My Beachbody Bio

I am the son of a type one diabetic (my mother) and the grandson of a type 2 diabetic (my maternal grandmother). My mother is in good shape for a type one diabetic in her 50s, but suffers from several small ailments (at least she doesn’t let on that they are serious…). After years of being overweight, improvements in her health have let my maternal grandmother improve her weight and her quality of life. Health has always been a major issue right smack in the middle of my life.

On my father’s side, my father has been over 300 lbs for the last 20 years at least, reaching a highest weight of around 410 lbs. I barely remember the man in the old photographs who was handsome, strong, and fit. My father is a warm and strong man, but he still needs to lose weight. A few years ago, my father lost 100+ lbs over the course of a year with Weightwatchers. Later, he stopped, only to regain around 25 lbs. However, lately he has been getting away from his WW habits and is rapidly gaining weight.

What about me you ask? I have been big all my life. I remember being around 180 at 10 years old. I was always shopping in the “husky” boys department of the stores. Food was always a comfort in a split home, being shuttled between homes.

In high school, I don’t think I ever got to over 200 lbs because of a martial arts hobby, thankfully, however in college lack of organized exercise led me to gain weight, coupled with calzones and wings at the cafeteria. Still I didn’t gain that much until I graduated and went overseas to China as a brand-new Chinese/Business major… There, as a working man/stiff suit expat employee, I had money to eat and to party. I ballooned up to 220, then to 250 lbs. I remember trying to exercise, but it never lasted. Then later, I found an even better job as a manager for the guys who check shipments for quality problems (no suit required!). The factory bosses would take me out to lunch and dinner without hesitation. The food crowded the tables and the liquor flowed. I gained even more, getting to a 48 inch waist and more than 330 lbs. I didn’t actually know how much I weighed as my scale only went to 330 lbs. I estimate I have weighed as much as 350 lbs. I was addicted to online roleplaying games in my off-time, which was often for 10 hours a day. My health began to suffer greatly, which caused my work to suffer. This became my rock bottom. I was laid off and returned to the United States with my wife.

I joined Weightwatchers, inspired by my father’s previous success and he joined me for a time as well. I joined at 332 lbs, and seven months later, I had lost weight to get to 257 lbs. I rejoined at my old kungfu school, which helped greatly with exercise and discipline. However, my discipline was not complete. Life was hard and finding work harder, I fell back into smoking, overeating, left Weightwatchers, and suffered from depression. I regained up to 310 or so in a few months.

Then one day I watched a P90X infomercial and I was very much attracted to it. I had re-quit smoking by that time and my kungfu teacher had kicked my behind to restart my discipline. I needed a tool! P90X seemed to fit. I asked around with some online weight loss buddies and some of them had been doing P90X. However, at the time I felt P90X was too expensive. I asked around and found out about Team Beachbody Club Members getting 10 percent off. Then, one of my online buddies recommended Power 90 In-home Boot Camp as a stepping stone, so I bought it and was on my way! I worked out in the mornings at 5 in the morning, and did kungfu 3-4 nights a week. It really helped with my discipline, confidence, and my waistline. I lost about 20 lbs and my kungfu uniform felt much more comfortable. What’s more I could do pushups again! By that point my kungfu teacher, my Sifu, had enlisted me to help teach children at the school. I no longer needed to slink by when the kids needed to do their calisthenics, I could JOIN IN!

Now I have begun Power 90 Masters Series with some Stretch X and P90 Sculpt ¾ thrown in the mix. As of this draft, I am on day 9! The thing I love about the P90 programs (P90, P90 Masters Series, and P90X Extreme In-Home Fitness Program) is that it asks you to commit to 90 days. As new habits take 6 weeks to take hold, doing a DVD program for 13 weeks is a great way to keep a fit and active lifestyle. In fact, you can do them over and over, even switching between a wide variety of programs.

