Sharing my weight loss story

[4dyceclone]

Also have struggled with weight my entire adult life (from HS). Highest was 295 in 2007. Got all the way down to 208.

But I struggle. Seems I'm always either good and motivated or bad and unmotivated. Can't seem to find and keep that sane middle ground. I've been in the 245-275 range for a couple years.

Are you ever shocked to see a photo of yourself, thinking, "I don't "REALLY" look like that, do I?" For me there's some magic break-point weight where I no longer feel obese, just fat. Maybe it's how much my belly protrudes when I turn profile in the mirror, or maybe what size jeans I can finally squeeze into. Don't ask me why but for me it's 238 lbs (I'm 6' 1").

My best friend has been thin all his whole ife. He never knocks me when I gain, always notices when I lose. That's a friend.

Started again on Monday 7/6. Want to be below 240 again. After 4 days I weighed on Friday and I was 261.6. 22 pounds isn't much. I can do that.

I definitely relate to the clothes thing. When I'm losing I like to try on clothes that didn't used to fit. I try them and think, "I can fasten the waist and I COULD wear it if the house was on fire" Then next time it's "Not too bad, but a bit snug - uncomfortable." Then maybe its, "Yeah, this fit's perfect." I have 30 years worth of clothes, but most don't fit. Funny how when you lose you love getting rid of the "fat clothes" but when you gain, you squirrel away the skinny clothes for "when I lose weight again." And I hate buying the fat clothes too, so end up wearing only the few to a dozen that fit comfortably.

Anyways, read the Blog and you do write extremely well. Best of luck and it took balls to come out and just lay it on the line. Keep up the good work.

It sounds like we have dealt with the same type of struggles. I appreciate you sharing. I started writing to keep myself accountable, and because I could not find any stories of weight loss this drastic that didn't involve surgery. I do not think ill of anyone that chooses to have a weight loss surgery, I have family members that have done it. I just wanted to give it a go this way first. Your story helps keep me going! Please stay in touch: Thank you for the encouragement. It has been hard writing a lot of those things, but it has helped keep me accountable. I just had to do something different this time. I have tried and failed so many times that I truly felt this might be my last real chance to get fit. Keep in touch:https://www.facebook.com/460reasons

 

[CyPlainsDrifter]

It sounds like we have dealt with the same type of struggles. I appreciate you sharing. I started writing to keep myself accountable, and because I could not find any stories of weight loss this drastic that didn't involve surgery. I do not think ill of anyone that chooses to have a weight loss surgery, I have family members that have done it. I just wanted to give it a go this way first. Your story helps keep me going! Please stay in touch: Thank you for the encouragement. It has been hard writing a lot of those things, but it has helped keep me accountable. I just had to do something different this time. I have tried and failed so many times that I truly felt this might be my last real chance to get fit. Keep in touch:https://www.facebook.com/460reasons

I'm going to send you a PM with a couple photos of a coworker who has transformed himself over the past couple years without surgery. Very similar to what you're doing and he went from around 430-450, down to around 200 now. It can be done! My wife and I are just starting a program and my goal is pretty lofty, but I also need a life change or I won't be around as long as I would like......

 

[CloniesForLife]

Congrats man keep up the good work! It always helps with my workout motivation to set goals that have nothing to do with the scale or mirror. If you are lifting weights, set a goal on how much weight you want to life for all of your lifts. If you are doing cardio set a goal on how far you want to run or how fast you want to run a certain distance. It gives you something else to work for and takes your mind of thinking about weight loss all the time. Good luck!

 

[roundball]

Some of you people are absolutely incredible. I'll never forget how hard it felt to lose just 20 pounds when I'd realized how out of shape I'd gotten after college...I can't even imagine what it must have been like to lose 100 pounds or more. It's amazing; congratulations!

 

[djcubby]

Weight loss is simple (eat healty, and excercise) but it can be one of the hardest things to go through, mentally.

I am an instructor/coach at Farrell's and even though I know what exactly I need to do and tell other people, I still find my myself back sliding on nutrition and there are days/weeks where I just don't want to work out. It's a constant struggle and something that isn't fixed over night. You have to find a why and keep that in front of you at all times. Don't be afraid to let go of things/people that will want to pull you back down.

