Not the chubby guy any more
sam_gamgee
Posts: 138 Member
I've pretty much always been a bit on the chubby side. Runs in the family. It's just the way I am. I kept it mostly under control (I thought) and was happy the way I was (I thought).
Yesterday marked one year since I decided to start a 10 week weight loss challenge, after I saw a pic of myself from early Jan 2012 and thought "sheesh that pic makes me look fat" ... then looked at some others and realised that it wasn't the pic, it was me. I did some reading and found that keeping a food diary can be a big factor in losing weight - which is how I found MFP. I lost 12.6kg (28 lb) in that first 10 week challenge, and didn't look back - just kept resetting my own personal 10 week challenges each time the old one finished. I still am.
Some stats:
- I'm 40 years old, about 177cm (5ft 10in) tall
- lost almost 35kg (76 lb), started at about 114kg (251 lb), now just over 79kg (175lb).
- jeans have gone from 42in/107cm waist to 32in/82cm.
- would have struggled to run 500m then, regularly do 10km+ now.
- only been this weight once before in my adult life, in early 1991 when I had just turned 18.
- from mid 1992 to mid 2012 I was over 90kg (basically 200 lb+).
- all of 1996 to 2011 inclusive I was 100kg+ (220 lb+), maxing out at about 117kg (258 lb).
Thanks to my wife Julie who has put up with me asking for the details for just about anything she's cooked in the past year so I can log the calories, and for eating her icecream (mostly) when I was out running. :-)
I still have a bit of work to do, but I'm pretty proud of how far I've come. This isn't something that stops - from now on, being healthy is a lifelong work in progress.
Before and after ... the pic from Jan 2012 that started it all, and one taken yesterday morning.
And no shirt at 250lb vs no shirt at 175 lb ...
PS I should really change the first line of this post to "I was always a bit on the chubby side until 2012. Thought that it ran in the family, and it was just the way I am, but I was wrong. Now my weight is under control and it feels great."
PPS One last thing - early on I saw a motivational poster. I find that most of them are cringeworthy rubbish, but this one stuck with me - "One year from now, you'll be so glad you started today". So true. :-)
Yesterday marked one year since I decided to start a 10 week weight loss challenge, after I saw a pic of myself from early Jan 2012 and thought "sheesh that pic makes me look fat" ... then looked at some others and realised that it wasn't the pic, it was me. I did some reading and found that keeping a food diary can be a big factor in losing weight - which is how I found MFP. I lost 12.6kg (28 lb) in that first 10 week challenge, and didn't look back - just kept resetting my own personal 10 week challenges each time the old one finished. I still am.
Some stats:
- I'm 40 years old, about 177cm (5ft 10in) tall
- lost almost 35kg (76 lb), started at about 114kg (251 lb), now just over 79kg (175lb).
- jeans have gone from 42in/107cm waist to 32in/82cm.
- would have struggled to run 500m then, regularly do 10km+ now.
- only been this weight once before in my adult life, in early 1991 when I had just turned 18.
- from mid 1992 to mid 2012 I was over 90kg (basically 200 lb+).
- all of 1996 to 2011 inclusive I was 100kg+ (220 lb+), maxing out at about 117kg (258 lb).
Thanks to my wife Julie who has put up with me asking for the details for just about anything she's cooked in the past year so I can log the calories, and for eating her icecream (mostly) when I was out running. :-)
I still have a bit of work to do, but I'm pretty proud of how far I've come. This isn't something that stops - from now on, being healthy is a lifelong work in progress.
Before and after ... the pic from Jan 2012 that started it all, and one taken yesterday morning.
And no shirt at 250lb vs no shirt at 175 lb ...
PS I should really change the first line of this post to "I was always a bit on the chubby side until 2012. Thought that it ran in the family, and it was just the way I am, but I was wrong. Now my weight is under control and it feels great."
