They Walk Among Us: Phillip

Welcome to the next installment of They Walk Among Us, a series of interviews with my online and offline friends who have lost significant weight and kept it off for many years. So far we have had Kate, Sheila, Amanda, and Shelley; this is Phillip.

OMG, a guy! I know!

Phillip is one of my co-workers, and one of the brightest spots of my day. He is funny and smart and cool and a little dorky, all in the very best ways; he has great stories, and a great dramatic flair in telling them. He's got an amazing background too: born and raised in the South, he moved to Chicago for a job as an opera singer with the Lyric Opera. He has moved from that into healthcare data analysis (like me, sort of) but still does some singing on the side. We haven't heard him sing yet at work, but I am convinced it is only a matter of time. He's tall and lean, and one day when I was lamenting about my giant dupa, he informed me that he too had once been overweight. I didn't believe him until he brought in the picture of him in the Indiana t-shirt. Dude!

Anyway, let's meet Phillip.

Background: how much weight did you lose, what did you do to lose it, how long ago was it?



Well, it wasn't all at once.  I was at my heaviest the Summer between undergrad and grad school at about 265. Throughout my first year of grad school, I slowly lost weight, mainly due to fending for myself for meals instead of a cafeteria with unlimited refills.  That weight maintained through grad school until I moved to Chicago, where I joined the Ryan Opera Center of Lyric Opera of Chicago.



There I was told to lose weight to help make myself more marketable, and I'm sure, to be aesthetically pleasing on stage.  That's when I did Weight Watchers (which wasn't really adjusted for men yet) and lost 20 pounds in the first month.  I did see 194 at the lowest, but ended up gaining back more over the next few years because it wasn't something I could maintain.  I also got very comfortable with my significant other at the time, so that surely didn't help the waistline.



When we separated, I had had enough and started a weight loss regimen that consisted of both diet AND exercise. The things it did for my body were really great. This was a much more effective way to lose weight keep it off.  I got down to an all-time best weight of 183 (82 pounds from the start) and couldn't have been happier.  Since then I've gained a few pounds back, but not nearly the volume I did before.



Transition: Once you lost the weight, what did you do in the beginning to move into maintenance?

Maintenance was much easier when I had incorporated exercise into the mix.  This way I could still eat a fairly normal diet and maintain the weight as long as it was counterbalanced by the workouts.  When my schedule got busier, obviously the workouts were pushed aside, but you can usually find a place to make it up.

Maintenance: what do you eat now to keep it off?  

Now, I try to stick to a meals lower in calories.  Special K for breakfast, Lean Cuisine and Yogurt for Lunch, then a "sensible dinner" which for me is usually a protein (chicken, turkey sausage, fish) and veggies (generally steamed) and maybe a low-cal dessert like Skinny Cow or fruit.

Maintenance: Do you exercise? What do you do?  



When I exercise, it almost always includes 30 minutes of cardio.  Other than that, I try to mix in some strength training to make me all buff (HA!).  I do try to vary when during my workout I do cardio, just to keep my body from getting to used to it. 

Self-Image/Attitude: Do you think of yourself as overweight still, or have you adjusted to the what you look like now? Because I have to admit, I was surprised to find out that you had ever been overweight.

I know I still have the problem areas that I've always had (damn love handles), but all in all, I'm happy with my body.  It's not perfect, but it never will be.



Self-Image/Attitude: How do you keep yourself from going slack and gaining it back? What's your motivation from letting yourself tip too far back?

CLOTHES! I hate spending money on clothes that I love that I can't get into anymore because my fat ass won't fit in them. As soon as that "one piece" that you really love to wear doesn't fit anymore, it's time to correct your course.


(I made him wear this sweater again for the blog post. It's my favorite of all of his very sharp outfits. That color!)

Last question: I know there is no one secret to success, but...what's your secret? :)

Well, I do have an app on my phone called Lose It!, which helps me track my weight loss and food log every day.  Keeping track of what you eat/should be eating is a real eye opener. Also, I try to eliminate temptation whenever possible.  Saying no can be the hardest thing you do, but definitely pays off big time in the end.


(Outside at a fire drill with our other co-worker, R. You may be seeing her again soon!)

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Thanks, Phillip, for sharing your story and your success with us. You da man!