Tony’s Weight Loss Success Story
Tony is a member of our martial arts program, Austin Impact Jeet Kune Do.
We competed in our first Golden Gloves Boxing tournament together, and I cornered him in his second one.
So I’m especially grateful that he was willing to share his success story.
The day I wanted to make a change was when I looked in the mirror and I was 35 lbs overweight.
I could not recognize who I was anymore and my stress level had reached its peak.
My anxiety was kicking in and I didn’t know how to deal with it.
I asked myself, “Where was I before this and why did I let myself become this man that I did not recognize”?
I started thinking back and discovered that exercise had been the key to my well being.
When I was younger, all I did was play sports and box at my uncles gym–which led to me being healthy and active on a daily basis.
I decided to do something, so I tried to work out on my own.
The only problem was that I was not discipline to do it consistently and there was no motivation behind it.
So I started to browse the internet to see if there were any martial art classes that I could participate in.
The Austin community had plenty of classes to dig my hands in, but my main goal was to find a great instructor who would get me results guaranteed.
Unfortunately not all had the right courses and environment–until I found Austin Impact Jeet Kune Do.
I was skeptical at first when I tried out the first class, due to having already been in many martial arts classes that stated they teach the art of Jeet Kune Do but didn’t.
Soon I felt comfortable with the class and the instructor’s teaching methods.
I started going 3-4 times a week.
I wanted to see BIG changes within a month or so.
News flash–if your start doing crunches and sit-ups for 4 weeks don’t expect a six pack.
It takes time and commitment, which I had to learn the hard way.
As we get older it gets harder and harder to lose that weight and reach your goal.
My theory is that it is 25% how you exercise and 75% what you eat.
So you won’t get results if you work your butt off, then eat a bacon w/ cheese double meat burger right after.
It’s all about the portions of your meal and the diet you choose.
What worked for me was having a schedule of when to work out and what to eat.
Set yourself a goal and keep with it until you reach it.
Be competitive.
There are many competitions you can participate in.
For example, these past two years I have competed in the Austin Golden Gloves Boxing competition in middle weight and light heavy weight division.
Each category was a test to myself.
This is where the motivation came into play.
I had a great team behind me and we pushed each other to our limits, leaving us with remarkable results.
I dropped weight and gained muscle within months and could not believe how much progress I had made in such a short period of time.
There’s no magical secret behind this–if you place yourself around people with the same ambitions and goals your end results will be limitless, leaving you to reach your goal that you set and creating new ones after you achieve them.
This is not all about weight loss and muscle gain, this is about finding yourself and being the best man or woman you can be.
Don’t be afraid to try new things and challenge yourself.
The mentality of this applies to everything you do each day.
For instance your job, relationship, workouts, and even your dreams.
I always had this fear of change.
But by understanding it and facing it, you can surpass anything that you put your mind into.
My film projects and music have grown due to the exercise I got and the foundation I learned from the art of Jeet Kune Do, “Using no way as a way, having no limitation as limitation.”
The film and music projects would not have happened if I did not tell myself to “Stop making excuses and GET IT DONE!!!”
It also made me a better person in my personal life, socializing and finding great friends along the way.
Again, be yourself and the right people will surround you.
–Tony Zamora