parkdad73 Member

I signed up for the company softball team and just had our first practice. This is the first te I've played an organized sport in 20 years! I was running around the outfield chasing balls and not getting winded! I has a huge smile on my face because a year ago I couldn't do that.

Now that I am finally at a computer instead of my handheld, I thought I should answer my own questions in hopes of encouraging someone else who needs it. One question that I should have asked was, "Where are you now?" I'll answer that to help give more merit to what follows. I am 41 years old and been overweight since I…

I see a lot of new people and frustrated people posting topics in this group lately so I wanted to bump this back to the front to give inspiration with these great stories!

I ditto that!

Another great thing to add to the suggested topics list I should have thought of.

I have the same thing going on. All the men in my family are huge and it was just stupid for me not to pay attention to the crystal ball that is my dad and uncles. I moved several states away from my parents and saw them for the first time a couple years ago as they dropped in on their way from Florida to Michigan. I was…

I am throughly enjoying all of these too! These are great motivation! Let's keep them coming. I encourage everyone to share their stories.

Well, I've been straight water for 3 days now and it is not so bad. I am definitely upping the amount of gum though to compensate.

I used to be the same way with Coke! It wasn't until my employees brought me 20 2-liters for Christmas that I knew I had a problem. Been off it for 3 years new. I can't even take a sip anymore it tastes awful.

I can fit into my 14 year old son's clothes!

I enjoy not having to pay the extra 2$!

Similar thing here. My wife and I had to switch our rings to our middle fingers and when someone notices they think we're having marital difficulties.

I guess it is just over time, especially when it feels like I'm not seeing results, that I start to question if there is a better way than what I'm doing. Considering how LC was such a radical idea to what I had been doing and how well it worked I have a nagging feeling there is some other truth for fitness. I just get…

Awesome!!!!

From what I've learned Dumbbells are preferred instead of instead of a bar because using them includes you stabilizing muscles. You can also use them with squats. Dropping Dumbbells when the exercise is too much is less jarring than a bar.

That is part of my concern. I haven't seen many if any stories where someone went from being morbidly obese to JC Penny catalog model. I'm afraid there will always be a layer there that I can't get rid of not to mention the baggy skin. I've been fortunate enough where my stomach is the only area where the skin is loose but…

I need to explain a little more. I am lifting and just about where I want to be but want to burn off the last of it so everything looks more defined especially my abs. I'm upping my cardio to burn more of my stored energy and let it all show through. Think of it as a body builder trying to get ready for a competition but…

Wish I could Quote reply to each of these amazing accomplishments. Everyone deserves individual recognition for their hard work and dedication. Hate to think anyone feels overlooked.

Sorry to have killed this topic

Thanks! One day I was at a hospital, went to the nurses station and when she looked up she exclaimed, "You have Donnie Osmond hair!"

Glad I could help. It is easy to get defeated and I know what it is like. I wish I could switch bodies with people for one week so they can experience how losing all that weight feels. Once they experience it, no other short term goal can compare!

Just remember every meal is a step towards or a step away from your goal. Either way you are motivated by something. When you are taking a step away from your goal you are putting a different short term goal in front of it. Figure out what it is (tired, depressed, body craving, etc) and decide if that is truly more…

100 pounds in 14 months thanks to Gary Taubs' Why We Get Fat. I have a series of pics I've titled Fat Me that I am re-enacting in my new body.

I have a whole computer folder called "Fat Me" of old pictures that I am re-creating but my family is getting tired of it real quick. I still find it fun. We have one picture of all of us taken at the same spot three years apart (since my wife also lost weight with surgery) where one of my daughters is wearing the exact…

I do, however, strongly encourage everyone not to dwell on these things too much. You must take ownership of the part you played. You may not have control over what happens(ed) to you but you do have control over how you react(ed) to it. Acknowledging that gives you back control over the situation. That control gives you…

[/quote]And now, i have the thought, "ok, what's next?" And its a damn scary thought, because I don't know. For me, anxiety issues maybe need to be next, or relationship issues. REALLY scary stuff, WAY harder to work on than what I've accomplished so far.[/quote] This is where I am at too. Being overweight was my excuse…

Looking forward to seeing it! Don't forget the "during" to help with your own motivation.

My program is muscle failure too. I also try to minimize rest time between sets to 15 seconds or try to do supersets switching immediately between opposing muscle sets. Like push-ups to pull-ups and back.

The gym I go to has a movie room with treadmills. Ellipticals, and bikes along with the big screen. There has been many times where I've pushed out my time because the movie was getting good.

I would recommend a philosophy that I started following a couple years ago which has lead me to more success in the past 3 years than the 20 prior: Find a program that make sense to you and focus solely on that. I found that I would spend so much effort gathering information that eventually contradicts each other I would…