Weight Loss Tips: The Last 515 Days

This is a follow-up to my other posts:

I apologize, as it's been a while since my last update. I completely forgot about my 440 day update, as I was busy with changing jobs, and by the time I'd realized, this update was only a few weeks away.

The Weight Management Program continues to go well - I decided to repeat Stage II at the beginning of July, and will repeat the 36 week program of alternating weekly group and dietitian sessions. While I don't feel that I learn much in the week-to-week sessions, I try to go for the accountability, as well as the weekly weigh-ins and blood pressure readings. Additionally, I feel that I still have too much to lose before I transition to Stage III (geared more toward maintenance).

For a while, my loss slowed down (to ~1-2 pounds per week), due to my being lax with sodium intake, but I've been doing better the last month or so as I'm in the final weeks of my HealthyWager challenge. At my last Doctor's appointment, he agreed to let me try foregoing my 10mg Lisinopril prescription. After several months of not taking a blood pressure medication, my blood pressure continues to be lower (<110/~68). I say blood pressure medication because I'm still taking 80mg Furosemide/10 MEq Potassium every day, and I know they act to lower blood pressure as well. At my next appointment near the end of October, I'm thinking about asking about titrating down to 40mg Furosemide, getting to be one step closer to off of those medications. Granted, I'll remain 90mg Vyvanse for the foreseeable future, but I'm hoping to work my way down on the Metformin as I continue to lose (and am not diabetic/pre-diabetic). With regard to Vyvanse, it's interesting to see how far I've come, working to break the habits that developed during my binges - so much so that I find that while I still get some cravings, it's now been months since the thought of binging has crossed my mind.

In addition to the Weight Management Program and Doctor visits, I continue to attend weekly physical therapy appointments for lymphedema treatment, focusing primarily on the lobes on my thighs. Progression has slowed, somewhat, but I still occasionally have ~whooshes where I'll lose ~200-300mL of volume in my legs. I've begun noticing muscle and skeletal definition (in both my hands/arms, as well as my feet/legs) that I've never had previously, and I often find myself tracing along a vein or bone just because it seems so foreign.

I'm on a 515-day streak with MyFitnessPal, and I continue to shoot for ~1400-1500 calories every day. I tried to keep a balanced macro-nutrient profile (40% Carb / 30% Protein / 30% Fat), but the only things that I track closely are overall calories, protein, and sodium. Overall calories speaks for itself (using CICO), the protein is mostly in an attempt to maintain lean body mass (as well as providing some additional protein for working out), and the sodium is to moderate water retention as I'm doing several weight loss challenges. I continue to meal prep weekly (generally 6-8 meals), supplementing with other meals during the week for variety.

At the end of May, I signed up for a gym, and worked out solidly for ~3 months before life got in the way with a new job. The new schedule threw a wrench in my routine, and I'm still working my way through the timing of everything, but I will probably be waiting another ~3 weeks before I begin working out again. I found that my weight loss slowed more than I had originally expected (I know this was due to extra water retention for muscle repair from lifting, and an increase in blood volume from cardio, and that both are good things), but I want to complete my HealthyWager before I resume. Once October is over, and I've received ~2000$ from completing the challenge, I will gladly push myself to get back to the gym. I know that I have a lot of fat left to lose, but I was interested in working out after my 2nd DEXA scan in April because I thought it would allow me to see a larger difference in body composition (as the 1st and 2nd DEXA scans were done with diet alone, versus the 2nd and most recent DEXA scans being both diet and lifting).

Since my DEXA scan in April, I've gone from 53.1% to 47.5% body fat (383 to 325 on the scale), which I have to admit was somewhat surprising. With diet alone, I dropped ~5.7%, and with the introduction of working out, I dropped ~5.6% - though, I fully understand what while the number with working out is technically lower, it represents a larger percentage change overall. Overall, my body fat percentage has gone from 58.8% to 47.5% (437 to 318 on the scale), with only a ~5.4 pound loss in lean muscle - I'll count that as a win. I have to wonder if the lower loss of body fat was due to the fact that I was only just getting to the point of lifting heavier weights when I had the DEXA scan performed. With the lifting protocol, I started with just the bar, and was working my way through the linear progression, having only barely made it to the point of truly struggling to lift the weights. Either way, after my HealthyWager completes at the end of October, I look forward to getting back into the gym - as while I've noticed strength gains, I hope to get some more newb gains with still having a good amount to lose, and leading to an increased change in body composition at my next DEXA scan in another ~50 pounds lost.

Most of the money I've won thus far has been going toward the purchase of clothes. I continue to watch for sales and discounts in an attempt to be frugal, as well as continuing to stagger sizing so that I have a limited amount of clothes as specific sizes. A few weeks ago, I had donated a suit that I wore when I'd graduate college because it was far too large, and noticed that Men's Wearhouse had a set of khakis for ~10$ - so I bought ~5 pairs (from 50 all the way down to 42), as I don't really know what size I'll be in the end. There have been a lot of size changes over the last ~17 months, as I've gone from 6XL shirts to ~2XL depending on the maker, and from size 72 pants to ~52. It's become a little bit of a game for me when I'm shopping for clothes, looking at the different price points based on the size of the item - it gives me a new goal, knowing that when I lose a little more, I'll save another 2-3$ when I reach that next sizing bracket.

I'm continually surprised with the progress that I've made thus far, with how much easier movement, tasks, and life have become. In these last 515 days, I've become less than half the man I was, managing to lose 317 pounds (50.5% of my original weight). I still want to lose another ~100 pounds (mostly just to say that I've lost 400), and because I have no idea where I want to end up, as the last time I was any of these weights, I was in Junior High and/or High School, and my weight never stopped increasing.

tl;dr (515 days) 31M / SW: 628 / CW: 311

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Weight Loss Tips

Monday, October 1, 2018

The Last 515 Days

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