Biggest Shrinker -Shawn!
If you remember the team challenge, you will recall that Shawn was our Biggest Shrinker at the Sisterhood, ahem, Brotherhood! He lost an outstanding amount of weight, 9.15% of his total body weight, and his team also WON the challenge! We are so proud of you, Shawn! We love that you weren’t intimidated by a bunch of women and hope that you will continue to inspire us!
Height: 6′
Starting Weight: 296
Current Weight: 268
Pounds Lost: 28
How long have you been overweight and what made you decide to take action? I have been overweight on and off throughout my life. In 2000, I decided to turn my life around and start to be a competitive natural bodybuilder. In 2004, I began to become overweight after a serious knee injury disabled me for about 2 years.
Do you follow a specific program or are there certain websites that you love? I really like testosterone.net, I have adapted a lot of their methods to fit the equiptment I have. I try to lift 4 times a week, do cardio 3 times a week and walk the dog for about an hour a day. I do have a family and work about 60 hours a week, so sometimes I don’t get all of my workouts in; although, sometimes I do get up at 4:30am to sneak the workout I missed from the night before into my schedule.
How soon did you begin adding exercise? Before I started dieting. I was a college athlete and have never really quit exercising (other than the 2 years after my injury). Diet is really more than half of losing weight.
What is a typical meal plan for your day? 6 meals a day, <100g carbs, 250g protein, 115g good fat (nuts and fish oil). I eat a lot of protein powder and egg whites.
What food can you not live without? There are no foods you can’t live without.
Do you ever splurge? Of course…I had one planned cheat meal (before 2pm) once a week. I think it helps keep you focused. If I slipped a bit during the week, I wouldn’t allow myself to have that cheat meal.
What was the hardest thing to give up? Ice Cream and beer (not at the same time…we tried beer floats once in college, and it was a bad idea).
Does your entire family eat healthier? Yes, that was really the point of the challenge. My wife and I didn’t want our children to think it was normal to eat like we were eating. Pizza 3 or 4 nights a week isn’t the best for the kids or the parents.
Favorite snack? Wasabi-soy almonds are great. I also like to make a “shake” by blending 2 scoops of protein powder, 1/4 cup of milk and 2Tbs of natural peanut butter. You feel like you are having a milk shake and it is pretty good for you.
Favorite activity? Lifting weights, I hate cardio but it is a necessary evil.
How do you maintain your weightloss? Keep in mind that I look a lot better and feel a lot better when I am in shape. Then, I realize that once I reach my goal weight, sitting down for some wings and beer won’t hurt me as much as it will now.
Any goals for the future? Get to my goal weight and hopefully do another bodybuilding show.
What is your favorite thing about your “new” body? My shirts are tight in the right places (shoulder/arms) and not the wrong one (gut).
Anything else you would like to share with the Shrinking Jeans readers? When I used to compete in bodybuilding shows I would always say, “if it was easy to look like this everyone would do it.” Nobody wants to be fat and it takes a lot of sacrifice to stay in shape…but looking good and feeling good feels better than the brownie sundae tastes.
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