How I Lost 60 lbs in 5 months
Backstory
“No one wants to work with or listen to a fat trainer” was one of the phrases I used to help me lose 60 lbs. You don’t lose that amount of weight by accident, you also don’t put on that much weight on purpose, no one does. This is the third time in my life I’ve lost a considerable amount of weight. One of the biggest factors that helped me this time around was proof. When you see others achieve success, you’re seeing proof of concept and it helps you believe in what’s possible. But, when you’re the one who’s made a big transformation, it changes your identity and inspires others to start which is an incredible feeling. Accomplishments that spark change in others is a beautiful example of how being selfish can also be selfless.
I’ve gone through this process back in 2012 when I lost 63 lbs in 3 years and in 2017 where I lost 30 lbs in 7 months. But nothing has compared to losing 60 lbs in less than 5 months in 2022. I credit my recent transformation to the years of tracking calories and working out as well as the fear of what I could lose.
The beginning of my weight loss journey started with my weight gain in March 2020. Covid forced the world to shut down and with that, so did my discipline and positive outlook on life. I’m a personal trainer who chose to take the easy route and collect unemployment. I justified the timing of covid with me being burnt out from working so much. Every trainer has a different goal but mine was to work as much as possible so one day I could be independent and run my own business. With nothing to do (lie) and nowhere to go (truth), I started smoking and for the first time in 10 years, also started playing video games.
I developed two of the worst habits you could have at a time when there was no judgment coming from anyone. This led to being in the worst shape of my life physically, mentally, and emotionally. My day would consist of light reading, sometimes working out, video games, and smoking every night. I had the wildest “cheat meals” or munchies you could imagine. The usual was a chicken cheesesteak with fries or chips and “dessert”. Dessert was a pint of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream with cinnamon toast crunch cereal and oatmeal raisin cookies. When you get to the point of feeling hopeless and careless, it usually doesn’t get better with time.
My world opened back up in September of 2020 and I couldn’t believe my eyes. I used to train 20-40 people/day as well as coach 10-20 people online but here I was, only seeing 1-2 people a day. This was the first time I became aware of how much I messed up by giving up; this is what taking the easy route leads to. But, things weren’t “bad enough” to elicit change in my behavior so I continued with the bad habits.
I spent the next 18 months yo-yo dieting and telling the people around me that “I can lose this weight when I want to". I did this all the way to reaching 253 lbs. What’s worse than ruining your own life is the choices you make that affect other people you care about.
In January 2022, I went to see the doctor to get a check up and got the biggest reality check of my life. My blood pressure was 150/90 (hypertensive). I was overweight and unhealthy to the point where I had 3 months to lose weight or else I’d need blood pressure medication. In 33 years of being alive and 6 years of being a personal trainer, I’ve never had an ultimatum like this. This wasn’t my identity and I needed to change.
It wasn't until March of 2022 that I started to get my shit together. I gave up smoking and changing this one habit helped in more ways than one. Not only did my eating improve, but so did my memory and cognitive abilities. I also played video games a lot less, limiting it to only two days a week. In that first month, I lost almost 19 lbs! In April for my next check up, my blood pressure dropped to about 130/80. I was happy about heading in the right direction but I wasn’t too excited because the job wasn’t done. It’s less about celebrating small victories and more about adding to your identity. Each action you take every day contributes to the person you become. It’s not that you can’t have ice cream anymore, it’s the fact that you're someone who doesn’t enjoy what happens after. The feelings that come with post-ice cream guilt and calories are no longer worth it. Your healthy identity starts with your mindset and you define it with your actions.
I’m going to make the “how” as simple as possible here:
I had a goal weight in mind of 200 lbs which makes things easier because there’s a clear defined “end point”.
I gave up and limited what I identified as holding me back: smoking and video games.
I reminded myself of what I would lose and gain every day to influence my actions instead of excuses.
Nutrition
All this helped shape and control my mindset. If you have strong enough “whys”, you can overcome any “how”. Next is nutrition:
Calorie Deficit!
I’m a numbers guy and tracking macros is one of the tools I like to use when trying to lose weight in a systematic way.
If you’re not consuming less calories than your body burns, you will not lose weight. It doesn’t matter how much you workout or how “healthy” you eat, it’s scientifically impossible.
3-4 meals/day.
Rest days would look like 2 protein shakes and 1-2 solid-food meals.
Training days would look like 1-2 protein shakes and 2-3 solid-food meals.
Breakfast/Pre-workout options:
Oatmeal with fruit and scrambled eggs
Oatmeal with fruit and protein powder mixed in
Scrambled eggs with Airfried home fries (saved calories by not using oil/butter)
Scrambled eggs with toast and fruit
Greek yogurt with fruit
Dinner/Post-Workout options:
Post-Workout protein shakes within 30 mins then a solid meal within an hour of that.
There’s no “anabolic window” timing I was trying to hit. I know how my body works and what I’m trying to avoid is hunger pains and brain fog. That comes from not having anything post-workout.
I don’t immediately eat food after my shake because I want things to digest. I also want to start and finish my meal as well as not feeling bloated from eating too much.
Rice, beans, skinless chicken breast or lean ground turkey (93/7) with a side salad.
Either brown or white rice. Not much of a difference here. I usually go with brown rice because it’s a complex carb which means longer/slower digestion.
Black beans or pinto, small difference in macros and micros but they’re high in protein and fiber.
