Matt's Fat to Fit Journal

[matthew_82]

A month ago I weighed 225lbs, was eating a very unhealthy vegetarian diet and not exercising at all. I now weigh 215 and am eating a vegan diet (mostly raw), running and lifting dumbells- 8kg each. I plan on joining a gym and buying some heavier weights.

 

My diet is giving me so much more energy. I'm waking up really early and literally jumping out of bed in contrast to before when I was tired most of the time. I feel much happier too and very optimistic. I went for a run this morning and ran 3 miles without stopping then had a rest. I stopped a couple of times on the way back and power walked until I could run again. I've only been running for a couple of weeks and the first time I ran I was out of breath within the first five minutes so I was feeling proud because i really pushed myself today. I haven't been having to use my asthma inhaler while running recently.

 

I'm starting to enjoy raw food a lot more than cooked food, which feels heavy and I am drinking a lot more water. I wake up every morning with a bad taste in my mouth but I think it might be due to detoxing. Another change is that an old scar which looks pretty bad has drastically started to improve 5 years after surgery.

 

Example meal Plan:

Breakfast: Smoothie-Bananna, Strawberries, Spinach, Wheatgrass, Hemp Protein, Spirulina

Snack-Peanut Butter and celery

Lunch: Large Salad with Hemp oil, Chia Seeds, Flaxeed

Snack-Almonds

Dinner-Sweet Potatoe with Homemade vegan Guacamole. Naked Bar.

[AndiMorris]

Looks like a perfect step in the right direction. Keep it up.

[lapetitemort]

Way to go! As I'm new to vegan, i'm super interested in following your journey.

[matthew_82]

Thanks for the support

 

My running has been going well but today I couldn't run as far as usual because I've upped my pace a bit so that was a bit disheartening. I'm not sure whether it's best to keep running at the same pace and cover more distance or running a shorter distance faster. I did feel better tonight though when I realized I can now do 20 push-ups in a row, as before I could only do two. The 8kg weights must be doing some good. lol

 

My diet is good-loads of energy but I have had a headache for the past couple of days and I think it's because I've been drinking more coffee than i have been. I'm going to stop drinking coffee and only have dark chocolate once a week.

[C.O.]

Yeah! Thanks for sharing, from how motivated you sound I'm expecting to see big progress from you!

 

-Dylan

[Mini Forklift]

Congrats on hitting 20 push ups in a row, that's some great progress!

 

Maybe you could have a look through some of the threads in the running section of this forum, might give you a few ideas. As for staying at the same pace and increasing the distance OR running faster but shorter, well that probably comes down to your goals. Overall I would say the first option is a better overall choice, but it's also good to mix it up and keep your body from adapting. The first would probably also be better in terms of injury prevention. Just my 2c though.

 

Keep up the good work Matt, MF.

[matthew_82]

Thanks for the advice. i'll check out the running forum.

 

My diet has stayed the same but I am feeling hungry and having to eat more on the days that i am exercising. I am only having the hemp protein on my exercise day too. I am drinking a lot of water but that could be more to do with the heat-wave we are having.

 

I ran 8 miles today. 6 miles cross country and 2 miles on the road. I am only going to run cross country now because i didn't stop at all during that time but had to stop a few times on the 2 mile run because of traffic. My breathing has improved a lot but I have started using a natural salt pipe inhaler so it could have something to do with that. Also, i am only going to run before 9am because it is far too hot otherwise. I am still lifting the light weights but doing a lot of reps.

[matthew_82]

I just checked google maps and it looks like closer to 9 miles (in 30 degree C heat) I ran today so I'm feeling really good.

[matthew_82]

I injured my ankle yesterday, which is really frustrating because I won't be able to run for at least a few days, maybe longer. I haven't run for about 4 or 5 days due to heavy rain in the mornings and now the injury. I'm going to try and focus on strength building exercises until it heals. I haven't been losing much weight recently either (I'm at 210lbs), which i'm surprised about considering my diet and exercising. I have noticed a big difference in my clothes though and I think I've probably gained some muscle.

[matthew_82]

I got a bike a few days ago so have been cycling until my ankle heals and I can run again. The previous two days I cycled 6 miles and this morning I cycled 10.I have decided to alternate cycling and running. I'm going to run again tomorrow but take it easy to make sure my ankle is okay. I've started doing bodyweight exercises- plank and side plank along with pushups, pressups and pullups.

[Mini Forklift]

All the best with your ankle. FWIW I tend to be able to hold on to my running conditioning for arond 10-14 days before I lost anything so no need to stress too much. You might lose a little off your top end, but for the most part you can tend to jump back into it pretty much where you left off.

[matthew_82]

Thanks for the advice. My ankle is completely healed now and I pretty much picked up from where i left off with my running. I'm alternating between running 5 miles and cycling 10-12 miles every other day. I'm doing bodyweight exercises everyday and lifting weights every other day. My fitness levels have improved a lot and my times are improving for running and cycling. My asthma has practically disappeared. changing my diet has had a huge effect on me. I think I had a lot of food allergies I wasn't aware of. I am having to eat more the more exercise i do though but I am still eating really well.

[C.O.]

Hey Matt, what's the update on your progress?