TL;DWTR: Many might remember my story of hitting 200lbs lost from just after the first of the year. As of this morning, I hit my ultimate goal of weighing 199.9lbs (or less), which is the first time since I was about 13, maybe 14, that I weighed under 200lbs. I just had to see the scale under 200 just once and I did it about a month and a half earlier than I expected. It's awesome, but the (now) loose(er) skin (still) sucks. Below is an abbreviated story, the original is still available here
Some old pics and some new ones. Each is annotated for clarity.
Before we start, I just wanted to thank everyone for all the warm congratulatory PMs and messages I received both here and on IG. They truly helped me to buckle down even more and power through the remaining pounds to meet my goal. You have my gracious thanks.
Also, inb4 "its only another 8lbs" I'll say this ... I think I learned more from the last 2 months, from this last 8 lbs of loss, than any other pound I've lost. Ive always heard of the "last 20lbs" but I had NO clue how hard it truly would be, how dead on you needed to be with calories and macros. I also never believed people talking about how much visual change a mere 5-10lbs can make in someone's appearance/definition/vascularity. I am now a believer.
Quick Background:
When I was a kid I was told I would never be fat. By the time I graduated from High School I was ~320lbs. Started college and gain an additional 40lbs within the first 2 years. My Junior year of college I moved to main campus, weighing about 390, and reached 400+ by end of the 1st year on campus.
Second year on campus was when I reached my max of 407.8lbs. It is very possible that I weighed more, but the 407.8 figure is the highest I found logged by a medical office, so it is the one I use.
Fast forward to now, I am 38 years old, I have surrounded myself with friends who are active and supportive. They understand the struggle I have been through and refuse to let me fail. As of 2/28/2017 I weigh 199.6lbs, being under 200lbs for the first time since I was a teenager of 13-14 years old.
Side Note: Early November 2016, I hurt my shoulder. It is the first upper body injury I have had in my life and it SUCKS. I had an MRI and have a torn labrum, anteroposterior less than 25%, not displaced. Doc says it will likely heal on it's own. During this time I am working my upper body back into shape, I work legs 2-3 times a week and cardio the other 4, usually a stairclimber for 30-60 minutes. I have begun throwing in arm exercises and light compound movements. Overhead movements will be back on the menu within the month at light weights. The doc assured me, barring a further injury, that I'll be back 100% in a couple months.
Diet:
As I stated in my last submission, I have been on all of the options at some point. Low-fat is where I started, then moved to high-protein for a stretch. I adhered to a strict ketogenic diet for nearly 3 years. For the last year I have stuck to IIFYM, which is, in my humble opinion, the best out of the options.
Since the shoulder injury, I have been on a continuous cut. I've been doing a crazy, but effective, 1600-1700 calorie/day diet that is heavy on protein to help maintain lean mass. I started this the day before Thanksgiving, with only 3 cheats in the the time since. Since I am looking to move back to a lifting caloric load in the next few weeks, I am lowering carbs some, and upping the protein. I will start adding calories, in a reverse dieting type scheme, 50cals/week until I reach the caloric threshold for a lean bulk (~2300cal for me). I plan to stay there for 4-6 months.
I like to use my "flight to Jupiter" analogy when I discuss diet with people. If I launch a probe to Jupiter, a 1" change in any direction once you get there isn't going to hurt much, but a 1" change when you first start out will land you a millions miles off the mark. You CANNOT out train a poor diet. Yes, you'll have to course correct along the way, but the longer you go, the less likely you stray from the path.
As for things I routinely eat, I actually took the time and money to find a suitable journal style notebook and have my own private cookbook. Items I have found that I tweaked to make healthy, as well some some full sugar/fat items that are just things I have created or collected over time. Some examples would be my own hot sauce (about 2.00 a pint), various protein shakes, low carb dishes, and my secret BBQ sauce. The best thing you can do to help your diet is to learn how to cook. At the very least, some basic cooking techniques. Learning how to make certain recipes "cleaner" helps to deter binging.
