My Story and "In Progress" Pictures

ryanvegan

ryanvegan

New member
Here's a little bit of back story: as a child, I was pretty active... I swam, biked, went on hikes with my family, did dance, etc. Then in 2001 I got in a really bad skiing accident, was in the intensive care unit for 3 months, and ended up with a permanently damaged (lamed) leg. Needless to say, after that it was a lot more difficult for me to be active. On top of that, I started eating a lot to give me comfort. This was an awful combination, and though I got used to living with a bad leg, I ended up getting really overweight. For the longest time, I didn't really care or notice how bad I had gotten. Then my family took a trip to Japan in 2005, and we were at a public bath when a Japanese man asked me how I could have gotten as fat as I was. This was a big wake-up call for me, and I decided to make changes in my diet and add exercise back into my life. I vowed that the next time I'd set foot in Japan, I'd be thinner.

This year several big changes happened in my life. First, I became a vegan. This has revolutionized the way I think about eating and nutrition. Second, through a study abroad program, I am now living in Japan for a year. Since arriving, my life has changed even more. I now walk frequently, bicycle everywhere, and am eating healthier than I ever did. I don't have a scale, so I'm not sure how much I've lost, but the brand new pants I bought three months ago are really loose.

At my heaviest, I was about 240-250lbs (110-114kg). Now I'd guess that I'm 200lbs (90kg) or perhaps a few pounds over. My doctor said that 180lbs would be a good target for me at this time, so that's what I'm aiming for at this point. Oh, by the way, I'm 20 years old and 5'10" (178cm).

Here are two pictures of me in Japan. The first one is from two years ago, the second one is recent. Even though I know I've lost weight, I must have developed a really bad image problem because I don't feel that I look different. It's strange how the emotional part of my brain can rule the logical part! Any encouragement you could offer is much appreciated. Oh, and any advice you have is also more than welcome.

Ryan


2005, ~240lbs


2007, ~200lbs
 
you're so cute... I love the curls :D

Do read around the forum - especially the stickied threads and you'll get lots of good advice and ask questions... but it sounds like you're on the right track :)

and you are adorable :)
 
great job so far! its weird because me and you have a similar frame, meaning i am 5'10'' and i weighed around 240-250, but now im down to 145, and now building muscle. I wish you the best of luck, but you look great now! keep on going man.
 
Ryan, your contacts must have fallen out cause I can see a massive difference all over.

You look awesome. Handsome man ;)

Good luck with losing the rest.

Btw, I'm very jealous that you are living in Japan!
 
Here's a positive update on my progress: I finally got the chance to weigh myself, after four months where I didn't have access to a scale. I was amazed to find that I'm 195lbs... this is 25 or more pounds lighter than I was the last time I weighed myself, and 55 pounds lighter than my heaviest weight (about 2 or 3 years ago). Best of all, I'm finally below that dreaded "200 pound mark" that at one point I thought I'd never go under. This has really made me positive about the changes in my lifestyle, and has given me the confidence to continue to lose more! Thanks for your kind words, everyone.
 
You look great! you have lost alot of weight, well done.

Both of the pics are lovley 'cause you're nice and smiley! keep up the good work, not much to go now X
 
did you see the leaf on your shoulder in the second pic?
its really cute :)
anyway, i went vegan 2 years ago and actually gained weight. i wonder how that happened... what do you eat usually?
when i learned how to bake , that's when the pounds started piling on :(
and also, are you finding it easy to be vegan in japan? is there an understanding in the culture about veganism?
 
Ryan,

Just waving hi from a fellow vegan. You're looking great, so keep up the great work.

polinaplus15: I've been vegan for about half my life (since I was 16) and I've been a fat vegan up until recently. A lot of vegans tend to eat poorly. I mean, these days it's pretty easy to be a junk-food vegan in the US and in most of Western Europe.

Also, like you, I love to bake, cakes and gourmet desserts especially. Just because you're using Earth Balance and soymilk in a a recipe doesn't make the recipe low-cal. You know? I mean, one of my big "when I hit goal" plans is to treat myself to a trip to NYC so I can eat a 1/4 serving of Soul Fried Chicken from VP2 (and I'll go shoe shopping while I'm in the city). Fried chicken. Fried. See?

-Tamara
 
yeah you look like a real postive person in all the pics :) congrats on the weight lose, you look awesome.
 
Hey, I know what you mean. I'm in Japan right now as well, and all the people here are very tiny (with the exception of a few people I've seen on the streets).

Going to onsen was a real eye-opener for me; it's not that I'm incredibly large, but it really put a perspective on the different body types there are out there. Old and young, skinny and big, or just plain normal. My image of what I should look like before I came to Japan was totally different than what it is now that I'm here. Also, I've lost about 10lbs since coming here, simply because I have to walk/bike everywhere.

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Hey! I live in Japan also! Keep up the good work! It's hard to be fat in Japan! Do you live in Tokyo? Good luck on your continued weight loss........
 
Okay, to answer everyone's questions...

polinaplus15 -

Yeah, I noticed the leaf, hehe. It was put there by my Chinese friend. That day we went to a popular place for viewing fall colors, so he thought he'd make one into a sort of boutonnière for me. As I walked around, I kept hearing Japanese teenage girls squeal (in Japanese, of course) "Look! He has a fall leaf on his jacket! Cuuuuuute!"

Now, for the serious stuff. I've been a fat vegetarian since age 13 and a continually thinner vegan for a year now, so I can tell you what it's all about from my personal experience. It's all about avoiding processed foods (even vegan-friendly ones like veggie burgers, etc. I use 'em as a treat on special occasions), avoiding too much sugar, avoiding carbs that don't give you a lot fiber (i.e. white flour, white bread, regular pasta), avoiding weird fats (like in margarine or vegetable shortening... anything processed, but of course you should still eat a good amount of "good fats" found in nuts, seeds, and the healthier vegetable oils, eating lots of veggies... but most of all... portion control! You can eat your vegan sweets, just make sure you're eating them in very small portions and only on occasion.

Vegan baking is fun, but typically with sweet baking you're still producing pretty nutrition-less food. As I see it, you can go two ways: the way I chose is to stop the habit of baking sweets, and that way I don't feel guilty eating really decadent, well-made desserts on the rare occasions that I go to a vegan or vegan-friendly restaurant. If that's a little cold turkey for you, you could try to replace your sweets with whole-wheat bread and rolls... and pizzas, yum. If you really like baking. If you like making sweets too much to give it up, I'd find groups of friends or neighbors (well, anyone, really... very few people will turn down baked goods, as long as you leave out the fact that they're vegan hehe) and give the majority of your creations to them, saving a few portions for you and your family. That way you don't feel tempted to down a whole cake or an entire tray of cookies! Plus you feel good about making other people happy by spreading the love.

As for veganism in Japan, it's definitely do-able, and can even be heavenly (especially if you like Japanese food and flavors) but probably a hundred times easier if you can speak and read the language at least somewhat proficiently. Imagine being a vegan in America without being able to speak or read English... pretty impossible, right? That's why I think it's unfair when tourists and foreigners criticize Japan for being anti-vegetarian or the worst country for vegetarians to visit. If you (or anyone else reading) wants information about being vegan/vegetarian in Japan, by all means drop me a line! :)

runningaweigh -

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milwifenjapan-

I'm livin' in Kyoto at present, and lovin' it. :)
 
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