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Hello! My name is Andrew Tolbert. I began struggling with being overweight at age 11, and it was at this point that kids at school started calling me a "fat ass." At the time I did not think anything of it. I continued gaining weight through grade school, and by the time I was a senior in high school I weighed 270 pounds. I publicly embraced the big guy persona, but deep down I hated the way I looked and felt. I wanted to be healthy, but I lacked the knowledge for execution.
I continued my unhealthy lifestyle through college. I dominated eating contests, and I still hold several unofficial records for food consumed in one sitting. As a junior in college I tipped the scale at a little over 300 pounds. This was the breaking point for me. 300 fucking pounds! My friend posted a picture of me on their social media account the day after New Year's eve, and when I saw it I made up my mind to lose weight for good. How was I going to do this? The only way that anyone, including doctors, had told me: eat less, specifically eat less fat, and move more. So that's what I did. I spent the next year monitoring my caloric intake and ate a low fat diet. I also started going to the university gym every morning. It worked. I lost nearly 100 pounds in one year. Success!
Even though I lost the weight (mostly fat), I did not gain the skills to maintain the weight loss. In my mind, if I wanted to eat "normal" again, I would just need to offset my poor food choices by working out more. So over the next several years I started to run more and more. I would brag to friends that I would run 10 miles in a day so I could eat how I wanted (buffalo wings, beer, pizza, chipotle). This method worked for a while. When I started to put on weight, I would increase my activity level. I finally got burnt out of running and started to have chronic pain in my knees. I was not overweight, but I felt like shit.
At this time, I was in my late 20's, married with a newborn child and working night shift as a police officer. My health started to decline again as I continued on a cycle of yo-yo dieting, losing and gaining weight repeatedly. I would find motivation a few times a year by clamping down on my diet and restricting calories while increasing cardio exercise. I would lose some weight, then the diet and exercise would slowly fall off. Does this cycle sound familiar? It should, as it is what happens with most Americans on their quest for a healthy weight.
During this phase of my life I tried several different styles of working out. First, I was convinced cardio (specifically running) was the answer. Then it was Core Power Yoga sculpt class. Wait, Orange Theory was the best of all! How about bodyweight only training?! My point is, I have tried all the different training modalities out there to remain "fit." And none of them seemed sustainable long term.
In 2016 I attended a police department training on nutrition that promoted a lower carbohydrate or keto diet. As I normally do, I jumped all into this "diet." I found immediate success with lowering my carbohydrates substantially. I was losing body fat without doing much else besides jogging a couple times a week. What did this mean to me? It meant that the low-carb diet was the best diet, for EVERYONE. I began promoting it and helping friends and family adapt to this lifestyle. I started to read Mark Sisson's book 'Primal Blueprint'. This book sent me down the path where I am today. I started to believe that the best training modality is resistance training and just moving your body how it is supposed to be moved (pushing, pulling, squatting, throwing, sprinting)
As I began to dive deeper into a healthier lifestyle, I learned the way I lost 100 pounds in college was not healthy, not sustainable, and honestly I am not sure how I actually lost the weight. I started to learn that the recommendations by US Government orgaizations and the vast majority of doctors in this country have no fucking clue what they are talking about. If you're a doctor and take offense to this, sorry, but the "eat less, move more" bullshit you tell patients has failed us. This information leads to the patient trying what the doctor ordered, maybe seeing some small results, followed by weight gain after. The patient then feels like they are the problem, they are lazy, they are fat, and they are unable to control their cravings.
As I dug into the foods Americans eat on a daily basis, I was shocked to find how much toxic shit was in almost everything we eat. It is nearly impossible to pick something up off the shelf in a grocery store that contains only one or two ingredients. The extra ingredients added to help make the food taste better, last longer, smell better, feel better, look better are toxic to our bodies. The more I researched, the more obvious it was that the food we are eating to fuel our bodies is actually slowly killing us and leading to acute and chronic illnesses.
From 2016-2019 I maintained the low-carb lifestyle and still thought it was the only way to success for me and others. I maintained a pretty good physique at this point, but there was still one major flaw in my health. The one thing that so many people are so defensive about: alcohol! I knew alcohol was my enemy, but I would never admit it. Alcohol was the center of every extracurricular activity I did. Twins game? Blackout. Cabin weekend? Blackout. Sunday during football? Blackout. Date night? Blackout. The problem is, this was normalized by all my friends. It was what we did, especially as an off-duty cop. We drank, and took pride in it.
