Athlete. Obese. I've been both but I am happy to say...

Derrick

Derrick

New member
Athlete. Obese. Athlete. Before and current pics posted.

that I am FINALLY an athlete again. :cool:

First of all, I'm glad I found this site because there seems to be a lot of genuinely positive people on here with some amazing success stories. I just wanted to introduce myself and give you some details about my own weight loss journey thus far.

My name is Derrick. I am 31 years old and 5’ 11” tall. I am married with one daughter age 2.

In high school I was an all-state swimmer, three time conference champion in the 50 free, captain of the team and a scholar athlete. I actually won an award my senior year (1996) that I was very proud of. It was given to the student athlete who best exemplified the values of our school.

For many reasons I gained a lot of unhealthy weight in college but I tried to fight back several times. I finished the Bill Phillips EAS Challenge in 1999 and again in 2000 when it became the well known Body-For-Life Challenge. Unfortunately I did not learn the most important lesson that Bill Phillips wanted to teach us, we have to work on our fitness, our health, and our bodies…FOR LIFE!

By the time I graduated college in 2002 I was near my all time heaviest weight at the time at 215 lbs and maybe somewhere around 22% body fat. From then it only got worse. From May of 2002 until May of 2008 I gained 5 to 8 lbs of fat each and every year. By early 2008 I was up to 251 lbs with a 48" stomach and carried at least 32% body fat. By many measures I was well past the obese mark and just losing 10 lbs seemed impossible. My swim coach retired in May of 2008 but unfortunately I was too embarrassed to go to the farewell party.

I am happy to say that around June 1st of 2008 I began a journey that has been taking me to places I never thought I’d be again. By the middle of November I had lost 46 lbs while gaining muscle, strength, endurance, flexibility and aerobic capacity. I had a minor five week lull for several legitimate reasons but thankfully I only gained 3 lbs and got right back into it the day after Christmas. And no, my legitimate reasons were not just the holidays. :santa:

Today I weigh in at 206 and I am feeling more energized than ever. My current body fat is somewhere between 16 and 18 percent. For the fist time ever I can jog 2 miles without stopping (I never was good at jogging…not even in high school). In addition to weight lifting, I am also using the stationary bike and the elliptical for cardio workouts as well as SWIMMING again! I have also been trying Yoga, Pilates and Thai Chi as well as kickboxing, which I have always wanted to learn. I have a 3 month goal and a 6 month goal I am working hard at achieving. My 6 month goal is to compete in a sprint triathlon around end of May or beginning of June. My 3 month goal is to achieve 10% body fat or less in just 12 more weeks.

I’m going to stop with this paragraph because I’ve already made this too long of a post but I can’t wait to share and learn with all of you! Surrounding yourself with positive, good and caring people is a main ingredient for inspiration, motivation, perseverance and ultimately success. I can honestly say today that I truly believe that anything is possible. We can all overcome and achieve so much more than we realize. I hope and pray that I can help others who are struggling come to realize this also.

02-15-2009 UPDATE with before and current photos:





Finally, below is a side view. I do not have the same type of pose from when I was 251 so I have to use one from 239.
 
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woo congrats! im sure that feels wonderful! :) enjoy it.

ill check back later and hopefully will get to see a photo or two.
 
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That is so sad that you didn't go because you were embarrised. I dont know how many things I have not done because I let my weight interfere with my happiness. Congrats for taking back the control and deciding to lose the weight. Good Luck. I also would like to see progress photos...
 
Just wanted to say I don't like my username because it is not fitting to this site. I am trying to have it changed or deleted if changing is not possible. I only post on car forums so I just figured I'd keep the same name. Now I regret that decision. Hopefully I can get it changed. The username I want is not taken yet so hopefully I'll be back posting again shortly...with some pics too. :D
 
Very Inspirational!!!

So how'd you go about the transition phase... the time from what you used to weigh through to when you started losing it?

I seem to be having a very hard time getting myself even completed starting on transitioning over... and yes for me, at this point, even 10 pounds seems impossible....

I can't stand being like this though and I remember still what it was like when I was in better shape. I know how happy I'd be if I could do it again... so I know that eventualy I'll find my way through it... it really helps when you are able to find out how it was for others though....
 
Well, I'll go into more detail since you asked and I would like to help. For the short version go to the bottom. :D

Sounds like you and I have a bit in common. You are just a tad bit heavier than I got up to but still not all that far to go compared to so many others. If they can do it, and I did it, you can do it too. You can get to where you want to be and then some. We all know this deep down inside but we just don't know how to make ourselves do it. The hard part is flicking the switch on in our brains and then KEEPING IT ON, no matter what! For me, it was no easy task and it actually took me years and years and years before my fire inside came alive again.

