Conrad Hees’ Blog

For the first 19 years of my life, I never had to worry about my weight.  I was always athletic; I liked to swim, play basketball, and participate in other sports.  I always had a great physique.

Then, unexpectedly, when I was around 19 years old, everything changed for me.  I did not know why at the time ( I later found out that the cheap Chinese food lunches that I had been enjoying five days a week for the entire year had a whopping 1500 calories in them!), but I gradually started getting bigger and bigger, until one day I decided to look at the scale.

I realized that I had gained 45 lbs. in only one year!

In one short year, I had gone from a lean 170 lbs. (I am 6 ft. tall) to a lumpy 215 lbs.!

I have always prided myself on holding high standards, and I could not believe that I had let things get this far.  I decided to hit the gym hard.  I ended up getting back down to about 180 lbs., but then gained back another 20 lbs. 

For the next 3 years, I would go on a rollercoaster ride of weight loss and weight gain (typical for many people).  I would usually lose about 20 lbs. over six months, then gain it back over six months, and so on.  Finally, in early May of 2007, I decided that I had to get serious about my health and staying in shape.

Taking it to the Limit

I decided that the only way for me to really lose the weight in the shortest possible time period would be to go all-out in my fitness and dieting efforts.  Not only did I want to lose the weight, I wanted to lose all the weight, and get down to having absolutely no excess fat on my body.  I made losing weight and getting in shape my life focus for several months.

I began on May 3rd, 2007, at a weight of 189 lbs. and went full speed ahead with my goals.  For three months straight, I did every single thing that I possibly could to lose weight and get fit.  I combined many different methods all at once in order to achieve the result that I envisioned for myself in the shortest time period possible. 

Finally, in the beginning of August 2007, I realized my goal of getting down to no fat on my stomach whatsoever.  I had reached a low of 157 lbs.!  That’s a 32 lb. weight loss, rounded up to 35 lbs. to account for the weight of muscle gained, in only 3 short months! 

Throughout the course of my weight loss, I developed many powerful and positive habits to help myself stay in shape, and I am proud to say that as I write this in December of 2007, I have maintained my loss and have not gained back the weight.

So, How Did I Do It?  

Okay, so by this point you are ready for me to shut up about my story and tell you how I achieved these results, and more importantly, how you can achieve the same results for yourself.

Well, I am here to tell you that while it is not very hard to achieve these types of weight loss results, it is not easy either.  Really, the main component that will determine how hard of a time you will have is your level of conviction.

I simply used a combination of cardiovascular training, eating healthily, and keeping my metabolism at its peak at all times in order to burn the greatest quantity of fat in the shortest time period possible.

In the following points, I want to help you to achieve similar results and success for yourself by breaking down the actual methods that I used to lose 35 lbs. in 90 days.  None of these methods will work alone, but by combining their power by utilizing them all at once, you will be amazed at how quickly you can get into the best shape of your life.

Without further ado, here are the 7 methods I used to get in great shape in record time, and how you can use them to achieve the same results:

1) Learn to go hungry!

One of the biggest things that helped me to achieve rapid weight loss was a healthy expectation that it would NOT be fun.

Losing weight is not fun!

I think that the great majority of people (myself included from time to time) want to reap the results of hard work without actually doing the hard work.  When asked why people give up on a diet, the vast majority will respond with this answer:

“Because I was hungry and I couldn’t eat my favorite foods.”

Are you kidding me?  These people just don’t get it.  If you want to lose weight, especially if you want to do it quickly, you must go hungry for at least part of the day!

This was the first concept that I had to fully embrace before I started to see real results.  Prepare yourself for being hungry before you start dieting, and accept that it will be a part of your day from now on.  Mentally preparing yourself beforehand will give you the strength that you need to pull through when you are tempted to eat those Tostitos your friends are eating right in front of your face :).

2) Determine what type of person you are, then determine what will motivate you-

People are very complicated, and what moves a person to action varies greatly from person to person.  One of the first things that you must do when you decide to lose weight is decide whether you are motivated by large goals or small goals, and then set your goals and expectations accordingly.

I am motivated mainly by big, ambitious goals.  I like a challenge, and I get really fired up by the mental image of doing big things.  When I made the decision to lose weight, it wasn’t enough to tell myself I would lose some, or even most of the weight.  I did not really get moving until I decided to lose everything and get into the best shape of my life.

