60 lbs in 3 months

Robertus

Quick update. I am now officially in Onederland.

Robertus

24.83 BMI. I'm no longer overweight according to the BMI. Yay. At one point that was my goal, but now it is only a milestone. I still have to figure out what my so-called 'ideal weight' should be. I'll go down in 5-lb increments and see what that looks like in the mirror, and then at some point I'll start eating at a surplus to put on more muscle. I suspect my 'ideal weight' will increase slowly as muscle is added. The real goals will be fitness and performance based. Whatever weight helps me achieve my current fitness goal. Form follows function.

strong_curves

999tigger wrote: »

So on plenty of days you believe in eating less than 1000 calories. How is that an inspiration for all the young women with poor body image and those desperate to lose weight. I have reservations that losing at 5lb a week is realistic for many people especially when safe suggested rates are 1-2lb a week. Congrats on losing that amount, but I hope people dont get frustrated that they are unable to lose at your rate or follow your example in terms of severe calorie deficit. Rather than inspire id be more concerned that plenty of desperate people try and follow your example.

*co-signs*

fitby44

Congratulations!!!!

Tailgater75

I'm setting a goal for 10 lbs a months. The only thing about losing weight too quick that worries me is loose skin. I don't want to look like I need an upper body circumcision and have a new set of problems. I started at 270 and am currently 248 for the first time in at least 8 years.

I no expert at losing weight, in fact losing my current 22 lbs is the only success I've ever had at it. But I hope this works for you and you enjoy your results. Enjoy the new you!

Hulbert0089

Great job my man! I too am motivated to get this done after too many false starts. Down 30 in 2 months driven primarily by problems with my back. I've been walking 10-20k steps every day and am tracking everything. Still allowing myself freedoms to live life an have nights off to be followed by getting back in the saddle and getting plenty of exercise. Just got in from a long walk and sitting back right now with a beer and some peanuts watching the Stanley Cup finals.

Tailgater75

Hulbert0089 wrote: »

Great job my man! I too am motivated to get this done after too many false starts. Down 30 in 2 months driven primarily by problems with my back. I've been walking 10-20k steps every day and am tracking everything. Still allowing myself freedoms to live life an have nights off to be followed by getting back in the saddle and getting plenty of exercise. Just got in from a long walk and sitting back right now with a beer and some peanuts watching the Stanley Cup finals.

Go Blackhawks!!!!!

Robertus

pbradtke75 wrote: »

I'm setting a goal for 10 lbs a months. The only thing about losing weight too quick that worries me is loose skin. I don't want to look like I need an upper body circumcision and have a new set of problems. I started at 270 and am currently 248 for the first time in at least 8 years.

I no expert at losing weight, in fact losing my current 22 lbs is the only success I've ever had at it. But I hope this works for you and you enjoy your results. Enjoy the new you!

Thanks, Good luck with your goals. The key for me has been prioritizing increasing fitness. Most of my work-outs have been long-distance swimming, which involves constantly stretching the core, which might explain why I have not had any problems with loose skin. After about 75 lbs of loss, I was just beginning to see the beginnings of what might become some loose skin, but I had also not swam for 10 days at that point because I was resting a sore elbow.

Liftng4Lis

Awesome work,.

Robertus

So I created a chart to show my journey to the milestone of no longer being overweight. 78 lbs in 160 days or 23 weeks or 5 months and 1 week:



I've been maintaining (more or less) for the past month and plan on losing 2 lbs in July to get to 190. Then I'll try 185 and see what that feels like, etc.

As anticipated, it has been a challenge to find a proper balance for maintaining after losing weight relatively quickly. My body is definitely tempting me to binge eat, especially after a couple of drinks.

A friend of mine who has also lost 60+ lbs made a comment that made me think. He said that it is good to take a break from weight loss because especially fast weight loss is such a stress on the body, that I will need to let my body recover. So I am really not tied to a time table any more. I was going to try to get to 185 by the end of July, but my managed care health coach suggested maybe only losing 2 lbs instead of 7 by the end of July.

In terms of fitness goals, I did swim 5 miles nonstop on Memorial Day and have biked to work several times (28 miles). My shoulder/elbow is complaining about the swimming and my ankle (fused joints) is complaining about the biking so I am not pushing too hard. Basically took a month off from swimming because I am determined to not let the shoulder/elbow issue become a chronic injury.

347Gigi

Wow! Fantastic work!

elvensnow

Can I just say I hate men and how much easier they lose? =P

Well, if it's working for you that's great. I would only suggest keeping track of body fat% and muscle% -- since you're doing a LOT of cardio but little weights, you could be losing more muscle than intended. I mean, exercise is better than no exercise and all, but I'd still be a little careful at this point. You might want to add in some strength training.

