Damn Ripped!
“When we set forth on a massive goal (weight loss or otherwise), it’s easy to lose sight of our progress. By focusing on one step at a time, we are able to continue without feeling overwhelmed. For weight loss, that means focusing on the next healthy meal, this workout, today, sometimes just this hour. It means putting one foot in front of the other, losing one pound at a time.”
Tim Bauer talks us through how he lost 225lbs in 14 months and completely transformed his whole world! After trying, and failing, to lose weight for a variety of reasons, it finally took him to take a hard look at his life, his “half life” and decide to make the change for himself.
Check Out Tim Bauer’s Social Media Here:
http://www.tiniertim.com is my blog where I have a ton of free resources, articles and videos on weight loss.
I post a weekly motivational video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TinierTimBauer
IG: http://www.instagram.com/TinierTim
FB: https://www.facebook.com/TinierTim
Tim Bauer Weight Loss Diet:
I approached my weight loss initially with three rules that I adopted as a framework and guideline to help me pick good food:
1. No sugar of any kind.
2. No white flour
3. No processed foods (I would only buy packaged foods if I knew where I could buy all the ingredients and make it myself, like sauces. If it had chemicals that I didn’t know what they were, I avoided it).
Eventually I expanded this and avoided all flour and adopted a moderate fat version of Paleo. Breakfast would be egg white omelettes and lunch/dinner would have 5-6 oz of poultry or fish and vegetables with Sweet Potatoes in a post workout meal. I snacked a lot on raw vegetables.
What’s so great about eating these kinds of foods is that they are so filling and since vegetables are so low calorie, I rarely felt deprived.
Tim Bauer Weight Loss Workout:
When I was over 400 pounds, I was limited mostly to elliptical and swimming due to the impact being too much on my joints. Once I got into the mid 300s, I started weight training machines and eventually made my way to barbell training using the Stronglifts method.
As I got closer to my goal weight, I started focusing on making fitness fun. I’d try all kinds of exercise: I hiked, I ran a triathlon, I got into mountain biking and I tried Krav Maga, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and boxing. I still weight train today 4 days a week using programming from a personal trainer.
I always encourage people to look for the type of exercise that you can’t wait to go back and do again. If you hate running, don’t run. If you hate lifting, don’t lift. Find something that is equal parts fitness and fun and you’ll be set for life.
Tim Bauer Interview:
Before Stats:
- Age: 31
- Height: 6’4”
- Weight: 440 lbs
- Body fat: 45-50%
After Stats:
I lost 225 pounds in a year and 2 months and got to 215. I’ve since had loose skin surgery and started working differently in the gym and today I’m between 192-195.
What Made You Start Getting Healthy?
Like most obese people, I’d tried every diet from South Beach to North Pole. I’d had some success in the past but then I’d gain all the weight back. The first time, I did it in high school because I had a huge crush. Then I tried for a job. Next when my daughter was born. Every time I tried for these reasons, I failed.
This time, I had a moment of clarity while preparing for a guest lecture I’d been asked to give at a teacher friends’ class that made me start to look inside myself and at my life, I realized that my life was completely out of control. I was living a half life. I looked around at my surroundings and life, I found that I had settled in love, work and especially my health. This was my time to change the way I was living, but not for a girl or a job or my daughter. This time it was for me and I was determined.
What Small Changes Do You Think Had The Biggest Impact?
I think that the number one thing that helped me was not eating out anymore. I know that all these restaurants publish their calorie count, but the reality is that they don’t measure out and weigh this food they put on your plate. I’ve gone to Chipotles that put 50% more food on your bowl as another one. Not to mention that at most restaurants, you have little to no idea what kind of stuff they’re putting on there. Prior to my weight loss, I was spending over $500 a month just on fast food. That number went to $0. I saved a ton of money an everything got in order.
How Did You Stay Motivated?
The progress and loose pants were very fulfilling for me. Eventually and to this day, it’s just habit. I never used language like, “I can’t eat that”. I would say “I don’t eat that.” I had made a decision about my future and my life.
It’s kind of like this: imagine you are at your desk one day and one of your co-workers invites you to come into the lunch room and do heroin with him. You don’t use language like, “I can’t do heroin.” You would say “I don’t do that.” 90% of us have no desire to do that. Somewhere in our lives, we made the decision that we weren’t going to be a heroin user.
I’m not suggesting food is heroin (other than Doritos, which I’m 90% sure have heroin in them). What I am saying is that if you really make a decision, it’s no longer about staying motivated as much as it is just being yourself going forward.
Were There Any Particular Tough Points On Your Journey?
Plateaus were very discouraging at first. There were a few times where the scale didn’t budge for weeks. I had a good friend that would talk me down from the ledge of giving up and trying something different. I stuck with my programs, upped my water intake and sleep and eventually my body started losing again. I taught me a lot about sticking with it.
What Advice Would You Give Someone Looking To Lose Weight?
Don’t spend too much time worrying about the how.
People obsess over the latest and greatest methods of weight loss. This year, ketogenic diets are “in”. It was paleo before that. South Beach for a few years. Shake based diets were all the rage when I was a kid. And all of them promised results and produced remarkable before and after pictures.
The moral of this story is that many plans can help you lose weight. Some will be faster than others and some will respond to others better than others. At the end of the day, find a framework that allows you to eat fewer calories than you burn in a way that you can stick to consistently (and one that doesn’t involve drugs, pills, etc.).. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good. Get started.
You’d be far better off spending more time understanding the why you want to lose weight as well as the why weight loss hasn’t worked for you in the past. Once you know those two things, take what Tony Robbins calls “massive action” and get started and don’t stop. All the magic happens when you start.
What Are The Most Common Questions People Ask When They See Your Incredible Change?
A lot of people want to hear the story surrounding my “why?”. They want to know how I was able to make such a huge change overnight and how I remain so disciplined to this day (it’s been almost 6 years since I’ve had any sugar, white flour or processed foods). And after my appearance on TLC’s Skin Tight last year, I still get people emailing me to check if my nipples are ok after the surgery and asking questions about the skin removal.
What Are Your Favourite Healthy/Weight Loss Recipes?
I read a blog article on a site once that suggested mixing the flavor profiles maple and mustard together and I was inspired, so I created a Maple-Mustard Pork Cutlet recipe that I’m actually in love with as found here; http://tiniertim.com/maplemustard/.
I’m really proud of it because it’s mine and I make it all the time.
As A Motivational Speaker Now, What Is The Main Message That You Try And Get Across To Your Audience?
The message I share that seems to resonate the most with people is that I don’t see my weight loss as a huge journey as much as I do incremental steps. The thing people always quote me on is:
“I didn’t lose 225 pounds. I lost one pound 225 times.”
When we set forth on a massive goal (weight loss or otherwise), it’s easy to lose sight of our progress. By focusing on one step at a time, we are able to continue without feeling overwhelmed. For weight loss, that means focusing on the next healthy meal, this workout, today, sometimes just this hour. It means putting one foot in front of the other, losing one pound at a time.
