New Theme: The Wednesday WOOT! Factor
Hey Kittens!! Happy Hump Day!! Today marks the beginning of a new them on this blog- from this day forward, Wednesdays are going to be The Wednesday Woot! Factor day. I'm going to feature a new blogger or "fitness celebrity" every week so you can learn about fabulous new peeps like I am! Sound cool? And of course, if you have someone amazing that everyone should hear about, send them my way, I will schedule them in and would love to profile anyone with a GREAT fitness outlook, a great positive outlook on LIFE and something to say! ;-)
Today I am featuring a fellow I met on Twitter. I saw a tweet from @theantijared and had to check him out. This guy has lost over 200 POUNDS people!! And he's not wimpy skinny, he is BUFF! You can check out his blog by CLICKING HERE.
I asked Tony some questions, and if you have questions for Tony, leave them in the comments!! And again, do you have nominations for future Wednesday Woot! Factor?? Nominate YOU!! I'm all about sharing the bloggy love, y'all!!
Q&A With Tony:
How did you get to the point where you were heavy/unhealthy and what was the turning point that made you decide to change?
I have always been overweight. Ever since I was a kid I have been chasing this dream to be skinny.
I would fluctuate with weight for a long long time. Then, I got to over 400 pounds. I needed to do it, not to put on pants, but to live. To survive. I got to that point by not being active. By eating a good amount of processed foods. By truly not caring. My wife helped me care. Now my son does the same.
Did you have doubters?
I think the weight loss industry is full of doubters. Although one person says "I know you can" I believe in the back of people's minds, they do not believe it can be done.
My story is weird. There are so many 400 plus people who say they are going to lose weight. Some do, some do not. I still have doubters. As long as I do not doubt myself.
Did you ever think you'd end up looking and feeling like you do now?
Yes and no. Once I started I knew I was going to lose weight. I have done it for a long time, I was pretty confident I would do it again. During my weight loss, I realized that I do not want to be skinny. I do not even know what that means. I have seen so many people who are 130 who say they are so fat and hate themselves. I did/do not want to be that guy. So I started to work out. Not with machines, but with free weights. I started to gain muscle. That is a scary thing for a weight loss guy to do.
What KEEPS you going now??
I love it. I am not an expert. I am learning every day. I enjoy working through my issues and changing up my workouts. I have learned a lot about myself in the last two and a half years. I am a better person because of it.
What kept you going early on before you were really seeing changes?Every day you feel better. You are happy with good decisions, with saying no to things. It is so important. The scale helps as well. Not every day, but ever week or month it can be a great tool.
BIO: I am in Orlando, FL. My name is Tony, aka theantijared. I am married to a wonderful woman, I have a little boy and a pup and two cats. I was over 400 pounds, and lost over 200. For the last year and a half I have been finding myself. I have gained muscle and I do think that people can change....if they want to.
Pretty awesome stuff isn't it? Check out Tony and you can follow him on Twitter- @theantijared.
Here is today's vlog-a-thon.
@theantijared, Wednesday WOOT! Factor
Reader Comments (5)
will be interesting to see what your friend ends up telling you about your pace....loving all the tips your getting and passing on! I think I said it already, but I even blogged about it today-you have totally inspired me to get back on the jogging wagon..and so far it actually seems a bit easier than before I think from doing regular tabata sessions...will be picking up some of that gear though (defnitely need better shoes!).
The yogurt...I'm tellin' you it's awesome as a replacement for sour cream. I don't even use fat free yogurt...just regular greek style yogurt-it's a good fat. You can use it with anything you normally use sour cream with...potatoes, on mexican food, mix it with a mustard (preferably a whole seed mustard if you can find it) for a different sauce on a turkey burger, make your guacamole even healthier by adding the yogurt. Heaps of uses!
I'm reading Tony's blog right now.
I'm amazed how he just did it. He just made up his mind and did it.
I love, love, love, Greek yogurt, and use it all the time in a number of ways...yes, mixed with protein powder is yummy, and sometimes I'll add some sugar-free pudding mix (Jello brand) in cheesecake flavor for a desert with strawberries. I also use it as a "savory" item in place of sour cream, for example when I make mashed cauliflower, as a base when I make broccoli slaw in place of mayo, in soups or stews or chili when I want to make it more of a cream-based dish. You can bake with it, and throw it into protein shakes also. I could go on and on about how I've used it in the past...if you like to experiment with cooking and baking, the possibilities are endless really.
Stacey- wow! Awesome ideas. I may have to print out your comment. I'm gonna try some tomorrow!! ;-) THANKSSSS!!! Deborah, he really has an awesome story doesn't he?? ;-)
Wow Rae Rae, you and Stacey say to replace sour cream with Greek Yogurt. Hmm. I'm gonna try that this week. Never thought about that! ;-)
The antijared is really inspiring! Thanks for sharing him. :)