About Me

Summer 1986 - My parents and me

Hi. I'm Branden. I'm a 35-year-old college student/aspiring writer and I'm severely obese. Boy, I really hate that term. It only describes me but doesn't define me. I've struggled with my weight since puberty...

My mother was petite and heavy, 5 foot 3 and about 200 lbs. She was always on a diet and when she's on a diet, everybody in the house was on a diet. My father, on the other hand, was very slim, 6 foot 2 and 165 lbs. I got his height but her weight problems.

Summer 1990

We tried juicing, fiber tablets, Dexatrim, Xantrex, Weight Watchers, Slim-Fast, the 3-day diet, the 14-day herbal cleanse,  the Adkins' diet or Fit for Life as it was called back then, Body Tiddy, the Hollywood Diet, the cabbage soup diet. You name it, we've tried it.

During my freshman year of high school, I was able to get my weight under control, my mother and I would get up early before school and go to the park. I ran 5 miles while she walked 2 with a relative. I manage to maintain my weight between 150 to 160. I was 5' 10".

Four years later, in July 1996, my mother died and my life changed. I was uprooted from Georgia and moved to California to live with my brother. It was a very hard transition. I turn to food for comfort and gained about 20 lbs.

Summer 1997

In December 1996, I joined the Navy at 19, I weighed 186 lbs. After a month in boot camp, I met my abs for the first time. Little did I know it would be short lived. Once out of boot camp, I started eating from the vending machines in the barracks instead of walking to the galley for better food. I put on some weight but the big game changer was when I started going to the McDonald's in front of the Galley. I would order two triple quarter pounder, two large fries and a vanilla shake for lunch and go back at dinner for the same.

Spring 2005 - 235 lbs

During my time in the Navy, I yo-yoed from 200 lbs and 230 lbs. I once got to 190 but it was only because I picked up a nasty habit...bulimia. I developed a mild case of acid reflux from my short stint of purging myself. When I got out of the Navy in December 2004, I weighed 255 lbs. I started college the following January and instead of putting on the 'Freshman 15' like most, I lose 55 pounds. I hung around 200 lbs for the next few years. Though in the back on my head I wanted to be 185 again. I meet a guy who like to walking like me and we would walk 2 hours a day, sometimes 4 hours. He like walking much more that me because many times he would walk 8 hrs on Saturdays, I would join him on the last 2 hrs. 

March 2009 - 180 lbs

Fast forward two years, I started rapidly losing weight in early 2009, I got down to 170. I was so excited but I was experiencing this persistent cough for almost a year. It was around the time everyone was worried about 'swine flu' or H1N1. I never been one to go to doctors but I eventually got tried of coughing. Turned out I had pneumonia and since the doctor hadn't seen me in over 4 years, he order a full examination. When I went back for my results, I found out I had cancer--multiple myeloma. After nine months of chemotherapy, I was cancer-free and 240 lbs thanks to the steroids. 

June 2011 - 191.8 lbs

In December 2010, I decided it was time to try to lose the extra weight so I started exercising and cutting out junk food, I got down to 210 lbs before the new year. 

Then in January 2011, I found out the cancer had came back. I was devastated. I fell into a depression and quit my job. I turned to food again as I always did. I halfheartedly started treatment again in March. I say "halfheartedly" because I take steroids again and gain back the weight. It was inevitable, by December, I had balloon to 224.

January 2012 - 234 lbs

When I returned home from my New Years trip to Jamaica, I weighed 234. I got depressed again over my weight and the fact that I still had cancer after almost a year of treatment. I began eating cakes from FarmFresh, orange cream bar cakes to be exact, I ate them everyday for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They were $15 a pop so they were becoming a very expensive habit. By the end of the year I was 276.8.  

The following year on January 24, 2013, I stepped on the scale and weighed 277.4. I decided I had enough, I needed to make a change so I put together the a weight loss plan.

June 2013 - At my biggest 281.8 lbs

By March 2, 2013, I have gotten down to 247.2. Realizing I was still 2 or 3 months away from 200 lbs I got a little depressed and relapse into my old habits--Domino's Parmesan bites. Kroger's Lemon & Creme Bar Cake, and Burger King's Triple Whoppers. I stop weighing myself as I got more and more disguised with the way I looked. Then on June 4th, I got on the scale at the doctor's office and it said 290 lbs. Bells and whistles went off. Even though, I knew my Dr's scale was 10 lbs off from my own, I still like "WTF! You're 300 lbs!"  I went home and quickly put together a plan of action.

So on June 9th, I started eating healthier again. It was the previous plan but slightly altered because monetary restrictions.

Every Sunday I weight myself. (refer to Weigh-Ins tab). I was steadily losing weight and then I injured my ankle walking. I wasn't able to walk for almost two weeks and instead of watching what I eat. I order 64 parmesan bites from Domino's and occasionally a pizza or two. I watch my weight raise again. I knew I had to start back on my plan again but it was so hard. I putting it off, 'I'll start next Sunday," and then Sunday would come and I'll say 'I'll start next Sunday." This continue for a while.

During the month I was feeling sorry for myself. I began watching Extreme Weight Loss and reading up on Chris Powell and his plan.

I found a website where he mentions finding out how many calories you body needs to function:
You take your weight and multiply it by 12 and that's how many calories your body needs a day to maintain your current weight. So I figure I'll use the weight I want to be, which is 175, and calculate. So, 175 times 12 equals 2100 calories. He also said we should eat within 30 minutes of waking up to start our metabolism and to eat every 3 hours. With this information, I devised another plan.

So on Sunday, August 18, 2013, I start again on my journey to healthy living and this time I decided to document it through this blog. To make myself accountable for my actions and hopeful motivate others. This is my journey: From mad fat man into a happy fit man.

UPDATE: As of November 10, 2013, I have surpassed my halfway mark. I will post a new pic soon.