The xxl-ralf is history
Ralf kroack is hardly recognizable in old photos: the XXL jersey stretches over his round belly, his smile is framed by two chubby cheeks. That was in 2012 – in the meantime ralf wears coarse M and has lost about 40 kilos to date. A value from which the two couch potatoes martin and marian are still miles away.
As a young man, ralf kroack from unteroberndorf was slim, slender and athletic. But from 2005 onward, he neglects training and lets himself go a bit. "One could see how it became more and more from year to year around the "hufte", says kroack.
Burgers and beer
In the evenings, he explains, he has already enjoyed two coarse hamburgers. To the fat food came one or the other beer, which provided for further, unnecessary calorie intake. And without training, kroack's condition quickly came to an end: "putting on socks, tying shoes – i was constantly out of breath. Actually everything about being fat was annoying." the unhealthy lifestyle took its toll: in 2012, when kroack was 32 years old and already weighed 120 kilos, he had to take pills. His doctor had prescribed antihypertensives for him. A hard blow for the athlete. "A little later, I was sitting with my club mates in the sports hall, and I said to them that I now also wanted to get back into training a bit", reports kroack. He was ridiculed for his enthusiasm – but in the end this was an additional motivation for him.
The man from unteroberndorf completely turned his life around. He gave up alcohol completely, replaced burgers with salads and whole grains, and started working out again. "I left no stone unturned to burn lots of calories and take in few. I just didn't want to be so fat anymore."
right from the start, he enjoyed running again, and now he doesn't even leave the house for less than ten kilometers. The combination of sport and healthy food quickly led to results. "Many people have seen that I have lost weight and asked about it. That was already and motivated me further", explains kroack.
Even though, in retrospect, he doesn't describe the change as particularly serious, there were still things he was reluctant to give up: "lasagna is my absolute favorite meal – with extra cheese," he says. It used to be twice a week, but now it's only once a month. With much less kase than before", says kroack. The fear of gaining weight makes it easy for him not to eat such things. "When you know what it leads to, it's easier to say 'no'."
he has been known to eat at parties, but he cuts his calories carefully in everyday life. The most important thing is discipline – both in food and exercise. What you set out to do, you have to stick to it. "I used to come home from work and not want to do anything because I was exhausted. Today i put in my headphones and start walking. For me, this is the better way to relax", explains kroack.
Endurance training was the salvation
It worked for him. Suddenly he had a whole closet full of things that were much too coarse. He symbolically disposed of them or gave them away – except for his beloved jerseys, where he was a little coy.
Thanks to his endurance training, ralf kroack has long since been able to stop taking his pills, and his blood pressure is in the best possible condition. When asked if he could ever imagine wearing XXL again, kroack shakes his head vigorously: "no. I vowed never to be that fat again."