Exercise:
My approach to fitness is functional with a heavy slant on looking good. I want to just look like the classic "male." Due to some former fat-guy issues I can't really deadlift, so I rack pull and dumbbell Romanian DL instead. Although, some recent physical therapy on the lower back is seriously making deadlifts seem very possible, something I hadn't expected.
I can squat better now, but I'm still working on form for BB squat plus stabilizing heavy weight is difficult with the shoulder injury, so I do a heavy amount of DB goblet squats to round out the volume. I also found I like half squats with more weight, they seem to target my quads better, I just have to really oriented.
As for bench, I prefer incline over flat, before the injury my PR was 2 sets of 5 at 185lbs. I'm basically starting over now, currently at 65-75lbs 4x10.
When lifting regularly I run a 6 day split.
- Monday is Chest I / Tricep
- Tuesday is Core / Legs
- Weds is Back / Bicep
- Thursday is Aux / Cardio
- Friday is Shoulders / Chest II
- Sat is Legs.
I like the stairmaster for cardio, but I also jog, walk a steady incline, and use the spin bikes at the gym.
Currently, due to my injury, I do ...
- Legs on Monday
- Cardio/Core on Tuesday, plus Physical Therapy
- Legs/Light Chest on Weds
- Cardio on Thursday, plus Physical Therapy
- Light All Over/Cardio on Friday
- Heavy Legs on Sat.
- Rest Sundays
I also hike when I can, recently I did a 5.2 mile in/out trail, solo, in just under 2 hours flat, which included a short break to rest by the waterfall at the end. It was great, but makes me detest hiking with people now, they're just too slow!
Whats Next:
This question is the thing I am still working on. Not only have I hit my goals with weight loss, I am also looking at rehabilitating my shoulder over the next few months. I have to do it slowly and calculated so as to reduce the chance of further injury.
As before, the biggest downside to the loss is the amount of loose skin I have remaining. Now that I have lost to my goals weight, the extra 6-7lbs lost was mostly in the torso region, which resulted in even saggier skin issues. If anything, I am more self-conscious about certain things involving being shirtless than I ever was while obese. Just as I explained previously, there isn't anything that is going to fix it for me but surgery. I can always put muscle on under some of it. But around my abdomen, I will never have a V taper or a normal waist (much less visible abs) without having the skin removed.
I have briefly consulted with several doctors in a nearby large city that I was connected to via my orthopedic doctor. Some are willing to waive their personal fee or give a discount since I did it sans weight loss surgery, but the cost is still hovering about 9000.00 when everything is included. I was told that due to the amount of time it took to lose that I was a prime candidate for the surgery as there would be minimal post-surgery retraction of the skin remaining. Basically, the skin that is there is pretty much where it is going to stay so it lowers the chances of issues later on. So I guess there is that.
Some new FAQs from questions asked in the last submission and a few old ones. I try to be as upfront and forthcoming as I can, but if you would like more info on any topic feel free to ask. There is also a few of the old questions, I just shrunk the response down for those answered in the last submission.
- Are you going to lose any more weight?
199.9 was my firm "end-game" goal for quite awhile. However, now that I am here, I have been toying around with pushing it an additional 5lbs just so my BMI hits "normal" when calculated. I know BMI is basically nonsense and a horrible metric, but many medical doctors still use it since the insurance companies use it. My rationale for this is that might be the "bump" the insurance needs to at least partially cover my skin removal. It's not likely, but I figure every little bit helps. Even at best they would only cover a small percentage. But all that is up in the air right now.
- How often do you weigh?
I weigh every morning and every night before bed. I consider it an "advanced" weight loss skill to be able to weigh daily, not get discouraged or become obsessed. I do it because I approach my weight loss as a kind of outside observer, I try to remain objective about all aspects of the process, including daily fluctuations. I keep recorded data for the last 6 months and started keeping detailed logs about 2 years ago. My personal ritual for the morning is 10-15 minutes after I wake up, after I pee, and done without any clothes, watches, etc. on the body. (No, Im not an emotionless psychopath, I just told myself early on that if someone else lies to you, thats on them. But when you constantly lie to yourself, you won't get anywhere near your goals.)
