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After approaching almost 300lbs and being diagnosed with high blood pressure, Aijalon decided it was time to make serious changes in his life.
Learn what worked for him and how he used Trifecta to lose weight and pursue his passions.
Aijalon's Story
I live in a small town about 20-30 minutes outside of Memphis called Oakland, TN. I work nights at a factory and I'm in the process of joining the military. I'm excited to join the military and learn different skills while serving my country. In order to join the military, it meant that I needed to lose some weight.
I would say my body was a reflection of my mental health and emotional state at the time. I just didn't know what I wanted or wanted to do. I was pretty much mad at the world so I just didn't want to do anything.
I didn't know what career path I wanted, what kind of job I'd like to have, or where I wanted to be 5 to 10 years in the future. I was in college and I didn't know what I wanted. I changed my major three times because I didn't know what I really wanted to do. I felt like I was wasting my time. So I dropped out and started working to try and figure it out.
Figuring It Out
I've been working at the air conditioning factory for about three years and I've always had the night shift. Working nights never bothered me, however, adding a workout routine was difficult. I didn't want to go after work because I was too tired to go.
My job is to create the tops of the air conditioners. I pick them up, throw them on, and screw them in. This is usually a two-man job, but since the start of the pandemic, we've had to do a lot of social distancing, so I'm now doing this job alone. Now, I'm going back and forth, trying to keep on top of what the line is moving us. Basically, I got a lot of cardio in and I was tired after work.
I was working and hanging around my friends when a guy I work with said he was a Vegan. He was really into his health and we started just talking.
As a kid, I had asthma. I realized that I don't want to have that problem anymore. I don't want to go back to having health issues if it's possible. My family has a history of heart conditions and high blood pressure which I had been diagnosed in early 2020.
My doctor said, "You're 22 years old. You shouldn't be having these types of problems at your age. When you hit 30 or 40 years old, it will really affect you so you might want to start doing something about it now."
I also recently lost an aunt due to health issues last year. I realized that I can prevent some of these things from happening. I can just do the little things to improve my health overall.
So I started working out.
The first day destroyed me. I barely could do one mile. I barely could lift any weights. I hated it. Then I slowly started going more and more and I kept progressing.
A Wrinkle in Time
After a few weeks, I ended up losing about 10 pounds, then the lockdown happened. It stopped everything. I was about 260 lbs at the time and I was able to maintain my weight until things started opening back up in Tennessee.
I was about 250 lbs in the middle of July when I went in for my yearly checkup. My doctor told me that I need to lose 40 lbs or I'm going to have more serious health issues.
Since everything opened back up, I thought, "Let me go to the gym today." So, I went straight to the gym and worked out. There was just no turning back at that point.
I started going at least four days a week. I would wake up around 10 in the morning, work out for maybe two hours, get out of there at 12, then come back home, eat something, and then go work a 10-hour shift.
The New Goal
The other problem I had, even when I was working out, was that I didn't know what to do outside of it. Because you know, only working out is just fine but we have to find what to do outside of the gym.
That's the real battle.
What are you supposed to do when the only thing open when you get off at three o'clock in the morning is McDonald's? Or you leave work, and you're surrounded by so many fast food places around the corner? And I didn't know how to cook and honestly, I didn't really want to cook. I didn't even know what type of research to do.
I was like, "Okay, I need some type of new alley to get the nutrition I need without starving myself." I was going through Instagram and I saw Big E posting your product on there. I noticed he'd gotten slimmer and I always wondered what he was doing. Then I saw another post with Shannon Sharpe and Trifecta. I thought, "You know what, let me try this out."
So I put in an order and it came the next Friday. It was really good and I could take it to work. Now I could work out and eat Trifecta during my lunch break.
My uncle originally gave me the idea of joining the military, but at the time, I was still completely overweight. I was on my way to 300 lbs. But now, as I was working out more and the idea came back to me.
I was like, you know, I could get into the military. I'm dropping all this weight. I decided to call up the recruiter, and he told me I need to lose more weight. I was about 220 lbs. I'd call to check in each month. and they'd keep telling me I need to lose a little more. Then I went to meet them in person and was told I need to be down to 197 lbs.
It took me another maybe month and a half and I got down to 197. He said I'm okay but suggested I go to 192 lbs just to be safe.
How I Did It
I got my first Trifecta shipment on September 4, 2020. I started with the Keto plan. I opted for two meals, five days a week because I was only eating twice a day anyway. I just stuck with the two Trifecta meals a day.
Trifecta also really taught me a lot about calorie counting, and what type of nutrients I need. It taught me what was okay; that I don't have to eat an insane amount of food or eat a small amount.
Determine how many calories you need to reach your goals:
A friend of mine told me that the average male body needs 2500 calories a day or something like that. But eating Trifecta with two meals, I was eating less than that because I was practicing calorie deficit. I was trying to practice consuming fewer calories than I burn.
I learned to look at labels and see how many calories are in something. I just add them up for the day. If I do get hungry, I just get like an apple or a little spoonful of peanut butter. They settle my stomach while I'm in-between meals.
I also started drinking more water throughout the day and the fat was just melting off of me. I would have those times when my stomach would start growling and I was trying to resist that urge to eat something when I drove past my favorite restaurants, I knew I had Trifecta at home. Plus, I love the bison meals.
On an average day, I wake up around 10 or 11, brush my teeth, wash my face and go straight to the gym. I'll work out and get out of the gym around 1:30, come back home, take a shower, eat my first meal prep, prepare for work, go do my 10-hour shift and eat my second meal on my lunch break. I get off at like three in the morning, go home, go back to go to bed, and do it again.
At the gym, I stretch and I get on the elliptical where I'll do 1 -2 miles. I try to do 6 miles a day. I like to do full-body workouts. I'll do some upper body then go into a lower body workout. I'll finish the workout with some abs. I'll end the session with another 2-3 miles and stretch again.
It's Never Too Late to Start
I just enjoy what Trifecta has done to help me go through my journey. It helped make my nutrition decisions easier by understanding calorie counting.
It doesn't hurt to start today. It's not going to be easy; you're going to mess up, but forgive yourself, and keep going. Because you know what, it's not the end of the world if you mess up.
I've missed plenty of time throughout this one-year journey, and I just kept pushing forward. Just keep going, keep doing your research, and find out what works for you.
I go to the gym and see all these bodybuilders who've been doing this a lot longer than me. I had to remind myself, they had to start somewhere too. They didn't just wake up one day and look like that. They had to put in the work as well.
They're people who also have insecurities. I talk to them and ask them for advice. I want you to know that there are people who want to help you reach your health goals.
I had people asking me, "Hey, can you give us some advice on how to do this." I'm happy to give you what worked for me. If it works for you, then cool! If it doesn't, just know that there's other information out there that can help you.
Don't give up.
Discover how Trifecta works and why we've helped so many people like Aijalon regain control of their health and transform their lives.