Before and after: https://imgur.com/3Acrx0O
1 year graph of weight: https://imgur.com/IpcQWXN
chart of predicted weight vs. actual weight using calories burned from Garmin, calories logged in MFP, and 3500 kcal/lb: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTx1eK5UqAR6ycVdTk06KLBu044uspDh0iPrvvG6NxCFM6I5f4FxPFdCx7l6OeHZzkWdy91Q0cXDmvo/pubchart?oid=826150002&format=image
I started on March 27th, 2018. I was 356 lbs. I think I had been even heavier than that and I estimate I was around 370 in that before picture, which was taken in August 2016. The event that finally got me started was the installation of some gym equipment at work. Some of my coworkers applied a little peer pressure, so I started doing some light resistance training and walking on the treadmill. Suddenly, I wanted to eat better so I wasn't wasting my time in the gym. I'd never heard of CICO specifically, but I knew the basics behind it. Run a calorie deficit and you'll lose weight. Simple enough. I picked 1500 kcal/day because I remembered hearing somewhere that most males should eat 2000/day to maintain weight or 1500/day to lose weight. I just started keeping an estimate in my head and weight started coming off quick. Eventually I did some research, found a number of resources online, including this sub, and I started logging with S-Health because it integrated well with my Samsung watch. I started doing Couch to 5k, but after a few weeks I was having some serious pain in my right hip after each session. I bought a bicycle and just alternated days where I'd bike with strength training days. I saw some early improvements with the strength training, but I quickly realized that it's hard to make gains in muscle when you're running as big of a deficit as I was. I kept with it just in hopes that I could keep what muscle I did have. I got some more weight off and revisited C25k and found that the pain was gone, so I completed the program and started running 5k two or three times a week.
By this time, I was getting more into the exercise and I was bicycling with friends, so I got a Garmin Fenix 5 activity tracker/smartwatch. This is what really allowed me to start diving into the data. I changed over to MyFitnessPal for logging food, which communicates back and forth with Garmin Connect. You can see this on the weight loss graph when the line starts to get jagged, because I started recording my weight daily at the same time. At the end of each month, I would take the calories in and calories out data from Connect and plug it in my spreadsheet and use that to calculate what the math says I should weigh. It was always very close and most of the time within 1%. This surprised me because there are so many reports online of inaccurate fitness trackers, but I'd say the Garmin Fenix 5 is accurate enough to use for your calories out value.
As far as food, nothing was really off limits for me, but I did learn quickly how to eat things that would keep me satiated longer for less calories. I started eating way more vegetables than I ever had before. It's funny how they taste better when you're truly hungry. I quit drinking any calories. I'd still have an occasional beer and there were a handful of social events and holidays or parties along the way where I went over my 1500 limit, but they were rare. My wife and I were doing Blue Apron for dinner 3 nights per week before I started losing and we were able to keep that up, but we tried to choose the lower calorie options from their menu. Eating out and takeout became rare occasions instead of go-to dinner options. For lunch, we started using a local meal prep service and then we'd weigh out the amounts in the meals to ensure they were logged accurately. We discovered Chilly Cow low cal ice cream and I eat an 8 oz tub almost every evening.
I ended up doing more group bicycle rides, so I eventually got an actual road bike. Then me and some buddies got into mountain biking, which has been a great way to get exercise while having fun. The trail takes your mind off the pain in your legs. Over the past few months, I took some swimming lessons and I'm planning to do a sprint triathlon next week. Losing weight has opened up all kinds of opportunities to do things I couldn't before. I've always been interested in hiking and backpacking, but I wasn't fit enough. Now a friend and I are planning a 5 day backpacking trip for after the triathlon.
TL;DR Log your food meticulously. Fitness trackers are cool if you're into data. Trust the system.
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