I applaud each and every one of you that has worked on improving your health. Whether you feel you have been successful or not, you have because you made the first step. Keep up the great work!!! There are people that are counting on you to be on this earth for a long period of time.

 

[thrillcat]

I hate going to the gym. I don't hate working out, I'm just private about it. Unfortunately, that makes it easier to slack off, since there's nobody to say "hey, haven't seen you at the gym lately" or whatever. This blog and public accountability is great. I did a "Weekly Weigh In" on my twitter feed before I quit twitter.

About a year and a half ago I lost 38 pounds over the winter months by quitting soda and using the XBOX Kinect Nike+ Training game. I think initially it was because, while I'd been doing the same exercises in the past, the Kinect corrected my form on many of them. I haven't been doing the Xbox anymore, but I have a ton of different workout DVDs sitting on my iTunes server and I can pull up any of them on my AppleTV when it's time to workout. I've got everything in there from The Biggest Loser to a bunch of Jillian Michaels stuff to Insanity, etc.

I'm at about 220 right now, and my goal is still to get down to 200-205. It's hard at 43 years old. But I look and feel better than I have in many years. If I don't get to my 'target weight', I don't care, because I'm healthier, I'm happier, and I'll live longer.

I spend about 45 minutes a day working out, 5 days a week. Biggest thing I've noticed during the last couple years is the importance of breakfast. Get your metabolism started early. Also, drink a lot of water. You'll just feel better.

 

[MeanDean]

I like that people are sharing what worked/works for them.

I hate running and don't really like the gym. For me the best most enjoyable work out is a long brisk walk in the out doors. Fortunately spending winters in FL helps, but I did resort to mall walking in 2007 when still working and it got below zero or the wind was howling. Also an MP3 player is great to keep your feet moving to the beat and take your mind off any pain or discomfort.

Don't force yourself to conform to what someone says you MUST do. You know your body and what you will and won't eat. Anyone that tells me I must eat fish 3 times a week gets ignored. I HATE fish. Chicken, turkey, even pork and beef are fine, just pick lean cuts and you don't need a half pound - 4 or 5 ounces is enough. Cut the food into little pieces and eat each one and think about it. Don't do it while you're doing something else. My mind needs to be in the moment when I'm eating - if I zone out I just want to eat more.

One I just taught myself a couple years ago: I Love chips and salty snacks. They are my biggest weakness and if they're in the house they are just a temptation. When I go to the grocery store and I get to the chip aisle I don't go down it - and the key is, I tell myself, "That's not food for you - that's food for OTHER people. You got this way by eating that crap so don't even go down that aisle."

 

[roundball]

I like that people are sharing what worked/works for them.

Don't force yourself to conform to what someone says you MUST do. You know your body and what you will and won't eat.

Good point. It sounds counter-intuitive, but eating junk probably helps my overall fitness because it causes me to exercise more than I would anyways. E.g., I make a point to be pretty strict about exercising during the holiday season, whereas I'm a lot more casual about it during the summer.

 

[thrillcat]

Good point. It sounds counter-intuitive, but eating junk probably helps my overall fitness because it causes me to exercise more than I would anyways. E.g., I make a point to be pretty strict about exercising during the holiday season, whereas I'm a lot more casual about it during the summer.

Yeah, I went into this saying I'm not going to give up things/foods I enjoy. I just enjoy them in moderation. Smaller portions, fewer beers.

I did cut out chain restaurants, except I gave myself BWW. That cuts out all/most of the fast food options, which I only ate at because of laziness, not enjoyment. And when I do go to BWW, I know I need to spend a little more time working out that day/the next day.

 

[cyrocksmypants]

I'm in a similar boat. It started in high school being labeled the fat kid at 5'11" 180, which is utterly ridiculous now that I look back. Then through my 20's I was never motivated to work out and got up to 270. Luckily I met my wife who is very health conscious and had lost 100 lbs herself and kept it off, so I haven't added lots of weight over the last 7-8 years but I always hover between 240-260 and can never keep the course to get lower than 240. It's very frustrating.

