Fat Bob Slim's Story

I flew to South Korea in September of 2006 to teach English and to learn martial arts during my free time. I was 103 kilograms and like most westerners, lifted weights for upperbody size and strength, but was still carrying too much fat. One day while I was jogging in Korea, having dropped to 94 kilograms for the first time in a long time, I fell--and my world fell down with me. Nothing broken, just torn tendons in my left ankle, which was even worse.With 18 more months left in my teaching contract, I coundn't jog or run or even stand for long periods of time. Fat, tired and depressed, I just unhappily went to work, came home and watched TV and ate crap, lots of it. Disabled and depressed, I shot up to an unhealthy 110 kilograms, surpassing more than 30% body fat, which only made my ankle worse. A mentor, Antonio Graceffo, recommended Thailand for weight loss. Thailand? We all know who goes to Thailand. But his was a different Thailand. Not girls and beers Thailand but boxing gloves and tears Thailand. In September of 2008 I enrolled at a Muay Thai camp in Phuket to lose weight. I arrived at 107 kilograms. Beginning with a five day all water detox, I lost a kilogram a day. Then I trained Muay Thai twice a day--longer and longer every week. I also power walked at night, sometimes went swimming in the afternoon, cycled and ate healthy and delicious Thai food. In 10 weeks, I lost a total of 14 kilograms, finishing at 93 kilograms! Then, I returned to my teaching job and continued to practice Muay Thai at a local gym and ran almost daily, and lost an additional 12 kilograms, a total of 26 kilograms in 8 months! And now I'm back, down more than 30 kilograms, for some more FITNESS, maybe some FIGHTING and perhaps a little FUN.

We have all been there: nursing a hangover with fried food and a can of cola while falling in and out of sleep to annoying infocommericals about rapid weight loss. "Lose 10 pounds in 10 days.....Shed 30 pounds in 30 days....Transform your body with our 3 month program". And we have all thought the same thing. Impossible, or at the very least, highly improbable. Well, the purpose of this blog is to inform you that under the right conditions---say training in tropical Thailand, impossibility is possible and improbability is not as problematic as one may think.This is my story; a story of detoxing and training Muay Thai Boxing on the island of Phuket; a story of losing 30 pounds in a little under 3 months and a total of 30 kilograms. And along the way, we'll meet many more people with similar stories, who have had similar success.

Monday, December 14, 2009

In the beginning......


I came to Rawai in late August of 2008 primarily for weight loss and fitness reasons. I’ve struggled with me weight throughout my life. Several years ago I was quite active and healthy, but after falling while running one day, I tore all the tendons in my left ankle. As a result, I couldn't walk without crutches for a month and didn’t wear a pair of running shoes for more than a year. I unhappily went to work, watched TV, surfed the internet and developed unhealthy if not deadly eating habits for over a year.

I subsisted on fried chicken, Coke, pizza, McDonalds and fried rice. In a few months time, I lost significant muscle mass and increased by body fat by more than 15 percent, surpassing 30 percent total body fat. To make matters worse, the extra weight exacerbated the pains in my ankle, preventing me from reducing my weight with any form of aerobic exercise. I met several foot specialists and they all came to the same conclusion: I needed to drastically reduce my weight.

Prior to my injury, I developed an interest in Muay Thai in Korea, where I have been teaching for the past 3 years--but I didn’t practice seriously. However, because of the emphasis on weight loss on Tuk's Rawai Muay Thai's website, Danny Avison's advice and the detox program at Atsumi convinced me to train at Rawai.

Beginning with a five day detox, I lost around a kilogram a day. Then I trained Muay Thai twice a day--longer and longer every week. I power walked at night, sometimes went swimming in the afternoon, rode my bicycle and focused on eating healthy. When I arrived in Thailand I weighed 107 kilograms (235 pounds) and in two and half months, I lost 14 kilograms of fat, finishing at 93 kilograms (205 pounds)!

Then, I returned to my teaching job, but continued to train Muay Thai and lost an additional 12 kilograms, a total of 26 kilograms (57 pounds) in 8 months! Every one I know—coworkers, friends, students, people on the street---are all impressed by my continual transformation as a result of my experiences in Phuket. Everyone wants to know how I did it, and I love sharing my story with them.
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4 comments:

  1. Ly HoDecember 14, 2009 at 11:08 PM

    Good stuff Bob. I met bob in September 2008 in Rawai. His will and dedication to a healthy lifestyle back then was incredible (besides the occasional Singhas...) and wish everyone can be inspired by his story.

    And his a very funny and charismatic bloke to boot!


    Ly

    ReplyDelete
  2. zenithnadirDecember 15, 2009 at 7:41 AM

    I also met Bob in Rawai (along with Ly). While at Rawai I met a lot of great people and had a great time - that is reason enough to go. However, if you're interested in losing weight, listen to what Bob says. He was very dedicated and his results speak for themselves.

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  3. UnknownDecember 15, 2009 at 3:12 PM

    Hi, I gave birth to Bob and he has been a wonderful challenge ever since. Love You Baby!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousDecember 15, 2009 at 5:59 PM

    Your babysitter from hell thinks you look hot!

    ReplyDelete

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