45 Pounds Down ... 25 to go!

On March 11th 2014, I decided I was going to lose 70lbs. I started out at 250 and wanted to get down to 180. I'd done this 70lb weight loss once before, about 8 years ago. I kept it off for about half that time and then spent 4 years slowly gaining it back.

The first time I lost the 70lbs, I was doing Weight Watchers and killing myself in the gym. I was reluctant to do that again because I hated it. I hated working out so hard and the idea of doing that again is the single thing that kept me from trying to lose the weight again sooner.

Ugh, that feeling of dread ... holding me back.

But, I got to a point where I felt like enough was enough and I was embarrassed that I was back to 250. So, I knew that it was time.

I joined MFP and have been focused solely on calorie counting to lose weight.

I do run a couple times a week, but that's just for general fitness. I don't run to lose weight, I run so I can do things without my heart feeling like it's going to explode.

Anyway ... here's my progress so far.

I'm super embarrassed by the first side of the picture, but very proud of the 2nd side ... so I figured I'd post this despite my shame.

(I hope it works, I've never posted a picture before, I'll try again if it doesn't.)

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Replies

  • sfsoccermom2
    sfsoccermom2 Posts: 233 Member
    Great job! You look amazing. Also, no need to be embarassed. We all started somewhere. Keep it up!
  • joesjl
    joesjl Posts: 6 Member
    We started at the same time! You look great keep it up:)
  • Penthesilea514
    Penthesilea514 Posts: 1,189 Member
    Congratulations on your hard work- and keep up the drive! You have come a long way :)

    Cheers to your continued success! :drinker:
  • SandraJN
    SandraJN Posts: 305 Member
    You look great.
  • wateryphoenix
    wateryphoenix Posts: 644 Member
    Great job! You look amazing. Also, no need to be embarassed. We all started somewhere. Keep it up!

    Amen to that!

    Great job, OP!
  • Luckee_me
    Luckee_me Posts: 1,425 Member
    Congratulations.
    You are amazing.
  • Kate7294
    Kate7294 Posts: 783 Member
    Great job!
  • judipatootie
    judipatootie Posts: 51 Member
    wow!!! WAY TO GO!!!! You look fantastic! I wish i was as close to my goal as you are....but you sure are inspirational!!! Keep up the great work!
  • taziarj
    taziarj Posts: 243 Member
    You wouldn't have looked so bad in the before photo if you weren't wearing such a tight shirt. :happy:

    Congrats BTW
  • Cerakoala
    Cerakoala Posts: 2,547 Member
    Congrats! :) You look great :)
  • AnxiousPenman
    AnxiousPenman Posts: 71 Member
    You wouldn't have looked so bad in the before photo if you weren't wearing such a tight shirt. :happy:

    Congrats BTW

    The tight shirt was on purpose. I wanted a 100% accurate photo that showcased how I looked ... but without actually being topless.
  • AnxiousPenman
    AnxiousPenman Posts: 71 Member
    Thanks, everyone!

    The best part about losing weight through structured calorie counting is that I feel a hell of a lot more confident in keeping the weight off this time than I did the last time I lost the weight. I feel much more educated this time and understand more about what actually is going on inside of my body and how I'm fueling it.

    So thanks again for the kind words and good luck to all of you!
  • flyght30
    flyght30 Posts: 2 Member
    My goal is very similar to yours. What was your daily calories you aimed for? Great job!
  • smashy_smashy
    smashy_smashy Posts: 23 Member
    Awesome job so far! :)
  • curlygirl513
    curlygirl513 Posts: 199 Member
    First thing I gotta say is you never looked anything but handsome. But you look totally amazing. Your hard work paid off. :smile:
  • rgdelacruz43
    rgdelacruz43 Posts: 35 Member
    Awesome! :happy:
  • AnxiousPenman
    AnxiousPenman Posts: 71 Member
    My goal is very similar to yours. What was your daily calories you aimed for? Great job!

    Honestly, I can't remember what I started at. I followed MFP's calorie suggestion pretty spot on (with the occasional going over during events/vacation/etc). I want to say I started at the high 1,600s and it just kept going down as I got closer to goal.

    But recently it dropped to 1,400 and I was like "Nope, done with that." and I took my loss per week from 2lbs to 1.5lbs and it took my calorie goal back up to the 1,600s, and I'm still losing regularly.
  • AnxiousPenman
    AnxiousPenman Posts: 71 Member
    First thing I gotta say is you never looked anything but handsome. But you look totally amazing. Your hard work paid off. :smile:

    Thank you! It's just always difficult for me to look at that "before" picture because of the fact that I was 180 just a few short years ago. So seeing that before shot just reminds me of how much I let myself go for awhile. I guess I'm more embarrassed by that really than by how I physically look in it.

    That said, it also works as a pretty solid piece of inspiration not to allow myself to keep letting my weight yo-yo so drastically.