At one point, while we were engaged I'd actually made good progress towards getting to 200. I was going to the gym everyday and was down to 225 prior to our honeymoon. My biggest motivation at that time was wanting to do a zipline tour through the jungle. The idea of ziplines terrified me and the weight limit was 250, so I was going to make sure I was below that when I did it. So I work super hard for 6 months, go to do the zipline thing, and of all 40 people on the tour (several who were obviously bigger than I was), I'm the only one they make where the fat guy harness that's meant for people over 250. That instantly killed any motivation when I got back home from our trip.

It so stupid that little things like that can have such a huge impact, but it does. Then we went on to have kids, new jobs, longer commutes, and now it just seems like a choice between spending time as a family or having time to go to the gym or do any kind of substantial workout.

There's not one perfect system to rule them all. I'm 5'11". Going into my senior year in high school, I worked out like a fiend. Biked to the school (10 miles) lifted, ran two miles and biker home (10 miles). At one point I was down to 190 pounds and I looked unhealthy. My cheeks were sunken in, my chest kind of was too, I looked almost malnourished. At 190 pounds. I'm just a big guy. Broad shoulders, thick waist, etc. My ideal weight is around 220, and that's considered obese by many charts and some people would look incredibly overweight at that weight. I think as soon as we accept that some people are built to be naturally very thin and some are built to be "sturdy", if you will, it gets easier. And your weight isn't necessarily indicative of your health, as well. There are WAY more factors that go into that.

 

[EnhancedFujita]

There's not one perfect system to rule them all. I'm 5'11". Going into my senior year in high school, I worked out like a fiend. Biked to the school (10 miles) lifted, ran two miles and biker home (10 miles). At one point I was down to 190 pounds and I looked unhealthy. My cheeks were sunken in, my chest kind of was too, I looked almost malnourished. At 190 pounds. I'm just a big guy. Broad shoulders, thick waist, etc. My ideal weight is around 220, and that's considered obese by many charts and some people would look incredibly overweight at that weight. I think as soon as we accept that some people are built to be naturally very thin and some are built to be "sturdy", if you will, it gets easier. And your weight isn't necessarily indicative of your health, as well. There are WAY more factors that go into that.

I agree with everything you're saying here, unfortunately I'm not one of those people that was built to be "sturdy." I was thin as a child and my ideal weight probably is more like 180. My issues are more mental than anything. Luckily being with my wife for 8 years had kept things in check because she has a very healthy mindset. So while most people gain a few pounds every year, I've said pretty much the same. Problem is that's still about 50 lbs too much. For me it's really just a matter of motivation more than anything. I give major props to anyone that seeing long term success because it's so difficult.

 

[CycloneRulzzz]

Also have struggled with weight my entire adult life (from HS). Highest was 295 in 2007. Got all the way down to 208.

But I struggle. Seems I'm always either good and motivated or bad and unmotivated. Can't seem to find and keep that sane middle ground. I've been in the 245-275 range for a couple years.

Are you ever shocked to see a photo of yourself, thinking, "I don't "REALLY" look like that, do I?" For me there's some magic break-point weight where I no longer feel obese, just fat. Maybe it's how much my belly protrudes when I turn profile in the mirror, or maybe what size jeans I can finally squeeze into. Don't ask me why but for me it's 238 lbs (I'm 6' 1").

My best friend has been thin all his whole ife. He never knocks me when I gain, always notices when I lose. That's a friend.

Started again on Monday 7/6. Want to be below 240 again. After 4 days I weighed on Friday and I was 261.6. 22 pounds isn't much. I can do that.

I definitely relate to the clothes thing. When I'm losing I like to try on clothes that didn't used to fit. I try them and think, "I can fasten the waist and I COULD wear it if the house was on fire" Then next time it's "Not too bad, but a bit snug - uncomfortable." Then maybe its, "Yeah, this fits perfect." I have 30 years worth of clothes, but most don't fit. Funny how when you lose you love getting rid of the "fat clothes" but when you gain, you squirrel away the skinny clothes for "when I lose weight again." And I hate buying the fat clothes too, so end up wearing only the few to a dozen that fit comfortably.

