Twenty down, 12 more twenties to go.
TheFinalThird
Posts: 315 Member
A month ago, I was a 478 pound behemoth who spent his days from sitting in his recliner to sitting in his car to sitting in his office to sitting at his kid's baseball games. I couldn't even walk two blocks from my car to my office without sweating and being out of breath. One month later, I am a 458 pound behemoth who enjoys 30 minute walks @ 3-4 mph. I am still ridiculously and dangerously overweight, but for the first time in a long time, I have hope for the future. At 8:30 p.m., last night, I went from being 150 calories under for the day to being 150 calories over. Old Scott would have been angry at himself and punished himself for doing it with more food. New Scott laced up his walking shoes, grabbed his iPod, and walked briskly (or as briskly as a 450 pound + guy can walk) for 30 minutes. Now, instead of dreading a new day with new eating challenges, I know what I will do, and I will do it. But-- and I say this as one who has battled weight issues all my life-- I could NOT be doing this without myfitnesspal. Thank you!
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Great post and congratulations on the the first 20 down! It is so much easier once you enjoy it and by the sounds of it you really are. Keep up the great work and you will drop the second 20 in no time! Are you keeping photos of each 20 pound loss? That would make for an interesting post once you drop them all!0
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Wow! Congratulations man! MFP has done the same thing to me. When I'm walking my dog I'm not just walking him, I'm doing suicides, lunges, extra cardio, extra motion and movement whenever I can. My biggest problem so far seems to be figuring out exactly how long I spent doing what. It's made a difference for me, any my pup!0
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Welcome to the board, glad to have you here. You are doing great. Keep up the good work. friend me if you would like.0
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Wow, what an inspiring post! You are doing awesome, you should be so proud! Keep up the good work and don't forget to come back here if you are feeling down! Just reading the posts can give me a boost of confidence, so take advantage! Feel free to friend me if you would like.0
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welcome! I enjoyed your post and I'm proud of you for your determination. Friend if you like : )
Enjoy the journey - every step is that much closer to your goal!0 -
CONGRATULATIONS on the loss and the attitued! I am hoping it is contagious! Good Luck to you!0
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That's awesome! Congratulations!!! I've been doing MFP for about a month now as well, and have lost about 12 lbs (which is the weight of my cat!) I've still got a ways to go, but it's inspiring posts like yours that keep me going. Your hard work is paying off! Congrats!0
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What a great attitude and outlook! Keep up the good work, you're very inspiring! :happy:0
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Awesome! Keep up the good work!
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When I wrote my post this morning, I had no idea that so many caring and thoughtful people were out there. I basically sent it into the "series of tubes" that is the internet, with no real thought that anyone would actually read it.
I am overwhelmed and grateful for the support of each and every one of you. As a guy who ALWAYS ran to food as a source of emotional comfort, it was so crazy today to realize that it is 8:15 p.m., and I still have 693 calories that I don't even feel like consuming. I will eat something, just because this is a marathon, not a sprint, but what a blessing to finally break free of the (literal) death grip that food has had over me. You fine people are a big reason for that. So thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! All of you!!!0 -
this is ridiculously inspiring
even though i've never met you- i'm proud of you!!
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Congratulations on reaching the first 2-0!! Continued success with your program...you WILL succeed!0
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Great post and I am happy that your journey is going so well! I look forward to seeing future updates.0
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Thank you for sharing this. I can completely relate. It seems strange feel proud of someone you don't even know, yet I do! You did a great thing. Not only did you make the right choice, but you broke the cycle of wrong choices. Congratulations. If you're looking for friends that log on a regular basis, feel free to ad me. I have 140 lbs to lose, so I'll be here for a while. 0
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Excellent post, thank you for sharing. Keep up the hard work!0
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Wow! What a great post. It was inspiring and infectious. You have the "fever". Its empowering to conquer issues that just a few weeks before you wouldn't even think about. Keep up the great work and I look forward to your continuing posts:happy:0
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Wonderful! Future Scott is a luck guy who will be proud, thin and healthy! Keep going!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!0
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When I wrote my post this morning, I had no idea that so many caring and thoughtful people were out there. I basically sent it into the "series of tubes" that is the internet, with no real thought that anyone would actually read it.
I am overwhelmed and grateful for the support of each and every one of you. As a guy who ALWAYS ran to food as a source of emotional comfort, it was so crazy today to realize that it is 8:15 p.m., and I still have 693 calories that I don't even feel like consuming. I will eat something, just because this is a marathon, not a sprint, but what a blessing to finally break free of the (literal) death grip that food has had over me. You fine people are a big reason for that. So thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! All of you!!!
I never really thought about the fact that men can also have an emotional connection to food. You will find a lot of people here who can relate 100% to that aspect of your struggles. I know I can. It feels like a never ending cycle of beating yourself up, eating to feel better, beating yourself up again, etc, etc.
I'm very happy for you. Isn't it an amazing feeling knowing you've won today's battle? There will be more tough days ahead but with every battle won, you get stronger and stronger and in no time turning to food for comfort will truly be a thing of the past!
