Meta-morphosis Part 4: The Turn-Around

At my lowest weight ever. 120 lbs of skin and bones. Diet was that of a pesce-vegan. I ate some fish but mostly salad and not as many bananas. Taken around Thanksgiving 2008.

Inspiration in book form: Nobody's Perfect. This guy plays basketball and baseball and is a lecturer in Japan. Ridiculously talented despite the obvious. GO READ THIS!

Right before the shit hit the fan and I began the 'ballooning process' in Hawaii [2008].
Between this photo and fall of 2008, I hit 185 lbs and was ONE. FAT. KID. Yes I'll take butter on my muffin!

Fast forward to today: @Phils's coffee in SF with Jenks. Epic coffee experience. Hand made coffee to your liking [2010].

This past weekend, we celebrated my mom's bday at the beach. Look at those bandages. Chicks dig scars....or so I think? [2010]

And now, the juicy parts to this story. The honest WHY questions are answered..WHY did you change? WHY veganism? WHY all the bananas? WHY all the tomfoolery? WHY decide on running? WHY did you stop running and start cycling? WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY are you [reader] not re-naming yourself Alejandro right now?

That's a mouthful isn't it? Save the joke there...I'm already on it. Obviously, I can't answer the last question, only you can. I hear it doesn't take much effort to change your name though...at least you'll be in good company! ;-)

Let's take you to football season of 2008. The raiders...sigh...where going no where with Lane 'Lame' Kiffin at the helm and I was sitting in my condo most weekends, wolfing down McDonalds breafkast burritos and then foot-long subway sandwiches for lunch. Compound this for a few weeks and months and you get the chubby kid you see above. The gym? Nah... Walking? Too much effort. Cycling? What's that? Triathlon? Does that involve beer drinking? You get the idea. I got fat and happy and things spiraled downward from then on. When suddenly, the most amazing thing got in my way: MY EGO.

That's right, you read correclty. I was a high-maintenance, egotistical punk 23 yr old kid with nothing better to do than stare at the mirror and say 'god damn, how did I get like this?!' I was overweight, going nowhere health-wise, had all kinds of illness, zits of all kind everywhere and a serious phobia of going outside. I remember painful weekends where I would lock myself up in my apartment for fear that people would see me. Engulfed in my hobbit hole, I hid from society and came out on Monday mornings for work. Yes, it got THAT bad. And then my ego took shape and I started seeing a doctor and he said the most fascinating thing to me: 'Young man, did you ever think that your health and the way you look is related to your lifestyle AT ALL?' At the type, it sounded to simple to say yes so I just said 'no'. Now before you go thinking that the fruit-and-veggie-ferry showed up, spread her arms and wrapped me up in her orchard-arms, think twice. Armed with serious skepticism, I began my fanatical search on the internet for how to achieve 'health'. And along my way I discovered some interesting things:

1) Health is more than just diet. It's overall well-being and balance emotionally and physically.

2) Most people dont know jack shit when it comes to health, even 'doctors' who proclaim to know dont know.

3) Ironically, these same people that advocate fruits and vegetables in daily allowances do not follow their own advice.

4) It's okay to raise your hand and ask for help. Just re-read 2) and 3).

5) In addition to diet, simple things affect health. One of which is Vitamin d (sun). Get some sun in you everyday. It's worth it.

6) Happiness - Just because your diet is good and you feel better because of it means very little if you're still an asshole in real life. For me, I got my punk ass in the buddhist church, surrounded myself with a new group of people and found my happiness. Now find yours.

7) Exercise - Can't say this enough. It's scary to take that first step. However, a new habit takes 21 days to develop and make permanent. In short: after 21 days it won't be 'exercise' but simple you 'doing what you're supposed to be doing'.

It was my ego that got me changing my diet and started going more towards fruits and vegetables. At the time, I was still eating some meat and in the process, I proceeded to drop 65 lbs! The photo of the abercrombie t-shirt was taken Thanksgiving 2008 [before running and cycling] and I was 120 lbs! [Down from 185!]. Yes, it can happen to you also. It just takes 21 days to make that habit a reality.

My ego made me so self-conscious that it was changing me, how I thought and how I viewed the world. Suddenly, I wanted to be a 'healthy guy'. I wanted to be one of those magazine cover guys on Outside Magazien and Men's Health. I thought 'if others can, then my sorry ass can too!'. And one foot after the other, I started doing it. My changes at first were very modest. I was now leaving my condo on the weekends to read books outside. One of the most inspiring books I HAVE EVER READ is called 'Nobody's Perfect' by Hirotada Ototake [Pictured above]. READ IT. DO IT. It's AMAZING. And you will not feel sorry for yourself but instead feel deserving of something better. After this, I started going to the Hawaii Betsuin and participated in church related things. This held me over for the year 2008 and early parts of 2009.

My diet drastically changed! Before I made my first pilgrimage to Whole Foods, I went through my ENTIRE fridge and threw everything out. And man, I remember being on the brink of tears! Rib eye steak...mayonaise, eggs, beer, cream soda, snickers bars, pepsi, gatorade..the list goes on and on. But it had to be done because I couldn't trust myself. After the mass exodus of crap from my fridge, I set out to Whole Foods and proceeded to walk around marveling at the gorgeous arrangement of veggies and fruits thinking 'wow, all of this gets to be mine and in the process I can re-invent and re-create myself.' It was a really exciting time for me and even now, trips to Whole Foods have the same level of excitement. I loved it so much, weekly grocery trips were my thing and I would spend hours at Barnes and Nobles [reading on yummy and healthy recipes], take a photo of the ingredients with iPhone, then go to Whole Foods and buy them. Marvelous. Along the way, pick up a new book or two, or three, or four [whose counting anyways?] My advice: Instead of thinking about what you must give up..think always about what you can become. You can become something youv'e dreamed of and live to see the reality. It's possible. I did it and - just like Jenny Craig - so can you.

Tomorrow, I'll start pat 5 of the story. Now that I think about it...I'll prolly need 6 or 7 entries to fit the story? Lucky you...