Insurmountable odds
Ftw37
Posts: 386 Member
I was walking back to work from lunch on June 19th, 2013. Suddenly I had to stop and catch my breath.
My knees were killing me.
I was sweating profusely. More than profusely.
I had to lean against a wall and catch my breath.
That was it. My line in the sand. This far, and no further.
Thanks to my compassionate work environment who paid for the benefit, I registered with a local men's weight loss group, and began following their plan. My first weigh-in showed I tipped the scales at 419 pounds.
419 pounds. I am a 45-year-old dead man walking. Stroke. Diabetes. Heart attack. Sleep apnea. All very likely outcomes in the near future.
So against these insurmountable odds I have committed to this new eating healthy plan, and begun to track my calorie intake. I bought a fitbit and am tracking my steps, floors climbed, and sleep minutes.
My last weigh-in showed me at 401 pounds. Still a terrifying number. In my group, there are very few who have lost the 200+ pounds I need to lose.
The statistics are against me. Most people quit diets. Most people gain the weight back. I know: I have done both in the past.
And I don't have a lot of time--I need to get my weight and blood pressure down quickly before I can gain any health benefit from being a healthy weight.
So this is my commitment. I will follow my healthy eating plan and change my life. I don't want to be dead by 50.
ftw37
My knees were killing me.
I was sweating profusely. More than profusely.
I had to lean against a wall and catch my breath.
That was it. My line in the sand. This far, and no further.
Thanks to my compassionate work environment who paid for the benefit, I registered with a local men's weight loss group, and began following their plan. My first weigh-in showed I tipped the scales at 419 pounds.
419 pounds. I am a 45-year-old dead man walking. Stroke. Diabetes. Heart attack. Sleep apnea. All very likely outcomes in the near future.
So against these insurmountable odds I have committed to this new eating healthy plan, and begun to track my calorie intake. I bought a fitbit and am tracking my steps, floors climbed, and sleep minutes.
My last weigh-in showed me at 401 pounds. Still a terrifying number. In my group, there are very few who have lost the 200+ pounds I need to lose.
The statistics are against me. Most people quit diets. Most people gain the weight back. I know: I have done both in the past.
And I don't have a lot of time--I need to get my weight and blood pressure down quickly before I can gain any health benefit from being a healthy weight.
So this is my commitment. I will follow my healthy eating plan and change my life. I don't want to be dead by 50.
ftw37
0
Replies
-
Welcome to the group!! I too started at over 400 lbs. As of now I am 368.
I try not to look at the big picture too much and just set mini-goals for myself and work towards them.
I know we can do this!
Take care!!
Cyndi0 -
Thanks for the encouragement! For me failure is not an option anymore.0
-
Welcome aboard!0
-
Welcome to the group
While not quite as heavy, I share your fear of being a ticking time bomb as we have things like diabetes running in the family.
I think it's amazing that you work in a job that has that kind of support and a program you can participate in and MFP can be a great way of building up your support network.
Focus on small changes and mini goals. While your goal may be to loose 200+ lbs, focus on loosing that first 20 or x number, or some of us are even focusing on loosing 5% increments of our initial starting weight. It gives you smaller milestones to mark on your journey.
Please feel free to add me as a friend. I'm away on holidays until the 15th, but will be doing my best to check in when I can0 -
Welcome.
I started at 403.8 and am down to 367 now in just over 16 weeks. It's completely possible to lose this large amount of weight, there are quite a few success stories in that forum. :-) One day at a time, one pound at a time.
I added you as a friend here on MFP so we can both support each other!0 -
Started at 391, that was apparently my magic number making me realize I need to change my lifestyle or be dead by 50. Like you I've been around those that have lost and gained it back, or never needed to lose this much, thankfully there are others here at MFP in the same boat starting a new life with us! I hope to see a lot of you here, for many many successful months/years as we all go forward together !
And congrats for making that first step and for your weight loss to date!0 -
It may sound like insurmountable odds, but it can be done. Don't give up and take one step at a time. We are all here for you.0
-
I have been on MFP for years and keep gaining and losing the same 20 lbs which wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have 170 to lose. I've never participated in the forums before and am actually quite the loner but I've come to realize that may be part of my problem. So I've decided to quit being passive and try to be more active or really proactive in my own life...especially my health.
Thanks for your post. It made me feel like I'm not the only one going through this for a change
0 -
welcome to the group...congrats on deciding to change your life...ive been where you are actually started a bit heavier..it can be done and youre doing amazing!! things can only go up from here...0
-
the day after my divorce in january, i went to a seminar on weight loss surgery. i weighed 398 lbs. i was 42 years old. i couldn't walk to my mailbox and back. i had trouble turning over in bed. i was miserable.
well, i started right then and there with changes neccessary to get healthy again. i decided to have a sleeve gastrectomy. first i quit drinking all pop (i was a pepsi max addict). i stopped drinking milk by the gallon. those two things let me lose 24 lbs before surgery.
