How He Lost 120+ Pounds! Diet, Diabetes, and Jiu-Jitsu - Kama Vlog

#health #diet #Jiujitsu #diabetes
We sat down with John to hear his story about weight loss and dieting. From 300+lbs to under 180lbs! Also a little Jiu-Jitsu too!
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[@jerzeywolf76]

Thank you for this. I am 45, cubicle dweller, overweight by 50 lbs,and just started bjj. I found this inspirational

[@rogue7826]

about a year later how you doing buddy

[@redstarthunder12]

as a former large person, I love these stories.

[@chongxina8288]

I love this. Change on this level is a big thing. Getting a blue belt is a big thing too. What an amazing attitude this guy has. What a great turn around. Never lose faith in yourself and what you can achieve.

[@NHBackcountryGuide]

Thank you. I appreciate the kind words.

[@Severen45]

Totally agree with the Jiu-Jitsu is a forever and never ending journey. I honestly feel I will do it as long as my body will let me. When I was a kid I weighed over 100 pounds from 3rd grade on... By middle school I was pushing 160 and climbing, peaking my sophomore year of High School when I hit 198.. After that I eventually got down to 150, but not the right way. Once again I began to gain weight back up to 187. Then I started MMA and BJJ, getting to a strong 155lbs. For being 5'8" I want to reach about 145-150 lean 10% or under fat mass to compete. Jiu-Jitsu has given me the will to be my physical best for the rest of my time on earth.

[@thelurker9472]

I am slowly gaining weight now. Made it to 200 lbs. Still doesn't look like much for me being 6ft4, but slowly putting on some muscle. We all have different issues. Glad to hear a good story. Keep it up.

[@Rhardebeck]

Congratulations! I decided to get back into jiu jitsu to shed pounds and lost it mainly by diet. After reading the book " The Obesity Code" and applying what was mentioned in less than 4 months I lost 40lbs. Sticking with Jiu Jitsu as the passion of learning those secret moves have rekindled of course every muscle in the body gets a tune up with this sport. Great job!

[@NM-tl6pe]

Fantastic book.

[@kevin8462]

Starting at 33 is the greatest choice ive made in years

[@bryllecortes9780]

In my experience, jiu-jitsu is a mixture of frustration, humbleness, fun and respect. The reason why I signed up for a BJJ class because of exercise (I am 210lbs) and I need to be fit. Also, I want to defend myself against any attackers (obviously). It's my 3rd week and I sweat, tapped and moved a lot. These activities feel damn good to me. I got ragdolled once and I love it (I know I am weird) LOL!

[@raymondodell3164]

You're a true inspiration brother! Thank you!

[@sliderx1897]

Glad to see u are on the road to better health

[@NM-tl6pe]

At 52, 275lbs, and pre-diabetic this one hit home. I've started and stopped bjj a few times.

[@crispy1316]

Wow...your statement "what will my 40s look like" hit home, but for my 50s. I am 46 and finally quit smoking at the beginning of this year after a LONG time, but have freaking ballooned since. My 7 year old has been training BJJ twice a week for 2 years and he can roll me into an arm bar already. So lately I have been thinking "what will my 50s look like on my current trajectory?" I am a veteran and have had duty related lumbar and cervical fusion surgeries, have zero flexibility, can barely tie my own shoes, eat like crap and need a change. I am about to pull the trigger on training at the same place my son does but am nervous as hell. But for me and my family I am must head into this new life...thanks for the video.

[@KamaJiuJitsu]

Go get it!

[@Rlancon83]

Inspiring to me. Thank you for this.

[@glorianorthwood]

What a great video! Essential. Reminds me of the “glucose goddess” research

[@Brenthruska]

Great testimonial

[@PeterJames143]

Nice video. So he discussed the Gracie diet but what diet is he on? Obviously no pizza cookies or cupcakes but wish you guys discussed that more. Was very interesting to me that he felt betrayed by doctors advice and I liked the part about how he gradually accumulated lifestyle decisions. I could see lots of Jordan Peterson advice that was interesting. Congrats. Wow a1 that's awesome.

[@787tacticalpodcast2]

awesome video, Can identify 100%

[@edgarbiii4661]

I love the story and the Gi.

[@Ullish1989]

Great video

[@110Tennisstar]

Great video. I’m currently overweight and have been wanting to lose weight and do BJJ. You kept mentioning the importance of diet. what is your diet? What worked for you? What are some principles and rules to follow for said diet? You kinda hinted against calorie counting; why are you not a fan of counting calories? Thanks for the inspiration, this is awesome!

