It's never too late

jvcinv
jvcinv Posts: 504 Member
I thought I would share a little here about what I've done over the past 53 weeks.
The before picture is me in May of 2016, 57 years old and 352 pounds.
The current photo was taken yesterday and my weight is now 178 pounds.
Yes I've lost 174 pounds, I'm half the size I was a year ago.

I'm posting this just in case there are others who are a bit on the older side and like me had completely given up all hope of being able to lose weight. I tried very hard on several occasions only to stall after 20-30 pounds. My diet used to be about as bad as you can get, high carb's, high sugar, highly processed. Something snapped in me last August and I began yet again on a quest to lose weight, but this time I stumbled in the right direction, and found lifestyle changes that were I have to say not that hard to adopt.

The big changes were brought on by various forms of fasting.
I've eaten no more than once a day during this time. So at a minimum a daily 23 hour fast.
I've also done three extended fasts ranging in duration from 5 to 14 days.
For the past 4 months I've eaten my one meal per day but also fasted for a day or two each week or every other week. So essentially I have mixed things up a bit and tried various fasting strategies. Whenever I felt that my body was getting too adapted to my current routine, and that weight loss was stalling, I changed things up and it seem like every time I made a change there was an immediate uptick. I'd say these changes were made roughly every 2-3 months.

The other big change was that at the same time I started these various fasting strategies I completely changed my diet. As much as possible I eat only fresh whole foods coming directly from plants or animals. I prepare it myself, fill up on vegetables, salad, meat fish dairy and fruit. I gave up sugar (natural and artificial), processed grains and seed oils. Although I eat only once a day it is a glorious meal that really fills me up and is quite satiating.
I know many around here are big on counting calories, weighing and logging and such, (and hey whatever works for you is great) but I've done none of that. The main reason I didn't is because I decided up front to only do things that I was sure I could sustain as a lifestyle change, and that just isn't me. Perhaps I'm lazy.
What I did do on this whole journey was to focus on listening to my body. For example while I'm eating my delicious tasty meal I eat until I feel a certain level of fullness and then don't hesitate to stop at that point. The key for this type of once a day eating is to reach a feeling of fullness and satiety. That's what carries you for 23 hours to the next meal.

The last major change is that for the past 6 months or so, as I became more able to move about I started walking which turned into running. I now run between 25-35 miles per week which is capped off on Sunday morning with a long run of 2 to 2.5 hours duration. I love running, how it makes me feel, the type of changes in body shape it is bringing about.

Okay that's it, I don't want to blather on. I simply wanted to share these changes in the hope that if there are any older morbidly obese folks who have completely given up who read this, that they might know that there is a way out. It's not to say that I'm all done, I'm still working on reaching the best version of myself that I can be. Although I'm satisfied with my weight I want to continue to work on fitness, hopefully get rid of excess skin and remaining belly fat as much as possible.
Even though I'm still looking to improve I'm putting this down in Success Stories because at this point I have succeeded to do what I frankly thought was impossible only a year ago.
Good luck to all.

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Replies

  • honeybee739
    honeybee739 Posts: 66 Member
    That's amazing.
  • bigjonb4116
    bigjonb4116 Posts: 153 Member
    amazing results-congratulations.
    135687333.png
  • KirbySmith46
    KirbySmith46 Posts: 198 Member
    Very impressive! Great job!
  • egc52556
    egc52556 Posts: 13 Member
    Great work! I'm roughly your age and also discovered pretty late in life that I had an option to being fat. MFP gave me the method I can sustain and live with.

    One observation about using vs. not using MFP. Not only does it help me count calories but it also helps me track my nutrition, sodium, calcium, and other factors. I'd like to suggest to you that for one week you use MFP to religiously track what you eat. Don't change how you eat, just track and analyze the results. You may find there are some nutritional surprises.

    BTW, this is what got me hooked on MFP: the surprise and revelation of where my calories and nutrition were coming from. It was trivial for me to make a few changes.

