Weight Loss Story

[ark_ader]

Well I am at it again, and after a serious chat with the doctor I have been told to lose weight.  It was either that or losing sight and early death the nasty way.   

That wakes you up.

So, last month I weighed in at 352 pounds.   

Under a month later I am 291, which is more than I lost last time I tried Atkins. 

I have lost three pant sizes, and can now run on the treadmill without passing out.  But when the pounds drop off,  you feel that you have more energy.  I have more clothes to wear and I am not stuck in the Big & Tall department.

Yes it hurt, yes I miss my weekly diet of In&Out Burger (which I now have the burger plain protein style), yes it messes with your mind.  Yes it is really hard.  But by Christmas I plan to get my ultimate present: 200 lbs. 


I cheated a bit, as the doc gave me a pill used for people who are trying to quit smoking, which suppresses hunger for some unknown reason.  Now I am not hungry anymore and I can go a whole week eating less than 18 carbs.  The doc believes in Atkins, which is a shocker as the rest of the medical community freaks out when I tell them.  The best part is that the weight is keeping off and slowly going down with more exercise.

Try it: 

Breakfast - Bacon/Ham and eggs
Lunch - Chicken salad.
Dinner - Chicken and Veg. No wine or beer.

Snack - two cheese sticks or turkey slices.
Water (2 liters a day minimum) no diet drinks, two cups of coffee. No fruit or starchy foods.

I do 40 minutes alternating walking and running each day.  I find it more challenging and it works.

Summer is practically over.  Time to be ready for next summer, slim and strong.  No $20 either this time PBJ.   

The most important part of the diet: You have to WANT TO do it.


What is your favorite weight loss success story ?

[Howard_Casto]

Eh not much works for me.  I already eat everything plain, no butter, condiments, ect.  I did stop drinking pop a month or two ago.  I've lost 10 pounds so far drinking nothing but water. 

[BadMouth]

Ephedra.  I was 165 with abs when that stuff was legal.  It's what they give people on Biggest Loser in addition to pain meds.

I've tried Phentermine, but it makes me want to start a road rage incident.

[behrmr]

Congratulations!   I was following along with interest but you lost me at the "no beer" part. 

[yotsuya]

I went from 275 to 175 a few years ago,  mainly using the Wii Fit, then gym exercise. Got back up to around 250, but now have dropped to 225. Want to hit 200 as well.

[Howard_Casto]

So I guess we are all shooting for 200 then.  I'm 245-250 now, which is the fattest I've ever been.  Mind you they've been monkeying with my thyroid for the past couple of years, but it's still unacceptable.  Honestly 180 would be better, but realistic goals....

[pbj]

Just pony up the $20k, get the gastric sleeve, and be done with it.

[brad808]

I saw an ad on Facebook today from one of my friends trying to sell one of those stupid 30 day shake transformation fitness courses. It basically read "no spending hours in the gym, no lifting heavy weights or using complicated machines, no hard work on your part". I can already tell you how it's going to end for all those people that sign up. Everyone knows. They buy a bunch of ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- they don't need, put no effort in, waste their time and think because they bought a package they are going to get something out of it. 30 days later they stop doing anything realize they aren't getting results, give up, then wait for the next fitness gimmick to catch their eye.

Here's the reality... If you want results you have to work for them. You have to get your ass to the gym and work. Push your body, lift weights, change your diet and actually put effort in. That's how you see results. If you are working out and it isn't hard then you are doing it wrong.

You need to make it part of your routine. You need to stop buying junk food so it isn't even in your house. For the first few weeks you won't see a lot of results. You'll be sore, your body will be craving food, and you'll think you need to eat because you feel hungry. Don't think about how much you can eat think about how much you need to eat. Once you get past that point you'll start to notice small changes in yourself before anyone else does. You'll notice you can start to lift more weight for more repetitions, you'll be able to run farther and faster and you'll notice you have much more energy in everyday life. Once you start to feel the satisfaction of being able to achieve something you couldn't previously do even after a couple weeks of work it becomes addictive. Once you start to enjoy the feeling of accomplishment and notice the side effects of being healthier then you can start to see lasting results.

