FishChris's Amazing Transformation

Here is a great interview with someone who’s changed their body dramatically in less than a year and has great insight into the focus and intensity required to make great change.

Before we jump into the interview here is an anecdote that FishChris provided that will give those of us who haven’t got our health under control real pause for thought.

The Doctor’s Warning

My Dcotor used to tell me “Your blood pressure is dangerously high, and this is putting you at serious risk of a heart attack or stroke ! I’d really like to put you on some blood pressure medication”

I once replied, “So ? If I were to die of a heart attack or stroke, I wouldn’t have to worry about my ****ty health anymore, would I ?”

Of course he just frowned, and shook his head. He came back with, “Well ya’ know, not ALL heart attacks or strokes will actually kill you. It’s quite possible you could have one that only makes you 100 time’s more miserable, for as many years as you live after the fact”.

I have to admit that was hard for me to ignore.

Interview

How much weight you have lost from your peak ?

I went from my high weight of 272, down to my lowest weight, of 191.8 (for an 80 lb loss) in less than 1 year.

The first 50 or so lbs were from healthy diet alone. Then I hit a plateau for a couple months. That’s when I started exercising really hard, both weight training and cardio, and lost the remaining 30 lbs.

Then, in the last 10 months or so, I have gained right at 20 lbs, while my body fat % has dropped at least 7% more (which is what I’m really proud of I never wanted to be “skinny”. I wanted to be buffed !)

What are the key behaviors or tactics that you think have enabled you to succeed ?

Key bad habits I dropped ? EVERYTHING I USED TO EAT!

I went from not exercising at all, to working out like a freaking mad man, pretty much 6-7 days a week. Varying muscle sets of course.

If someone reading this has repeatedly tried and failed to change their life for the better and they are considering giving up do you have any words of encouragement for them ?

Ya’ know, I’d really like to say (and have said, about my fishing, my photography, or anything I have had good success with) the old cliché, “if I could do it, anyone can do it….”.

To be totally honest, I’m not sure if this is true. Ya’ see, I have this little thing which is typically looked at as a psychological issue, or problem, called obsessive / compulsiveness.

So, many years ago, when I decided I was going to catch some big fish, I just put a stupid amount of my time and energy into doing just that. And so I succeeded. Never mind that I blew off having a real career, or possible retirement someday.

So now, in typical fashion, I just decided to go off of the deep end with health and fitness. Knowing myself, I’m pretty sure (barring any unforeseen injuries, or illnesses) that I’ll end up in jaw dropping, head turning physical shape, but that’s pretty much because I think about my weight and muscle mass 24/7.

Clearly you are a keen fisherman, how has losing weight affected your sporting life ?

As for my fishing, on the one hand, my time on the water has actually been cut into just a bit by my workouts (and gas prices !) but then again, I feel so freaking good nowadays.

It not only makes fishing more enjoyable, but it makes EVERYTHING fun, more enjoyable.

So anyway, I’m not sure if this what you wanted to hear. I mean, how can you teach somebody to just throw out 90% of every important thing that normally runs through their minds, and replace it all with health and fitness X’s 100 ?

Would you even want them to do that ? One things for sure, if they did do this, they would almost certainly end up reaching 99% of their genetic potential or more.

Anyway, I guess there a lot of worse things for a person to go off of the deep end with, other than health and fitness, huh ?

Finally, stay tuned. I’m just getting started. If I could make this kind of change in 18 months, I can’t wait to see where I’m at by my 50 B-day That is about 42 months.

What do you think of this Doc ?

Having put in the hard work FishChris is entitled to feel proud of his results, I wonder what his doctor would think :

BTW, right about the time I got onto my health and fitness transformation, my work switched medical plans, and I ended up with a new Doctor. My new doctor is great ! But my old Doctor, has never gotten a chance to see the new me.

I think one day this Summer, I’m going to have to look him up, to have a chat with him  I’ll bring my iPad, in case he has forgotten how absolutely terrible of condition I was in ! I bet he will be shocked 

Lessons Learned

• Self image, FishChris sees himself as someone who can work intensely, he believes he is in control of his destiny.
• The attitude of intesity, “working out like a freaking mad man” and “I’ll end up in jaw dropping, head turning physical shape, but that’s pretty much because I think about my weight and muscle mass 24/7.”
• 50 lbs or so weight loss from diet alone.
• The payoff,  “I feel so freaking good nowadays”, “it makes EVERYTHING fun, more enjoyable.”