Transformation – Nicholas DeCicco
Check out this week’s amazing transformation progress from Nicholas DeCicco! This father of two boys, was inspired to embark on this journey for himself and his family as he approaches 40. After hitting an all time high of 212 lbs. and struggling with sustainable weight loss he decided to give flexible eating a try. Read on to find out about his struggles and victories over the last 9 months.
When did you start Flexible Eating & how did you get started (i.e. what package did you buy?)
September 11, 2017 I went with my best buddy Jerry Melo to Jay & Roz’s OYE seminar at CrossFit South Brooklyn. We had seen the amazing success our friends Howie & Jen Newman had with OYE so I took Jerry hoping he would start his journey, but also because I needed something to change in my life as well health/diet wise.
What prompted you to get started?
I am 39 years old and 6 ft tall…Most of my 30’s I was around 190 lbs and in generally good shape for my age… However, the past few years with the stressors of work, home-ownership, and two beautiful kids I just haven’t had the time to focus on my health. I crept over 200 lbs after our first son was born, then up/down for a while, but then after our 2nd son was born in April 2017 I was at 212 lbs. Crazy! I did a crash “shake” diet which got me down to 200 lbs pretty quickly but, along with feeling crappy and starving, I was back up to 205 lbs by the time I arrived at the OYE seminar.
How much weight have you lost?
9/11/2017 — 205 lbs
6/25/18 – 179 lbs
Lost 26 lbs thus far on OYE
Lost 33 lbs from max weight
What other changes have you noticed in your body or in general?
I have the confidence to not hide behind my “burn” shirt at the beach or the pool this season and that feels great… I’m less sluggish in the morning and my prior “skinny” suits aren’t even fitting me these days… Although I’ve never been a runner I placed 1st in the Queens 5K in June (30-39 age group)… I realize it was just a random race, but was very cool to “win” the group and my time/splits were solid at 25:30/8:12m… Plus I had to really push to beat out a guy 8 years younger than me…The best part is that I feel so engaged in the OYE process that I know I am not going back to aimless eating… I feel great about the progress I have made so far but feel like I have just begun. It really has been a lifestyle change!
What has been your biggest obstacle that you have overcome or are working on?
The “work-day” and “events” are still major challenges.
On daily basis what I have found to work for me is 1) Eating a manageable, low-fat, breakfast and 2) Planning dinner ahead of time… By doing so I have so many macros to play with during the 9am – 6pm work hours where group lunches are often and random cakes and cookies abounds the office…
As far as dining out and family events… the best way I have found to tackle those is to be on point every other day of the week! The reality is that nights out and family events are going to happen, so if I have hit my numbers the other days of the week (and don’t eat like a complete A-hole during the event) I just push through without too much worry…
What’s the one thing you previously would have deprived yourself of on a diet that you now get to enjoy guilt-free?
Wine. I really love still being able to have a nice glass of red with steak or white with fish. And pizza and donuts! The biggest difference is that I’ve learnt to love (and stick to) the single donut or single slice I work into my numbers for the day as opposed to feeling guilty about them… which would just lead to an “f-it” attitude and in turn, consuming multiples of each!
What’s one piece of advice you would give someone that is just getting started?
DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE NUTRITION LABEL OR A FOOD SCALE LIKE I WAS!!! It would probably be hard to find somebody who attacked this in a more rudimentary fashion than I did — Jay said to just focus on “Carbs – Fats – Proteins.” I thought wow — I can do that! And I did – just that and only that… Like most things in life, I’ve gotten better as I’ve gone along and refined my tracking/food knowledge somewhat… And because I had initial success with OYE that led me to start running again which has supplemented my overall gains. I’ve had some rough patches along the way for sure (just look at my “roller coaster” weight chart) and have a lot more to accomplish BUT because I was “ALWAYS TRACKING” I was able to maintain weight during the holidays and avoid major weight gains….
The bottom line is you can and WILL see success with basic Macro tracking IF you are true with your entries and honest as to if you are really hitting your numbers every day. It is up to you and only you to do it or not. And you can.
Good Luck!
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