Thursday, April 25, 2019

The Last 730 Days

This is a follow-up to my other posts:

https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/6m554b/the_last_75_days_long/

https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/723a72/the_last_150_days/

https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/7hqpzq/the_last_225_days/

https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/7z3rak/the_last_300_days/

https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/8kx6q1/the_last_365_days/

https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/9kdbwd/the_last_515_days/

https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/aaj49z/the_last_590_days/

It's now been over 730 days (~2 years) since I started down a pathway that I hoped would lead to weight loss. I still haven't quite gotten used to the rate of progression, knowing that while I still have a little more to lose, I've already lost >90% of what I set out to lose.

The Weight Management Program continues to go well - I'm about a quarter of the way through my final repetition of Stage II, which will end in early December. They don't currently have enough of an interest in Stage III, which is geared toward maintenance, but as I currently weigh every day and have been making my own dietary choices during this time, I may only stop in for my routine check-ups with the Doctor when the current stage comes to a close. At my next check-up, I'm hoping to discuss titrating my Metformin prescription down from 1000mg 2x daily to 1000mg 1x daily, and then potentially stopping the medicine. Additionally, at my last (Primary Care) Doctor's appointment, he agreed to let me work toward reducing my Furosemide prescription from 80mg to 0mg over the next 6 months, and I'm slowly titrating my way down.

Along with the Weight Management Program and Doctor appointments, I still attend weekly physical therapy appointments for lymphedema treatment. While progression has slowed for the lobes on my thighs, I continue to have reductions in overall volume. In the next several months, I may transition to an appointment every other week, but I don't see too much of a reason to do so until I'm ready.

I'm on a 730-day streak with MyFitnessPal, and I currently shoot for ~1400-1500 calories every day. I try 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 still doing several weight loss challenges, though those are finally winding down. HealthyWage continues to fund my weight loss journey, as clothes continue to be an expensive aspect of losing weight. I believe I've finally hit a stopping point in shirts, as I expect to stay in ~XL shirts, and won't need to buy many more before, or after I hit my goal. I've tried to plan ahead with pants, buying several pairs as I find them on sale, and I currently have down to a size 36 pair of khakis, though I don't really know what my final size will be, as I'm currently between a 38 (too small) and 40 (slightly loose). Over the last 2 years, I've gone from 6XL to ~XL in shirts, and 72 to ~40 in pants.

In addition to money spent on clothes, I've also used some of my winnings to purchase DEXA scans along my journey. In February, I completed the last of a 4-pack DEXA scan package I'd purchase when I'd first started. As of my last scan (since my first scan at ~430 pounds), I've dropped 60kg of fat mass (~132 pounds) while only losing 4.5kg of lean mass (~10 lbs), with my overall body fat composition having changed from 58.8% to 39.9%. In an attempt to retain as much lean mass as I can, now that I have not joined any new HealthyWage challenges and my last one has a weigh-out next week, I look forward to returning to the gym. My plan is to resume the Stronglifts 5x5 program, along with 30-45 minutes of cardio on a recumbent bike for 3 or 4 days a week.

If you've made it this far through my wall of text, the one thing that I hope you're able to take away from this - if I have been able to lose this much weight (even though I still have a bit further to go), anyone can. It's never too late, and you're never too far gone, you simply have to start. As of today, I've now lost 372 pounds (59.2% of my original weight, at a rate of .510 pounds per day), having reduced by BMI from 76.44 down to 31.16. I still want to lose another ~50 pounds, with a current goal of ~208 (simply to say that I lost over 400 and am 1/3 the man I used to be), but to be honest, I'm in uncharted territory. Considering I played left tackle in high school at 300 pounds, I don't truly know what my final goal is because I don't know what any of this looks like, I just know that as I continue forward, I will look toward maintenance being the next chapter of where I attempt to find my true self.

tl;dr (730 days) 31M / SW: 628 / CW: 256

submitted by /u/Xeruan
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from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2W61zhO

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