[ark_ader]

Update:

After 2 weeks of plateauing I have lost a further 20 pounds.  My doc got up and hugged me and said she was impressed with my weight loss, fastest she has ever seen (without being sick).

I am still diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, but with the weight loss I do not need medication.

I feel 20 years younger.

So you can do it. 

Let's hope I can keep it off!.   

[Titchgamer]

Congrats on your weight loss!

Ime on a diet at the moment to as it happens but its rather feeble compared to you guys lol

Ime currently about 155 in your money but aiming to get back to 140 ish which is what I was when i was toned with abs lol

[Loafmeister]

I also had that doctor/patient discussion about 5 years ago, when I was told I wouldn't see 50 if I didn't lose weight.  Yep, was borderline diabetic, had issues with cholesterol, sugar level, high BP, you name it, I had it.  Losing weight was never an issue for me, many times I would say "ok, time to lose weight" and sure enough, I'd get 40-50lbs off, even lost 109 once ... but keeping it off long term was always the issue as I found the change in lifestyle (ie: exercise and eating better) just never seemed sustainable long term. There are many reasons why people put on weight, one of the biggest ones for me is that I'm an emotional eater so that doesn't help.  I'd also like to blame my family DNA but that's sort of a cop-out .  Anyways, a few years ago, I came to the conclusion I needed help and it was time to try surgery.

End result: lost over 100 lbs the first 6 months, total of 152.  Since the full weight loss, I put on about 10-14 lbs but that was on purpose as I had lost too much weight! I've been between 180-`85 for the past two years, so far so good.  Every time I eat, I'm reminded of the surgery, of the many sacrifices I've had to make and it seems very sustainable.

Weight loss surgery is not a solution for everyone and if possible, should be the last choice.  Seriously, there's nothing healthier than losing the weight properly and keeping it off via a healthy life style.  However, for some people like me, it ends up being a valid choice and I have no regret.  My BP is normal, sugar level is normal, no cholesterol issues, everything is great.  Wasn't without challenge (the day after surgery, an undiagnosed irregular heartbeat issue popped up when my heart rate went to 240bpm!) but even that is now gone, seems the excess weight was the major cause. 

Congrats on the weight loss, keep at it folks!

[menace]

Congrats on the success story!  It's true that you have to want it.  I started a min atkins at the start of December.  I was 197 on Sept 9 and as of today was 183.  My goal is 180 or even 175 but the true long term goal is to eat less and eat less crap.  I too feel more energetic and feel better overall.

(I miss toast and peanut butter though...)

[ark_ader]

Congrats on the success story!  It's true that you have to want it.  I started a min atkins at the start of December.  I was 197 on Sept 9 and as of today was 183.  My goal is 180 or even 175 but the true long term goal is to eat less and eat less crap.  I too feel more energetic and feel better overall.

(I miss toast and peanut butter though...)

I found out that Atkins really needs more fiber in your diet or it will get very painful real quick.  I do love peanut butter on toast and I can get away with it.  My secret:

A loaf of Dave's Killer Bread "Good Seed" = each slice is about 10 net carbs and then use Adams No Stir Peanut Butter (Two Tablespoons = 6 net carbs) impact is really small to your diet.  I also have  peanut butter with celery sticks.  After having PB+Seed for breakfast, I see no impact and no pain. Actually a day off your diet is a good thing too. 

It mixes it up a bit and your brain is real good in adapting your metabolism, so keep it guessing.  I wash it all down with a glass of skim milk.  Got to watch your calcium intake, or your bones will suffer too.  If you have your PB+Seed an hour before bedtime you will see weight coming off a lot more, as your body burns calories digesting all that seed...

Everyone has different diets, zero carb is really hard (literally), where I prefer 20-30 carbs a day and I lose weight.  Some are on a 40-60 carb diet, but those people have a high metabolism and can get away with it.

Try it and you will see you can have your peanut butter sandwich and eat it too. 

[ChadTower]

Only thing that really works is finding some exercise based activity that you actually want to do.  Most people will not sustain driving to a gym to get on a hamster wheel for 45 minutes hating every second of it.  You'll do it for a while but eventually will fall off and the real goal of changed lifestyle falls away with it.  You have to pick up some new hobby.  Biking, hiking, a sport, a martial art, jogging, obstacle course racing, anything that you do because you enjoy it.  It has to be the type of thing that you look forward to doing instead of dreading.  Any other way just doesn't really work.

