don’t stress it. So long as you’re making steady progress, then you will make up for it in a few days. What will happen is you may gain 1 actual pound of fat and a couple of pounds of water weight because your sodium intake will be high that day. Over the next 2-3 days, as you resume your regimen with a sense of reinvigoration you will have lost that water weight and the fat loss will continue.

Hopefully these tips help whether you are just starting or already in the middle of your transition to a leaner, healthier you. Feel free to refer back to previous entries to find more information on these subjects. I feel incredible and would love to see you all join me.

Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt is a board certified urologic surgeon specializing in chronic testicular pain and infertility. An active member of several professional organizations, he also is active in public engagement. He is a TEDx speaker, on-air expert and national authority on men’s health. Every June during men’s health month, Dr. Brahmbhatt and his partner, Dr. Sijo Parekattil, organize the Drive 4 Men’s Health, a 10 day, 6,000-mile, public engagement road trip encouraging men to eat better, get active, and engage in preventative medical screenings. Brahmbhatt chronicled his journey of falling back in love with medicine again in his recent TEDx talk.