Many people, though, work much differently.  They are intimidated by large goals, and need to take small, measurable, easily achievable steps in order to stay focused and confident in achieving their ultimate goal.

Neither method of motivating yourself is better or worse, they are simply different ways of getting to the same place for different people.  The first step is to determine whether you are motivated by one big, ultimate goal, or need to make smaller, more immediate and achievable goals to motivate yourself. 

Then, get to work creating a list of goals and results that you would like to achieve, and create a vision of your ultimate end result.  Keep this vision in the forefront of your mind at all times, especially when you are feeling weak.

Be careful not to make your goals too far away that you are not compelled by them, or too large that you do not feel confident that you can achieve them.  Find your balance, and stay in a place of being comfortable and confident that you can reach your desired end result. 

This method is crucial to keeping yourself motivated to keep on going in the direction of your ultimate goal.

3) Drink a glass of water every hour-

I know that most experts and books about health tell us to drink about 8 glasses of water a day to stay well hydrated.  I drink about 12 a day, and when I was really, really trying to lose weight, I drank more like 20 glasses per day.  Whenever I was standing around in my house, I would go have a glass of water.  Often, I would drink two, one after the other.  I did this all day long.

The reason for this is that many studies have shown that aside from keeping us very healthy and hydrated, drinking just one glass of water will increase your metabolism by as much as %40-50 for about an hour.  This is a very good way to keep your metabolism revved up and keep those calories burning at all times.

Many people may not like to drink this much water, but it is nothing more than a habit.  Try it today; it can’t hurt, and more likely, you’ll find yourself feeling refreshed and healthy after just a few short days of doing this.  Not saying you have to drink 20 glasses a day, but just a few more than your usual.  See for yourself.

4) Eat 5-6 small meals per day-

I am sure that you may have heard this somewhere else, but the reason why people advocate it is because it works.  Eating many small meals of about 200-400 calories every 3-4 hours helps to do a few important things:

-Keeps your metabolism running at full speed, burning the maximum number of calories

-Keeps down your ‘caloric load’

-Aids in digestion

Basically, every time you eat, your metabolism increases for a few hours.  Eating frequently, then, will help your metabolism to consistently stay at it’s peak, helping you burn the most calories you possibly can.

A great, quick tip to help you to eat smaller meals more frequently is to never eat on a large plate or bowl, or with large eating utensils.  Only eat on small plates and bowls, with small eating utensils.  This will subconsciously help to get accustomed to eating small meals, and actually is a great habit to develop that will help you to keep the weight off once it is gone.

This technique, although it can be annoying, is one of the most important things you can do to effectively lose weight.  I have never lost weight quickly without eating many small meals per day.  This was the number one habit that contributed to me losing 35 lbs. in 90 days.

If you follow just one of these tips that I outline here, make it this one.

5) Eat plain, bland foods.  With no condiments.  Period.

Sorry to break this to the people that do not like to work hard at something, or are looking for the ’quick fix’, but no gain in this world comes without an equal amount of ‘pain’, i.e. sacrifice and hard work.  This applies to losing weight more than almost any other endeavor, in my estimation, perhaps because it is a very measurable goal. 

If you want to lose weight, go on a normal diet, eat healthily sometimes, maybe even most of the time.  You might lose 10, 15, maybe even 20 pounds in a year.  If you want to lose weight fast, meaning between 2-4 lbs. a week, you must eat extremely boring and tasteless foods.  And not with salad dressing, butter, or any other flavor-adding condiment.  Eat them PLAIN.

When I was really trying to lose weight, I ate beans and tuna for lunch about five days a week.  Plain.  I ate whole wheat toast and boiled eggs for breakfast.  Plain.  I ate lots of different, bland foods, and I ate them all plain.  This may sound hard to believe for some, but I promise it is true.  I have always had a knack for extremes (whether this is good or bad I’m still trying to figure out :)), but thinking about the payoff I got from eating all these foods plain was enough to make it worthwhile to me.

Eating plain, bland foods over and over again is important when you are trying to lose weight because it is the small stuff that will kill your chances of reaching your goals.  I always get a kick out of people who tell me they are dieting, and make a sandwich on whole wheat bread, with low fat cold cuts and lean meats, a couple of pieces of lettuce, and then top it all off with a big, hearty glob of mayonnaise.  Or the ones who tell you that all they eat is salad, but forget to mention that they smother it in ranch salad dressing. 