The chicken was either cooked on the stove top, baked, or airfried. I used cooking spray to save calories from oil. I used seasoning: onion, garlic, black pepper powders, salt but I cut down on this too because of sodium.
93/7 lean ground turkey is ideal for me. I rarely used oil for this because it already has 8g of fat per serving. Sometimes I’d use olive oil, pasta sauce, or low-fat alfredo sauce for flavor.
I can’t stress this next part enough. When I started adding a salad to these meals, I couldn’t believe how full I’d get. I wouldn’t be able to finish the meal I cooked which sped up weight loss. My usual was spinach or a greens mix, feta cheese, and a low calorie dressing. This was the first time I tracked the calories in spinach and the purpose was for tracking fiber.
Later in my weight loss journey, I started swapping the combo dinner for just a salad with protein in it. This meant less food prep time and I didn’t have to guess how long to microwave my food.
If I didn’t cook, which was rare during this period, I’d have chipotle. It's a safe alternative to have because of the reliable macros. The only downfall is the high amount of sodium.
Protein Shakes:
A wonderful alternative option for people who snack on nuts or donuts is a protein shake. Especially if you can pair it with a “healthy” carb choice like fruits.
I’ve used Cinnamon Cookie Batter from 1st Phorm for almost 5 years now which is a meal replacement.
My post-workout shake is Vanilla Milkshake which tastes like ice cream.
If you spend 30 days tracking everything you eat, you will have a better idea of what’s holding you back. You will also gain a better relationship with food. What you consider healthy versus unhealthy lies in its macro and micronutrient profile. “Healthier foods” are less processed, have better macros, and have a good amount of micronutrients. This makes your body run more optimally and makes you feel better than “unhealthier foods”.
Exercise
Do you need to workout to lose weight? No. But, does working out improve your body composition and mental well-being? Yes. Your workouts can be as simple as walking or as detailed as what I’m about to tell you. My mindset was to do whatever it takes, do as much as you can, to make this process as fast as possible. It wasn’t enjoyable, but I wasn’t fucking around anymore. I don’t recommend most people to make changes in extreme conditions. If you can’t sustain it, it won't be long before you quit. You also could become worse off because of the experience. Here’s what I did:
4 workouts a week that consisted of a lower, upper, and two full body splits.
150 mins of low-moderate intensity cardio and or 75 mins of high intensity cardio per week.
Low-Moderate Intensity cardio. Walking on a treadmill at an incline and speed I could sustain for 30-60 mins 5x/week.
This was easy and enjoyable. I spent every minute walking listening to a podcast or watching a youtube video.
The first 30 seconds of every minute was spent “free walking”. I didn’t hold onto the rail in front of me, and the second 30 seconds was spent using help. It broke up the monotony for me.
High Intensity cardio was spent on the elliptical, rower, or ski-erg machines. Earlier in the year, I hurt my feet doing plyometric exercises my body couldn’t handle because I was heavy.
I either do 20 seconds on, 40 seconds off (resting) or 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off.
I’m now able to add in jump rope and sprints because I lost 60 lbs and my joints no longer hurt.
I do the workouts that I program for my gym and online group training, AYM Higher Together. They last about 40-50 minutes and I change the routine every month so I won’t get bored doing the same thing for months.
Another important factor that helped was joining a 1st Phorm 8 Week Challenge. I posted a picture of my body week to week for accountability. If I didn’t do the work, everyone would know and worse than that, my character would be in jeopardy. I’m all for people who want to promote body positivity and being comfortable in your own skin. But that wasn’t my reality. I was hypertensive and wore all black to hide my belly and extra body fat.
Here’s what I’ve learned from all this and doing it in my 30’s:
Losing weight gets harder the older you get and the easiest way to lose weight is to not gain it in the first place, duh.
You have the time to workout, you have to define the parameters for working out.
You have the time to cook. If you say you don’t, start tracking the “fun” you have on a daily/weekly basis. Replace that with grocery shopping and cooking.
You’re not missing out on anything when you’re getting your shit together. What’s meant for you will always be there.
What gets measured, gets managed.
If you don’t track your food, weigh yourself consistently, or take progress pictures, it’s going to be a lot harder to gauge progress. It's also going to make fine-tuning your methods for losing weight more difficult.
Eat more fruits and vegetables, it’s simple to add fruit to your breakfast and have lunch and/or dinner with a salad.
Change your identity by how you speak to yourself.
My thought process has changed from the foods I’m giving up to the foods I’m adding to my diet. This helped remove the junk food I was having. I used how my stomach felt after meals to determine what was best for me.
Another important thing happened to me with my first check up this year. I got blood work done and found out I was allergic to wheat, shrimp, sesame, and hazelnut.
Besides looking leaner, not much changes in your world. But I do believe that achieving success reveals who you are deep down. It’s easy to become full of yourself and put other “out of shape” people down. It's also easy to use your story and experience to help others who want to change. You’ll never regret being kind to someone but you’ll always regret being an asshole later in life.
Focus on sleep, here’s why:
The less time you’re awake, the less chances you have to eat, duh.
The more sleep you get, the more body fat gets burned instead of muscle because this is how your body recovers.
The less sleep you get, the more irritable you are in general and to others.
Sleep regulates two hormones: Ghrelin and Leptin
These are two hormones which influence satiety and hunger. Leptin decreases your appetite and Ghrelin increases it. When you get poor sleep, this throws your hormones out of sync.
