Hi all! I know I haven't lost as much as a lot of people around here, and we get a lot of these, but I hope you like my story (sorry it's so long!).
In the early winter of 2017 I was headed down a dangerous path. I smoked a pack of cigarettes a day, was about 30 lbs overweight, paid little attention to my diet, drank a lot of alcohol, my weight was higher than I'd ever seen it, rarely exercised, and generally felt awful all the time. I was always so tired, things like cutting my grass would wipe me out, just walking up one flight of stairs would make my heart nearly beat out of my chest, I was always bloated, had little interest in anything, but most of all I felt like I had no control over what I was doing or where my life was going. I originally said on my 40th birthday I would make some serious changes, but my mom died a couple months before and it hit me pretty hard, so I delayed until my 41st birthday.
I had an epiphany...
I am lazy, and I realized it actually took a lot more effort to keep living the way I was living because everything was so difficult than to live a healthier life. Did I want to be tired and miserable constantly or eat a little better and exercise a few times a week? I didn't want my wife to end up a widow like my mom, and my kids to end up orphans like me (my father passed when I was 17 because he was an overweight smoker and never exercised). I made some serious changes that seemed difficult at the time, but looking back I don't miss any of them at all.
Step 1
The very first thing I did was talk to my doctor, he gave me some good advice and put me on an antidepressant. That helped me immensely mentally, in dealing with the loss of my mother and cigarette cravings. On my 41st birthday I smoked my last cigarette.
Step 2
Next was my diet. I looked at what I was eating during the day and it consisted of chips and mostly junk food, pop, other sugary drinks like Gatorade, a Red Bull in the morning, nothing really very healthy. In the evenings I'd have whatever my wife cooked or the most unhealthy thing on the menu if we went out. That was accompanied by a couple beers and a few more on the weekends.
The first thing I gave up was almost all beverages except for water and a cup of coffee in the morning. I still have maybe one or two beers a week, and the occasional diet pop, but mostly just water. After a couple days of that I didn't find it difficult at all. Next was lunch, I traded the junk food with empty carbs for more healthy things like yogurt, fruit, peanuts, protein bars, etc.
Step 3
Then came exercise. This was actually easy because I had been wasting money on a good health club every month, I just had to actually start going. I started running, lifting weights, taking yoga classes, and playing tennis. After a couple weeks I began to enjoy it.
Results
I reached my goal of losing 20 lbs for a family vacation. The first 10 lbs fell off, the other 10 took a little while longer. After that I maintained most of my healthy habits but the weight crept back up and gained about 10 back in 8 months.
Phase 2
Another vacation planned and another 20 lbs I wanted to lose, luckily my starting weight was lower this time. But I wanted to take it more seriously.
I kept hearing about keto so I decided to give it a try and failed miserably. After 2 weeks I had only lost 1 lb and I just hated it. I got the keto flu, bad breath, insomnia, and pretty much every other side effect except for the weight loss, and I didn't enjoy most of my food.
So I moved on to CICO and was surprised at how easy it was. I ate good, healthy food and did it in a controlled manner. This was a huge eye opener for me, it taught me how to make better choices, understand portions, and most of all it gave me some direction so I wouldn't just mindlessly eat like a horse all day. I reached my goal weight even quicker this time and I can finally say I'm within a healthy BMI again.
Things I've learned along the way
Don't overdo it. Other times when I tried to lose weight I would hours at the gym, reduced my calories way too far and only ate junk. I lost weigh too quickly, kept getting sick, got injuries like shin splints, eventually got burned out, and I was still pretty "skinny fat" and didn't like how I looked. Since I've started my most recent lifestyle change I haven't been sick once, have been mostly injury free, I'm liking my physique better, and I'm still going strong.
Don't forget that your main goal should be to improve your health, and that's not always the same as weight loss. Like I mentioned above, don't overdo it or do other things that will end up doing more harm than good. Don't forget to keep the big picture in mind.
Tracking what I ate was so important. It gave me control to not lose too quickly or too slowly. It helped track my nutrients and macros. Most importantly it gave me direction so I knew about how much I should be eating and not just eat mindlessly every time I got bored or hungry.
Remember it's not a diet, it's a change of diet, or a change of lifestyle. Focus on some things you can change for good and will help keep the weight off long term.
Joining a nice gym was a game changer for me. With smaller gyms I get bored so quickly. With a nicer, bigger gym I've found I have a lot more stuff I can do and I never get bored. It gives me something to do during these long midwest winters. I'ts definitely more expensive but worth every penny since I've started to prioritize my health. In the end, whatever you can stick with for the longest will be your best choice, and that was what I needed.
It's not a cure all. I don't have women throwing themselves at me, I still have some health problems and am dealing with some wicked sciatic pain. I definitely think I look better but far from being hot (hence no pics). I still feel out of shape no matter how much I exercise. I will probably never be satisfied but I will try to enjoy the small victories.
I'm not done yet
This was just one of my goals and they are constantly changing, and I still plan to keep my health going in a positive direction, so I'll never really be done. But this whole process has given me the confidence that I can actually control what I eat and have the power to make positive changes to myself.
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