165 down from 250

xgxdxbx · November 2018

craignev · November 2018

Great work...looking strong!

vollkornbloedchen · November 2018

Great piece of work!

Congratulations for the proven willpower

Kim49525 · November 2018

Nice Job! Would you fill us in on what it took you to get there? And some advise for others? Thanks!

dyfalbarhad · November 2018

Wow! Job well done.

vegasratpack · November 2018

Wow! You are an inspiration.

xgxdxbx · November 2018

Thanks, everyone!

Kim49525 wrote: »

Nice Job! Would you fill us in on what it took you to get there? And some advise for others? Thanks!

Kim, I started January 1, 2018 and averaged a 2-3 lb loss a week.
I went to the gym every morning, even if I only walked for 30 min, I wanted to maintain consistency. For the first 5 months, I was doing only cardio. I wanted to feel successful at shedding pounds and knew that cardio would let me see the results faster than if I was incorporating weights. I had a calorie deficit of anywhere from 200-600 a day. (Except on Friday’s.. my pizza day.. I also went over)
Basically I ate as many vegetables as I could handle, followed then by protein - all kinds.

I used MyFitnessPal everyday and was honest with tracking and portions. I also used it to log my water! 80-100 Oz a day!

Here is an article a local reporter that spotted me at my gym wrote about me:
http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/articles/annandale-man-loses-of-his-body-weight-in-months/article_19e743a8-d959-11e8-a4cf-83e282b140fe.html

And here is a Facebook post I shared from my gym with a little more personal insight, too.
https://www.facebook.com/1587116777/posts/10215292194009922/

I don’t want to sound cliche, but my advice.. Stick to it. Set small goals and stick to the process. It’s all about numbers and honest tracking. (unless there are medical or medicinal circumstances)
The process works! Sometimes, it’s a little slower, but stay consistent and you will see results.

cricketbird1 · November 2018

Great job!

JCoventry175 · November 2018

Way to be consistent, your hard work has paid off. I'm sure your health has improved too!

xgxdxbx · November 2018

cricketbird1 wrote: »

Great job!

JCoventry175 wrote: »

Way to be consistent, your hard work has paid off. I'm sure your health has improved too!

Thank you!
Yes, health is better, too-
I feel fantastic!

LizyMarie2018 · November 2018

Great work!! Hard work pays off. Thanks for being so inspiring. 😊

mulecanter · November 2018

How did it go going from 180 to 165? Those last pounds are the hardest, did you make adjustments or just keep increasing workout intensity? Bravo!

xgxdxbx · November 2018

mulecanter wrote: »

How did it go going from 180 to 165? Those last pounds are the hardest, did you make adjustments or just keep increasing workout intensity? Bravo!

It was definitely slower! Twice the loss rate, if not more at times. I had to increase the workout intensity to burn calories. I also had to really stay focused on quality of calories.Working out harder meant I needed to increase my intake, but I needed to be careful to only eat what my body could use, not store. (Except Friday’s - I never gave up pizza night lol, not once)
There were times when the scale would not budge for a week or longer, but I knew I had to stick with it, and eventually I’d see a loss.
Technically, a win

The process works, even when it’s working slowly.

iRyanS · November 2018

Awesome progress and excellent advice in your posts! Thank you for sharing your journey.

kjurassic · November 2018

I’m glad you refuse to give up pizza night! Congrats. You look great (but you looked great in your before pic, too!)

johnnylakis · November 2018

drinks on me!

maureenkhilde · November 2018

You look great, and thanks for sharing all the great tips. I agree that consistency is huge for changing our lifestyle ways of eating and exercise. Your story is very insightful.

Herb937 · November 2018

Great job and determination!!

shiitaco · November 2018

This is great to see. I'm hoping to follow pretty much exactly in your footsteps...5'8" and started at 250 eight weeks ago, now down to 230. Would be really happy just breaking 200 for the first time in a decade, but 170 is the ultimate goal.

From past experience, it's easy to get in the right mindset for 1-2 months, harder to sustain. Did you struggle with that in the past, or was this your first serious attempt to lose it? Anything click differently this time around?

Also you mentioned you drink beer, but did you change your boozing habits at all? That's tough if drinking is a big part of your social life, especially when everyone is knocking back 200 calorie IPAs.

Anyway congrats man, looking healthy.

xgxdxbx · November 2018

Thanks again, everyone!

shiitaco wrote: »

This is great to see. I'm hoping to follow pretty much exactly in your footsteps...5'8" and started at 250 eight weeks ago, now down to 230. Would be really happy just breaking 200 for the first time in a decade, but 170 is the ultimate goal.

