In May of 2009, after training for several months with my workout partner Jackie, I was at a respectable 171 lbs. I’m close to 5’10″, and my bench press one-rep-max was at 220 lbs, and I could comfortably squat 3 sets of 220lbs as well. Things were looking pretty good! However, with a combination of a bad ankle injury during a soccer game, added with the pressure of increasing work with my buisness (Sonika Studios Inc.), I lost the discipline. Despite my ongoing soccer games (twice a week), due to lack of weight training and a rather undisciplined diet, I found my self weighing as much as 195lbs in early 2010.

So starting March, I started playing soccer 3 times a week instead of just two. It’s played indoor in a smaller court, so it’s actually an amazing sprint-and-stop workout, which is a perfect example of a HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). My game was a bit better and my cardio/endurance was going up, but it still didn’t budge the scale much. I had to make a bigger change.

Starting in April, I tweaked my diet a bit. Sure, I can’t be one of those people who eat a meal that is perfectly calibrated, planned and calculated – I just love food and cooking too much, plus social outings often break that pattern anyways. What I did was very simple. Cut out fast food, cook at home more often (so you don’t get extra sugar, fat and corn syrup etc. in your food!), and instead of the usual serving of rice/pasta that I would usually eat, I cut it down to 2/3. Also my snacks became healthier (bananas, apples, cheese).

Also starting in April, I started hitting the weights again slowly. Today I actually had a great workout with Jackie (full 2 hours!) and I feel great. When I weighed myself halfway through the workout (which means I had drank a lot of water by that point) I weighed in at 189lbs! That’s a 6 pound weight loss in April alone, due to a slightly tweaked diet with little sacrifices, soccer games 3 times a week, and some weight lifting added.

Weight loss may seem like a daunting task to many – especially if you are very overweight. I guess I’m fortunate that even at my fattest, I’ve never broken the 200lbs mark (and I never ever plan to). But at the same time, dropping 20lbs from a 250lbs frame is easier than dropping 20lbs from a 190lbs frame. The last bit is the hardest, but I am determined to get my 170lbs body back.

So just to make this more interesting, I’m going to post my progress on my blog. It’s not as intense as those who are constantly logging their marathons, taking self-portraits, and listing almost every single food item they take in each day. My angle is to promote a healthier lifestyle that doesn’t require you to be a pseudo-personal-trainer! Health and Fitness isn’t some glamorous goal that only people with time and money can achieve. I hear so much bitching from people saying “well if I were a celebrity and had time to deal with a trainer everyday, I’d be fit too.” I think that’s complete horse shit. It’s about how you manage your day, and how you manage your time, and how much energy you can pour out. I work long hours on my own at home, and I do my household chores (laundry, dishes, cooking) and I still find time to work out. Sure, I don’t commute 1 hour each day to an office but I more than make up for it by working overtime late at night too.

If you want to keep up with my progress, or even join me in this, please subscribe to my blog so you can take a look at some things. And while you’re at it you can read some of my very controversial and interesting posts on politics, social issues and more!