Congrats on the first twenty gone for good!0 -
You are my hero. YOU CAN DO THIS! I believe in you, Scott!0
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Wow, thanks for posting this! I am encouraged and inspired by this, and truly have a lot of respect for you and the decisions you are making. Keep up all of your great work, I have no doubt that you can reach your goals!0
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Awesome job and it sounds like you are in here for the long haul. Very inspiring story! I am nearly to my first weight loss goal but there will be more as I have yet to get to 200. If you would like a friend who will do her best to cheer you on, add me. 0
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Congrats!!! Someone once told me the first 20 are the hardest (not sure if that true or not) but I know that it's an amazing feeling. Be proud and here's to the next 20.0
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Good for you! Great post BUT I ask you not to refer to yourself as a behemoth. Would you call another person a monster? No, I don't think so, so don't do this to yourself. Ya, ya, I do the same thing....self-deprecating jokes, but I am not going to do this any more. Seriously, we need to be kind to ourselves.
Good for you for making this decision for yourself. Remember that losing just 7-10% of your weight has a big impact on reducing your health risks, so you'll be there soon! Keep it up~0 -
I love the out look of not having a huge goal but a dozen little goals. Food can be very dangerous thing and a trap to fall into. I never realized how damaging it was to my self till I woke up
Thank you for sharing and look forward to hearing more from you
feel free to add if you want0 -
Wow, congratulations. Thanks for sharing this, I found your post very inspiring. Keep up this positive outlook! 0
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Deanadet -
First of all, thank you for your supportiveness. It really does help to see people caring about people on here. I am glad you mentioned the "behemoth" reference. When I explain it, I think you will understand that I meant it in a positive and not self-deprecating way.
Over the many years that I accumulated my extra weight, I would either avoid looking at myself in mirrors, pictures and the like. When I did, I would convince myself that I didn't look so bad. I did that all the way up to 487 pounds. It was not until I finally and truly recognized what I had done to my body and admitted it, that I decided to do something about it. It was that recognition that spurred me on to action. So when I refer to myself as a "behemoth," it is not in an angry way or to belittle myself. Rather, it is a way of acknowledging, "hey, Houston, we've got a problem," and that through action, I can solve that problem. A lot of people would look at being 478 (now 458) pounds as a terrible, horrible, no good and very bad thing. I do too, with two exceptions.
First, I have a medical condition (morbid obesity) that I can solve myself without surgery or dangerous drugs. In that regard, I am pretty sure that a lot of transplant candidates and cancer patients would trade places with me in a moment. All I have to do is to do what I know I need to do and I can be my own best treatment for what ails me.
Second, I do NOT let my weight define me. Am I morbidly obese? Yes. Is that my defining characteristic? No! I am also an excellent father, a very accomplished attorney, a pretty good husband (thank you Dooney & Bourke for saving my butt a few times), and a funny guy with a really good sense of humor. My acceptance of the reality of my physical condition about a month ago when I started this journey, and continuing today, is a big part of what will spur me on to the finish line a year and a half to two years from now. And I'll do it one good food choice at a time, one decision to exercise at a time, and one pound at a time. I don't know how to lose 258 more pounds. But I do know how to lose 1 pound and to do that 258 more times. And I will!
I hope this makes sense.
Scott R.0 -
Congrats!!! Congrats!!! Congrats!!! The hardest thing is getting up and moving. I have had times where I get depressed about being overweight and then eat something to feel better, which makes me only more overweight. This is my first day and the inspiration that you have given is priceless!! Please keep sharing!!0
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Congratulations on your first 20-pound loss! It truly is an achievement, so here is your pat on the back. *pat, pat*
Some people join this site to lose 10 pounds, and I don't think they can truly grasp the resilience and strength of people with literally 10 to 20 times their amount to lose. We're not dealing with "Oh I ate too much over the holidays." We're dealing with "I am addicted to food, just like other people are addicted to drugs." At least that's my story. Until you've been in those shoes, you just cannot understand how someone can "let themselves go." Other people are lucky in that their addictions aren't so apparent to the outside world.
Some people would just give up staring down a triple-digit weight loss goal. I know when I saw that my goal was 115 pounds to lose, part of me wanted to say, "God. This will take forever." But I am doing things one day at a time, just like you. This website is what I have needed all these years ago when I was just flailing around looking for something to help me stay focused. I've tried TOPS, not counting calories (just going by hunger), weighing, not weighing, SlimFast, NutriSystem, blah blah blah. I just had nothing to keep me focused at all times quite like MFP.
I'll say it again, job well done. We'll be here to give you a high-five for every milestone you reach 0 -
Wow - what an amazing post. Although I have never posted before, your words are so inspiring that I had to reply by thanking you for sharing such a wonderful message. I too have some ways to go but today you have inspired me to persevere on the road to better health. All the best with your journey and congratulations on your success thus far. Feel free to friend me 0
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What a great post! Congrats to you!0
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