100 lbs lost, 100 positive notes, the gift I received and how I did it.

Today I reached my 100lbs lost milestone. This isn’t the end of my journey and I’m still somewhere near the beginning. This is a lifestyle change that I have adjusted to and I'm enjoying every minute of it!

I'm male, 6’2”. At my heaviest recorded weight I was 373lbs. This came after years of junk food, drinking and generally not caring about my body. This recorded weight was in February of 2017 and I was probably much bigger than that when I got married in May 2017. I struggled to find a suit that fit me. I couldn’t afford to have a suit made so I had to buy a suit from a big and tall website and have it altered. It was still tight on the day. I had a 52” waist and a 60”+ chest.

When I decided to start losing weight, I didn’t feel like I was taken very seriously by my friends and family. This was probably because of the countless attempts I’d had at it previously and never really made any progress. However, on January 24th 2018, I joined a weight-loss program called Slimming World. I lost 50ish lbs in about 6 months before finding I gained more support on the subreddit and subsequently quit paying the membership fee and save the cash. I had visited r/loseit quite a few times and read about CICO. I decided to put in my usual meals into myfitnesspal to see what they came out as. I was shocked at how many calories some of my 'healthy’ meals were. This was when I knew that the best way to ensure weight loss is by counting and weighing everything. So that's what I did.

I avoid food without calories listed on them, avoid buffets and read the nutritional information for every restaurant before I get there.

A few months of CICO and I've now lost another 50lbs by being able to reduce my intake and make lower calorie versions of all my favourite meals. I don't remember ever being below 300lbs. It must have been when I was in my early teens.

I've done this by using a TDEE calculator to work out what type of deficit I need and then by eating between 1200-1800kcal a day. I am really surprised how much I can still eat! Combined with drinking 2.2l of water every day and taking the dog for long walks, the lbs have been dropping off.

I am not quite ready to start running yet although I would love to be able to take this up in the future. I have a few injuries with the worst being my right knee, when this clears up I'll be looking for some advice on starting to run.

It hasn't been easy. I've had the odd binge. I have had a 3 week holiday in the middle of all of this and still come out stronger than before. I know I can do this now. My relationship with food has dramatically improved and I know that the setbacks are only going to be short lived.

In February I told the lady that is fitting my suit for my brother's wedding that I'm going to lose some weight this year so my measurements will be a lot different by the time of the wedding on December 1st. I still want to lose another 20lbs or so before then but I get to go in to the next suit fitting later this month over 100lbs down. I have gone from a 52” waist to a 38” waist. From 4XL t-shirt to the awkward middle bit between XL and XXL.

I'm about 50lbs away from my final goal and I hope to hit that in the first half of next year. I'm going to enjoy Christmas this year but not go too over the top. I'm sure I will gain a few lbs but I know I'll be able to get them back off.

I have had massive amounts of support from my wife during this journey. I know I've made her proud and nothing gives me a better feeling than that. She even got me a gift for reaching 100lbs lost.

You can see that here.

She's the best wife ever. I'm not quite the “skinny bitch” that she likes to call me now but I'll take that compliment every day. Ultimately, after doing this for myself I'm doing it for everybody around me who I want to spend a long time with.

I definitely couldn't have done this without my family and friends who have kept me accountable and never tried to sabotage me. I've read some horror stories so I'm glad that I'm surrounded by the best people. I've definitely made some friends for life in this community.

Here's a few progress pictures.

Throughout my journey I have been writing down 1 positive thought or something I've learned for each lb I've lost. I read back through this list if I need some inspiration from myself. Here's that list. Hopefully I won't struggle to add another 50 or so points to it.