Finally in August of 2019 I had had enough. I quit alcohol and chewing tobacco on the same day. This was the best decision of my life. Alcohol was holding me back from living the life I wanted, the health I aspired for, and being the father I knew I could be. The timing of this was very good for me. In early 2020 when the world shut down for Covid-19 and most people were celebrating not having to work by getting drunk every day and not being active. I was focused on my health. I became obsessed with strength training for the first time in over a decade. I found pillars in the strength and health world like Joe DeFranco and Mike Dolce. They began to educate and motivate me to be better. I started to eat carbohydrates again to fuel my intense workouts. I implemented numerous new lifestyle habits like walking, getting sunlight, bedtime routines, eating organic single ingredient foods, proper hydration, prioritizing healthy sources of protein, checking for deficiencies using blood tests, and many more. I began strength training almost everyday, and completed my personal training certification. I was in the best shape of my life (visually) and was feeling a lot better overall since reintroducing carbohydrates into my diet. The only problem was, "more is better" was not applicable in this circumstance. I was over-training, under-recovering and eating in a caloric deficit. This caused me to be irritable, crashed my testosterone and libido, and got to the point that if I didn't get my scheduled workout in, my day would be fucked. And since my day was fucked, I unconsciously fucked others' days who were around me by being an asshole. But it was okay, I had the 6-pack I wanted.
Fast forward a few years to now. I no longer have a 6-pack. I no longer rage out if I don't get my workout in. I adapt and find other ways to move my body. I consider breathing exercises and recovery methods like sauna, cold submersion, mobility routines and sleep to be the most important part of my daily routines. Yes, I still put in work at the gym and play sports as often as possible, but they are adaptable to my schedule, not the center point of my day. Most people would look at my daily routine and think I am extreme. They are right, I am an all or nothing type like many first responder, type-A people. I am the healthiest I have ever been both mentally and physically. I am happy, confident (some say cocky) and healthy as fuck. I put thousands of hours into schooling, researching, reading, podcasting, training, and learning about health. I have the knowledge and skills to help you transform into a healthier person. This is not an overnight or a 30 day fix. This is about setting short and long term goals and implementing small habits over time to reach your big goals. Everyone has motivation at different points of their life. But unfortunately motivation wanes. What you need for long term success is discipline. Discipline is created over time by putting yourself in situations that make you uncomfortable and overcoming the discomfort. Eventually the discomfort wanes and those situations will become a habit. When you continue to create habits and behaviors that improve your health, you gain momentum, you start to see physical and mental changes, you get stronger, you become a better father/mother, and you set examples of what it looks like to live a healthy lifestyle for your children, family and friends. It can be done, and I can help!
Click the Tolbert Nutrition and Training link below to learn more.
Feel free to message me at [email protected]. If text message is preferred I can be reached at 651-231-9909.
Trainer at: Tolbert Nutrition and Training
This user has not entered any info yet.
Hello! My name is Andrew Tolbert. I began struggling with being overweight at age 11, and it was at this point that kids at school started calling me a "fat ass." At the time I did not think anything of it. I continued gaining weight through grade school, and by the time I was a senior in high school I weighed 270 pounds. I publicly embraced the big guy persona, but deep down I hated the way I looked and felt. I wanted to be healthy, but I lacked the knowledge for execution.
I continued my unhealthy lifestyle through college. I dominated eating contests, and I still hold several unofficial records for food consumed in one sitting. As a junior in college I tipped the scale at a little over 300 pounds. This was the breaking point for me. 300 fucking pounds! My friend posted a picture of me on their social media account the day after New Year's eve, and when I saw it I made up my mind to lose weight for good. How was I going to do this? The only way that anyone, including doctors, had told me: eat less, specifically eat less fat, and move more. So that's what I did. I spent the next year monitoring my caloric intake and ate a low fat diet. I also started going to the university gym every morning. It worked. I lost nearly 100 pounds in one year. Success!
Even though I lost the weight (mostly fat), I did not gain the skills to maintain the weight loss. In my mind, if I wanted to eat "normal" again, I would just need to offset my poor food choices by working out more. So over the next several years I started to run more and more. I would brag to friends that I would run 10 miles in a day so I could eat how I wanted (buffalo wings, beer, pizza, chipotle). This method worked for a while. When I started to put on weight, I would increase my activity level. I finally got burnt out of running and started to have chronic pain in my knees. I was not overweight, but I felt like shit.
At this time, I was in my late 20's, married with a newborn child and working night shift as a police officer. My health started to decline again as I continued on a cycle of yo-yo dieting, losing and gaining weight repeatedly. I would find motivation a few times a year by clamping down on my diet and restricting calories while increasing cardio exercise. I would lose some weight, then the diet and exercise would slowly fall off. Does this cycle sound familiar? It should, as it is what happens with most Americans on their quest for a healthy weight.
During this phase of my life I tried several different styles of working out. First, I was convinced cardio (specifically running) was the answer. Then it was Core Power Yoga sculpt class. Wait, Orange Theory was the best of all! How about bodyweight only training?! My point is, I have tried all the different training modalities out there to remain "fit." And none of them seemed sustainable long term.
