One of my favorite comments to read & hear is that food challenges and competitive eating promote obesity. I see the comments all the time in response to my YouTube videos & online articles pertaining to eating challenges and eating contests. As a professional eater AND bodybuilder, these are very funny to me & are a true sign of complete ignorance. People these days are all about freedom of speech, so they feel that they can comment about anything and everything, especially when they have no idea what they are talking about. Competitive eating & food challenges DO NOT promote obesity. The only possible angle for that to make some sense is saying that doing food challenges every weekend promotes obesity. Even that is incorrect. There are less than 5 people in the entire country, including me, that consistently average multiple food challenges & eating contests per month. All of us maintain a very fit & lean physique. There are actually very few competitive eaters that are obese, and all of them were overweight before even getting into the world of competitive eating. Doing 2 food challenges and 1 eating contest does not make you worthy of being called a competitive eater. You may have seen a few obese people in a particular eating contest or doing a particular food challenge, but I am willing to bet that those people did not actually win. It's a proven fact that the best eaters are extra lean & very fit!!

Like I explained in my Getting Ripped Again!! page, I managed to maintain weighing around 235lbs for over 2 full years after winning the 2010 Men's Health / Spartacus Challenge. During those 2 years, I completed over 100 food challenges!! I stayed lean by working out a lot during the week and following the very healthy diet that I explained in my Staying Lean!! page. Eating one or two big meals per week does not make a person gain a lot of weight. Like I explain in the Gaining Weight Tips page of my Fitness & Nutrition Advice section, to gain weight you have to consistently consume more calories than you burn off during the day. My 5 days of dieting during the week consistently counteracted all the calories that I was consuming on weekends. Well in May 2012, I started to lose focus and I got pretty inconsistent during the week. Towards the middle of June, I began to notice that I was getting way too heavy and that I needed an "eating break" to diet and lose weight. The big problem with that was that I had a huge week planned for the last week in June. Like many people do around the holidays and other occasions, I said screw it & I went all out!! I figured that I would just start my diet when I got back home. Let's just say that I went overboard!! ;)

Like I explained in my Getting Ripped Again!! page, I went on an 8 day food challenge & eating contest spree through Ohio, Missouri, Mississippi, and Tennessee. I beat 8 food challenges and I won 1 eating contest during the 8 days, consuming over 54lbs of food!! By the time that week was over, I looked really bad!! I decided to start my diet immediately!! I did 2 "smaller" burrito challenges that next week to get them off my list, and then my 2012 Sexification began!!

My Current Lifestyle

My sexification started on Wednesday July 11th, 2012. I weighed in at a very large 271.6 pounds which was much heavier than I had expected. I started my 2010 diet at 248lbs, so I was starting this transformation over 23lbs heavier!! The 2010 diet only took a full 8 weeks, so I knew that this diet would take a little longer. When I decide to do things, I go all out!! I don't just half-ass anything, especially when it comes to losing weight. I go 159% until I am completely done & have met my goal. I don't cheat a few days per week and try to steadily lose 1-2lbs per week. I don't have time for that. Go hard or stay home!! For this sexification, my goal was to get below 230lbs. I had to lose over 40 pounds of fat, which I knew would be extra tough. Luckily for me, this was not my first diet!! ;)

When I lost 25lbs during my 2010 diet, that was a little more difficult because I was spending over 40 hours per week sitting behind a computer at my work as a concrete estimator. I had to cook all my meals the night before to prepare for the next day. I had to wake up at 5am to workout everyday and I had to evolve everything around my work schedule. Well for this diet, I did not have to worry about any of that. Back in March of 2012, the concrete company that I had been working for decided to shut down, which left me unemployed. By the time my diet started, I still had not been able to find a good job with a high enough salary. Therefore, I had some extra time to workout more, and I did not have to adjust my eating schedule for anybody. I "worked from home" and updated my entire website along with all my YouTube food challenge videos. To see what my fitness regimen & schedule was like during this time period, check out my Getting Ripped Again!! page. I was really working out a lot & often, just like in 2010 (Getting Ripped!!). The key to losing weight though is having a smart diet & healthy nutrition plan. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices!! Now I will discuss what my daily diet was like...

My Typical Day Of Dieting

► I start my day by waking up at 6:30am to begin working from home. I immediately go downstairs, weigh myself, and chug a quart of water (32oz). Then while drinking another 32oz glass of water, I make a protein shake consisting of 12oz of skim milk, 2 scoops of whey protein, and 2 tbsp. of ground flaxseed. The 64oz of water & protein shake really jumpstart my body & fat-burning metabolism!!

