It is possible

Hello all,

I've never posted before but have read many of the success stories on MFP and they have inspired me along the way so thought I'd share my experience.

I managed to get myself to 28 stone 2 pounds (179 kg) - I'd talked about losing weight for years but the pounds just kept piling on. I don't know what kicked it off - I wish I did...I'd bottle it and sell it...but here is what I have learnt over the last 10 months losing 10 stone...

Stats:

First weigh in - Jan 10, 2012, - 28 stone 2 lb
Waist size - 56 inch

Weigh in on Friday, October 19, 2012 - 18 stone 2 lb
Wait size 38 inch

1. You can do it. I've done it despite years of weight gaining. It can be done - it's not all plain sailing but what is in life? Stick with your plan and you will succeed. Yes, you'll have ups and downs but if you keep on going you'll get there.

2. What's it all about - counting calories. It really IS that simple - more out than in. That's where MFP came in for me. My calorie intake was really based around ignorance - I didn't appreciate that i was eating enough for 4 most of the time! Really understanding what I could take in and how quickly those calories stack up allowed me to make CHOICES - choose the right foods to help me get the best calorie bang for my buck and help me to know when I had hit my limit allowing me to CHOOSE whether I stuck with it or blew the plan...

3. Exercise - don't eat your exercise calories - bank them. My calorie counting has been accompanies by lots and lots of exercise. I used a Fitbit with MFP (till i lost it) and this was brilliant. Like my calories, I had no idea how little I was actually exercising. Having a target with the Fitbit steps really drove me on. I stopped driving the half mile to the station (and paying the £5 per day parking) and started walking there and back. Wasn't easy to begin with...my ankles, knees and back were sore - but it soon became easier and really was worth it.

I then started walking to and from the train station to my office instead of taking the tube. 1.5 miles each way. Again, not easy to begin with...i was a sweaty lump by the time i got to the office but we have showers so was OK.

I then started climbing the stairs to my 11th floor office - lung bursting to start but the sense of achievement really drove me on and the pounds kept on dropping.

It's so easy to make excuses to stop - it's too painful, I don't have time, I'll look stupid covered in sweat - well, I'd rather be in a little discomfort knowing I was digging myslef out of an early grave (I'm 43) than hobbling around, people looking at me as I moved my huge frame around.

Do something you enjoy - I love Thai boxing but hadn't done it for 15 or so years...i found alocal club. The coach is great and I worked out with him 1-2-1 - becuase i love the training it wasn't ever a chore and i could feel myself getting fitter and stronger.

Build up - you won't manage everest in a day but you can set mini goals - your own personal everests that you can the flag of success on...i started counting steps! Every time I took 10 steps I would congratulate myself and spur myself on for the next 10 - yes, I was that heavy! I can tell you there are 1600 steps from my house to the station...160 celebrations along the way...i had to stop at firtst but only when i had gotten to the end of a 10...find your little everests and celebrate when you get there - keep pushing and challenging yourself

What am i doing now? I'm cycling 20 miles each way to and from work - yes, it's a bit extreme but I love it...i couldn't do a whole week when i started - i've built up over a few months...

Don't eat your exercise calories - bank them! As you can tell from the cycling and boxing I'm really doing a lot of exercise... but I still only eat the calories needed for a normal day. Is this "right"? I don't know but all i can tell you is that I have never felt hungry, run down or lacked energy by not eating my exercise calories - so I must be getting enough through my daily intake...I eat well, lots of fruit, protien and the right carbs...I make sure i drink lots as I lose a lot of liquid on the road but that's about it...

4. PPPPPP - Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Poor Performance! It's true...when "fresstyling" with food I've found it really hard to keep on top of things. My wonderful wife has really helped me lose the weight - we prepare our breakfasts in advance, she makes up salad lunches for us both to take to work, we plan our meals for the week and shop for that, we measure the foods and track the cals...I wouldn't have succeeded without my wife's help in getting things ready in advance - it helped take the thinking out of eating - we made healthy choices in advance by getting the food ready. It has worked for me...

5. celebrate success - wether it's 2 pounds or 140 - if you've worked to lose it through diet and exercise you are succeeding! There'll be weeks when you don't lose and it is frustrating but stick with it - success WILL come...tracking cals WORKS! Success comes in many forms - walking the 10 steps, someone noticing you've lost some weight and saying you're looking great, getting in to smaller clothes (though a devil on the wallet...), not standing out in a crowd...you'll know what success feels like to you when you it and when you do celebrate! Shout inside when at a busy station but you've made the walk to get there! Shout out loud when you cycle up that hill and get to the top...look in the mirror when you are in smaller jeans and say Well done!

Success has also had a financial impact for me...not paying for parking at the station...£25 per week...not taking the tube from the station to work...£400 per year...not taking the train to work...£2400 a year...it's not why i started at all but shedding the pounds of my waistline has helped me save pounds on travel

6. Moving on - am I finished? No. I still have some weight to go - how much? Not sure - but I'll know when I get to a point I'm happy with. Will it take effort going forward - you bet! I can't rest now and let things slide...I know i need to watch the cals and keep exercising. I'll keep using MFP to help me along the way.

Do I rely on MFP too much? Yes. I let MFP take all the strain working out the cals in food - so I haven't really learned what the true values are so that if i ever have to freestyle my choices i'm at a bit of a loss. I need to really start looking at the numbers in MFP for the foods I want to eat so that I can cope well when I don't have access to the app...

I could go on and this (although wordy) is a brief summary of my last 10 months...well, 9 months 9 days to be precise

Am i celebrating now? You bet!