Life is a lot easier to handle when you’re not constantly worried about your size, what to eat, and working out.
Accountability speeds up the process in which you become successful or quit. You realize there isn't a "right time" to prioritize your health. I hope when you read that sentence again, you can reflect on whether your excuses are justifiable or not.
If I didn’t change my ways, I could have shot up to 300 lbs or worse. My career doesn’t have job security but I can assure you, a PT who looks in shape is going to have it easier than a PT who doesn’t. It makes acquiring and keeping business easier. The reason being I’m practicing what I preach to others and I’m leading by example. I became a personal trainer because I know what it feels like to feel hopeless. I know what it feels to have confusion about where to start and what to do and I want to help others avoid that pitfall.
Blood Pressure Update
“No disease that can be treated by diet should be treated with any other means.” ― Maimonides
Five months ago and for the first time in years, I went to the doctor and got a check up. I knew I was unhealthy but unless you have numbers in front of you, it’s hard to quantify the feeling of being unhealthy.
“What gets measured gets improved” - James Smith
If you don’t follow Jordan Syatt, you should do that right now because he was the first trainer I saw on here that started promoting monitoring your blood pressure as another means of progress.
As a personal trainer who only cared about hitting macros for a long time, this was a foreign concept to me. When we look at fitness influencers, the focus is on how your body looks, not how your body feels or performs. When you have visible abs, your body fat percentage is low which has adverse effects on your hormones that most people don’t know or realize until they reach that point.
Back to the point, my doctor gave me three months to get my shit together or else I’d be put on blood pressure medication. Why? My BP was 150/90. INSANE!
Honestly, I didn’t start until March to lose weight because the fear of medication didn’t hit me until then. You can only delay the inevitable for so long. It’s not like I could go to my doctor in april and tell him, “could you give me another three months?” You know what could happen by then? I could drop dead at any moment.
In march I lost 19 lbs and I couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t through fat burners, a waist trainer, detox teas, or any other kind of “fat loss supplement”, here’s the list as simple as possible:
Calorie Deficit (tracked my calories every day making sure my deficit was between 500-1000 calories)
Protein (My range was 200-240g daily)
Strength Training (2-4x/week with a lower/upper/2 full body workout split)
WALKING (the cardio I did was walking on a treadmill for 20-60 mins low/moderate intensity for an average of 5 days/week) (sometimes i added in high intensity but this should be relatively less in your program)
Sleep (from below 6 hours/night, I was able to get in a range of 7-9 hours every night)
This photo was two days ago, 4 months of hard work and dedication.
If there’s anything I can do to help, send me an email and I’ll be happy to assist - Email
Keep Dreaming, Keep Believing, Keep Working, Be Somebody!
Cardio Before Or After Weights?
Before you tell me what you’ve always done, ask yourself if you’re happy with the way your body looks?
Are you happy with the way your body performs in the gym?
If the answer is no then telling me what you’ve always done is not going to change my mind.
In most cases, my answer would be “It depends.”
This isn't most cases.
For the majority of people in America, fat loss is the goal.
Fat loss depends entirely on diet. How much is entirely? About 80-85% which means the majority.
What you do for movement will enhance strength and to a degree, aesthetics.
It's not the fact that you want to lose weight, it's that you want to lose weight and look good naked.
For that purpose, lifting weights should be the priority and cardio is supplemental as well as optional.
Do you have to choose either or? No
However, I believe in doing the least amount of work to get the most amount of benefits.
Contrary to popular belief, I spend about one hour a day, 3 to 4 times a week working out.
The days of me working out for 3 to 4 hours are long gone.
The more literature I read, the more people I train, the more I learn about how the body works and how to pair that with what people want.
If you like spending 2+ hours in the gym, be my guest.
If you like being efficient in the gym, less is more meaning pick 1-3 exercises per muscle group and lift heavy.
If you want to add cardio to your workout, only do so when your calories are in check and you don’t want to decrease your calorie intake further.
Another reason to do cardio after your workout is if you actually like it.
Here’s another reason why I suggest cardio after weights.
Strength training builds muscle.
Cardio builds aerobic capacity aka conditioning.
It’s harder to strength train when you’re fatigued from cardio.
It’s easier to do cardio even when you’re fatigued from strength training.
You’re also more likely to injure yourself in a fatigued-state lifting weights versus doing cardio.
So to answer the question about cardio before or after weights... Weights first, cardio after IF YOU WANT.
The only scenario I can think of where you would do cardio before weights is if you're training for a cardio-based event.
Training for a marathon?
Training for a swim?
Training for cycling?
Cardio first.
However, there are numerous amounts of literature that explains how strength training improves cardiovascular ability…
But that's a different conversation for a different day.
Vlog 075: Responsibility & Forgiveness
This video is to help anyone in their fat loss journey understand the concept of responsibility & forgiveness. The way you look is a reflection of your thoughts and self-esteem. If you think high of yourself, your habits reflect that & the same goes for thinking low of yourself. Good habits follow good habits. If you continue to leave a problem unattended, it doesn't get better, it gets significantly worse. My goal with this video to bring awareness to a reality you're suppressing and taking action to fix it. Forgive yourself for not being perfect and making mistakes. Being human means you're going to fail more times than you can count but it also means you have the ability to overcome. Be the one who figures out the solution vs the one who admits defeat.
How To Meal Prep 4 Meals in 6 mins
Meal prep is one of the easiest things you can do to change your body. For those of you that have never done a meal prep, the idea is to prepare as many meals as you can in the shortest amount of time for the most amount of days. That's the simplest way to describe meal prep. To give context, I'm a personal trainer and lived most of my day away from home. This means I'm unable to cook my food as I get hungry which leads me to buying a lot of the foods that I eat. This gets expensive real fast. Personally, the hardest things I think about is how can I stay in a calorie deficit so I can lose weight and how can I get the right amount of protein every day so I don't lose muscle. In this video, my go-to breakfast his overnight oats, my go to post workout meal is chicken and rice after a post workout shake, and my snack is a protein bar. For the most part, I use intermittent fasting as a tool to help me lose weight by limiting my eating window. This way, I'm able to condense the amount of times I'm eating in a day and still hit my macros.
Lunch wise: I don't like soggy chicken so I order cooked chicken from the deli downstairs where I live. I use instant rice for carbs.
Breakfast wise: I use Maple and brown sugar oatmeal packets. I use unsweetened vanilla cashew milk. One scoop of meal replacement protein powder.
Supplement wise: I use a multivitamin with greens powder, Fish oil, Post workout shake with Ignition & Creatine, BCAAs, and a pre-workout without caffeine.
The simpler your diet is, the easier it will be for you to follow it. I don't recommend this for everyone, but I do recommend you try what works and try what doesn't work for others to see what's optimal for you.
Action Steps You Can Take Now
Start tracking you calories for weight-loss today —> Learn how here
Use Intermittent Fasting as a tool for losing fat today —> Here
Hit your Goal Body Weight in protein every day. Find your protein number here
Strength Train 2-3 times a week. Have 1 Day of cardio if you want. Don’t have a routine? Send me an email & I’ll give you a FREE 4 week program here: abel@aymhigher.com with the subject “4 Week AYM Higher Program”
Full Body Workout + The Successful Dieter's Mindset
Welcome,
The full body workout mentioned in this video is going to have a total of 8 exercises:
A: Barbell Back Squat
3 sets x 5 reps w/3 min rest break between sets.
Superset: 3 sets x 5 reps each with a 1-2 min rest break between sets
B1: Dumbbell Chest Press
B2: Kettlebell Prone Row w/pause
C: Barbell Romanian Deadlift 3 sets x 8-10 reps w/1 min break
Superset: 3 sets x 8-10 reps/side w/1 min break
D1: Dumbbell Shoulder Press
D2: Cable Lat Pulldowns (underhand grip)
Arms Finisher:
Dumbbell Bicep Curls 1 set x 10 reps
Dumbbell Tricep Kickbacks 1 set x 10 reps
The second part of this video is about the mindset it takes to be successful with a diet.
It’s not easy to give up the foods you enjoy but it’s necessary to control the portions of everything you eat in order to lose weight & ultimately body fat.
The difference I see in people who succeed in weight loss versus those who don’t is patience. Everyone wants results but very few people are willing to do the work it takes. Losing weight is a result, changing your habits is what makes the results appear. Someone who isn’t patient will take every shortcut in the book and become frustrated when the progress they expected to happen in a few days or weeks doesn’t happen. How does one become a millionaire? By working hard, smart, and giving it time. The result you're looking for is planted in the work through the modification of your daily routine.
The body you have right now is the result of eating intuitively, not working out consistently, and spending too much time with people aren't aligned with your own goals. Successful people don't hang out with unsuccessful people in the same way that most people who are fit don't hang out with people who are out of shape. You'll be surprised at how quickly your life turns around when you change the people in circle. We're four months into 2019, how much of you have accomplished from your New Year's resolution list? If you have things still uncrossed, what's one thing in your day you can change right now that's going to get you closer to crossing off that particular goal?
Action Steps You Can Take Now
Start tracking you calories for weight-loss today! Learn how here
Lose weight without a diet. Learn how here
Use Intermittent Fasting to lose weight. Learn how here
Hit your Goal Body Weight in protein every day. Find your protein number here
Strength Train 2-3 times a week. Have 1 Day of cardio if you want. Don’t have a routine? Send me an email & I’ll give you a FREE 4 week program here: abel@aymhigher.com with the subject “4 Week AYM Higher Program”
Best Dietary Supplements To Lose Weight
Which supplements should you buy for losing weight and dropping body fat is tough. I explain what you should look for in this article.
If you think buying 1, 2, maybe 15 dietary supplements is going to help you lose weight… you’re absolutely right. The question to ask here is why are you spending a shit-ton of money on supplements in the first place? I want to save you money and years of frustration with this one piece of advice. If you’re not strength training at least 3x a week, if your nutrition is not at least 80% aligned with your goals, if you’re not getting a minimum of 6 hours of sleep a night, buying supplements will not be your answer. If you’re new to losing weight or if you’ve been unsuccessful with keeping the weight off, I want to teach you How To Track Your Macros and How to Lose Weight Without A Diet. Hopefully you will learn something new after reading those two quick articles. Now, I’m going to quickly explain the pros and cons of supplements that are most beneficial for weight-loss without boring you to death.
The role of dietary supplements is to complete or fill in the gaps you need help with in your diet. Do not be the old Abel who wasted thousands of dollars on pills like Hydroxycut and other fat burners thinking that if I took these pills, I could eat whatever I want & lose fat. Did I lose weight, yes, but what happened when I got off those pills is that the weight came back and some more. Sound familiar? It took me years to understand my body and nutrition (this process never ends for the person who wants to get better) so my intention here is to help you prevent making the same mistakes I did and years of frustration.
