Before and after picture: https://imgur.com/a/Kz4v0jV
As I stepped on the scale this morning, it read 174.8 pounds, I have completed my weight loss goal, but the journey still continues! If you would of told me 2 years ago that I would be this weight I would of not believed it was possible. The journey thus far has taken 21 months, the past 4 months (190lbs to 175lbs) were transitioning into a more sustainable diet/lifestyle where I introduced more food back into my diet. I have found a nice balance of being able to enjoy myself and not gaining any of the weight back, which is just awesome. Backstory: I have been obese my entire life, so being at this weight is pretty much foreign to me. My weight definitely spiraled out of control once I got into college and then started working. Having a car and money and being addicted to food is not a good combo. My weight severely hampered my social life. I never had a girlfriend, I hated going to public places, never been on a roller coaster, never swam at a beach, the list goes on and on. My days would consist of: Waking up, eating, going to work, eating at work, eating some more, playing video games and then eating again. Not much of a life, needless to say.
Here's some answers to the common questions I get:
How did you do it? / Did you get the "surgery"?
Well, no special tricks here nor surgery. I just ate less, utilizing CICO. Once I got a nice chunk of the weight off (just under 300lbs), I introduced daily exercise, walking and jogging mostly. People act surprised when I tell them I did it without surgery. I just needed to create a better relationship with food.
Did you change the foods you ate?
Actually, not so much until recently. I ate pretty much the same stuff as I did before, including fast food, the entire time I lost weight. I just made smarter choices and less quantities of those foods.
How many calories per day?
I did not go over 1200 calories a day the entire first 16 months, that's right, not a single cheat day. This helped me not relapse into my old habits.
Are you sure what you did was healthy? You lost that weight awfully fast!"
That's up for debate. My blood pressure is now normal, my migraines are completely gone, my resting heart rate is 52 and I can run around and do things and not be completely out of breath. Eating the 1200 calories a day was way better than eating the 6,000 plus that I was doing before. I am extremely lucky that I did not develop diabetes while I was morbidly obese.
How do you feel?
Amazing. Words can't express what it's like being a normal weight after spending your entire life as a morbidly obese person. I didn't even weigh under 200lbs the entire time I was in middle and high school. Once you get the taste of being at a healthy weight you never want to let it go and go back to your old ways. NEVER AGAIN.
What about the loose skin?
I'm not going to sugar coat it, it's not great. But it's manageable. Don't use this as an excuse to why you don't want to lose weight. In my eyes, the damage was already done, so what does it even matter? Plus you have clothes on most of the time anyways. I could probably wear pants a size smaller pants if I didn't have my loose skin on my stomach. I probably won't get the surgery. Not sure yet. I think without the skin I'd be in the 160s easily. My biggest gripe with it is: (NSFW) The excess skin on my stomach is really, really annoying during sex, practically have to hold it up lol
Do people treat you differently?
Absolutely, no doubt about it. The biggest thing is the fact that I just mold into the public and I don't stand out. Going from nonstop glances and comments about my weight to practically going incognito in public is a really weird feeling.
How do you feel mentally?
This is a tough one. I'm in an identity crisis, that's slowly getting better but very slowly. I've always been "the fat guy" and treated as such. I'm still trying to find myself and what I'm going to do now. I have a very skeptical view of people and their intentions and my insecurities take over whenever I'm actually being treated like a normal human being. I still look in the mirror and see my old self, when people glance at me I think they are judging me on my weight still. I still think I look fat, until I look at these pictures. There's no two ways around it, the years of ridicule and negativity that was put upon me has damaged me. The negativity that was projected on me, I would project onto other as a coping device. I look at the picture of myself at my highest weight with disgust. I see people in public who are obese and it disgusts me, not them personally that disgusts me but I see my old self in them and it makes me never want to be that size again. This is still a work in progress.
Did you ever hit a plateau or a weight loss stall?
Nope. Not once, it was very consistent and accurate. I used this website: https://www.losertown.org/eats/cal.php As long as you do what you tell the calculator it is a great predictor of what you will lose.
How often did you check your weight?
Every Monday morning right before my shower. Now I do it every day since I'm at my goal weight.
What was your motivation?
I was sick of making excuses, putting off weight loss until after certain dates/holidays. I just needed to want to lose the weight, so I asked myself what I truly want. I wanted to experience all the things I missed out on in my late teens and 20s. I didn't want an early death. I hated how my weight impeded on my hobbies and my life in general.
Favorite exercise/activity?
Walking!!! Get out there and just do it, every little bit helps. Even walking around in the house or a mall, just get moving. I liked tracking my steps, I'm very goal oriented so it was something else that I could use as a goal and track.
How did you resist temptations and not cheat?
I quickly developed a better relationship with food. It took about 2 months of sheer willpower but it got easier. I don't really care about food at all now really. I eat food to stay alive, not for pleasure. Yeah sweets and pizza and those things are nice but I just really, really don't care if I eat them again. I would also ask myself "Do I really need this?" and the answer is always no, so I would just refuse to eat the junk food.
What's the weirdest part about having lost all the weight and being at your goal weight?
Bones. Tailbone, collar bone, bones I didn't know I had and bones I don't know names for. Who would of thought I even had bones!
When did people notice and compliment your weight loss?
The noticing? I would say at 100lbs down. So around 360lbs. I'd say every 50lbs after that I would have people be completely shocked. The compliments? Pretty much since I got under 200. I now have an endless supply of kind words being sent my way on a daily basis :)
How's your dating life now?
I met my very first girlfriend this summer, pretty much right when I got under 200lbs. She was very understanding about my situation and my journey. It lasted 3 months, but I'm sure she won't be the last!
How often did you have to buy new clothes?
Quite a bit towards the end, the most drastic changes happened when I was closer to my goal weight for sure. I went from wearing 5XL shirts and size 60+ pants to Medium shirts and size 34 jeans. It's pretty awesome being able to go into any clothing store and them having the clothes that fit me!
What now?
I don't have a real good answer for this one. I don't know. I take every day as it comes. I will continue to pursue my hobbies and my self improvement and just enjoy this thing called life.
If there's any other questions, please ask, I'm sure I missed some! I do enjoy talking about my journey with others. Also, I hope this post gives motivation to those who are in the same position that I once was!