I have become a coach because I believe in Beachbody’s mission of eradicating obesity in America. I have been too fat to serve in the defense of my country for too long. I have been too fat to dance with my wife for two long. I have been too fat to properly keep my part of our apartment’s mess clean for too long. When living in China, I was considered a monster for being a fat, Caucasian foreigner. The next time I visit China, I want to be stared at for my muscles, not my fat. I want to be a shining example of what an American is and can be. For my country and for my family!

Round 2 Day 9: Lazy Monday morning

Hi there,

This morning I rolled out of bed at 4:45am (my usual time) and was not ready for a workout :(. However, that is when my new mantra, CONSISTENCY, rang in my mind. OK! I'll do it! So I did Sculpt 5/6 and it was tough, but I got through it and it felt GOOD!

Lately, I have been putting a little of this orange sports drink (that has a 4 to 1 carb-protein ration like the P90X recovery drink) into my Shakeology along with 1/3 scoop banana whey and milk and a cup of cheerios. It's a feast at 9 Weightwatchers points, but it is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good! Makes me swoon to think about it. LOL JK!

Got to get to work. Have a great, healthy day!

Round 2 Day 8: Sunday! Yoga and Sweat 5/6

Hi there!

I am EXHAUSTED! Yesterday was a gathering of Team Beachbody coaches to get some energy together in the Washington DC area. It was great because I got a taste of Turbo Jam and Slim in 6. I need to get my showcase back so I can enjoy some Turbo Jam and Hip Hop Abs. They did a lot of P90X material in a group workout, so I am SORE all over.

HOWEVER, I still got up this morning, saw I had time to get to Yoga class, so I went. Consistency is key to doing anything in life. We become what we do. So now I am one sore, relaxed dude. Oh yeah... my yoga teacher had us do 12 SUN SALUTATIONS, a full round of sun salutations in Sivananda yoga. OMG! Then we did some pilates! That always hits me in weak areas! Ouch! Lol. It hurt sooo good.

Hopefully a buddy of mine will come over and do a cardio DVD with me this afternoon. I am going to post a pic of one of my Team Beachbody idols in a bit. Got to upload it first! Met him yesterday!

R2 Day 5: Good day lined up!

Kind of overate last night as my wife made a nice white rice porridge for dinner with lean chicken breast. Carb overload! Ack! But still on the light side. I probably needed it. (Forget I said that WW hardcore peeps).

However, wednesday (yesterday) was a hardcore all-day-long exercise-fest with a P90 Sweat 5/6 DVD in the AM, then Kungfu sword class, then KF kiddies class, then Taichi... All told at least 3 hours of moving if I add the bits and pieces together... We'll see on WI Sunday...

Got up this morning and did some P90 cardio. Tonight should be a light night. Maybe I will do some yoga tonight...

Eating wise I am prepared for today with tuna fish, veggies and light progresso soup (ick! still processed food!!!), etc. Also I have some almonds in my food bag, but not too many, just about an ounce. Any more and points get wasted... LOL.

Be the Hero in the Video Game of Life

I have played video games since childhood (since they started really, 20plus years now at least). I was severely addicted to World of Warcraft in China and I blame that lifestyle for destroying my health and my spirit for so many years.

The other day, one of my senior colleagues at my teacher's kungfu school was responding to a child babbling on about a video game, and said "be the hero in the video game of life" (or at least that was the gist of it). That hit me right in the forehead! YES! That's IT! That is a perfect way to describe my recent experiences and my near future. In online games like World of Warcraft sure you make a lot of friends online and you do try to solve puzzles and acheive goals, especially gear and equipment goals, BUT it's all NOT REAL. If the servers at WOW's corportate offices fried, you would up a creek!!! Your hard work would ALL BE GONE! Your LIFE --fake though it may be-- would be GONE! That is a stupid way to live. If you play or are a parent of someone who plays, please supervise the player and try to wean him off it. Show her another choice. An active lifestyle of activities and real friends! Thank GOD I am free of that evil! It's as evil as smoking FOR SURE if that helps to put the problem in perspective!

