About Trey
Growing up, I never really cooked: it was usually my mom or my grandmother who prepared meals, with my grandfather stepping in from time to time to beer-batter fry trout or make pancakes. It wasn’t really until college that I started cooking and it was basic – like super basic. I made bacon and fried eggs almost every morning for me and my roommates. College roommates needed to start the day on the right foot, right?
Fast forward two years and I started working at Guadalajara Mexican Grille & Bar in Town & Country (Houston, TX). It was here where I advanced my knowledge and skills from Hamburger Helper to traditional Tex-Mex dishes, under the watchful eye of Pablo Santibanez. While working there, I attended two years of classes at the University of Houston’s Conrad Hilton School of Hotel and Restaurant Management. Ironically, I was able to take all upper-level classes, because who wouldn’t want to take classes in the morning and apply them directly to work that evening? The gotcha was that I hadn’t officially declared that major and UH (after two years) forced me to declare a major. Well, working 60 hours per week PLUS going to school nearly full-time took its toll on my grades and they weren’t high enough to declare the major I wanted. So — I transferred to the Art Institute of Houston in the Culinary Arts program, which, fortunately, had recently added a Restaurant and Catering Management segment. It was essentially the same program as the other school, but swapping Catering Management for Baking and Pastry and Accounting for International Cuisine. I was able to transfer in 95% of my course credits and finished up my degree in a year. During that final year, I changed jobs three times, and ended up at an investment company. Yes, you read that right… after all that, I did not end up in the food industry at all. That didn’t stop me from cooking though. I honed my skills picking up recipes here and there, mainly cooking American classic foods and Tex-Mex dishes.
MAJOR Fast Forward
I’ve been doing weight training at the gym (with Will Wilkes) for almost two years, minus a brief stint during COVID shutdown. I’ve been steadily packing on the muscle, but not overly pleased with the results because I wasn’t losing where I wanted to lose. I’ve always been told that your diet (what you consume, not the latest trend) is the most important part, but I love food. I love to cook. I love to eat — the taste, the social aspect, the Instagram pics 🤣.
On April 11, 2021, after a clean-shave event, I was looking in the mirror and didn’t like what I saw. I saw a Godly man, a kind man, but I wasn’t taking care of my temple (body). It was time for a change — I was quickly approaching 300lbs (136kg) and that was NOT good. I knew the next change was going to be a MAJOR shift in mindset. I immediately started tracking my consumption, swapping in quality foods, reducing quantities to something less American. Most importantly, I cut out ALL soft drinks. Yeah — that was hard.
My body was apparently ready for me to make this change because it responded in kind. I don’t expect this progress the whole time, but it is a testimony to my body being ready before my mind. I will keep trucking and hit my goal!!
If I can do this, you can do this, but when you’re ready.
If you want support on your journey, find me at https://www.myfitnesspal.com/treycranson or Instagram: @treycranson.
Disclaimer
I am not a doctor, medical professional, or dietician. The adjustments I’ve made, the food you see, are not for everyone. Not everyone will see the results I’ve seen for many reasons. Medical complications, food allergies, zero will power, cheating on themselves, lifestyles, and inconsistent habits are some of the reasons this may be more challenging for others. Taking these steps has not been easy for me, but I was 8 pounds shy of 300 when I started so my percentage to lose was pretty great.
My posts serve to inspire others to take control of their calories and show meals that aren’t difficult to prepare and aren’t breaking the bank. Tons of friends have shown support and share that they have been inspired — thank you. Some just post sour comments that don’t really belong. That’s not nearly as appreciated, but it’s okay. I’m not a dietician and I didn’t specialize in nutrition, but culinary school gave me the skills to make food look good and taste good. I don’t do gourmet. I do wholesome, hearty, tasty. And sometimes — out of a box/bag.
If someone needs private tutorials in some of these, PM me. Thank you for your support!
Donations
If you like this content and would like to keep it going, consider making a small donation to help me fund ingredients, equipment, and my time. Thank you for your support!
Venmo: @Trey-Cranson or CashApp: $TreyCranson