In 2016 I attended a police department training on nutrition that promoted a lower carbohydrate or keto diet. As I normally do, I jumped all into this "diet." I found immediate success with lowering my carbohydrates substantially. I was losing body fat without doing much else besides jogging a couple times a week. What did this mean to me? It meant that the low-carb diet was the best diet, for EVERYONE. I began promoting it and helping friends and family adapt to this lifestyle. I started to read Mark Sisson's book 'Primal Blueprint'. This book sent me down the path where I am today. I started to believe that the best training modality is resistance training and just moving your body how it is supposed to be moved (pushing, pulling, squatting, throwing, sprinting)
As I began to dive deeper into a healthier lifestyle, I learned the way I lost 100 pounds in college was not healthy, not sustainable, and honestly I am not sure how I actually lost the weight. I started to learn that the recommendations by US Government orgaizations and the vast majority of doctors in this country have no fucking clue what they are talking about. If you're a doctor and take offense to this, sorry, but the "eat less, move more" bullshit you tell patients has failed us. This information leads to the patient trying what the doctor ordered, maybe seeing some small results, followed by weight gain after. The patient then feels like they are the problem, they are lazy, they are fat, and they are unable to control their cravings.
As I dug into the foods Americans eat on a daily basis, I was shocked to find how much toxic shit was in almost everything we eat. It is nearly impossible to pick something up off the shelf in a grocery store that contains only one or two ingredients. The extra ingredients added to help make the food taste better, last longer, smell better, feel better, look better are toxic to our bodies. The more I researched, the more obvious it was that the food we are eating to fuel our bodies is actually slowly killing us and leading to acute and chronic illnesses.
From 2016-2019 I maintained the low-carb lifestyle and still thought it was the only way to success for me and others. I maintained a pretty good physique at this point, but there was still one major flaw in my health. The one thing that so many people are so defensive about: alcohol! I knew alcohol was my enemy, but I would never admit it. Alcohol was the center of every extracurricular activity I did. Twins game? Blackout. Cabin weekend? Blackout. Sunday during football? Blackout. Date night? Blackout. The problem is, this was normalized by all my friends. It was what we did, especially as an off-duty cop. We drank, and took pride in it.
Finally in August of 2019 I had had enough. I quit alcohol and chewing tobacco on the same day. This was the best decision of my life. Alcohol was holding me back from living the life I wanted, the health I aspired for, and being the father I knew I could be. The timing of this was very good for me. In early 2020 when the world shut down for Covid-19 and most people were celebrating not having to work by getting drunk every day and not being active. I was focused on my health. I became obsessed with strength training for the first time in over a decade. I found pillars in the strength and health world like Joe DeFranco and Mike Dolce. They began to educate and motivate me to be better. I started to eat carbohydrates again to fuel my intense workouts. I implemented numerous new lifestyle habits like walking, getting sunlight, bedtime routines, eating organic single ingredient foods, proper hydration, prioritizing healthy sources of protein, checking for deficiencies using blood tests, and many more. I began strength training almost everyday, and completed my personal training certification. I was in the best shape of my life (visually) and was feeling a lot better overall since reintroducing carbohydrates into my diet. The only problem was, "more is better" was not applicable in this circumstance. I was over-training, under-recovering and eating in a caloric deficit. This caused me to be irritable, crashed my testosterone and libido, and got to the point that if I didn't get my scheduled workout in, my day would be fucked. And since my day was fucked, I unconsciously fucked others' days who were around me by being an asshole. But it was okay, I had the 6-pack I wanted.
Fast forward a few years to now. I no longer have a 6-pack. I no longer rage out if I don't get my workout in. I adapt and find other ways to move my body. I consider breathing exercises and recovery methods like sauna, cold submersion, mobility routines and sleep to be the most important part of my daily routines. Yes, I still put in work at the gym and play sports as often as possible, but they are adaptable to my schedule, not the center point of my day. Most people would look at my daily routine and think I am extreme. They are right, I am an all or nothing type like many first responder, type-A people. I am the healthiest I have ever been both mentally and physically. I am happy, confident (some say cocky) and healthy as fuck. I put thousands of hours into schooling, researching, reading, podcasting, training, and learning about health. I have the knowledge and skills to help you transform into a healthier person. This is not an overnight or a 30 day fix. This is about setting short and long term goals and implementing small habits over time to reach your big goals. Everyone has motivation at different points of their life. But unfortunately motivation wanes. What you need for long term success is discipline. Discipline is created over time by putting yourself in situations that make you uncomfortable and overcoming the discomfort. Eventually the discomfort wanes and those situations will become a habit. When you continue to create habits and behaviors that improve your health, you gain momentum, you start to see physical and mental changes, you get stronger, you become a better father/mother, and you set examples of what it looks like to live a healthy lifestyle for your children, family and friends. It can be done, and I can help!
Click the Tolbert Nutrition and Training link below to learn more.
Feel free to message me at [email protected]. If text message is preferred I can be reached at 651-231-9909.
Trainer at: Tolbert Nutrition and Training
3 Years Of Training Experience
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