My Story and Hello....Falling back but getting back on targe
JamesPartridge
Posts: 17
I have struggled with my weight ever since I was a young teenager. Therefore the dynamic of needing to lose weight has never been something foreign to me. I have yo yo dieted over and over and achieve good results only to be disappointed as the pounds inevitably came back. What made things worse was not only did I regain the weight but also several more unwanted pounds.
This being said I knew last year that I absolutely needed a change in my life. not just one that last a few months, but a permanent change. I needed to be transformed from a couch potato where the greatest distance I would run was from the couch to the refrigerator to a man who would be fit, healthy, full of life and ready to take on challenges that I previously wouldn't even consider. Why? You might ask?
One of the first things that a person needs to do when they want to lose weight or any goal for that matter is to know exactly why this goal is important to them. For me to lose weight was a matter of life and death. My father and all of his family have been riddled with heart problems and here I was at 241 pounds, inactive and my blood pressure was starting to rise. I also wanted to be a father who could play sports, dance at my daughter’s wedding, and one who would be around for many years to come. This heart condition had to be bypassed and I know that an active, healthy lifestyle would put me on that track.
I can remember talking a walk with my daughter Jennifer and saying today we are going to make a change together. We are going to join TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) and we were going to stop making excuses, be accountable and we together would conquer this battle of the bulge once and for all with real change and not fad diets, starvation, and gimmicks.
We went to our first meeting at right from the first moment we walked in the door I knew I made the right decision as the people were friendly, supportive and loving and it was obvious to me that I needed a support group and that with this support I would be successful. The woman in charge said to me, you don't have to join today, you can just visit, but I knew I needed to get the ball rolling and signed up immediately.
What about the results? Well before I write about the results I want to talk about the process? Here was my plan and let me tell you when someone ask me what is my secret I always tell them the same thing much to their dismay sometimes that there is no secret, it is all about eating less, exercising more, and working hard with determination to succeed. No secret pills, no crazy diets that yield quick results with no ability to maintain, just hard work and support from my fellow TOPS members.
I decided that this would be my plan of action. I would journal my food every single day and I would limit myself to 1500 calories of real food and not junk food which was high in calories and low in nutrition. I also determined that I would exercise daily and that I would find one that I like to do and something I could do for life. That choice turned out to be walking. I started out walking 2 miles a day and eventually I reached 6.1 miles daily.
The pounds began to come off for the next 40 pounds. Then my weight loss began to slow and my body was adjusting to the routine I know I needed to make a change. What an amazing machine our body is but I needed to make a change to keep my body working and progressing so I began to mix my walk with some short, and I mean short runs of .4 miles. And even that killed me. Slowly over time the distance increased and I worked up to 3 miles when a friend said to me, Jim, you should run a 10k race and in utter disbelief I said there is no way I could do 6.2 miles of running without an ambulance following me waiting for me to pass out or have a heart attack. Nonetheless, I signed up for my first race and began a training regiment to get ready for the race.
No Way!!! I did it....6.2 miles and I held an 8 min mile pace throughout placing 219 of 990. Would have guessed I could do it, but I did and I was so proud I cried like a baby. A goal met, an achievement to be proud of, and it was one more stride to my goal of health and weight loss. I even ran up to 9 miles at once. Who would have ever thought that would happen?
By this time my weight had dropped significantly and I was gaining ground on changing my status from a TOP to a KOP and I can remember when that day came and how it made me feel. I did it; I achieved my goal through hard work, diligence, and support from others. But I knew this was only the beginning of the rest of my life of maintenance and I could not afford to be idle. I had lost 67 pounds and my life has changed so dramatically I cannot express what it has meant. I can remember when I tried on my first pair of 32 size jeans after being at a 44 and crying. That is pretty silly huh, but I cannot believe what I have achieved and it just keeps getting better. But, I needed to again add or change my routine.
So what was next? How about climbing mountains? Why not so I decided I would start hiking with my brother in law who loves the Adirondacks and my sister was probably happy I would go with him and free her from having to hike those monsters. I have been up there 4 times and I have racked up the following achievements. 1. Ampersand Mountain 2. Baxter Mountain 3. Wright Mountain (First High Peak) 4. Giant Mountain (Second High Peak) 5. Porter Mountain (Third High Peak) 6. Cascade Mountain (Forth High Peak) 7. Cliff Mountain (Fifth High Peak) 8. Owl's Head Mountain
So maybe you are asking how can I achieve similar results?
