Elvis Alamo’s Amazing 9 Month Transformation

Hey all, for today’s post, I’ve got a new real life game character for you!  Elvis Alamo is a Be a Game Character reader, gamer, and real life Krillin!  His transformation is inspiring, as is the story that surrounds it!  I sat down for a little interview with Elvis, who had some great words of wisdom to go with his story!  Read on, for more!

Dan:
Alright, first off, thanks again for taking the time to sit for this. I found your transformation pretty damn inspiring, and as I said, I think others might as well. For starters, could you give us a little background on yourself? Name, age, maybe a little bit about yourself?

Elvis:
My full name is Elvis Alamo, brother’s choice; that’s right he named me and was a huge Elvis fan. I am 28 years old, born August 1st. As a little bit of myself, I’m a gamer, through and through. I’m Puerto Rican, I’m enlisting in the Navy, and I had an eleventh finger.

Dan:
Wow, that’s a whole lot of factoids in one go, haha. An eleventh finger? What happened to it?

Elvis:
Well a few years back I was going to the University of Kansas, and was part of the Air Force ROTC, aaaaaand I couldn’t have it while in the program so.i got it removed.

Dan:
Interesting! You’d think they might put you in some sort of cool military weapon X program or something. Oh well, their loss. So, you mentioned you were a gamer as well, do you have any particular favorite games?

Elvis:
Now that’s the right question. Well my all time favorite, above any other game or console generation, is super mario 64. The colors, the music, the revolutionary platforming (for it’s time) it’s just a nostalgia train. A close second is world of Warcraft, but that’s a completely different tale to tell.

Dan:
Also two favorites of mine. Super Mario 64 is STILL my favorite 3D mario game. I spent a crazy amount of time playing it, haha. Now, the main reason for us talking right now was, of course, the awesome fitness journey you’ve been on recently. Do you want to walk us through the time leading up to when you made a decision to improve your health, and what drove you to make that decision?

Elvis:
Oh yes yes yes. Well the moment that jolted me toward fitness and health was a moment of heartbreak. And it’s something I’m not ashamed of talking because this life is about experiences, and how we can learn from our own and others. So I was 230 lbs and married. She was always on me about losing weight for my health, but I always brushed it under the rug thinking I knew better than her. Well when everything began to crumble, that’s the number one thing that I wanted to work on to show that I was serious about fixing what was broken. So I guess the reason was to prove I can change for the better.

Dan:
Geez, dude. That’s rough. Marriage troubles AND changing your living habits to more healthy ones, that’s a double whammy. Sorry to hear you went through that. Did you and your wife manage to work things out through that?

Elvis:
Negative. The damage of lack of communication and not meeting expectations was too severe. It’s something to always keep in mind and to learn from it. I’m not bitter about it, things happen. It got me to where I am currently, so I can be thankful about that.

Dan:
Well it sounds like you’ve maintained a good perspective around things, but I’m still sorry to hear that. Stress can usually be a huge impact on our health, and that was basically the mother of all stressful situations. A lot of people have a hard time managing stress while also trying to lose weight and live healthier, do you have any potential insights you might give them?

Elvis:
Stress is a temporary state of being. And with that temporary things always pass. Find your center and always remember the goal. Remember that there’s something greater you want to achieve. And another way to see stress, it’s kind of like an emotional dumbbell, work it out and you’ll be able to handle more weight.

Dan:
Damn dude. Solid stuff, seriously. I love it. Now, you mentioned you started at 230 lbs, can I ask what you’re down to, now?

Elvis:
I am drumroll 168

Dan:
Holy crap!!
That’s over 60 lbs! That’s incredible, dude! Well done! How long did it take you?

Elvis:
9 months

Dan:
That’s astounding. Did you go by any particular diet programs/methods, or just counting calories?

Elvis:
Well at first it was a packet of those instant oatmeal, a snack, healthy lunch, snack, healthy dinner. And walking until I was 200 lbs. I cut all carbs and soda. My brother wouldn’t let me run until I had dropped to 200. He’s retired air force. And knew I wanted to enlist as the new start of my life, and knew if I pushed too hard and that heavy I could blow my knees.

It was around 190 where I shaved my head and wore my dbz shirt and was called Krillin, that’s when I found your become a character workout sure and did the Krillin workout.

Dan:
The Krillin workout! Woo! Knew we were going to get there, soon. ? I like that your intro was gradual, though. An “eat this, not that,” approach combined with a gradual introduction of exercise. Too many people try to jump in like crazy right at the beginning and set themselves up for failure.

So, besides being called Krillin, was there anything else that drew you to that particular program?

Elvis:
It was a fitting character to become. I was quite into becoming physically accurate to him to possibly cosplay as him in the future. He’s the underdog, a human in a series of much more powerful aliens in which he almost has no chance to beat. And the workout was pretty simple, body weight exercises, which is convenient for the person that c ant afford a gym membership or equipment

Dan:
Yeah, I feel like Krillin is particularly undervalued sometimes. He’s a great “everyman” in the Dragonball series.
So, I gotta ask, what’s the next step? Is 168 at or near your goal weight? Any other fitness milestones you’re looking to hit besides just weight loss goals?

Elvis:
My goal currently is to stay under my max for the Navy which is 170. To tone up, and increase my stamina for running and my core strength for calisthenics. I do some of the workout still, but a bit modified. My enlistment has become my main focus.

Also in the diet part, I started doing Herbalife at 180 too, per my recruiters suggestion, it’s helped shave a lot of weight

Dan:
Good stuff! When do you ship out?

Elvis:
December 5th is my ship date. 27 days away.

Daniel:
Wow, close! You excited?

Elvis:
Oh hell yea. It’s been a life goal of mine. To be honest I can’t believe I’m in this far.

Dan:
That’s really, really cool dude. I’m super happy for you. Sixty pounds down, with a new lease on life and a new quest ahead of you. Thank you, by the way, for choosing to serve. I think we’ll start wrapping up, here. You had some great advice before for dealing with stress, do you have any parting words of wisdom you’d like to leave for the readers, as well?

Elvis:
Friend. You who are reading this. There’s no bigger truth than you can accomplish whatever you want. Don’t let people put you down, don’t let you put you down. Work for it. Work hard for it. Track your progress so you can feel good for you. And be safe about it. Much love reader, and game on.

Dan:
Love it. Pure truth, right there. Elvis, thanks so much for taking the time to do this, and thank you again for your service. I hope you’ll keep in touch in RPGFitGroup, and I look forward to hearing more about your progress in the future. Live boldly, change the world, and continue to be awesome!