a year on MFP, w/ some progress pics

knightreader

a little over a year ago, i decided to change my life. i was at rock bottom and knew something had to change. i was an active kid, good athlete and generally always happy. then i started having knee trouble in 7th grade. all activity stopped. and i realized i loved to eat. had my first knee surgery at 13 years old. put on some weight being inactive. a few more surgeries in the next few years. then i started to drive and realized how easy it was to hit the drive thru fast food joints and quik - e marts. another surgery here and there. off to college and started to drink. more weight came on. ate whatever and whenever i wanted. and got even heavier. graduated college and moved back home. mom is a great cook. another knee surgery. more inactivity. more weight. more drinking. learned to love wine. married, lost some weight, gained it back. ate crappy. wings, burgers, all washed down with beers. too many beers. more knee surgery. same story next few years. and it continued.

over the last 25 years, i've had 13 knee surgeries. i currently have metal plates at the ends of each thigh bone. the underside of each knee cap was hallowed out and replaced with plastic, so when i walk, the plastic rubs up against the metal, instead of bone on bone. rehab finally done, cleared by my doc and it was time to make some changes. the picture below is of me around my heaviest weight... 293.



heard about MFP thru a friend and joined. and started walking. 20 minutes was all i could handle and i couldn't go two days in a row b/c my knees would be too sore. i watched what i ate, changed a few things on my personal menu and kept walking. weight fell off quickly. the more success i saw, the more into it i got. i got thru holidays, birthdays, bbq's, summer nights by the outdoor firepit, block parties and everything else. needed new belts, i ran out of holes on the old ones. people were starting to notice and compliment me.

here i am at a wedding in august...



had a great time at the wedding, dancing like never before. confident. had some drinks, passed on the wedding cake. i think. i don't remember too much at the end.

kept working hard and was getting nervous now that september was here and i was now going back to work. teaching gives me the summer off and allowed me to really focus and have plenty of time to prepare and learn and exercise. but i made a commitment and stayed with it.

kept up the cardio and started light lifting with dumb bells about a month or so ago. this pic is from just the other day...



i am extremely proud of my progress. however, i have good days and bad days. i have an amazing support system here on MFP. great friends, some new, some old, all motivating and willing to share what they know.

i look back on my year and think about all the weight i lost, which is great, but what really makes me happy is to look back on this past year and think of all i have gained. the weight can be measured on the scale, but the things i have gained can not be measured. a few of my gains and accomplishments over the last 12 months...

*well, for the first time since i have been 12 years old, a whole year has passed since the last time i have seen my knee doctor.
*i went on a 5 mile hike and loved it
*i take a hot yoga class twice a week
*i love taking my mountain bike on some moderate trails
*i am not the fattest guy at work
*i had season tickets to a local waterpark last year, and already purchased them for this year
*i look forward to a healthy meal
*i get cranky if i don't get my workout in
* i am confident in how i look
*my body is so much more capable of what i thought it was
*my exercise sessions went from 20 minute walks, to 50 minutes on the elliptical, followed by mountain climbers and burpees

and now a few notes...i don't have a gym membership, altho am giving it some thought. i have a used elliptical and a treadmill i purchased off a neighbor for a hundred bucks. i have a mountain bike too.

i still have a few drinks once in a while. just not as many.

i haven't had fast food in over a year, but still have pizza every other week or so.

i drink about a gallon of water a day, and almost no soda, unless i am mixing it with alcohol.

i still eat some cookies or dessert, just not as often or as many.

i tell everyone this, b/c honestly, if i can be successful here, anyone can. i am a typical guys guy who loves wings and beer. i used to live to eat, now i eat to live. when i used to make dinner, if the wife went out, i would make two bacon cheeseburgers, half a bag of french fries and wash it all down with 6 or 7 beers. just the other night she went out and i made talapia fillets with broccoli and rice. and i couldn't wait for her to leave so i could start making it.

surround yourself with good people, learn from them. commit to bettering yourself. it is hard, but totally worth it.

ask yourself, "who is in your mirror?"

be the person you want to be. only you can change it.

thanks to all my MFP friends who have helped me get here. i could not have done it without all of you, whether you are one of my originals, or someone i just became friends with.

good luck to all.

daydream_believer

you are an inspiration. you look incredible and have obviously made this a new healthier lifestyle for the long term. kudos to you! :flowerforyou:

saveferris2013

Wow 78 lbs lost, that's like losing a 12 year old! Congratulations, you look great and sound happy!

knightreader

sorry for the big second pic, tried to resize it but it didn't work.

alphabetsoup2013

What a motivating story. Congratulations on all your hard-earned success!

MadDogManor

Wow! Great transformation and very inspirational

I'm learning about not having the beer, too!

larryc0923

Great transformation and progress. Very inspirtional, thanks for sharing.

kfesta52

Congrats to you, and thank you for sharing this! Most impressive!

sPaRkLiNgLYFE

congrats!! you look great :happy:

Angimom

Wow! You look awesome! Stories like these help me to keep pushing on!! Thank you, and Congratulations!

CZenks

Congrats to you and thanks for the story. It is really great to read.

pattypureheart

WOW! Wonderful life changes and truly an inspiration to all on this ride...Thanks for this post!

Michshellars

Looking great! Congrats!

Renee81170

Awesome! you look amazing but more importantly it seems like you feel amazing

jeslaughter

AWESOME!!! enough said....

JustAGemini

Great Job!! thanks for the motivation to keep going!

knightreader

thanks everyone. looking back on this past year really amazes me. the challenges, the highs, the lows, it's such a rollercoaster of a ride. i loved it, hated it and thought about quitting. but hang in there! we can all do this!

CoraGregoryCPA

Loved your post! Very nice job! You are awesome!!!

Does your wife eat healthy with you? Does she have weight to lose too?

baybeeboo

Your looking great! Well done you

jadethief

Thanks for the post and the inspiration. You look fabulous and I know you must feel great. It's stories like yours that keep me on track.

knightreader

Loved your post! Very nice job! You are awesome!!!

Does your wife eat healthy with you? Does she have weight to lose too?

no, to both. my wife can eat anything and not seem to gain a pound, while i gain just by looking. while she eats healthily most of the time, she does have more treats than i do. there were plenty of night this past year where she and my son had fast food, and i had a turkey sandwich. i do most of the cooking, so usually she eats what i make, as it is a lot healthier than it was a year ago. she seems to want to go out to eat more than i do now. i still go, just once in a while. it is a treat, not part of our routine anymore.

she is more supportive of the physical activity than the food. she doesn't seem to mind when i leave to go to yoga, or helping our son with his homework so i can get my workout in. stuff like that.

to her credit, i have tried to lose weight before, and have, and put it back on. so i think in the beginning she thought this was going to be another one of those times and didn't really support it much, thinking it wasn't going to last. however, as time went on, she became more supportive.

she has also been a rock star helping me recover from all my knee surgeries. drove me around whenever i needed to go somewhere, took care of the house when i couldn't help out, all good stuff.