1) Have a vision (know what and why you want to lose weight)
2) Make a Specific Goal and Plan on how you are going to achieve that Goal
3) Implement the plan and follow it while celebrating those achievements
4) Measure those Goals and Track your Progress
5) Attend your TOPS meetings and Participate fully
6) Take pictures, take pictures, take pictures (great motivators and proof to you of your progress)
7) Find exercise you lose not loathe
8) NEVER NEVER NEVER give UP! No matter what the scale says, no matter how you feel!
9) Take time for You....you deserve it and everyone around you will benefit from you taking care of U.
I have so much more to write about and soon I will be able to share even more achievements that continue to come as a benefit of my weight loss. By the way, my resting heart rate is 52 and my blood pressure is pretty good. Hope you can also achieve the results you desire in your efforts to lose weight, be healthy and this is your time to shine.
This being said I knew last year that I absolutely needed a change in my life. not just one that last a few months, but a permanent change. I needed to be transformed from a couch potato where the greatest distance I would run was from the couch to the refrigerator to a man who would be fit, healthy, full of life and ready to take on challenges that I previously wouldn't even consider. Why? You might ask?
One of the first things that a person needs to do when they want to lose weight or any goal for that matter is to know exactly why this goal is important to them. For me to lose weight was a matter of life and death. My father and all of his family have been riddled with heart problems and here I was at 241 pounds, inactive and my blood pressure was starting to rise. I also wanted to be a father who could play sports, dance at my daughter’s wedding, and one who would be around for many years to come. This heart condition had to be bypassed and I know that an active, healthy lifestyle would put me on that track.
I can remember talking a walk with my daughter Jennifer and saying today we are going to make a change together. We are going to join TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) and we were going to stop making excuses, be accountable and we together would conquer this battle of the bulge once and for all with real change and not fad diets, starvation, and gimmicks.
We went to our first meeting at right from the first moment we walked in the door I knew I made the right decision as the people were friendly, supportive and loving and it was obvious to me that I needed a support group and that with this support I would be successful. The woman in charge said to me, you don't have to join today, you can just visit, but I knew I needed to get the ball rolling and signed up immediately.
What about the results? Well before I write about the results I want to talk about the process? Here was my plan and let me tell you when someone ask me what is my secret I always tell them the same thing much to their dismay sometimes that there is no secret, it is all about eating less, exercising more, and working hard with determination to succeed. No secret pills, no crazy diets that yield quick results with no ability to maintain, just hard work and support from my fellow TOPS members.
I decided that this would be my plan of action. I would journal my food every single day and I would limit myself to 1500 calories of real food and not junk food which was high in calories and low in nutrition. I also determined that I would exercise daily and that I would find one that I like to do and something I could do for life. That choice turned out to be walking. I started out walking 2 miles a day and eventually I reached 6.1 miles daily.
The pounds began to come off for the next 40 pounds. Then my weight loss began to slow and my body was adjusting to the routine I know I needed to make a change. What an amazing machine our body is but I needed to make a change to keep my body working and progressing so I began to mix my walk with some short, and I mean short runs of .4 miles. And even that killed me. Slowly over time the distance increased and I worked up to 3 miles when a friend said to me, Jim, you should run a 10k race and in utter disbelief I said there is no way I could do 6.2 miles of running without an ambulance following me waiting for me to pass out or have a heart attack. Nonetheless, I signed up for my first race and began a training regiment to get ready for the race.
No Way!!! I did it....6.2 miles and I held an 8 min mile pace throughout placing 219 of 990. Would have guessed I could do it, but I did and I was so proud I cried like a baby. A goal met, an achievement to be proud of, and it was one more stride to my goal of health and weight loss. I even ran up to 9 miles at once. Who would have ever thought that would happen?
By this time my weight had dropped significantly and I was gaining ground on changing my status from a TOP to a KOP and I can remember when that day came and how it made me feel. I did it; I achieved my goal through hard work, diligence, and support from others. But I knew this was only the beginning of the rest of my life of maintenance and I could not afford to be idle. I had lost 67 pounds and my life has changed so dramatically I cannot express what it has meant. I can remember when I tried on my first pair of 32 size jeans after being at a 44 and crying. That is pretty silly huh, but I cannot believe what I have achieved and it just keeps getting better. But, I needed to again add or change my routine.
