800 plus day consecutive streak logging in to MFP and 207 lbs lost!

durstybritt

Amazing, a true inspiration!! Real hard work pays off!

Tacklewasher

Please tell me you still go fishing. Nice Bass

staffordshire62

Tacklewasher wrote: »

Please tell me you still go fishing. Nice Bass

I sure do go fishing lol. Being obese like I was didn't stop me but made it difficult. I used to get winded casting my rod hehe

smile_laughter

Thank you for sharing your story - (I love bass fishing).

Is there a specific weight training routine you followed?

RogerToo

staffordshire62 wrote: »

Snipped

Hello to all MFP users!
I'm a 54 year old man who has had some tremendous health problems from years of abuse due to poor diet and an overall destructive lifestyle which included terrible nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle. Two and a half years ago , I was on 9 different medications with multiple health issues including depression and type 2 diabetes and I weighed 402 POUNDS at 5 foot 7. Within the past two and a half years I have managed to turn my life around and now, I am in better shape than I was in my 20s weighing in at 196 lbs.
Currently, I am on no medications and was able to successfully reversed my type 2 diabetes which I was on the threshold of at my last doctor's appointment weighing 402 pounds.
Currently my resting pulse rate is 52, A1C is 5.1, and cholesterol and blood pressure readings are perfect! Through a combination of good quality clean eating , and a wide variety of cardio exercise as well as weight training , I have found the key to a better lifestyle with no gimmicks, diets, or pay programs etc. I truly believe that the use of the My Fitness Pal app is the single most important tool in my arsenal because of all the quality information available, and I like the "accountability" which I derive from it. What I have achieved is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, but adapting to this type of Lifestyle is extremely rewarding, satisfying, and pays off better than anything a person could do for themselves especially at the age of over 50. I am a firm believer that an active healthy lifestyle combining consistency with exercise, and healthy food choices with the addition of food logging through MFP is a recipe for success. For long term results, these habits need to turn into a way of life.. Never say DIET.. It needs to be a healthy way of life with knowledge being the key to healthy choices. The first 2 fat pictures showed me at only around 335 lbs and I maxed out later at 402. One final thought... don't make too many lofty or aggressive goals at first because you might just set yourself up for failure so take it slow and gradually ease into your new lifestyle. For instance, I used to get out of breath just going to the refrigerator so I started walking around the block slowly. Each week I tried to go a little further until I was able to walk a mile or two and then I gradually started to jog a little bit. So the lesson learned here is to take it slow and have a plan but don't try to do too much at one time or you'll set yourself up for frustration and possible failure. I hope my success will help to motivate some other people who are in the same situation I was more than two-and-a-half years ago. Remember, the human body is amazing and it is possible even at the ripe old age of 54 to turn things around and allow yourself to heal naturally by just taking care of your health, gaining knowledge and making the right choices. I always remember one thing a friend of mine who used to be very heavy told me and I quote "nothing tastes as good as being thin and healthy feels"
Happy New Year to everyone and let's make 2017 the best and fit year of Our Lives. If anyone would like to contact me for specifics on what I have done or just need a little bit of inspiration , I would be more than happy to share some of my success tactics and secrets which aren't really secrets at all.
Chris

Hi Chris
Your story sounds so much like mine in many ways. I was at the brink of Needing medications for Diabetes and the same weight as Your peak weight, I also had trouble walking from the house to the car to go get more fast food I also started out walking to the corner after losing a few pounds to where I could go that far and I have worked my way up to 3 miles a day walking. The weight loss will come for everybody who eats a healthy mix of proteins, carbs AKA Fruit and Vegetables. I eat 12 ounces of vegetables a day, three pieces of fruit etc. I will admit that eating better costs more however. I have also reached a weight goal that I am happy with.
My BP, A1C and Cholesterol are also good now. The Doctor is happy as I am too. I can get out and around now.

Congratulations on Your huge Achievement
Roger

staffordshire62

cheryls1mx3 wrote: »

staffordshire62 wrote: »

cheryls1mx3 wrote: »

Wow amazing. I put on 54lbs after I had my son and habe had a success story before I got pregnant for the firdt time and everything you say I agree with. Especially not calling it a diet. What type of goals did you set yourself? Also how often did you go on the scales. I hope you dont mind but I added you on MFP

My initial goals were to lose weight and stop feeling sick and tired. After slow and steady weight loss, I started adjusting my goals towards fitness and heart health. I wanted to enter a 10k run which I did, and in. 2 months I am running my first half marathon. I started swimming about a year ago and have kept it up 2-3 times per week. As far as getting on the scale, I do it each Monday AM at the same time each week.