Oops!

If you are coming from BCB, welcome. My thread was closed because the content was against the terms of use for BCB. Check out my link to my Beachbody products to the right. I apologize to BCB for any trouble. BCB!

R2D2: Coachdom is mine!

I became a coach today! Absolutely very cool experience! Team Beachbody has great products and they can really help change our country's health! It is all a little overwhelming as I am not yet sure how to get the message out. I am sure I'll start adding information to this blog very soon! Have a great evening.

R2 Day 1: 6lbs down, Ankle feat!

Yeah! I lost 6 lbs this week! Not sure how but I think it has something to do with resting... I overate a bit too... I tried to stick to the WW plan, but... and I still lost... dangerous... Got to keep my head on straight!

Also in yoga class this morning, I was able to bring my foot forward in my sun salutations without pulling my ankle up with my hand! If you know sun salutations, you understand!

Sculpt workout this PM after Dad's Day festivities.

Discipline

I base the concept of my blog on an ancient Chinese story about an old man that wants to level a mountain that blocks his route to market from his farm. He starts moving the mounting rock by rock. People ask him what are you doing? You can't move a mountain like that. He said yes I can. If I don't finish, those after me, my sons can finish or their sons after them...

The point of this is I didn't put this weight on in a day, so it will takes weeks and weeks (years worth of weeks even) to get to a healthy and fit weight. That's just reality. But using our will, waking our consciousness, and by choosing (which a friend recently reminded me is an action verb) to do the right thing we can get there.

Yesterday one of my senior brothers in the kungfu school told the children that discipline means doing the right thing. So true... My Sifu (teacher) told me months ago that discipline was the answer to my problems of weight gain, ill health and inactivity. In doing so he saved my life. Now I understand what he meant better than ever. Thanks Lester.

Days 4-5 of Rest Week: Sifu's Advice

Hi there,

I just had to midnight snack on 10 points worth (2C raisan bran, 2C skim) of cereal this morning... As long as I stay within my points for this week, I'll be ok with it. Sifu tells me not to eat at night, but I'll try, but sometimes I fail. The worst thing is it makes me sick some when I lay back down. As of right now, no strong symptoms, so that's good.

Did my kids classes and taichi class last night. Tonight I am planning to do kids classes and then do some DVD. Maybe Stretch X. That'll be nice...

It's raining bad right now. Might have to go to work early so I make it on time and alive :)

I have told Sifu about my plans for my next P90 round, so I better do a good job. Talk about motivation. Sifu's my hero as an athlete and a coach for others!

Sifu has been telling me to boldy go forth with calorie deficit dieting and don't worry about losing muscle. So there you go. I will. Strict old-school weightwatchers. No modifications.

Rest week Day 2 :)

Small disaster averted just now. My beloved wife made pork spareribs!!! Ingredients: 1 lb pork spareribs and 3 TB canola oil, some cut carrots and spices....stewed in a pot... 55 WW points by my calculations. I took 3 small, small pieces and called it 3 points... YIKES! If I had dug in it would have been a lot worse. Whew! I love her to pieces though!

Day 90: Anti-Climax & Affirmation

Well I am proud of my finishing P90, but I feel like my progress is negligible. My measurements are basically the same as Day 60. Did I not "bring it" enough? I really should not second guess myself as I KNOW I HAVE IMPROVED and I KNOW THAT IT WAS WORTH IT! Just got to keep going!

Masters Series starts next Sunday. This week is going to go slow... I love the structure of the plan...

Day 89: Exhausted

I did my taichi class this morning and taught my kids kf class... So now I am quite tired!

Tmrw is Day 90. I will do sweat and abs around noon and then rest.

Day 88: TGIF! Militancy! Soup with VEG!

