650 Pound Virgin

MissAnjy

in 2009 with the help of Chris Powell, David lost 400LBS & became a personal trainer, helping others. Unfortunately, over the last 3 years, David has gained back 300LBS.

This goes to show how important it is to not only change your OUTSIDE, but your INSIDE as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTlvDMBDIxQ&feature=related

WalkingGirl1985

I totally agree, and trying to do the same. I think weight loss is never going to happen long term if we don't work on our emotions and what we feel on the inside.

_lizzie_

I saw that..it made me very sad. I actually was never able to lose weight when I was depressed. It was only after I felt better on the inside that I wanted to feel better and look better physically. I hope he doe it again, and I hope he does it right. He seems like a really nice guy.

Valm0n

Well I can understand this... It's hard to forget who you've been for years.
When I was a child, I was the skinny one (I was 5ft and 105lbs when I was 10). I was the one that everyone bullied because it was easy. Now I'm 6ft and 260lbs but I sometimes forget that and still feel and act like I still was a weakling...

I don't know how I'll handle it when I'll reach my goal weight. I guess it won't be as hard than for the 650lbs Virgin.

dakotababy

I am sure this is not only my fear - but the fear of many other people on MFP trying to lose the weight...and Im sure David had a fear of this as well. I am wondering what is it that has to change? Like i understand 1 - knowledge on healthy eating 2 - practicing healthy eating habits 3 - dealing with emotional traumas that may have lead to over eating 4 - stress management, healthy coping alternatives to eating.

I have read once that you need to tell yourself that your goal is not to "get down to ***lbs" but to make the "get down to ***lbs and stay there forever"...or something along those lines. Many people could lose all of the weight, then once they reach their weight goal - its like it can all go out the window.

Another thing that could help prevent this is to keep developing fitness goals even after you have lost all of the weight. Keep pushing for 1 more mile, fast, more weights, a challenge...to keep a person motivated to continue maintaining their weight long term.

yourenotmine

Holy crap. I hope he makes it this time. Poor guy.

r0se125

That's so sad. Hope he can loose the weight again.

Changing how you look at yourself on the inside I think is that hardest part about this journey. I've lost 60 lbs already and still feel like I look the same now as I did 60lbs ago. I have been working on changing the inside lately I think it has stopped me from being all I can be since my insides haven't caught up yet.

SuperSexyDork

That made me sad. Really sad.

I hope he can make it this time and make the changes for life.

I think therapy would help him.

bmalone62

This is just really heartbreaking! It's hard enough just losing the weight but it's even harder to change our way of thinking so we can keep it off. Hopefully he makes it this time around!

kenazfehu

I've done the same 4 times in my life: lost the weight I needed to lose, regained it. I remember sitting in my kitchen dipping mushrooms into bleu cheese dressing and eating them, knowing I was going to regain the weight, not able to turn myself around.

Sometimes I wonder why I'm even bothering to try again, then I remember how my feet and ankles feel if I have to walk very far. I owe it to my aging joints to get some of this weight off them! And I owe it to myself to stop being an eating machine.

belladonna786

This is so scary! I know for me at least, I always say "oh if I get down to my goal I will never get up to x weight again" This is so very sad Is the battle ever over?

SabrinaJL

I definitely worry about this. I think, for me, it has to be about more than just the weight. I set out to lose 100 lbs (main goal was to get off bp meds though). I lost 60 lbs from March 2011-Dec. 2011. Haven't really lost anything since then. For the last 11 months, my weight has stuck between 173-179. If it were just about the weight, I'd probably have gotten frustrated and given up. But it's about my health.

The fact that I was able to go off blood pressure meds after 10 years, my cholesterol is down and I'm healthier and fitter than I've been in my entire life (despite still being considerably overweight) is what keeps me running, lifting and watching what I eat.

undeludedwish

That is so true. So much of our weight loss efforts are hampered because once we get to our goal weight, we have trouble accepting and getting used to our new selves. We are still thinking like our old selves, whether its 5 pounds, 15 pounds, or 150 pounds ago. That mental mindset of holding onto the past keeps us from staying in the present.