- What kind of scale to you recommend?
I use an older digital one from Healthometer. It was about $40-$45 at Walmart several years ago. Digital scales are pretty accurate, but there are ways to increase accuracy. Take an item, a known 20-25lbs (I use a dumbbell, and check your scale once a month. If it shows different measurements each time, take it back. Do not move your scale from place to place. Find a level area in your home where the floor doesn't have much give to it, and set up your scale there. Don't move it around, or minimize it as much as possible. This ensures strong consistency to your weigh-ins. Also, every month or so be sure to clean the feet of the scale to make sure they are all sitting on the floor evenly.
- So you have loose skin? So what?
If I felt that no one would ever judge me on my skin, emotionally I would be just fine with keeping it. However, it is physically painful. If I jump down from somewhere more than 1-2 feet high the skin "bouncing" causes a quick, painful, tearing sensation, especially adjacent to the stretch marks/scars. Doing jumping jacks and jumping rope is impossible for more than 5-10 seconds at a time and even the elliptical machine can get painful without doubling up on compression shirts. I have physically got the skin that is hanging down caught in doors and drawers when I happen to be shirtless. Where it hangs over my pants/underwear, it will often get raw unless I am actively keeping it dry or wearing compression wear. Also, I seem to have lots of ingrown hairs on my lower torso where the skin in stretched thinnest. They create small white heads that I have to pop or they could get infected or get much larger. One two occasions at the end of last summer, in the same skin fold, small boils formed that I had to lance and drain. So while there is a mental/emotional aspect of wanting to have the skin removed, there is a very real physical aspect.
- Do you run a website, youtube or blog?
No, not currently, but since the question of "What do you do now?" keeps being asked by others, as well me asking myself, I thought maybe I would do an eventual blog or youtube channel from the aspect of "You're here ... now what?" kind of journaling the aftermath of massive weight loss. But I'm not sure. Other than that, I won't self-promote but I am on Instagram under my reddit username and don't have a Facebook.
- Did you ever start a campaign to fund your skin removal like we recommended?
No, but a close non-reddit friend found and read my last post via a gym mate. He actually started a gofundme and once it was up and running, he passed the login info to me. I haven't really begun promoting it yet because I wanted to hit another fitness goal or two.
- How did you keep going? People drop 10lbs and quit, how do you lose 208+lbs and keep going?
Basically you change your lifestyle till weight loss/fitness are the only things you can do. I was told by my Aunt that I wouldn't be able to have the fitness lifestyle I currently do if I start a regular, full-time, counseling job. I immediately disagreed, the last time I worked 50+ hours a week, I simple got up earlier and went to the gym before work. Yes, being single makes it easier, but even having a family isn't going to make it impossible. Maybe you need to mainstream your workout, be more in tune with your diet, basically dial it in till you are getting results without chewing through hours and hours of gym time. There is always a way.
- Do you have people who keep you accountable?
At various times I did, but for the majority I did not. Currently, I have 3 gym mates to keep me accountable, as I do them. My advice is find someone who will hold you accountable but doesn't lie to you. Honesty sometimes hurts, but it feels better in the long run.
- If you do cardio, what do you like best?
Stairclimber, an honest-to-god never-ending escalator one. Nothing better for a quick climb in heart rate. My personal best is an Eiffel Tower, 2880 steps in 42:36. I've kind of slacked on cardio lately as I felt my resting pulse was getting a bit too low at 42 bpm.
- What inspires you to keep going?
It seems superficial, but I just want to go to the beach once in my life and not feel like Greenpeace is going to pop out and try and save me like a beached whale. To sum it up, I want to do normal stuff and not feel self-conscious about doing those things due to fat or skin everywhere. My mom survived lung cancer last year and we all went on a celebration trip to Ft. Lauderdale and Key West. I tried to avoid the beach, even with how much I love it, and when I did go I wore a compression shirt in the water. I kind of sucked. Beyond that, Diabetes runs rampant on both sides of my family, having killed at least 3 people, including an aunt and my grandma before their time. So I would like to avoid that if possible.