1. I feel more attractive.
   
2. I don't snore.
   
3. I'm less judgemental.
   
4. I'm proud that I've stuck to something for so long.
   
5. My feet feel smaller.
   
6. My back doesnt hurt as much.
   
7. I get compliments.
   
8. I get better customer service.
   
9. I smell nicer.
   
10. I save money on food.
    
11. My skin is clearer.
    
12. I can walk up the hill to work without getting out of breath.
    
13. My resting heartrate is no longer 85+
    
14. I can wake up easier.
    
15. Old clothes fit me.
    
16. Unhealthy food isn't as appealing.
    
17. I want to eat healthy.
    
18. I dont lie to myself anymore.
    
19. I understand how hard people have to work to lose weight.
    
20. I'm more focused.
    
21. The dog gets walked more.
    
22. I plan my days around being active.
    
23. People have asked advice from me.
    
24. I find preparing food fun.
    
25. I don't think about snacking much.
    
26. Thank god I quit smoking 4 years ago.
    
27. I can sit on the carpet without something hurting.
    
28. I can fit a towel around me now.
    
29. I actually look forward to getting on the scales.
    
30. I fit in a single train seat.
    
31. I didn't have to ask for a seatbelt extension on a plane.
    
32. I shop in stores instead of online.
    
33. Clothes are cheaper at this size.
    
34. I listen to my own advice.
    
35. The chip shop lady noticed I'd lost weight (I was just walking past)
    
36. I'm not as gassy.
    
37. I have learned what foods cause my stomach problems.
    
38. I love the taste of tomatoes now.
    
39. My back pain is practically non-existent now.
    
40. When I hold a guitar, it feels closer.
    
41. I don't get out of breath when singing in the car.
    
42. I no longer have a coughing fit when I laugh.
    
43. Doing this is just as important as quitting smoking.
    
44. I can still enjoy all my favourite foods.
    
45. Portion control is the key to CICO.
    
46. They make jelly that has 0 calories.
    
47. Push ups get easier as I lose weight
    
48. Having less chin to shave saves me time.
    
49. I was finally under the weight restriction for something.
    
50. I can't wait to prove that I can do this.
    
51. I don't eat 4000 calories on cheat days.
    
52. Spicy slaw on salad is amazing.
    
53. I pick from the healthy range when eating out.
    
54. Every meal has a low calorie alternative.
    
55. I can tie my shoelaces without having to take a break between feet.
    
56. I've lost over 14 points off my BMI.
    
57. The doctors don't blame everything on my weight.
    
58. There is literally always someone there to support me.
    
59. I don't need to use my inhaler before I go to sleep.
    
60. I've lost as much weight as an elephants penis.
    
61. I've gone down 2 notches on my fitbit.
    
62. I don't spend as much time on the toilet.
    
63. I'm now a 2XL t-shirt size.
    
64. I'm starting to notice a bit of loose skin.
    
65. I dislike unnaturally sweet food.
    
66. My teeth seem whiter.
    
67. My breath doesn't smell (other than onions)
    
68. My wedding ring needs resizing (smaller)
    
69. Noticeable man part differences. (saved for this number)
    
70. 2.2l of water isn't that hard to achieve anymore.
    
71. The sugar tax didn't really affect me.
    
72. I can eat McDonalds and stay in my kcal deficit.
    
73. I feel smarter.
    
74. I went to Kaspars and had a diet coke.
    
75. I need to buy a new belt.
    
76. Our friends give us home grown vegetables.
    
77. I get annoyed if the supermarket doesn't have my favourite type of lettuce.
    
78. We both managed to avoid ordering a takeaway when we didn't have much in.
    
79. Airfryers are really hard to clean.
    
80. If we didn't have a dishwasher this would be 10x harder.
    
81. Now 38" waist down from 52"
    
82. The recycle bin doesn't overflow with takeaway boxes.
    
83. I find it really easy to switch from beer to coke on an evening out.
    
84. I don't have to hide the scales anymore because just seeing them can depress me.
    
85. I don't need to take larger doses of medicine to feel the effects.
    
86. My hand can now fit to the bottom of a pringles tube
    
87. I get colder easier.
    
88. I get drunk easier.
    
89. Never missed out on a family event. Just adjusted what I do to my calorie limits
    
90. Can get down on the floor to play with my niece.
    
91. Can chase the kids around the park.
    
92. I can walk for miles without getting tired.
    
93. The worst feeling is when you put your plate on the digital scale, put your sauce on the plate without turning the scale on.
    
94. I got out of the 20 stone range for the first time since I was 16.
    
95. My shoes last longer.
    
96. Went swimming topless
    
97. I still move out of people's way but probably don't need to.
    
98. Look forward to social events
    
99. I'm extremely more confident in the way I look.
    
100. Losing 100lbs is my biggest accomplishment.

submitted by /u/groundstabber
[link] [comments]

from loseit - Lose the Fat https://ift.tt/2ydbZ5h