[@NHBackcountryGuide]

A lot of dietitians told me to count calories and enjoy food in moderation. In my experience it wasn't sustainable and I had to adopt a new perspective on what food is to adhere to some new rules. I considered processed foods (especially containing sugar) as poisonous and avoided them. I also viewed carbohydrates as being unnecessary and strated limiting them as well. Avoiding certain foods entirely had a lot more impact than counting calories or moderatio ever did. A key was to make a small adjustment, maintain it over time until it became habit then adopt a new change. I can't stress this enough because big changes or a lot of change all at once might also not be sustainable (even if they are the right changes). The way you develop techniques in Jiu Jitsu is identical to developing anything in your life. One degree of change over time brings you to a very different place than if you stay on the same path. My current diet is part paleo, part keto, and I practice time restricted eating and feed in a daily window of eight hours or less. My diet evolved over the last three years to this point and I mostly eat leafy green vegetables, grass fed beef, eggs, blueberries (sparingly) nuts, seeds, and high fat salad dressing like caesar or olive oil and vinegar. There are a lot of podcasts that detail what foods to avoid and why. Dr. Peter Attia, Dr. Rhonda Patrick, Dr. Dom D'Agistino, and Dr. Jason Fung are a few experts in the longevity/nutrition field that have free content on KZbin. I recommend listening to what they have to say about how certain things marketed as food negatively impact your health. It was frightening to learn what some substances like sugar actually do which made it easier to avoid them. I hope this helps. I know this is long winded. If I can offer anything else please let me know. You can do this, I am 100% sure of if.

[@110Tennisstar]

John Nowe na dude, this wasn’t long winded at all. Thanks a lot for the advice, and I’ll for sure make sure to check out those guys on KZbin. Keep it up man, very inspirational

[@NHBackcountryGuide]

@@110Tennisstar I am far from perfect. I screw up sometimes and I think even the healthiest people out there do too. The difference in my mentality now versus how I used to think is that I accept it for what it was and move on to making better decisions. I no longer give myself the "everything is okay in moderation" excuse because that snowballs into more bad decisions. In my experience I need to stay persistent and listen to how I talk to myself. I look for holes in my logic and patch them up and keep moving forward.

[@MrCatFromOuterSpace]

Why can't I like it more then once!

[@jqn8361]

Hello! First of all, great video :) Thank you for the content💪 Just wanted to get your thoughts (or those of whomever wants to reply). A year and a half ago I used to train BJJ and Judo at the same club and was able to train both twice a week on the same day each time. Long story short, there was a problem at the club between the coaches and some of my friends and the BJJ and Judo coaches left and eventually opened a new club. I’m still at the same club, but the timetable changed as a result of the coaches leaving and I can no longer train both Judo and BJJ, as they no longer take place on the same day, but on different days and I can only go to class twice a week for personal reasons (family, work, etc.). The club that the coaches who left opened has BJJ and Judo three times a week on the same days and their timetable is great for me. I would love to train both, as I love both martial arts, but I feel bad for going to the club the old coaches opened because my friends had a big dispute with them. Should I prioritize staying at my current gym and just do Judo or should I move and do both? Thank you!

[@KamaJiuJitsu]

wow, that's a tough call. your coaches left, but your friend owns the school you're (still) at. i don't know what to tell you. i don't envy your position, either.

[@stephenforbes2762]

My thought is, do what you feel is best for your schedule. These things happen and it is not your fault the owners/coaches had a fall out and the schedule changed. If you were single and a bum living in your parent's garage, it would be different, but with a family and full time job, I think it's reasonable to base your decision on your schedule. If you leave your friends to train with the coaches, would they still be your friends? and are they really friends if they wouldn't? You'll meet new friends at the new club. I say go with your coaches. Another thing is you could ask both parties if they would mind if you did some training at both clubs and see what their response is.

[@Brenthruska]

This music is hilarious

[@edgarbiii4661]

Would you have , or more importantly , could you have, started Jiu Jitsu From your heaviest weight?

[@juanita2397]

Im sure you could get into it if youre at a heavier weight! You would just have to go slow into it and do as much as you can, and stay with it!

[@Prone-Ski_BX]

I went through the same thing. There is no moderation. My body went into rejection mode for sugar and sodium. The only thing that works for me is being a OVO vegetarian with protein from eggs only.

[@KamaJiuJitsu]

Eggs are very good for us.

[@alexanderjones1057]

What is your diet now?

[@dalebraithwaite6890]

Bjj,paleo,trail running this guy 100% listens to rogan

[@shermanjohnson9962]

Currently 100lbs overweight (6'1" 310) & borderline pre-diabetic after a few years of inactivity due to health issue. Condition now under control with medication and really wanting to restore myself to good health once again. Have changed eating habits & weight is coming off at an acceptable rate. Deeply desire to begin BJJ training, but concerned that I'm too big. Torn between starting BJJ now, or postponing for 3-6 months, until I'm healthier and have better mobility. Is it possible to train effectively at this weight?

