UPDATE

Since I originally posted this blog I have transitioned to a plant-based diet and lost another 15 pounds! When I step on the scale it now reads 140 pounds. I had no idea I was still carrying around so much extra weight! And I feel better than ever.

My daily plant-based menu is posted below for comparison.

ORIGINAL POST

The contrast between my calorie-heavy diet at 420 pounds compared to what I eat now that I’m 265 pounds lighter is startling.

Back then I was eating more than 10,000 calories a day and gaining weight at breakneck speed. My gorging was so out of control that within months I would have been too big to even shop at big and tall stores. At my heaviest I had a 66-inch waist and the largest pants being sold at the time were 72 inches.

Sadly, the fear of not being able to find clothes that fit wasn’t even enough to stop me from getting my food fix.

Years removed it’s still difficult for me to think about the gargantuan portions of garbage I was shoveling in my face. I’m not so much ashamed as I am disappointed that I let my eating spiral so far out of control.

I wish I could build a time machine so that I could go back and have a heart-to-heart talk with myself. It would have been reassuring to know that I was going to live to see my 30th birthday.

Today is much different as I feel like I’m now Chuck version 2.0.

Rather than mass quantities of fast food I’m filling my plate with food that actual nourishes the body. There is a burst of energy I get after meals instead of becoming a lethargic lump with no desire and almost no ability to move.

Indeed, my diet today is much different than my 420-pound counterpart. I’m only consuming 20 percent of the calories I once did — amazingly putting right on the mark for the recommended 2,000 calorie diet that all nutrition labels are based on.

Diet at 420 Pounds

Breakfast

I rarely if ever ate the most important meal of the day.

Calories: 0

Lunch

I thought I was doing a body good by eating at Boston Market. Nope, I was wrong.

  • 1/2 chicken
  • Creamed spinach
  • Mashed potatoes
  • Macaroni and cheese
  • Corn bread
  • Brownie
  • Diet lemonade

Total calories: 2,151

Snack

  • 6 Taquitos from 7-Eleven
  • 2 24-ounce Gatorades

Total calories: 2,000

Dinner

  • Extra-large pepperoni pizza
  • Buffalo wings
  • Cheese sticks
  • Dipping sauces and dressings

Total calories: 5,700

Yes, there were nights I would go back for seconds or have another half of a pizza as a midnight snack.

Total daily calories: 9,851

I elaborated on my diet at 420 pounds in a previous post.

Diet at 155 Pounds

Breakfast

  • 1 piece millet bread toast w/ sunflower butter
  • 1 banana

Snack

  • Frozen mango

Lunch

  • Spinach salad with chicken, bell peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms.

Snack

  • A handful (or two) of unsalted nuts.

Snack

  • Greek Yogurt (plain) with fresh fruit mixed in

Dinner

  • Kale salad with kimchi and hard boiled egg
  • Pita and hummus

Total daily calories: 1,987

UPDATE I have eliminated all meat and dairy from my diet and am now happily vegan. My typical daily menu largely remains the same with tweaks to accommodate my current diet. I have lost an additional 15 pounds since becoming plant-based.

Vegan Diet at 140 Pounds

Breakfast

  • 1 piece millet bread toast w/ sunflower butter
  • 1 Apple

Snack

  • 1 banana with 1/4 cup almonds

Lunch

  • Spinach and kale salad with shredded carrots, mushrooms and chickpeas. Topped with Annie’s goddess dressing.

Snack

  • A handful (or two) of unsalted nuts.

Snack

  • Baby carrots and hummus (Cava is by far my favorite brand)

Dinner

  • Kale salad with quinoa, black beans, tomatoes, and roasted butternut squash. Topped with Annie’s goddess dressing.
  • 1/2 whole wheat pita and hummus

Total daily calories: 1,795

You can gain a little more insight into my current diet and how small changes have allowed me to keep my weight off in a previous post.