quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
Welcome Holdem.

Boss, you rock. I am inspired by your committment and success. Keep it up.

I have been at it for a little over 8 weeks. I started at 227. Am at 209 right now. I want to be at 205 by Aug. 1. I am treading water so to speak right now.
Trying to do my eating within a 7-8 period and fast 16-17 hours daily.

My exercise is pretty minimal and am not dropping much weight right now. My eating is what I would call pretty clean, not perfect.

Need to reassert my self a bit.

Thanks for checking in and keep it up guys.

ORG -Is there a physical limitation keeping you from being able to exercise more?

While I am doing a lot now (relatively), when I first started this effort back at the beginning of April I was only walking 1/2 to 3/4 mile at a time and only 3 or 4 days a week as that was all I could do since I was in such crappy shape and due to knee pain.

I built up stamina/endurance by going from one short walk to two or sometimes three short walks over the course of the day and then started increasing the length of the walks. Days when my knee was bothering me I slowed my pace and avoided hills. Gradually worked my way up to walking daily and going as far as 5 miles at a shot.

Even a small increase in exercise will help you reach your goal.



I find my success is from combining the improved diet and increased exercise. Cutting calories can slow your metabolism and make it harder to shed weight without some exercise to burn calories and keep the metabolism up.

Right now my daily exercise goal is around 1000-1200 calories. I am getting about 400 calories from walking 3.25 miles a day and then 800-900 calories on the Peloton in two rides totaling 40-45 minutes.

Some days I really have to force myself but seeing progress is a great motivator and I know that when I get to my goal I can lighten up and maintain my goal weight with less exercise while being able to eat more calories than I have become accustomed to (but not the gluttony of my recent past).

I am 2 weeks away from the 4 month point and I don’t remember ever sticking to a new routine for such a time. Usually back to old habits within 6-8 weeks. While I have my end goal, I think it is important to set intermediate goals as well so you can celebrate along the way.

I don’t know if the intermittent fasting is making a difference or not, but I do find that two larger meals in a 6-8 hour window are more satisfying to me than three smaller meals.

Like so many things, progress comes from combining multiple small improvements instead of one or two big ones.


Stay focused on your goal and keep working towards it. Some days and weeks are going to be better than others. When you have a “bad” one, leave it behind and focus on making the next one better.

I’ve been steadily losing 4-6 lbs a week, but a couple weeks back I had a week where I only lost 1.1 lbs. Very frustrating especially with calories in and burned being in line with previous weeks. Not sure if it was a plateau, water weight, or something else. I put it behind me and stuck to my routine. The following week I was down 5 lb and back on track.

My motivation is up and I no longer plan a “light” day where I take a break. My current routine has a goal of walking 2.5 mi and Peloton 8 mi EVERY day. Some days may be more or less, as long as I hit my average that is fine but there are no days OFF in the plan right now.

For me a day off delays reaching my goal by a day and a luxury I am willing to forego for now.

I'm "back on the wagon". Over the last year I've drifted farther and farther away from eating what and when I should be. Eating more and more of what I know I shouldn't, more and more frequently.

Occasional things become too occasional, then become habits. Other wrinkles show up as well. I hadn't eaten breakfast (other than on vacation) in years. But various recent injuries had me taking stuff for the pain, which I couldn't take on an empty stomach. That meant eating something in the morning, which turned into the norm long after the reason was gone.

The good news is, despite straying so far from how I should be eating, with all that I didn't gain any weight. Most likely due to a change in jobs, giving up the one that was causing all sorts of serious health issues for me, anxiety and stress related.

I started back on the straight and narrow two weeks ago, very strict/low carbs and sort of a OMAD. More like 19-5 to 23-1 IF-ing. Randomly alternating days, mostly based on what's in the fridge. Surprisingly and happily, going back to it was simple and easier for me than 16-8s. The biggest adjustment has been lunch. Not the not eating part, but what to do with all the free time, I'm bored and actually looking forward to going back to work. That's not good. lol

Good deal cas. I find I have more "free time" as well. Get restless just sitting around when I used to be quite happy just plopping down in front of the TV.

Higher energy level makes me want to do something else. Find my initiative and motivation to do things around the house is improving.



An "in progress" comparison photo...

310 lbs vs 264 lbs

Same shirt, a size 2XB. Looks like I am ready to get rid of all my 3X shirts.

Looking great guys. I'm jealous 911Boss. Can't wait until I can wear 2X again.

I'm at 329 lbs this morning. Starting weight was 397 on 2/1/21.

Last year I was 205# of soft dad bod.
A year of lifting, running 5 days a week, and eating correct portions of high quality food has me competing in mud runs and Iron Man challenges.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Ryanp225,

quote:

Originally posted by 911Boss:

An "in progress" comparison photo...

