Giving In to Cravings Once a Week Kept Him Sane
Ever since I could remember, I’ve had trouble with my weight. As a kid and teenager, I was always pudgy. But a year or so after high school, I got really huge. I ballooned up to 350 pounds, and maxed out at 375 pounds in early 1997. So, from 1990 until 1997, I was in the neighborhood of 350 to 375 pounds.
My New Year’s resolution for 1997, I decided in late ‘96, would be to lose weight.
First and foremost, I had to carefully watch what I ate. For the most part, I gave up junky, fried, fat-laden foods. I say for the most part because, once in a long while, I did eat some of these foods just to keep my sanity and also so I wouldn’t binge. I concentrated on eating healthy foods such as skinless chicken, skim milk, steamed rice, salads and fruits and vegetables, to name a few. I also drank lots of water daily. On a weekly basis, I had six good (healthy food) days and one bad day (cravings). It worked!
Then I gradually started exercising. At first all I did was play basketball, but as time went on I started adding other physical activities. I still play ball, but I also jog, run hills, ride my bike and do calisthenics. Recently I started lifting weights. I want to concentrate heavily on weights from now on because I want to change my physique once again, from thin to toned and muscular. I figure it’ll take time to accomplish this, but I’m willing and determined to once again do the hard work.
In March I ran in my first L.A. Marathon, which I completed in six hours. (I promised myself to do better in future marathons.) I’m currently running 20 to 25 miles a week.
Some of the emotional changes I’ve noticed in myself since dropping the weight:
* Improved outlook on life.
* More confidence and self-esteem.
* More energetic and positive.
* Generally happier.
The physical changes? I went from 48-inch waist to 36-inch in pants, XXXL to large in shirts, and smaller shoes because I now don’t need to compensate for the width of my feet. My baseball-hat size even went down!
People who haven’t seen me for a while sometimes don’t recognize me; I really get a kick out of that.
All in all, it took me about 1 1/2 years of hard work and discipline to lose 175 pounds, and for about a year now I’ve managed to keep it off (no easy task). I often tell people who are overweight that if I can do it, they can too. All it takes is determination, hard work and patience. When it’s all said and done, it’s all worth it!
The support of family and friends helped fuel my determination. And for that, I’d like to thank them.
Vital Statistics
Name: Ricardo Vega
Age: 27
Occupation: School-bus driver
Old weight: 375 pounds
New weight: 200 pounds
Height: 6 feet
Time to get there: 1 1/2 years
How Did You Do It?
Do you have a story about how you lost weight and kept the pounds off? Or a story about how you learned to mountain climb or in-line skate, trained for a half-marathon or discovered a unique way of keeping fit, dealing with a nagging ailment or persevering with a fitness regimen despite some obstacles?
If so, we’d like to hear from you. Tell us your story in a 500-word essay listing what worked in terms of diet, exercise and encouragement, as well as any emotional and physical changes.
For weight-loss stories, send us full-body color photos of yourself, before and after. For other types of stories, send a color photo of yourself doing the activity you’re writing about.
Send essay and photos to How I Did It, Health, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053. Include daytime and evening phone numbers. Submissions cannot be returned. And, please, no phone calls.
In addition to publication, winners will receive a Los Angeles Times Health section gym bag, a Sparkletts hot-cold travel mug, T-shirt and coupons for free water products, courtesy of McKesson Water Products Co.