50 lbs. lighter and no late-night meals
by Tucson Citizen on Jan. 08, 2007, under Body, Local
Oscar Francisco Gamez weighs himself after every workout. He has lost more than 50 pounds.
Name: Oscar Francisco Gamez
Age: 32
Occupation: restaurant server
Height: 5-11
Weight: 225 (lowest weight was 219 before the holidays)
Weight when you started the program: 275
Health/fitness accomplishment: Lost 50 pounds; went from a 42-inch waist/pant size to a 36-inch waist/pant size.
Background: When I moved here in 1993 from Sinaloa, Mexico, I was 17 years old and I weighed 98 pounds. I gained a lot of weight by eating out and eating a lot of fast food. I worked the lunch and dinner restaurant shifts, so I’d eat late at night. My problem recently was that everything I’d eat, I’d gain weight. I was 247 pounds when I stopped working mornings (the lunch shift) and I got up to 275. About four months ago. I just decided that was it.
What finally got you motivated or led you to make a change? Just the comments from people. My friends and family were saying, “Man you’ve gained weight” and I was feeling really tired and I was trying to work mornings again. I was using an XXL, almost an XXXL shirt and I didn’t like the way I was looking. So I just set my mind to it and went from there.
How did you do it, what steps did you take? I started eating more healthy and cut my portions. I used the weight-loss program that the YMCA has. I stopped eating late at night and going to bed with my stomach full. I bought some green tea pills from Costco, called fat burners. They gave me more energy. I cut my food portions. I started running two miles – 30 minutes – five times a week. After that I started running five miles or about an hour a day, five days a week.
What was the biggest challenge you faced in reaching your goal/the hardest thing to overcome or give up? Just getting used to it. It was very hard, actually. I started eating more chicken and salad. This morning, I had two eggs with toast for breakfast. Before it would’ve been eggs, toast, beans and flour tortillas. My mom cooks for me all the time and I had to tell her, “I don’t want you to feel bad, but I’m not going to be eating as much because I want to feel better.” She understood what I was talking about. She likes the way I look now.
What lessons did you learn in reaching this goal? Just that I need to look out for myself. I need to get myself healthy and not feel the way I felt before with all the fatigue, and not able to do the things I wanted to do. I just learned there are certain things that are not good for you to have all of the time, like bread and pasta. I’ll take them once in a while but not in huge portions.
How would you encourage someone else to get started/do the same thing? Just set your mind to it and keep it going. It’s something you have to be committed to. I’m a morning person, so I don’t mind getting up in the morning and working out. My day is better and I have a lot more energy than if I sleep in.
What habits did you have to change and how did you do it? Eating late at night – that was the worst thing I was doing. And not taking care of myself. Eating all kinds of stuff, fast food, etc. I still have it on my days off, but not all of the time.
What is your new goal? Keep the weight off and tone my body. I want to start weight training. I kept my old belt. I wear it at work just to make myself feel good. As I lose weight I punch holes in it. It makes me feel good.
Any food weaknesses? My mom’s cooking. Everything she makes is good to me – enchiladas, tacos. My wife’s cooking as well.
OSCAR’S SAMPLE DIET
9 a.m.: A piece of wheat toast, two eggs and a glass of orange juice
3 p.m.: Two green tea pills
4 p.m.: A tuna salad or grilled chicken, and sautéed veggies on the side
8 p.m.: A salad with Italian vinaigrette dressing
HIS SAMPLE WORKOUT
Monday-Friday: Go to the gym at 7 a.m. daily, and run on the treadmill for one hour (about 5 miles)
Saturday-Sunday: Rest
Francisco Gamez starts his day with 40-45 minutes of cardio on the treadmill at the Ott Family YMCA. He is usually the only one on the treadmills in the early morning.
