Michael Patrick Shiels Shares the Secrets Behind His 100-Pound Weight Loss
Shandra Martinez
| 3 min read
Losing weight can be a tough battle for many people. But when you’re trying to drop pounds and always traveling for work – which entails regularly tasting delicious food – it might seem like a no-win situation.
Not for Michael Patrick Shiels. The popular “Michigan’s Big Show” radio personality and travel writer lost 100 pounds in just nine months. While Shiels had known for a while that he needed to get healthier, the nudge he needed to start his new lifestyle came during his annual physical.
“… You know that moment of shame during your teeth cleaning when the hygienist asks you if you’ve been flossing? Imagine that feeling x 1,000,” he wrote about that appointment. His doctor waved away any talk of fad diets and gave Shiels some simple yet effective advice: Eat less, exercise more.
Over the next several months, Shiels found ways to turn that advice into steady progress toward losing weight. He shared his successful journey in his recent blog, “How I Lost 100 Pounds While Traveling.”
In it, he offers his best tips for achieving your weight-loss goals even when you have a busy schedule. Here are a few.
Find a good calorie-counting app: Lots of people use food diaries to help them keep track of every morsel they put in their mouths. Shiels went for a digital option, using a calorie-counting app that allowed him to enter his weight, how many pounds he hoped to lose, and what he ate and drank each day. He could also enter his workouts, which gave him credits in the form of more calories he could eat.
Carry your own healthy snacks: If you’re frequently away from home, packing good-for-you snacks is key. It keeps you from being tempted by drive-thru, convenience store or vending machine meals on the road. One of Shiels’ go-to snacks that he kept in ample supply were 100–calorie packs of microwave popcorn.
Daily exercise: Walking, swimming and elliptical machines were Shiels’ favorite ways to work out. But when it came to increasing his fitness routine, daily steps were his superpower. Whether it was walking the length of airport concourses during layovers between flights, or trekking miles each day as he scoped out the places he was traveling, walking was his key ingredient to losing weight.
Don’t forget to treat yourself: No lifestyle change is complete without a little indulgence. For Shiels, it sometimes came in a warm bowl of grits at a hotel breakfast buffet. He recommends you find your own little treat to embrace.
To read more about Shiels’ weight-loss journey, check out his latest travel blog on the Go World Travel Magazine website, or check out his radio show on Spotlight Media Studios.
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Photo Credit: Getty
