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Enough was enough. After years of social drinking and fast food meals, Kyle was ready to make a change. By increasing his time in the gym and swapping out fast food meals for organic proteins, carbs and veggies from Trifecta, Kyle has taken his fitness to a whole new level. Here’s his story:
Meet Kyle
Kyle is a 35-year-old, country music-loving, small business manager on a mission to take back his health. Just over a year ago he committed to looking and feeling better than ever before and was determined to do anything it took to reach his goals.
After spending his earlier years drinking, eating fast food and not exercising, his lifestyle choices began to catch up with him. Weight gain, high cholesterol and digestive issues began to start affecting his life and he knew something needed to change.
Embracing Obstacles
Although it’s not particularly relevant to my health and fitness journey, I was born with something called Treacher Collins Syndrome, which results in a varying degree of underdevelopment in the facial area (primary areas affected are eyes, ears, jaw, and cheekbones; I’m on the severe end of the spectrum, and am affected in all four). People find me inspirational for how I live my life “in spite” of my condition, but I’m just being myself and doing what I want to do.
I used to kind of resent that people viewed me that way, but I’ve come to embrace it. If my story helps to inspire people to get healthier no matter what cards they have been dealt, I am happy to share!
Making a Change
“This time last year, I didn’t like how I looked in the mirror. Despite polite comments from friends to the contrary, I knew I was overweight. So, I finally decided to do something about it.
I started my fitness journey with the sole focus of losing weight. I began counting calories and exercising regularly with a personal trainer. After 7 months I had lost more than 30 lbs. and was even more determined than ever before to stick to this new lifestyle and work toward my ultimate goal physique.
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Discovering Meal Prep
Early on in this journey, I knew that I needed to control what was going into my body so I started meal prepping to control the number of calories I was taking in. I would shop, cook and portion up to a week’s worth of meals at a time. It was such a chore to do this all on my own, but I knew diet consistency was what I needed to reach my weight loss goal.
As it turns out, this meal-prep approach has been the most long-lasting and sustainable change I have made toward looking and feeling better.
Trifecta has been a great resource for sustaining my meal prep routine. The majority of the food I eat (particularly lunch and dinner) is made up of different items from Trifecta’s Meal Prep line. Some of my favorites are chicken, bison, portobello mushrooms and sweet potatoes.
Setting New Goals
Once the initial, excess weight was gone, my physique goals changed from “losing weight” to “gaining muscle”. I met with a trainer to rearrange my macros. I was now in a situation where I needed to increase my calorie intake.
I started working toward a gradual, natural increase in weight, as my trainer slowly upped my food and calorie consumption. My main goal was to consume as much food as possible and build muscle, while not taking on too much fat.
After a few months of heavy training and eating a calorie surplus, I can say that my program is working! I recently had a DXA scan and got back the best results I’ve ever had! The report showed that my composition contained the most lean tissue, least fat tissue, and, lowest body fat percentage to date- 12.7%!
I am still using Trifecta Meal Prep proteins, carbs and veggies for my meal prep even though I am eating more than ever before.
Shopping & meal-prepping is a chore, so if I can avoid it, and still eat food that my trainer approves of (i.e., healthy, tastes good, and fits my macro & portion serving size needs), then I’m all in. The food still tastes great and is definitely fueling my results!
Kyle’s Fitness Advice
It may sound cliché, but consistency and discipline really are key if you want to see and maintain results. I’ve learned that sustainable health and fitness progress is a slow and gradual process, not a quick one. It involves many peaks and valleys and that’s completely normal!
If I were to give someone one pieces of advice it would be to focus on the big picture, and know that if things are trending in a positive direction, you will get to where you want to be, eventually.
Try setting small, short-term goals that keep you motivated, and prevent you from getting overwhelmed by trying to change or accomplish too much at once.
What’s Next?
I’m still a long way from my goal physique, but at over one year in, I’ve stuck with this goal far longer than ever before. I’ve developed a ton of new healthy habits made lifestyle changes, and am on the road to being in the best shape and having the best physique of my life."
If you're interested in keep tabs on the next phase of Kyle's fitness journey, follow along over on his Instagram page @kylemersolafit
Ready to hit the easy button on your meal prep? Take a look at our Meal Prep protein options and full macro-perfect meals. Always clean, always organic and delivered, fully cooked, right to your door.
