My 57 pound journey

DanOhio

New member
Hello all. I have been a member for a brief time, but I come here all the time to read the great insight posted by the members. The is just a ton of good info from people actually doing it as opposed to some lame infomercial.

I started last February at 227 pounds. We did a weight loss contest through work for 10 weeks. In those 10 weeks I lost 22 lbs. However, over the summer I gained back 12...right up to 217.

Up until the time I was fat, I had been athletic and had a good physique (Army and HS Sports). However, after years of gradually putting on the plump I decided in August enough is enough.

I planned out my goal of going from 217 down to 170 by the end of the year. After my initial weight loss I figured I would need 2 pounds a week. So far I have maintained that and I am on track. This week I weighed in at 196 (actually need to be 192 by next week. As I write this I am at 194.

I feel so much more motivated every time I step onto the scale and see a decrease. The motivation to work harder and stay disciplined with my diet.

My current program has been 6 days (alternate 30-45 min cardio one day and lift the other). As far as my diet, I eat good and a lot of protein. I try and eat 1g per 1lb of weight and around 1800 calories. With the high protien diet I have seen really great results. It is also hard for me to eat that much because it is very filling. I eat a lot of broccoli, bananas, tuna, salmon, some chicken, blueberries, oatmeal, egg whites, almonds and a protein shake.

As for my cardio I have adopted the HITT method. However, I modify every once in awhile. Sometimes I will cut down my rest periods and sprint more frequently, and other times I will just jog as a good pace for longer. Personally, I have had a lot of success mixing this up and the losses show.

I will edit this post and add my couple of photos. I only have photos of me at 207.

Also, my wife loves the weight loss because she can now fit her arms around me!

Good luck to all and remember the more you sweat in training the less you bleed in battle.
 
way to go, dan!! it really IS a huge motivator to see the numbers going down on the scale, no? keep up the good work and you'll be at your goal in no time!
 
Hey hey! Just giving an update here.

When I started this thread I was 195 pounds. As I write I am at 179!

Things slowed down a bit in November and I only lost 8 pounds that month. I did good around Thanksgiving and ate small portions. I just think that the closer I get to my goal weight the harder it is to shed the pounds.

I get lucky too. I have to work both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. So I will not be tempted to eat anything I should not.

My goal was 170-172 by January 1. I really do not think I am going to make it, but I am still very happy nonetheless. All of my old clothes fit and my fat-body clothes do not. I had to buy new jeans and I will have to by another size smaller yet again; money well spent!

My next stage is to bulk up with muscle. I plan on transitioning to higher calories (good for of course) and higher protein. Then I am going to hit the weights really hard and probably 1 cardio day a week.

I will post pics soon!

Merry Christmas!
 
I am back with updates.

I did hot 50 pounds Jan. 1 of this year.

After that I decided to lift heavily and bulk up a bit during the winter. During my bulk stage I went heavy on the protein but still ate really good. I went from 177 to 190.

Then I decided it was time to get a better summer body going. So I have been lifting only once a week and totally crushing the cardio the other days. I joined a local place here that does Kettlebell and circuit training; some of the hardest training I have ever done in my life (even harder than when I was in the Army). I go there once a week, sometimes twice. Other than that I really push myself on the treadmill. I truly believe in the HIIT method and try to best my previous performance daily.

One of my firm beliefs is that you should never do the same workout consecutively; gotta keep the body guessing. Some days I warm up for 2 minutes (after a good stretch) and sprint for 1 minute, fast pace for 2...repeat. Other days after my 2 minute warm up I may run (not sprint) for 5+ minutes, rest for 2. Other days I will sprint for 1 minute then fast pace for 1 minute. This keeps me fresh and makes the time fly.

Once you start to see results and when other notice it will surely encourage you a lot more. My goal is to ultimately get down to 160; my weight when I left the Army. I know it is going to be tough with the last 16 pounds (176 now), but it has been a lot of fun.

Here is my earliest pic compared to my weight the other week. When I started the journey I was 227. In the photo I am 207 and 178. I did shave my chest...it feels really good now and tans better.

Good luck to all!

comparison-front-207-178copy.jpg


comparison-side-207-178.jpg
 
I am pretty sure he shaved it. I did the same thing because I was curious what I would look like with no hair.

Btw way. Good job Dan!
 
Yes, I shaved it.

The hair was part of the fat, bear-like me.

The smoothness is the slimmer, unbear-like me.

I also did it for the tan. :patriot:
 
Ok, here is the latest on me.

I actually exceeded my goal and and made it down to 162; that's 65 pounds lost.

Over the Summer I started running outdoors. Started out at a mile and up to 5. I had all kinds of routes through the neighborhood to keep it interesting. I even ran my first 5K!

I have switched gears now and I am back to treadmill and serious weight training. I am training for muscle mass now. Treadmill, lift, treadmill, lift, etc.

As far as nutrition I eat at least 150g of protein daily. I have a hard time getting the vegetables down though. It does not take a lot to fill me up at all and when I stuff veggies and fruit in there I am so full and bloated.

I am trying to get rid of the loose skin/fat around the waste line. It is completely gone everywhere else but there. Any suggestions would be helpful. I guess it will just take time and serious workouts.

Here are my progress pictures. And yes I did shave my chest and I love the feel!

***I do not have a photo of me at my heaviest (227)***

Aug. 7 2009 (207lbs)

Aug7207-3.jpg

Aug7207.jpg


Sometime in the late fall 2009, guessing around 195lbs


Unknown-1.jpg


Jan 2010 (185lbs)

Jan185-3.jpg


April 2010 (185lbs...weight was up from lifting)

April20-185-2.jpg


May 2010 (177lbs)

5-24-10-front.jpg


June 2010 (170lbs)

June2010-1.jpg


September 2010 (165lbs)

Sept22010-1.jpg



October 20, 2010 (167lbs)


Oct202010-2.jpg


Oct202010-1.jpg
 
Such disciplined diets and work-out plans seem incredible to me; I wish I had a grasp on the details like that.

Congrats!
 
Ok, just thought I would give a little update.

I am in my winter "bulking" stage now. I currently weigh 178 or so. I am not as disciplined on my diet as before, but still strong.

I try and eat at least my body weight in protein everyday. I also bought a gallon jug of water that I refill and drink everyday as well.

Starting at the end of March I am going to transition into get ripped.

Right now with bulking I do hardly any cardio. When I have days where I have eaten more cals that I have wanted to I will hit the treadmill the next morning.

I will keep ya posted.

*The top row is from 9/10 when I started lifting seriously.
The next set is my complete journey. I only started taking photos at 207 lbs. However I did weigh 227 (yuck)

SEP2010-JAN2011.jpg


COMPLETETIMELINE.jpg
 
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