My weight loss saga - Jim
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I have no words, Jim...no words!0
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thanks everyone, and @arguablysamson that means a lot coming from you.
Still trying to make up my mind what and when to change any of my protocols.
It's strange but mentally I'm still in a certain state of mind that is hard to shake.
Its like I'm still not willing to give an inch, to indulge, have a splurge celebrate, add more eating, etc, etc. What I've done is so special and important to me that I have this fear that if I start messing with things it's all going to unravel.
I need to just take some time and relax. Maybe make some small changes, take it step by step.
I don't know if any of this makes sense, it's just seems like the part of my brain that has been wired to provide the willpower to do this is stuck in the ON mode.1 -
A great deal of willpower is still required to maintain your progress so switching your mindset from weight-loss mode to maintenance mode might help. Joe and Brenda have maintenance plans that they adhere to and have great results. If you already have a maintenance plan, just jump right into it.
Your accomplishment is worth celebrating, but you can celebrate in non-food related ways.1 -
Oh I've already been doing this. Have I mentioned I'm now an avid clothes shopper?tlblanksfit wrote: »A great deal of willpower is still required to maintain your progress so switching your mindset from weight-loss mode to maintenance mode might help. Joe and Brenda have maintenance plans that they adhere to and have great results. If you already have a maintenance plan, just jump right into it.
Your accomplishment is worth celebrating, but you can celebrate in non-food related ways.
I do indulge almost every weekend, picking up new clothes, styles, colors.
It feels great and it's like a reward or celebration.
The funny thing is I've always hated shopping for clothes my entire life.
Go figure.
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thanks everyone, and @arguablysamson that means a lot coming from you.
Still trying to make up my mind what and when to change any of my protocols.
It's strange but mentally I'm still in a certain state of mind that is hard to shake.
Its like I'm still not willing to give an inch, to indulge, have a splurge celebrate, add more eating, etc, etc. What I've done is so special and important to me that I have this fear that if I start messing with things it's all going to unravel.
I need to just take some time and relax. Maybe make some small changes, take it step by step.
I don't know if any of this makes sense, it's just seems like the part of my brain that has been wired to provide the willpower to do this is stuck in the ON mode.
It makes complete sense, Jim, and those feelings will be the hardest to cope with for a while.
You feel like you will lose everything, but of course, you won't. Your aim should be to gradually increase intake and activity levels while putting less emphasis on the things you consume. It's right around the corner for you, but no need to hurry it. You don't have to. Continue right along, but remember one thing: There will come a time when what was perfect for your life will require overhauling. After years as a big guy, change reared its head and you made the decision to do what had to be done for future you. And soon, that will be the case again. You will almost for sure continue with OMAD (and should - I still do it), but your level of variance and commitment will be way off the beaten path.
Yes, just as with taking off training wheels on a bike or having to overhaul the engine on a car you drove into the ground, there will again come a time when what was perfect will need adjustment. No need to worry, though. It will come very organically for you, I'm convinced. Just don't sweat experimentation, and remember that you always have control. You can take it or give it as needed.
To continue with the car analogies, the "rubber meets the road" as you continue at a certain weight with all of life's challenges. Soon, you will have "moved on," but not at the expense of the needed changes you made. Finally, though, you won't think about it as much as you do now. You will learn to say: "Wow, I really am in control from this point." You'll realize you truly don't need to feel guilty after a week or two of careless eating and such. And as you feel weight coming back on, you'll at first be scared, but then remember you know it will drop back off even faster. It really takes time to see how your own body reacts to more and less food. I can tell you're not sure of that yet, and of course, I wasn't either. But trust me, you will stay in control because you've learned the lessons thus far. But again, don't feel compelled to reinvent everything. Self-discovery makes for the best change always.0 -
arguablysamson wrote: »thanks everyone, and @arguablysamson that means a lot coming from you.
Still trying to make up my mind what and when to change any of my protocols.
It's strange but mentally I'm still in a certain state of mind that is hard to shake.
Its like I'm still not willing to give an inch, to indulge, have a splurge celebrate, add more eating, etc, etc. What I've done is so special and important to me that I have this fear that if I start messing with things it's all going to unravel.
