153 lbs in 365 days (pics)

Poetic_Photography

That's an amazing story & an incredible journey... congrats on your success ~ you look amazing!! (also, thanks for the humor.. I love to laugh!)

bassmanlarry

Thanks for sharing, just the inspiration I needed today.

OptimisticlyOptimistic

Mad props. Well done! You are a weight loss rockstar in my book. And yes...you can have your beer, and drink it too! Rock on man.

traceface71

Today, you are a weight loss hero...you just need the cape! I loved reading your story (you have a great writing voice) and seeing your transformation. Thanks for the motivation! My husband who is not trying (but it wouldn't kill him) to lose weight or anything took notice while reading over my shoulder and I'll be damned but I think I smelled smoke and saw his wheels turning...maybe this post will help him find his way to a healthier life. Thanks!

melsy21

Amazing.... Thank you

XXXMinnieXXX

Just incredible!!!

reneewill

WOW! Your story is really motivational! Congratulations and Keep up that healthy lifestyle!

houlenberg

So happy for you! Incredible job! You inspire me!

starbek

Very powerful story. Brought tears to my eyes and made my resolve to get healthier even stronger. Thank you for sharing!

rosiereally2

Dude, you inspire me! What a fantastic transformation story. And that bead is dead sexy. Keep it going!

squindles

Not read properly yet as I'm just off for a walk but skimmed some pics and THAT'S FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!! Well done :bigsmile:

GlassslippersAndFairyDust

Loved your story, loved your success, loved your pics and I especially loved your STACHE!

kathiehughes

bump

ewestsca

Thanks for letting us in on your journey. It’s very inspiring.

sherisse69

Loved this! You are inspirational! Thank you so much for sharing this

Gerald_King

Awesome very inspiring

jessready

Wonderful post! Congrats and thank you for sharing!

lisamarie2181

All I can say is WOW!!! What an amazing accomplishment and so inspiring!! Can't wait to see how the road map and heavy lifting treat you in the future! Good luck to you, you deserve it!!

thisisgreatsmile

Wow!! Thank you for posting that...you sound real and have shared yourself with anyone that wanted to take the time to read and look! Your words are so true and will give me inspiration on my bad days and my good days:drinker: Cheers to you

Angimom

Awesome. You brought tears to my eyes. Your story is so inspiring. Thanks for sharing.

mjharman

AWESOME! Thanks for being so inspiring!

Strobins05

You guys ROCK and this is what dedication is all about. Keep inspiring and much success on reaching your goals!

kbmomma42

Thank you so much for taking the time to post - its a great motivation tool heading into the weekend...I always look forward to having more time to exercise and get out there - just what I needed to hear! Congratulations - to you and your wife!!

trogalicious

So it doesn't get lost in translation... I'mma just paste this here again:

Fantastic... Inspiration at its best. I have a question, how did you push through the plateaus?

Patience and busting my *kitten* on a regular basis.

So, I'm being bombarded right now with some messages about secrets/tips/what worked for me. It isn't really a secret, I just found what worked for me.

I WILL say this:

When I first started, I thought I had to eat "diet" foods. You know, the stuff that all of the commercials tell you about. I was perfectly happy with it and lost weight. Not because they were special miracle foods, but because I wasn't really eating enough.

I'm no miracle. I'm just a regular guy that found what worked for him. I have my diary closed to public, but it isn't because I'm ashamed of what I eat... it's because I know that when I first started here, I would look at open diaries from people that had lost a lot of weight... and I would think "well, THAT worked for THEM, it should work for me too."

Not true. My intake isn't going to work for what you guys do.

I lift at least 3 days per week, I try to get some cardio-only days in at least twice a week. I'm about to start YOGA and I'm freaking excited about being able to scratch the back of my head with my toes. At least I think that's how it works. Because I'm doing this, I'm eating enough to sustain and feed me, but maintain loss. I follow IPOARM because it works for me.

When I first started, I followed the numbers MFP gave me.. and I ate back my calories most times.

Aside from motivation, if you guys take anything away from this... there is a lot of generally GREAT advice. There aren't magic numbers (1200 calories, 47.3/28/30 macros, 42 being the answer, etc) that work for every single person with every goal always. Guidelines? Absolutely.

It amazes me to see so many of you guys stepping up and replying to this as your first post on the forums. I seriously cannot wrap my mind around the response here. Keep on being awesome yourselves.


Paraphrased from a message that I've had...

what do you eat

Food. Lots of it. I love chicken, steak, eggs, sushi, sweet potatoes, hummus... cottage cheese... almonds.... bacon... I love food. I am addicted to cooking and pretend that I'm a chef in some farm-to-fork type restaurant. I cook a LOT of food one day a week, and portion it out. 100g of chicken? Super simple. Grill/bake it all, portion it out into baggies, label them to how much it weighs... grab and go.

I'll typically eat at least an egg and bagel thin for breakfast. Sometimes two eggs. I'll snack on something around 10:30 (Hey look, it's time for some almonds while I type this out.)

I do lunch around 1 where I get more meat/veggies. Maybe a microwaved sweet potato or some greek yogurt around 3:30 or so. Then more food for dinner.

I don't limit when I eat. If I'm hungry and there's still room in my day, I'll eat. The only thing I REALLY try to do is keep my sodium in watch and try to hit my protein/fat/carb goals.

That's just a shortcut for me, though. Prepping a ton of food... taking time to use the recipe builder here for all of the "ermagerd, look at this chili recipe from pinterest ya'll" stuff.

skinnyiverson

You look awesome my friend! :noway:

GetDemGainz

Amazing transformation. Will inspire and motivate others that this type of goal is possible. Thanks for sharing and good luck on the next chapter of your journey.

newjourney2015

I laughed my @$$ off and even cried a little! You and your wife are awesome! What a story! Just amazing! I will refer your story to all the 1200 calorie a day whiners out there! Shut up and eat! And work hard, too! Something I noticed in your last photos - no loose skin! You are doing it right 100%! Just awsome!

elisa123gal

Thanks for the great post, you look amazing. You document your metamorphosis in a great way. How incremental changes with intellectual determination can cause big change.

you've handled your physical change nicely...most people would freak.

You look healthy and happy...congratulations..and i bet you're still a funny guy...only fit.

trogalicious

..and i bet you're still a funny guy...only fit.

Man, I certainly hope so.

ThomasRGrady

Amazing job! You are really an inspiration for those of us headed in the same direction. Thank you for posting this diary-post!