[Howard_Casto]

There is a huge flaw in that line of thinking.  If fat people enjoyed doing some kind of physical activity, they obviously wouldn't be fat.  Take me for example..... I think sports are dumb, I have really bad allergies, so walks are out most months out of the year, martial arts are far too violent, and yeah, I'm going to run.... if a bear is chasing behind me maybe. 

So I just put in the work, hating every second of it, and yielding very minimal results. 

[lilshawn]

I'm glad you have made the decision to lose weight.  It's a hard journey. I will warn you though, with losing that amount in such a short time, you are at a super high risk to bounce back again. Don't forget it took you how long to get to the size you where... it's going to take that long to get rid of it. even lapsing and eating stuff you shouldn't can set you back big time. Now you got the easy stuff gone, it's time to work for the harder stuff. <end_soapBoxRant>

Becoming allergic to dairy about 6 years ago kinda kickstarted me in this direction. I wasn't able to eat things like milk, cheese and certain breads, cookies....the list goes on.... without becoming violently sick (both ends at the same time kind of sick) or anaphylactic. So, for sure, I had to change what I was eating. Cutting butter and margarine (99% of margarines have whey and other milk ingredients in them to make their nutrition panel look better) out of your diet completely does wonders.

I have chosen the long and slow route. Been doing just some portion control over the last 8 to 10 months...I was over 350 at the start and i'm currently hovering up and down a few pounds at 297 to 300 the last month or so. I haven't really changed WHAT I eat, Just changing how much i'm eating. And it's gone pretty good so far. I'm not exercising or anything like that, so it's surprising how much you eat has a bearing on how much you weigh.

I don't order a double burger with double bacon and 2 eggs. I'll order just a regular hamburger... and medium fries instead of large. Have "only one trip to the buffet" kinds of things. I'm averaging ~2100 calories a day according to the "myfitnesspal" app for my lunch and dinner and snack (i'm an absolute shitshow in the morning so I often don't eat breakfast during the week but I do on the weekends). which for what I do on a daily basis, is about right to maintain... which I'm now doing...so in order to start going back down again, i have to either get more moving exercise in, or tweak the old dietary intake.... I'm not much of a runner...or walker... or bike rider....or sports person. Got my eye on the treadmill in the basement though. even though I'll hate it I should start. but...one thing at a time.

It's not that big of a deal for me as it is for you, i'm not under threat of death (that i know of) but still feel I should do something. Look good, feel good, right?

Now that i'm used to smaller portion sizes, (and that i've kinda plateaued)  I will soon transition my eating towards healthier foods...I say as I'm eating fast food from the chinese buffet place by my work on my lunch break. (it's a small container... Broccoli, plain white rice, and noodles....one chicken ball, one spring roll... so not totally 100% evil.) And i'm totally fine with that. My mind is in the right space to do it.

press on chubabrotha! 

[ChadTower]

There is a huge flaw in that line of thinking.  If fat people enjoyed doing some kind of physical activity, they obviously wouldn't be fat.  Take me for example..... I think sports are dumb, I have really bad allergies, so walks are out most months out of the year, martial arts are far too violent, and yeah, I'm going to run.... if a bear is chasing behind me maybe. 

So I just put in the work, hating every second of it, and yielding very minimal results.

The flaw in your thinking here is that you won't need that regular exercise after you lose the weight.  You will. You just won't need as much of it to maintain the weight.  Fitness isn't just about your fat percentage.  It's also about your overall health and the body needs work to be healthy in the long term.

[Howard_Casto]

I never said I was going to stop.  You made that incorrect assumption.  My point was losing weight sucks and keeping it off sucks.  The whole thing sucks.  The sentiment that you have to find something active you enjoy doesn't really work because, as I said, if you enjoy being active then you wouldn't be fat. 

[pbj]

Ah well, I've had plenty of "we don't know why you're still so fat" conversations with physicians lately.  Have tracked physical activity for 8 months, I average 6 miles a day.  Blood levels good.  Whatever.  Suppose I'll get stomach snipped if I can dispatch my parents and make it look like an accident.

