I started my fitness journey at 365 pounds. I was obese, extremely unhealthy, had a fatty liver, high triglycerides, pre-diabetic, and high blood pressure, and my doctor said I wouldn’t make it past 30 at the rate I was going. I had no idea what I was doing, but I told myself I WILL lose weight and get to experience life. One of my biggest struggles was my relationship with food. I always thought that some food was good, and some food was bad, and the moment I ate some “bad” food, I immediately felt guilty, and binged. That was followed by overly restricting myself the next day, as well as doing way more physical activity to “make up” for eating things I didn’t allow myself.
Age:
32
City, State/Province:
NY
Country:
United States
Occupation?
Fitness and weight loss coach
Many people struggle with losing weight. Are the challenges as simple as a fitness issue or is it more of an underlying health issue?
Tons of people struggle with losing weight because they generally tend to overcomplicate the process. It usually boils down to an overwhelming amount of information, and the tiny details that people focus on that don’t matter that much, are what they focus on primarily.
What would be your top 3 tips you would provide to someone who is struggling to lose weight?
- Take MESSY ACTION. So many people suffer from paralysis by analysis, because they try to figure everything out before they take action. Next thing they know, years go by and they’re in a worse place than they were when they first started to think about changing their lifestyle. Figure out the details later as you go, they’re not important right now.
- Calories are important, but most people fail in the beginning because tracking calories is too overwhelming and detailed. Start by eating protein with every meal, drinking more water, time-blocking 30-60min per day for physical activity such as a workout or a walk, eating carbs via fruits and vegetables mostly, eating most of your meals at home, and definitely prioritizing staying on track on the weekends.
- If you’re not losing weight, you’re likely not consistent with your nutrition. Track everything you’re eating, not only some of the food, and you’ll immediately see where the problem lies.
If you have 100 tokens in total and you could apply them to the following categories, how many would you apply to each?
- Fitness level:35
- Health level:65
Can you tell us why did you decide to change yourself?
My doctor said I wouldn’t live to 30 at the rate I was going, so I walked out of that doctor’s office with a mission to lose weight by any means necessary. I imagined missing out on all the things life had to offer, and I wanted to experience it all. A family, travelling, love, relationships, everything. This wouldn’t be possible if I remained unhealthy and obese.
Share your unique training/coaching methods?
Accountability is key, and most people fall off track because of a lack of accountability. This is why we prioritize keeping every client as accountable as possible, and picking them up when they fall off track.
Training Plan:
Focusing on the gym or at-home workouts, while hitting every muscle group around 2x a week, with an emphasis on hypertrophy.
Nutritional Plan:
No food is off-limits. Understanding nutrition, and what affects weight loss/gain is the key to sustainable results. This is why we teach our clients exactly how much nutrition they require in order to reach the goal they’re after, and we make adjustments as needed. Limitation, not elimination.
Supplement Plan:
Protein powder occasionally, optional creatine, vitamin d, and zinc are optional.
Do you prefer to take and recommend all-natural (no sugar, no artificial colours/flavours/sweeteners) supplements or supplements with artificial flavours and sweeteners? And Why?
Both, whichever the person prefers. Artificial flavours and sweeteners are absolutely fine for human consumption.
Please describe the importance of mental health?
It’s all mental, ALL mental. Without being in the right mental space, everything physical that needs to be accomplished just becomes that much more difficult. You can only rush head-first into physical activity so much before your mentality sets you back. This is why I recommend everyone to prioritize gratitude, appreciating their small wins, as well as surrounding themselves with people that bring them up and bring out the best in them, rather than people who constantly bring them down.
What separates Status from other fitness magazines?
They seem genuine and cover fitness personalities that other magazines don’t.
Describe your coaches and the impact they have on you?
Coaches are the “shortcut” people are looking for. We can only coach ourselves so much, but a third-person’s perspective will always bring out the best in you.
Do you have a sponsor? List them and what they mean to you?
Bodybuilding.com, they helped me start my journey, and it’s an honour to work with them now.
Can you share with us your goals for fitness and life?
To help as many people as possible with losing weight and living the life they dream of because they CAN do it too.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned?
Failure is going to happen, and failure is needed to become the best version of yourself. Failing is experience.
Who inspires you? And why?
My mother. She took care of me by herself for the majority of my life, and that’s a strength that is impressive beyond words.
What is your number one tip for people on their fitness journey?
Take messy action.
What does success look like for you?
Living the life I created, without owing anyone anything.
What is your favorite quote to live by?
“The person who says they can, and the person who says they can’t, are both usually right”
Connect with Alex: IG
