New to the forum.

[Gino219]

Hello,

My name is Gene. Im from RI. I am married with one child 15. I have been jolly (heavy) all of my life. I went to the doctors last march and was embarrased when they could not weigh me cause the scale didn't go that high. I was at a point where enough was enough. I have heard all the bad things you could hear and the worst one was some random small kid saying to me "You're Fat". In april I said thats it im done. It's not that im a closet eater or eat to much. I actually ate not enough and when I did eat it was at the wrong time and the wrong thing. I joined Planet fitness Gym near my home and began my journey. Im guessing my weight was 400+ lbs and im proud of that. I can talk about it and am not embarrased to say it. Every has a starting point. Im not proud that I was 400lbs, im proud that I can admit to myself what I was and where I will NEVER go again. I started working out twice a day. Once for an half hour on the treadmill at 5 am. And then again in the evening for another half hour. Since the begining days, I have worked my way up to 3hrs on the arc trainer and 2800 calories in one session. I have a long way to go still, but I know that I can do it. My goal is to be 225 and someday become a part time personal trainer. I look forward to helping others believe that they can do the same thing I did. It is real hard but you have to want it bad enough. I have done it all by myself. Now I need some help.

 

[Steve]

Welcome aboard, Gene... it's nice to have you here.

Hello,

My name is Gene. Im from RI. I am married with one child 15. I have been jolly (heavy) all of my life. I went to the doctors last march and was embarrased when they could not weigh me cause the scale didn't go that high. I was at a point where enough was enough. I have heard all the bad things you could hear and the worst one was some random small kid saying to me "You're Fat". In april I said thats it im done. It's not that im a closet eater or eat to much. I actually ate not enough and when I did eat it was at the wrong time and the wrong thing.

Regardless of how you've come to this point where you're ready and willing to take care of yourself in terms of weight management, it's a great thing. It's great for you and it's great for your family.

Part of this process is most certainly education.

With regards to the bold part, we don't maintain a weight that is too heavy for scales to measure unless we are eating too much. An excess of energy is what leads to storage (fat) and unless that excess is removed, that storage will remain.

If you'd like me to delve into this concept a bit further, I'll gladly do so.

I joined Planet fitness Gym near my home and began my journey. Im guessing my weight was 400+ lbs and im proud of that. I can talk about it and am not embarrased to say it. Every has a starting point. Im not proud that I was 400lbs, im proud that I can admit to myself what I was and where I will NEVER go again.

That's a badass attitude. I find that how you identify yourself plays a large role in how successful you will be.

For instance, you can be the 400 lb guy who is trying to lose weight.

Or

You could be the self-empowered go-getter who is in control of your present and future.

The latter is letting go of the baggage and dominating what's within your control. Sounds like you've reached that point on your own, which is awesome.

I started working out twice a day. Once for an half hour on the treadmill at 5 am. And then again in the evening for another half hour. Since the begining days, I have worked my way up to 3hrs on the arc trainer and 2800 calories in one session. I have a long way to go still, but I know that I can do it. My goal is to be 225 and someday become a part time personal trainer. I look forward to helping others believe that they can do the same thing I did. It is real hard but you have to want it bad enough. I have done it all by myself. Now I need some help.

That's an absolute TON of exercise. Are you doing that 7 days per week? What has your weight done since starting? Do you enjoy that much exercise?

 

[Gino219]

I don't do that every day and have found myself to cut back from the gym some. Having a family and just life had made me realize that it is no good to healthy if you can't enjoy the ones that you love. That workout was the most I have done. I have started to use more weights into my routine because I realize the more lean muscle you have the more fat you will burn. I also have started eating someone what more normal. Still counting calories and being conscience in holding myself accountable. One of the things that I did which I really believe helped me stay focused was a food & exercise journal. I write down EVERTHING I eat. If I have a chocolate craving, i will have 3 or 4 M&M's and write it down. I do feel that if you don't allow yourself some enjoyment you will binge and im NOT going to do that. As for the way I ate. I ate less meals but there was nothing nutritional, as a matter of fact they were outright bad for me. I need all the help I can get from here on out. I am trying to do it all by myself but am willing to learn from anyone who is willing to teach. I hope that I can gain a lot of knowledge and be able to encorporate it into my life change. Thanks Steve

 

[Steve]

I don't do that every day and have found myself to cut back from the gym some. Having a family and just life had made me realize that it is no good to healthy if you can't enjoy the ones that you love. That workout was the most I have done. I have started to use more weights into my routine because I realize the more lean muscle you have the more fat you will burn. I also have started eating someone what more normal. Still counting calories and being conscience in holding myself accountable.

Glad to hear. If I'm being honest, when I first read the amount of exercise and assumed it to be what you were doing daily, I though to myself, "Something has to be off with his diet." Reason being - if anyone feels the need to do that much cardio in order to realize optimal results in terms of rate of weight loss... something is "off" nutritionally speaking.

Sounds like you're good at experimenting and figuring out what works for you, which is a huge benefit.

One of the things that I did which I really believe helped me stay focused was a food & exercise journal. I write down EVERTHING I eat. If I have a chocolate craving, i will have 3 or 4 M&M's and write it down. I do feel that if you don't allow yourself some enjoyment you will binge and im NOT going to do that.

Wholeheartedly agree with you. I do this for a living and I can say without a second thought that my clients who have been the most successful are the ones that maintain journals. My most successful clients actually maintain journals regarding diet, exercise AND thoughts.

And the latter part of what you said here is big. People, dieters especially, are very binary in their thinking. It's either on/off, black/white, either/or. That's why we so commonly see people set up extremely rigid "programs" or diets only to fail soon after starting. They limit everything they enjoy, leave no room for wiggling, etc.

Calories are what ultimately make us fat when we eat too many of them. A piece of chocolate here and some cake there isn't going to kill your progress. Especially if it's within your calorie/nutrient goals. Yet, many people will be good for a week or two, then they'll eat a cookie and think to themselves, "Well that blows the diet. I might as well eat the rest of these cookies and hop back on the wagon tomorrow." Which is absurd, if you think about it. A cookie or two might be 100 calories. 10-20 cookies can break you.

It's all about balance and moderation.

 

[Gino219]

I have not really used my journal for thoughts. Instead I use Facebook in hopes that my thoughts will inspire others. As for the binary thought process, I am a lot like that in my life. I really don't consider this a diet. Diets don't work. It is a lifestyle change. And I realize that life happens. You will go to birthday parties with cake and you will celebrate holidays (what ever you believe in for the most part) but I do understand that this is a change forever and im doing it for myself. I am the most giving person that I know, but this is for me. I need this in order to live a long life. I come from a long line of large people. So i have to work harder than most. But that doesn't scare me. I actually like working out and eating healthy.