Hello all. New to Reddit, if I'm doing it wrong, just let me know. I have a few questions, thought it would be better to introduce myself first.
49yo male, 5'4" 260lb(est) sw, 148lb cw, 145lb gw. I estimate 260 because once I saw 248 on a scale I didn't step back on one, my clothes got tighter after that weight in. Up until now, I have always been overweight. My family just did not have realistic weight goals. I would diet in the past and be able to lose weight, but not keep it off. At my lightest, which was 25ish years ago, I was 190lbs and was a nationally competitive motorcycle road racer. Have always been active and a gym goer with good muscle mass. Food has been my issue. Have always known what healthy and unhealthy food choices are. Always had to be full after a meal, and that was my crutch. I would dress to hide my weight. Didn't really care what it was, just as long as a roll wasn’t hanging out, or my tits didn’t pop too much. I wore XL shirts and 36 pants(should have been 38)on my hips. Would not have ever dreamed of wearing pants at my waist. Now I wear smalls and mediums and 28/29" pants, actually at my waist.
Its 2021 and I just went through the worst time in my life. Lost my business of 5 years I built from scratch, along with just about everything else I had built. Savings, retirement, credit all gone. Once my doors where closed, and I was prepared to move on, my dog of 11 years, my sister was his breeder, passes suddenly, in a matter of hours. After getting my head straightened out and back on, started to get a plan together to move forward. To top it all off, I had ruptured my right ACL and couldn't get it fixed right away(eventually did, 18mos later). Wanted to get another dog, but without an ACL I was limited on activities. I like to play hard with my pups, so I started to think a dog wasn't the best move. Then, a thought, I'll get a 3 legged pup. They should be a little slower. Started my research on care for a 3 legger. One of the biggest things is keeping their weight in check. This somehow flipped a switch in my head. I was willing to do what it takes to keep a dog healthy, but I wasn't doing it for myself. Problem targeted, now had to figure out how to fix it. I started learning about nutrition, how your body processes different foods and the food industry in general. If your not aware, food labels can be off by 20% per the FDA. Because its HARD, cmon. If they are in it to make money, they are most likely not your friend. Any food that is not clean, I add 20% to its calorie count. I started asking doctors recommendation. Just about all doctors recommend a low fat diet. Me: what is a low fat diet. Them: Just eat low fats. Me: FDA recommends 78g per 2000 calories, should I eat less than that? Them: Yes Me: So 5g of fats or 65g of fats. Them: just eat low fats. Thanks! Started my own path for weight loss. In previous weight loss attempts. I was eating healthy food, but eating too much and at the wrong times of day. I always had to be full. Even if my planned meal didnt make me full, I would eat a little more of what I had portioned and that was enough to halt weight loss. I was also a stress eater and ate late at night.
I got my plan together around Jan of 22. I went through a mental transformation how I thought about food. It was no longer to make myself feel better, it was no longer a treat or a gift to myself. It was to fuel my body, exclusively. Somehow also complelty reversed the stress eating to not eating. I don’t understand why, but I lose my appetite and don’t get any headaches to trigger me to eat. Thankfully i dont stress long. I started a high fat, low carb diet. Did not exercise at all during the majority of my weight loss, it was all diet control. Didn’t have an ACL, remember. I was eating around 1600 calories a day. The only macros i worked on were fats and carbs. Fats were at least 80g a day and carbs were as little as possible. This worked great for me from 260 to 175. Once I got down to 175, I just stayed there for a couple months getting use to the changes. Figuring out how to dress and wishing it wasn't sooo dang cold at 70 degrees, lol. My thermal management is screwed. I used to sit without a shirt on in 68 degree weather and sweat. Now if its 68, I’m in a hoody and sweat pants. Now I keep my place at 75 degrees, can sit outside in 90 degree temps without sweating. I was very active at 260, I’m a wildman at 150. Thought it would be a good idea to get my ACL reconstructed. This was the test. Recovery is 3 months of sitting on your ass. Stuck with my eating habits, gained 3 lbs. Was extremely happy my new mentality works .
I am now at 148lbs with a goal of 145lbs. The last 25lbs have been a different path. It wasn't harder, just a change. I went up to 1700 calories a day, brought in more protein, less fats and more carbs. I would do easy light workouts after my ACL reconstruction. I am just now starting to be able to lift weights to build muscle again and do long cardio work. At 260, if someone asked me to pick my real body type from a lineup. I would have never picked this.
Still dont know how I will react when I do see 145lbs It will surely be an emotional day. My current challenge is staying focused on healthy loss and not just doing a hard cut so I can see 145. I had to learn how to dress at 49. I still remember the first double take I got from an attractive woman. Have no idea what to say, but at least it’s a start. 260lbs and 5'4 gets alot of hard no. I'm a different person now. Thankfully I didn't beat myself up for taking so long to figure this out. I have a sense of pride and accomplishment that I did not know could exist. I REALLY hope everyone reading this will have, or already has this feeling.
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