Friday, December 28, 2018

Reflecting on the past year - achieved so much more than I ever thought possible. (pics)

My heaviest weight was 320lbs when I was in high school. Yikes. I lost about 30lbs over one summer junior year, but I didn't understand weight loss and couldn't sustain the loss.

Last year I decided I needed to do this now, or I wasn't going to do it. I had never dated or had sex, I was missing out on so many opportunities. I felt like I couldn't enjoy the summer - my absolute favorite season - because I couldn't handle how I looked. Clothes didn't look good on me, yada yada yada.

I decided to use my student loan disbursement to get myself some vitamins and a protein shake. I got a fitbit. I started using the treadmill in my basement, and off I went. I officially started on January 20, 2018. I was just over 270lbs. In the last year I've lost so much weight - my lowest ever has been 197lbs. I've been lifting weights pretty seriously for the past few months and I've gained muscle. It's been a lot of fun. Seeing my body change has been indescribably fun. I've been obese since I was 11, so it feels like I'm going through some kind of 20-something puberty.

Keys to my success have been my Fitbit, and tracking calories on MyFitnessPal. CICO works, you just have to give it time and trust the process.

This is how I looked on Jan. 15, 2018 - my official "start pic", though I have a full body photo from a bit earlier (but the same weight) that I use for that comparison. https://imgur.com/a/d4HTyBQ

Here is me today. This is from a couple weeks ago. I'm going to take an official "yay me" photo on 1/15 to be a stickler about the date, and share that on social media. https://imgur.com/a/jzzGWQq

My fitbit tells me my heart health started at "fair" and is now at "good" - that's really why I did this. My fitbit told me my ticker wasn't in the best shape, which showed me that this is for far more important things than looks.

I still haven't been able to get myself out there to date. Sex is way weirder than they tell you on TV. I don't know when I'll feel ready for that, but gosh do I want it.

My current resolution for the next year, since last year's was successful, is to really put on muscle. I'm looking at a Garmin watch to help me track things in a more detailed way, and I want to get into some sort of sport in addition to my workout routine - and if you told me I'd be writing that a year ago, I'd laugh at you.

If you're sitting here wondering if this is the year - it is, go get 'em! It's so possible, you just have to keep going and trust the process.

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The Last 590 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/

​

It's now been 590 days (just over 1.5 years) since starting, and after this time, I still haven't quite gotten used to the rate of progression. I've now lost 344 pounds (54.8% of my original weight), and still want to lose another ~75, with a current goal of ~208 (simply to say that I lost over 400 and am 1/3 the man I used to be).

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The Weight Management Program continues to go well - I'm about halfway through this repetition of Stage II, which will end in early March. I feel that I still have too much to lose before I transition to Stage III (geared more toward maintenance), and may repeat Stage II one more time. At my last Doctor's appointment, he agreed to let me work toward reducing my Furosemide prescription from 80mg to 40mg over the next 3 months. At my next appointment, my goal is to then transition from 40mg to 0mg. My other prescriptions have stayed the same (90mg Vyvanse and 1000mg Metformin 2x daily), but I'm hoping to drop Metformin before too long. 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. With the holidays and completing my primary HealthyWager, my loss has slowed down a bit (~1-2 pounds per week), but I'm still progressing just the same.

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I'm on a 590-day streak with MyFitnessPal, and I continue to shoot for ~1400-1500 calories every day. I try to keep a balanced macro-nutrient profile (40% Carb / 30% Protein / 30% Fat), and 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. I haven't quite been able to get back into my routine of weekly meal prep after flying home for several days a few weeks ago to see family. Since my last visit ~9 months ago, I've lost an additional ~150lbs so their reactions were interesting. As the holidays wrap up over the next week, my goal is to work toward getting back into my weekly meal prep and workout routines.

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HealthyWage continues to fund my weight loss journey, as clothes continue to be an expensive aspect of losing. Thankfully, I think I've finally hit a stopping point in shirts as I expect to stay in ~XL shirts, and hopefully won't have to buy many more before hitting my goal. While I will still have to purchase new pants for the foreseeable future, the silver-lining is that each pair of pants has become much cheaper, as I've been able to purchase khakis and jeans from Amazon (in regular sizes, no less). Over the last 20 months, I've gone from 6XL to ~XL/2XL (depending on brand) in shirts, and 72 to ~46 in pants. In addition to spending money on clothes, I'm within ~25lbs of my next DEXA scan, and am planning to do that in the middle of February. I have to say, I'm interested to see how my body fat changes, now that the overall weight loss is much smaller between scans. This will be the last DEXA scan from the 4-pack I'd purchased last year, but I am planning on purchasing another 4-pack while I work toward my goal, hopefully saving 1 or 2 for recomposition.

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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 have further to go), anyone can. It's never too late, and you're never too far gone, you simply have to start.

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tl;dr (590 days) 31M / SW: 628 / CW: 284

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[Daily Directory] Find your quests for the day here! - Saturday, 29 December 2018

Welcome adventurer! Whether you're new on this quest or are towards the end of your journey there should be something below for you.

Daily journal.

Interested in some side quests?

Community bulletin board!

