I was always a skinny kid. That stopped in adulthood and by my mid 20's I've been packing on weight, all of which went to my midsection.
at 5'9" I approached almost 195 pounds on the scale. Doesn't sound big most of it is fat...

I ate pizza, McDonald's, Wendy's, takeout several times a week. Sometimes I'd get a big mac from McDonald's 4 times a week after work, drive thru, eat it in the car, go home and sit on the computer.
I also loved bourbon, cocktails, whatever. Could polish off a bottle in a weekend.
Lots of carbs in my food, whatever.

I did do a little exercise and whatnot and brought my weight down to about 185-186 pounds but I'd eat it back up.

October 30 I go into the doctor's office and see my bloodwork from m last test isn't as normal like it always is.
That really freaked me out. And I got pissed at myself. I said, I've had enough.

It's now January 26 2018, and I honest to God have not gone to a McDonald's or Wendy's or anything. I have gone from going several times a week to ZERO times in almost 3 months. I have cut down the number of times I eat out by maybe 90%. I don't eat out on weekdays - only on weekends and much healthier choices.

I have significantly reduced my alcohol intake, say no to sweets and bad snacks, eat much healthier and I have started working out like crazy.
My workout is primarily rowing. I have an indoor rowing machine and I currently aim to row 6,000 meters a day at least 4-5 days of the week. I also briskly walk for 25 minutes or so on my lunch break at work.


As a result...
I peaked about 195...I was 185 in late October 2017. By the end of 2017, I was around 172 pounds. I am now about 167 pounds.
I have lost about 3.5 inches from my stomach.

My size 36" waist dress pants for work that used to fit me a little snug, will literally fall straight to the ground now from the weight of my cell phone in my pocket if I unbuckle my belt.
The 34" waist pants I had that I had to suck in my gut to put on, started to fit me again...and then they became too big.
My jeans, which are 32-33" waist are too big now and i have to keep hitching them up.

My face is a lot narrower and more more muscular, from being round and "puffy" looking.
My shirts hang off me now and look as if I bought the wrong size.
I have a lot more energy and less fatigue, pain. Mentally I feel more with it.

This was NOT easy. I sweated my ass off, I refused cake and sweets and donuts at work, I had to completely change my lifestyle. I made some serious sacrifices.
But I absolutely did it.
And I still have some flab on my midsection I need to take care of.

If you're too heavy and you want to fix it, DO IT! You don't need a fancy ass fad diet or program, just smart health choices and get moving.
I don't know the first thing about "fitness science" or whatever, but I was able to really transform the way I feel and look and my energy.

congrats

Well done Acid!

Congratulations it's something special really. You can quit smoking, you can quit drinking but you can't quit eating.

Way to go!

Congrats, I have to do the same thing...Thanks for the motivation

Kick ass!
My wife and I have been hitting it hard lately also.

Good for you. It is hard.

Agree with everything you posted. Thank you for sharing. I went though a very similar experience. I was 6'3" and 245+ lbs. Dr. told me I was fat and at risk of diabetes. I vowed to change immediately. Cut out sweets and suger, reduce carb intake, ate more greens and quality protein and significantly picked up my exercise...lots of walking and mountain biking at about 40 miles a week. I'm now at below 220 lbs and have lost 3 inches from my waistline but know I can do more. The winter weather and lack of daylight has reduced my exercise some but I plan to hit it hard again real soon! Targeting my weight at less than 210!

Good work. Stay healthy.

Excellent work and noteworthy for anyone in the same situation.

Borat say, "Me liiiieeke"...

Thank you for the motivation.

Each year, I pick up a couple of pounds over the holidays and lose them in January. This year I picked up five. January is almost gone, and the pounds aren't. Time for me to get off my @$$.

Wow, you're such a loser.

(Hey, keep it up )

Working out takes a relatively short period of motivation, discipline and focus.
Eating right takes 24-7-365 of the same.
Life style changes!!!!
Congrats and keep fighting the good fight.
Every day.

Nice job Acid!

Strong work, Acid!!

Good for you for the determination and willpower.

The real test, however is back sliding, and abandoning your previous goals, it does't take long for a setback.

I am not trying to diminish what you have done. I , myself am not overweight, but need to quit eating out as much, mainly for blood pressure reasons.

I admire what you have realized and done for yourself.

Well done! No work hard to stay this way.

quote:

Originally posted by Sunset_Va:
Good for you for the determination and willpower.

The real test, however is back sliding, and abandoning your previous goals, it does't take long for a setback.

I am not trying to diminish what you have done. I , myself am not overweight, but need to quit eating out as much, mainly for blood pressure reasons.

I admire what you have realized and done for yourself.

It's true - the maintenance part is brutal, as complacency is the killer. People will force food on you "you're too skinny - eat this donut"
People at work always eat cake on birthdays. They don't like it when I refuse, like I'm not part of the team.

I gotta hold my ground.
Also, I tried to cut out liquor completely and I realized it didn't work. I was gonna break down, because I enjoy a bourbon here and there. So I just severely limited it and still indulged and I still lost weight.

I've found now that i have cut a lot of sugars out...things are TOO DAMN SWEET! I can't stand it.
I can't eat a candy bar any more.

Some really easy snacks for people instead of sweets:

-Smoothie with protein powder, milk, Greek plain yogurt, a banana or frozen blueberries
-Frozen blueberries and cottage cheese
-Plain Greek yogurt
-Pistachios or almonds

What keeps me going too, is when I see a person from work I haven't seen in a while from my old office and they go "holy! You have lost a lot of weight!"