Need a weight loss restart? Believe it or not, but you can find new motivation after setbacks on your health and fitness journey.
In fact, one of our Fit Father Project team members — and FFP Legend — Craig Taylor is a testament to that!
If you are a member of the Fit Father Project, it’s very likely that you have been in communication with Craig at some point during your journey, and if you’re a long-time FFP member, you may even remember Craig’s own journey of losing over 120 lbs.
But, the road wasn’t always easy.
Craig had back surgery and then a knee injury that derailed his efforts and caused him to regain some of the weight he had worked so hard to lose.
However, he did find a way to refocus his efforts, in a bid to reach his all-time lowest weight!
Listen to Craig's Story on the Fit Father Project Podcast:
Start Something, Stop Something
According to Craig, he spent all his life being overweight.
“Even as a teenager, I considered myself fat. And when I look back, I chuckle, but it’s out of disdain. I was 20 to 30 pounds overweight, and how easily that could have been fixed as a teenager, but in my head, I was fat, and I stayed fat. So it was all fat whether I was 210, 250, or 280.”
He hit a point in his life where he weighed almost 306 pounds.
“There was a point where I quit weighing myself because I just didn’t want to know anymore. It didn’t change anything. It was just another number that depressed me even further.”
During that period, he started developing health issues, such as high blood pressure, breathing problems, and acid reflux.
He was under medication and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy.
“I was leading a Bible study, and we chose a book by Craig Groeschel. The book was titled ‘Seven Things to Do With Your Life.' The first thing is to stop something and start something.”
So, he ‘started' walking every night and ‘stopped' eating like he used to.
Within two weeks of practicing the ‘start and stop' regime, he came across the Fit Father Project on Facebook, and he immediately signed up.
Soon after joining the Fit Father Project, Craig knew he had a couple of weeks of craziness.
Nevertheless, he tried his best to stick to the schedule and start his weight loss journey.
“I was headed to Vegas for our 25th anniversary, and I had a conference out of town for a week. So, I knew that I wouldn’t be eating great during those times. And I was not prepared to work out yet. I’m 300 pounds, never having been an athlete, and always feeling like a fat guy. So it took me a while to get there. But I started doing what I could. I drank as much water as I could. I ate better most of the time. And in those three weeks, even while traveling twice, I lost 15 pounds.”
After returning from his trips, Craig started diligently following the meal plans.
And he found new motivation.
“I was just determined that it was time. I was going to be turning 50. I had daughters who were getting close to marriage age. I didn’t want to walk down the aisle with that weight. So there was motivation. There was determination. And I guess once I started, the results themselves just kept coming.”
As a result of his determination and motivation, Craig ended up losing 20-25 pounds more in the first month of the Fit Father Project.
Initially, Craig was skeptical about exercising as he was never athletic.
“When I started exercising, I said, this is part of it. I’ve got to do it. I had no muscle tone. I’ve never been an athlete. I’ve been fat for a long time.”
Nevertheless, once he started exercising, he didn't look back.
“I started walking, jogging, and running in my neighborhood. I ran a full mile. I’d never run a mile in high school. When you had to run the mile for the physical fitness challenge or whatever, I might run a lap or something like that. So I ran a mile, which motivated me to do much more.”
He even got to the point where he ran a 6.6K.
“I hurt myself in the first hundred yards, but I still finished it. I didn’t run as much as I wanted to, but I ran, and I did it in a big group with many people. And that was huge to me.”
Eventually, Craig got to the point where he had lost 70 pounds!
While getting into exercise was difficult, fixing his nutrition was not a big deal.
To Craig, it was a simple process, and his wife played a key role in ensuring he was following his meal plan.
“My wife wanted me to be successful. And since I was gone most of the day, she did most of the preparing. I would get my breakfast, the shake, or whatever, and then take my lunch. And then when I came home, she either prepared something, or I went out to the grill, and chicken’s my thing.”
Mostly, Craig kept his meals simple and did not experiment much.
