130lbs and counting...

TL;DR - I'm still going, more work to do, but so far I've dropped 130lbs and feel fantstic. Lower heart rate, better sleep, easier clothes shopping, no more snoring, it's been awesome.



On May 23, 2015 I woke up feeling a bit tired. Giving a groan and getting dressed, I noticed that once again my clothes were getting “snug.” Did I really get that much bigger again? How did I let it happen? This couldn’t go on and on that day I decided to make permanent change. Here’s the story...

Since my early teen years, I have always had a battle with my love of carbohydrates. Not the chocolate, candy, table sugar variety - but the starches and grains type. Combine this with a love of cheese and I can gain weight as if an olympic sport. Give me bread, pasta, crackers, potatoes and I’m a happy man. Give me a block of cheese and it’s a meal! At age 14, as a freshman in high school, I was over 220 pounds. There was a time shortly after my 28th birthday where I made a similar journey, losing 157lbs and keeping it off for about 3 years before I let work travel and my love of food exploration get the better of me. Over the next almost decade I gained back everything I’d lost at the rate of about 25lbs a year with some yo-yo weight in between.

To counter this some, I would update my wardrobe over time to attempt to keep better fitting clothes and can let you in on something - the big and tall market is a racket. They know you have few choices and the clothes easily end up costing 25-50% more then “regular” sizes if you can even find them. JCPenny would be about the only saving grace in this area - they were still a bit affordable, but that’s where you suffer - clothing choice, there’s only so much you can do fashion wise at that size.

With being big, I had constant nagging fears about possible health issues that come with the territory - joint pains, type-2 diabetes, enlarged heart, high blood pressure. I would blood test annually and everything thankfully constantly came back great - no high blood pressure, no pre-diabetes, nothing, I was just obese. The only time I ran into a joint problem was a long recovery with an ITB tendon injury from a trip while hiking in New Hampshire that would have gone quicker if I weighed less.

Don’t get me wrong, being blood healthy is great, but there’s other quality of life factors that start to become “inconvenient” when you get as big as I was. For example, seats become a challenge - in airplanes, in restaurants, just about anywhere. I can easily recall in detail the tinge of embarrassment felt when I had to ask for my first “seatbelt extender” on a domestic economy flight, and the pity I felt for folks who had to sit next to me. I could no longer comfortably fit into booths in many restaurants and could not fit into the seating on many of the roller coasters I love to ride.

Having been through similar journey already, I have learned what works for me, what I needed to do and how to do it safely. While slightly different and with the desire to make permanent change I’ve once again gone with the classic path - diet/calorie control and exercise. I’ve limited myself to not losing more then 2.5-3lbs a week as a safe pace for loss.

The computer geek and nerd that I am, exercise had never been a friend to me as I spend most of the day in a chair. This time around, I’ve worked on making being active part of my life, not part of the task. I’ve once again learned the right sized portions for someone of my activity level and genetics, and I’ve taken to cooking my own food at home the majority of the time with “cleaner” foods. Things are going great, and with this milestone I’m about two thirds of the way along my current plan and I’m enjoying it. Owing a brewery had presented its own challenge, but I have made it work still. Seats have become vastly more comfortable in airlines, I can fit into booths easily, I’ve lost two sizes, I can find some clothes already in regular stores and I’m not achy when I wake - it’s been fantastic.

Current stats:
May 23, 2015 - 372lbs. Chest 56”. Waist 59”. Hips 52”. Neck 18.5”.
Feb 13, 2016 - 272lbs. Chest 48”. Waist 51”. Hips 44”. Neck 16”.
Jun 8, 2016 - 241lbs. Chest 46". Waist 45". Hips 39". Next 15.5"

There’s been so many family and friends that have been supportive or a huge influence and inspiration - I thank you and my health thanks you, really - thank you.

I look forward to sharing more about the rest of the journey over the continuing months.