on june 11, i had the surgery and it was the best decision i have ever made (well that and divorcing my cheating, lying, abusive husband). in the two and a half months since surgery, i have lost 50 more lbs. i now weigh 324 lbs.
now surgery is not a magic answer, but it sure did jump start me in the right direction. all i eat now is protein, veggies and fruit and very, very few carbs. i drink water only. and i exercise at the gym 3x a week.
the things i can do now are just amazing compared to what i could do 8 months ago. the other day i walked up a flight of stairs, down 2 flights of stairs and back up a flight of stairs at the local medical center. 3x a week i walk 1/2 mile on a treadmill, swim laps for 20 minutes and then do an hour long aquacise class. i can paint my own toenails now, i can pick things up off the floor, i can get up off the floor by myself, i am wearing size 26/28 clothes again and they are getting too big (i sold all of my 34w and 4x clothes at a rummage sale earlier this month). not going to need those again!
so basically i just wanted to give encouragement to everyone out there who might think they are facing insurmountable odds. you can DO THIS. if you want to bad enough and you are willing to make a lot of changes in your habits and your life-you can be successful at becoming the healthier person you want to be.
jackie0 -
Like you, almost to the day, I started my weight loss journey seriously on June 18. I weighed in at 313, and apparently I had dropped a few pounds (7-10) by starting the glycemic index diet. I never weighed myself except at the doctor's office.
I finally left the 300s, for the first time in at least three years, a few weeks ago. What changed for me was that I knew I had screwed around enough and there was no reason for me not to be serious about getting healthy. I was done teaching for the summer, so I had a stretch of three months to devote to getting healthy, so I got a personal trainer three times a week. It really helped kickstart the whole thing, but what really helped was my attitude. I couldn't fail at this.
I decided I was changing my life. This was my new life. This was my new way of eating. This was my new way of being. I moved more. I cooked more. I shopped for better food. I clocked miles. I bought a metal water bottle. I bought weight lifting gloves. I bought a heart monitor. I finally bought a good pair of running shoes.
My personal trainer told me that I needed to devote 90 days to this to see a real change. She also said that dropping weight was 80/20 food vs. exercise. It's true. You have to do it so much it becomes habit. Finally, a good habit!
It will take a while. There is no magic pill or formula other than work, time and portion control, but it can be done. You just have to embrace the incredible change that will occur in your life and your body.0 -
Welcome aboard!! I need to lose about 200lbs.. I started out at 375 and when I saw that number I cried.. I’m only 29 years old but I never go out and do anything because of my weight! I have tried every diet out there and have ALWAYS given up. I have been using MFP for a while and have lost 31 lbs. since June 25th! I can't fail this time... I don't want to die early!
Feel free to add me I Log every day and try to give support when I can!!
Good Luck! We can do this!!!!0 -
I just thought I'd follow up to my first post ever. I'm 40% of my way towards my theoretical set point of 175 pounds.
My improved healthy diet and my increased exercise are starting to have actual benefits in my life. My clothes are much looser. I have much more energy. I walk a LOT now.
I appreciate all my MFP friends so much, especially those of you on this thread who threw me a life preserver when I floundered onto this site.
Here's to all of us reaching our goals!
As Victor Laszlo said near the end of Casablanca:
"Welcome back to the fight. This time I know our side will win."
Frank (ftw37)0 -
I started out having 200+ to lose, it seems impossible somedays but I'll echo what everyone else said,
it's one day at a time
It does come off, and as it does everything gets easier0 -
I've reached my 80% mini goal towards my final goal weight of 175 pounds.
I'm currently down 205 pounds. That's the weight of 4 large water cooler bottles full of water.
Just wanted to express my genuine thanks to the people in this thread who first friended me. I still keep up with all of you daily.
If there is anyone 300+ (or 400+ !) who thinks they can't make a positive difference in their life, let me tell you: it is possible.
The accumulation of small daily results, over time, can add up. I'm not done yet, but I can taste it!
Frank0 -
I too face a large amount of weight to lose and I am so inspired by all of the comments here. I hope to add some of you as friends so we can encourage each other on the journey. I started out (this time) at a few pounds under 400 pounds and I've lost 47 pounds so far. I sometimes am hard on myself for not doing more, trying harder, working out more, eating less and losing more in the past year but I have to keep reminding myself that the most sustainable weight loss is that which is done slowly. I need this to be a lifestyle change, not another diet. I can't do it on my own, the support of others and weighing in here and tracking everything helps encourage me and keep me accountable. I have two little girls that mean everything to me and I need to be around to watch them grow up and become mothers someday.0
-
Insurmountable odds: Surmounted
I hit my 100% goal and beyond. Current weight: 168.5 lbs, total loss 250.5 lbs. Healthy BMI.
Thanks to all my MFP friends for their encouragement, examples and support.
Now to start training for that Ironman!
Frank0 -
So awesome. SO AWESOME!!!0
-
I want to pin your picture to my refrigerator! But that would be weird, so I will just keep it in mind that this CAN BE DONE!
Thank you0 -
Congratulations Frank. Your accomplishments are awesome and inspiring. Never let up.0