That video made me tear up Although it's pretty easy to do that today lol

Minnesota_Nice

Wow....

misslindseylou

Poor guy =( He worked so hard, and then when he started to gain he lost so many friends...it makes me wonder if that trainer friend of his only used him to get famous in the first place, though.

boatsie77

We overweight folks use food to draw our focus away from something that is causing us pain--if we don't address what we're telling ourselves in our heads (that cause this pain), and release the pain, we will find losing and maintaining a healthy weight will become a life-long, very tense and painful struggle. Addressing and fixing the perceived problems in our minds while at the same time losing the weight and getting healthy is the ONLY solution to breaking the food addiction for good.

whatupskinnyjeans

well being that i just gained 20 lbs over the summer.... im kind of getting the whole lifestyle change. its hard though because when food is your drug of choice- for comfort or to block emotion, u need to come up with a new one. im thinking mine was excercising. i really got out my stress... gotta find me a new gym and reboot

Vailara

I'd heard about this guy before and felt so sorry for him. I think it shows just how difficult it is to keep weight off. If he managed to lose 400 lb (!!!), he clearly wasn't lacking in willpower, determination, commitment, etc.

We see so many articles about people who have lost huge amounts of fat, along with their before and after pictures, but I'd really love to see more articles about people years down the line to see how they managed afterwards.

ElleBee66

So many people fail to grasp that *this is how you will be eating for the rest of your life*

Understand that now and you will be fine.

xxx_Pink_Princess_xxx

sz8soon

I saw his loss on TV one evening. Super sad that he ended up gaining it all back.

zachatta

Lifestyle change is required.

Chadomaniac

hes losing the weight again , i think hes down to 380

Beccy2pointoh

I thought Chris Powell was his bff. I wonder if they are still friends & how he feels about this huge gain.?

LilacSnow

god, that was SO sad, and what's worse is the comments on that you tube video. people are such *kitten*.

i hope he's able to lose the weight again and keep it off, and his girlfriend is awesome for standing by him when things got tough.

follmer20

Just watches the video. I totally agree. To be able to change your outside you have to be ready on the inside. Ive realized this along time ago. I hate what I see in the mirror but emotionally I wasn't ready to change. You have to want to do it. You have to put the past behind you and move forward.

liittlesparrow

God GOD that's 100 lbs gained in a year... EACH year. Jesus Christ o_O.............................

MissAnjy

During my weight loss (the first time around) I went from 195lbs down to 152lbs. I looked exactly how I wanted to, but at the time, was still trapped in an unhealthy marriage & was devastated by it all. I hadn't changed the inside, at all.

I ended up divorcing my husband & moving on, raising our two kids.

There was a lot of struggle during this time, and because I hadn't dealt with feelings, emotions, pain that was still on the inside, I ended up gaining back up to 182lbs.

9 weeks ago, I started working on the outside again (after spending a couple months prior, and STILL, working on the inside).

This time it feels much different. It is a much slower process, but I'm re-learning me.

Please, don't be a victim to this, as David was. It's not all about your physical appearance. Make sure that you are getting healthy on the inside as well. Don't be a statistic. Do yourself proud, and do it right. You do NOT want to lose and then have to re-lose the same pounds. It's mentally and emotionally tough, and draining.

I hope that David does himself right this time, and works on himself from the inside, out.

boatsie77

well being that i just gained 20 lbs over the summer.... im kind of getting the whole lifestyle change. its hard though because when food is your drug of choice- for comfort or to block emotion, u need to come up with a new one. im thinking mine was excercising. i really got out my stress... gotta find me a new gym and reboot

You don't need find a substitute for food to 'block or comfort' emotional pain, what you need to do is face and deal with that part of your mind that manifests the emotional pain, work on letting it go and get on with your healthy and happy life.

FitBeto

On a lighter note, I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico

yoovie

No one ever listens when you tell them this unfortunately They always assume that self-confidence and an amazing life are your prize for reaching a number on the scale. They dont realize they are supposed to be working on all that stuff at the same time - or they are going to have even BIGGER issues once you are no longer hidden safely behind your excess weight and youre all vulnerable and exposed.