Transformation Expert Edwin Velez is Today’s Honoree

Edwin Velez has not only transformed his outside , but he is a beautiful person on the inside as well. and a great friend.

I would have never thought that my weight-loss would be so motivating and inspirational to others. I started this journey after my weight gain started to get out of control and realizing something had to be done in order to have a successful future.

I moved to the United States from Puerto Rico when I was 4 years old. I started playing baseball at very young age and continued playing until high school. After feeling “burned out” from the sport, I decided to put it aside and just focus on academics. At this point, going from a very active lifestyle to a completely non-active one, the weight started to build up. Heading to college just made things that much worse. Since eating healthy seems to be pretty expensive, many college students eat what they can, thus my case. This continued the weight gain.

It finally set in after a group of friends and I decided to take a little vacation in Nov 2011 to the Bahamas. Reviewing pictures afterwards, I noticed that that my weight had gotten to an all time high and I had to do something about it.

Single and 26, I set my goal to drop 100 pounds from the time we got back from the Bahamas in Nov 2011 until the next trip which was the following March 2012. I had a total of 4 months to try to reach this goal. I began by walking 45 minutes a day until I reached the point where I could jog the entire 45 minutes.

With the cardio, I started a high protein/ low carb diet. Fish and Chicken with a combination of fruits and vegetables became my “best-friends” during this process. Coming from a Latin household, the food aspect was extremely difficult to stick with, but I was determined! Going from eating rice and beans with fried chicken, fried plantains on a daily basis to grilled chicken and broccoli, was extremely hard. I also had to put away all the sweets and soft drinks, which were my two favorite things in life. There is nothing like a Dr. Pepper with a Snickers bar. I can recall eating around 10 mini chocolate bars a day thought-out a working day.

I did not completely eliminate Carbs because they are a major source of our energy. I used the “little rule” If it was originally white in color, I removed these items from my diet. These foods consisted of rice, pastas, breads, crackers, and tortillas. When it came to eating Carbs, I would eat whole vegetables, whole fruits, and whole grain cereals. When eating out and ordering a salad, I completely ate it dry. Absolutely No Dressing! Dressing takes the HEALTHY out of the salad. I also stayed away from Ketchup and Mayonnaise. I completely removed sodas, juices and any other item that are not Water. I drink nothing but Water!!

I permitted 1 cheat meal a week which usually fell on Friday Nights. When going out to dinner with friends, I would eat whatever I wanted, but sticking to water as my beverage.

The Saturday before the trip came and weigh-in also came. I was super excited to see that I reached my goal and had lost a 101! It took tons of hard word but I reached my goal.

I am currently at a total of 150-pound weight lost. Drive. Determination. Dedication. Discipline. “Envisioning success brings you an inspiring image, but bringing that image to life requires action.

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