Milestones achived? What’s yours? Share your lessons.

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OkieFitness
OkieFitness Posts: 43 Member
edited April 2020 in Success Stories
January of 2018 I stepped on the scale and weighed nearly 200 pounds. Totally not acceptable for a guy who has been fit and trim for the majority of his 57 years in the 160-170lb range. Clothes didn’t fit. I looked and felt terrible. Like many middle-aged men? The weight was being added in one primary location: the mid-section - a high indicator for the onset of life-altering diseases. My elevating and declining health indicating numbers were pointing me in that direction. I’m a driven, determined type person who relishes life so time to turn this ship around. So the journey began. Again. What a rollercoaster ride the past decade or so! (Those pounds just didn’t drop out of the sky overnight.)

First major goal: Get back to 170 again. For now I’m giving myself some age related wiggle room. At 160, I felt fantastic. But I was also in my 20s so 170 seemed like a reasonable first goal. Heck, if I make 170 and feel like shooting for 160? What’s ten more pounds after losing THIRTY right?

As I progressed and fell backwards more than I could count my best weigh in was at 184.4 pounds nearly two years ago but I just couldn’t seem to break through that barrier. It was a huge milestone both physically and mentally for me. But yesterday? I DID IT! Stepped on the scale and weighed in at 184! The lowest I’ve weighed in at least 4 years as far as my records and weight tracking indicate. What a RUSH! It was my 5th consecutive session of recorded loss too, another milestone and indicator of consistency and success. I’m on a ROLL baby and watching the fat ROLL disappear around my waist! 170? Here I come! YOU’RE MINE!

As I was getting in my 5+ mile walk last night, (over 140 miles logged last year) reflecting on how I got here several things bubbled to the top - at least for me.

Number one: Data & tracking tools. If I don’t know where I’ve been and correlate eating and exercise activity with weight loss trends? Then how do I know what’s working and what isn’t? My answer: I can’t, don’t, and won’t. I use both MFP and a simple Google sheet to track and check in. Daily! The more personally relevant information you have at your disposal? The better you’ll be equipped for success. I know that I will lose from .4 to .6 pounds with a 10 minute JNL full body workout. Every. Single. Time. With those numbers and others in my head and on my Google sheet, I don’t just step on the scale and guess what I’m going to weigh, I can pretty much predict what that number will be. That’s powerful and positively enabling for future control in this journey.

Number Two: Mindfullness. I’m more and more convinced the psychology of losing is greater - much greater - than the physical effort of doing so. It really comes down to those split second decisions about exercising and eating. Then in the words of my marketing generation? Just Do It! Choose to get up and start walking. Eat smaller portions. Make better food choices. Try fasting. It is within your power to choose to be healthier! Your body is an incredible, adaptable, God-given (or evolutionary if you are of that slant) machine that will respond in amazing ways to your consistency and efforts. THINK often about making the right choices and the long-term benefits of doing so. Visualize yourself happier, healthier, and so confident as you are reaching milestones and goals.

Number Three: Limits? Forgetta bout’ em’! My new motto is that at ANY age (or condition) you never know what your potential for greatness could be. So why stop striving? The world is awash with giver uppers - but equally awash with people who said “screw it” to limitations and smashed through them. Which person do YOU want to be?

Number Four: Individualism. With the data and experience at your disposal? You and nobody else can read and understand what your body needs and responds to for your heath journey. Figure that out as you progress. What works for you? What doesn’t? Monitor, adjust, advance, and refine your exercise, eating, and psychological plan for success. But don’t be afraid to listen to the advice of others as you do.

Number Five: Consistency, persistence, and a few liberties! We all know what those mean right? During my five day span of loss to 184 I didn’t do everything perfect - especially eating (if I did my loss would have been even greater - so I do remind myself of that) but I did fall back on consistent and persistent exercise.

Keep it up! Don’t quit! Or if you do? GET BACK UP! YOU can do this!


Replies

  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
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    Many of my lessons are similar to yours, especially in terms of tracking and consistency. I’ll also add patience and forgiveness being key. I had to forgive myself for gaining weight back the first time before I could start again. I had to have much more patience this time, because I knew I had lost weight too quickly the last time, and paid for it due to over-restriction.

    My background is not similar in that I’ve been overweight most of my life, including childhood. I’ve lost about 68 pounds (about 12 more to go) and have never been this thin in my entire life. The last time I was 123 pounds, I hadn’t even hit puberty yet. I remember being almost 100 in second grade. Can’t remember why we were being weighed, but I knew it was more than a lot of other kids.
  • OkieFitness
    OkieFitness Posts: 43 Member
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    Hi Neesy. Congrats on your 10lb loss! Here’s to the next 10!
  • zoes2797
    zoes2797 Posts: 5 Member
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    I started cutting down on what I ate properly around 5th March when I was leaving New Zealand as I was starting to feel unhappy with my size. I have always been slim but could see I was gaining weight from eating out sometimes 5/6 nights a week in NZ! I have been a size 10 in clothes since I was around 13 (I'm 23 now) but could see that these were now becoming tight.



    I started this app and put my calorie restriction to 1630 calories a day, as that was the reccomended intake for someone of my height and weight (I was approx 10 stone 9/10 and my height is 5'11)

    What I hate most is about how bloated I can get, it seemed like for years I would constantly look pregnant by the evening and everythign would feel so much tighter. Restricting how much I ate has improved my bloating SO much.

    I could tell by the end of the two week trip that i had coming back from NZ that I had lost a bit of weight, but was surprised when I found out that I had lost nearly 9 pounds in the space of just under 2 and a half weeks. I was incredibly impressed and happy.

    Then when lockdown started, I knew I wouldnt be exercising half as much, so I decided to start intermittent fasting, and only eat between the hours of 12pm and 6pm (usually, if i don't eat until 1pm then i allow myself to eat til 7pm etc). I find it easy in the morning as I'm not a breakfast person, and lockdown has let me stay in bed until sometimes 10:30am. I allow myself to have a weak white coffee when I wake up but then I don't eat my lunch until 12pm. I will usually have soup with a pitta bread for lunch, or pitta bread with tuna.

    I will then not eat until dinner time, which I usually have at 4:30/5pm due to being so hungry! I will have normal meals and portions such as homemade lasagne or haddock, chicken curry, pizza but instead of fries I make sure that I have a substanital amount of vegetables such as broccoli, sweetcorn and sprouts instead. I do sometimes treat myself to chips but this is probably once a week/2 weeks.

    I will eat a dessert, as I have a sweet tooth, and this is my treat for the day. I try eat this before 6pm. I like chocolate fudge sponge, sticky toffee pudding etc. I wont have cream or icecream with the desserts. I work every wednesday as a key worker at a school and let myself have a glass of wine on this night too.

    I then have a couple of hours of not eating but if I am feeling peckish I let myself have a nescafe sachet flavoured latte before 8pm but will not eat until the following day at 12pm. Since doing the intermittent fasting on 1630 calories a day, I have lost a further 7 pounds (in 3 weeks).

    I am now approx 9 stone 7 and my bmi is healthy. I have dropped a dress size to a size 8 for the first time ever.

    I understand that I am not overweight, and have realised that 9stone 6 for someone of my height is the minimal 'healthy weight' so I am planning on stopping to lose weight. It will be hard because I have loved the progress but I think now I am going to concentrate on toning up rather than losing weight.



    This may help you if you are wanting to lose some weight, it has definitely helped me and find it a lot easier than fasting or completely cutting a food source out of my diet

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