290 to 178 in 10 Months! (w/photos)
DogRiverDude
Posts: 433 Member
"This",… sharing details about my 10-month weight loss journey is NOT something I typically do, especially in a public forum! But a wonderful friend recently reminded me that sometimes I have to put myself "out there", so here I am! I'm not here to brag or boast; instead my purpose is to encourage/motivate just ONE person to do this… to jump in with both feet!
On January 3, 2015 I weighed 290 pounds. My health was failing; blood pressure was through the roof and daily headaches were commonplace. My fitness level and quality of life sucked (for lack of a better word). At 290 pounds I struggled to do much of anything, let alone exercise! Even sleeping was uncomfortable; snoring (because of my weight) caused me to awake in the morning with awful headaches! It was time to lose weight.
Initially I thought that 250 would be a great starting goal. Hey… for the past 30 years I weighed at least 250 so it sounded like a reasonable number to me. During the first 3 months I only lost 15 pounds. Although I was trying to eat healthy, I wasn't tracking my food and was getting a little frustrated with my results.
On March 25, at 275 pounds, I joined MFP and as they say, the rest is history. When you're diligent and (a) faithfully/accurately log your food intake and (b) remain below your calorie goal, you WILL lose weight!
Over the course 7 months I ate EXTREMELY healthy grossing 1200-1400 calories / day. I exercised very little in the beginning (mostly due to lack of motivation and inability) BUT, as the pounds dropped and I saw success on the scale, I found myself exercising more frequency until it became a daily occurrence a few weeks in.
I followed NO DIET PLAN except what made sense to me! I ate mostly whole fruits and vegetables along with lean protein (typically, chicken breast, pork tenderloin, and fish). I made substitutions where possible such as Almond Milk in place of traditional milk, and eliminated virtually all processed food from my diet! I even tried to make my own Almond Milk but found it to be a huge pain in the *kitten*, and OMG… what a mess!
One of the largest factors for me was cooking large quantities of food on the weekend. By having wholesome, hearty food available in the fridge during my busy work week, I had NO EXCUSE but to eat healthy. I also kept fresh (and frozen) fruit on hand for a quick snack. It's surprising how great fruit tastes after a couple months of avoiding junk food!
I never believed in "cheat days" however I did take two vacations over the 10-month period that set me back a little bit. That said, I was able to get back on track immediately which helped immensely.
Goals? As the pounds disappeared I kept lowering my goal… 250, 225, 210, 200, 190, 185, and finally 180… After 10 months I dropped below my ultimate goal and nobody was more surprised than me! 112 pounds in 10 months with a waist reduction of 46" to 30"… I didn't even think that was possible! I've been fluctuating between 178-182 for the past 6 weeks and I'm satisfied with my current weight. I began weight training when I hit my ultimate goal in hopes that I could tone up, if just a little. I'll never be that "ripped 20-year old" BUT, I'm happy with my progress so far! Blood pressure is normal, I'm sleeping great and have no health issues whatsoever. I even passed a comprehensive Life Insurance medical with flying colors last month!
MFP Friends? Look for friends with a positive attitude that have similar goals to you and are serious & dedicated about losing weight (or maintaining as the case may be). Share (healthy) recipes, stories of diet, fitness and exercise, what works for you and, what doesn't work for you. Work with your friends… inspire and motivate each other. You really don't need hundreds of random acquaintances. A small number of close friends has served me well during my weight loss process and we continue to inspire and motivate each other to remain fit.
It's important however to remember WHY you're losing (or maintaining) weight… for YOURSELF! MFP friends will come and go. Maybe, if you're lucky, one may even play an integral role in your success but… NO MFP friend can prevent you from making poor eating choices. The occasional treat is fine but, if you're getting close to your daily calorie goal, please stop for a second and reconsider that "caramel/cheese popcorn" before eating it! The decision to eat healthy is ultimately yours and ONLY yours. If you think about yourself first, you don't have to look… happiness and success will find you!
I wish nothing but the very best to everyone and your weight loss journey. Any goal IS achievable, you just gotta believe and jump in with both feet! Weight loss is NOT hard work BUT does require dedication and devotion. If just one person finds this inspirational, my only hope is that it's "YOU"!
D.