[@KamaJiuJitsu]

It’s always possible to begin your learning. Don’t wait.

[@lavellsmith8613]

New to the channel 🔥

[@KamaJiuJitsu]

Welcome!

[@dlvassallo]

Great video, love the story and the content in general that Kama puts out. Reading some of your replies and listening to what you eat/cook (meats and veg), it's safe to assume you're limiting carbs. I started training BJJ in August 2015 and got injured in August 2017. Yada, yada, yada what should've been a 2-3 month layoff turned into an 18-month stint. I've been back on the mats for a couple weeks now and it's just as hard as I imagined it would be, both mentally and physically. I see the moves and I see the flows, but I just can't do them like I once did. I've put on about 25lbs since my injury and am hoping to drop that over the next 3 months or so. My question is, if you are limiting carbs (or eliminating them?) how do you reconcile this with training? I've tried it in the past and found that when I cut carbs I'd gas out even faster. It would also affect my recovery, despite guzzling BCAAs post-rolls. What specifically worked for you? FYI, I'm 41 and weigh 255lbs, goal is 215-220. Thanks and great job...OSS! PS: You made good points regarding the smell of bread and how it draws you to crave carbs. There is some good lit out there that talks about the concept of addiction with food, specifically carbs. The same brain cues are in play as would be with a cocaine or opiate addict.

[@KamaJiuJitsu]

you need to get your body accustomed to burning fat. your body was/is craving carbs.

[@justtenmillion]

Great vid! Do you have any good resources on Type 2 Diabetes?

[@KamaJiuJitsu]

No, but Dr James Fung (a nephrologist) has studied the causes of Type 2 (which often leads to kidney failure) has done a ton of interviews on the subject.

[@edgarbiii4661]

Here is my point, I am an active 70 year old, I have been doing striking Martial arts for 55 years. Karate, Kempo, Tae Kwon Do, Small Circle JJ, Target Focus Training, Dynamic Combat, Wing Chun to name a few. I recently had laryngeal throat cancer and gained lots of weight after the treatments. I am interested in doing self defense Gracie Jiu Jitsu but I am way out of shape. Should I lose some weight before I sign up for GJJ training? Or will they ease me into it?

[@KamaJiuJitsu]

a good school will ease you into it. but at the end of the day, it's up to you to slow things down to your (slight dis-comfort) level to avoid any injuries.

[@edgarbiii4661]

@@KamaJiuJitsu At my age I don't rush anything. LOL

[@edgarbiii4661]

@@KamaJiuJitsu I just saw an older KZbin That Ryan did about overweight People doing JJ. It answered all of my questions. Thanks

[@briananders323]

No! I started Gracie Combatives at 336 lbs and 4 months later I'm at 280 lbs. Don't trick yourself and say you will get in when you lose more weight because it will never be enough. If you are near Gracie Headquarters I'm there Tue, Thur and Sat... Come say hi, My name is Brian. P.S I have a bad back and they let me ease into it.

[@edgarbiii4661]

@@briananders323 Awesome job. Did you do weights and cardio besides BJJ?

[@Jeffro5564]

I wonder how he’s going now? I hope he’s all well

[@NHBackcountryGuide]

Hey, man. Great question and thanks for asking. In 4Q 2019, I allowed my discipline to slip. I justified training jiu jitsu less when I added college classes on top of working full time. I began eating things that I shouldn't. This only worsened after COVID came to the U.S. beginning April 2020. The truth, I let myself get soft and participated in self deception. Leaving jiu jitsu meant I no longer surrounded myself with people that want only the best for me. In June of 2022, I was up to 249lbs. I came back to jiu jitsu and took the Fall 2022 semester off. I train regularly again and am rehabbing my metabolism through diet. This morning, I'm 214.6lbs. I made mistakes. I stopped setting goals, I stopped pushing to get better. Luckily, we all aren't our past. It's not too late for me (or anyone else) to start or restart their journey to become better.

[@FranciscoElBrutal]

@@NHBackcountryGuide hi John, last summer (June 27, 2022), I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes myself. After watching KZbin videos from the likes of Dr. Ken Berry, I started the carnivore diet in August. By December, I was now pre diabetic and now, my A1C is normal. I’m still 325lbs, but I can now work on losing weight and continuing my path in judo. If you look for carnivore diet on YT, there’s plenty of content. Yes, I’ve had my share of carbs and junk food, but I’m now 41 and I have to change my lifestyle. Life is too short to NOT live. I never want to be in a hospital again and I never want to not experience life again.

[@TheTruthseeker1231]

Oh course Eskimos have the shortest life spans of any people on the earth. But, good job! Keep it up.

[@TripleTapHK]

Yeah, that's not even close to being true.

[@portfolio641]

Still ugly. Great video😊