I need to just take some time and relax. Maybe make some small changes, take it step by step.
I don't know if any of this makes sense, it's just seems like the part of my brain that has been wired to provide the willpower to do this is stuck in the ON mode.
It makes complete sense, Jim, and those feelings will be the hardest to cope with for a while.
You feel like you will lose everything, but of course, you won't. Your aim should be to gradually increase intake and activity levels while putting less emphasis on the things you consume. It's right around the corner for you, but no need to hurry it. You don't have to. Continue right along, but remember one thing: There will come a time when what was perfect for your life will require overhauling. After years as a big guy, change reared its head and you made the decision to do what had to be done for future you. And soon, that will be the case again. You will almost for sure continue with OMAD (and should - I still do it), but your level of variance and commitment will be way off the beaten path.
Yes, just as with taking off training wheels on a bike or having to overhaul the engine on a car you drove into the ground, there will again come a time when what was perfect will need adjustment. No need to worry, though. It will come very organically for you, I'm convinced. Just don't sweat experimentation, and remember that you always have control. You can take it or give it as needed.
To continue with the car analogies, the "rubber meets the road" as you continue at a certain weight with all of life's challenges. Soon, you will have "moved on," but not at the expense of the needed changes you made. Finally, though, you won't think about it as much as you do now. You will learn to say: "Wow, I really am in control from this point." You'll realize you truly don't need to feel guilty after a week or two of careless eating and such. And as you feel weight coming back on, you'll at first be scared, but then remember you know it will drop back off even faster. It really takes time to see how your own body reacts to more and less food. I can tell you're not sure of that yet, and of course, I wasn't either. But trust me, you will stay in control because you've learned the lessons thus far. But again, don't feel compelled to reinvent everything. Self-discovery makes for the best change always.
You have no idea how important these words are to me right now. As I come to the end of this phase of my journey I've begun to feel a bit like I've lost track of what is normal and even in some respects my identity. I've just been so absorbed in this that I guess it was bound to happen at some point. I'll get through it I'm sure, just like you said, but coming from someone who has been there, it does give me a boost to read those words.
Thank you Joe.0 -
arguablysamson wrote: »thanks everyone, and @arguablysamson that means a lot coming from you.
Still trying to make up my mind what and when to change any of my protocols.
It's strange but mentally I'm still in a certain state of mind that is hard to shake.
Its like I'm still not willing to give an inch, to indulge, have a splurge celebrate, add more eating, etc, etc. What I've done is so special and important to me that I have this fear that if I start messing with things it's all going to unravel.
I need to just take some time and relax. Maybe make some small changes, take it step by step.
I don't know if any of this makes sense, it's just seems like the part of my brain that has been wired to provide the willpower to do this is stuck in the ON mode.
It makes complete sense, Jim, and those feelings will be the hardest to cope with for a while.
You feel like you will lose everything, but of course, you won't. Your aim should be to gradually increase intake and activity levels while putting less emphasis on the things you consume. It's right around the corner for you, but no need to hurry it. You don't have to. Continue right along, but remember one thing: There will come a time when what was perfect for your life will require overhauling. After years as a big guy, change reared its head and you made the decision to do what had to be done for future you. And soon, that will be the case again. You will almost for sure continue with OMAD (and should - I still do it), but your level of variance and commitment will be way off the beaten path.
Yes, just as with taking off training wheels on a bike or having to overhaul the engine on a car you drove into the ground, there will again come a time when what was perfect will need adjustment. No need to worry, though. It will come very organically for you, I'm convinced. Just don't sweat experimentation, and remember that you always have control. You can take it or give it as needed.
To continue with the car analogies, the "rubber meets the road" as you continue at a certain weight with all of life's challenges. Soon, you will have "moved on," but not at the expense of the needed changes you made. Finally, though, you won't think about it as much as you do now. You will learn to say: "Wow, I really am in control from this point." You'll realize you truly don't need to feel guilty after a week or two of careless eating and such. And as you feel weight coming back on, you'll at first be scared, but then remember you know it will drop back off even faster. It really takes time to see how your own body reacts to more and less food. I can tell you're not sure of that yet, and of course, I wasn't either. But trust me, you will stay in control because you've learned the lessons thus far. But again, don't feel compelled to reinvent everything. Self-discovery makes for the best change always.