On January 3, 2015 I weighed 290 pounds. My health was failing; blood pressure was through the roof and daily headaches were commonplace. My fitness level and quality of life sucked (for lack of a better word). At 290 pounds I struggled to do much of anything, let alone exercise! Even sleeping was uncomfortable; snoring (because of my weight) caused me to awake in the morning with awful headaches! It was time to lose weight.
Initially I thought that 250 would be a great starting goal. Hey… for the past 30 years I weighed at least 250 so it sounded like a reasonable number to me. During the first 3 months I only lost 15 pounds. Although I was trying to eat healthy, I wasn't tracking my food and was getting a little frustrated with my results.
On March 25, at 275 pounds, I joined MFP and as they say, the rest is history. When you're diligent and (a) faithfully/accurately log your food intake and (b) remain below your calorie goal, you WILL lose weight!
Over the course 7 months I ate EXTREMELY healthy grossing 1200-1400 calories / day. I exercised very little in the beginning (mostly due to lack of motivation and inability) BUT, as the pounds dropped and I saw success on the scale, I found myself exercising more frequency until it became a daily occurrence a few weeks in.
I followed NO DIET PLAN except what made sense to me! I ate mostly whole fruits and vegetables along with lean protein (typically, chicken breast, pork tenderloin, and fish). I made substitutions where possible such as Almond Milk in place of traditional milk, and eliminated virtually all processed food from my diet! I even tried to make my own Almond Milk but found it to be a huge pain in the *kitten*, and OMG… what a mess!
One of the largest factors for me was cooking large quantities of food on the weekend. By having wholesome, hearty food available in the fridge during my busy work week, I had NO EXCUSE but to eat healthy. I also kept fresh (and frozen) fruit on hand for a quick snack. It's surprising how great fruit tastes after a couple months of avoiding junk food!
I never believed in "cheat days" however I did take two vacations over the 10-month period that set me back a little bit. That said, I was able to get back on track immediately which helped immensely.
Goals? As the pounds disappeared I kept lowering my goal… 250, 225, 210, 200, 190, 185, and finally 180… After 10 months I dropped below my ultimate goal and nobody was more surprised than me! 112 pounds in 10 months with a waist reduction of 46" to 30"… I didn't even think that was possible! I've been fluctuating between 178-182 for the past 6 weeks and I'm satisfied with my current weight. I began weight training when I hit my ultimate goal in hopes that I could tone up, if just a little. I'll never be that "ripped 20-year old" BUT, I'm happy with my progress so far! Blood pressure is normal, I'm sleeping great and have no health issues whatsoever. I even passed a comprehensive Life Insurance medical with flying colors last month!
MFP Friends? Look for friends with a positive attitude that have similar goals to you and are serious & dedicated about losing weight (or maintaining as the case may be). Share (healthy) recipes, stories of diet, fitness and exercise, what works for you and, what doesn't work for you. Work with your friends… inspire and motivate each other. You really don't need hundreds of random acquaintances. A small number of close friends has served me well during my weight loss process and we continue to inspire and motivate each other to remain fit.
It's important however to remember WHY you're losing (or maintaining) weight… for YOURSELF! MFP friends will come and go. Maybe, if you're lucky, one may even play an integral role in your success but… NO MFP friend can prevent you from making poor eating choices. The occasional treat is fine but, if you're getting close to your daily calorie goal, please stop for a second and reconsider that "caramel/cheese popcorn" before eating it! The decision to eat healthy is ultimately yours and ONLY yours. If you think about yourself first, you don't have to look… happiness and success will find you!
I wish nothing but the very best to everyone and your weight loss journey. Any goal IS achievable, you just gotta believe and jump in with both feet! Weight loss is NOT hard work BUT does require dedication and devotion. If just one person finds this inspirational, my only hope is that it's "YOU"!
D.
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Replies
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Congrats! That is a huge success. Way to go!1
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Wow. That's incredible in 10 months. Good for you! I got 60 to loose. Wish me luck!2
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Really amazing job. You look so young and happy after losing that amount of weight. Your story is very motivational. I recently started a similar journey (started around 297, and trying to get to ultimately get to around 185). Your story is very reassuring. Thank you for sharing and congratulations on your success.2
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Amazing job!1
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Thank you for sharing you story with us. And congrats to you on such tremendous success. Your happiness really shines through in your latest pics.1
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Thank you Superman(?), looks like you're getting close to goal yourself!clarkkent4523 wrote: »Congrats! That is a huge success. Way to go!1 -
Great job! Quick question, what type of exercise did you eventually start doing? Was it cardio, weights aka strength training, etc. Thanks.2
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You look awesome did you hit any plateaus?