[/IMG]

Good job Boss. Those photos tell a huge difference. Not just in the shirt, but also on your jawline and the thickness of your face / cheeks near your glasses.

For about the past three months I have put myself on a strict diet. In the Winter of 2020 I damn near thought I was having a heart attack. For the record, I'm 49 years old. My blood pressure was through the roof at 190/150, normal for me has always been around 120's/mid-80's since high school. After seeing a cardiologist and getting a clean bill of health concerning my heart, stress test, etc. I decided I was going to make some serious changes.

My problem, who to listen to? I was getting conflicting advice from "professionals" all over the place and the help I was asking for from my doctors I was NOT getting. I turned to YouTube and found Dr. Eric Berg and his Healthy Keto. I knew I ate too many carbs, but didn't realize how many until for a week I kept track of it and then knew I had a real problem.

Berg's version of Keto is stupid easy to follow. You eat 2 meals a day, breakfast and dinner, 1/2 your plate is veggies, 1/4 meat, 1/4 fats. Honestly, I tweak this a bit and allow myself to eat things that grow naturally such as fruits, but I don't eat them in excess and I don't eat them every day.

BEFORE
Weight: 273 lbs
Waist: 46"
Shirt: 17"-18" or XXL

AFTER 3 MONTHS, 57 lbs LOST
Weight: 216 lbs
Waist: 38" and pants are a little loose
Shirt: 15" and its really loose, L is kind of big

For the record, I weighed 220 lbs in HS and 204 lbs after my freshman year in college and have weighed over 200 lbs since the sixth grade and have been the same height since about the six grade. My goal is to hit 180 lbs. It may take me another 6-12 months, but I don't care...slow and steady wins the race.

I went shopping today with my wife and son for a new suite, because I needed to. All my close just hang on off of me now. It was a good/bad reason. I have to bury who was my last remaining grandmother this coming Saturday. An entire generation lost in my family. I'll never get use to this.

For anyone who things you can't do this, YOU ARE WRONG! You CAN DO THIS! I strongly recommend watching Dr. Berg's YouTube channel. I have learned so much about nutrition and how your body reacts to certain things, some of those things that are keeping you fat. If you have time to drink a cup of coffee, you have time to watch one of his videos in the morning along with it.

quote:

Originally posted by LBTRS:
Looking great guys. I'm jealous 911Boss. Can't wait until I can wear 2X again.

I'm at 329 lbs this morning. Starting weight was 397 on 2/1/21.

Just keep plugging away. I have tried and failed on several occasions, this time is the time for me. 3X shirts to 2X collared shirts and XL t-shirts. I’ve gone from 3X gym shorts to XL. I am a couple months away from 1X shirts, and fantasize about getting into “Large”. May not happen, but it isn’t unreasonable to think it could any more.

quote:

Originally posted by holdem:

Good job Boss. Those photos tell a huge difference. Not just in the shirt, but also on your jawline and the thickness of your face / cheeks near your glasses.

Thanks, yes, can really see a change in my face/neck I am now down to just one chin . Hell, I am even surprised at the difference in my forearms. That picture obscures it some, this pic shows face more clearly.




The real shocker is that I am now about 2 inches shorter when sitting down! If I didn’t adjust the seat after my wife drove the car, I would smack the top of the opening right in my temple. I now can get in with her seat setting and the top just brushes the top of my head.

quote:

Originally posted by Ryanp225:
Last I was 205# of soft dad bod.
A year of lifting, running 5 days a week, and eating correct portions of high quality food has me competing in mud runs and Iron Man challenges…

Looking good! I wish I had done this when I was your age instead of waiting until almost 59 years old.

quote:

Originally posted by jcsabolt2:
For about the past three months I have put myself on a strict diet. In the Winter of 2020 I damn near thought I was having a heart attack. For the record, I'm 49 years old. My blood pressure was through the roof at 190/150, normal for me has always been around 120's/mid-80's since high school. After seeing a cardiologist and getting a clean bill of health concerning my heart, stress test, etc. I decided I was going to make some serious changes.

My problem, who to listen to? I was getting conflicting advice from "professionals" all over the place and the help I was asking for from my doctors I was NOT getting…

…


I went shopping today with my wife and son for a new suite, because I needed to. All my close just hang on off of me now. It was a good/bad reason. I have to bury who was my last remaining grandmother this coming Saturday. An entire generation lost in my family. I'll never get use to this.

For anyone who things you can't do this, YOU ARE WRONG! You CAN DO THIS! I strongly recommend watching Dr. Berg's YouTube channel. I have learned so much about nutrition and how your body reacts to certain things, some of those things that are keeping you fat. If you have time to drink a cup of coffee, you have time to watch one of his videos in the morning along with it.

