On March 13, 2019, Patrick Tullio walked into his doctor’s office, stepped on the scale and noticed his doctor “had that look.”
“I never wanted to know my weight, but I knew that look was not a good one,” said Tullio, who has lost almost 200 pounds since. “That night I decided to get my last bag of fast food, which was Taco Bell for me. I knew it was going to be my last bag, and I enjoyed the hell out of it.”
Starting with a healthy breakfast that next morning and a trip to the gym that same afternoon, Tullio said he hasn’t looked back since.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BEGIN YOUR WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY IN 2019?
I had been searching, as we all are, for “that spark,” and knowing I had done it before back in 2013 when I lost 160 pounds in one year, I knew it was in there somewhere. I just needed to find and light it. It was March 13 of 2019, and my doctor said, “Yeah, you gotta lose this weight.” Now, that may be a spark enough for some, but it wasn’t until she walked me into the room, sat me down and said something that was a punch to the face: “Patrick, on paper you are healthy. Blood pressure, sugar, cholesterol and heart. It’s all normal. But, you’re also 34. There’s a reason I don’t have 40-year-olds at your weight. They’re all dead.” That was it! Right then and there I decided I needed to change my life. I left that office depressed but determined.
WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO HAVE ONE, LAST FAST FOOD MEAL AFTER THAT DOCTOR’S APPOINTMENT?
I knew that if I continued down that path of convenience, it was going to be a short-traveled path. I wanted to get that last one in because I knew I wasn’t going to have one for a long while, if ever. It became an addiction to me because it was easy, cheap and, let’s face it, tasted good. But I quickly realized that this addiction was making my life miserable, and no great taste is worth that.
YOU’VE BEEN WORKING OUT FIVE DAYS A WEEK EVER SINCE. DESCRIBE WHAT THESE WORKOUTS LOOK LIKE.
Each day I work a different part/parts of the body. The constant in every workout is ending it with TRX for cardio. I mostly do weight training because I am trying to burn fat and lose weight. When you weight train, not only are you burning while you’re doing the workout but also after.
AFTER EACH WORKOUT, YOU POST A SELFIE ON YOUR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT: @WEIGHTDOWNLIFEUP. WHAT’S UP WITH THAT?
So, when you look at my Instagram, you may notice that it’s not the most flattering selfie, but there is a reason for it. The only way I can describe the picture is someone who is so beat after a workout. The reason for me taking the selfie that way now is because if you go back and look at the first selfie I took, I was so exhausted that I was seeing black spots. I knew that if I truly wanted to see my progression, it was going to be in pictures and said to myself, “I need to try and make this same face every time because I want to see the progress through my face.”
YOU REFER TO YOUR JOURNEY AS A “LIFESTYLE CHANGE” VERSUS DIET. WHY?
Plain and simple: diets fail. I know because I have been on most of them. I knew if I wanted to lose weight and keep it off, I needed to change my lifestyle. I don’t take anything out of my diet but have lost this weight by changing the way I look at food. I look at it as fuel and not satisfying a temptation. I look at my body like a car. I wouldn’t put cheap gas or oil in my engine, then why would I my body? Don’t get me wrong: I have my pizza, my tacos and my junk. But it’s an occasional thing. And when I have what some would call a “cheat day,” I keep it to a cheat meal.
WHAT TIPS DO YOU HAVE FOR PEOPLE WANTING TO START LIVING HEALTHIER?
My number one tip is to consult with your doctor and nutritionist. I thought I knew what I had to do to lose weight, but when you come to the realization that it’s 90% diet and lifestyle, well, that’s when you need guidance. It wasn’t until I sat down with my nutritionist, and she pulled out this plate and her rubber food that I really understood what my plate should look like. My other advice is take that first step and get into a gym or some type of exercise group. Keep in mind that all the people are all in there for the same reason as you are. I know it can be intimidating to walk into a gym and see all these fit people, but you’re not there for them; you’re there for you. In order to see if you can fly, you have to take that leap first.