I think the last time I was truly a normal weight was when I was 4 or 5. My parents were very lax about food and exercise. I liked to stay in and play video games more than play outside. I was never good athletically, so that made me less inclined to exercise. I always thought you had to eat foods you didn’t like in order to lose weight. I thought you had to eat perfectly right. I didn’t know about CICO until much later, or I would’ve done something about it sooner, most likely. I was just very hedonistic about food. My family went got fast food at least once a week, and I loved my chips and popcorn.
Last year, a friend invited me to go to an orchestral concert, and since they were playing songs from Pokemon, I was definitely in. Unfortunately, I didn’t take into account the walking we’d have to do. I was so easily exhausted after climbing one flight of stairs. We somehow made it, but I felt so embarrassed because I kept having to stop, sit down when a bench was available, and generally felt awful. I knew I had to do something, and I decided to lose weight. After looking at the loseit subreddit, I decided to put a plan into action on July 27 last year. That was the first day I started losing weight.
That day, I weighed 420.4 pounds, although it may have been even higher since that scale weighed about 10 pounds light compared to the scale I currently use. I hadn’t gone to the grocery yet, so I was using the food I still had on hand, but I made it work. I also started a walking progression, walking 5 minutes 3 times a week, and adding a couple of minutes every week.
I gradually made improvements on my diet, and I got to a point where I could walk so much more. I wanted to try something a bit more explosive, so I started Couch to 5K. My ankle kept getting sore, so I had to start it four different times, and one time I stopped and did DDP Yoga. But I stopped that because even though I liked the exercise, I didn’t feel like I was very good at the dynamic resistance thing. I’m still working my way through Couch to 5K.
My eating plan was pure calorie counting, and so far I’ve been eating TDEE - 1000, with adjusting my goal every 10 pounds so I don’t unwittingly stick myself on a plateau. I track everything with significant calories, I lazily track my diet drinks, and I don’t log my sugarless gum at all. (I’ve picked up a chewing gum habit, 2-4 pieces a day, at 3 calories a piece that’s only 6-12 more calories a day, and I burn some, if not all of it back chewing it.) I focus on getting as much protein as possible, but since I’m not much of a cook and also a picky eater, it can be hard to get optimal levels, but I am doing a lot better than I was before.
I also have a few rules for myself to help with weight loss. First is no liquid calories, largely meaning juice or full-calorie soda. Shakes are fine, since they do keep me full and provide me with nutrition. I don’t eat out of any container I haven’t already budgeted the full calorie amount for. I just can’t stop. If I wanted some chips, I would put it in a bowl so I know when to stop. (I rarely eat chips anymore.). Also, I log my food a couple of days in advance. It’s not practical for everyone, but I’m a creature of routine and like eating the same things every day. I also try to not go more than 6 hours without eating anything while awake, because extreme hunger can lead to binges. (Again, not to discredit intermittent fasting/OMAD - different strategies work for different people!)
When I started, I was the new guy on MyFitnessPal once again, slowly building my streak. I took it one day at a time. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and months into a year. I went from admiring people with longer streaks than me (and I still do!) to people starting to look up to me. I want to set a good example for other people. I want to not disappoint the people who have been following my journey.
I can do so much more now, 1 year later. Taking showers used to be a chore for me, now they’re no problem. My back hurt when I stood up for a long time, making going to the store a problem. Now going to the store is no problem, and I can make multiple trips up and down the stairs without being gassed if I have to. I ran for 25 minutes this morning! Running wasn’t even an option for me when I started, but now when I need it I have a little burst available.
If there’s one thing I want you to take from this post, is that everyone has the capability to lose, maintain, or gain to get to the weight they need to be. It’s just numbers and will. It’s not as easy as it sounds though, or everyone would be doing it already. But everyone can. They have that power within them.
Addenda:
Here’s my weight loss graph for the year:
The reason my weight went up a bit isn’t because I actually gained weight, but I switched scales, and this scale was more accurate, and it wouldn’t be worth it to adjust my previous weights. It does have a linear trend, but it’s very jagged. You will gain sometimes before you lose, even if you’re doing everything right.
Progress pictures:
https://78.media.tumblr.com/c225a6983a89dbb137d55236a89f21c7/tumblr_inline_pcj3lcForB1qfwrmp_500.jpg
https://78.media.tumblr.com/2f13ad0f031532d7892e6ce08ec6d7be/tumblr_inline_pcja7vgJAo1qfwrmp_500.jpg
Sadly I don’t have a proper 1 year ago picture, but this is the closest. I can’t believe I let myself go like that! It wasn’t as apparent to me when I didn’t see a picture like this. My arms and legs are thinner now, my belly is still big, but not as big, and I can feel my collarbones now! Obviously, I still have a long way to go, but look how far I’ve come!
How my diet has changed over the course of 1 year:
July 27, 2017:
El Monterey - Beef and Bean, Red Chili Burrito, 2 burrito (620)
Kroger - Shoestring Fries, 9 oz (45 pieces) (420)
Kroger - Ketchup, 2 tbsp (40)
Kroger - Penne Rigate Whole Wheat-whole Grain, 2.0025 cup dry (561)
Kroger - High Fiber Oats & Chocolate Chewy Bars, 2 bar (320)
Kroger Fundaze Sundaes - Vanilla Cone, 1 cone (320)
Total: 2,281
July 27, 2018:
Kroger Peanut, Almond, and Dark Choc - Protein Bar, 1 bar (180)
Equate - Vanilla Shake, 1 can (180)
Hawaiian Punch - Single Water Mix In- Any Flavor- Sugar Free, 1 packet (10)
Powerade, 1 bottle (130) [Yeah, I accidentally got this instead of Powerade Zero. I’ll have to remember to get Zero next time.]
Kroger - Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, 0.33 cup (160)
kroger - reduced calorie penne rigate, 6 oz (450)
I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter - Original Spray, 5 sprays (0)
El Monterey - Chicken,Rice and Beans, 2 burritos (460)
Kroger - Vanilla Nonfat Greek Yogurt, 150 g (100)
Total: 1,670
So yeah, you don’t have to start out perfect when you start losing weight. I’m still not perfect with my choices now, but I’m doing a lot better, and that’s the main thing.
EDIT: One thing I forgot to mention is the power of accountability. Whether it's a single accountability buddy, a group of friends you let peer into your world, who have been very supportive of you, or your friends on MyFitnessPal who you don't want let them see you slipping, breaking your streak, or not logging in at all, I'm doing this for me and for what I want, but if you can get other people invested into what you're doing, it only helps your resolve.
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