If you are new to the sub, click here for our posting guidelines

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enough is enough

hi all. over the last few weeks i’ve been watching my 600 lb life and i’ve kind of been slapped in the face by reality with it. i’ve seen some similarities between myself and the people on the show when it comes to their relationship with food. and it’s honestly terrifying. i always kind of knew in the back of my mind that i used food as a coping mechanism and did a lot of emotional eating but i never really thought about the consequences.

earlier this year i decided to, yet again, begin a weight loss journey but stuck to it pretty lazily. every time something stressful came up i’d ditch the diet and go back to my old habit, but even still i did manage to shed some pounds, or so i thought.

in september i went abroad to study and had to do a check up and when i stepped on the scale i wanted to throw up. i was 278 as a 21f whose 5’8. i had never weighed so much and really determined to stick to it. as time went on though i started slacking again, over eating and binging on junk food. and i made excuses to myself for that too.

watching my 600lb really kind of woke me up to the reality of my situation and made me realize that i could weigh as much as them. i could easily put on 50-100-200 lbs if i wasn’t careful. so i had a real hard look at myself and decided it’s enough. i’m done. i want to be healthier and better, not just physically but mentally.

i want to change my relationship with food but i have no idea how to start. i guess i was just wondering if anyone had any tips or suggestions on where to start or what to do? i have a fitbit and set up a food plan, and joined a gym this week. i’ve gone now two days in a row. i’m starting to count my calories and watch my portions, but i still find myself thinking about food a lot. so any tips or anything would really help out.

TL:DR i started watching my 600 lb life and seen my future. i want to change my relationship with food, but don’t know where to start.

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There is no right time to lose weight

I hear a lot of people, myself included, fall into this trap of saying "I'll lose weight when the timing is right," especially with new years right around the corner. Let me tell y'all, the time is never right. There will always be some excuse as to why you should wait a few more weeks to start being healthier.

As a personal antidote, a month into my weight loss my best friend died suddenly. I feel like of all the reasons to emotionally eat, a dead best friend is a pretty good one. I didn't though. I was gentle with myself and I let myself have comforting foods, but I stayed within my calories and I practiced other self-soothing strategies. I don't say this for pity or anything like that. I just want people to know that eating better is a choice, and it is a choice you have to make every day, regardless of circumstances.

I could have stopped losing weight after my best friend died. I wouldn't have lost any weight, probably would've gained it instead, and I would feel worse.

Losing weight isn't a quick diet. It's not something that you do for a few months and then stop. What are you going to do when you face struggles after getting to your goal weight? This is a lifestyle change and you can start as soon as you want.

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1 Year Of Food Tracking

Hi all,

Yesterday was my 365th day of tracking my food in the LoseIt app. I figured I'd make a little celebratory post and share what I've learned along the way.

Weight Loss

First off, I've spent a year tracking my food, and for about 8 months, I lost about 0.25-0.5 lbs per week. I started December 28th, 2017 at 243.5 and I am currently at 233.5. I am up a few lbs because of travel and Christmas, but before this week, I was hovering around 230, so I'm sure I'll be back there in a week or so. My BMI fell from 39.4 to 37.1. My low weight was about 227, but I've gained during my surgery recovery.

Persistence

I tracked my food despite: several 12+ hr car trips, 5+ days without internet, major surgery, and any/every possible excuse I could muster. I can't guarantee it was all accurate. But I did it. And I plan to keep going. Food tracking is/was my base habit. Didn't matter if I was over-eating or depressed -- my base habit was not restricting food. It was merely tracking the food. And that saved my butt more times than I can count.

Next Steps

After spending some time the last few weeks contemplating it, I'm going to keep my food where it is (between 1800-2200 cal per day) and add strength training. I've lost weight but my overall figure hasn't really changed the way I thought it would.*

* I'm a nonbinary, transmasculine person on a low dose of testosterone. I was hoping that chest reduction + some weight loss would adjust my curves, but I've lost pretty symmetrically, and so, I'm hoping that strength training will help where food restriction did not.

Other Lessons

Like most folks, I've tried to -- and successfully -- lost weight before, but it's always come back. This past year has been one step in a three year journey of self-discovery. For me, it was realizing my gender identity that enabled me to deal with my unrealistic expectations (my subconscious believed that working out furiously would turn me into a dude), as well as my chronic depression, which has lessened substantially since adjusting my hormones to where my brain wants them. I couldn't have made a successful habit this year without working on my depression.

The other major change I made in 2018 was eliminating caffeinated soda. I don't drink coffee, so Coke was my only source of caffeine. I was fully caffeine free for 4 months or so, and now I use caffeinated soda occasionally, like when I'm traveling, or I'm really tired in the morning. I keep it under 16 oz most days, and probably use it only 0-3 times per week. My household has flirted with the idea of eliminating soda completely, but we do still drink it when we're out, and occasionally we bring it into the house. I've been using orange juice w/ soda water to fend off cravings.

Finally: I started tracking my food because about 6 months before, I started having chronic, bad heartburn. My doctor and I both thought it was because I had crossed some magic weight threshold. We were wrong. Turns out, I was using too much Aleve and it was degrading my stomach lining. I had to stop Aleve before my surgery, and the heartburn disappeared nearly instantly. Go figure.

Conclusions

I'm still fat. But I didn't balloon from 160 in high school to nearly 250 overnight, and it's okay if it takes me a while to get it off. I'd rather keep tracking my food, lose when I can, maintain when I can't, and keep trudging on. My sugar and other blood work are just fine, my heartburn is gone, and the weight I gained from testosterone (about 30 lbs) is halfway gone. I'm excited for what the future holds.

Me in November, post surgery: https://imgur.com/BYPixxH

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Are there any tips to switching to a "food is fuel" mindset?

I have the age old new year's resoution of losing weight, even more so because I graduate in the spring( May) and I don't want to look back on the habiest day of my life and think, "Woooowwwww...I was fat." My biggest problem is FOOD. I have heard many people say switching to the "food is fuel" mindset has helped them a ton in their weight loss journey, and I would like to try it. I mean it's no reason I should indulge myself every day w/ food (although, I admit I am currently looking for some healthy low calorie treats). So, any tips or tricks from anybody who was a foodie and successfully switched to this mindset?

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