Apple picking before and after photos:

Thanks again everyone,

Some of you in the thread have asked some good questions and I have gotten some PM's asking me how I have done it. So I thought I would take a momment and try to share some of that I have learned. I don't claim to be an expert by any means and everyone is different but I thought I would try to answer a couple of the questions.

First question: What was it that clicked? what made this time different?

This was a combination of a few things. I can't really explain what exactly happened. There was what you could call a series of "clicks". First was my father's failing health. I am a carbon copy of my day and seeing his health going was frightening to say the least. This was the first click. Knowing that my kids were starting to get old enought to realize that I was big. This was click #2. Not being able to fit into my 48" waist and having to think about buying a size 50. that was click number 3.

I think the biggest difference between this time and others was the fact that I tracked my food which taught me ALOT about what I was doing wrong. Using a calorie tracker is shown to increase weight loss by as much as 50%.

Second question: Do people at work comment on your weight loss and do they ask you for training and advice?

Apparently there is alot of talk about my weightloss. I work in retail at the district level so I travel from store to store and this was a very positive environment for me because on a near daily basis I was seeing people that hadn't seen me in a while. So the comments were near constant. Very motivating. Lots of co-workers have asked me the "What's your secret?" question and are usually dissapointed when I tell them that I am carefully about what I eat and get plenty of exercise. The look of dissapointment on their faces is actually kind of funny.

Now for the general question of how did you do it?

Well you guys all know that logging your food and exercising is key. But obviously I have learned more than that in the last ten months so I'll share some lessons that I have learned that may or may not apply to you. Hopefully some of it is helpful. Most of this stuff is on the mental side of things. That really is the biggest obstacle after all.

Rule#1: Work on looking at food in a new way-We all have different reasons for eating to much. Stress, boredom, sadness ect.... Take some time to really think about why you eat. And start trying to see food as fuel. (Important part of this which came later on for me was learning not to be afraid of food either. Your in control, not the food. SO if it's christmas have a friggin cookie for god sake and don't feel guilty about it. Skinny people eat like fat people. They just don't do it nearly as often.)

Rule#2: Don't just eat less, eat well. Whole grains, good fats, fiber and protein. If your going to be working out make sure your body gets what it needs to perform.

Rule#3: When you fail (and you will) pick yourself up on the VERY NEXT oppurtinity. Many of us yo yo dieters have had a "I really screwed today up. ah well I'll just start over tommorow" approach. How many times has tommorow never come? My rule is that there is no day like today. If I lost my mind and dunked 30 animal crackers in the peanut butter jar at 10:00am you can bet your butt that I am still at the gym running that afternoon. In fact more often than not I'll add a couple of miles to help me remember that a animal cracker accompanied peanut butter fest is not in my best interest.

Rule#4: Get more active in general- I usually work out a min of 5 days a week for about an hour. But I also make sure to wrestle with the kids before bedtime. Or take a nice walk with the wife on the weekend or kick the soccerball around with my 5 year old after work. Start living an active lifestyle and make it a point not to log this extra fun time as serious exercise.

Rule#5: Find something you love. I started running at 266 lbs and it was hard. But I stuck with it and now I LOVE it. I have since found a love of cycling and am working on a love for swimming. I never thought I would want to be a Triathlete, but after my first duathlon I was hooked on multisport racing. This is a good hobby to have to keep myself healthy. Look for a fitness related activity you love.

Rule#6: Don't place limits on yourself- When I started this journey I was convinced I would never get into a smaller pant size than a 38". I am wearing 32" now. I was convinced that I would never be able to run. I now run a 8 min mile and am getting faster every day. The sooner you realize how strong and worth while you are the better. Set goals for something you thought out of reach and stick with it. You'll find you can do far more than you expect. I have learned that anything is possible and that is why I plan to reach the point where I can complete my first Iron Man Triathlon (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26 mile run) by 2013. It's no longer a question of whether or not I will accomplish this goal. I know if I put in the time and training it will happen.

Rule#7: You have to do this for you. It's nice that friends and family will benefit from a healthier you, but you have to want this for yourself. Your really the only person who can want this bad enough to make it happen.

I am proud to be part of this community of people who want to better themselves and live long healthy lives. Anyone who takes the first step to join this community should be proud. I've seen alot of benefits to this journey. Smaller clothes, looking younger and feeling better. But when I opened up my bloodwork from my Dr.s appointment last week and saw that 146 cholesterol number, heard him say that my bloodpressure is awesome and saw that all my bloodwork content was at the "optimal" level I knew that the work has been worth it. A long life with my family is the greatest benefit. That alone is worth the effort.

I hope some of this is useful. Each journey is different and I hope you all find your nitch. Alot of you have already done an amazing job and I could learn alot from your experience. Feel free to post the "Most important thing" your weight loss journey has taught you. I would be curious to see and benefit from your experience.

:drinker: :flowerforyou: