3yrs and I have lost over 320 pounds! You can do it too!

mrdmevans
mrdmevans Posts: 149 Member
edited May 2015 in Success Stories
I have lost 320ish pounds by changing out I eat, educating myself and working on my overall fitness.

In May of 2012, the path my life was taking changed. I had a flip switched in my brain, as I suddenly and heartbreakingly had this fear rush through me that my son had to defend his obese father to his friends. The thought brought tears to my eyes, as I imagined bringing more pain in my sons life, or him being embarrassed to be seen with me. I knew I couldn't have that! I love my son to much...

That lit the fuse, so I started looking through diets. Which one? Which one will get me to where I want to me. I mean I have tried almost all of them it seems in the past. They worked in the short term but I always gained the weight back. That's when it hit me, none of these diets worked for me because it wasn't something I could live with. If I am going to truly make this a lifestyle change then I need to change how I live forever, not just for a few months. So, I scheduled an appointment with a dietician so that I could educate myself on what a proper diet looks like, figure out things I may be doing wrong, and identify ways that I can incorporate the "must have' foods in my typical menu. That visit was instrumental in making sure my path was going to lead me down the right path.

I had my trigger moment, my education/diet plan and now I just needed keep my head on straight and keep myself motivated and focused on my goals which led me to create the Daves Road to Better Health page. On this page I have listed the things I wanted to achieve such as being able to ride a roller coaster or any ride for that matter with my son. Being able to take my wife to the ballet or theater, being able to play softball, buy clothes at a regular store, ride a motorcycle, the list goes on and on.

I am happy to say that I have been able to accomplish all of my little goals in the past 3 years! I have done all of things mentioned above, and I have found even more things to do that I could have never done when I was over 500 pounds.

I am not going to sit here and tell you that it has been easy for me, because it hasn't always been. I have struggled with many things through out this time. I know now that I was addicted to food, it was truly my drug of choice. I ate when I was sad, stressed, bored, happy, angry, depressed and occasionally when I was hungry. All of these emotions didn't suddenly stop when I started this lifestyle change. I had to find ways to control my eating during these times and channel those emotions elsewhere. I prayed a lot, I leaned on my family, I leaned on my friends. Sometimes, I leaned on perfect strangers on forums or my weight loss page. This all helped me gain control of my emotional eating habits.

I had to be honest with myself and own up to my mistakes. If I had a bad meal or day. I didn't allow myself to say well I will start back over tomorrow or worse next week. I started right back over and regrouped. When I had a dreaded plateau, I didn't throw in the towel and give up instead I stayed true to the course and eventually found my plateau would break and the weight loss would happen.

I had to be honest with my friends. If I was going over for dinner I asked what was being served so that I could either planning my day out right or possibly bring an alternative.

I don't have cheat days ever! If I want something I am going to have it. I just limit myself on the amount. Instead of eating the entire bag of chips, I eat a serving. Instead of eating a king size candy bar, I eat a piece of dove chocolate. Now, back to being honest with myself. I knew that I had what I call an avalanche food which was delivery pizza. I could eat a large and still be hungry. I knew I would have a hard time controlling myself so I did cut it out of my diet for about 2 1/2 years. Instead I made a healthier version at home. I had to do that until I was mentally strong enough to push the plate away :)

In the end, I am sooooo much happier. I am living a life that I never imagined being possible. I mean I celebrated my 3 year anniversary on a motorcycle in Washington DC! I mean how cool is that! I am not going to say I have my life back. I am going to tell you I have a life I never dreamed possible!

I want others to realize they can do this too. I want them to realize they are not alone. Food is an addiction that you can't run from or completely avoid. You have to eat to live while making sure you don't end up living to eat.

I am happy to say that my wife and I started a weight loss support group at our church so that we can hopefully help build that community of support locally and help others see that they too can get to where they want to be.

I know this is a very long post, but too many people are out there struggling with their weight. They feel lost, the feel scared, they feel abused. The abuse can come from themselves and from the cruel words and stares of random strangers. There are people that feel imprisoned and don't know they can break out. I just want people to realize they can do it! You can do it!