You have no idea how important these words are to me right now. As I come to the end of this phase of my journey I've begun to feel a bit like I've lost track of what is normal and even in some respects my identity. I've just been so absorbed in this that I guess it was bound to happen at some point. I'll get through it I'm sure, just like you said, but coming from someone who has been there, it does give me a boost to read those words.
Thank you Joe.
No problem; and I can go on. It's really a form of cognitive dissonance. Every first thing you do feels like an uncertain step after the new phase begins. I totally get it. But you have no need to worry, my friend. No need at all.0 -
This is my latest (and probably final) before/after photo. The after photo was from yesterday.
Also I wanted to mention that I posted this photo and a little write-up on my journey in the Success Stories section in the main MFP area. Anyone who has read my OMAD thread already knows this stuff, just an FYI. I just felt at this point what I've done can be called a success story and that it might be seen by a wider audience over there.
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A true to life success story that will inspire and encourage masses.1
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Amazing!!! You look sooo Good!!!
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You did really well! Congrats. It is good to share you story!0
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Yes! I love reading the success stories...it's all so cool awesome. Congrats again.0
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Amazing journey Jim! Many congratulations for reaching your goal. I think more than the fact that you made it, what is more commendable is your determination, hard work and commitment to being healthier. Really very proud of you. Success stories like yours give such great motivation to the rest of us, who are still quite far from our goals. You make me believe even more that I can make it happen. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful journey with us. 0
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mikseyniha wrote: »Amazing journey Jim! Many congratulations for reaching your goal. I think more than the fact that you made it, what is more commendable is your determination, hard work and commitment to being healthier. Really very proud of you. Success stories like yours give such great motivation to the rest of us, who are still quite far from our goals. You make me believe even more that I can make it happen. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful journey with us.
Thank you Niha, you are too kind.0 -
Well I researched and found a series of videos with recommended exercises for runners. Yesterday was my first day to try them out. Oh man, even though I took it really easy I am seriously feeling it this morning. But I'm sure if I stick with it the soreness will be worth it. Additional exercising is one of the things I'll be adding to my routine going forward. I decided to focus on exercises that will support and enhance my running.
I'm going to start a new monthly progress thread on Oct 1st. So that's about it for now.
Have a great day everyone.0 -
Great job Jim you look fabulous! You must be so happy and I can totally understand your mindset... I love the fact that you have become a clothes shopper! I love clothes when I'm not overweight and they hang just right... Congratulations on a huge achievement!0
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Jim, you look awesome!!!0
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Loved reading your thread. Very inspirational and your before and after pics are amazing!0
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@gomissfitnes @brittdee88 @minigrrl thank you all!
Just cooling down from a 3hr super run this morning. I'm beat.
I'm taking a couple days off to recover fully.
Have a great day all.0 -
@gomissfitnes @brittdee88 @minigrrl thank you all!
Just cooling down from a 3hr super run this morning. I'm beat.
I'm taking a couple days off to recover fully.
Have a great day all.
How far did you make it? That is a very long run. I've never gone that long.0 -
Lol I honestly don't know how far I went, I'll map it out later on. I thought I was duplicating the route I did last month that came out to 2 hrs 40 min, but I think I must have added a could extra segments this time. When I saw 3 hours my jaw dropped, but it does explain the extra fatigue I felt the final few miles. Had to be longer because my pace was reasonable throughout.0
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Awesome job, Jim! I can't imagine running that long!0
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13.25 miles. Pretty far but not exactly blazing speed.@gomissfitnes @brittdee88 @minigrrl thank you all!
Just cooling down from a 3hr super run this morning. I'm beat.
I'm taking a couple days off to recover fully.
Have a great day all.
How far did you make it? That is a very long run. I've never gone that long.
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Omg that is amazing. I can't even fathom running that long. I couldn't run that long when I was at my most fit... So cool!0
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I think you could do like Forest Gump and run across the country! I always tell hubby I want us to walk across the country.0
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Good job Jim!0
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That's a cool idea, Kat! I can walk forever, but running? No ma'am!0
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brittdee88 wrote: »That's a cool idea, Kat! I can walk forever, but running? No ma'am!
