So when is this amazing feeling supposed to kick in?

CyberEd312

This is a picture of me at 436 lbs. and if you can tell the look on my face I was still absolutely feeling no accomplishments but that was on the inside on the surface what everybody else was boosting about was the fact I had lost 124 lbs. when this picture was taken. Speaking of which this was the first picture I aloud my wife to take of me to start documenting my weight loss. She took one picture without me knowing it the week I started this journey back...

At 560 here:



and today coming up on my 4 year anniversary in a few weeks and dropping 312 lbs. and having 17 lbs. of skin removed this past September, you would think I would be walking on cloud 9 singing from the top of the mountain. But in fact I still have demons (food addictions, self worth issues, still seeing the fat guy in the mirror, learning to live in maintenance, etc, etc...) The list goes on.... This is life, do I not take the little things for granted anymore like walking (yes at 560 lbs. I was homebound for over 2 years before I finally had that AHA moment, do I stop to watch those birds sing and the ducks in the pond or just feel the morning Sun shine upon my face to name a few things, the answer is most definitely yes...) but it doesn't change the fact I still have life issues I deal with and fight my demons everyday but you know what the common solace is in all of this... I Am Alive!!! had I not changed my way I would have more than likely of been dead today so I Thank God everyday for a second chance at life and I tell him every morning that I will not waste this gift he has given me.... So you may not see the divine glory in the grand scheme of things now or ever but you have to come to the point where you can say I am so worth it, I deserve more for myself, and I will be happy with who I am no matter how or what that may be... Take it one day at a time and keep up the good fight... You have done Awesome so far...... Best of Luck to you......

susannamarie

With respect to the energy, I would agree that maybe you're going at a little too much of a cut.

It will take longer to lose, but you might try eating back some more of your exercise calories and seeing if it makes you feel less crappy.

beachlover317

Listen to Ed. He is amazing. No matter our size, we ALL feel bad some days. We all have days when no matter how hard we push ourselves, we still see the fat person in the mirror. Listen to Ed. It is so worth it to keep going. I hope you do.

JackWolfgangLloyd

Visit somebody you haven't seen since before January, you feel like nothing has changed because to everyone else nothing really has. If people see you everyday they don't notice the changes as they happen so gradually. So meet up with someone you haven't seen in a while and pay attention to any comments they make on your appearance, if they don't mention anything at first, then ask them if they notice a difference.

jennielou75

I have read all the replies so far and there is a lot of truth in them. I still have my days when all can see is how far I still have to go. Then I have to have a talk with myself. The problem is that the world does not change as the weight goes, just your ability to deal with what it is going to throw at you. That is why I keep all my records to remind myself of what I have achieved so far.

The most important thing is not to let this stop you, don't give up, don't let it win.

EvgeniZyntx

Why are you losing weight?

I think that is essential to understand before people can help you address that question.

On the health side, you've stated that you have healthy numbers and are healthy fat guy but you've had a heart attack - so your "numbers" aren't telling the full story.

For me, I feel amazing doing things - it isn't a specific number on a scale. It might be at it will kick n wen you can do great things with your children easily.

acidosaur

I’m 6” 7’ and have had such nicknames as I weighed 497 pounds, Did this till April, and weighing 471 pounds, Fast forward to now, i'm 65 pounds lighter…..and I feel no different. I still have no energy

so now you are around 400-410lb?

you are probably going to have to keep pushing through to start feeling better.

you are twice the weight you should be for your height, your BMI is 45, which is 20 points out from the 20-25 range, which means although you have done great so far, your body is still struggling with the extra 200 pounds. I'm pretty sure anyone would feel a but under the weather carrying that much around a day. your still at a weight that is very bad for your health to put it nicely.

just keep going man, you have done really awesomely well so far to get to where you are now, a lot of people would have just given up, so keep going, you will get there.

I agree with this.

Well done, seriously, on what you've achieved so far. Keep it going!

lacroyx

I didn't really feel like I had accomplished anything until I lost a little over 100 lbs. I'm 6'3 and started around the 470-485 range. I had a plethora of morbidly obese related health issues. High blood pressure, type II diabetes, high cholesterol and I was taking 6 different types of medications to control it all. I honestly didn't feel like I had done anything until a little over a year later when I finally improved enough that I got rid of all the problems and no longer needed to take medications.

torymichaels

Hey there.

1) Congrats on losing what you have so far. That's fantastic.
2) You say you're not feeling much better, despite the loss and you have great numbers.