A weight-loss supplement should do a few things:
Reduce Appetite
Increase fat burning
Reduce fat absorption
Increase the feeling of satiety (feeling full)
For all the benefits you can get with a weight-loss supplement, you should be aware they also have side effects that will make you think twice before making a purchase. Supplements aren’t regulated by the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which means companies can lie about the ingredients and dosage as well as the damage it can do to your body that isn’t reversible (like death). The most popular ingredients have been banned (Ephedra, Hydroxycut products, Fen-Phen, and Meridia) by the FDA because of harmful side effects like:
Increased Heart Rate
High Blood Pressure
Agitation
Diarrhea
Sleeplessness
Kidney Damage
Liver Damage
Rectal Bleeding
Now for the part you’ve been waiting for. Best Dietary Supplements to lose weight:
Caffeine: Has the ability to boost metabolism and increase fat burning short term. Caffeine is found in a lot of weight loss pills for its effect on blunting hunger & increasing performance during workouts. The best sources of caffeine are found in coffee, green tea and preworkouts. To those that don't know the side effects of overconsumption, too much caffeine can cause anxiety, insomnia, jitteriness, irritability, nausea, and diarrhea to name a few.
Green Tea Extract (GTE): Included in a lot of weight loss supplements. The main antioxidant in it, ECGC, promotes fat burning. Studies show that GTE increases the activity of norepinephrine, a hormone that helps you burn fat, and can target belly fat directly. All of the benefits you get from GTE is also found in Green Tea.
Protein Powder: Your muscles are built by protein. Protein is the one macronutrient that burns the most calories through the digestive process and the one macronutrient that fills you up the most compared to carbohydrates and dietary fats. What this means is by increasing protein intake, you’ll reduce the urge to overeat foods that won’t help your body composition, strength, or staying in a calorie deficit. Protein powder is a great alternative option when you can’t cook or buy protein rich foods. Caution, protein powder is a supplement and substitute in your diet when you need help reaching your protein goals, protein powder should not be your go-to source of protein.
The first two supplements are included in a lot of weight-loss supplements because of their effectiveness. But are you interested in buying supplements or having long-term results? If that answer is yes to results that last forever, you shouldn’t buy another supplement until you have a basic foundation on nutrition, until you’ve tried different meal plans or until you’ve started tracking the calories you eat. If you’re being fed supplements without education, you’ll forever remain a prey to marketing and your life will become one big spinning wheel where progress is dangled in front of you like a carrot but can’t taste it. I want to help you make better decisions that will stick with you for a lifetime.
Here’s a list and explanation of the supplements I take everyday that I think anyone can benefit from, especially those looking to lose weight. Remember, the role of a supplement is to add to your diet, filling in the gaps where you need help the most. In order for you to lose weight, it’s less about buying quick fixes and more about a lifestyle change.
Multivitamin
No one’s diet is perfect and because of this, no one is getting the right amount of nutrients for their lifestyle.
What I use (here)
Fish Oil
I don’t eat fish daily (high dietary fat reasons) so I get my Omega-3 (EPA/DHA) source in pill form. If you like having considerably less joint pain and inflammation, this supplement’s for you.
What I use (here)
Protein Powder
I can’t get 240g of protein from food alone, protein powder provides convenience & eliminates excuses.
Meal Replacement shake (my favorite is cinnamon cookie batter)
Post Workout Shake (Ignition makes the shake taste like ice cream)
Creatine
Increases lean tissue mass (muscles), performance in the gym and strength.
What I use (here)
Coffee
I like my coffee black with liquid stevia. This helps eliminate the need for sugar and milk (calories), blunts hunger so I can extend my Intermittent Fasting (source), and increase focus and energy.
Fat Loss Stack for Men and a Fat Loss Stack for Women from 1st Phorm (optional)
This supplement helped me fall asleep faster with better quality sleep, increase my focus and energy like coffee, and controlled my appetite.
Action Steps You Can Take Now
Start tracking you calories for weight-loss today! Learn how here
Lose weight without a diet. Learn how here
Use Intermittent Fasting to lose weight. Learn how here
Hit your Goal Body Weight in protein every day. Find your protein number here
Strength Train 2-3 times a week. Have 1 Day of cardio if you want. Don’t have a routine? Send me an email & I’ll give you a FREE 4 week program here: abel@aymhigher.com with the subject “4 Week AYM Higher Program”
2019: Year Of Offense
I was 24 years old.
I just had a second operation on my chest. I was “diagnosed” with gynecomastia. Some people call them "large male breasts", others call them "Bitch Tits", either way, it was something I struggled with my entire childhood & was going to take over my adult life…
I had this same operation a year prior. Long story short, we decided to take a risk and have a no-scar-surgery that would eliminate this problem that became a part of my identity. It didn’t work and I suffered another year of insecurity because every time I looked in the mirror, I saw two reasons why I wasn’t a man, I wasn’t attractive, I wasn’t good enough…
The first tattoo I got was to cover my scars…
Two years of diet & training. The first time I looked in the mirror shocked at what I saw…
I was 25 years old.
