I just opened my Etsy shop this past weekend and I am really excited to connect with the Etsy community from all different parts of the world! The high demands of maintaining your shop, creating your products, keeping track of advertising, and balancing a busy social life leave me to wonder--how do most Etsy owners fair in regards to the daily workout?
I ask because making healthy lifestyle choices are an important part of my everyday life. Not too long ago, I weighed in at 281 pounds. At 24 years of age and 6 feet tall--this was a little bit on the "fluffy" side. I made sacrifices, remained focused, educated myself, enlisted the advice of friends and personal trainers, and after 7 months, I lost 100 pounds
Since then I have been helping others achieve their goals and sharing what I've learned over the past few years.
Read my story and share, ask, and learn!
Thanks for reading!
Frank
Frank The Tank
Frank the Tank
Posted by Frank Manuguerra on Jul 11, 2011 10:52:30 PM
Frank the Tank
As a kid, I was always fairly thin. It wasn’t until I got into my late teenage years that I first noticed the beginnings of my long 8-year battle with being overweight. Looking back on my journey, I realized I was the biggest contributing factor to my weight problem. During high school, I was considerably inactive. I spent more time sitting in front of the T.V. or computer playing video games than much of anything else. My diet wasn’t any better. While growing up, calories, fat content, portion sizes, and healthy foods were rarely spoken of in my house. Fast food runs and huge homemade meals were common weekly events—we’re Italian, we like food! My unfamiliarity with both healthy eating and regular physical activity were the main contributing factors that led to my 100 pound weight gain over my college career.
Like most current graduates, I had a difficult time finding a job after college, but this left me with a tremendous amount of downtime. At this point in my life, I was aware of the toll the extra 100 pounds was putting on my body. I was upset about my weight, I knew I needed to lose it, but I was discouraged by countless failed attempts to shed the pounds. I tried every diet you can think of: Atkins (twice), South Beach, vegetarian…you name it, I tried it! Faced with the gruesome results of a physical examination, I soberly evaluated myself and my future: I was 24, I weighed 282 pounds, I had high blood pressure, borderline cholesterol, the early symptoms of sleep apnea, zero energy, and a wardrobe I had ‘grown’ out of. In July of 2010, I saw pictures of myself at a wedding and was absolutely mortified. My weight was not only taking a silent toll on the inside of my body, but the visual effects were undeniable—honestly, the amount of weight on my body looked simply painful. This was the straw that broke “Frank the Tank”—my increased weight was not just a ‘phase’. It was me. It was how friends, family, potential employers, and even my wife saw me. It was time for a change, and Life Time Fitness helped me realize that change.
In August of 2010, I enrolled in the Life Time Fitness 90 Day Weight Loss Countdown in Dublin, Ohio. The goal was simple; give 100 percent effort for 90 days and see how much weight you could lose. I am not normally a competitive person but I felt a need to win this competition. After my sign-up, I went right to work. I began researching weight loss techniques that I felt fit my “lifestyle change” approach to losing the weight—no fad diets, get skinny quick guides, or short-cut ‘get a 6-pack in a week ‘ routines this time. I did this by reading through hundreds of online health forums, fitness magazines, and by watching countless hours of YouTube transformation videos. I learned that in order to lose the weight I had to create a calorie deficit every single day through diet and exercise. This task seemed insurmountable at first, but I followed one simple rule; the calories you burn must be greater than the calories you consume. Safe to say, the elliptical and I quickly became life-long friends. We had “run-ins” with each other almost every day of the week for 45-60 minutes until I discovered spinning—a workout that provided the cardio my body craved and the variety and excitement the elliptical lacked. My diet during this journey consisted of: chicken, fish, vegetables, complex carbs, fruit, Fast Fuel shakes from Life Time Fitness, and tons of water. I began taking a multi-vitamin and completely eliminated alcohol, fast food, and sweets from my diet. It was extremely difficult at first, but I was in this to win it! It didn’t take long to start seeing results, averaging between 1.5-2lbs of weight loss a week! The embarrassment and shame I felt while working out in public view at the gym amidst the company of so many fit silhouettes quickly vanished. The gym became my arena and I was the gladiator. With every pound lost I felt more and more compelled to win. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and before I knew it the 90th day of the competition was upon me.
At the 90 day mark I had lost a total of 64 pounds; 23.10 percent of my body weight. I placed 1st at my gym in the men’s category; nationally I placed 4th in percent body weight lost and 5th in total weight lost, but I didn’t stop there. Over the next 5 months I continued my program, losing another 36 pounds. I achieved a total weight loss of 101 pounds, bringing me to 181 pounds and reached my goal of erasing the “Frank the Tank” nickname that had dogged my steps for so many years. The confidence which I assumed lost forever returned to me in the blink of an eye—I just felt better about myself. In those subsequent months following my transformation, friends and family who hadn’t seen me since the competition did not even recognize me. They could not have been more proud of what I had accomplished. It didn’t take long to set my eyes on a new goal: muscle building. One trip to the Arnold Classic in March of 2011 with my brother and closest friends was all it took—I wanted to become stronger.
I can confidently say that Life Time Fitness’ 90 Day Weight Loss Countdown saved my life. At my initial weigh-in, I knew that very moment was my “final act”—my last chance to prove to myself and audience that I did not have to remain complacent with my self-destructive path. I am now at a weight of 196 pounds; I have normal blood pressure, cholesterol, and love every precious second I am able to spend at Life Time Fitness. I am still working on my new goal of becoming stronger, but the journey that brought me to this point will always be one of the proudest accomplishments of my life. I realize that keeping “Frank the Tank” at bay will be a life-long task, but this is a challenge I gladly accept and no longer dread. So many people struggle with this process every year, but with the love, support, and understanding of my wife, family, closest friends, and Life Time Fitness, I was able to accomplish this difficult task—for that I am forever grateful.
The current balance of my new job, club time, and other responsibilities keeps me very busy. Still, I continue to set new goals and work very hard to achieve them. I’m presently working towards becoming a personal trainer in order to help others, like me, keep their “tanks” at bay. What will my goals be in years to come? I have no idea, but I am ready for whatever challenges lie ahead.
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