The Healthier Me: My Journey from 600lbs
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@justintorres2012 I’m absolutely thrilled for you!! What amazing progress! Please keep us posted and I’m off to check out your blog. Huge hugs to you1
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There's a thread in Chit-Chat titled "What real thing made you smile today" (or something like that). This made me smile today! Wonderful!4
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Oh my gosh! Amazing! Keep at it! You're going to feel so good!2
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Your story is motivating and inspires me to take the next step to become healthy. Thanks for sharing & keep up the great progress2
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Funny as it may sound - as I don't even know you -, I've really been waiting for this update! Justin, you are THE MAN! Wonderful progress, your update makes me so happy. It's amazing when I see someone like you take a hold of their life with both hands, and then compare it to my sister, who has a myriad of health issues, but can't be bothered to lose weight (and she really needs to lose 100 lbs) because of this, that and everything else. "But it's so haaaaaaaard!". Guess she isn't there, yet, but you are, and that is fantastic!5
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What great news, that's amazing progress! I'm so happy for you, looking forward to the next update.1
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Keep it up! You got this!1
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justintorres2012 wrote: »My Journey continued: Day 32
I laid awake on the night of day 30. My doctor's appointment was in the morning. I am naturally a night owl so it was already hard enough to sleep. I kept running through the past week in my head. I still couldn't believe how fun and easy this has been. Not "easy" as in I'm not putting in the work, but how just changing the type of food I was eating so not to have that "need more" feeling.
I am an emotional eater, always have been. I enjoy food! I enjoy how it feels in my mouth, how it tastes to my tongue and the feeling of it going down. I love the mental... for lack of a better word "Orgasm", that food gives me. Food was always there for me when I felt nothing else was. It gave me that comfort. That feeling of wholeness... even after binging on several double cheeseburgers and semi regretting the stomachache. Food made everything better.
Now somehow its still doing all that, but in a different way. My relationship with food has changed. I'm having fun coming up with new recipes that are low calories and high protein. It's like a challenge. This has allowed me to eat bigger portions and not get extra calories. It is also helping to fill me up.
When I woke up that morning of Day 1 and knew I was ready! Everything had clicked, every day after was like waking up on some kind of happy drug. I was full of energy, my stomach didn't feel like crap. My head was clear and my energy increased more and more each day.
I was nervous about the appointment. I knew I had been telling myself its not about the number this time around, which I fully believe, because how happy I feel. I was just worried about seeing the number and it changing everything, like it use too. I actually logged on to my health to cancel my appointed because that's how scared I was to see the number. I didn't cancel...
After tossing and turning for a few hours I woke up on Day 31. Got ready and walked out of my house for the first time in over a month. It was easier then it had been a month and a half ago. First good sign! I have been trapped in my house for the past ten months, except for going to the hospital or clinic. This time I didn't have a panic attack from being outside. I got in the car and my daughter shut the door. I fit better in the car than before, second good sign. "Are you ready?" she asked. "here we go!," I said. Off to the clinic, we went.
"Justin?" My doctor's nurse asked as she came to get me out in the waiting area. Her and my Daughter walked and I still waddled to the first room where all my nightmares started, The Weight Room! "Please step on the scale", she nicely asked. "No, you step on the scale!" I thought to myself as I step onto the "Livestock" scale I like to call it. I looked down to read the number.
Let's take a second to reflect... I weighed 613lbs. The Fitness Pal app said that if I kept eating like this, I would weigh 582lbs. So I was planning on losing at least 20lbs, no more than 30lbs. I kept telling myself that It's not about the number, it's about how I feel, and I feel amazing! So no matter what, it's just a number!!!!!
The scale read 527! I was in shock so was my daughter. Of course, the nurse didn't know what was going on and why I looked like I saw a ghost and was speechless. We walked/waddled to the appointment room. She took my vitals and said my doctor will be right with me. She left and I turned to my daughter... "Um, how much did it say?" I was in disbelief. I mean in 2007 when I was younger and had lost 100lbs in a month and a week, I had been working out every day and basically starving. So believing that I lost 86lbs was unbelievable with just eating food.
My doctor walked in not really looking at me and started talking about she had found something that might help me since it was getting harder for me to get into the clinic because of my size. She turned and looked at me and I had the biggest smile on my face. "You didn't see the cart yet did you?" I said. She looked down at the chart, then at me, then did a double take! That moment alone was worth counting calories for the month.
It was hard not making Day 31 about the numbers. It was worth it for the day tho. I am motivated more than ever. I am excited to see where my journey takes me this month. This month I plan on adding walking to my daily goals and coming up with more low-calorie meals! My next appointment is October 29th. I will not be weighing myself until then.
Thank you to everyone that has been following me. It has given me motivation and an overwhelming feeling of belonging. Remember we all can do this and to keep it about the way you feel. Its ok to slip and fall, just get right back up and keep walking.