But for movement, Pokemon Go has been a great help on that front, and it takes me to the unhappiest places on Earth like the Ronald McDonald House and MD Anderson Cancer center.  Working around here will broaden your definition of 'healthy' real quick.  I define that metric as eating unassisted, going to the bathroom unassisted, walking up and down a flight of stairs, and being able to achieve an erection. 

You can manage all that, you're healthy.  Many aren't. 

[ChadTower]

I never said I was going to stop.  You made that incorrect assumption.  My point was losing weight sucks and keeping it off sucks.  The whole thing sucks.  The sentiment that you have to find something active you enjoy doesn't really work because, as I said, if you enjoy being active then you wouldn't be fat.

When I was at my heaviest I was also at my most physically active.  Definitely possible for a person with a typical metabolism to be working out 4-5 times a week and still be overweight if they overeat as well.  I was putting in 8-10 hours a week of heavy exercise and still had a 38" waist.  Granted, that's not 350lb, but in my case it's still 40lb overweight.  Every night I was either at the gym lifting or at football practice running wind sprints cursing my lungs.

[Ian]

The most important part of the diet: You have to WANT TO do it.

Congrats on your weight loss.... I too years ago was over 200 lbs. I am 5'7" and it wasn't a muscular 200 lbs either so it showed. I got divorced and went through what I call "The Divorce Diet". Lost 50 lbs in 4 months and now went from short fat dude to sickly skinny dude. But I hit up the gym for 3 years straight with one rest day a week, watched what I ate and got my first 6-pack abs... looked in the mirror and thought to myself "Damn I am miserable I really miss beer" (especially since I live in Wisconsin and that is a way of life here).

So now for the past 6 years since that day I no longer have a 6-pack I am 200 lbs but mostly muscle and I eat what I want drink what I want but make sure to go to the gym 3 days a week.

I guess the moral of the story is this. Goals are good... they help. But you have to find a life balance. Diets are meant to fail. No one can eat like that (paleo, atkins, dance dance revolution). You have to just find a balance. 

[knave]

Congrats on your weight loss.... I too years ago was over 200 lbs. I am 5'7" and it wasn't a muscular 200 lbs either so it showed. I got divorced and went through what I call "The Divorce Diet". Lost 50 lbs in 4 months and now went from short fat dude to sickly skinny dude. But I hit up the gym for 3 years straight with one rest day a week, watched what I ate and got my first 6-pack abs... looked in the mirror and thought to myself "Damn I am miserable I really miss beer" (especially since I live in Wisconsin and that is a way of life here).

So now for the past 6 years since that day I no longer have a 6-pack I am 200 lbs but mostly muscle and I eat what I want drink what I want but make sure to go to the gym 3 days a week.

I guess the moral of the story is this. Goals are good... they help. But you have to find a life balance. Diets are meant to fail. No one can eat like that (paleo, atkins, dance dance revolution). You have to just find a balance.

I did the Divorce diet quite a few years ago Lost 60 pounds...Cut out alcohol, ate small portions and went to the GYM 3 days a week. I actually started eating fast food and the pounds still melted off...
I remarried got happy and gained about half of it back.

[ChadTower]

I have heard the Divorce Diet described as "first you lose 150lb of extra roommate and then 50lb of extra self".

[Ian]

I have heard the Divorce Diet described as "first you lose 150lb of extra roommate and then 50lb of extra self".

This 

[dkersten]

I have heard the Divorce Diet described as "first you lose 150lb of extra roommate and then 50lb of extra self".

I think she was pushing 175 when I kicked her out.  But yeah, 50 lbs off was about right for me.

My body likes to be at 230.  I'm only 5'10" but most people would think I am around 190 at most, so I guess I carry it well.  Thing is, I can exercise (walk a couple miles a day), cut the snacks (hard for me to do when I am writing code for some reason.. my mind is going strong but my body wants to do something to keep busy, like eat), and maintain my relatively sparse diet (only drink water, a light breakfast religiously in the morning, around 1k calories at lunch, and less than that at dinner) and I will still be 230ish (maybe 225). 

