Muata's low-carb way to weight loss, health, and fitness

City & country: Irvine, California, USA
Age: 36
Weight before diet: 310lbs/44% Bodyfat %
Weight now: 180lbs/under 10% BF
Target weight: My target body fat %, I don't go by simply bodyweight anymore, is 5%, which is roughly the same level most male fitness models have.

The amount of weight Muata lost since embarking on a low-carb lifestyle in 2003 is significant, but what's even more important is that he's losing bodyfat, not muscle. He shares with us many practical tips he's learned on his journey to better health, including the importance of exercise, calorie control, and the necessity of educating ourselves about how safe weight loss occurs.

-What finally made you decide to start with a weight loss program?
After my scale showed that I was part of the 300lb. club in 2002, I was disgusted with myself and knew that something needed to be done. After having a long look in the mirror at my naked body and having a serious and honest talk with myself, I decided that it was time to get my life, and body, back.

-What type of weight loss program did you follow?
Initially, I started with Atkins and lost weight; however, once I hit a major plateau, I decided to research and educate myself about how the body processes and metabolizes the food we eat and why eating a low-carb or carb-restricted diet was in fact the diet that our bodies are designed to eat. Now, I follow what many people call a paleo-style, very low-carb way of eating.

-Why did you choose this weight loss program?
I decided on this approach after having regained all the weight I lost following the more traditional, low-fat, high complex carb diets that are promoted by every sector of our society, from doctors to weight loss gurus. However, I was not convinced that one could eat as much as they wanted and still lose weight, one of the flaws of Atkins's approach; so, I decided to do the research for myself and was blown away with what I found. It appears that the way they've been telling us to eat for the last 25 years actually works against our goal of living a long and disease-free life! 

-How long have you been on your weight loss program?
I've been on my weight loss journey since Jan. 2003. Since I have not reached my goal of having a clearly defined six-pack, I still feel as though I'm on this journey.

-What kinds of physical activities do you like doing to maintain your weight and to stay fit?
I've used barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, and am currently using body weight exercises. I workout 6 days a week doing various body weight exercises to develop my upper and lower body, and I go for a pretty intense 2.5 mile hike three times a week. I do both my cardio and weight resistance workouts wearing a weighted vest for added resistance.

-What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome or are still overcoming?
Since I want to achieve a low level of body fat %, I have to workout intensely to get my body to use the last bit of body fat that's still covering my abs. And, because of metabolic adaptations, my body is not making it easy for me, but I'll overcome this too in the end. I don't miss eating cereal grains, sugar, or other carbs. Once you reach a certain level of being physically fit, there's no pastry out there that gives me the feeling of being in shape, and I've had my share of them over the years.

-How do you keep yourself motivated?
I keep myself motivated by constantly challenging myself, whether mentally or physically. My life has become one of many challenges. I don't ever see myself getting to the point that I'm content with my level of fitness or current level of knowledge. I can always learn and physically do more. Many people look at my current weight loss accomplishment and think that I'm satisfied; well, that's definitely not the case. I still have many physical challenges I've set for myself, such as being able to do a complete front and side split, to be able to do one-legged squats (or pistol squats as they are also called), perform hand-stand push-ups, etc. I have a ton of things that I can't do right now, so keeping myself motivated is the easy part.

-Do you have any weight loss tips for our readers?
Actually, I have five weight loss tips for your readers:

Weight loss tip #1:
Calories count! If anyone tells you differently, keep your hand on your wallet and back away slowly.

Weight loss tip #2:
Feed your brain to lose the weight! You must educate yourself about the weight loss process from a biochemical standpoint.

Weight loss tip #3:
Having an epiphany that you need to lose weight is not enough. You must establish a realistic plan of action to reach your goals.

Weight loss tip #4:
Lie to everyone else, if you wish, but there's no room for lying to yourself anymore.

Weight loss tip #5:
Read both sides of the debate about saturated fat, cholesterol, the importance of cereal grains for yourself. There's more than enough information on the Internet for you to make an informed opinion.

-Do you think it will be easy to fall back into your old lifestyle pattern? How do you prevent this from happening?
No, I don't think that it will be easy for me to fall back into my old pattern of eating a lot of carbs, sugary foods and not exercising. When I weighed over 130lbs heavier than I am now, I felt horrible. I didn't have energy and was very unhappy with the image I saw in the mirror every day. Physically, everything for me is totally new and exciting. I'm doing things at 36 that I couldn't even do when I was 16 (e.g., pullups and dips)! When you couple that with all the research that has been conducted about the connection between the overconsumption of sugar and carbs, especially the refined ones, to chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, hypertension, etc., it makes it even easier for me to stick to my low to no-carb way of eating.

-Do you have a favorite Web site or blog that helped or inspired you to lose weight?
A couple of months ago, I decided to finally start my weight loss blog that will detail my weight loss story as well as give advice to those guys out there that are tired of being overweight. While my blog is geared towards guys, everyone is more than welcome to check out my blog: http://www.mrlowbodyfat.blogspot.com/.

I would also recommend the following sites as they have been instrumental in my weight loss journey:

http://www.lowcarbmuscle.com/
http://livinlavidalocarb.blogspot.com/
http://forum.lowcarber.org/
http://www.rosstraining.com/