More to come throughout the month! I'm not sure how the best way to update. hope this is it. you can follow my personal blog as well. I will be updating more there. https://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/justintorres2012
YES!!!!!!!!!!1 -
WOW~ I love all the feedback. And would love to see updates. :-) If you need anyone to support you one on one, hit me up here or on face book. this is very hard, but it is also very wonderful. The pride you will feel in yourself is amazing and mind blowing. Look at my pinterest board for recipes and motivation. Or find some there yourself. ALSo, on youtube there are a ton of video bloggers who have so much helpful advice for you and there are sit and get fit videos all free and all so helpful. Have a wonderful day!!1
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Justin, you are an inspiration to many on here. Very best wishes on your journey towards better health and fitness. Well done, keep it going...1
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justintorres2012 wrote: »My Journey continued: Day 32
I laid awake on the night of day 30. My doctor's appointment was in the morning. I am naturally a night owl so it was already hard enough to sleep. I kept running through the past week in my head. I still couldn't believe how fun and easy this has been. Not "easy" as in I'm not putting in the work, but how just changing the type of food I was eating so not to have that "need more" feeling.
I am an emotional eater, always have been. I enjoy food! I enjoy how it feels in my mouth, how it tastes to my tongue and the feeling of it going down. I love the mental... for lack of a better word "Orgasm", that food gives me. Food was always there for me when I felt nothing else was. It gave me that comfort. That feeling of wholeness... even after binging on several double cheeseburgers and semi regretting the stomachache. Food made everything better.
Now somehow its still doing all that, but in a different way. My relationship with food has changed. I'm having fun coming up with new recipes that are low calories and high protein. It's like a challenge. This has allowed me to eat bigger portions and not get extra calories. It is also helping to fill me up.
When I woke up that morning of Day 1 and knew I was ready! Everything had clicked, every day after was like waking up on some kind of happy drug. I was full of energy, my stomach didn't feel like crap. My head was clear and my energy increased more and more each day.
I was nervous about the appointment. I knew I had been telling myself its not about the number this time around, which I fully believe, because how happy I feel. I was just worried about seeing the number and it changing everything, like it use too. I actually logged on to my health to cancel my appointed because that's how scared I was to see the number. I didn't cancel...
After tossing and turning for a few hours I woke up on Day 31. Got ready and walked out of my house for the first time in over a month. It was easier then it had been a month and a half ago. First good sign! I have been trapped in my house for the past ten months, except for going to the hospital or clinic. This time I didn't have a panic attack from being outside. I got in the car and my daughter shut the door. I fit better in the car than before, second good sign. "Are you ready?" she asked. "here we go!," I said. Off to the clinic, we went.
"Justin?" My doctor's nurse asked as she came to get me out in the waiting area. Her and my Daughter walked and I still waddled to the first room where all my nightmares started, The Weight Room! "Please step on the scale", she nicely asked. "No, you step on the scale!" I thought to myself as I step onto the "Livestock" scale I like to call it. I looked down to read the number.
Let's take a second to reflect... I weighed 613lbs. The Fitness Pal app said that if I kept eating like this, I would weigh 582lbs. So I was planning on losing at least 20lbs, no more than 30lbs. I kept telling myself that It's not about the number, it's about how I feel, and I feel amazing! So no matter what, it's just a number!!!!!
The scale read 527! I was in shock so was my daughter. Of course, the nurse didn't know what was going on and why I looked like I saw a ghost and was speechless. We walked/waddled to the appointment room. She took my vitals and said my doctor will be right with me. She left and I turned to my daughter... "Um, how much did it say?" I was in disbelief. I mean in 2007 when I was younger and had lost 100lbs in a month and a week, I had been working out every day and basically starving. So believing that I lost 86lbs was unbelievable with just eating food.
My doctor walked in not really looking at me and started talking about she had found something that might help me since it was getting harder for me to get into the clinic because of my size. She turned and looked at me and I had the biggest smile on my face. "You didn't see the cart yet did you?" I said. She looked down at the chart, then at me, then did a double take! That moment alone was worth counting calories for the month.
It was hard not making Day 31 about the numbers. It was worth it for the day tho. I am motivated more than ever. I am excited to see where my journey takes me this month. This month I plan on adding walking to my daily goals and coming up with more low-calorie meals! My next appointment is October 29th. I will not be weighing myself until then.
Thank you to everyone that has been following me. It has given me motivation and an overwhelming feeling of belonging. Remember we all can do this and to keep it about the way you feel. Its ok to slip and fall, just get right back up and keep walking.
More to come throughout the month! I'm not sure how the best way to update. hope this is it. you can follow my personal blog as well. I will be updating more there. https://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/justintorres2012
Congratulations!!!! Wow.
Great attitude about not worrying how much you're losing. 1lb or 100lbs, progress is progress - so many forget that.
You are awesome!!2 -
So, I’m a bit conflicted here. Certainly, congratulations are in order. You’ve obviously committed yourself to losing weight and have begun to examine (in a very positive way) the factors that contributed to your situation. That is all great.