Welcome to the thread and sorry for the loss of your Grandmother.

LOTS of different and sometimes conflicting advice out there, it just shows that what works for some doesn’t always work for others. Need to keep working at it until you find what works for you. It’s unfortunate that we can’t always trust our Doctors to get the info we need. Just reinforces the importance of doing the research yourself and not giving up.

quote:

Originally posted by esdunbar:

The best book I can recommend is called "The Obesity Code" by Dr. Jason Fung. I can't stress this enough, if you really want to learn about this and take care of yourself, READ THIS BOOK!

After you read that, read "Why We Get Fat." Not as good as the Obesity Code, but it reforges what you learned in the other book and gives some other facts and studies.

I read both of these books this week after seeing your post. Great books and very informative. Great recommendation!

quote:

Originally posted by esdunbar:

The best book I can recommend is called "The Obesity Code" by Dr. Jason Fung. I can't stress this enough, if you really want to learn about this and take care of yourself, READ THIS BOOK!

After you read that, read "Why We Get Fat." Not as good as the Obesity Code, but it reforges what you learned in the other book and gives some other facts and studies.

I hate reading, but am about to get the Kindle version on Amazon. Sounds promising!

MONTHLY PROGRESS REPORT TIME GENTS!- Good, bad, or stagnant - how did you do in July?

JULY PROGRESS

Weight- 258lb (Start 344lb)
(-20lb/month, -86lb/total)

BMI- 39.3 “Obese” (Start 52.3 “Super-Morbidly Obese”)
(-3.1/month, -13/total)

Body Fat Percentage- 38.4% (Start 48%)
(-2%/month, -9.6%/total)

Body Fat- 99lb (Start 165lb)
(-19lb/mo, -66lb/total)

Lean Mass- 159lb (Start 179lb)
(-1.4lb/mo, -20lb/total)

Food Calories - 1386/day average (Range of 771-2021/day)

Exercise Calories- 1893/day average (Range of 1422-2345/day)

Walking - 90.2 miles (3mi/day average. Range of 0-6.3mi/day)
(Total miles since 4/1/21=204)

Peloton - 357.5 miles (11.9mi/day average. Range of 5.9-19.5mi/day)
(Total miles since 4/1/21=728)

Down from 48/50 pants size to 42/44. Shirts have gone from 3X to 2X and some XL ones fit as well. Gym shorts I was wearing 3XL and am now wearing “Large”.

Just got rid of three trash bags full of “Fat” clothes to Goodwill. I have been buying clothes at the thrift store for the first time in my life as it seems silly to buy “new” when I am expecting to go down at least another size or two over the next few months. My wife has been very supportive, and is constantly making comments on the “new” me.


I was hoping to hit 250 this month, but came up short. Still happy with the progress I am making though.

At 258lbs, I have lost 24.7% of my starting weight and have achieved 55.2% of my goal to lose 154lbs. I weighed 190 or so (15lbs over weight standard) when I got out of the Marines in June 1990, and ballooned up to about 220 pretty quick (within 6-8 months). My guess is by the end of 1991 I was 230+ and likely went over 250lbs in 1994, 260+ probably in 1995.

That means I am now, even at 258lbs, the least I have weighed in 26 years. Pretty amazed with the progress I am making and am really looking forward to being able to say ”I’ve lost over a hundred pounds” soon (16 lbs to go, 3-4 weeks). Then I can focus on gettin UNDER 200.

Staying motivated, working hard.

My wife and I started on July 16th. We weigh in each Friday. As of Friday the 30th my wife is down 8.0 lbs and I am down 14.2 lbs.

We cut out all refined carbs and anything with added sugar. We are eating fruit. And I am still drinking a sports drink w/ sugar on my hard two hour bike rides. Despite this, we are both in ketosis.

I have lost about 1 lb. / day for the past five days. It's easy to do -- had a couple teeth extracted. I really don't feel much like eating. Some yogurt, some fruit juice (mostly grapefruit, natural, no sugar added), some home-brewed Jewish penicillin (chicken soup with matzoh balls).

Gonna start today guys. I've been slacking a lot lately due to personal issues.

I move back stateside in 90 days and I want to see what I can do before then.

Keep me honest and I'll keep updating.

quote:

Originally posted by holdem:
My wife and I started on July 16th. We weigh in each Friday. As of Friday the 30th my wife is down 8.0 lbs and I am down 14.2 lbs.

We cut out all refined carbs and anything with added sugar. We are eating fruit. And I am still drinking a sports drink w/ sugar on my hard two hour bike rides. Despite this, we are both in ketosis.

