165 Pounds Lost So Far

My starting weight was 448 pounds in the summer of 2013 and I'm currently sitting at 283 pounds. So far I have lost a total of 165 pounds and hope to continue the trend.

At the age of 45 I was diagnosed with diabetes and I knew I had to make changes to my lifestyle to avoid dying a lot sooner than I would like. My doctor suggested that I was a good candidate to have gastric bypass surgery. I told him I didn't want to have any surgery I knew that I was strong enough to lose the weight naturally.

I have succeeded in losing the weight I have so far through nothing but hard work, determination and changing my eating habits. I started off by walking short distances due to the fact that the joint pain made it very hard to walk far. Over time I increased the distance as the pain lessened and I was able to see results on the scale and in my body. My blood sugars have returned to normal range and my doctor has had me off my diabetic meds completely for over a year.

I try to get to the gym five days a week and do cardio along with weights. I have gone from a 60" waist to wearing 42" waist pants. Yes, I have plenty of excess skin and will have even more before I'm done but I haven't been this healthy or felt this good in decades.

The MyFitnessPal app has been a real motivator and I have logged in for over 1065 consecutive days. Tracking my calories and exercise has been a key to my success. That, and not wanting to die young.

I never wanted to be an inspiration to others but I feel honoured so many friends and strangers have seen my changes and been inspired to do the same. Anyone who says they can't lose weight hasn't wanted it bad enough.