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wonderful- this is excellent!1
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Spadesheart wrote: »Wow. That's incredible in 10 months. Good for you! I got 60 to loose. Wish me luck!
Thank you Spades! Do you know what... you really can do this! It's difficult at first, breaking old habits and such, but once you get into a routine it becomes SO much easier! I wish you all the luck my fellow Canuck!
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sanjay_says wrote: »Really amazing job. You look so young and happy after losing that amount of weight. Your story is very motivational. I recently started a similar journey (started around 297, and trying to get to ultimately get to around 185). Your story is very reassuring. Thank you for sharing and congratulations on your success.
Thank you so much Sanjay! Yes, definitely happier the last few months! It looks like you have a great start yourself. Keep up your dedication and you'll breeze to your goal!1 -
Super awesome job, you look great!1
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Fantastic work. You look so much younger too. I bet people who haven't seen you in a while don't even recognize you. Great story. Great attitude. Great commitment. Thank you for sharing. Very inspirational.1
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MalkinMagic71 wrote: »Amazing job!
Thank you MM71! I see you're doing the same thing as me (setting smaller goals). You're SO close to goal #1... super awesome! One day at a time.
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foreverslim1111 wrote: »Thank you for sharing you story with us. And congrats to you on such tremendous success. Your happiness really shines through in your latest pics.
My pleasure really, and thank you! I'm really a different person these last few months and feeling happy for the first time in many years!
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ctmike1980 wrote: »Great job! Quick question, what type of exercise did you eventually start doing? Was it cardio, weights aka strength training, etc. Thanks.
Thank you and great question! Up until 6 weeks ago I did exclusively Cardio (treadmill, walking, and some running). The treadmill was slow going at first; 2.8 mph at a 2° incline for 30 minutes was about all I could manage! As the weight dropped I increased both speed and incline and now can walk 3.5 at 12° with the same effort. I "tried" some calisthenics (sit-ups, push-ups) early on but when "2" was my maximum number of push-ups I didn't see much point. Today (with weight training) 60+ push-ups per minute is effortless. In hindsight... I wish I would have mixed in some weight training with my Cardio early on but, it is what it is lol... I'm doubling down on weight training today :-)4 -
Very inspirational. Thank you for sharing. I get up and read these success stories threads every morning. It motivates me.2
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You look awesome did you hit any plateaus?
Thanks and good question! I DID hit plateaus but not until I got within 20 pounds of my ultimate goal. Typically they'd only last 5-7 days, which may not sound like very long BUT, at the rate I was losing seemed pretty significant. I stayed the course and everything turned out great :-)
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Wow. Look what you accomplished!
Thanks for the pictures.1 -
Incredible! I'm so happy to have been a part of your journey and to call you a friend!! You've come so far! Truly inspiring.1
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Awesome I loved reading this I can't wait to reach my goal1
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IILikeToMoveItMoveIt wrote: »Super awesome job, you look great!
Why thank you!!! AND... "un"thank you because I have this "certain" song stuck in my head hehe!
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bhokanson2015 wrote: »Fantastic work. You look so much younger too. I bet people who haven't seen you in a while don't even recognize you. Great story. Great attitude. Great commitment. Thank you for sharing. Very inspirational.
Thank you for your comments!! The jury is out on looking younger lol BUT yeah... friends and acquaintances either (a) don't recognize me or (b) wonder if I'm sick hehe. When I say I've been eating healthy and exercising they say I look great AND, that I should wear a T-Shirt that says "No! I am NOT sick!" (Bugg-ers lol)
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that's incredible1
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mellowadam wrote: »Very inspirational. Thank you for sharing. I get up and read these success stories threads every morning. It motivates me.
Thank you, my pleasure! It looks like we have similar stories. You've made your own incredible strides and you're so close to goal! Good luck with the heavy lifting... it took me a while to, err, not-not like it
but it's not all that bad now!
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Amazing! Congratulations I definitely needed to read this, talk about perfect timing! Thank you for sharing your story with us. 1
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Brilliant loss, well done!1
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Wow!! You've done an amazing job - Well done!!1
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What an amazing accomplishment. Ten months out of a lifetime isn't all that long and you really made a huge difference in that time period. Congrats and thanks for the inspiration.1
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