Paul is a triathlete who's losing weight by combining exercise and calorie management

September 25 2006 

Paul Impellezzeri

Country: Alhambra, California, USA
Age: 33
Weight before diet: 280 lbs.
Weight now: 235 lbs.
Target weight: 190 lbs.

Paul has tried several weight loss programs and found that combining a little part of each one to create his own method works the best for him. Managing calories, practicing portion control, and his passion for the triathlon all play a necessary part in his success in losing weight.

-What finally made you decide to start with a weight loss program?
I have been on many weight loss programs over the years.  I first really started to do something about my weight, just after I graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo about 10 years ago.  My college just finished a new recreation center and I would go to check it out with my friends.  I started to lift weights and do some swimming, and I liked the way it made me feel.  I figured that if I was dedicated and motivated I could really get into shape.  I started to eat "low fat" and adding in running to my exercise regimen.  Running was always a struggle, but I loved the feeling of accomplishment.  Finally I thought that if I added in biking I could do a triathlon.  For some reason that really motivated me, so I bought an old used bike and started biking.  Over the next few months I lost about 15 lbs. and was very excited about my progress.

But it didn’t last.  I moved to Los Angeles for a graduate fellowship and just could not afford to exercise in the same way as I had in rural San Luis Obispo.  I kept the dream alive, though.  I never sold my bike.  At various points in my life I would say this year I am going to do it, and I would train for a few weeks, but it would always fall apart when some crisis came around, like finals, or a large project at work.

I tried various diets as well.  I did Atkins, and actually lost 30 lbs. but I learned that I just could not stay that strict with carbohydrates, and eventually gained all the weight back.  I tried a calorie-controlled diet using DietPower software, and lost another 30 lbs., but I became tired of constantly loading all my meals and eventually I gained that weight back as well.  I have tried the Mediterranean diet, the Men’s Health Abs diet, the Ten Commandments Diet and the French Don’t Diet diet.  While none of them where ultimately successful I have learned a great deal from each of them and incorporate facets of each of them into my current diet.

-What type of weight loss program are you following?  
I think that losing weight is about eating fewer calories and exercising more.  Everyone knows this, but the trick is how to eat less.  Our environment, our culture and our brains are all doing their best to get us to eat more and not less.  So dieting is really more about finding things that allow us to eat the right foods and the right amount despite this.  All of us operate differently and so what will work is going to be different.  Fortunately I have tried to learn from my past failures and find what was workable and what isn’t.

The first aspect is that that I have to have the data.  Some diets like low-carb and so forth allow you to not really keep track of what you are eating.  The idea is that you will naturally eat less.  Perhaps you need to only eat when hungry or something like that. Well, that doesn’t work for me.  I need to know that all my hard work was successful or not.  Did I succeed this week?  You can’t always tell from the scale, and even if you could you don’t know where you were good and where you were bad.  I keep track of everything that I eat using nutrition management software called DietPower. It tells me instantly if I have over- or under-eaten in a day and I thrive on that kind of control.  Is it extra work? You bet, but I have learned how to make it less burdensome by being more flexible in how I enter the foods and that allows me to save time and makes it less of a chore.

So basically I have lost weight by managing how many calories I eat; it is that simple, but then again not really.  DietPower doesn’t tell you what to eat.  You have to figure that out on your own.  I have found that I feel the best and am less hungry on a Mediterranean diet.  When you track your calories closely you learn very quickly how costly in terms of calories various foods are and you learn to make "economical" choices.  I try to eat as many fruits and vegetables as possible.  I also try to eat as much protein as possible, but from generally lean sources.  I also eat high water/high fiber foods like soup and salads, which will fill me up without breaking the calorie bank.

I also know that for any diet to be successful it has to be a long term behavioral change.  I know that there are certain foods I just can’t live without.  Pasta, for example.  So unlike Atkins, where I would have to swear off pasta forever, I can have it, but just have to be careful with my portions.  I can live with that.

The last aspect of my weight loss has been exercise.  I decided that I was going to accomplish my dream of becoming a triathlete, and I finally did it in August 2006.  Triathlon has me hooked now and has truly changed my lifestyle.  I train 5-6 days a week and have joined a triathlon club which has helped me to meet others who have the same interests.  I have been fortunate to have access to all kinds of Web-based resources that have helped me reach my goal.  I encourage those who are interested in triathlon to check out Beginner Triathlete.com, where you can get inspired and learn everything you need to know to get started.

-Why did you choose this weight loss program?  
I guess I really created this program.  I created it out of what works for me.  I think that is what everyone needs to do.  Try different diets and find out what works for them.  Don’t ever give up.

-How long have you been on your weight loss program?
Seven months.

-What kinds of physical activities do you like doing to help you lose weight and stay fit?  
I swim, bike and run.

-What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome or are still overcoming?  
I think the most difficult obstacle for me has been fast food.  I have a real problem with fast food.  This is a realization that I have come to gradually.  I have come to the conclusion that its roots lie in my childhood where it was a family treat to go out to eat once a week at a fast food restaurant.  I think that I came to think of going to McDonalds or Carl’s Jr. as a really special thing.  There is this very deep emotional tie I have to this food, even when I consciously realize that it is not good for me and it doesn’t really even taste that good.  The draw becomes even stronger during times of stress and uncertainty.  I am drawn to it to simply make me feel better.  When I became an adult responsible for feeding myself, this habit got out of control, and I still struggle with it to this day.

-How do you keep yourself motivated?  
I like to read the blogs of other triathletes.  There are many inspiring stories out there.

-Do you have any weight loss tips for our readers?  
Don’t think that you can exercise your weight away.  You can exercise your brains out and still gain weight if you don’t eat right.  You have to control what you put in your stomach one way or another.

-Do you think it will be easy to fall back into your old lifestyle pattern? How do you prevent this from happening?  
It is very easy to fall of the wagon.  For me it helps that I am always looking forward to my next race.  If you are only trying to lose weight you can fool yourself into giving yourself a pass.  What is adding one more day to reach your weight loss goal?  But those days add up and then you may never reach it.  Having a race to prepare for gives your efforts a focus and probably more importantly a deadline.  It can be very motivating.

-Do you have a favorite Web site or blog that helps or inspires you to lose weight?
I encourage everyone who is interested in doing a triathlon to check out my blog, Giving It A Tri, and see how I am doing in my quest.  I also have links to many other triathlon blogs and inspiring stories.  Good luck to everyone in reaching your dreams!