Weight loss and perseverance

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I have never really been truly overweight, but after retiring from the military and getting older I really need to watch what I eat. I out on about an extra ten pounds or so. So, I made a change in eating habits.

I am a firm believer not all calories are created equal. Ditch sugar, that alone is huge. I rarely eat bread, corn, potatoes, and pasta anymore. Protein and vegetables almost as much as I want.
 
Summer 2017 I said this is stupid, and proposed to a friend, for the next twelve weeks let's lose weight. Set a goal, weigh 1x/wk at a consistent time, make a graph with the end goal, and plot your progress each week. It was fun having that index card, it really helped. Cut out all "white" foods (sugar, bread, potatoes) and drank only water, black coffee/tea. Ate healthy snacks throughout the day. Except for Sundays when I could eat anything. It helped knowing each week I could do that. Also I rode my bike every day and walked extra by parking my car far away wherever I went. One day I thought, why not run, you can run instead of walk to and from the car and it was surprisingly fun. Goal was 20 lb but I ended up losing 25. I'm a small guy so that's a lot. I gained back 8 lb and have settled there. Lower blood pressure numbers and it's a good feeling when your doctor looks at your chart and smiles. By the way my friend has kept the weight off too.
 
goldfish65 said:
Cut out all "white" foods (sugar, bread, potatoes) and drank only water, black coffee/tea. Ate healthy snacks throughout the day.
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I stopped the coffee sugar. 68gtxman has a neighbor who has an apiary. Nothing but a little local organic honey in my morning coffee for about 3 years.
 
Sunday morning is my official weigh-in day of the week and what I record in my log.

As of today, I lost another pound making the total lost so far 39 lbs.

For illustration, carrying that extra 39 lbs was the same as having this strapped to my body all the time. The weight is the same.

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No surprise my knees and back feel so much better!
 
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Hey Ddaddy, Good job. Keep it up. Being dedicated to the goal is the first order of biz and having a plan is the second.

You mentioned something pretty good earlier about energy spent at various weights. So true. As you get closer to your goal the harder it is to make those last few pounds to meet the goal. Even though you have been stead fast on your new habit, the calories burnt in the endeavor slow down as the goal becomes near.

In the last few months of my dieting from my high of 215 down to 170, I took up some basic exercise with dead weights to help keep pace if not accelerate the goal I was seeking and double up on a better looking body.

About midway through my dieting plan, I sought a little help from two coworkers that are my age and whom are body builders. Both said the same thing.

“Bobby, your old! Take it easy. Just be steady on what your doing and lift light, don’t push it! Just burn the calories & you’ll be fine come spring.”

What a huge payoff!
 
Congrats on sticking with it.

Tasha wanted to give the Keto thing a try. I was on board being as she did most of the cooking and it would just be easier. Started the first of the year.

I’m 34 5’ 11” started out 208 as of this morning down to 191. Don’t exercise besides daily work.

I usually went out for lunch a couple times a week which would either be a chicken strip basket form DQ or 2lbs of Chinese food at the local Buffett takeout. I was a eat till I’m full than eat what the kids left on their plates kind of guy.

I’m sure the beer didn’t help any either.

Shooting for 175ish by my birthday in April. Should have a sweet mullet by then also.
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Adult prom party at the local bar in February. Proceeds go to the town fair. Picked up this suit at the local goodwill for 12 bucks.
 
congrats! I rarely eat any pasta or white bread or processed food ( except the occasional frozen ZA ). regularly hit the treadmill. my back feels so much better at 200+ than it did at 250+. hoping to drop back down to the 180's now that my energy is coming back. want to look good at the kids wedding in May and at our 20yr anniversary in March. I think everyone is different and needs to find what works for them.
 
Have to chime in here, I was 235/240 at 6'2" tall and 71 years old. 2018 was a three surgery year for me, two knee replacements and a ream out. After my first surgery I couldn't drink my usual weekend wine quota and the weight started to fall off. Partly due to the physical rehab regimen I was going through. Three months later the second knee surgery and more abstinence and physical rehab, the weight falling off noticeably now. I hit my goal (a very subjective moving target) of 215 and held there. I don't miss the alcohol so I don't use it anymore and I am in the gym at least 3-4 days a week for a couple hours. Next month I will be 72 years old and stabilized at 215. I am expecting good fasting blood work numbers during my annual physical this year and will keep on keeping on with the program.
I will say it is worth the changes and work it takes, my wife is at her jazzercise class 4 days a week then walks the dog (our black furry daughter) five miles so she is the same size as when we got married:)
 
Inspirational man
Your story and plan may be exactly where I need to start. I need to hit the gym as well.
Congrats and keep everyone updated.
 
dahdgedaht said:
Inspirational man
Your story and plan may be exactly where I need to start. I need to hit the gym as well.
Congrats and keep everyone updated.
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Thanks, and I will! Part of the reason to post it was to help keep me motivated to continue.

I mean, if I were to give up, I’d have let down everyone here that responded as well as myself!
 
A small motivational victory this week that I thought I would share.

When I first started on this weight loss plan, I purchased 5 new pairs of pants 4” smaller in waist size that were flat front and without the comfort fit waistband that gives an inch when bending over like I was wearing at the time. That’s like going down 6” in waist size.

When I got them, I tried them on and could hardly pull them up halfway past my knees. I knew it would be a long time before I could fit into them but hung them in my closet for motivation.

On Saturday morning, I decided to see if I could get into them.

They fit great! Not even a little snug! Woohoo!

Wearing non pleated pants again without a comfort band makes me feel like a whole new person. It feels like years of accepting being that size have melted away and I am approaching normal again.

I promptly bought a half dozen dress shirts 3 sizes smaller than I am now and hung them in the closet to inspire me to fit into them eventually too. :)
 
Congrats on your progress so far. Something to be proud of. Best wishes on your journey
 
Ddaddy, first of all congrats. What you are doing is not easy. I've watched weight loss from both sides of the scale, and I'm a solid backer of the slow and steady school of thought.

I'm in the same boat, but done a different way. I'm pretty short, at 5-4. That means any extra weight really makes an impact. At Thanksgiving I was 187 lbs sporting a genuine buddha-belly. Then I came down with a horrendous cough that has kept me sidelined for almost three months. It's been brutal, but there is an upside - I had zip for appetite, and I lost interest in all forms of alcohol. I've had a keg at home for almost 40 years, but in the last three months I've had maybe four beers. I'm down 25 lbs to 162, and I can't remember the last time I was in the 160's. I don't suggest illness as a weight loss method, but I am not going to return to my old ways - overeating and a free hand with the tap handle. I find one egg and a half piece of toast all I need for breakfast, as opposed to the old days of two eggs, two toast, bacon and/or sausage, etc.

I need to lose another 10 lbs or so and I'll be at my target weight. Good luck with your quest.
 
Congratulations and thanks for sharing your story. I'm Type 2 Diabetic and have my blood sugar under good control but I want to get off medication. I've met with a dietician and nurse at the local diabetic clinic last year and, together with their advice and new meds, I've been able to lose about 20 lbs so far. My peak weight was 231 lbs and my fit weight when I was in my 20s was about 185 lbs and I'm at 199 this morning.

I've learned that obesity is often a hormonal issue related to insulin resistance. Poor diet and a lack of exercise exacerbates the problem. People have trouble losing weight, not because they're not trying hard enough, but more likely because they're getting bad advice. I see that many people who've chimed in already are on a low-carb diet and I think that is the right way to go. I've cut back on carbs and am eating more fats.

I thought that, if I can write out what I've learned, then I will probably have a better understanding of the problem and the solution. This is what I've learned so far: Weight Loss.
 
Slow and steady is the way. Was also told to do your shopping on the outer parts of the grocery store, most of the center isles are where the processed food, high sugar stuff is sold. whole food type of eating.
 
Ddaddy said:
About 16 months ago I decided that I had enough of being overweight and it was time to get serious about fixing it. I have lived with a bad back and two wrecked knees that had seriously curtailed my physical activity and cause my weight to ballon over a decade.

At 315 lbs, I made my mind up to fix it. Enough being overweight, and now it’s time to lose it.

The difficulty is that losing it too fast can totally screw up the body’s metabolism (it took decades to gain and the body has adapted to it).

So I chose a simple 300 calorie per day plan to always make my caloric intake 300 calories less than my burn rate. That should equal about 9000 calories per month lost...or about 2.5 lbs.

Here’s where I started at 315 lbs 16 months ago.

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About 6 months later, I had lost 17 lbs and looked like this.

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A little over a year later, I had lost 30 lbs and looked like this.


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I had lost 2 shirt sizes and over 5” off my waist.

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Now, exactly 16 months later...I look like this.

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I have lost 38 lbs in 16 months. No change in anything I eat or drink (pizza and beer are still on the menu), I am just maintaining an average 300 calorie difference between intake and energy expenditure. My average is 2.4 lbs per month weight loss, very close to as I had planned.

I still have another 2 years on this plan to get to where I want to be...but it is working and I will stay with it. I have more energy than I have had in years, my knees don’t bother me anymore and my back is far better than it was. Perseverance pays off.

Just thought I would share.
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Wow! Nice job man! Mega Thumbs Up.

How did you calculate you caloric burn?
 
superchargeddrt said:
Wow! Nice job man! Mega Thumbs Up.

How did you calculate you caloric burn?
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There are several on line calculators that I use. The good ones include gender, age, height, current weight to calculate the caloric burn for dozens of activities.

The reason I use several is to cross check the information and get the activity that is closest to what I do actually do so I can make the best estimates. Then I run my own spreadsheet to calculate across each weeks activity.
 
Well, its been 4 weeks from when I last posted my total weight loss at 39 lbs. Since Sunday is my official weigh-in day for my log, I thought I'd post this month's progress.

I lost another 2 lbs and my total weight loss is now at 41 lbs. :)
 
Congrats on the steady weight loss!

I have a 44 year old daughter that is over weight. Makes her mad for me to try to discuss it. AT a loss.

Keep up the good work!!
 
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