What started out as another night out with my best friend, ended up being the night I met the girl of my dreams, or so I thought. We got into an argument because I took the side of the girl that he was dating at the time. I was always a third wheel, something I've grown accustomed to being, again, I was getting closer to the body that I wanted but still miles away from the confidence I needed. My best friend left me to go do a DJ gig, my phone was on 3%, if felt like my world was coming to an end. I relied on Austin for my social life. I’m an introvert & a homebody by nature. I was also broke as shit so I told myself I was the lucky one that he even wanted to be friends with me & take me places. The only thing that was on my mind was getting to him so I could apologize. Despite having a few drinks in my system, I was able to locate him and we immediately had a conversation. Next thing I know, I get a tap on my shoulder followed by the question: "are you QuoteAbel?”. It was from the girl that I was in love with through Instagram.
Eight months later, on and off dating, the main thing that I feared from day one finally happened. So afraid to lose something I work so hard at making last, I was blind sided with "we need to talk”. It wasn’t the closure conversation that saves you years of frustration & suicidal-depression, it was the type of conversation that fuels insecurity & kills any type of dignity you had. It was the second & last time I gave everything I had to one woman. Despite my valiant efforts, I wasn’t assertive, I wasn’t a man, I wasn’t good enough…
Hollywood Millz
Angela
I was 28 years old.
I was two years into my corporate job, I was making good money for the first time in my life, I was also a soulless zombie. My prior years of creativity were dead. I didn’t care about music, I didn’t care about poetry, I didn’t care about anything besides working, working out & making more money. 6 months prior, I finally decided to study for my personal training certification. I couldn’t last one more second at that job but wasn’t assertive or man enough to leave. The people around me were negative, the commute was always crowded, the gym was always packed, I was living for the weekends.
August 2016, after 6 months of spending all my free time studying, I passed the NASM CPT test. FUCKING ECSTATIC! I spent the next month training a few friends for cheap just to get experience & money in. September 2016, I spent my birthday in Dominican Republic. I could get used to this. Work 9-5 & train people afterwards until I had enough clients/money to leave that soul-sucking job. It’s funny whenever you think you have a plan of how things will go, the universe likes to throw a wrench in there to show you who’s the real boss. I came back from DR & we had a meeting (something that never happens unless it’s bad news). Long story short, no one in that department had a job anymore & we had two months to figure out what to do next. I stayed on for the transition period & after two months, I was offered another position in the company or, take my severance & look for something else. I just turned 28 years old. I didn’t have any real responsibilities. I didn’t have a girlfriend or a child. This was it for me. This was my chance to see what I was made of. It was my time to see if the life I wanted to live was possible. No one was going to baby me anymore. How great do you want to be? How bad do you want it? Are you good enough?
Collateral Analyst. After hours
Puerto Plata, DR
I’m 30 years old.
I’m at my 3rd personal training job.
It took me almost two years to feel comfortable in this profession.
Two years of failing, doubting myself, & grinding.
What I’ve learned is the harder you work, the faster the results come.
What’s overwhelming at the beginning, becomes routine after a few months.
If you do right by people, help out as many people as you can for free, experience & character grows exponentially.
When you focus on becoming a better version of yourself daily, instead of comparing yourself to others, that momentum lands you new opportunities.
If you live in your truth, no one can own you.
OVER DELIVER EVERY TIME!
Consistency > Perfection
Discipline > Motivation
Waiting for closure is like holding your breath, it feels like you’re dying the longer time passes.
If you give up, you’ll never reach your goals.
Which brings us to the title of this blog, Offense. It took me 30 years to realize why I’m not where I want to be yet. I was waiting for someone to save me. I was waiting for things to happen. I was waiting for permission, to be told it’s okay for you to try a little harder now, you’re ready for what’s next. The truth is, you’ll never be ready for what’s next until you start now. I thought surgery was going to fix my body image issues, I thought Angela was going to be the last girl I was ever with, I thought that 9-5 was going to be the last job I ever had… There’s a few things I’m certain of, if you don’t like your body, do something about it. If you don’t like your job, do something about it. If you don’t like feeling hopeless, do something about it!
The road to becoming is a long journey that will test your faith, resiliency & strength.
Every “no” is a speed bump, not a dead end.
& If you’re good enough, NO ONE is stopping you... You’re more than capable.
If you want to lose weight, google is your best friend, or hire a coach.
If you want to get further in business, read a shit load of “how to’s”, or hire a mentor.
You have a gift & a story that needs to be shared, to save someone else’s life, to remind them that things they wish for, dream about, cry about is possible with faith & work. Sacrifice something now for something better in the future.
Here’s to a productive & offensive 2019.
Structure Personal Fitness
Heavy Is The Head Who Wears The Crown
There’s people in this world who honestly have no friends or family left… then there’s people like me.
I have a Mom, Brother & Niece. I have plenty of friends that I can call or text everyday w/o any limitations.
However, This was me on Thanksgiving Day 2018.
I just checked my photos app from a year ago & also… no picture of food, family or friends.
I like to rely on the descriptions “introvert” & “homebody” as my reasons aka excuses for wanting to be alone a majority of the time & excluding myself from get togethers.
What this technique has brought me is distance vs the things in life we enjoy but can’t buy, love.
If you’re feeling sorry for me at this point, don’t.
I believe every adult is more than capable of choosing his/her fate.
You can’t have your cake & eat it too.
You can’t have the space for quiet as well as the presence of love.
You can't be selfish with other people's time when it's convenient for you.