So what was next? How about climbing mountains? Why not so I decided I would start hiking with my brother in law who loves the Adirondacks and my sister was probably happy I would go with him and free her from having to hike those monsters. I have been up there 4 times and I have racked up the following achievements. 1. Ampersand Mountain 2. Baxter Mountain 3. Wright Mountain (First High Peak) 4. Giant Mountain (Second High Peak) 5. Porter Mountain (Third High Peak) 6. Cascade Mountain (Forth High Peak) 7. Cliff Mountain (Fifth High Peak) 8. Owl's Head Mountain
So maybe you are asking how can I achieve similar results?
1) Have a vision (know what and why you want to lose weight)
2) Make a Specific Goal and Plan on how you are going to achieve that Goal
3) Implement the plan and follow it while celebrating those achievements
4) Measure those Goals and Track your Progress
5) Attend your TOPS meetings and Participate fully
6) Take pictures, take pictures, take pictures (great motivators and proof to you of your progress)
7) Find exercise you lose not loathe
8) NEVER NEVER NEVER give UP! No matter what the scale says, no matter how you feel!
9) Take time for You....you deserve it and everyone around you will benefit from you taking care of U.
I have so much more to write about and soon I will be able to share even more achievements that continue to come as a benefit of my weight loss. By the way, my resting heart rate is 52 and my blood pressure is pretty good. Hope you can also achieve the results you desire in your efforts to lose weight, be healthy and this is your time to shine.
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Replies
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Wow.........what a truly inspirational story and journey. Thank you for sharing, your words are very comforting:flowerforyou:0
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welcome james, I'm new here and your story is fantastic. My take away is how important it is to continue to be vigilant even after reaching our weight loss goals, and then go out and do things that we didn't think of doing before, like climbing mountains! :-)
yours in the quest,
bmq980 -
Thanks, It is harder maintaining then losing in my opinion though both create challenges. I also did another 10k race since writing that and took a trip to California to Yosemite and Hike the Yosemite Trail and the Panorama Trail as well. Going back to the Adirondacks on Sept 25 so I am looking forward to adding more to my list of completions.0
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Thanks you!0
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I really enjoyed reading this. Thanks so much for sharing!:happy:0
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James you have motivated many people here today. You are awesome for sharing your story.0
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Thanks,
I haven't updated the story much but a couple of more things that has happened to me in the past year.
In TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) I was the New York State Division 3 winner, Internationally for TOPS I placed second for Division 3.
I was the first King of my TOPS group in 47 years of meeting
I was elected leader of my group
It has been an amazing journey thus far. This Thursday I am going to speak at another TOPS group.
Thanks for your comment
I should post some before and after pics if I can figure out how. ::glasses:0 -
Thankyou so much for sharing your story! Congratulations on reaching your goals! you are an inspiration, and I am sure with your focus and determination you will be fit for the rest of your life!
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I just wanted to thank you for writing your story. It has definitely helped ton inspire me even more to want to lose weight. I have did the yoyo weight too and then depressed hit, but I can not place all the blame onn that or others cause I allowed myself to get off track. I am disappoited that I have gained over 100 + back but that makes me evennmore determined to get it off and keep it off. I am surrounding myself with a new group of friends who are supportive in my weightloss. Thank you once again for sharing your journey so far.0
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great inspiration:drinker:0
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Thanks James, really enjoyed reading your post & have learnt a lot.
dion0 -
That is such an important step. Finding good company to help you in your journey and to encourage you as you get to goal and help you maintain that goal even when you sometimes my find that occasional gain. Good luck. You can do it!0
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Thank you very much for sharing your story James...... how long ago did your journey start? I agree about the maintenance, hence joining here.... I don't just want to lose the weight.... I want to make the change for life :blushing:0
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bump for anyone that may have not had a chance to read this yet!0
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wot a great story james, very inspirational!! you'll get great support here, I have already and I only joined a few days ago 0
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Inspiration is definitely key and you just provided a shot to every member who reads your story! Thank you! Hope we can do the same for you!0
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My journey started on June 03, 20090
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Thank you for sharing your story and congrats to you on a job well done, you are an inspiration to me
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Anyone interested...go to the TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) National webpage and watch the TOPS Successes and you will see me eventually. Category 3http://www.tops.org/default.aspx 0
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