Let me share a small story with you about the first time I started losing weight (10 years ago now, I went from a high of 365 that I know of in 2001, to 2003 when I was around 290). I lost 50 pounds over a summer (2003, from June to Octoberish), 290 down to 240. Everyone was asking "Don't you feel worlds better?" And I'd say maybe, but I didn't really feel any different, no more energy, no nothin'. Blood word, blood pressure, all pretty damned good. And then, as I was continuing to work on the problem, I passed out one day after work (turns out later we figured out I had a panic attack). When the EMTs got there, my heart rate was in the 40's. I was almost sent home from the hospital until the cardiologist on call said "Keep her overnight for observation." That overnight turned into a 9-day stay, during which time my heart rate steadily decreased until it was hovering somewhere around the upper 30s/lower 40's. I remember the EMTs who transferred me from the local county hospital to the big hospital in Portland, looking at the heart rate monitor and then at me, and then back at the monitor, and commenting, "We don't normally see 'that' heart rate with 'your' level of consciousness."

Honestly, I had no clue my heart rate was that slow, and I was functioning every day. Ultimately, I had a pace-maker installed during that 9-day hospital stint. The problem was based on a congenital heart defect I have, but the point of this is...you may well have something wrong that's not registering in blood work. After the pacer implant, my energy shot up, my carpal tunnel faded, and I got down to 199 (2007).

Unfortunately, then I stopped trying and managed to meander my way back to 295 again. ::sigh:: Stupid me. THIS time, however, as I'm losing it (with my pacemaker intact), I've felt my energy level shoot up just in losing the 38+ I've lost thus far.

So...you may not feel it yet, but you will. BUT, and this is a big but, don't assume everything is hunky dory just because of good blood work. You might well have a problem that's getting overlooked because they assume all your problems are from being overweight. My heart slowdown wasn't from my weight problem at ALL. And NO ONE caught it until the day I passed out.

So, sorry for the long post. Just wanted to offer a different perspective.

downsizinghoss

As far as the physical side. I am still on the way there myself. It gets better and better though, and there are fewer and fewer days that are painful. There are no clouds parting and angels singing though.

You will find that you will often not recognize those moments until AFTER they happen. You will get to the end of the day and think "Holy crap, my knees didn't fall off"

It becomes more about things that you don't notice than things that you do.

I was in a similar position. 528 pounds. pretty normal BP. Low cholesterol. etc. etc. technically healthy.

You will hit thresholds. There will feel like no change for months. Then in a week all of a sudden you feel smaller. You move easier.

then you get used to it and things get sore again. lol

No sudden moment though. Just gradually better.

downsizinghoss

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/downsizinghoss/view/the-things-we-don-t-notice-496652

cbeutler

It just takes time and consistent effort. For me it struck me one day after I was able to run a mile unbroken. It got me to thinking wow my life has really changed. And then looking back I saw all the changes. The thing is I started at 378 and lost 90 pounds before I had to buy a smaller size, and list 140 before I could see the difference. I started feeling better long before that.

My advice for what it is worth is add some cardio, outside if possible. It will suck, you will hate it. If you can only walk to the mailbox or halfway around the block start there. Do it 5-6 days a week. Build up to 4 miles walking a day with a longer walk once a week say 6 miles. Or get a fitbit and work up to 10000 steps. It may take a long time think 3-6 months. But it will help your success and elevate your mood.

For me the outside really helps me deal with depression. Which has clobbered me every time I tried to lose weight over the last 20 years.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/cbeutler
You can check out my blog. I wrote one called a funny thing happened on the way to the fourm. That addresses exactly what you are going through.

It gets better. Feel free to add me.

Ml,
Craig

JDBLY11

You just got to keep it up. You will feel a difference at some point. You are still big. Have you felt no difference in your ability to get around? I feel a difference and I have only lost 26 lbs so far and I am still 300 lbs. I can move so much easier and my mood is better. I can actually stand again and do things around the house. I am starting to grow out of my clothes and am in between a 2X and 3X. I feel so proud of myself and my husband is proud.

JDBLY11

Could it be because you are eating 2000 calories daily? I noticed that even when you work out you do not eat back your calories. It seems pretty low for someone with your weight and height.
Scoobie's says that your BMR is 3300, and TDEE for sedentary lifestyle is 4002. May be if you increase your calories to 2600 it could help to feel better. Also try to put more salad in your meals. It is like 20 calories per cup. Toss a can of tuna in oil on top and you have a low cal great meal.

Also, if you are alone in your working space, you can do any of the Leslie Sansone walk videos every night.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cE1jxDS3HY

That is definitely good advice. Eating 2000 calories when your TDEE is 4000 is going to make anyone super hungry, cranky, and miserable. I get super hungry when I go anywhere below 1000 calories under my TDEE.

Vailara

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/downsizinghoss/view/the-things-we-don-t-notice-496652

This is a very good post. I think we forget about these things, because they are just "normal". I was thinking about this thread today when I was walking up some stairs behind a woman who was quite a bit bigger than me. I could have skipped up the stairs, but slowed down because she was in front of me, and she reminded me of myself in the past when I'd try to walk up the stairs without showing that I was breathless, and worrying about holding back people behind me. That doesn't happen any more.