Also, he was not used to having breakfast, but after starting the Fit Father Project, he understood the importance of breakfast.
In six months, Craig lost 100 pounds and decided to take a break.
However, he was discouraged by the Fit Father Project team from doing so.
“I kept going, ran off and on through the winter, actually more on than off, and one day, all of a sudden, I felt really good. So I didn’t stop. Without even planning for it, not taking anything to drink or nutrition along, I ran nine miles.”
Then, he ran a half marathon.
“I started training, and I ran a half marathon with a hernia. And for the first eight miles, I ran faster than I had, and I couldn’t slow myself down either.”
Craig tells us about slipping back into old habits after he was able to lose weight and gain it back.
Facing Setbacks, and Beginning a Weight Loss Restart
But, despite all that fantastic progress, eventually Craig’s weight came to a standstill.
“I got down to 1 76 at my lowest. I would gain 10, lose 10, gain 10, lose 10. My weight fluctuated because I backed off a little bit from the intense workouts, but always thinking that I was going to get back to it and finish it.”
Also, one day while exercising, he injured his back, and he already had back issues in the past.
“I’m sure I was probably using poor form or rushing to do something. I don’t know, but I’d already had back trouble. So that emphasized it.”
Then the COVID-19 lockdown began, and Craig couldn’t go anywhere to exercise or walk.
That’s when the weight started creeping up, and he gained 30 pounds.
“I was probably depressed. And with depression came guilt and with guilt came eating. With eating came more guilt and more depression, and it just added on. Eventually, I underwent back surgery.”
About six weeks after his back surgery, Craig started exercising and eating well again.
However, this time, his knee gave up on him.
“I started to exercise, and immediately my knee started causing trouble. And I was told years ago that I would probably have knee replacement surgery someday.”
He was on medication for his knee pain, and he began eating like crazy again.
Eventually, Craig ended up gaining back 80 pounds.
His knee is better now, and his weight loss restart is in full force.
“My knee feels pretty good now, so I think I’ll be OK. I’m ready to make a difference again.”
So what would Craig say to someone looking to join the Fit Father Project?
“At some point, if you decide to quit, remember that just because you quit doesn’t make you a quitter. That’s pretty important. You know, I quit, and I did feel like a quitter, a big loser, or whatever, so you have to stop that talk. When you wake up in the morning, you need to tell yourself you’re worth it. You need to tell yourself that you were curated for more than this. That you are not the person, you think you are.”
3 Key Takeaways From Craig's Journey
To summarize, here are three key lessons you can learn from Craig’s successful health and fitness journey:
Lesson 1: Determination Is the Key to Success
Determination means resoluteness, a firmness of purpose.
No matter where you stand, whatever your circumstances are, it is your determination that will pave the way for your success.
Craig’s story is an excellent example of how his determination to lose weight overpowered everything else in his life.
Lesson 2: Goals Are Important
When you have goals with deadlines, you have something to keep you on track.
People who write their goals out succeed far more at a higher magnitude than those who don’t write out their goals.
Lesson 3: Right Nutrition Is Extremely Vital
Proper nutrition is critical to maximizing athletic performance.
It is also the key to losing weight.
Good nutrition can help you shed excess pounds — without feeling hungry or having food cravings!
Healthy foods such as protein shakes, salads, and so on are packed with nutrients, unlike processed foods, which are typically loaded with sugar, salt, and fat.
What is FF30X?
FF30X is a simple, sustainable, and specific weight loss program that is designed especially for busy men over 40.
With short metabolic training workouts, an easy-to-follow meal plan, and an accountability team that is there for you at every step, FF30X can help you lose 30, 40, or even 50+ lbs — even if you’ve never picked up a weight in your life.
Click here to see what you get when you join the FF30X program today!
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*Please know that weight loss results and health changes/improvements vary from individual to individual; you may not achieve similar results. Always consult with your doctor before making health decisions. This is not medical advice – simply very well-researched info on beginning a weight loss restart.
