100 lbs lost in just over 5 months....Updated Pics!

I sit here writing this blog entry, somewhat pleased, and somewhat in a state of disbelief. This morning I weighed in at 278.8 lbs, a full 101.2 lbs less than what I weighed on November 10th, 2010 when I started this journey just over 5 months ago.

I thank all of my family, friends, and certainly the MFP community of friends for helping me get to this point. There is still much road to travel here, so I thought I'd post some of my learnings from the last 23 weeks.

Nutrition: Very important. I was amazed at how much I was eating before joining MFP. I figured I must have been consuming 4500-5000 cals per day in order to have gained the weight that I did over the last 15 years. When I started with MFP, my calorie limit was set at 2700 calories, which was difficult at first, but as time passed, I found it achievable to keep to my limit, which was reset this morning to 2000 cals. I cut out my juice drinking, limited my pizza fast food binges, and looked for low cal/low fat options to some of my favourite foods (cheese/lean meats). Beyond that though, I have not eliminated carbs, or undertaken some of these irrational diets (HCG) – I despise fad diets - everything in moderation is the key when it comes to food. I try to avoid eating after 7 pm, and start my day with a healthy breakfast. Most importantly - TRACK AND LOG EVERYTHING YOU EAT!

Physical Activity: You can't lose weight in a sustainable manner with diet alone. Exercise is a must! I am at the gym about 4 times per week, and play sports (soccer/ball hockey) an average of 2 times per week. When I workout, I focus on fat burning/cardio exercises where I elevate my heart rate. Started slow at first, but as of late I've been upping the energy, and really focusing on pushing myself. I find the treadmill to be most effective, but also sample in stepper, elliptical, arc and rowing machines to vary things up. The extra calories I earn through exercise are sometimes consumed, but only if I'm hungry. I track all my exercise activities, but do not track routine day to day activities. As of late, I have been giving myself mini-challenges (ie. Today I complete my week-long 1000 cal/day burn challenge).

Tools: In addition to the MFP app, I suggest strongly in investing in a good digital scale – one that can support your starting weight. I weigh daily and record new lows only. Keeps me very motivated. I also purchased an HRM (heart rate monitor) which I wear when I work out. Gives me a very accurate calorie burn figure. If you can, a gym membership helps as well. It's not that you can't succeed without these items, its just that I found them critical to my success.

Mental State: Actually, everything starts here. I had for a long time wanted to get started on this weight loss project, but needed a few “a-ha” moments to get me motivated to start. Once started, I feel unstoppable now. I've tried and failed other weight-loss programs. Some doctor assisted, others commercial (though the line between these 2 seems to be fading fast). All ended in failure after losing an initial 20-40 lbs. My fault. I couldn't deal with disappointing people on weigh-in day, so if I wasn't sure to be down, I'd skip my session, promise to go back next week, but by then I was still up, and before I knew it, I had quit. I share my new lows here at MFP with my community, but if I tick up a for a few days, which is normal, I don't have to share and disappoint others - I just work harder to create a new low within a week.

Support: As I mentioned before my family has been great, and friends have been very positive. MFP gave me the tools necessary to track my progress, but the best decision I made was to make this journey public, and by doing so have invited others to join along. The support of the MFP friend community is critical. My MFP friends keep me focused, share my successes, support me when I stumble, and keep me accountable to my commitment to get to my goal weight. My diary is open to friends, so if you'd like some support for your journey, and are interested in how I did this so far, feel free to send me a friend request.

Oct 2010: (380 lbs)



March 2011 (302 lbs)



April 2011 (278.8)