I for one am back on track to eat well today. I have gotten rid of some junkfood wolves in sheepskin, so I am feeling empowered this morning. Was reading a book about getting militant and it resonated with the attitude I held last year when I lost a bunch of weight on WW the first time.

I am going to try to eat more soup... However these "light" Progresso soups are low in points but HIGH in Salt!!! So I'll have to see how it goes... I have good blood pressure and I tend to drink a lot and workout and sweat a lot, soooo maybe the salt won't do me in just yet.

Militant!

Day 86: Working

Hi there,

Today is Day 86 and I have work and then a full evening of kung fu/taichi classes and activities. So I will do the ab exercises, but I will do my P90 cardio tmrw. Kung Fu counts for cardio too if I push it! Grrh!

Day 85: Feeling Well; Almonds

Hi there world(sic lol),

Work is going well today. Getting stuff done!

Last night I practiced Kung Fu for a while and helped out teaching the kiddies, which is always fun and challenging and rewarding. But I still had to go home and do my Power 90 cardio workout, so I dragged myself home and I DID it!

Tonight I have another Strength DVD to do. I am definitely looking forward to finishing strong!

I am experimenting this week with almonds as a snack. They are a good source of Vitamin E, which I understand is good for repairing the body. They also have good fiber and protein with low carbs. Hopefully they will keep me satified well. Other foods I tend to snack on tend to be a little too processed like lunch meat or canned soup (light variety).

Back to work. Love yourself more every day.

EDIT/update: Well I had a Happy Meal for lunch (portion control!) so I don't have many points for more almonds today. It is now 2 PM and I am feeling good though.

Day 84: Nice Monday

Hi there,

Got my sculpt strength workout in last night. It was hard after a couple of days off and of having some GI issues, but I got it done.

Tonight after my kung fu practice and kids class, I'll come home and do my cardio workout (AKA sparring class) lol.

Lots of stress at home. Shirley can't find a summer job and is struggling to find scholarships for UMCP. We should have enough money, but I have been spending too freely on nutrition books and work out gear. :( So the breaks are on spending for a while...

Good thing I already got P90 Masters Series and P90X, so basically I am set.

More later,

M

Day 8X

Not been very well lately. Ｗｉｌｌ　post later. Hoping to get back on track with everything tmrw.

Day 82?: Good rainy day/Shakeology

Hi there,

I received P90X in the mail yesterday. I see how complicated the nutrition plan is, and I am simply in awe of it all.

In other news, I have started a new dietary supplement known as Shakeology, which is a glorifed protein shake with enzymes, probiotics and prebiotics. So far it seems to be very filling and good tasting with milk. Also seems to be giving me some digestive benefits, but the jury's still out until I take it for at least a week. Shakeology has been compared to crack by its proponents, which makes me wary, but if it helps my nutrition over all and helps me reduce cravings for bad food, then who cares!

P90 ends mid-June and I will begin P90MS soon after.

Day 80: Prayers and Mourning

Today is Day 80. Doing my best and forgetting the rest!

Today Barack Hussein Obama, our honored leader, is in Cairo to speak to the world. I pray for world peace and development. God help us.

Also today is the 20th anniversary of the death of a modern and democratic China. As I write this it is 7 PM on June 4th in China. The hopes for China died that day twenty years ago.

Day 78: Back from the Brink

Hi there,

I have not been blogging here as I have been somewhat lost and wrestling with night eating issues. So after much mediation and thought, I have started a new yoga regimen to add to my P90 DVDs and I have thrown the peanut butter out!

I have just not been able to exercise in the morning. I think now that it may just be a phase. Like Tony says, do your best and forget the rest. As long as I get my workouts in it's ok! Tonight is Cardio! Sweat 3/4! WOOT!

So generally I am doing well.

If Krista is reading this, I got your message and thanks and I will be in touch! Sorry about WOWY! Hope you had a good workout!

My diet is going OK and I am confident I can stay within points this week!