From past experience, it's easy to get in the right mindset for 1-2 months, harder to sustain. Did you struggle with that in the past, or was this your first serious attempt to lose it? Anything click differently this time around?

Also you mentioned you drink beer, but did you change your boozing habits at all? That's tough if drinking is a big part of your social life, especially when everyone is knocking back 200 calorie IPAs.

Anyway congrats man, looking healthy.

I definitely had to cut back on my beloved beer and only had a few with the pizza. I did however discover “Truly”, which is a 100 calorie sparkling water with 5% alcohol and only traces of sugar and carbs. It’s perfect for when you get those “I could use a drink” moments.
When out with friends, I switched from beer to vodka. Specifically, Titos and soda with a lemon and lime. 90 calories.
I’m definitely a social drinker, so it was an adjustment. It’s funny though, because once I got into a great routine, I would naturally think “I can’t have too many.. I need to wake up early for the gym!” That was a great feeling.
To answer your question, I struggled with weight in jr high, but leaned out in high school and college. Started to gain after college again, and kept it “under control” for the most part, never going much over 200. This last round was my heaviest. It felt like every time I would step on the scale, it was going up a pound or two. I finally said enough is enough. I miss feeling like myself, and a small part of vanity also kicked in. I wanted to look good! Haha so once I committed to starting, I made a deal with myself that I would do it consistently for one year. After that, I’d let my conscience guide me. Well.. here I am, going into month 11 and I love the results, and have no intention on quitting the gym. I just regret waiting so long, but; I’m here now, at that’s all I have control over.

Good luck! You got this!

Feel free to friend me on here if you want.

chawn66 · November 2018

Great job!! Keep it up, you look amazing!!

TeamNemesisSteve · November 2018

That is awesome!! We have almost the exact same loss if you include before MFP! Feels amazing doesn’t it?

xgxdxbx · November 2018

TeamNemesisSteve wrote: »

That is awesome!! We have almost the exact same loss if you include before MFP! Feels amazing doesn’t it?

I absolutely LOVE it!
Congrats to you, Team N Steve!

karamartin5331 · November 2018

You look great! And like you crossfit!

SFJULES66 · November 2018

You look so healthy, and what a success. I, too, love Tito's. It's great with ICE sparkling water and has no calories. I don't mind the artificial sweetener, but I know many don't care for it.

haas311 · November 2018

Nice job and best of luck in your continued success.

callmecarina · November 2018

xgxdxbx wrote: »

Thanks again, everyone!

shiitaco wrote: »

This is great to see. I'm hoping to follow pretty much exactly in your footsteps...5'8" and started at 250 eight weeks ago, now down to 230. Would be really happy just breaking 200 for the first time in a decade, but 170 is the ultimate goal.

From past experience, it's easy to get in the right mindset for 1-2 months, harder to sustain. Did you struggle with that in the past, or was this your first serious attempt to lose it? Anything click differently this time around?

Also you mentioned you drink beer, but did you change your boozing habits at all? That's tough if drinking is a big part of your social life, especially when everyone is knocking back 200 calorie IPAs.

Anyway congrats man, looking healthy.

I definitely had to cut back on my beloved beer and only had a few with the pizza. I did however discover “Truly”, which is a 100 calorie sparkling water with 5% alcohol and only traces of sugar and carbs. It’s perfect for when you get those “I could use a drink” moments.
When out with friends, I switched from beer to vodka. Specifically, Titos and soda with a lemon and lime. 90 calories.
I’m definitely a social drinker, so it was an adjustment. It’s funny though, because once I got into a great routine, I would naturally think “I can’t have too many.. I need to wake up early for the gym!” That was a great feeling.
To answer your question, I struggled with weight in jr high, but leaned out in high school and college. Started to gain after college again, and kept it “under control” for the most part, never going much over 200. This last round was my heaviest. It felt like every time I would step on the scale, it was going up a pound or two. I finally said enough is enough. I miss feeling like myself, and a small part of vanity also kicked in. I wanted to look good! Haha so once I committed to starting, I made a deal with myself that I would do it consistently for one year. After that, I’d let my conscience guide me. Well.. here I am, going into month 11 and I love the results, and have no intention on quitting the gym. I just regret waiting so long, but; I’m here now, at that’s all I have control over.

Good luck! You got this!

Feel free to friend me on here if you want.

I'm glad that you mentioned vanity, because deep down even though I know the health benefits outweigh the outward appearance part, I definitely am looking forward to looking as good on the outside as I will feel inside. It sounds so selfish when I admit it to myself, but it doesn't sound so bad coming from others.