Three Years Later, 145 Pounds Down
Two years ago, I posted a blog about losing 117 pounds in one year, going from 342 lbs to 225 lbs. It was a deeply emotional blog that detailed my fitness, my issues with food, and the overall journey.
Then, last year, I posted a blog about how I essentially kept the weight down, as I had only gained 5 lbs after a whole year (then 230 lbs). In that blog, I mostly gloated and celebrated how I was kicking ass professionally & living my best life.
Well, here I am again to update you on my life and health journey. Let’s jump right into it.
My Life Was A Bit Of A Clusterfuck
Right before I posted my blog last year, I felt like I was having the best year of my life, as I was traveling, eating good, went on some cool dates, and was having a lot of fun in my work/professional life. About a couple of months later, I hit some massive setbacks in both my work and personal lives. They were stressful setbacks where I was down on myself, and I’d wake up with a feeling of dread. I don’t want to go into detail about what went on in my life because as much as I want to be vulnerable and honest with y’all, there is stuff I’d rather keep private.
In my blog last year, I explained how I was proud that I had maintained my weight for a year as I had lost weight in the past and then gained it back as I’d begin to self-destruct/fall into bad habits. From age 19–25, I was incredibly depressed, and eating was often a way to ease the pain. When I got hit by those setbacks in my work & personal life, it would’ve been easy to fall back into my old life. Despite my life spiraling, I didn’t let it affect my fitness journey; instead, I went harder and stayed committed.
As much as my life was falling out of control, I found that my fitness & diet were two things that could give me a sense of stability that I desperately needed. One year later, I weighed in at 197 lbs, meaning I’m 33 lbs down from 2023, and in total, I’ve lost 145 lbs since 2021. Importantly, I feel good and healthy, and while there are parts of my body, notably my Dad Bod tummy, that I’m not the happiest with, I love my body and how I look.
When discussing the journey, I want to explain the differences from last year to this year in terms of fitness & diet.
The Big Change: Intermittent Fasting
Following Thanksgiving 2023, my body weight increased from about 230 to about 240 lbs. So I decided to attempt intermittent fasting for a four-week period after I had seen some people I follow online having good success with it. I decided to take a somewhat drastic decision by going with a narrower window than most, as I only ate calories between 12–8 PM. During this period, I also ate significantly cleaner, where I was cooking more from home; I avoided unnecessary carbs, sweets, and greasy fast food. Within these four weeks, my weight dropped to about 225 lbs, and I felt much less bloated.
It took discipline to wait till noon every day and to not eat after 8 PM — however, once my eating window did open, it was no holds barred, and whatever I did eat tasted terrific because I was so hungry when I was eating. Food is one of my passions in life, and when you can satisfy your palette and hunger, you’re in a good place.
I took a break from intermittent during Christmas and New Year’s, and while it was nice to have a diet break, I kept feeling bloated and didn’t like my energy when I wasn’t intermittent fasting compared to when I was. So, I decided to make a conscious choice to go back to it. Originally, intermittent fasting was a four-week thing for me and then it became my standard. Intermittent fasting takes a lot of willpower. There are a lot of days when I want to eat after 8 PM and have to find the power within myself not to. That said, there were a handful of times I broke the rules because you have to treat yourself times (when it’s worth it). Typically, some liquid courage & influence also loosened me up into breaking my rules.
Now, I want to talk about my fitness and workouts in relation to fasting and what I did to lose weight in the last year.
The Consistency: Workouts
Something that shocks and scares a decent amount of people is that I work out 7 days a week. People worry that I’m overworking myself and not giving my body time to recover — which is a fair thing to worry about. The difference for me, though, at this point is that I really enjoy working out, sweating out any toxins, & getting my endorphins, and more than anything, I love having a sense of ritual/routine. There’s something about the consistency of working out that makes me feel good. As much as I was a nerd in school, my favorite part of the day was always recess and P.E. When I cut a workout short because of life or work responsibilities, I get a little annoyed because working out and the gym is a safe space for me.
In terms of my workouts, each workout ends with cardio and begins with some variation of weight training. I have a general rotation when it comes to my weight training where I switch between Arm/Chest Days, Core Days, Leg Days, Deadlift Days, etc. We try not to skip anything. When it comes to cardio, some days I run on a treadmill, some days I walk on a max incline on the treadmill, and more recently I go on runs in my suburbs. Each workout ends with cardio and begins with some variation of weight training.
Also, for those who worry, if my body feels shitty or overworked, I will have a lax workout where I’ll mostly watch an episode of Vanderpump Rules while I walk on a treadmill at an incline. Not every workout needs to be super intense, just enough to get a good sweat going.
Now, some of you out there might actually be wondering…How do I work out so much & intermittent fasting and still have a bit of a chubby Dad Bod? Well, a couple of things. First, I was 342 lbs with 57% body fat, which is morbidly obese, and so with all the weight I’ve lost and muscle I’ve put on, there’s still some fat and extra skin there, plain & simple.