Healthy (or rather a healthy lifestyle) is a very different term in your 20's and 30's than in your 40's and 50's.  I am still every bit as active as I was in my 30's (which is to say I don't exercise and sit at a desk all day, but I often am working on projects at home that will burn every muscle on my body down to nothing every weekend and leave me craving ibuprofen and a comfortable couch), yet I am seeing a huge difference in my health just in the past few years.  Instead of being able to physically work hard all day doing projects on the weekend (landscaping, concrete work, demolition, construction, etc.), I am only able to work for a few hours each day before I have to call it quits.  Pain is a daily part of life now, and since I hate drugs I have to just live with it and push through it to stay active.  When you don't like walking, hiking, bike riding, or going to the gym (and it hurts even more to try to exercise), things fall apart really fast.  Frankly I would be content to just be able to chill out each day and adjust my calorie intake to account for less activity.  After all, isn't life supposed to get more laid back as you get older?  I have more money and more luxury than I had when I was younger, but if I don't keep moving and pushing my body as hard as I can, it hurts even more, to the point where I can't sit and watch a movie or just chill at a bar drinking beer with friends.  So despite being relatively healthy in most respects (cholesterol is good, bloodwork is good, no diseases that I know of, I can take care of myself and still get it up just fine), I don't feel anything like healthy.

I agree with Howard, if I was the type who enjoyed hiking outdoors or running or going to the gym, I would probably do that a lot more and not be overweight.  When it comes down to it, my only viable option for weight loss is to make a major change in my diet.  Protein diets work, but I like bread, so eventually I drop it and start to gain again.  I do want to try something though, and if losing a couple dozen pounds will ease the pain in my body, it is worth the trouble.  It isn't easy to start when you know how much it will hurt.

[ChadTower]

Yoga is good for that 40+ range.  Easy on the joints, you can go at your own pace, and it addresses reducing flexiblity and joint health.  All at once.  You have to get over our culture's associations regarding Yoga but it's worth doing.  I had never realized how much core strength and flexibility I had lost due to normal aging until I started yoga a couple of times a week.


I hear you on how much harder it is to be able to do half of what we used to do before.  I'm 41 and even with ~4 hours a week of martial arts and a couple more hours of stretching and yoga I'm still constantly fighting to stay level.  I don't heal like I did before which is a real issue for me now.  I get all bruised up in the dojo, the bruises stick around for weeks, and then gravity turns my ankles purple.  That never happened 10 years ago.  It's even more telling to stand across from a 19 year old who only knows being strong and fast.


My diet isn't the greatest, I drink too much, and I sleep like crap.  So there are those things too. Sounds like we have similar builds.  I'm 5-10 and my body likes to hover around 215.

[Ian]

I am 35... When I go to the gym I am sore for weeks... versus a couple of days... it sucks!

[dkersten]

I am 35... When I go to the gym I am sore for weeks... versus a couple of days... it sucks!

Wait until you are 45... it gets worse.

[Ian]

I am 35... When I go to the gym I am sore for weeks... versus a couple of days... it sucks!

Wait until you are 45... it gets worse.

I know... not looking forward to it.

[ark_ader]

I am 35... When I go to the gym I am sore for weeks... versus a couple of days... it sucks!

Wait until you are 45... it gets worse.

I know... not looking forward to it.

Not if you limber up and do your stretches. 

[ChadTower]

Not if you limber up and do your stretches. 

This is true.  A good stretching routine did wonders for me when I really started taking it seriously in my late 30s.  I managed to take maybe ten years off my lower back just by loosening everything up around my pelvis and hamstrings.  Four years ago I used to have to have a plan to tie my shoes.  Now I can do it by raising my knee instead of bending over.

[jan25th]

I am not heavy but did notice a weight gain after my dog died last November. I would walk 30 minutes in the morning and an hour in the evening, but after she died I stopped that. I have a new dog since August and am back to the old schedule. It is amazing how better overall one feels just getting that little bit of extra movement.

[ark_ader]

Update:

Passed 273 knocking on 260.  In 38 inch baggy pants.  Last time I did that was crap - 20 years ago?

Had a pizza yesterday, and it made me lose weight. 

Keep your body guessing!

Cant wait to go for the full skelator look.

[Cakemeister]

Nice job, ark! Exercise and the right diet combined is the best way.

I'd like to lose a few pounds myself.