Hey I'm a new guy here. I've been lurking since March. It takes me a while to burst out of my lurker shell at a new forum.
I'm 29, 6'1", started at 330 lbs in March, down to around 280(estimated as I don't have a scale right now).
I've tried diets on and off my entire adult life with no success, never got much below 300. Two things happened recently, I had a severe gout attack over the summer, then a series of gall bladder attacks in March. My motivation now is to never again in life feel that kind of pain. I keep trying to figure out which one was worse. I describe the gall bladder attacks as if I had a baseball bat with nails in it jammed in my liver, and someone was yanking back and forth on the handle. The gout was more of a constant pain, a piercing ache in the joint of the big toe. I wouldn't recommend either.
I hate going to doctors, so I cleaned up my diet, following mostly Michael Pollan's philosophies in In Defense of Food, which advocates eating foods as closely to their natural state as possible, also limiting meats, sticking to mostly leafy greens, legumes, fruit and such. I lift weights twice a week(on average) and walk, run and/or bikeride every day. The gout is long gone, the gall bladder problems dissappeared in a matter of weeks.
50 pounds lighter and I know I'll live like this for the rest of my days. My goal weight right now is 200. I have a large build and am quite muscular, so I'll see where I'm at at 200. 280 already feels awesome to where I was eight months ago.
I also think a major component of my success this time is that I got fed up with living as the typical fat, lazy American stereotype, lining the pockets of the processed food industry, eating fast food, steaks, chips, pizza and coke all the time. Plus I'm about to turn 30. Maybe that has something to do with it. I think I'm mature enough now to stick with this for life.
Thanks to everyone here for inspiration and information. I'll be joining in on some conversations now.
Archer
By the way, I picked my name for several reasons. I am a bow hunter. I'm big into medieval history, and the archers were always the strongest guys(to pull back a 100 lb long bow) but also lean and sleek, I always admired them. I always wanted to be a moutain man, travelling through the wilderness bringing down game with my bow. Plus I love that TV show Archer. It all just seemed to fit. Ha!
I'm 29, 6'1", started at 330 lbs in March, down to around 280(estimated as I don't have a scale right now).
I've tried diets on and off my entire adult life with no success, never got much below 300. Two things happened recently, I had a severe gout attack over the summer, then a series of gall bladder attacks in March. My motivation now is to never again in life feel that kind of pain. I keep trying to figure out which one was worse. I describe the gall bladder attacks as if I had a baseball bat with nails in it jammed in my liver, and someone was yanking back and forth on the handle. The gout was more of a constant pain, a piercing ache in the joint of the big toe. I wouldn't recommend either.
I hate going to doctors, so I cleaned up my diet, following mostly Michael Pollan's philosophies in In Defense of Food, which advocates eating foods as closely to their natural state as possible, also limiting meats, sticking to mostly leafy greens, legumes, fruit and such. I lift weights twice a week(on average) and walk, run and/or bikeride every day. The gout is long gone, the gall bladder problems dissappeared in a matter of weeks.
50 pounds lighter and I know I'll live like this for the rest of my days. My goal weight right now is 200. I have a large build and am quite muscular, so I'll see where I'm at at 200. 280 already feels awesome to where I was eight months ago.
I also think a major component of my success this time is that I got fed up with living as the typical fat, lazy American stereotype, lining the pockets of the processed food industry, eating fast food, steaks, chips, pizza and coke all the time. Plus I'm about to turn 30. Maybe that has something to do with it. I think I'm mature enough now to stick with this for life.
Thanks to everyone here for inspiration and information. I'll be joining in on some conversations now.
Archer
By the way, I picked my name for several reasons. I am a bow hunter. I'm big into medieval history, and the archers were always the strongest guys(to pull back a 100 lb long bow) but also lean and sleek, I always admired them. I always wanted to be a moutain man, travelling through the wilderness bringing down game with my bow. Plus I love that TV show Archer. It all just seemed to fit. Ha!
