Hello from an overweight male

mag12238
mag12238 Posts: 5
edited December 18 in Introduce Yourself
Im Mark 42 from Bristol.

Been here for awhile, but found it difficult to motivate myself to lose weight as i felt comfortable with my size (or so i thought).
My father had a heart attack aged 43 and with only 5 months to go before i get to the same age i find myself needing to beat this age and with that im mind have readied myself for some serious dieting.
I have lost 9 pounds so far and am amazed that i have not craved anything from biscuits to pasta?
if you knew me you would know that although i seriously love food and could gorge myself on anything from a dry piece of bread to steak and chips, nothing was off the menu to me and i could eat at anytime.
Since my dad is luckily enough to still be with us hes helping me (as we work together) by providing a daily packed lunch and shed loads of encouragement.

I know how hard it is to give up the food we love, i used to say, i live to eat.....but i am finding it easier to say... i eat to live.

Good luck everyone xx

Replies

  • jessicaoliver79
    jessicaoliver79 Posts: 28 Member
    Good luck to you!
  • GrooveVandal
    GrooveVandal Posts: 25 Member
    Hi Mark and well done for taking the first steps to a healthier you.
    It won't always be easy but it seems like you have the right frame of mind for it and lots of positivity. If you need any motivation on here, feel free to add me. Im sure plenty of others will tell you that too. :o)
  • Nutrition1975
    Nutrition1975 Posts: 111
    Thanks for sharing!!! Great story - it is nice to enjoy the food we eat, but you can find recipes to make healthy food taste really good! Glad Dad is OK too! - keep up the great job!!
  • nigel061
    nigel061 Posts: 109
    Hi Mark,
    Good luck with your journey.
    best wishes, nigel
    (I'm down in Devon).
  • sashanicole88
    sashanicole88 Posts: 180 Member
    Good luck! Since you've truly made up your mind to make a difference and now have a strong motivational influence, you'll be amazed at the success you will have. It's not always easy, but it's so incredibly worth it. xoxo
  • Hawksbillus
    Hawksbillus Posts: 128 Member
    Hello, Mark!

    I'm JD, also 42. I'm from the Detroit area in the States. Just stick with it and you can do it. In 2009 I was about 275 pounds and today I'm a bit over 240. Not a my goal yet and I have a way to go, but I'm determined.

    If you haven't already, consider strength training. It's not a way to lose weight fast, because you're replacing fat with muscle, but it is a way to get a LOT healthier and to feel much, much better, stronger and younger.

    check out: www.nerdfitness.com or the book: The New Rules of Lifting on Amazon or wherever.

    If you don't have access to exercise equipment you may also like the book: You Are Your Own Gym, which you can also find on Amazon. It has over 100 body weight exercises to do to help burn fat and pack on more muscle.

    Good luck and be mighty!

    -jd
  • robynj88
    robynj88 Posts: 104 Member
    Yay another Bristolian on the MFP books!!

    Good luck to you dude. I'm also trying to break the genetic trap that weight issues can sometimes be, and also hoping that getting in control of my food issues will also my help my partner put ON some weight!!

    Feel free to add me, I share my food diary to help others get ideas and to be told off when I do something bad!
  • staceyseeger
    staceyseeger Posts: 778 Member
    Good for you for making this lifestyle change! It's not easy, especially the older we get, but it's never too late to start. Feel free to add me as a friend.
  • KathieSwenson
    KathieSwenson Posts: 179
    Good Luck. Just make sure that you are making a LIfestyle change, not on a diet. Very different, diets are a bounce back word. I call it that because normally we "bounce back" to the weight we previously were. LIFESTYLE change is constant. Consistency is what you want. You want to loose it and then maintain it. I love my lifestyle change and hope that soon my husband will seriously start his and we can finish loosing weight together. Ihave about 50 more lbs to loose and he has about the same at this point. Im also extremely glad that your dad is encouraging you through this. It so much easier when you have support around you. You need that support not only from us but from people in your life.

    Good luck with your lifestyle change! If you need friends go ahead and add me!
  • claireyf12
    claireyf12 Posts: 106
    Hi Mark, welcome and good luck with your weightloss, I am from Lincs, please feel free to add me :)
  • timetogetfitter
    timetogetfitter Posts: 26 Member
    good luck from south Yorkshire x
  • nukebhs83
    nukebhs83 Posts: 158
    hi. sometimes it takes something drastic to make us realize that we need to start getting healthier. yours was your dads heart attack. mine was what i thought was my own heart attack. thank god i did not have one but it made me want to get healthy. funny thing was---i had just ordered insanity and my daughter and i were going to start it the very day that i ended up in the hospital---two years ago. i had to wait a week after getting out but we did finally start it. the weight is coming off really slow--not quite 50 lbs in two years but i am keeping at it.

    good luck. friend request sent.

    sherri
  • Dauntlessness
    Dauntlessness Posts: 1,489 Member
    I will friend you. I empathize completely. :)
  • nitepagan
    nitepagan Posts: 205 Member
    Hey Mark, I am 20+ years your senior, so you are not alone. I have 45 kg to lose too, So far have lost 7 kg, so keep working at it. Exercise is your key to success, either outside doing something you enjoy or at the gym. Working out allows you to eat more calories than your basic caloric allowance, so you don't have to give up all the foods you used to enjoy, but fewer calories eaten mean quicker weight loss. Keep at it and you will be much happier as a skinny man.
  • mindy14456
    mindy14456 Posts: 552 Member
    Hi Mark! Thanks so much for sharing your story, the journey we are all taking is hard, but a little easier with a group of others that really get it. Good luck to you!!!
  • JBurger2066
    JBurger2066 Posts: 161 Member
    Best of luck to you on this! This site is great for that extra support, but having it in person like you're getting is irreplaceable. Keep up the great work!
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