Thanks for the reply im focusing on 2lbs a week so by 20th July ill be back to what I was before I had Theodore. I go to college and study fotness health & nutrition so its half the battle. I started last week a goal of 2 x 1HR gym sessions a week. Do you think my goals are elaborate or do you think I should be mpre specific. Im going to get the weight off then set fitness goals

I think those goals are absolutely fine. I started working out about 2 times a week as well but I started to actually enjoy the gym and the people who I met at my gym and along the way as the weight started to slowly come off. Now I have gym Buddies wanting to work out with me and many times we plan in advance what we're going to do the next day or two. Over time I became more outgoing and friendly to those in the gym and as I melted away in the last couple years I have become somewhat of a legend there and people really do respect hard work. If you have some time where you miss the gym don't worry it happens to everybody but the key is to not give up and try to make it part of an overall long-term lifestyle. Same applies to eating. Everybody falls off their routine occasionally but what separates success from failure is the ability to put that particular day or week or whatever behind you and continue on your journey. If you just learn to slowly make small changes and correct choices it will eventually become ingrained in your soul an automatic but it doesn't happen overnight and I still struggle from time to time but I never stop.

riffraff2112

Bravo. That is awesome.

staffordshire62

staffordshire62 wrote: »

cheryls1mx3 wrote: »

staffordshire62 wrote: »

cheryls1mx3 wrote: »

Wow amazing. I put on 54lbs after I had my son and habe had a success story before I got pregnant for the firdt time and everything you say I agree with. Especially not calling it a diet. What type of goals did you set yourself? Also how often did you go on the scales. I hope you dont mind but I added you on MFP

My initial goals were to lose weight and stop feeling sick and tired. After slow and steady weight loss, I started adjusting my goals towards fitness and heart health. I wanted to enter a 10k run which I did, and in. 2 months I am running my first half marathon. I started swimming about a year ago and have kept it up 2-3 times per week. As far as getting on the scale, I do it each Monday AM at the same time each week.

Thanks for the reply im focusing on 2lbs a week so by 20th July ill be back to what I was before I had Theodore. I go to college and study fotness health & nutrition so its half the battle. I started last week a goal of 2 x 1HR gym sessions a week. Do you think my goals are elaborate or do you think I should be mpre specific. Im going to get the weight off then set fitness goals

I think those goals are absolutely fine. I started working out about 2 times a week as well but I started to actually enjoy the gym and the people who I met at my gym and along the way as the weight started to slowly come off. Now I have gym Buddies wanting to work out with me and many times we plan in advance what we're going to do the next day or two. Over time I became more outgoing and friendly to those in the gym and as I melted away in the last couple years I have become somewhat of a legend there and people really do respect hard work. If you have some time where you miss the gym don't worry it happens to everybody but the key is to not give up and try to make it part of an overall long-term lifestyle. Same applies to eating. Everybody falls off their routine occasionally but what separates success from failure is the ability to put that particular day or week or whatever behind you and continue on your journey. If you just learn to slowly make small changes and correct choices it will eventually become ingrained in your soul an automatic but it doesn't happen overnight and I still struggle from time to time but I never stop.

One other thing is for me the weight came off relatively quick initially because of how much I had to lose but now in the last year or so I'm really only focused on losing two or three pounds in a month because my body is so efficient in holding the weight. I really don't concentrate on being a specific weight rather I want to get my body fat in the 10 to 15% range whatever weight that may be. It's interesting that if I plug my numbers into the height and weight charts I'm still shown as obese even though I'm wearing size 34 waist pants which I used to wear when I was 15 years old. So don't get frustrated if the scale doesn't show it as you get closer to where you want to be. If your working out consistently, you will be trading lean muscle for fat and your body composition will change even though the scale may not show it DO NOT GET FRUSTRATED! The entire process is not a sprint rather a lifelong marathon so keep that in mind.

staffordshire62

RogerToo wrote: »

staffordshire62 wrote: »