    Again, congratulations for doing what works. :smile:

  • 2011rocket3touring
    2011rocket3touring Posts: 1,346 Member
    Damn. You look like you were wearing 2 fat suits.
  • jvcinv
    jvcinv Posts: 504 Member
    Damn. You look like you were wearing 2 fat suits.
    lol, pretty much.

  • jvcinv
    jvcinv Posts: 504 Member
    egc52556 wrote: »
    Great work! I'm roughly your age and also discovered pretty late in life that I had an option to being fat. MFP gave me the method I can sustain and live with.

    One observation about using vs. not using MFP. Not only does it help me count calories but it also helps me track my nutrition, sodium, calcium, and other factors. I'd like to suggest to you that for one week you use MFP to religiously track what you eat. Don't change how you eat, just track and analyze the results. You may find there are some nutritional surprises.

    BTW, this is what got me hooked on MFP: the surprise and revelation of where my calories and nutrition were coming from. It was trivial for me to make a few changes.

    Again, congratulations for doing what works. :smile:
    Good suggestion. I will do that because I am curious what the nutritional breakdown of my current diet is.
    I'm still looking to improve where possible.
    Thank you,

  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
    Wow! I'm not gonna lie, all that fasting sounds like hell to me. But kudos to you for sticking it out. That is an amazing difference! Well done, sir.
  • QueenBee2018
    QueenBee2018 Posts: 196 Member
    Thanks for posting. Very inspiring and you look a foot taller! It is amazing what our bodies are capable of!
  • becky10rp
    becky10rp Posts: 573 Member
    You look terrific! Good job!
  • jvcinv
    jvcinv Posts: 504 Member
    Wow! I'm not gonna lie, all that fasting sounds like hell to me. But kudos to you for sticking it out. That is an amazing difference! Well done, sir.
    Thank you! The longer fasts are not for everyone I'm sure, but surprisingly I found the hardest part of doing them wasn't dealing with the hunger. The daily fasting is something that was not hard to get into, especially the way I fell into it. I started this whole process with a two week fast, then when I broke that fast I began eating once a day and never looked back. The weight just melted off month after month with no exercise, which only came later.

  • jvcinv
    jvcinv Posts: 504 Member
    Thanks for posting. Very inspiring and you look a foot taller! It is amazing what our bodies are capable of!
    I know, people come up to me now and say "wow I didn't know you had such long legs!"

  • smh_cliff
    smh_cliff Posts: 146 Member
    Its funny how different we all are isnt it, I have decided to count calories because I think that's thing I'm most likely to be able to carry on doing! But it's awesome that you've found something that works for you - what amazing results!
  • jvcinv
    jvcinv Posts: 504 Member
    smh_cliff wrote: »
    Its funny how different we all are isnt it, I have decided to count calories because I think that's thing I'm most likely to be able to carry on doing! But it's awesome that you've found something that works for you - what amazing results!
    It is funny but it is true. That is why I will never say my way is the best or only way. We all have to find what works in our world, and we are all different. What worked for me may be a living hell for someone else, and vice versa.

  • cmbarbato71
    cmbarbato71 Posts: 31 Member
    Very inspiring! I agree with that everyone must do what is best for them. I don't think the fasting is for me I rather track calories and exercise daily but just the fact the you pushed thru and kept going is very inspiring to me. Like you said, it's never too late.
  • snowyne
    snowyne Posts: 268 Member
    Incredible transformation! Well done!
  • blambo61
    blambo61 Posts: 4,372 Member
    Fasting can be easier than eating a lot of small meals for some people. You get to eat tell your more full with less meals. It is easier for me. Way to go OP!
  • ldtamika31
    ldtamika31 Posts: 205 Member
    Wow absolutely amazing job
  • smd436
    smd436 Posts: 5 Member
    Congrats on finding what works for you. You look great!
  • artbyrachelh
    artbyrachelh Posts: 338 Member
    "Thank you! The longer fasts are not for everyone I'm sure, but surprisingly I found the hardest part of doing them wasn't dealing with the hunger."

    @jvcinv What was the hardest part of the longer fasts?
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