28 years old, Fat, Finally Getting it Together.

Hello Everyone,

I have been over weight since I was 16 years old. I have never really had a problem with it till I went over the road trucking and my weight exploded. I gained over 70lbs in one year! My last DOT Physical was horrible. Out of control blood pressure, averages of 160/130s.

After getting some not to pleasant news from the doctor I finally decided to do something about it! I started my program a week ago, but just now signed up for this website. My starting weight at 5'11" was 274lbs, I am down to 269lbs at the start of my journal here on this website.

When I started my plan a week ago I cut out my habit of a 12 pack of Coca-Cola a day and replaced it with water only, I also cut out all alcohol use. I did some math and that alone cut almost 2000 calories a day out of my diet instantly. I am now drinking over a gallon of water a day. I also replaced my diet from junk food, fast food, and nothing healthy to all lean meats, vegetables, and dairy. Also threw in muscle milk protein powder.

I have been doing cardio seven days a week using HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) about 20 minutes a day. That's as long as I can go till I build up stamina and lose some of this fat. I also do 7 days a week weight training on a bench press with leg attachment, and I do that for 45 minutes a day. I know it is a little bit of over kill, but I am seeing results really fast.

In a mere week my blood pressure has dropped significantly, from the 160/130s to holding stable at 130/80s. Still a tad high but it will go down in time.

My goals are to drop to 190lbs in 6 months, then start the bulk and packing on serious muscle. I have never been serious about getting in shape in my life till now. I will not fail. I will not give up. I will not cheat.

Cheers!

Replies

  • prettynikkish
    prettynikkish Posts: 21 Member
    Good luck on you journey. Im glad to see you seeing some results already :smile: . Keep up the good work!
  • jaokiray
    jaokiray Posts: 22
    Greetings. I would urge some caution on the bulk up part. I've been there, and I've felt the repurcusions of hitting it too fast, too hard, too much. Now, I made great improvements, but have been made wiser by it. A key thing for now, is keep switching up the exercises you do while lifting. Maybe look for lighter weights, a few more reps and always keep form. Keep the muscles guessing is a key point, and the lighter weights falls into similar mindset of HIIT when used right, which should fall right in line with what you are doing. :happy: And a huge "Congratulations" on dropping the soda, that is a fantastic feat in its own right. Good Luck!
  • dga226
    dga226 Posts: 224 Member
    good luck with your journey i myself am a big soda addict but i stopped for sometime but i am back at it and need to stop

    add me would like to keep it touch and help each other through the journey togehter
  • bkgirl2001
    bkgirl2001 Posts: 11
    30 yr old looking to lose 100+ lbs as well. Friend request sent. Let get this done together!!
  • I agree. It's not very safe to try to lose it too fast. You also run into the problem of hitting a plateau because your body will get accustom to it unless you change it up a little. But you can reach your goals! I started at 257.7 pounds and as of today, I am at 202. You can get rid of the excess. We all believe in you!
  • I have the utmost respect for you! For my husband and I, we think it is comparable to losing smoking. My husband smoked for five years and was able to quit...so we know we can do this! And I am sure you can too! We have our down days...we mess up, but then we get back on the horse and continue to work to lose it. You are an inspiration!
  • CrystalDreams
    CrystalDreams Posts: 418 Member
    good job, sticking with it will be hard but you have done the hardest part =)
  • norahwynn
    norahwynn Posts: 862 Member
    Great job on cutting out the soda, but please be careful with trying to do too much at once. It sounds like you're determined, and that's great, but just be careful and do it in a sensible and healthy way!

    Good luck!
  • ertrauma
    ertrauma Posts: 46 Member
    This is all very new to you, my friend. You are determined and excited, but remember that it is "slow and steady that wins the race". My other piece of advice to you is to remember the 80/20 Rule: Healthy = 20% what you do, 80% what, when, how and why you eat. Think about it.
  • DakotaKeogh
    DakotaKeogh Posts: 693 Member
    We're the same height and we had close to the same starting weight. I was just a little higher.

    I respect the ambitious goals. But, consider not setting one that won't end the journey with disappointment if you don't hit it. There are setbacks and plateaus that are normal. It took me almost 20 months to lose 100 lbs. A lot of that is my age, admittedly. Just don't set yourself up for major disappointment.
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  • chrisjathompson
    chrisjathompson Posts: 227 Member
    Great job so far, and good luck! Its a fun challenge, and I also suggest setting short term goals instead of one long term one.
  • Good luck with all u have planed to do... Love that u started this journey...
  • Glad to see things are finally going your way. Feel free to add me - would love to see you journey progress n hopefully be a little inspiration to me. Got alot to lose myself! xx

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  • snoople1
    snoople1 Posts: 18 Member
    Great that you are here taking the first speps. You will succeed, no worries. Get as much support as you need. You can friend me if you chose to

    All the best, life is too good:):)
  • knightsar
    knightsar Posts: 5 Member
    190lbs in 6mos is like 31lbs a month. That's like 7-8lbs a week! I think you might want to consider giving your skin some time to contract with your body. Also, usually the most weight recommended to lose in a week is 3lbs max. At your current weight, and your intensity level I am sure your weight will come off faster than that at first. You might be setting yourself up for discouragment with such a large weightloss goal so fast. 190lbs usually takes people around 18mos-2years to lose. Don't set yourself up for failure. I am an RN who worked with weightloss for several years. You've already lowered your blood pressure which is so awesome! keep up the good work (high blood pressure is "the silent killer" for a reason). Work at a steady pace and I am sure you'll be happy with yourself in no time!
  • Renaud_M
    Renaud_M Posts: 10
    Hi,

    I'm about the same settings you have: 6' for ~270lbs, and I plan to lose 70lbs.
    I sent you an invitation
  • leebesstoad
    leebesstoad Posts: 1,186 Member
    It's great you are eager, it's great the changes you have made so far (really great actually). But as others have said, I think you may be setting your goals a bit too aggressively. To go from 270 (about) to 190 or 80 pounds in 6 months (26 weeks) is a bit over 3 pounds a week. That would mean you would need to operate at a calorie deficit of 1,500 calories a day, every day for 6 months. That seems just too extreme to me. I've never seen any expert recommend more then 2 pounds a week unless it was closely monitored by a medical professional. At 2 pounds a week, the same 80 pounds would take you 40 weeks instead of 26. Is 14 extra weeks too much time? Did the weight get added that fast? Is there any reason to think it will come off that fast?

    One other word of advice: you will need to build in rest days to your exercise routine. You can't strength train and cardio train 7 days a week. You may see gains now, but you will plateau and stop eventually. Rest is necessary for muscles to rebuild after you tear them down during exercise.

    It's great you've started and are seeing improvements already. Don't give up when the disappointments occur (and they will occur, because they happen to all of us -- ALL of us). Good luck.