A day that's created for busy people to connect with the people that they love, I chose to spend it doing the "important thing" that I value.
How did I get here?
I chose myself again and again to the point where I didn't make time for others.
You can't tell someone that you miss them, you have to show them.
You can't tell someone they're important to you, you have to show them.
November 30, 2016, I made a decision that being in an office all day wasn't the best thing for me.
I jumped in without thinking. I took a leap of faith.
I refused to be surrounded with people who were draining me of my energy.
I'm not someone that likes to complain when I know I can control the outcome.
Being 30 years old, I don't feel that much different than when I was 21.
What makes me feel physically good is the decision that I made over a decade ago to start working out and six years ago to change my nutrition.
My mom couldn't cook for me anymore because I refused to eat her food.
I couldn't hang out with my brother as much because I was too picky to eats chips and burgers every day.
I couldn't hang out with my friends because I didn't have the money to afford drinks or eat out multiple times a week.
I didn't want to let family or culture dictate the way did I lived.
When you choose to live life on your terms, it's going to come with a lot of lonely days, it's going to come with a lot of frustration, it's going to come with the days that test your will.
Why would any sane person choose to diet and workout when most of their friends & family will not participate.
Why would you want to put so much stress on your plate, when most of the people that love you will let you down?
Heavy Is The Head Who Wears The Crown
Leave a comment below on how you handle this?
How To Track Your Macros
The goal after reading this blog post is that you understand the following:
What are macros?
What my macros "should" be
Foods with a nutrition label vs foods without
How to track macros: Measuring and Weighing
Macronutrients vs Calories
For the 60 second reader, here is the app I used that helped me lose 30 lbs in 2017 over the course of 7 months with strength training 3-4x/week supplementing cardio & ab work MAYBE once every other week. Download the (FREE) Macros App by Mike Vacanti. Macros, short for macronutrients, are comprised of protein, carbohydrates, & dietary fats that make up the calories (energy) you consume in a given day. There’s three options you can choose from, fat loss, maintenance or muscle gain.
Fat loss is achieved through being in a calorie deficit over an extended period of time; maintenance is achieved through eating enough calories to stay at the same weight; and muscle gain is achieved through being in a calorie surplus for an extended period of time.
For the rest of you who want to understand WHY this option might be best for you, keep reading ;)
What are macros?
Macros, short for macronutrients, are comprised of three (technically four if count alcohol) components: Protein, Carbohydrates & Fat. They are the foods & drinks we consume that contains calories. Your favorite bacon, egg, & cheese breakfast sandwich, salads doused in dressing for lunch & fast-food chain takeouts for dinner are all made up of macros (in different ratios), some “good", some "bad”.
Protein: 1 gram = 4 calories
Think building muscle & appetite control
Its primary function is to build & repair body tissues & structures. It is also necessary for the production and protection of antibodies that prevent us from illness and infections. Additionally, protein can be used for energy if calories or carbohydrates are insufficient in the diet (gluconeogenesis).
Protein can be obtained from meat, dairy products, eggs, fish, nuts, legumes, vegetables, grains, & protein powder. A highly-advertised “good source of protein” that you should be careful with is nuts as they are a great source of fats, not protein. For example, 1 serving of almonds has 6 grams of protein, 6 grams of carbs, & 14… FOURTEEN grams of fat! A high-protein diet during your fat loss journey will help you maintain as much lean mass as possible and can even help build muscle. But, consuming too much protein can lead to harmful effects such as kidney dysfunction, constipation, dehydration & even weight gain.
How much protein should you consume? Good question. It depends where you’re currently at, where do you want to go, & what method (diet style) do you want to choose. Sorry it’s not a simple question/answer. To make this simple, say you are 200 lbs with 25% body fat. You can go as low as 0.5-1.5 g/lb of lean body mass/day. Lean body mass is your total weight minus your weight in fat. For example: 200 - (200 x 0.25) = 150 lbs. So if you weigh 200 lbs & have 150 lbs of lean body mass, 0.5 x 150 = 75 grams of protein.
My go-to sources of protein are skinless chicken breast, lean ground turkey/beef, sometimes fish (wild caught salmon), a meal replacement shake & post workout shake from 1st Phorm.
Carbohydrate: 1 gram = 4 calories
Think performance & recovery
If you want to enjoy working out & want to recover at a normal rate, you need to consume carbs. Carbs are compounds containing carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen and are generally classified as sugars (simple), starches (complex), and fiber.
Who cares about simple, complex carbs & fiber, right? Your stomach & body does, duh! What you need to know about the difference between these two is how they’re digested & absorbed. Simple sugars (glucose, fructose, galactose) are best for quick energy because of how fast they are absorbed by the body. Be careful with ingesting a lot of simple carbs because they have little nutritional value (no fiber) so people who are trying to lose weight, should limit their simple carb intake. Complex carbs (polysaccharides) are best for energy that lasts and because they are longer in chain than simple sugars, they take a longer time for the body to breakdown. They come in the form of rice, bread, potatoes, cake, candy, & countless other enjoyable/less enjoyable sources.
Fiber is an indigestible carbohydrate. There’s two types: soluble and insoluble.
Soluble fiber is dissolved by water and forms a gel-like substance in the digestive tract. Soluble fiber has many benefits, including moderating blood glucose levels and lowering cholesterol.