Off to a great start holdem! Friday is my “official” weekly weigh in as well. Great support working on it together with your spouse.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
I have lost about 1 lb. / day for the past five days. It's easy to do -- had a couple teeth extracted. I really don't feel much like eating. Some yogurt, some fruit juice (mostly grapefruit, natural, no sugar added), some home-brewed Jewish penicillin (chicken soup with matzoh balls).

Hey, whatever works!

quote:

Originally posted by OttoSig:
Gonna start today guys. I've been slacking a lot lately due to personal issues.

I move back stateside in 90 days and I want to see what I can do before then.

Keep me honest and I'll keep updating.

Welcome to the thread OttoSig! Lots of good info in previous pages, it has really helped me as I’ve been working on this challenge. If you haven’t already, I’d suggest reading the whole thread.

Check in with progress and let us know what is or isn’t working for you. Looking forward to return to CONUS?

quote:

Originally posted by jcsabolt2:
For about the past three months I have put myself on a strict diet. In the Winter of 2020 I damn near thought I was having a heart attack. For the record, I'm 49 years old. My blood pressure was through the roof at 190/150, normal for me has always been around 120's/mid-80's since high school. After seeing a cardiologist and getting a clean bill of health concerning my heart, stress test, etc. I decided I was going to make some serious changes.

My problem, who to listen to? I was getting conflicting advice from "professionals" all over the place and the help I was asking for from my doctors I was NOT getting. I turned to YouTube and found Dr. Eric Berg and his Healthy Keto. I knew I ate too many carbs, but didn't realize how many until for a week I kept track of it and then knew I had a real problem.

Berg's version of Keto is stupid easy to follow. You eat 2 meals a day, breakfast and dinner, 1/2 your plate is veggies, 1/4 meat, 1/4 fats. Honestly, I tweak this a bit and allow myself to eat things that grow naturally such as fruits, but I don't eat them in excess and I don't eat them every day.

BEFORE
Weight: 273 lbs
Waist: 46"
Shirt: 17"-18" or XXL

AFTER 3 MONTHS, 57 lbs LOST
Weight: 216 lbs
Waist: 38" and pants are a little loose
Shirt: 15" and its really loose, L is kind of big

For the record, I weighed 220 lbs in HS and 204 lbs after my freshman year in college and have weighed over 200 lbs since the sixth grade and have been the same height since about the six grade. My goal is to hit 180 lbs. It may take me another 6-12 months, but I don't care...slow and steady wins the race.

I went shopping today with my wife and son for a new suite, because I needed to. All my close just hang on off of me now. It was a good/bad reason. I have to bury who was my last remaining grandmother this coming Saturday. An entire generation lost in my family. I'll never get use to this.

For anyone who things you can't do this, YOU ARE WRONG! You CAN DO THIS! I strongly recommend watching Dr. Berg's YouTube channel. I have learned so much about nutrition and how your body reacts to certain things, some of those things that are keeping you fat. If you have time to drink a cup of coffee, you have time to watch one of his videos in the morning along with it.

Good job, congrats!!!!
I did exactly the same thing, on March 4 (my 60th birthday) I was disappointed in how I looked & felt and started a Keto diet.

Along with Dr Eric Berg I followed Dr Ken Berry on YouTube.
I’ve lost over 50lbs and am at my target weight.

Within 2 weeks of starting the diet ALL of my ailments disappeared, blood pressure dropped significantly.

At 3 months into it I had my regular checkup and my doctor described my blood work as phenomenal.

I highly recommend Keto.
https://youtu.be/d6yobs_gO00

As of this week, there is “officially” over 100 pounds less of me than existed just 20 weeks ago.

243.4 lbs from a start of 344. Hit my 100 lb goal three weeks ahead of projection and my new target is breaking 200 lbs for the first time since 1990.

I’ve been aiming for 4-5 pounds a week, dialing it back to 3-4 pounds a week target now, so that means I am looking about mid-November if I stay on track.



Just a quick recap of the work involved to this point, 257 miles walked, 1033 miles on the Peloton/bicycle. So far in August I’m averaging 3 miles a day walking and 16 miles a day on the Peloton/bike (mostly Peloton)

Average calories a day are about 1300, going to start working the average up to about 1500 now. For the month of August I have been averaging 98 carb grams/day.

Energy level is high and staying motivated. Can’t wait to get to the finish line!

I did not do well in July. Got married and went to Costa Rica and it’s been a big long party. Went up 10 lbs to 209. Back on track now and down to 204. But I want to stay under 200 permanently. That probably means 190 is my goal.

quote:

Originally posted by 911Boss:
As of this week, there is “officially” over 100 pounds less of me than existed just 20 weeks ago.

That is awesome! Congrats!

So many great stories and success in here! Keep it up, healthy diet(whichever works for you)and weight is the best long term plan! Love to read about all of the life changes.