Am I the only one, though, who is worried by the rate of your loss and by your description of ‘basically starving’ yourself to achieve your loss? There are some specific health concerns with losing weight so quickly and you shouldn’t have to feel like you’re ‘starving yourself’ to get where you need to be. That feeling wears thin at some point and also prevents you from starting to learn what it feels like to be a little hungry versus very hungry versus not really hungry versus not hungry at all. You also can’t learn what if feels like to determine when you’ve eaten the amount of food you need to satisfy hunger as opposed to obliterate it.
I know I sound like a Donnie Downer here. I’d simply point out that you’ll need tools and tactics for the long game. And for health.8 -
justintorres2012 wrote: »Hope that was the right way to update you all! I could not find an edit button or add button! lol
Yes, updating by posting in this thread is a great way to update. It also bumps the thread back to the top so new people can see it too.1 -
So, I’m a bit conflicted here. Certainly, congratulations are in order. You’ve obviously committed yourself to losing weight and have begun to examine (in a very positive way) the factors that contributed to your situation. That is all great.
Am I the only one, though, who is worried by the rate of your loss and by your description of ‘basically starving’ yourself to achieve your loss? There are some specific health concerns with losing weight so quickly and you shouldn’t have to feel like you’re ‘starving yourself’ to get where you need to be. That feeling wears thin at some point and also prevents you from starting to learn what it feels like to be a little hungry versus very hungry versus not really hungry versus not hungry at all. You also can’t learn what if feels like to determine when you’ve eaten the amount of food you need to satisfy hunger as opposed to obliterate it.
I know I sound like a Donnie Downer here. I’d simply point out that you’ll need tools and tactics for the long game. And for health.
I would normally have some concerns about a man eating the bare minimum (1500 for men), but in this case, at 600+ lbs, the OP's weight was life-threatening and he is under a doctor's care. He mentioned eating somewhere between 1600-2200 calories, and while lower than it needs to be, that isn't necessarily unsafe. Hopefully, he is receiving guidance from his doctor and likely the benefits of getting the weight off quickly outweigh the risks of a low-cal diet right now.
OP, it sounds like you understand that you could be eating much more & still losing a substantial amount of weight, so hopefully if some of the initial excitement wears off and/or you start having days where you feel the need for more calories, you will allow yourself a little leeway. Of course, I would hope you would continue to work closely with your doctor.
Doing such a great job, OP- wish you the best!12 -
^^ People have different ideas about what "woo" means, but if someone believes I am wrong or offered bad advice, in this case I wish you would explain, because the OP's situation is different than the average user and I readily admit I don't know everything4
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So, I’m a bit conflicted here. Certainly, congratulations are in order. You’ve obviously committed yourself to losing weight and have begun to examine (in a very positive way) the factors that contributed to your situation. That is all great.
Am I the only one, though, who is worried by the rate of your loss and by your description of ‘basically starving’ yourself to achieve your loss? There are some specific health concerns with losing weight so quickly and you shouldn’t have to feel like you’re ‘starving yourself’ to get where you need to be. That feeling wears thin at some point and also prevents you from starting to learn what it feels like to be a little hungry versus very hungry versus not really hungry versus not hungry at all. You also can’t learn what if feels like to determine when you’ve eaten the amount of food you need to satisfy hunger as opposed to obliterate it.
I know I sound like a Donnie Downer here. I’d simply point out that you’ll need tools and tactics for the long game. And for health.
He commented that the last time he lost 100 pound in a month, he had been starving himself, but this time he was eating more, and not starving himself. But yes, 86# in a month does sound like a lot, but I suppose when you have 400+ to lose......2 -
^^ People have different ideas about what "woo" means, but if someone believes I am wrong or offered bad advice, in this case I wish you would explain, because the OP's situation is different than the average user and I readily admit I don't know everything
@try2again Woo, you're so awesome!
I wondered if he maybe had a lot of edema that is reflected in the loss. I shed an impressive amount of water weight following a very swollen pregnancy (totally different situation, I know, but to illustrate that the body can hold on to large amounts of water in certain circumstances).5 -
Keep updating here @justintorres2012 You are doing an incredible job keep going we are all here for you.
(Bookmarking to follow)2 -
^^ People have different ideas about what "woo" means, but if someone believes I am wrong or offered bad advice, in this case I wish you would explain, because the OP's situation is different than the average user and I readily admit I don't know everything
@try2again Woo, you're so awesome!
I wondered if he maybe had a lot of edema that is reflected in the loss. I shed an impressive amount of water weight following a very swollen pregnancy (totally different situation, I know, but to illustrate that the body can hold on to large amounts of water in certain circumstances).
Yeah, I wondered that too. I'm not very familiar with edema, but would think people with it probably see much larger water weight fluctuations than others, and with the drastic change in diet (likely much lower in sodium & carbs), the OP probably shed a lot of water this past month.
I think the woo was probably my woo-stalker, and of course, now that I've mentioned "woo", I'm doomed4 -
Amazing! Keep us posted on your progress!1
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