Same here - I think I'm from good peasant stock - I can walk and walk and walk, but I am not a runner! I used to do HIIT running on the treadmill, but that was only for 24 minutes (and 4 of those minutes were walking warm up and cool down). That's about my limit!0 -
brittdee88 wrote: »That's a cool idea, Kat! I can walk forever, but running? No ma'am!
Same here - I think I'm from good peasant stock - I can walk and walk and walk, but I am not a runner! I used to do HIIT running on the treadmill, but that was only for 24 minutes (and 4 of those minutes were walking warm up and cool down). That's about my limit!
Running distance is an acquired thing. The key is going slow enough so its not hard. You should be able to carry on a conversation with someone while doing it. The problem with most of us is that while we are heavy, we don't have the aerobic capacity to jog at any pace (slower than walking) and be able to not be stressed. In that case, if we want to run, we can get there by doing short 1-min segments (easy not HITT) with walking in-between until we get thin enough and get enough of a cardio capacity to support it. I used to be a runner in my younger days and did several years of running and competing in track and running 5-7 miles easy was like walking then. I wish I could run at a pace now that my warm up pace used to be then, but I'm working at it.0 -
So for some time I've been wrestling with the decision on how to proceed, how to eat, how often to eat, how often to splurge, what should my goals be, etc. After going round on this for weeks I think I had an epiphany on Friday night which gave me the direction.
I had a very rough time sleeping Friday night. It was day 2 of my weekly 71 hour water fast. For the past 16 weeks I have been doing weekly water fasts of either 47 or 71 hour duration. For the past year now I have made it a point to try to listen to the signals from my body. Well on Friday I figured out that the signal my body was sending was "enough with the fasting already". Increasingly I had been feeling more urges to eat, more cravings. This culminated to a head on Friday night when I could not get food out of my mind. I kept waking and immediately started thinking about food, I even had dreams of eating. Earlier before going to bed I was browsing recipe sites and had all these
ideas swirling in my mind of tasty things to prepare. I even briefly thought about getting up and making something to eat in the middle of the night. It was then when it came to me what I needed to do next, find a balance, and bring harmony to my life. Find a way to eat and exercise which feels good in terms of body and mind, because I did not have that at the moment.
I decided that the first step to finding this balance would be to end the weekly water fast days and go to a basic daily OMAD. It was like as soon as I made this mental decision I became more calm and relaxed, and fell asleep.
I have read a lot about fasting and when the topic of how long a person can fast comes up they often say that your body will tell you when to eat. Before starving you will get an unmistakably strong hunger. On my extended fasts I never reached that point, having broken them for emotional reasons. Even though I was not doing an extended fast on Friday, the only way I can explain the recent strong hunger obsession was that it was based on an accumulated deficit. Perhaps I was progressively running myself down from an excessive amount of fasting, and my body finally started to send out that unmistakable signal.
So that is it. For the time being in my next phase I'm going to eat every day but still only once.
I'm going to diversify my meal plans, try some new things.
My goals on the physical side will be to reduce body fat % and waist size, increase fitness, probably still losing a little weight but that is not a primary goal. But what I will also do is to seek a nice balance, to feel good mentally, physically and to enjoy food again daily in the right proportion to my mental and physical goals. As time passes I will throw in some extra eating during the day, a splurge if you will. Even a an occasional feast day at some point. But I'm going to go step by step. Once I feel I have that balance and stability I will take the next step.
I will still work in some extended fasting into my life, maybe 2-3 times per year for 5-6 days. I do think there are benefits. But I'm going to have my fasting days all clumped together and not every week like I have been. The idea will be like the OMAD plan "do it and be done with it"
Just like I don't eat throughout the day I'm not going to fast all the time either. When I do I will do it and be done with it all at once. I don't regret having followed the path I did these last 4 months with weekly water fasts, it's just that it's time for me to move on.
Sorry for the wordy post. I just mainly wanted to note how a simple decision to eat every day has brought on a feeling of immediate calmness over me.4
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