Obviously that's just my 2 cents. If you like what you're doing then that's cool. Not everything works for all people, but glad it's going well for you. Personally I think it's a little extreme, but it sounds like you know that! So to each their own.

creationscrown

Chrysalid2014 wrote: »

999tigger wrote: »

So on plenty of days you believe in eating less than 1000 calories. How is that an inspiration for all the young women with poor body image and those desperate to lose weight. I have reservations that losing at 5lb a week is realistic for many people especially when safe suggested rates are 1-2lb a week. Congrats on losing that amount, but I hope people dont get frustrated that they are unable to lose at your rate or follow your example in terms of severe calorie deficit. Rather than inspire id be more concerned that plenty of desperate people try and follow your example.

He's not responsible for what young women with poor body image or other desperate people choose to do.

This^

creationscrown

Incredible. This is one of the most well written and explained success stories I have ever read and I find it ASTOUNDING that some people still find room in their hearts for negative feedback. Clearly by the way this was written, this man knows what HE needs and shared it for others who may be "like minded". I used to love perusing the success stories for inspiration but the negative responses are beginning to weigh heavy on my heart. I have loved MFP because it is a place for individual goal setting and results. That is what makes it such a fun place to find support. Sir, I applaud you for finding what works for your body and achieving a goal you have set for yourself. I am sure your family and friends are very proud of your ability to do so. Keep up the good work of fine tuning what is right for you!

creationscrown

jonnie256 wrote: »

I wanted to do this same type of thing to lose 60lbs in 3 months. I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do it and to see what a determined and focused mind could do. This what you have done is a great inspiration to me! Ignore all the nay-sayers and just stay focused on your goals and aspirations man.

Love this^

Robertus

elvensnow wrote: »

Can I just say I hate men and how much easier they lose? =P

Well, if it's working for you that's great. I would only suggest keeping track of body fat% and muscle% -- since you're doing a LOT of cardio but little weights, you could be losing more muscle than intended. I mean, exercise is better than no exercise and all, but I'd still be a little careful at this point. You might want to add in some strength training.

Obviously that's just my 2 cents. If you like what you're doing then that's cool. Not everything works for all people, but glad it's going well for you. Personally I think it's a little extreme, but it sounds like you know that! So to each their own.

I was doing more strength previously, but with the sore elbow/shoulder/arm, I only do some legs and core strength training at present. I do loosely keep track of body fat percentage, but I don't particularly like it as a goal since it implies that fat is bad, but it is not, it has evolved as the body's natural way of storing energy for times of need. Don't get me wrong, I'm as vain as the next guy so I do want to still lose some body fat, but I think of resting heart rate as a much better measure of health and fitness goal. Want to get it back down to the 40s. Last time I checked, I was in the mid-50s.

Robertus

So, just checking in after a year of maintenance to say, 'hi!'.

A few ups and downs, happily more downs than ups, weight wise. At first I tried to maintain without keeping track of calories. Instead I was going to just weight myself every day, but I stopped doing that too. Not sure why. Maybe I just forgot. I will try again at some point to maintain without keeping track of calories, but for now I am again keeping track of everything I eat. Not trying to keep to a set number of calories every day, but just trying to be very conscious of the amount I'm eating in general. Without that, I have a tendency to overeat more regularly than I should. Especially after a couple of drinks.

Blood pressure is normal without medication. Cholesterol is 155, but I won't know until my next check-up if my HDL levels have risen. I've managed to avoid my shoulder/elbow issues becoming a chronic injury by swimming less frequently. I don't really like swimming shorter distances so I still do 2- and 3-mile swims but only a couple of times of week. Love the endorphins! I bought a new bike and have added in a lot of biking to make up for less frequent swimming. Love being outside on the bike, but it is just too cold in the winter months in New Jersey so I also do more walking. I basically try to walk wherever I go whenever feasible and a couple of colleagues and I walk a couple of miles most days during lunch time. Making the lifestyle change permanent.

Good luck to you all!

Robertus

Robertus wrote: »

... Blood pressure is normal without medication. Cholesterol is 155, but I won't know until my next check-up if my HDL levels have risen. ...

So last year it only took a few months of diet and exercise to bring my overall cholesterol way down, but my HDL (the good cholesterol) was still low. Just had my yearly check up this week, and I'm happy to report that it is now raised to the healthy range. Exercise can raise HDL.

Serah87 wrote: »

... You are eating most of the time less then 1200 calories, according to your diary!! As a man you should be eating way more then that. Your poor heart!!

Because I had pulmonary embolisms in the past, my pulmonologist PCP has me get an echocardiogram every couple of years. Happy to report that my heart is in great shape. Average resting heart rate (RHR) is 41.

Namdier

That graph is like a ski slope of success! Great job Robertus!

the_new_mark_2017

Mate - 60lbs and you come out looking like a dead-ringer for Sean Connery - I need to get on this type of regime