The Battle Against The Blobs

I hate being fat.

I used hate myself even more because of the fact that I’ve gotten so used to being fat at one point that I had ’sort of’ accepted being fat as a reality - my reality…

16 weeks ago, I DECLARED an all out ‘WAR against the WEIGHT’… and I’ve won my first battle!

Disclaimer: (You are about to see some grotesque pictures of my formally obese body - so don’t blame me if you can’t eat your lunch)

16 Weeks (18/2/08) Ago Versus Now (09/06/08)

Front View

Side View

Rear View

Guys And Girls, Meet Trainer Qunling

It is my great honor to introduce to you my friend, fitness trainer, mentor and inspiration - Trainer Qunling.

He is the one responsible for replacing my obscene, obese body with something acceptable.

I’ve spent the last 16 weeks undergoing intense, fat burning, muscle building, back-breaking workouts with Qunling who happens to be a very experienced and results oriented fitness trainer.

Even as I stare into the mirror every morning, I thought that I’ve undergone a brain transplant because ‘it doesn’t look like (the old) me anymore’!

This guy does more than help his clients lose weight… he’s the Da Vinci of fitness when it comes to building bodies because he treats his client’s results as a work of art and turns it into his masterpiece.

Not only that, his intimate knowledge of fitness and weight loss has given me more than a better body but a new inspiration - not just in fitness, but in building up mental strength when it comes to handling challenges as well!

(He has blogged about me as well - read his post here)

Why I’ve Been Secretive About My Training…

If you really want to know, then here is a flashback regarding my once in a lifetime encounter with Qunling….

Sometime after the middle of January, I fell sick. I was so sick for such a long period of time that it became a HUGE turning point in my life.

For a more detailed story on what happened, read my previous blog post - The Power Of Turning Problems Into Opportunities.

You see, I’ve been obese for years.

I’ve tried virtually every other diet plan to the point that if network marketing reps (MLMers) approached me with their weight loss products in an attempted to convert me into a customer, I think I would bankrupt their company because of their money back guarantee! (this is exaggerating… of course… but I’ve tried them all over the years - Detox, Atkins, Herbalife, High Protein but none of them worked!)

So I continued to eat like a pig and I turned a deaf year towards persecution.

My brother Khai Lee once posted a heartwarming entry about Protecting The Fat Kids From Getting Punished During Chinese New Year.

Here’s what he said:

“My older brother, who has long ago decided being fat was no big deal (pun), has to endure this.

“Good thing he developed a few defense mechanisms against my extended family. The most powerful being “Wall of ignorance”. It’s almost as though he puts on an invisible cloak, as he goes for the next plate of rice.”

Don’t get me wrong… I’m not offended by his remark.

In fact, if you read his blog post carefully, he was simply sympathizing with fat people as they endure the tribunal of the ‘horizontally-challenged inquisition party’

Although I thank my brother for his sympathy, deep down I KNEW that I shouldn’t accept this as my fate.

The future is NOT written in stone and neither should I accept my plump predicament as a fatso enclosed in a bloated body while being forced to endure an onslaught of ‘Yo’ Momma’s so fat…’ jokes for the rest of my life.

It’s time to make a change.

Qunling emailed me one day because he needed my help with Internet marketing so I met up with him at McDonalds (yup… McD… Ironically I began Fighting Fats in a Fat laden Fast Food joint)

Seeking a permanent solution, I popped the million dollar question, “Qunling, can you help me to lose weight?”

He said, “yes’… even though my mind gave me a thousand reasons why I would fail before I even started (these ‘demonic’ dream stealing voices must be silenced or they will rob your future).

I began the grueling task to change my habits and I started my journey down a ‘narrower’ road (pun intended).

I made a deal with myself - this is my LAST RESORT.

If this doesn’t work, I might as well be fat for the rest of my life.

Therefore I kept this a secret as much as I could, especially from my parents and my brothers… not because I perceived that they wouldn’t support my decision, but because I want my RESULTS to speak LOUDER than my resolutions.

The Torture Begins

Shedding an obscene amount of weight is really a ‘heavy’ matter…

I’m a peace loving guy by nature, but after going through weeks of Qunling’s training, I’ve learned dozens of ways that you can torture someone else…

Running Non-stop while carrying a heavy barbell

Killer Exercise Routines

Excruciating Pain - Lifting Weights While Holding 25Kgs In The Bag

The Hardest Of All - Scaling A Slope With 30Kgs Of Weight And No ROPE

These pictures are not intended to scare you. In fact, I would consider myself a sucker for pain - otherwise I wouldn’t come back for more.

Finishing The Race

After 16 weeks of exercise, I’ve finally reached my first milestone.

