Motivational Spotlight: How X-Weighted Fan Scott Thomson Lost 99 Pounds

Scott Thomson is currently participting in the National Challenge, although he is already fit and healthy. Scott is a big fan of X-Weighted, and loves the idea of being able to help others on their journey. Here is his story of how he went from fat Scott (how he refers to the old him) to totally hot Scott.

"Growing up, I was always active. I was a competitive gymnast until I was 13, and I played rugby and hockey in high school. But then I went to college and did a 3-year program in 10 months so I had no time to play any sports anymore, being active stopped being a part of my life. Then I moved to Ottawa where I got my first full-time cushy desk job, moved in with three other guys and we drank a lot of alcohol and ate a whole lot of crappy food. I had started out at 155 pounds, but over the course of the year gained a lot of weight.

Oblivious to the Weight Gain
I know this sounds funny, but I really didn't even notice the weight piling on. It wasn't until I went home to PEI for the first time in two years. I hadn't seen any of my family or friends in that time. In the airport coming home, my mom actually walked past me in the airport because she didn't recognize me.

When my buddy came to my place to pick me up he said, “Hey what's going on,” then looks me up and down and says, “What the hell happened to you?” And that is how it was brought to my attention. I had put on 100 pounds.

In that two-year period, of course I'd had to buy new clothes but I really wasn't putting a lot of thought into it. I just thought, I'm not a teenager anymore, I need new clothes. When I look back at the pictures now, it is quite obvious how big I'd got - my head was a perfect sphere.

I moved back to the Maritimes and my brother, my dad and my friends all made hard-core fun of me. I got straight out ridicule from my friends and family for quite a while. After hearing about my weight pretty much every day from everyone, I decided I just had enough.

I'd never been to the gym before so I joined one, and got personal trainer to help me work out and I started changing my eating habits. My eating habits were pretty terrible, when I first moved to Halifax I would order two large pizzas on a Friday night, then eat one for supper and then have the other one for breakfast on Saturday morning. I was drinking a lot of beer and a lot of orange pop. I was constantly consuming empty calories; but at the time I really didn't know anything about that. Everything I know about nutrition I have learned over the last three years.

I did a lot of research on Google, and I got a subscription to Men's Health magazine, which was full of nutrition tips.

A Great Start
In the first 2 months of trying to lose weight, I dropped 32 pounds. I was working out every single day. I also joined a recreational sports league, I started playing volleyball which I hadn't ever done before, which was a great way to make friends and I also fell in love with the sport. I play volleyball at least twice a week now.

After I lost about 40 pounds, then I plateaued and I just stopped trying. I moved in with a long-term girlfriend and got comfortable, so I hovered around 220 pounds for a couple of years. Then I got a new job where my manager was big into weight training and he got me back into going to the gym. I started working out with my coworkers every day, and that got me back on track. That was the turning point for me and I got into fitness properly.

I wasn't looking to lose weight, I was just looking to build muscle and get in shape at that time. While doing that I was burning fat and so losing weight at the same time. I think I got down to like 195 then, and that's when I decided I wanted to be toned. I stopped lifting heavyweights, started doing lighter reps and a lot more cardio. Over the course of 6 months I got back down to 156 pounds. I actually sit around 178 now, which is where I feel pretty comfortable.

Staying Trim isn’t Easy
Staying in shape is a struggle for me every day, because I love grease. Some people have a sweet tooth, but I say I have a greasy tooth. There is nothing better to me than a slice of the worst greasiest pizza. I can eat five double cheeseburgers from McDonald’s in a matter of minutes and I’ll love every second of it. And I love beer.

I don't drink in the week now and often when I’m out with my friends I'll drink water. I do allow myself one cheat day, which I usually use to accommodate my hangover if I have been out drinking with my friends (that's when I'll eat those cheeseburgers). I don't have strict rules so much as I just watch what I eat.

When I do put on weight, I make sure to eat really well and hit the gym every day. I do think that I put weight on easily: Over Christmas I managed to put on 10 pounds, but I worked it off again pretty quickly.

I'm one of those people that is going to have to watch what they eat and be physically active until the day that they die. It is never going to be easy for me, but fat Scott is never coming back, so I'll just keep at it. I am a lot more confident in my body now than I ever was before.

I'd like to tell everyone who is on a weight-loss journey to get help, it is hard to do it on your own. You need support, be that from a personal trainer that you pay to following trainers on twitter or blogs, or just surrounding yourself with good people."
 
Follow Scott’s excellent blog Your Inner Skinny, for advice and tips on healthy living.