How I came to be here......my story

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4aces61
4aces61 Posts: 292 Member
edited February 2015 in Success Stories
Ok so here's a lil history as to how I came to be here. Up until the end of 2013, my weight fluctuated between 250-300lbs. Here is a pic from 1994, the last time I was in good shape. 210lbs age 33.
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Although the following pic was from a couple summers ago, it pretty much sums up how I looked. My heaviest, 300lbs. Oh and I'm 5'8" tall, age 53.
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I decided at the end of 2013 it was time to get my act together and do something about my health. High blood pressure, diabetic, high cholesterol, and sleep apnea. So I made a new year resolution that 2014 would be the year to get healthy, not only for myself, but for my family. My wife introduced me to MFP, and I really liked it. The tracking, accountability it made me have. After measuring/weighing food, I was amazed at how much I was actually eating. So the quest was on. LOTS of cardio for the first six months, averaging 10-15lbs per month loss. One month I hit 19lbs for a loss. In June, I started back into lifting weights, while still hitting the cardio hard. By August I was down to 205. I went from a very tight 44" waist to a very comfortable 34" waist.
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I changed up my diet, added some calories and more intense weight training. I did pick up 10 lbs, but was not around my waistline. So now almost 7 months later, (since August) I'm still maintaining a weight of 215lbs. Here's a couple pics from the gym how I look right now. I'm still not as lean as I would like to be, but I'm still a work in progress. All the above illnesses are now gone. I see an endocrinologist every three months to keep tabs on my health. I feel better then I have in a very long time. I currently get up at around 2:20 am, at the gym by 3, out by 4:30 then off to work by 5am. (I'm a train mechanic, very physically demanding, and this has really helped me in doing my job more efficiently) On the weekend I sleep in haha, get up around 4:30 to hit the gym. I like to get it in early and be done with it.
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Thanks for checking out my story.
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Replies

  • p444cod41
    p444cod41 Posts: 144 Member
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    Bernie I loved your story!very well written!im impressed
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    holy cow. you look great man!
  • pensierobello
    pensierobello Posts: 285 Member
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    Amazing! Well done!!!
  • LauraFincher
    LauraFincher Posts: 25 Member
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    Well what a great accomplishment, you look great!! Congrats!!
  • julie2407
    julie2407 Posts: 44 Member
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    You are awesome :) Well done!
  • socalkay
    socalkay Posts: 746 Member
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    Amazing! Overcoming high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and sleep apnea with diet and exercise is so inspirational. Great job!
  • Emilia777
    Emilia777 Posts: 978 Member
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    This is amazing, thanks for sharing your story! Working out so early before work is really fantastic, major props for your discipline.

    Do you mind if I ask what weight training regimen you use? My dad is also working on getting in better shape and I’d love to show him your post for inspiration and as a guideline. He likes weight training and doesn’t think much of the cardio thing :smile:
  • dawnna76
    dawnna76 Posts: 987 Member
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    Great job! My husband works for the railroad too and more often than not I meet a lot of unhealthy coworkers of his. Start a new trend!
  • 4aces61
    4aces61 Posts: 292 Member
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    Emilia777 wrote: »
    This is amazing, thanks for sharing your story! Working out so early before work is really fantastic, major props for your discipline.

    Do you mind if I ask what weight training regimen you use? My dad is also working on getting in better shape and I’d love to show him your post for inspiration and as a guideline. He likes weight training and doesn’t think much of the cardio thing :smile:

    Thanks everyone.
    Emilia, it's no set workout. The cardio was a minimum of an our a day for the first 6 months. No weights, then I slowly added the weight training, usually 1 major body part, every-other day and cardio. On non weight days, it's cardio and abs. Can be from anywhere from 4-6 days a week, depending on how much over time I have worked which can sometimes be a lot, 48 hours in the last 2 weeks, 13 straight days. This past week I skipped two days cuz I was just too tired to get out of bed. I keep my work outs changing about every 6 weeks as to not get stale, but to also keep my body guessing and not fall into a plateau, which sometimes ends up happening any way. I usually do about 5 sets of 10 reps per exercise, and depending on the body part can be 5-8 different exercises. Does your dad need to lose weight, if so, he's gonna need to start liking cardio lol.
  • mkaye713
    mkaye713 Posts: 1 Member
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    You look fab
  • Yodee
    Yodee Posts: 84 Member
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    Great job! That's one of my goals too - reducing the medical issues :)
  • AdelaideNat
    AdelaideNat Posts: 89 Member
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    Wowwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ! Well done :smiley: Thanks for sharing and thank you for your support this past year, you keep me pushin' and stickin' to my goals, no matter how small - Nat
  • larryc0923
    larryc0923 Posts: 557 Member
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    Amazing and inspirational story!
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Excellent work, way to get it!
  • jadumz
    jadumz Posts: 80 Member
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    Love a good 'hey look at me, I got fit' story!
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
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    You look great! Congrats and keep up the good work!
  • Will210
    Will210 Posts: 201 Member
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    Awesome work! Thank you for sharing. I agree on the cardio. I have read/listened to more than a few diet guru's who say cardio is not necessary and will hurt your progress and it's better to do HIIT 3 times a week. But I think these guys never had to lose over 30 pounds. I think once you are over a certain threshold - cardio can be a key to dropping weight. Once you get below that threshold- then make weight training/muscle growth more of a priority. Just my 2 cents - obviously you did things right. Well done.
  • Emilia777
    Emilia777 Posts: 978 Member
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    4aces61 wrote: »
    Emilia777 wrote: »
    This is amazing, thanks for sharing your story! Working out so early before work is really fantastic, major props for your discipline.

    Do you mind if I ask what weight training regimen you use? My dad is also working on getting in better shape and I’d love to show him your post for inspiration and as a guideline. He likes weight training and doesn’t think much of the cardio thing :smile:

    Thanks everyone.
    Emilia, it's no set workout. The cardio was a minimum of an our a day for the first 6 months. No weights, then I slowly added the weight training, usually 1 major body part, every-other day and cardio. On non weight days, it's cardio and abs. Can be from anywhere from 4-6 days a week, depending on how much over time I have worked which can sometimes be a lot, 48 hours in the last 2 weeks, 13 straight days. This past week I skipped two days cuz I was just too tired to get out of bed. I keep my work outs changing about every 6 weeks as to not get stale, but to also keep my body guessing and not fall into a plateau, which sometimes ends up happening any way. I usually do about 5 sets of 10 reps per exercise, and depending on the body part can be 5-8 different exercises. Does your dad need to lose weight, if so, he's gonna need to start liking cardio lol.

    Thanks so much for the info!! I really appreciate it. I totally hear you on being too tired: my dad is a millwright and does a lot of overtime as well. As for cardio, your experience just might do the trick to convince him it can be effective. He wants to drop at least 50 lbs, so there’s no way around it.

    As a side note, I do find that I lose weight faster (or at least inches) when I do weights together with cardio. Low reps and heavy weights are my best friends.

    Again, congratulations for your success. It is a true inspiration :smile: .
  • trina1049
    trina1049 Posts: 593 Member
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    Congratulations! You look fabulous and so happy to hear that your medical issues cleared up. Keep up the good work!
  • CraigShift
    CraigShift Posts: 69 Member
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    Congrats Bernie, I know it is not an easy journey. Freaking awesome man!

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