I did not have as much weight to lose as many people on this board. I did not have the grief of any deaths in my family. I never got to the point of diabetes or any other obesity connected ailments. I did, however, have plenty of personal issues to overcome and in 2005 my wife and I went through some pretty testing times that really affected me for years to follow. That should have been my trigger but I was trapped in a career that was using all of my time and energy.

Every winter for the past three years I was miserable at work and very depressed. Last winter was the worst. So I made a decision last March (2008) that very few Americans are willing to make. I decided to quit my job of 5+ years that paid well and could have possibly made me a ton of money someday (successfull family business). One of the main reasons was my weight and sedentary lifestyle. My last day was in late April. I took May off and spent a week of vacation at Destin, FL with my wife and daughter. I had already convinced myself that when vacation was over I was going to get really serious about losing weight. However, viewing the pictures when we got home really made me mad at myself. My wife looked incredible and I looked terrible. That was the last of many triggers.

Around June 1st I started eating according to the Bill Phillips Eating For Life guidelines again. You actually get to eat 5 to 6 times per day! You just have to eat balanced and healthy portions, snack smart, drink lots of water and do not eat the things you know are making you fat. I also started going to the gym at least 4 to 6 times per week. This time I tried something a little different though. I figured, since I was so out of shape, why not just maintain a target heart rate zone for 20 to 30 minutes each workout until I get in better shape. Well, it worked wonders! My workouts were not hard at all the first month and I actually lost 10 lbs the first four weeks! At that point I was really motivated to see just how well I could do. I gradually challenged myself more and more each month. After 25 lbs were gone I even started swimming again. Instead of walking on the treadmill I tried jogging every now and then, which my shins did not like very much (was still too heavy). I stayed consistent with my resistance workouts and slowly gained strength and muscle despite continuing to lose weight. I rode the stationary bike as well as the elliptical. I fought like hell after 7 pm to not eat. Yes, that part is still hard to this day but I found a cereal that I really like and is not the worse thing in the world to put in your belly before bed. I only do that when I have to though and I have finally trained myself to like skim milk. I kept dropping pant sizes and people were starting to give me complements. I was having more and more energy and my mood was improving substantially. I hired a personal trainer who is a very good amateur kickboxer and used to compete in organized fights. I joined masters' swimming and did that for a little while. I will get back into that soon. I keep making my excercising fun. Finally, I do almost all of my excercising at Gold's Gym. It was as if God made that place for me or something. They have everything I need and more. I know it sounds corny but it's true. It's the best value for a gym membership I have ever had.

The new career doesn't pay as much but I work out of my house a lot and I make my own hours, which gives me a lot of time to workout and plan meals. That has been a huge reason for my success also...MORE TIME AVAILABLE. But it became available because I made it so. You have to take control of your life. I know we've all heard that so many times but it is more true than I ever realized until just recently.

Finally, and please don't take this the wrong way but few of us really do know just how happy we'd be if we reached our goal. I thought I knew but I was wrong. It is so much better than I ever imagined. Maybe its because I had to really earn it and now I don't take it for granted. Or maybe it's because I have my self esteem and confidence back. Or maybe its because I have enough energy to play with my daughter. Or maybe its because I can't go a day or two without someone telling me how good I look now. Or maybe its because of all the funny things that we overweight men all know about but don't talk about...like being able to look down and see our penis again...and its finally average length again! :rotflmao: Or maybe its because I could go on forever about all of the things that have improved in my life. :D

Short Version
-I ate 5 to 6 times a day. (Three meals consisting of one portion of lean proteins, one portion of good carbs and one portion of veggies. The other two or three are just small healthy snacks to hold you over to the next meal)
-I tried to drink mostly water and very little soda. If I did drink soda it was diet soda except for maybe a few times when I allowed myself a cheat meal or something.
-I did at least 20 to 30 minutes of aerobic excercises at a moderate target heart rate at first!!! I didn't even worry about interval training or pushing myself very hard the first 4 to 6 weeks. I had too much weight to lose and I was too out of shape to worry about that yet.
-I did resistance training 3 times per week, alternating upper body and lower body. So in two weeks you will work your upper body 3 times and your lower body 3 times.
-I set 10 lb goals. First goal was 239. Second was 229. Etc. Gave myself a pat on the back each time and focused hard on the next goal weight.
-I tried new things that I always wanted to try (Yoga, Pilates, Kick Boxing, Jogging :D )
 
Thank you so much!!!

I read all of it... and it's very inspirational... very. :) I've gotten to the point to where I've actually avoided going to certain places and doing certain things with my partner because, at my weight and with how it makes me feel, I just didn't want to go...

and you're right about all the little things that us guys don't talk about... lol very true... this might sound sad... but even down to tying my shoes... having that extra cellulite in the way really takes away a persons flexibility...

I found a signature in the forums the other day that said, "You'll wish you had started today, a year from now!" and it's so true...

I just want to thank you for taking the time to post what you did... I think it's awesome, to say the least.


