When my wife became pregnant in 2014, I spent a fair amount of time thinking about what sort of life I wanted to for my daughter. It led me to set some goals for myself.

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-I will live a long and healthy life.

-I will be proud of the way I look at pictures when my daughter is born.

-I will maintain a weight of 200-205 by my birthday

-I will climb Kilimanjaro next winter.

 

Well, before I knew it my daughter was 8 months old. We were taking holiday pictures with Santa and I realized I needed a change. I signed up for 2020’s onramp the week after Thanksgiving 2015 and spent the next month sore (a good sore). After January 1, 2016, I also changed my diet to follow a ketogenic diet and struggled with the adjustment to make it a lifestyle on and off for the next year. Over the year, I got stronger and lost 30 pounds. That year I learned how to lift and eat the right way.

 

I have kept with the ketogenic lifestyle and find that going to 2020 and enjoying the community is a great motivator. In 2017, I continued working out whenever I wasn’t traveling and eating low carb. I proceeded to lose another 30 pounds. I also started to notice that my hunger signals changed and I lead to more appetite control and different eating patterns. I learned not to eat based on the time of day or a clock but when I am hungry (and drink plenty of water).

 

In 2018 and beyond I plan to continue to evolve my approach as I learn more about health. I believe if you change the way you eat, it will change your life. I feel like I checked off all the important goals I set before becoming a parent. But, maybe, I will change Kilimanjaro for Mt. Sniezke in the future. To close my note, I would like to share with you some of my observations I made to Jon at my 2-year mark a few weeks ago:

 

Non-Scale Victories:

-I went from a 40in to a 32in jean. With 1.5 inches off my neck

-Gained the confidence that I never had. At a Halloween Party this year I was out dancing with my daughter. I was happy and not self-conscious about the way I looked.

-Noticeable increases in strength and flexibility, year after year.

-I went from “running” a 12:51min mile to a 7:51 mile.

-Food Heals: I feel much better every day I eat well, and when I don’t... my body tells me.

-Blood Work: All markers are now in the ideal reference ranges.

 

Scale Victories:

                   2015            2016           2017      

Weight        248              216             186

Body Fat     38.4%         30.3%         24.3% 

BMI             36.7%         32.1%         27.5%

 

Thank you to the 2020 Community for being a place to feel accepted no matter what stage of life you are in and keeping each other motivated.

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-Ben Hudson