► My first real meal is around 9:00am. I cook 1/2-2/3 cup of quinoa in the microwave along with the required amount of water. After being cooked, I add 1 cup of wheat bran. Then I add jalapenos and Frank's Red Hot Sauce for flavoring, and because spicy food slightly increases your metabolism during the digestion period. While the quinoa is cooking, I usually have a rotisseried chicken thigh or can of tuna for some extra lean protein, depending on what all I have available. I also have some broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, or celery dipped in a healthy hummus. 1 cup of wheat bran contains 28 grams of dietary fiber which really helps get my digestive system going ;)

► I usually go to my gym, 68's Inside Sports, around 11am after my breakfast is settled. I either walk on the treadmill or swim for some cardio which usually takes about 1 hour total with travel. At noon when I get home, I eat about 25 almonds, 1 head of broccoli dipped in hummus, an apple, and usually another raw vegetable such as a green pepper, cucumber, or tomato, depending on what all I have available. Then I get back to working. I eat A LOT of vegetables :)

► While working on the computer, I drink a lot of water and chew sugarless gum. Chewing gum helps keep me from getting cravings for food, and it also helps keep my jaw strong so that I can be ready for food challenges again when my diet is over!! Chewing gum also burns about 12 calories per hour. Throughout the day, I typically consume between 2-2.5 gallons of water, including the 1/2 gallon that I drink first thing in the morning. Water makes up most of your body, helps your body cleanse, & really contributes to weight loss. I have not been sick since 6th grade, and I attribute some of that to how much water I drink on a daily basis. I also have 0 cavities!! Drink water!!

► Around 3:30pm or 4pm, I have some dinner. I usually have 2 chicken thighs, 2 cans of tuna, or a can of mackerel which is a cheaper version of salmon. I also substitute salmon sometimes just because it tastes better. Along with the meat, I have more raw vegetables which usually consists of carrots, celery, and cauliflower, along with hummus for flavoring. Green peppers are delicious too!!

► I workout around 5:30pm which lasts one full hour. I do my weightlifting workouts in the evenings!! After that, I have another protein shake consisting of 12oz of skim milk, 2 scoops of whey protein, and 2 tbsp. of ground flaxseed. This helps my body recover!!

► The protein shake is typically my last meal of the day. I don't have cottage cheese like I used to during my 2010 diet. If I am really hungry, I have 2 scoops of my soy protein powder with water, which totals around 140 calories. I only have this 2-3 times per week. I really have not done enough quality research yet to decide what I think about soy protein for men. It definitely tastes good though!! :)

► My weekends are typically a little different because I am usually busy or travelling. I still eat the same kinds of foods though, just with a different schedule. Whenever I can, I try to cook myself a great meal on Saturday & Sunday mornings after my boxing workout at 68's Inside Sports. I cook 1lb mixed vegetables, 1 squash, 1 zucchini, 3 eggs, 1 extra egg white, and 1 can of tuna, all together in a big skillet. Then I put it all in a big casserole dish & smother it with 1 cup of wheat bran, 1/2 cup of fat-free cheese, jalapenos, and a lot of Frank's Red Hot Sauce for flavoring. This definitely fills me up!! ;)

► After reading all of the above information, you may have noticed that I did not include many fruits, so I wanted to address that. Unlike almost all vegetables, fruits are pretty high in sugar. During this diet period, I limited the number of fruits that I consumed. I typically had an apple everyday, like I said above. Other than that, I typically only had 1 or 2 other fruits during the day, depending on what all I had available. My other fruits typically consisted of kiwis, peaches, watermelon, bananas, cantaloupe, or plums. I never bought strawberries, grapes, or anything else because they contain so many sugars. It would be really hard to gain weight from eating too many carrots. It would not be too difficult to gain weight from eating too many fruits. Therefore, I just added 1 or 2 fruits per day as snacks. Fruits are much healthier than fried potato chips though ;)

Notes About My Diet

I now want to address some further explanations of my diet:

► There were 3 BIG differences that made my 2012 sexification different than my 2010 transformation. The first difference, like I mentioned above, is that this time I did not have a real job. This made dieting A LOT easier. I was able to eat when I wanted and whatever I wanted because I was at home. I had everything that I needed directly available. I did not have to adjust my "eating schedule" around anybody. With that being said though, I tried to maintain a pretty steady schedule. If you are disorganized and don't really have a set plan, you are much more likely to get off track. I definitely could not let that happen!! Therefore, I tried to keep a similar schedule everyday. Try to keep a pretty steady eating schedule and have an idea of what you will be eating. If you get hungry and have no idea what you want to eat, you are much more likely to settle for a cheeseburger and fries. You don't want that to happen, so don't get yourself in that situation!! This rarely happens to me, but some people get so busy that they "forget" to eat. Not eating at all can be just as bad as eating an unhealthy meal. Your body needs calories to maintain a high energy level and metabolism. How will you have a good evening workout if you never ate lunch??

► The second BIG difference is that during my 2010 transformation, I was not involved with food challenges & eating contests at all. Until a few weeks left in my 2010 diet, I had never even thought about doing a food challenge!! To have a successful, quick diet this time, I knew that I was going to have to make some sacrifices and completely stop doing food challenges & eating contests during the entire sexification period. Since I did not have a job though, I decided that I would only do very small, quick eating contests for publicity, and any eating contest that involved a good cash prize. There ended up only being 1 bigger contest with a cash prize during that period, and it was towards the beginning, so that made my diet a lot easier!! I successfully "gave up" doing all food challenges during the entire period, so I was very proud of myself. I definitely had a few withdrawals though!! To reach goals, you must make sacrifices!!

