Fit Tip Daily decided to start 2016 off right with a motivational weight loss success story. Every month we will feature a new story from real people who have been winning the weight loss war and making huge improvements in their lives. Let their success fuel your flame. We can all improve, we can all do better, and we can all be inspired by stories like Scott’s.
Hello, my name is Scott McNutt and I am a project manager for a local audio video company by day, fitness and health enthusiast the rest of the time- actually, all of the time. I am sharing my weight loss journey and my ultimate transformation with anyone who may need that extra bit of inspiration, or just likes to read about others success stories. My journey started in August of 2012, a little over three years ago. I weighed in just over 334 pounds, give or take (that was the last weight I had actually stepped on a scale, and I am sure I had gained a pound or so by time I “started”).
It was a hot, humid, miserable afternoon on the basketball court. I was playing with some friends as my girlfriend witnessed our game on the side of the court. They were all scoring, and running, and happy to be around each other. I was out of breath on the opposite side of the court, embarrassed. We didn’t play long, but we did play, and it was fun. We joked, and laughed, I probably poked a joke about me not making it past half court a few times. I can’t exactly remember the details- but you know what they say “you may not remember the small details, but you will always remember how you felt”. And I felt embarrassed and distraught, my almost ALWAYS happy attitude was slowly disappearing and I wanted it back. I’m pretty sure I went home and downed a gallon of mom’s sweet tea, followed by some extra large portion of her exotic casseroles- with seconds. It’s what I did.
But not anymore. The next morning I woke up and decided I needed to change; once and for all. And most importantly, for me. I woke up a little early and made my decision. “I am going to give it my all, I am going to change, I am going to be my best self.” Or something like that. It has always been the power of “I Am”. Because we are powerful. Our thoughts, our words, our actions. I knew anything was possible, that I just needed to commit.
I knew what to do for the most part- see, I lost around 110 pounds when I was in my teens and essentially got “comfortable” and slowly trickled back to my original habits. Now that I know what my breaking points are, and what is comfortable, then it should be relatively easy. It is!
I started out by cutting out sodas and sweet tea entirely, caffeine headaches suck! After the headaches disappeared and I lost a few pounds I was starting to feel more confident, but knew I needed to do more. I decided I would cut out all fast food and just eat whole meals and add in some snack bars if I get hungry. The scale was still lowering and I was feeling great! But then that feeling of comfortability started to settle in and I knew I needed to add in something else or I would slip back into a routine I did not want to be a part of.
I joined my first real gym. I walked into the double doors of a local Golds Gym and met with a fitness consultant. She was so full of energy, the members of the gym all looked happy, the facility was bright and clean; everything seemed like it was falling into place. I was home. This was the ticket and the next step, to work out and exercise in addition to my diet changes. I started coming in the mornings before lunch a few times a week. The weight was still coming off, by this point I had lost about 30 pounds and felt absolutely incredible!
I met with a trainer after a couple of months and decided I wanted to learn more, and learn it the correct way. I knew I could read online and get information from the world wide web, but I wanted someone to help me with my form and to actually teach me about my body, my systems, and exactly how to exercise to lose weight and hopefully retain as much lean body mass as possible. Because we all know the more muscle we have, the more efficient our energy systems become. I worked out with my trainer for about six months, and it was one of the best learning experiences I had.
I decided I would do my own thing and just keep my hard work, my balanced diet, and my exercise routines. I was visiting the gym more often now, about five times a week, either before work or after work- whenever I could make it. I had started to not only add in circuit style training, but I was weight lifting to build mass- and I was loving the change I was STILL seeing. By this point I was down about * 100 pounds, but I still had so much more to transform (and still do). I started to read more about nutrition and how I should eat to build body mass, and also about training and what to do and when.
I decided my next goal would be to start bodybuilding, I plan to step on stage next year. Which has actually been the toughest part, but ultimately the most adventurous part. Tough in the sense that building muscle is not nearly as easy as I thought it was going to be. Adventurous in the sense that I’ve had the liberty of going to the Arnold Sports Expo and to meet some amazing people. I have been to a few bodybuilding competitions to witness friends compete, and to also expose myself to the atmosphere. It has been an absolutely amazing journey from start to future. In all I have lost around 145 pounds*, I’ve taken my body fat percentage from over 50% (OMG) to 14%* right now. I may have lost a lot of weight, but with that I have gained an enormous amount of knowledge, found a ton of confidence, and made some amazing friends.
Anything is possible if you commit, plan, execute, and stay optimistic. I say stay optimistic because there will be set backs, there will be “cheat” days, there will be donuts, and unwanted temptation. Life does happen, you know. Just keep at it; if you take a step back, get up and take two GIANT LEAPS forward. Remember “I Am” and you will be.
Good luck in your journey, whether it is health and fitness related, school related, or your career. Sky isn’t the limit, your mind is. Use it to your advantage.
-Scott McNutt
Instagram: @ScottMRVA
Facebook: /scottmrva
Twitter: @SMTWear
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