- Is your family or friends fitness oriented?
Uh ... no. I'm pretty much the only gym goer in my family. Most of my friends outside of the gym are not gym goers. They do become gym goers from time-to-time, but I've never seen anyone really stick to it. Some prefer fitness on their own terms and do alternative things. Personally, I support anything that isn't sitting on a couch.
- What do you think of intermittent fasting?
I did serious IF for about 4-5 months when I first shifted back to IIFYM, only eating from 12-7pm. I actually liked it once I got used to it. Eventually I loosened up on it and began eating breakfast as soon as I get up around 8-9am. I still stop eating around 6pm unless something comes up. On Sundays, which is my rest day, I only eat from 12-6pm.
- Did you have surgery or use any drugs/medicine/chemicals?
No. Nothing. Not against them, I just feel the "quick" (clearly not painless) methods available lack a certain educational value to them. Sure, I can teach someone the techniques to keep off the 100lbs they lost from weight loss surgery, but actually living it for years, dealing with failures/obstacles, is nearly always the best teacher.
- Which is the best diet in your opinion?
Highly subjective and depends on you. Realistically, the best diet is one that gets you to your goal and that you will stick to long-term.
- What would you do different?
Ditch 75% of my cardio and mostly focus on lifting instead. I would also begin with a heavy focus on functional movements designed to strength all the "lynchpin" joints/structures of the body. ie. shoulders, lumbar spine, core, knees, etc. to reduce chance of noob injuries.
- Do you do anything weight loss related with your experience?
I am currently a non-practicing psychotherapist/counselor, as I was in the last submission. BUT, that is looking like it might change soon. A local sports/physical therapy team are beginning a wellness program that looks at overall fitness from a holistic approach. It is a multi-disciplinary team and I have been approached to head up the mental health aspect and was told I was a perfect candidate since not only do I have the required license/education, I have first hand experience. They are also willing to accommodate me on time needed for the skin removal surgery if I were to be able to get it later this year.
- Did you ever get anything from your weight loss?
Other than what will hopefully be an extra 20-30 years of life? Yeah. After the last submission, an anonymous person sent me a $150 gift card for Under Armour, via an anonymous email, to my email address which I assume they doxxed. I was incredibly moved by the gift. The note that came with the gift card numbers simply said, "Save this for your ultimate goal since it won't be long, or spend it now ... either way, get something good, you deserve it." If you read this, mysterious benefactor, thank you. I have kept it and made plans to head to an Under Armour outlet next week to get some new stuff. I truly appreciate it.
- What's next?
First I need to get my shoulder healed up. I doubt I will ever compete or anything, too damn old for that now, but as they say ... age is just a number. I guess, if I had to name something I'd like to do off the top of my head, that would have been impossible just 5 years ago, I'd like to climb a mountain. Maybe Mt. Elbert or Rainier? Something with proper snow and requires a bit of technical climbing. I've always been a bit of an armchair mountaineer.
- Any tips or tricks?
Crockpots. Easiest meal prep there is. Veggies, meat, spices, and done. (Make sure you plug it up!)
- Did you ever consider suicide?
Yeah I have, on a few occasions, not my finest moments. If you are considering suicide, PLEASE get help, there are lots of options for help, regardless of where you are in the world. You might think suicide will stop what you currently are feeling, but it also robs you of everything you could be. In the US you can call 1-800-273-8255, 911, or go to the nearest Emergency Room. Also, here is a list of Suicide Prevention orgs in various countries
Afterword:
If I could say anything to sum up everything I have experienced in the years and years I have been doing this it is this ... "If you want to change, then begin. Don't think, just do it. Motivation will find you, don't go looking for it. Stay the course and don't EVER give up. You only get one shot at this life, trust me when I say living it from a couch isn't living. Don't let your life story be a trip from the couch to a hole in the ground, and a premature trip at that."
If anyone has any other questions or comments feel free to ask.
Submitted February 28, 2017 at 02:26PM by abraxsis http://ift.tt/2maeoJ8
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