goal reached 362# lost in 17 months no surgery

I am no rookie or stranger to gaining weight, losing weight, failed attempts, and paying for the same real estate over and over again. I have tried it all except for "the surgery". I really never had any problem losing it. Keeping it off has been my Achilles heal.

This is my story. I woke up on July 27, 2012 and decided enough is enough. I had to do something about my weight problem. I found MFP and quickly joined the website. After that, I logged in every day and recorded my food.

I lost 282# in the first 52 weeks. I did this with no tricks, no surgery, no supplements, no energy bars or drinks, no shots just pure old fashioned willpower and exercise. I joined a gym on December 24, 2012. Currently, I am there about 4-5 times a week. I probably broke all the rules. I eat about 1,000 calories a day. I eat three times a day with snacks. I have skipped meals when I am not hungry especially on the weekends when I am busy. I weigh myself every day. I visit my personal physician every 30 days. He monitors my progress and draws blood about every 60 days during the first 12 months.

In the past 17 months I haven’t had one bite of fast food, pizza, junky sweets or beer. I can’t say as I miss it. I am posting this for the people out there who get discouraged or have a substantial amount to lose. You can do it. You have to be determined. Don’t get distracted by outside influences. I decided I would set aside one year of my life to really concentrate on my problem. I am 59 years old. If I can do it, you can do it. Everyone is amazed at my results. Are the results typical? I doubt it. Did I lose it too fast? The answer is probably. Are my Dr. and I pleased with the results? The answer is absolutely.

Total loss as of today is 362#. I had a doctor appointment last week and my doctor has advised me to give my body a chance to catch up with the changes from the past 17 months. He feels I am at a good weight for me. I think by the charts I am considered overweight but at 6'3" I have no problem carrying my current weight. My wife has wanted me to stop for some time. She feels I am too thin. I think it is the drastic change and she is adjusting to it. Either way I am going to take a stab at maintenance. It is my intention to continue logging and weighing every day to monitor my progress. I am very determined not to start gaining weight and giving back all of the hard work. As I transition to maintenance, I can honestly say I never had a cheat meal, cheat day, or exceeded my calories or ever strayed from the same determination I had from day one. The payoff was a 362# weight loss in 17 months. I recently had to have emergency hernia surgery. I was released with no restrictions after three weeks. No doubt a tribute to my level of fitness and the weight loss.

# 1 photo-July 2012
#2 photo-July 2013
#3 photo-October 2013
#4 photo-December 2013
#5 photo-December 2013