    Going from 250 to 180 to 250 to 180 in, literally, less than a decade ... it's rough physically and mentally. So this time I'm pretty dedicated to not letting it go back up!
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
    What a change! Good work.
    Congratulations.
    You are amazing.
    Says the person who's lost 188 lb ...
    That's really amazing.
  • njmark72
    njmark72 Posts: 99 Member
    Congrats! Keep up the good work. Do you find it easier this time around or more difficult? In any event, good for you. Keep focused and determined and you will get back to 180.

    Best regards,
    Mark
  • Winwin101
    Winwin101 Posts: 82 Member
    Congrats on your hard work because you look great. You are so close to your goal of 180 lbs. Keep up the great work and i wish you continued success and good health. :drinker:
  • AnxiousPenman
    AnxiousPenman Posts: 71 Member
    Congrats! Keep up the good work. Do you find it easier this time around or more difficult? In any event, good for you. Keep focused and determined and you will get back to 180.

    Best regards,
    Mark

    Without a doubt, it's a million times easier this time around.

    I dreaded starting a weight loss program again, because of how difficult it was last time. Last time, I had no idea what in the hell I was doing. I was letting Weight Watchers tell me what to do and really decide for me, without understanding the basics of how weight loss actually occurred. And I was working out so hard every day that I felt constantly beat to hell.

    I hated that feeling so much that I was like "Ya know, I guess I'm not *that* fat! I can deal with it."

    That's why finding MFP and learning about the science behind calorie counting was such a great thing for me. It helped me understand the process. And once I understood the process, and wasn't letting someone's "Program" (Weight Watchers) decide for me, it all mentally fell into place.

    I no longer had that feeling of dreading diet/exercise, because I felt better educated about what I was doing.

    Now I eat more than I ever did when I was on WW and I work out far less. And I'm still losing the same average amount of weight and I feel totally healthy doing it, instead of feeling constantly run down.

    Beyond that, just the mental factor of knowing I'd lost 70lbs before made it much easier this time to conceive of the very idea of losing 70lbs.

    When I lost the weight the first time, I hadn't been under 200lbs since I was 13. I was a huge kid. And that mental block was really difficult to get over. That constant inner voice shouting at me that I was fat, had always been fat, and will always be fat. It made it really difficult to believe I'd ever be an adult under 200lbs.

    When I finally hit 199 that first time, I literally broke down and cried because it had been so inconceivable to me for so long.

    But this time, I know I've been there. I was 180lbs just 4-5 years ago. And just knowing that it's a "been there, done that!" thing changes the way all of this feels mentally.

    So, yeah, to make a super long story short:

    Physically it's easier because I'm better educated, eating more, and working out less.

    Mentally it's easier because I've done it before so I am 100% positive that I can do it again.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    WOW! Congratulations! You look amazing!
  • Carolyn727
    Carolyn727 Posts: 5 Member
    Amazing job!!
  • Great job! Very inspiring!
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,333 Member
    You look great. I agree about Weight Watchers. I was on that for a few weeks and was so hungry and moody I almost wanted to cry. I hate that program. It is pretty bad when a person doesn't even want to go back because of the deprivation.

    I'm glad you are finding answers and getting fit… you actually look like you lift weights.
  • AnxiousPenman
    AnxiousPenman Posts: 71 Member
    You look great. I agree about Weight Watchers. I was on that for a few weeks and was so hungry and moody I almost wanted to cry. I hate that program. It is pretty bad when a person doesn't even want to go back because of the deprivation.

    I'm glad you are finding answers and getting fit… you actually look like you lift weights.

    Not to turn this into an anti-WW post, since it works for so many folks, but one of the core things I hated was the "shaming". It was always presented in a very sympathetic way, but anyone who has ever been should know exactly what I'm talking about.

    You step on the scale to weigh in. It reads higher, even slightly higher, than your last weigh-in. The WW-Person looks at you, sad look on her face, and in a very soft voice goes "Aw, do you know what you did wrong?"

    Yeah, I ****ing expected WW not to shame me for gaining half a pound after 7 weeks of steady loss. But whatever.

    Anyway ...

    Thanks for your comment :-) I'm not currently lifting weights but I'm doing a tremendous amount of hands-on work around the house and moving loads of stuff, so the weight loss is showing off a little more of that muscle definition.
  • great job man my story is very similar to yours i was 185 for many years and on the last 5 i creeped up to 260lbs. I started May 31st after being disgusted with myself and trying to work my way down to 185. Currently sitting at 236. Working out 3-4 times a week and calorie counting like you.
  • Wookinpanub
    Wookinpanub Posts: 635 Member
    Congrats on the hard work. How tall are you? I started my weight loss on March 5 with a goal of 60 lbs. I am 6-3 and started at 255.
  • markja
    markja Posts: 270 Member
    Good stuff!
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