Insoluble fiber does not absorb or dissolve in water. It passes through the digestive tract close to its original form. Insoluble fiber offers many benefits to intestinal health, including a reduction in the risk and occurrence of colorectal cancer, hemorrhoids, and constipation
The more refined a carb is, the less nutritious & filling it will be. That’s not to say that there are good & bad carbs, that’s just to say that depending on where you are in your body goal journey, certain carbs at certain times of the day will help you or hurt your progress.
How much carbs should you consume? You technically don’t need any or that much (keto) but then again, I don’t promote or suggest cutting anything out of your diet because the internet said so. I do carb-cycling meaning on the days where I train, I consume “a lot” of carbs, & the days I don’t workout, I consume about half that amount. In the interest of simplicity & consistency, aim for 0.5-2 g/lb of lean body mass.
My go-to sources of carbs include cinnamon raisin bagels, sour patch kids, oatmeal, whole wheat bread, brown rice, bananas, blueberries, cinnamon toast crunch, strawberry cheesecake flavored yogurt, & Halo Top.
Fat (Lipids): 1 gram = 9 calories
Think hormone production & regulation, vitamin absorption, energy, brain function & maintaining body core temperature
Fats are a key component to your diet as they are the basic building blocks of your cell membranes. Every cell in your body is surrounded by a fatty membrane that allows the balance of hormones to enter. Cholesterol, aka fat, is responsible for the production of testosterone & estrogen (hormones) so avoiding fats altogether, will result in hormonal imbalances that will affect metabolism, fertility & life expectancy.
Some types of vitamins rely on fat for absorption & storage such as Vitamin A, D, E & K. These fat-soluble vitamins cannot function without adequate daily fat intake. Fat is also your back up source of energy when carbs are depleted, keep this in mind especially when you’re working out. Your brain is made up of nearly 60% fat so at times if you’ve experienced “brain fog”, you’re not getting enough high-quality fats. Where can you get high-quality fats from? Nuts, seeds, avocados, coconut/olive oil & fatty meats.
How much fats should you consume? Aim for 0.25-1 g/lb of lean body mass.
My go-to sources of fat are eggs, beef bacon, vegan cheese, almond butter, coconut/olive oil & fish oil supplements.
Foods with Nutrition Labels vs Foods Without
Every nutrition label will give you:
Serving size
Servings per container
Calories
Total Fat
Cholesterol
Sodium
Total Carbohydrate
Protein
Micronutrient %s
For the purpose of macros, we’re only going to focus on protein, carbs & fats.
1 gram of protein & carb = 4 calories each.
1 gram of fat = 9 calories.
These three macronutrients make up calories. From the example to our right, we find that:
Protein: 14 x 4 = 56 calories
Carbohydrate: 77 x 4 = 308 calories
Fat: 2.5 x 9 = 22.5 calories
So… 56 + 308 + 22.5 = 386.5 calories.
I thought about finding a different label but I’m not going to because there’s two valuable lessons to learn here:
Just because a nutrition label says how many calories there are, mistakes happen in counting.
Due diligence will be rewarded.
The more you practice this, the less time it will take & the less confused/anxious you will be. Also, note that micronutrients (vitamins & minerals) do not contain calories so we don’t have to do any calculations there.
Now, for the foods that do not contain nutrition facts, I use:
last & certainly least, myfitnesspal.com
I think it’s also important to mention that most fast-food chain restaurants have on their website a nutritional database. The more fancy or less popular a restaurant is, the less likely you’ll be able to know exactly how many macros you’re consuming. These are three places I often go to:
Here’s an honorary member to the nutrition calculator (just found this while searching for these restaurants)
How to Track Macros: Measuring and Weighing
The easiest way for you to understand portion size in my opinion is to cook your food using a food scale, measuring cups & spoons. You can order one online from amazon or go to target & pick one up (or order online as well). I measure foods/liquids in grams or ounces keeping it simple, stupid (KISS). The main objection I get from people is that it is tedious & annoying to do. Okay... I don’t disagree with them but… BUT BUT BUT(T), if it took you less than a month to acquire a skill that will benefit you for the REST of your life, would you say no? You don’t need to spell the alphabet out anymore to form sentences; once you get accustomed to your job, you don’t need a to do list to remind you of the basics.
Macros vs Calories
Think about it like this. You wouldn’t work your job without know how much you’re earning an hour, so why eat foods if you don’t know their caloric DNA. You can lose weight just counting calories, but for the purpose of body composition, you’re going to have to increase your intake of protein & reduce your intake of carbohydrates & fats. If we don’t track our calories, it’s very easy to go over in carbs & fats & barely hit your protein goal because we like taste over discipline & (veggies lol).
But I promise you, learning how to track your macros will take the confusion out of life & give you more time to focus on important things like buying slimmer clothes because your old ones don’t fit or responding to tinder/bumble messages because appearance matters no matter how many times people say “it’s what’s on the inside that counts” (btw that’s still important, but it’s much more rewarding to look & feel like a Porsche)
In Conclusion
Tracking macros is not a forever thing. It's something you do for a while until it becomes second nature & you no longer have to think about it. This can be overwhelming if you're new to this so if that's the case, please send me an email at abel@aymhigher.com or drop a question in the comment section, I'll be more than happy to help you out. I am also accepting online coaching clients if you're in need of help with nutrition, don't know where to begin in the gym or you hit the wall & plateaued. You will receive 24/7 access to me & customized training programs.