Yoshi (TechTv’s PC Modder) Sheds 100 Pounds with Atkins Diet

Yoshi Mods His Bod

TechTV’s famed PC modder takes on the ultimate challenge: shedding 100 pounds from his overclocked frame.

By Yoshi DeHerrera

For most of my life I’ve been a big guy. Not too big. Just 20 to 30 pounds overweight.

When I was younger I stayed very active and physically fit. I was the president of the bicycling club at my school. I was on the track team. I played ultimate Frisbee, volleyball, basketball, and racquetball. I went to the gym five days a week. I could easily run a six-minute mile. At this point in my life I weighed a strong and fit 205 pounds. I also ate like a horse, approximately 6,000 calories a day. All went well until after my first shoulder surgery, which signaled the beginning of my road toward 340 pounds.

Tonight on “Tech Live,” I’ll show you how I shed all those extra pounds.

I shared the same problem as countless others: bad diet. I kept the weight off while I was active because I burned—and needed—all those calories. But take away exercise and you’re left with a large surplus of calories, which the body happily stores for later use.

I really didn’t notice the weight gain until I got pretty big. Seeing yourself in the mirror every day, you might not notice the slow change—that is, not until your clothes stop fitting and you start hearing fat jokes. Girls didn’t want to talk to me as much.

Excuses excuses

At first I easily ignored it. Then I became withdrawn and depressed. What did I do? I ate a lot, especially sweets. Of course that just made matters worse. The problem feeds itself.

I tried losing weight on a number of occasions. Each time I found an excuse to give up. “Hey, it doesn’t matter if I’m big.” “I want people to like me for who I am, not what I look like.” “I can’t go to the gym alone.” “I’ll start losing weight next week.” You get the idea. Excuses were just that—excuses. It really boiled down to this: Unless I wanted to lose the weight for myself, it wasn’t going to happen.

When I started at TechTV I was very self-conscious about appearing on television. I had a very poor self-image. I made myself get through it, but I was never comfortable.

Flash-forward to a field shoot at the Indianapolis 500. I’m a huge race fan, and when I found out I was going to ride in a two-seat Indy car, I was like a little kid looking forward to Christmas. When we got to the track that morning I met with the Page Ranking person from the Indy Racing League and headed over to get ready for my ride. I could tell when I first got there that something was wrong.

According to the paperwork about the ride-along, I needed to weigh under 250 pounds. I weighed 338 pounds. When it came time to get in the car, the people at the track determined the track was too wet to take me out. But a few minutes later the car was whizzing around the track. Although they were nice about it and didn’t say anything about my weight, I knew the real reason.

Eyes can deceive you

That was just the kick in the pants I needed. I had to lose weight. I read many things both good and bad about the Atkins diet. Since I love meat, I figured I could do this one.

The first few weeks were really hard. Sugary foods and candy are my big vices. I couldn’t see any difference in my weight. I started losing hope it would work.

I didn’t have a scale at home, so I contacted Tanita about getting one of its body composition analyzers. This was what I needed. Although I couldn’t see the difference in the mirror, the pounds still came off. In the first month alone I lost 24 pounds.

I found new motivation. I started going out and finding sports to play with my friends. I joined a gym to get toned again. Most important, I turned off my computer and went outside. Even if I had no particular plans, I’d turn off my comp during the day on weekends. This forced me to go do things. Otherwise I would’ve sat at my computer the entire weekend, as usual.

I got outside more and saw more daylight. My energy level went up. I felt happier and gained back my confidence. And I lost weight.

Yoshi’s advice for weight loss

Lose the weight for yourself.
If you’re on a diet and break it, don’t stop. Get back on the plan you’re on.
Turn off your computer and get outside. Do this every day. Sunlight is important to your health.
Find friends who are active and do activities with them. Your friends’ support is key.
Set realistic short-term and long-term goals. Don’t pressure yourself with goals you can’t make.

If you have questions about my weight loss, please email me at Yoshi@techtv.com.

Source: http://www.techtv.com/news/culture/s...637604,00.html