You deserve to be happy, to be healthy, to enjoy your life! So, go out there and make it happen! Please, make it happen for you, for your family, for your friends. pgb1wa0apm4e.jpg
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Replies

  • arkowalyshyn
    arkowalyshyn Posts: 132 Member
    You are amazing!
  • eseeton
    eseeton Posts: 80 Member
    Wow, you look fantastic! Great job!
  • AngryViking1970
    AngryViking1970 Posts: 2,847 Member
    edited May 2015
    Incredible!!

    ETA: I just read your post again, and it's so inspiring. Well done, you!
  • ohgeeque
    ohgeeque Posts: 224 Member
    Awesome!
  • subversive99
    subversive99 Posts: 273 Member
    Goosebumps. So amazing. Hat tip to you good sir.
  • cstorey1976
    cstorey1976 Posts: 30 Member
    Absolutely amazing! You should be extremely proud. Well done!
  • oedipa_maas
    oedipa_maas Posts: 577 Member
    Truly incredible. Thank you for the post, it really helped to read it. You look fantastic!
  • 1shauna1
    1shauna1 Posts: 993 Member
    Awesome story, thanks for sharing!! Your hard work has paid off, you look great and I'm sure your family is happy you're going to be around for a long time!
  • mizzzc
    mizzzc Posts: 346 Member
    wow. that is amazing! good for you. your son must be proud of you
  • jellybaby84
    jellybaby84 Posts: 583 Member
    Huge congratulations. What an achievement :)
  • Brige2269
    Brige2269 Posts: 354 Member
    Amazing job! Your story touched me. I have all the same problems, well, except I clean when angry. I think my husband might get me mad on purpose so our house is sparkling clean, LOL. It's true, it's so hard to push that plate away and listen to your stomach when there is still food on your plate. I will have to read this over and over to stay inspired. Thank you and congrats!!
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
    You look spectacular! More importantly, I can tell you feel better, too! What a great feeling!
  • thetanyacam
    thetanyacam Posts: 35 Member
    amazing! what an amazing accomplishment!
  • suke28
    suke28 Posts: 22 Member
    fantastic
  • Daveacpa2
    Daveacpa2 Posts: 19 Member
    Thanks for taking the time to tell your story, truly inspirational.
  • believeinme0430
    believeinme0430 Posts: 270 Member
    WOW!!! You are amazing. Thank you so much for sharing your story and giving others hope.
  • moledew
    moledew Posts: 71 Member
    Holy smokes! congratu-freakin-lations!!!!!! This is phenomenal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • cmabnx
    cmabnx Posts: 76 Member
    wow. wow wow WOW!!! what an AWESOME story. thank you so very much for sharing. i really needed to read this. amazing.
  • debneeds2beskinny
    debneeds2beskinny Posts: 227 Member
    you are incredible! great job
  • Becca281552
    Becca281552 Posts: 45 Member
    Incredible success... congrats!! :)
  • njfitnessmom
    njfitnessmom Posts: 345 Member
    Great job!!! Thank you so much for sharing. What an inspiration!!!
  • Altagracia220
    Altagracia220 Posts: 876 Member
    Wow amazing story and amazing job! I am so happy for you! You are such an inspiration and best wishes to you and your gorgeous family.
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
    Your hard work certainly paid off... you'll be inspiring a great many ppl by sharing what you have. Thank you for opening up sharing your success and struggles :)
  • EnglishCanadian
    EnglishCanadian Posts: 72 Member
    Wonderful - pure wonderful :)
  • mistikal13
    mistikal13 Posts: 1,457 Member
    Wow, amazing!
  • Gska17
    Gska17 Posts: 752 Member
    This makes me so happy! Congratulations! :)
  • _whatsherface
    _whatsherface Posts: 1,235 Member
    Bravo!!!!!!! :#
  • IILikeToMoveItMoveIt
    IILikeToMoveItMoveIt Posts: 1,172 Member
    Super great job! You've come a long way!
  • dcc56
    dcc56 Posts: 172 Member
    Amazing work....you inspire me.
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