I’ve lost 6.5 Kg, Dropped 6.2% in terms of Bodily fats, increase half a kg of lean muscle, and lost 4.1 inches on my waist (I need to get a new wardrobe!)

Here’s Trainer Qunling’s official report regarding my progress…

Trainer’s Comments:

- Not being able to even do 1 push up on day 1, doing more than 200 in 1 training session now

- Not being able to even do 1 pull up, doing 5-8 reps without any assistance now

- Not being able to jog for even 5 minutes, he can now jog with 40kg plus of resistance

- Started off with hypertension, now having a regulated blood pressure

- Started off with a high beating heart rate, now with a low and constant resting heart rate on a daily basis

- Started off with a set of “man boobs” , now its forming into a set of man chest

- Massive fat loss from the body especially the waist, cutting off the spare tyre

- Used to out of the fitness chart beyond obese, now in the category of acceptable

My Take On Fitness Today…

Here’s my take on my fitness journey with Qunling…

You don’t know the meaning of pain until you are trained by Qunling.

His fitness regime is hell incarnate… But his results - are nothing short of heavenly!

Qunling’s training proves that you can turn the impossible to the possible no matter what your circumstances are.

I’m living proof of his declaration - that there is no such thing as ‘I CANNOT… but simply I WILL NOT’

As I look back and ponder, I recall that my life is filled with moments of ‘fat loss’ inspiration but lacking the desire and the methods to pull it off…

So for nostalgia sake, I’ll just share with you my top 5 inspirations that gave me the strength I’ve needed through tough times…

(5) Shoemoney used to be fat

Top blogger Shoemoney blogged about how he used to weight 420 pounds. Indeed, he was at least TWICE my weight to the point that the ONLY way for him to lose weight was surgery.

Although I find that surgery is drastic, what inspired me was the fact that it isn’t cool to be obese and I had to do whatever it takes to be slim - after all… diabetes and sleep apnea is no laughing matter.

Anyway… thanks, Shoemoney… for the following quotes and giving us fat people a reason to fight on:

• Cruelty - People are always asking me why I never get mad or upset about what people might say about me online. Please.. I was called so many vicious names by so many people and worse you think some critique online is going to make me upset?
• Envy - I never feel envious of other people… You kind of get over that after always being picked last for teams in high school and never having any girls want to be more then a friend.
• Working Hard - I always had to be THAT much better then all my competition for almost anything because of my weight. Society is pretty hardcore on the overweight and I probably had it easy being a male. Overweight females really get it bad from our society. You learn to pull your weight (no pun intended) and then some.

(4) My parents and my brothers

Mom and dad is always concerned about my weight. My brothers Khai Lee and Khai Yong are also fitness enthusiasts who have even undergone ‘monkish’ diets just to keep fit.

I guess, being the fattest one in the house is no different from having a bulls eye painted on your stomach as an easy target for people’s ‘health’ concerns.

So mom, dad, brothers, don’t worry about me… your concern has paid off

(3) Watching Love On A Diet Many Times

I’ve watched this movie a dozen times.

It’s a love story about how Sammi Cheng waited for her lover to return but unfortunately, she put on tons of weight while waiting for him. Andy Lau (who happens to be equally fat) helped her to shed off the pounds in time for her to reunite with her lover.

The plot may seem quite silly depending on your perspective, but I’m deeply inspired by the resolve to lose weight.

Each time I’ve failed to lose weight so I would watch it again.

(2) Watching my trainer in action

Qunling is a MACHINE…

Qunling is currently living on essential fats - that means about only 6% of his body consists of the fats he needs to survive. The rest of it is PURE muscle.

Watching him perform his workouts is quite terrifying actually but one thing’s for sure… he always pushes to the next level.

What inspires me is that one day, I will be just like him and he is willing to see to it that I achieve optimal results.

(1) Yuenn’s perseverance

My wife is my biggest motivation factor. She has patiently encouraged me on a daily basis to eat healthily and live life to the fullest.

Ask yourself this… how would you feel if you marry someone only to have them live alone for years after you’re gone? Would you leave this earth in peace knowing that your loved ones are left behind all alone?

I’ve personally pondered this question a lot because even though both my grandmothers are alive and well, they are living the rest of their life widowed because both my grandfathers are no longer around.

I hope my wife and I will live to a ripe old age together.

Although we may never know what the future holds for us, at least we know one thing is for sure that there are certain things in life that are within our control.

Health is one of them - so never ever neglect your health because I’ve learned the hard way - no matter how much money I make on the Internet, it will be worth nothing if you are too sick to enjoy it.

So what next?

Well…

I’m beginning my next 16 week challenge starting today.

Time to push new limits and achieve more results.

Boy, I can’t hardly wait

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