Anyways, read the Blog and you do write extremely well. Best of luck and it took balls to come out and just lay it on the line. Keep up the good work.

Totally relate of the clothes thing. That's another thing that encouraging me to change. I have a ton of clothes but probably only 20% I feel comfortable wearing.

 

[safmusic]

Just trying to help someone out that has been very successful for me and many others. Since you don't know what you are talking about or have any belief about this feel free to check it out.

 

[Ficklone02]

Good thread. I was always naturally a skinny kid, but the beer caught up with me over the years. I'm 6 '1, my natural weight should be around 175-180. Recently I engaged in just a one month competition with a few buddies to see who could lose the most. It was really the first time I'd been overweight in my life and I learned alot about my body and its relationship with food, exercise, sleep, stress. I started at 210, and ended the month at 192.

The biggest thing for me was to replace all that beer with water. I was doing everything I could think of, but the weight didn't really come off until I started drinking more water. Read an article that gave a few good tips to "trick" your body into an increased metabolism. Your body doesn't know the difference between food and water, so first thing in the morning and an hour before every meal jumpstart your metabolism by having a few glasses of water. I aim for a gallon of water every. Few other things I learned that were not obvious was the role of regular sleep and eating healthy fats like eggs. Somehow the body's hormones play a role in weight loss and if you keep them happy by eating foods like egg whites, it increases your chances for weight loss.

But alas, I slipped back into the beer again so I'm currently trying to figure out a healthy balance.

 

[roundball]

Good thread. I was always naturally a skinny kid, but the beer caught up with me over the years. I'm 6 '1, my natural weight should be around 175-180. Recently I engaged in just a one month competition with a few buddies to see who could lose the most. It was really the first time I'd been overweight in my life and I learned alot about my body and its relationship with food, exercise, sleep, stress. I started at 210, and ended the month at 192.

The biggest thing for me was to replace all that beer with water. I was doing everything I could think of, but the weight didn't really come off until I started drinking more water. Read an article that gave a few good tips to "trick" your body into an increased metabolism. Your body doesn't know the difference between food and water, so first thing in the morning and an hour before every meal jumpstart your metabolism by having a few glasses of water. I aim for a gallon of water every. Few other things I learned that were not obvious was the role of regular sleep and eating healthy fats like eggs. Somehow the body's hormones play a role in weight loss and if you keep them happy by eating foods like egg whites, it increases your chances for weight loss.

But alas, I slipped back into the beer again so I'm currently trying to figure out a healthy balance.

Run it off. I'm not even kidding...I'll often drink a pint or two at happy hour after work, and will have an incredible run just a couple hours later. All of those carbohydrates make great fuel for a nice, long run.

 

[4dyceclone]

Thank you for all of the feedback and sharing your stories. Sharing things like this is tough and I was floored at the number of you that sent me PMs trying to help or sharing others success. Again, thank you!

 

[ISUCyclones2015]

I am on a similar journey of weightloss! Different numbers but it's all the same man. If you need any help and support. I'm personally down 75 pounds since January and being accountable helps tremendously. I'll be following your blog. Keep it up man!

 

[4dyceclone]

MeanDean thanks for the message!

 

[4dyceclone]

Thanks for the message MeanDean. You guys are great. The owner of the gym upped the challenge. If I lose 30 pounds in the next six weeks, I get $1000 cash.... here I go.

 

[cycloneworld]

One thing to caution is if you lose 20-30 lbs in a month by working out like crazy or slashing your caloric intake to an unsustainable level, the second you stop your crazy workout routine or you start eating more meaningful calories, you will gain weight. That can be disheartening. Most people have success using a sustained, slow process. Ideally if you lose 1-1.5 lbs per week, studies show you are more likely to keep the weight off for good when compared to a yo-yo diet. It sucks to make big changes but not see if on the scale immediately and its much more fun to see yourself lose 30 lbs in a month (that might be okay for month 1). But its MUCH, MUCH more fun if you can sustain weight loss long term.

Either way, congrats on taking a big step towards a healthier life.