My journey into a new life

Hello MFP world,

First I'd like to thank all of my friends out there on MFP. You guys have been truly inspirational, I have learned a great deal from you all.

I started my journey back in October 2011 weighing in at 216 lbs standing 5'7". I work EMS in NYC so even though I can have active days many of then can be pretty slow where I sit around for hours. I decided to start hitting the gym and watched what I ate. I didn't count calories, did not know what a macro was and I had no clue what to do at the gym besides what some friends told me. I did my thing and managed to lose a little over 25 lbs getting down to 185 or so then I had some family issues which put me out of commission for several months. In July/August 2012 I got back into it, I had gone back up to 195 and wasn't happy. By September I was back down to 186 then I found MFP. I began tracking. I read, read and read some more. I tried to soak up as much knowledge as I could from as many places as I could. At first everything was tedious but then my OCD kicked in and things became 2nd nature. I felt like I was eating more than ever before and I was losing weight, it was great!!!! I refused to give up the things I loved like Pizza, tacos, white and yellow rice and tons of Peanut butter. So I didn't, I just worked around it. As the months went by I made adjustments and kept soaking in as much info as possible. Eventually I added new things into my daily menus like Bacon, Ice Cream, Fiber one brownie and more. I tried to keep balanced days while remaining mentally sane and dedicated to my mission.

I made adjustment to my training as well. I started doing JasonDB Ice Cream Fitness, focusing on mainly compound movements. I don't like cardio, so I stopped doing it for a while except for the occasional HIIT session. I continue to try and learn as much as possible. I'm not as muscular as some of the guys around here but I'm proud of where I am.

When I first started I thought I would get down to a certain weight and be happy. I got there and was far from it. I made another weight goal and blew past that. Eventually I just stopped making that a goal and started focusing on the mirror.
Several weeks ago we booked a trip to Mexico and I told myself to go harder than ever to feel as good as possible for this vacation. Today I weigh in at 147 lbs. Almost 70 lbs since I first started. I have been extremely lucky to have the woman I love at home (DLV) go along on this journey with me. She has been very supportive and she has lost a good amount of pounds as well. She is stronger than ever and feels better than ever.

2 weeks ago I went to the beach and took my shirt off for the first time in 20 years there. We are excited about our vacation, we leave in 2 days, me with my Size small swimming trunks and her with her 2 pieces bikini.

Thank you all for reading this.

My transformation

October 3, 2011


Sept 2012


January 2013


June 1 2013


Today June 14 2013