Killer Mike: On His Weight Loss Journey | Forward Progress

0:01This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome? That's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block, or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense? There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required, compatibility and availability varies 18+. hey it's graham our past in-depth guests have shared so many inspirational stories about overcoming adversity and tackling the darkest and most challenging times in their lives we're sharing one of those moments in today's thursday podcast in the hope that it provides a blueprint for any difficulties you might be facing this week killer mike

0:51So as part of the prep for this interview, I was reading some of the recent stories and it talked about weight loss and how you've been really committed to that. I still do my three-miles when I'm in a day and I started back lifting with a guy named Al Claiborne. But really, it's hard when you're on the road. It's hard to, because it requires a certain amount of consistency. So adjusted eating habits, I've got now over 50 pounds now. I'm looking to get off another 50, 60. Al, I'm back home. After I go to London, I'm back home for the rest of the winter. So I'll be lifting three, four days a week.

1:21So yeah, I still do it, but mainly it's the power hour. I get up and I can just be by myself. It's really one of the only times of the day I'm just alone. So whether I'm at the track putting in my three miles or whether I'm in the gym just with Al, it's kind of the only alone time I have in the day. But I think I'm actually gonna make more of a family event of the three miles a day. Oh really? Yeah, just because my daughters, I like spending time with them. and both of them have expressed interest in cutting a few pounds. So I'm like, there's no easier way to just adjust our eating habits. So let's eat something healthy together and let's just do a 5K.

1:53What made you realize you wanted to commit yourself to that? Start seeing my **** die. Yeah, I'm just like, I'd like to be around a while, you know. Was there somebody's passing that made it really hit? Just too many back to back to back. And it was all the stuff that's controllable. When you talk about heart disease, talk about diabetes, You talk about, you know, just being too sedentary. Just as a tie guide and too... You don't start realizing like you're eating off emotion. And then some of it is not that you can't eat, it's the times you're eating, and you keep a bad schedule as a musician, and stuff like that.

2:26So it's just kind of reframing, you know? And then I've always been active. So when it got to the point where I tweak a knee or something, like even though I've been a big kid, you know, for most of my life, I've never not been an active kid. But when it starts affecting my ability to be active on stage, I didn't like that feeling. You know what I mean? I'm just gonna keep going. You just, you just, every day, man, it's simple when you just look at it like, what am I going to do today? So today, I know I'm going to put a few miles in. Today, I know I'm going to do light lifting for 20, 30 minutes.

2:52Today, I know I'm going to only eat these things. You just see how I feel. Whatever I do that feels good, I keep doing. Do you find it's more motivating to continue as you see the results? Yeah, I have been. Like, I haven't gotten up to a 5X. I'm down to a 3X. You know what I'm saying? I'd like to see what a 1X feels like. You know, what motivates me ultimately is that I got four kids, and I like to hang around with them as long as I can because I like them, you know? That's what motivates me. Because your grandpa had a heart attack. Yeah, but he had one in 87, but he quit. Like, he had one in 87, and he quit everything.

3:24And quitting everything? Like, he was a smoker. He smoked camels without the filters. He drank beer. And when the doctors, you know, told him that, you know, this will lead further than this, he just stopped. I never saw my grandfather pick up another cigarette or beer. But I saw my grandfather radically change his life because he wanted, he promised us, he told my sister, they were crying, he said, I'll be here till y 'all graduate. Don't worry, he didn't die until my sister, you know, his sister LaShawn, didn't graduate. And he died on a fishing trip doing something he loved doing, you know what I mean?

3:52So, you know, a storm came in out of nowhere, flipped their boat, you know, just by the time he had made it to the bank, his heart was giving out on him. But that's my man. What lifestyle changes did you make? Not just eating less bread and that's prepped in a box. Like easy stuff. As a musician, you're running around, you're eating where you can, you're grabbing pizza after the show, that type of stuff. Now, just give me a chicken breast or a steak from the steakhouse early and just give me something green, send me some experiments, give me something. It was interesting because I saw a few other entertainers do it.

4:22Like I came to Mara after his show and he had chicken and broccoli. You know what I'm saying? And I was just like, okay, so this guy's old, he still hangs around, smokes marijuana and knows young girls, so maybe I should eat chicken and broccoli too. Okay, on the wheat front, you said you've curbed that a little bit as well. Or like the time of day that you'll... Yeah, I don't smoke all day anymore, and I don't smoke like a quarter or a half ounce a day anymore. And why is that? Ounces 28 grams, a half ounce 14 grams, a quarter 7 grams. Right. Right now, I probably do about 3 grams a day. And that you've noticed a positive difference?

4:58Yeah, you know, think more clearly, move more efficiently. not that marijuana is helpful marijuana is more than helpful when I'm in the studio it's just kind of you know it's for me you know if but I don't do harder drugs you know what I mean I realize my mother had suffered an addiction so I don't play with you know hard drugs so I understand you don't sleep enough yeah everybody says that I don't know I get five good hours in a night and a great night is seven I'm pushing as I'm getting healthier I'm learning that that's a big part of health that the rest part and I've always felt so restless.

5:33Like right now, I'm talking to you in my fingers doing this. I've always felt restless and not even in a bad way, just like I want to be doing something. But I've never, never felt a capacity or want to sleep a lot, but I'm understanding how important it is. So what are the typical hours you're awake? If I get to bed early, I get to bed at 2 a.m. and I get back up at 10. Okay. And what if you, how often do you get to bed early and how often don't you? Not too often. I usually get to bed about 4 and I'm back up. I'm back up at 9, 30, 10 o 'clock. It's like when the rest of the world is asleep, my mind is awake.

6:09I got ideas that come. I got song ideas. I got car ideas. You know, so there's something about my mom. Like I miss Denise, man, because this would be the time that I talk to my mom, you know, and I don't can't talk to her anymore. So I just talk to God. But yeah, I call it the God hour. You know, that's when everyone's asleep. you know Muslims are up praying you know I'm saying I think part of me never got I have it I'll pray and meditate before I go to bed you know and I've been told that up until 3 p.m. you can't confidently be sure you'll get a hold to you yeah so did take me through that oh well when I do get up the first hours your power hour that's when you you got to meditate I see what the day's gonna be and that's the time I do take to move my body okay I don't care if it's just you know, moving around the yard, the driveway, hitting the track or going to lift.

7:01But that first hour or two, I just need from me. And then, you know, I like to sit around and give things in the morning or afternoon, like whether it's the people that I love or the things that I need to share. I like to give that a couple hours, too. So, but, you know, after two or three, I like moving. I like moving when traffic ain't moving. But two or three people at their jobs. So I can, I go see my therapist at three o 'clock because I don't like moving in regular hours. I don't like, I don't like, it just never worked for me. One quick favor before you leave, please consider giving the podcast a rating and review.

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