► The third and BIGGEST difference is that during this sexification period, I had a girlfriend. During my 2010 diet, I did not have to worry about anybody but me & I was able to do whatever I wanted. I was also able to not do anything whenever I wanted. I was able to avoid any situations that I thought would make me want to "cheat on" my diet. Well this 2012 diet was a little different. In addition to having a girlfriend, I was 2 years older than in 2010, and my girlfriend was older than I was. Everybody and their sister decided to get married during this period!! Haha my sexification ended up lasting 10 weeks. During those 10 weeks, we were invited to 6-8 weddings, and went to most of them. In addition, my girlfriend & I were in 3 of the weddings, so we went to the rehearsal dinner parties too. In addition to that, we went to a few different wedding showers and engagement parties during that period!! Randy Santel and free food & drinks do not mix well!! Haha I don't have a high amount of self-control. Once I let myself have 1 drink or 1 dessert, I usually end up having a few more. Therefore, I had to do a great job of restricting myself from having too much fun. During the dinners, I ate mostly vegetables, and just a little of the meat & other sides. Also, to allow for a few extra calories, I ate less earlier that day. Plus, I typically drank a soy protein shake in between the wedding & reception so that I was not that hungry at dinner. I did a lot better than I thought I would, & the results definitely showed at the end ;)

► Luckily for me, my girlfriend was very supportive of my diet during this period. She has a more "normal" life than I do, and an even better metabolism than I do, so she is pretty much able to eat whatever she wants. We did go out on dates numerous times, and we also cooked dinner a few times together. When we cooked, we cooked healthy options like salmon & chicken. She never asked to cook unhealthy meals like brats & hamburgers or pasta dishes. When we went out for dinner, she never made fun of me for ordering a healthy salad. Her favorite part about my diet is that I usually never drank whenever we went out to eat or when we went to special events like the weddings I talked about above. Therefore, haha I always drove which gave her a free ticket to enjoy herself!! She definitely helped motivate me to have a successful diet, & I really appreciated her!! For more information about dieting while you are in a relationship, check out my new Dieting & Dating Advice page :)

My Conclusion

My sexification lasted a full 10 weeks, ending on September 20th, 2012. I started weighing 271.6lbs, & ended weighing only 220.6lbs!! I lost a total of 51lbs in only 10 weeks, & I successfully reached my goal of getting back below 230lbs!! I lost those 51 pounds through intense dieting & exercising. I did not take any magic pills and I did not drink any magic expensive drinks!! I worked my butt off for that 10 week period, but as you can see, it was definitely worth it!! :)

If you have read my Getting Lean!! page & my Staying Lean!! page, along with this page, you probably have noticed that I am pretty intense & dedicated to what I do, especially when I am dieting!! Please note though that the above dieting information is what I do, and not meant to be exactly what anybody else does!! Every person is unique and has different nutritional needs depending on their age, gender, lifestyle, and activity level. Also, please note that this is not exactly what I do each & every single day. This is just my basic diet so that you can see and understand what it took to get the results that I achieved in only 10 weeks. Please also note that I am not a genetic specimen that was created in a sports science laboratory. Remember that I used to weigh over 300lbs for many years. I am able to do what I do because I am completely dedicated and I have done a lot of research so that I can be very efficient. With proper consistency, diet, exercise, & dedication, you can get results too!!

Going back to what I was talking about in my introduction, food challenges and competitive eating DO NOT promote obesity. If anything, they help motivate me to get my butt in the gym the next day, and to not eat as much over the next few days!! Doing food challenges did not make me overweight. Not dieting as hard during the week is what lead to me carrying a few extra pounds. If you can't eat carrots & celery without dipping them in ranch dressing or smothering them in peanut butter, that is why you are overweight. Many people only eat them along with the 2lbs of chicken wings that they ordered at a restaurant, along with ranch dressing!! You can enjoy yourself a few times per month and eat whatever you want. You just have to watch yourself & your diet during the other days to counteract the extra calories!! Hopefully my story is inspirational to you. For over 2 years, I did many, many food challenges per month and still maintained my lean figure because I dieted during the week. Once I stopped dieting as hard during the week, that is when I started gaining weight. I took 10 weeks off though, and lost every single pound that I may have gained in the past 2 years. Now I am ready to maintain again, and go back to eating like I talked about in my Staying Lean!! page. It's time to dominate challenges again!! :)

For additional dieting tips, please check out my Fitness & Nutrition Advice page, especially my Dieting Nutrition Tips page. If you are wondering why I keep using the word "sexification" to describe my diet, please read my A Sexification?? page. Throughout my life, I have lost hundreds of pounds!! I am more proud of this diet though than I was after my 2010 diet. In 2010, my main source of motivation was wanting to win the Men's Health / Spartacus Challenge!! I lost 25lbs in 8 weeks, got RIPPED!!, and I won the contest. This time though, I did it completely for me, and not to win any type of contest!! I lost over 50lbs in just 10 weeks, which was even more successful than my 2010 diet. Hopefully this proves to you that you can do anything that you put your mind to!! Get the word "can't" out of your vocabulary. If you have any additional diet questions, please feel free to contact me. Good luck starting your own sexification!! ;)