Sin,
Ken
 
Hey Derrick! Thanks so much for commenting on my photos. :) I've actually read through your journal a couple times already but never commented. I started doing HIIT because of you! I remember reading your post and I thought "What's interval training????" Now it's part of my routine! :)

But anyway, I've been an athlete almost all my life. I played varsity volleyball and soccer all throughout high school. I started drinking religiously in college when I joined my sorority and gained so much weight. I'm definitely not as great of an athlete as you, but I felt so disconnected from myself when I started to gain all this weight. I really do want to let you know that your story inspired me!

ALSO! That's so awesome you're into cars. I doubt we're into the same types of cars, but I really like cars too! I'm on a car forum as well and haha this is so dorky but I go to car meets! You know, where people have the same car and we stare at each other's cars haha. LOVE IT.

Anyway, thanks again. Hope you have an amazing weekend and keep up the awesome work!
 
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Hey thanks oLUX. :) Glad to hear you are trying something that worked for me with the high intensity interval training.

I have a drag car that pops big wheelies. :D I also go to car meets sometimes but I'm not into those as much as I used to be. In general I like all sorts of cars but I'm definitely more into american muscle cars.
I'm not sure if we are allowed to post links to videos but here is a vid of my last pass of 2008.

Not the best pass of the year but the biggest wheelie by far. I sort of forgot to shift to 3rd gear when I landed so my time wasn't very good. I was just thankful that I was still pointed in the right direction.

Keep up the good work yourself. Don't worry if your progress slows down at some point. My progress is practically crawling right now but I am still losing about 0.5 to 1.0 lbs per week on average. I am 203.0 right now. I will post pictures when I get to 199.0. At that point, I will only have 10 lbs left to lose!

Also, I am trying to change my username with the admin so I might not be PewterZ28 for much longer. That name is more fitting for the car forums I visit, not a weight loss forum. I'll make a note in my sig or something that says "Formerly PewterZ28." At least for a week or two.

Regards,

Derrick :auto:
 
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So I read both of your posts and they are truly inspiring! It's awesome to see what a change you've made to benefit yourself in so many ways and I'm really glad that you have more energy to play with your little girl! =)
 
HEY DERRICK! I see you finally got your name change! UM we're still waiting to see these before/after photos, sir! :)

ALSO how do you make your car do that? Haha. I'm pretty sure my car could not.

Hope your Valentine's Day is great!
 
:D Yeah, I am due for some photos aren't I? :blush5: I reached 201 yesterday and again this morning so that makes 50 lbs total. :hurray: I am getting progress photos taken at Gold's Gym this coming Friday the 20th, along with body fat measurements. However, I am going to ask my wife to take some photos of me today or tomorrow morning since I reached the 50 lb weight loss mark. So I will either post pictures tomorrow or Friday when Gold's Gym takes them. Hopefully I will be 199 on Friday. That would be sweet.

As for my car, it has been a 7 year project, making modifications every year. It is not super fast in the 1/4 mile yet but it sure does launch hard and for me that is the funnest part of the race. My best in the 1/4 mile is 10.27 @ 130.07 mph. Does zero to sixty in less than 3 seconds. :willy_nilly:

Check back tomorrow afternoon sometime. Maybe I'll have some before and current photos posted. :)
 
Updated with before and current photos. For some reason the quality was deminished more than I would have liked but I had to do the picture combining in Paint so that is probably why. I have Photoshop Elements 7 but I haven't had it for very long and I haven't figured out how to combine photos yet. When I get a chance I'll try to figure it out.

Anyway, that is me as of last May on the left and this morning on the right. I still have some belly fat to lose and some more muscle I want to put on as well as more definition but I think that will begin to appear as the body fat burns off. I have 7 weeks left on my Gold's Gym challenge and my goal is to get down to 10% bodyfat within that time frame. I figure that is around 191 or 192 pounds but I have had 189 in my head for so long that I might as well keep focusing on that number whether I ever obtain it or not. Once I get to 10% I won't really focus on my weight any more and just worry about getting stronger and swimming faster as well as overall athletic conditioning. Hopefully in 7 more weeks I can post some AFTER photos.
 
YOU LOOK GREAT! You can totally tell you've lost a massive amount of weight! :) What a hottie! oW OWWW!
 
Thanks oLUX. :) I added some back and side photos. When I reach my final goal of 10% body fat I'll post some more photos.

The only thing good about being that overweight was my ears didn't stick out as much. :D :blush5:
But I guess it is better to look like :bigear: than :piggy:

Derrick :D
 
Hey Derrick!

Just popped in to see your progress!
It is AMAAAAAZING!
What an excellent job and an inspiration! :)

Congrats!!:coolgleamA:
 
I haven't popped in since you added photos. Wow you back looks awesome. Makes me want to hang from your arm and dangle my legs LMBO. Well Im still 185 I might brake your arm haha. Great job man.
 
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