No cheeses.  No butter.  No mayonnaise or salad dressing.  These things are pure fat, and will add up to several thousand calories a week if you eat them even semi-regularly.

People always used to tell me I was crazy when I would eat already plain-tasting foods plain.  Then they would tell me how great I was looking since I started eating that way.  It sounds crazy until you do it and it works.  Not to say that you have to take it so extreme, but your results will be in direct proportion to how much you have followed this advice.

6) Always eat breakfast, and eat a small, early dinner-

This ties in with keeping your metabolism revved up at all times.  When you sleep, everything in your body slows down, including your metabolism.  When your metabolism slows down, you retain calories and excess fat.  In order to counteract this, it is important to eat as soon as you wake up in the morning, so that you can get your metabolism in it’s peak state once again, and begin to burn those calories.

The other side of this is to eat a small, early dinner, at least four hours before you go to bed at night.  This will prevent you from taking in alot of calories just before your metabolism goes into it’s slow period, and will therefore prevent you from putting on excess fat overnight.

Most people eat little to no breakfast, a small lunch, and a big dinner with a late night snack before bed.  This is the exact opposite of what you should be doing.  If you want to lose weight quickly, eat a big breakfast, a medium-sized lunch, and a small, early dinner. 

This, like most of the other advice I give in this article, is difficult to follow, but nothing more than a habit you can develop.  And it works. 

7) Exercise five days a week.  No exceptions!

I know that this is one of the tips that people will not want to follow.  But, as is usually the case with hard things, it is also one of the most effective things that you can do to lose weight quickly.

If you want to lose weight at a normal pace, work out 2 or 3 times per week.  If you would like to lose weight really fast, be adamant about getting a great cardiovascular workout 5 days a week.

The reason I tell you to do a cardio workout, such as running, swimming, or playing a fast paced sport like basketball, is that only a great cardio workout will help you to burn fat effectively.  A resistance training workout is great, but only if you have lost the majority of the fat you are trying to burn.  Otherwise, this is a misguided task that will not help you reach your ultimate goal.

When I was trying to lose my weight, I ran five days a week for about 30 minutes at a time, or about 3 miles.  This really helped me to lose weight quickly, because not only will you burn calories during your cardio workout, but your metabolism gets a serious kickstart from cardiovascular training that will help you burn calories for hours afterwards.  It was only after I had lost about 20-25 lbs. that I began to mix weight training into my regimen.

I know that it is hard to do, and you may not have enough hours in the day to do this, but make a real effort to do cardiovascular training as much as you can, and you will not be disappointed with the results.  There were several weeks when I was consistently running that I lost 5 lbs. in only seven days! 

 8. Never, Ever, Ever Drink Calories!

When you are trying to lose weight, you can never ever drink calories!  Water should be the only liquid to pass your lips when you are on a strict diet. 

I have found that the only way to adhere to this rule 100% is to stop buying sugary drinks altogether during your diet, or to set aside one day a week when you are allowed to ‘drink calories’.  This part of my extreme diet may be hard for some who have grown up drinking soda everyday, but if you do decide to drink sugary drinks during your diet, you will be sacrificing alot of your hard work for each drink you indulge in.

The Final Goal

These are the 7 methods that I used to lose 35 lbs. in 90 days.  I hope that you are not dissapointed, as there are no quick-fixes there; regardless, I know that this is solid information that you can use as a guide to really get yourself in great shape in record time.

Remember, getting in great shape has many valuable benefits.  Being slim and healthy will:

-Make you feel great about yourself

-Make others feel great about you

-Give you energy to succeed at other endeavors

-It is the only true ’Fountain of Youth’

-It will increase your quality of life in every area 

Still, after all that I have written, there is still a final point to be made when it comes to staying in shape.  It is that fitness and health should be values that you hold your entire life, not just for a temporary period of motivation.   Now that I have lost all of my weight, I am committed to staying thin for my entire life.

This is what I want for you, too.  I hope that this article has inspired you to make changes in your life, and get in great shape.  Now, I only hope that you make the valuable decision to stay healthy for life.  That will be the ultimate reward for me in writing this article: that I can inspire and help others to live a better, healthier life.

So, if you have a story of your own about getting or staying healthy, or you have been inspired to make changes in your life because of this article, please leave a comment and tell our great community of readers about any insights you may have to share.  Let’s start a group of people committed to living our best life possible, starting with one of the most important parts of a great life: our health.