100 Pounds Lost (Picture Heavy)

You sir are an inspiration.

:blushing:

You look great already! Well done! The new cut and beard suit you.

Why thank you very much!

Here's the story of how it all began: (If anybody's interested)(Prior to the passing of my FIL & fall of my MIL)

We all know the scenario of sitting on the couch with a bowl of chips on your personal table (a.k.a. your belly) and a 32 oz. coke in your hand. I know it just too well, because that used to be me. Chips and coke used to be my best friends and consumed almost daily. No wonder I was expanding like a balloon. Looking back I seriously ask myself how I could not have noticed that I was getting so big. I mean it was so obvious; first it was a pair of jeans that wouldn't fit anymore, then it was the shirts I had to stretch out continuously. I had to squeeze into chairs at a public place and didn't feel comfortable. So I just ended up avoiding the public as much as possible. I knew every time people were looking at the stuff I had in my shopping cart, they didn't have to wonder why I was fat. And neither did I...
Then one day after I took a shower I caught a glimpse of me in the bathroom mirror. For the first time I really looked at myself. I looked up and down my body but I just couldn't see passed the fat. There was so much of it, so many fat rolls and so many places where it just looked like somebody filled a balloon with some water. Taking a deep breath was like an earthquake going over my body. I was in shock, but I couldn't stop staring at myself. How many calories did I consume per day that I got this big? How many sodas did I drink to expand this much? I knew something had to change, and I knew that if I didn't do it now, I'd never do it at all.
First it seemed like it was hopeless. Everything I did, everything I tried I ended up giving up on it. I didn't like to put work into it, because it hurt my body and it hurt my soul. I just wanted to be lazy, wanted to sit around, eat and drink and just wait for better days and another opportunity. Thinking about it now, it saddens me, but that is who I was.

I'm not sure what exactly it was that changed at the end of the year 2011, but it gave me a boost and the knowledge that now was the right time to do it. In the beginning of 2012 I started eating healthier and when February rolled around I signed up on MFP. I wanted friends, people who would support me, people who were in the same situation as me, but I wasn't sure how much that really would help me. I didn't want to disappoint them, because I wasn't sure whether or not I was going through with it. I sent out some friend requests and added some people anyway– the best decision I've made. I was so excited about eating healthy and exercising that my wife and her sister joined MFP 5 days later. We were in this together and we would succeed together.

I worked out six, sometimes seven, days a week, while I burned well over 1000 calories each day. I just couldn't stop and did things I never thought I would. I started walking and even running, and when I joined a challenge a few months later, I even ran in place for 100 minutes without stopping. I was going strong, and loved every minute of it. Unstoppable, is what I was, and there was nothing that could have come in between me and working out. I dropped 60 pounds and couldn't have been happier, but still got upset when the scale wasn't moving. I consumed 1600 calories per day, and even though it was hard in the beginning, I got used to it.

When the end of July rolled around, I was gaining weight constantly. I didn't understand why, since I ate low and burned a lot. The scale was dominating me and I was pushed down to the ground. Deep into a hole where I stayed until the end of December. I stopped working out, because nothing I did seemed to work, and I even stopped logging my food. I went from almost 70 pounds lost by end of July, to 49 lost at the end of November. I had gained 20 pounds back in just a few months, 20 pounds I had worked so hard to get rid off. I was depressed, not just health related, but in general. I didn't want to do anything at all, but sleep and sit on the couch. Sadly, that comes pretty close to what I was actually doing.

December 2012 rolled around and I seriously started thinking about what I wanted to do. I knew I could do it, because that's what I'd done. It was time to get back into it and find something that worked for me. I was reading through different topics about health, when I found out about TDEE. It sounded pretty good to me and most of it, it made sense.

January 2013 and I was back in the game. My TDEE was set to 2600 calories and I started going again. After the first week I was getting tired of doing the same things over and over, so I looked for something new. I was in serious need of some strength training, for most of my workouts contained cardio, nothing but cardio. Some of my friends told me about “You are your own gym” by Mark Lauren. I researched it and ended up purchasing his book. There I went, starting with his 10 week basic program. I wasn't able do to a single push up, thus I had no strength whatsoever. It was hard, but the more weeks passed by, the stronger I got. I lost weight, slowly, but also lost inches. Some weeks the scale would show me losses, other weeks it would show me gains. I went up and down but ended up losing 12 pounds and over 10 inches. I wasn't complaining, because I was well on the right course again, going into the right direction. I knew that I'd continue with strength training after the program was done, because it made me feel strong and unstoppable. I'm now going with the calories MFP gave me and it's working so far. I've been at my lowest since - I don't even remember when I was this weight - and I'm feeling good.

I now love working out, taking walks and runs, playing basketball and other sports and trying out new things. I've gone well out of my comfort zone this year, the best thing I could have done. With 71 pounds gone and a pants size of an already loose 44 (used to be 60), I know I'll be going all the way this time. I love going out in public being so confidend that I don't even care what other people think, I love eating healthy and working out and I can look in the mirror and actually smile at what I see. I'm still not there, have at least another 70 pounds to go, but I've gained so much strength, confidence and willpower that nothing can stop me now.

All through this time, through the ups and downs, my friends have stood by me. They've inspired and motivated me and I know I can count on them. Coming back in 2013 has made me feel great, so great that I wrote little inspirational podcasts Monday through Friday. I posted them on my profile and also put it in a recording I send out per email. “Simon's Ambitious Podcasts” (as I called them) had become something I looked forward to every morning. Friends have told me they love it and it inspires and motivates them. They called me coach, so I changed my name. Sounds silly? It might be, but I love it.

I support every single one of my friends, because they are like family to me. I smile when they are happy, and my heart breaks when they are sad. I put time into commenting and telling them how it is if I don't like something. I care about them, because I know they have my back and they support me no matter what. They've been a huge part of my success and I couldn't have done it without them.

My wife and sis in law have stood by me through thick and thin, have motivated and pushed me when I didn't feel like doing anything, and it is because of the way my wife prepares meals and goodies, that I've come to love healthy food. She made me eat and love things I never thought I'd touch and I couldn't be more happy to have her on my team.

This is but a mind over matter thing, and all you have to do is really set your mind straight. Figure out what you really want and you will be able to accomplish anything. There is so much strength within you, strength you haven't gotten to know yet, that there is nothing you can't conquer. Never give up and reach for your friend's hand when you are down. This journey is worth every hard work you put in and you have to enjoy every little victory along the way. Take it one day at a time and make the best choices possible. And always remember, if I can do it, so can you!!

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I really appreciate it!