Down 50 Pounds in 5 Months!

I started my "journey" back in mid-January, when I was very unhappy and angry with myself. I've been overweight for at least 20 years; my doctor had put me on high blood pressure meds 2 years ago, and I've been using a CPAP machine for at least 10 years for severe obstructive sleep apnea. My students would even call me "Peter Griffin" since I was a fat white guy that lived in Rhode Island.

In the middle of January I weighed myself one morning out of curiosity, and instead of being "around 255" as I thought, I was 287.7. What a shocker... and a disappointment! How the heck did I get this big? What am I doing to myself??? I resolved to take control of my weight. I've lost 20 pounds before, but when the challenge I was participating in ended, I gained it all back. This time it was going to have to be a permanent change, one that I could continue for a long time.

I started logging everything I ate on MFP, and stayed within my calorie guidelines. I stopped buying school lunches, and started making my lunches at home, 5 days at a time: pb&j, pretzels, Oreos, and an apple. After losing 20 pounds, I bought a used Fitbit Charge and started trying to be more active by going for late-night walks, parking far away from the entrance to the supermarket, and using my dust-collecting treadmill in the basement. By mid-May, coworkers started to notice my weight loss, and former students who hadn't seen me in a couple months would say "have you lost weight, Mr. K?". I also noticed that as soon as I woke up in the morning, it would pop in my head that I have lost a lot of weight. It wasn't a material possession that was making me happy, but a physical change that was making me smile.

In mid-June, I reached 5 months on MFP, and last week, 5 months and 1 week after starting up with MFP, I'm down 50 pounds. I can't believe I've lost so much weight. The top 2 pictures are from my road trip last summer at the end of August, and the bottom picture was 2 weeks ago comparing what I presently look like and my id photo from the beginning of the school year. I still have a ways to go, however. My long-term goals are that I'd like to reach 200 by my 44th birthday in late October, and see if I can reach the 180's by New Year's.

What's wonderful about this "program" is that it's whatever you want it to be! You don't have to buy expensive bottles of water, or subscribe to a food delivery program, or start going to the gym 5 days/week; just make better choices! Eat less, walk more; it's that simple. I still eat cookies, pasta, and cake, but just not as much as I used to. My morning coffee is now black with no sugar, and I eat as much fruit as I can during the day. The point is, almost anyone can do it; the hardest part is getting started!

I enjoy making new friends on MFP, and love encouraging people at achieving their goals. Feel free to add me, and best of success to everyone on their "journey" as well