Happy birthday to me!

Dan112358 · January 2012

Hi everyone,I just wanted to take a minute to share my story with you. I turned 35 today and am in the best shape of my life. I am a person that has always had weight problems. I was a heavy child and overweight in high school. I've spent me entire adult life carrying 230-240 lbs on my 5'9" frame. My family is very active and about a year ago I stumbled upon the myfitnesspal app on my phone. I began reading the information on here and was motivated by your stories, secret tricks, successes and failures. I am not someone who posts a lot but I do read the forums and research some of the ideas that people share. Here are some pictures of me from before:

I was unhealthy and was frustrated with myself.I decided to turn things around about a year ago. I began making nutrition and exercise a priority. I never gave anything up, but eating poorly became the exception and not the rule. I was honest with my food diary and did not lie to myself when it could have been easy to do so. My wife was very supportive and helped me make better choices when at the grocery store and in restaurants. The weight loss was slow but steady. I'm not a big fan of fad diets or other products that promise unrealistic results. I ate properly and exercised moderately. I've now joined a gym so I can continue my transformation. I can now keep up with my wife & kids and our busy schedule.

Here are some pictures of the new me:

At 168 lbs:

And one more from this evening:

Thanks to those who share their successes on here. Keep doing it. There are a lot of people like me who may not write much in the forums but still appreciate the information you share. If this post helps even one person gain motivation in their fitness life then I'm glad I put it on here.

Thanks also to my wife who is a role model to me. For a long time she tried to help me, I just wished I listened earlier!

Thanks again,

Dan

Rayman79 · January 2012

Mate that is awesome! You look great.

Bikini27 · January 2012

You look *amazing*!
Congratulations on your success and THANK YOU for being a motivator!
:drinker:

Caprica33 · January 2012

Congrats on your weight loss. How did you do it? BTW, you look awesome.

laughingdani · January 2012

Happy Birthday! And congrats! Your progress is amazing.

I know your wife is so proud of you!

sweetptgrl · January 2012

Great Job and Happy Birthday to you.

amysala85 · January 2012

Great job! What a difference! Happy Birthday! Tomorrow is mine 27, but not a success yet!

twhitney · January 2012

Happy Birthday to you! And congrats on your great success!

hyde1977 · January 2012

Happy Birthday and Congratulations on your success!!!!!

donni123 · January 2012

Great job. What a transformation! Congrats and Happy Birthday.

asgard825 · January 2012

Dude-- cograts. U look great. What u have accomplished is really difficult particularly past your twenties.

Really HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

aTROOPSTER · January 2012

Way to go!!

TWrecks1968 · January 2012

Incredible. Happy Birthday!

bethdris · January 2012

First off HAPPY BIRTHDAY(mine is tomorrow) You've done a great job!

sjtreely · January 2012

Daaaaang! Your wife has some nice eye candy hanging around.

Great job!

FlyByJuly · January 2012

May I be the first to say: OH EM GEE! Wow! You look fabulous!! Happy birthday to you, indeedy!
I can tell from your photos that you are a fun guy, full of life, and I see a great sense of humor! Love photo 3!! Please tell me that hair is fake! Lol! You have done an outstanding job!
And don't look back, wishing you'd listened to your wife sooner, because it's the 'here and now' that matters!

RisyaLifsheTova · January 2012

I

the costume regardless! But great job! Im 31 and ive gone down 109lbs and i feel younger then i did in my 20's! keep it up!

daydream58 · January 2012

Great job - you look amazing!

Dan112358 · January 2012

Thanks everyone for the kind words. I'll have to do another before & after on my 36th birthday to check in!

Dan112358 · January 2012

Congrats on your weight loss. How did you do it? BTW, you look awesome.

I did it by eating more healthy foods, a lot of lean proteins and vegetables. I lowered but did not totally remove carbohydrates from my diet, especially things like refined sugars and white flour. I usually drink 4 cups of water with breakfast, lunch & dinner as well as some extra in there as well. I exercised but not to an extreme degree. I did probably an average of 1-2 30-minute cardio sessions per week. My strength training was mostly body weight stuff, push ups, pull ups, etc

AZnewme · January 2012

Yesterday - the 24th was my 50th Birthday - Thanks for sharing your journey-the one I am just starting. Seeing that people can do this is a huge inspiration for me! Have a wonderful year!:flowerforyou: