Last May after a hospital visit where I nearly died (stopped breathing for nearly 3 minutes in surgery), I had to improve my health. I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. I also had two large kidney stones (one in each kidney). It was pain from one of them that caused me to go to the hospital to begin with. When I finally got off a ventilator after 4 1/2 days, I was taken out of ICU and put into a regular room and was discharged two days later. Before I left the hospital, I was told that my weight was the reason I stopped breathing. Additionally, to control the diabetes, I was instructed to go on a low calorie/low carb diet and was given the tools to do so. I was limited to 1825 calories per day. I am 5’6" and, at that time, I weighed 290lbs. Yep, I was really obese. After the first three months with just dieting as instructed, I lost 30lbs. I eventually was able to start walking with my wife. Since last August, we have been walking just a little over 2 1/2 miles a day (unless the weather is too bad). Since May 4, 2014, I have gone from 290lbs down to 205lbs. It just goes to prove that a person does not have to go on a fad diet, take pills, and spend a lot of money to lose weight. We learned to shop wisely for nutritious foods, cut out pastas and anything that was heavy in carbs. I learned to eat in moderation and to cut out sweets. I allowed three splurges each month: One for breakfast, one for lunch, and one for dinner. Deserts were also spread out over a few months. About once every three months, I could have a piece of cake or pie. We eat a lot of chicken (baked and grilled) and pork chops (baked and grilled). We also have ground beef (98% lean) every once in a while. We have learned to make meals with a lot of vegetables instead of using a meat. The biggest thing to do is pay attention to what you are buying/cooking and make sure that they are lower in calories and carbs and also check the serving sizes. Exercise is also paramount in losing weight and promoting a healthier lifestyle. Not only are you burning calories and fat, you also reduce your chances of high blood pressure by lowering your heart rate, reduce your cholesterol, control your blood sugar, increase your metabolism, and get a better sleep. Here are some pics of my transformation.
At 290 lbs.
At 205lbs. in the same shirt (XXL)
With shirt tucked in.
I went from a 48 waist to a comfortable 38 waist. I can now wear clothes I have not worn since 2002. I can now get back into the Air Force uniform I wore back in April 2002. I can wear Large shirts. Life is much better and healthier. As for the kidney stones, two weeks ago, I had the one cut out of my left kidney. Soon, I will be having a lithotripsy procedure to take care of the one in the right kidney. It is a little smaller now since a piece broke off and passed back in November. To those looking to lose weight, I hope I can be of some inspiration.
Thank you for this post and congratulations on your weight loss so far, that is very impressive! I recently just had enough. My biggest vice is soda, and fast food way too much. I was drinking about a liter a day of Mountain Dew. It’s been two weeks today that I have quit cold turkey. I actually had two severe migraines in the first few days from lack of whatever shitty chemical was in there. But it’s gotten easier over the last week. I am still working on eating better and staying away from the bullshit out there. It’s not easy though that’s for sure, but I think your post will help me get my ass in gear a little better. Keep up the awesome work!
Congrats on your weight loss. Isn’t it great to feel and look better. Change does not come easy or overnight. As you know, it takes discipline and motivation. I had something bad give me some good motivation. Talking about sodas, I was drinking about eight Diet Dr. Peppers a day. I have now cut that down to just three and I space them out over the course of the day. No more candy other than a few M&Ms every now and then. My wife and I splurged on Valentine’s Day and shared two Reese’s peanut butter cups. Man, that tasted so good. I cherish every little splurge I get. I am hoping to get down to 200lbs very soon and I plan on leveling out then. Right now, I have a lot of clothes to wear and I cannot afford to replace them. I just bought a bunch of new 5.11 Tactical pants, shorts, shirts, and a new Operator belt. BTW, if you know of anyone who can wear 42W/30L pants, I have a several pairs of 5.11 Tactical pants, one pair of 5.11 Tactical jeans, and one pair of Woolrich Elite pants.
Renegade, Dave, .46,
I can tell by all of your posts that the changes brought about by you taking charge have made a quite significant difference in your lives. .46, I am going to lump you in with Renegade and Dave in that they look soooo much better, and happier, and I am going to guess a picture of you would show the same.
Don’t become complacent; shouldn’t be hard. Just remember how you used to think and feel before and ask if you want to go back. Judging by the successes and attitudes I’m seeing, I highly doubt anyone will.
I lost about 40lbs in 2011 and every body kept asking me what diet I was on and stuff like that and I said “its a secret, I cant tell you”. Diet and exercise.
I used My Fitness Pal app on my phone to get the diet under control and understand what I was eating. I dont use it any more, but I still try to stay away from fried foods, but everything else I just eat smaller quantities of. I have an issue with candy, which somebody told me was because I dont drink alcohol any more(4 years now), and your body goes through carb cravings and likely always will. My buddy said his grandpa was sober for over 40 years and damn near at a lb of jelly beans every day of his life and my buddy never understood why. My one BIG take away was to NOT completely cut anything out of your diet because you will, at some point, go on a bender. Never eat pasta vs. eat a small portion of it and some day you will go on a bender and eat a whole box of mac and cheese. Same with bread, try to stop eating it and you will eat a whole loaf.
I cycle with a guy who used to weigh close to 500lbs. He’s still a big guy(high 2’s to low 3’s is my guess) and likely always will be, but he works his ass off every day. He lost most of his weight through doing spin classes and now he is an instructor. You dont think a big guy will make your class tough at the gym, but I have seen people vomit in his class before.
The one other thing I will add is dont get hung up on a “weight”. If you never hit that weight you may always be angry at yourself. I had a buddy that weighed somewhere around 300 maybe 325. He’s wanted to get down under 200 lbs. He sits right around that 200 mark and is always mad he cant get below it. He looks great and is in great shape(he cycles with us as well) and dropped probably 150+ lbs of fat and put on 50+ lbs of muscle, but its that 200lb mark that pisses him off. I generally recommend people get a fat % test done and go from there. The most important thing though is your overall health which it sounds like you have taken great strides.
Keep up the hard work, it never gets easier to keep exercising and eating healthy.
6933, I’ve lost over 45 pounds since I started at 276. Down from XXL shirts to XL, 40/42 waist to a 36. Weight’s not coming off as fast as it was but I’m still losing 1-2 pounds every 4-8 weeks.
There’s definitely no mystery to it. Monitor your calorie intake until you get a feel for it. Cut out junk and processed foods and stick to fresh when you’re shopping the grocery store. Eat reasonable portions, every trip to the table doesn’t need to be a button-buster. Sneak a cheeseburger every now and then so you don’t lose your marbles.
I even eat a vegetarian meal every now and then. I have mixed feelings about that. Feels kinda wrong LOL.
Guys, like I said earlier, one thing we did was cut out pasta. We never really ate a lot of it anyway. We do like spaghetti, so we found an alternative. We bought a Veggetti spiral slicer and spiral cut zucchini and used that instead of spaghetti. We microwaved the serving for about 1 minute, and served heated marinara sauce over it with some reduced fat grated parmesan cheese. It is very low cal/low carb and really tasty. We also made lasagna with zucchini instead of lasagna pasta. I doubt we will ever buy pasta again.
Very impressive gentlemen, my congratulations to you! I am 58 and have always been very fit. Years ago, I ran the Army 2 mile P.T. test in 11.38, did 85 sit ups and 90 push ups in the time limits. Now, with a bad back, I can no longer run on outside, just on a treadmill. My weight is stuck at 204 and I’m 5’7". So, I’ve got a BMI over 31! It is time for some life style changes/diet modifications. I have a very sedentary job, but the time flexibility to work out more, or as much as my back will let me - I saw my x-rays and MRI and wish I had not! I think it is time for me to give up sweets and reduce my carbs and stop pretending that I look better than I really do.
I am 54 and I know what you mean about a bad back. In November, I started having more and more pain in my back. I had originally injured it at the gym doing squats back in 1995. After going to the doctor and having a MRI done, I was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease at L4. Shortly afterwards, I ended up having a micro lumbar laminectomy to relieve pressure off the sciatic nerve. A couple years later, the same thing at L5. I also found out that I had degeneration started at S1 as well. Needless to say, a lot of my activities were sidelined. As a result, I started gaining a lot of weight and getting depressed. Two and half years ago, I became qualified for disability. I still continued to gain more weight since I was not really doing anything. That scare in the hospital really opened my eyes and gave me the motivation I needed to reverse things. Just the walking alone has been very therapeutic. Years ago, I spent seven years doing bodybuilding and learned how to eat right and exercise (weights and running). I had the discipline to work with this time. All I had to do was get started. Sometimes, that can be the hardest part. Once you do get going, it does become easier as time goes on. The healthy eating and exercise become a part of your lifestyle, just like our enthusiasm about guns.
I’m 6’0" and fluctuate b/w 170-175. I run, lift, roll BJJ, and chase two toddlers around constantly.
For me, and what works for me may or may not work for someone else, I count calories and carb/protein amounts. However, I DO NOT regulate what types of food I’ll eat. If I want some cake, I’ll have it. It just gets “listed” as the amounts of carbs and calories. I simply watch my caloric intake. If my caloric intake that day was all cake, so be it. If I want to drink a Sprite, I will. I do abstain from all caffeine and alcohol.
Overall, my diet is extremely healthy, and I have no issues with weight maintenance in regards to diet. My main weight issue is keeping it on.
“My main weight issue is keeping it on” Oh, to have the problem! I can gain weight by looking at a cookie! I think part of it is my German genetics/somewhat slow metabolism; part of it is age and part of it was having kids at an older age. The temptation to eat with them and what they eat is very great. However, they are now in college and I have one less excuse. So, it is time to get on with it. I can run with very little pain on the treadmill, I can walk, I can do high repetition, low weight lifting work outs. Really, I have no excuse (other than the back) not get get rid of 30 lbs. (Sigh, that sounds like so much.)
I have nothing to bad to say as far as others that intake caffeine or alcohol. Not a moral decision at all. I just don’t care for caffeine; been that way since high school.
One morning after a night of social drinking with several AF officers(lightweights) I just decided to stop all drinking. Didn’t really even have a hangover. I’m still not sure why I stopped. It was simply a feeling of “Don’t really care for it anymore.” Have absolutely no desire to ever touch alcohol again. Hell, I rarely drank. I guess I like cake more than alcohol and drinking cuts into my calorie limit so no alcohol means more cake!
I agree with less alcohol means more cake. I don’t mind alcohol, it is a personal choice, but I’d rather get my calories from chocolate or coconut cake than from beer. On the other hand, put me on a beach in Jamaica or Hawaii and give me a Frozen drink, and at least for the short term, I will change my opinion on caloric sources!
Actually, you guys have inspired me. I am going public (to put the pressure on myself) to get serious about this diet idea. I weigh 203 lbs. on Feb. 25, 2015. I am going to see how much weight I can drop (safely) by my birthday in September.
Now that I’m out of the closet (so to speak) on my previous diet failures, I shall see if I can join Renegade04 as a diet success or if I remain a tubby diet dud.
I weighed 230 in May 2014 and am now 165. My diet, which is not a healthy one, was prescribed by a physician/dietary team to combat fatty liver disease. Hoping the weight loss has paid off.
It is time for some life style changes/diet modifications. I have a very sedentary job, but the time flexibility to work out more, or as much as my back will let me - I saw my x-rays and MRI and wish I had not! I think it is time for me to give up sweets and reduce my carbs and stop pretending that I look better than I really do.