PPS One last thing - early on I saw a motivational poster. I find that most of them are cringeworthy rubbish, but this one stuck with me - "One year from now, you'll be so glad you started today". So true. :-)
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Replies
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Wow! What a difference a year makes. Excellent job.
And kudos to your wife for being the supportive mate that she is!!!0 -
Awesome work bud. And i have a very similar Quote in a print on my kitchen wall.0
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wow terrific transformation! you look amazing. nice work!0
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Awesome job - and yes - I am sure you are very happy and proud you started this amazing change one year ago ;-)0
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What an awesome effort - congrats mate - inspirational!!
Ps - I want to borrow that motivational saying you quoted!!0 -
What an awesome effort - congrats mate - inspirational!!
Ps - I want to borrow that motivational saying you quoted!!0 -
This gives me inspiration. Thank you so much for sharing this.0
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You look like a while different person! Congrats!0
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Wow thanks for sharing, what a terrific outcome, do you have any advice for use newbies? I'm in the same boat you were a year ago 5 foot 9 223 lbs! Any advice is appreciated0
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That's a fantastic difference! Good luck maintaining your loss, your old pictures will begin to feel more and more like someone else is in them!0
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Wow! Amazing!0
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Wow thanks for sharing, what a terrific outcome, do you have any advice for use newbies? I'm in the same boat you were a year ago 5 foot 9 223 lbs! Any advice is appreciated
1. Focus on what's important. Particularly early on, it's easy to get discouraged. Why do you want to lose weight? For me, it was mostly about my kids (we now have 4 under 7) and being able to keep up with them as they got older and faster, and making it more likely that I'd be around for them in 20 years.
2. Set your calorie aim sensibly (not too low that you find it incredibly hard, not too high that you lose too slowly and get discouraged). 1600 works for me. Try to train yourself to treat it as a firm number as much as possible, not a guideline (but see #4 below).
3. Find an exercise that you enjoy. For me, it was walking and then running. After the "get the kids to bed" madness and aftermath, I'd head out for a walk ... which became a jog, and then a run. I'm aiming to run 1000km this calendar year.
4. Don't worry about a bad day. They're actually good to have every now and then, just not too often.
5. Don't deny yourself completely. I love pizza and have eaten it regularly (probably once a fortnight) throughout - except now, I have 2-3 pieces for dinner instead of 7-8. Reduce your portion size to limit calories, and/or exercise to compensate. Same for all the foods I like.
6. Drink heaps of water.
7. See #1. I've tried to lose weight before with limited success ... I had to really want it.0 -
You look great! Thanks for the good advice - nicely stated.0
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you look soooooo good! All of these success stories really give me hope0
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Thanks for posting. Your starting stats (age, height, weight) are almost the same as mine so it's great to see my future body shape!
Congratulations an your dedication and success.0 -
Congratulations!!0
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Wow, just wow. You are a machine, and I really admire what you did there. You look great!0
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You look amazing! well done!!0
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The most inspirational post I have seen. Not only because of the drastic change in your appearance but because it feels honest. LOVE the quote at the end. Hope some of it rubs off on me. Thanks mister0
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From one fat balding git to another...you look great bro! Am inspired.0
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you look great hun well done x0
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you legend, looking really well dude.!0
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Well done - you look great! 2012 was a deciding year for me too - nearly there now :-)0
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fantastic results well done!0
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Wonderful story, fantatsic outcome - very motivational.
Well done0 -
thank you for sharing your story & the good advice - really helpful
and well done for all the hard work - you look great0 -
great work dude0
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Congrats! You look great! I appreciate you sharing your strategies and your motivations. It's really inspirational!0
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Great job. I can totally relate to looking at pictures and thinking they make you look fat. My Chirstmas vacation 2011 was like that - **ALL** of the pictures made me look fat. I finally realized that it wasn't the pictures, it was me. I was fat! Congrats on your success!!0
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High five - Well done !0
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