Snipped

Hello to all MFP users!
I'm a 54 year old man who has had some tremendous health problems from years of abuse due to poor diet and an overall destructive lifestyle which included terrible nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle. Two and a half years ago , I was on 9 different medications with multiple health issues including depression and type 2 diabetes and I weighed 402 POUNDS at 5 foot 7. Within the past two and a half years I have managed to turn my life around and now, I am in better shape than I was in my 20s weighing in at 196 lbs.
Currently, I am on no medications and was able to successfully reversed my type 2 diabetes which I was on the threshold of at my last doctor's appointment weighing 402 pounds.
Currently my resting pulse rate is 52, A1C is 5.1, and cholesterol and blood pressure readings are perfect! Through a combination of good quality clean eating , and a wide variety of cardio exercise as well as weight training , I have found the key to a better lifestyle with no gimmicks, diets, or pay programs etc. I truly believe that the use of the My Fitness Pal app is the single most important tool in my arsenal because of all the quality information available, and I like the "accountability" which I derive from it. What I have achieved is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, but adapting to this type of Lifestyle is extremely rewarding, satisfying, and pays off better than anything a person could do for themselves especially at the age of over 50. I am a firm believer that an active healthy lifestyle combining consistency with exercise, and healthy food choices with the addition of food logging through MFP is a recipe for success. For long term results, these habits need to turn into a way of life.. Never say DIET.. It needs to be a healthy way of life with knowledge being the key to healthy choices. The first 2 fat pictures showed me at only around 335 lbs and I maxed out later at 402. One final thought... don't make too many lofty or aggressive goals at first because you might just set yourself up for failure so take it slow and gradually ease into your new lifestyle. For instance, I used to get out of breath just going to the refrigerator so I started walking around the block slowly. Each week I tried to go a little further until I was able to walk a mile or two and then I gradually started to jog a little bit. So the lesson learned here is to take it slow and have a plan but don't try to do too much at one time or you'll set yourself up for frustration and possible failure. I hope my success will help to motivate some other people who are in the same situation I was more than two-and-a-half years ago. Remember, the human body is amazing and it is possible even at the ripe old age of 54 to turn things around and allow yourself to heal naturally by just taking care of your health, gaining knowledge and making the right choices. I always remember one thing a friend of mine who used to be very heavy told me and I quote "nothing tastes as good as being thin and healthy feels"
Happy New Year to everyone and let's make 2017 the best and fit year of Our Lives. If anyone would like to contact me for specifics on what I have done or just need a little bit of inspiration , I would be more than happy to share some of my success tactics and secrets which aren't really secrets at all.
Chris

Hi Chris
Your story sounds so much like mine in many ways. I was at the brink of Needing medications for Diabetes and the same weight as Your peak weight, I also had trouble walking from the house to the car to go get more fast food I also started out walking to the corner after losing a few pounds to where I could go that far and I have worked my way up to 3 miles a day walking. The weight loss will come for everybody who eats a healthy mix of proteins, carbs AKA Fruit and Vegetables. I eat 12 ounces of vegetables a day, three pieces of fruit etc. I will admit that eating better costs more however. I have also reached a weight goal that I am happy with.
My BP, A1C and Cholesterol are also good now. The Doctor is happy as I am too. I can get out and around now.

Congratulations on Your huge Achievement
Roger

Great Job Roger! You should be very proud of yourself as I am and an added positive is our loved ones no longer have to worry a out US.

Chanda777

Wow! You are truly inspiring!

schwest76

You don't even look like the same person! Great message and very inspiring.

orpingman

Thank you for sharing. I needed to read it today. A little goes a long way!!

ridiculous59

Thank you for sharing your story. You took ownership of the things that were within your control and the results speak for themselves! How awesome is that

soufauxgirl

What a fantastic achievement and a true inspiration thanks for sharing.

staffordshire62

smile_laughter wrote: »

Thank you for sharing your story - (I love bass fishing).

Is there a specific weight training routine you followed?

I didn't do any weight training whatsoever for about the first year and stuck to various types of cardio such as treadmill, walking outside, elliptical, recumbent bike and whatever else I could do each time I went to work out. After about a year in which I had lost some significant weight I wanted to start weight training all the different muscle groups just to get everything moving again and maybe speed up my metabolism somewhat. I did some weight training a couple decades back so I was relatively familiar with which exercises worked what particular muscle groups I was concentrating on. The one thing I did notice at my age now vs.when I used to weight train years ago was that the recovery time is much longer now. I don't have a set workout per se but I try to get all the muscle groups done each week and I give each muscle group about 4 days off between training sessions. So I might do legs one day, chest and triceps another day, back and biceps on the third day, and finally finish things off with shoulders on day 4. I usually take a day off from training weights and start the 4 day schedule again. I generally do some abdominal and other core work at least 6 days a week. Hope this info helps out! And one other very important thing to remember especially for older people is to stretch very well especially the muscle groups you are about to workout and this will really help to avoid minor nagging injuries.

staffordshire62

ridiculous59 wrote: »

Thank you for sharing your story. You took ownership of the things that were within your control and the results speak for themselves! How awesome is that

Very well said my friend!

elisa123gal

you do look like a different person... i'd never know the "before" was the "after" guy. Even though the "before" guy looks friendly and nice, the "after" guy looks like a fitness expert. Amazing transformation.. well done.

slimgirljo15

Congratulations on all your hard work paying off ..you are an inspiration to so many who will gain from your story ..thank you

rdgfit

Thanks for sharing - very inspiring! You should be real proud of your achievement!

NextPage

Very well done - always inspired by other people over 50 who realize it is never too late to get a new lease on life. There is a vast difference between natural normal aging and neglect. Kudos for you for seizing the opportunity to make the most out of your "2nd Act".