42/5'11" M here. I was 443 pounds in January 2019. I was also pre-diabetic and suffered from high blood pressure and sleep apnea. I can't say what finally clicked with me, but I'd had enough. So, I started working at it.
I limited myself to 1,200-1,300 calories a day. I'm a volume eater, so that meant lots of vegetables. Turns out they're great if you don't cook them to death! I cut alcohol completely out of my diet and I don't miss it. I limited, but did not eliminate, sugar from my diet. I was already the cook in the family, so I didn't have to learn any new skills. I packed my lunch and made salads/soups ahead of time to eliminate excuses to pick up fast food.
I began walking 2 miles a day. Thankfully, I could do that with a little effort. I'm a teacher, so I was used to being on my feet most of the day anyway. I'd lost 75 lbs by April 2019 and, with permission from my doctor, began Couch To 5K. I ran my first 5K in August 2019. Since then, I've ran several 5Ks, one 10K and am training for a half-marathon.
I lost my first 100 pounds by late May of 2019. We signed up for the Y and, in addition to running, I began swimming. I lost my second 100 pounds by January 2020. My wife is diabetic and her doctor recommended intermittent fasting (16 hours/8 hours daily). I started IF to support her. So far, she's lost a considerable amount of weight as well and is now right on the cusp of being taken off her diabetes medication.
I'm no longer pre-diabetic, and I've been off my blood pressure medication for a month (I checked my BP three times a week at home and emailed the results to my doctor). Per my doctor's recommendation, I haven't had to use my CPAP in three months.
I'm currently at 188 lbs. In less than 18 months I have turned my life around and am much more likely to be there for my kids and grandkids.
The biggest reason for my success is simplicity. Yeah, I use MyFitnessPal to log calories, but I eat the same thing every morning and almost eat the same thing every day for lunch. I thought I'd get bored with what I ate, but it's not been an issue. Staying busy helps, as does drinking plenty of water and getting enough sleep. Yeah, I know those sound cliché, but they sound cliché because they work.
I'm entering maintenance now, upping my calorie count by 100 daily calories a week until I hit my calorie goal. It's summer, but I'm still up at 4:00 five days a week to run. I feel like I have the entire day open to me when I run early.
I feel when people exhibit a mindset of hopelessness regarding weight loss. "It's too hard, I can't do it, so why even try?" It was difficult for me, but I found ways to make it manageable. I'm confident that most others can, too. Just focus on what you can do today, tomorrow will be here soon enough.
Thanks for hearing me out on this ramble.
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