Secondly, for 9 out of 12 months during this whole fasting period…I basically ate whatever I wanted. As a whole, I try to eat “healthy,” where I consume a lot of protein, make sure to eat some veggies, and don’t drink anything with calories in it, with the rare exception being an alcoholic beverage on a Friday night at the bar. For most of these fasting months, if I wanted to eat a small bag of Cool Ranch Doritos, take down some Del Taco or Taco Bell, maybe have a Dairy Queen Blizzard, or some popcorn at the Movies, I fucking did it. And I did it, GUILT-FREE. Because I knew with how hard I was working out and with my intermittent fasting, my weight would stay the same, and it did.
I mentioned 9 out of 12 months because I was strict with my diet for 3 out of those 12 months (those three months were December, May, and August). Let me tell you, folks; WHEN I DID EAT HEALTHY, the pounds came off easy.
Which it’s a no-brainer that eating healthy & working out takes off the pounds. In reality, the more significant thing is that intermittent fasting allowed me to have more dietary freedom than I’ve had in the past. People always ask me if I have a “Goal Weight.” It is a tough question to get asked because as much as I’ve loved losing weight, I was already content with how my body & weight looked/were twenty pounds ago. Now we’re just trying to look better.
I will note that, as a whole, having “goals” has been helpful for my progress this year.
GOALS
So, I made three goals for myself on January 1st to get done by the end of 2024.
The first goal is I want to run a mile in under 7 minutes.
Straight up, I do not think I will achieve this goal. I have not run a mile in under 7 minutes since I was 16 years old, when I ran cross country and weighed 135 lbs. Your boy has some thick thighs now, and I’ve never been super quick on my feet.
Don’t take this as me admitting defeat or making excuses…This is me admitting that the goal was a bit lofty. I’m not giving up, though, and the progress I’ve made already is massive.
My first-mile time of this year was 9 minutes & 59 seconds. In the 8.5 months since I’ve trimmed my average single-mile time down to a consistent 7 minutes & 35 seconds and have even put up a personal record for 7 minutes & 15 seconds. My cardio and speed have improved a ridiculous amount in nine months. It’s going to take so much for me to be able to trim 16 seconds off my personal best. It may not be physically possible within the next three months. Regardless, I’m putting in work, and I’ve been going on 3–5 mile runs every day for the last month to build up my endurance.
The second goal was to bench press 185 lbs.
Bench press has always been a weakness of mine, and I achieved this feat in late June of this year.
The third goal is to Deadlift 350 lbs.
I had never attempted deadlifting before this year, and it’s something I’ve been very cautious with because I don’t want to fuck up my back. I have been able to consistently deadlift 300 lbs and have gotten to 330 lbs. Had I not strained my tricep at one point this Summer, I think I would’ve hit 350 already. I feel confident that I should be able to get to 350 by the end of 2024. It’s a guarantee that I’ll be able to do it if I use a weight belt or straps — which I haven’t used yet during my process.
Looking towards the future….
MY BIG GOAL FOR 2025
If you follow me, you probably know that I blog about MTV’s long-running competitive reality show: The Challenge. On The Challenge, their season always ends with players running “The Final,” which is essentially a Marathon-like race that includes puzzles, gross eating portions, and getting sleep-deprived.
I plan on flying to one of the foreign countries where a past Challenge Final has been run, and I will attempt to simulate the experience by doing everything the players were required to do.
So what I’m saying is that I, Allan Aguirre, will be running a Challenge Final in the Summer of 2025.
I’ve been covering the show for 8 years now, and with my whole fitness journey, it’s about time that I put myself through the most arduous event that the Challengers compete in so that I can understand what they go through. I will be training harder than ever, continuing to put miles on my legs, practicing puzzles, and, importantly, I need to work on getting a passport. That’s my big reveal of this blog, and it gives me something to work towards. It’s always nice to have something in life to look forward to, even if it can be scary.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Again, most of 2023 was a tough year for me, where I felt like I was losing control of my professional and home life. Keeping my head down and grinding both when it came to fitness and my work is ultimately what’s got me feeling great as I write this blog today.
I gave 150% of myself to my day job between April-June of 2024 and stopped blogging during this period. Once I got some free time this Summer, I committed to blogging on a level I hadn’t in years, where I wrote a detailed player preview for all 40 Cast Members on The Challenge Season 40 cast. In response, I saw a remarkable amount of recognition from fans and cast members in regards to my content (almost made an enemy or two). My content feels like it’s hit another level, and I want to continue to grow. Additionally, I’m continuing to work on a bunch of cool stuff professionally that I’m excited for people to see.
To finish off, I’m also announcing that I plan to move to Arizona by the end of 2024. I recently toured apartments in the city of Goodyear, which is about 20–30 minutes from Phoenix, and I love it. As a lifelong Californian, it will be a big transition and one that I’m excited about.
Also, for anyone reading this blog, if you want any workout tips or recommendations regarding healthy meals, snacks, protein powders, or pre-workout drinks, feel free to message me. Or if you just want an accountability or venting buddy, I’m here.
