Weigh In

[kyles]

Well done Rob, that's a great loss, you're a one-er. I can't wait to be under 200 pounds!!!

Welcome JoyC, summer is great food wise, but it can be hard to keep motivated with the exercise. I do a lot of swimming, especially in the hot weather.

 

[JoyC]

thanks for the welcome

have been reading some of the posts and am very impressed with the weight losses - how do you stay motivated over the lonf run. hate to think about how many pounds i should get rid of just too depressing so am trying to vocus on small goals. Going to reward myself after getting rid of the next 4 after that willk have to set another mini goal to work toward
Joyce

 

[SpiceUmUp]

My motivation

I stay motivated by a fear of an early death from heart disease and diabetes, the very things that took my fathers life at 64 and my Grandfathers life at 65. I was diagnosed as being “pre-diabetic” this past April at age 44. As my father had his first heart attack at 43, this was a wake up call of the first order. Since that Doctors appointment, I have stuck close to a Type II diabetes diet, following the 2000 calorie a day chart.



I have lost 34 pounds since April 28th when I began the diet and I have some 40 pounds yet to go. I started the diet at a weight of 304.5 pounds. My goal weight is 230 pounds. That will still be too heavy for my 6’ 2” frame, but it will at least be in shouting distance of where I should be.



Once I get to 230, I will work to get to 210, the weight I was when I left for College. I was in great shape and I looked MARVELOUS!



So this is my motivation: I want to see my children grow up. I was 18 when my father had his first heart attack. I will be 48 when my eldest is 18 and I will be 57 when the youngest gets to 18. If I don’t do this now, it may well be too late. This is how I find the motivation to resist the extra serving, the snack, the nibble and the late night raids of the refrigerator.

 

[jkath]

Great work Rob! Combat conditioning, eh? Sounds pretty cool!

Spice - that is the perfect motivation!!! Kudos to you!

Joyce - I never exercised, but was always small. As a child I hated sports, as I was quite the girlie-girl. And, as an adult I had the excuse of "well, I have children, so they keep me so busy...." However, somewhere in the mid-30's, I started noticing that I needed to do something. I finally got into exercising early this year, and began with 2 months of having a personal trainer. Yes, it was expensive - terribly so, but after seeing the results and the motivation I never thought I'd have, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I'm 4 months from my 39th birthday and I can actually say I'm in better shape than I've ever been.

Joyce, stay with us, and share your journey! We'll spur you on, and when you need motivation, we're here!!! You'll also find fantastic recipes to help you get great meals without all the excess stuff you don't want.

 

[kyles]

JoyC I started the year at 262 pounds, and I am only 5 foot 4 inches. I had never admitted that I had a weight problem, I just kept myself confident, and took care of myself in other ways. Both my parents were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, my dad three years ago and mum last year. It drove it home that I just had to do something, and now, rather than wait until the health problems had developed.

I break it into mini goals, and aim for 10 pounds a month, which has slowed down in recent months, as I am now weight training, so the inches and fat percentage is going down at the same rate, in fact quicker, but the scale weight is slower.

I stay motivated by telling everyone around me what I am doing, by posting regularly here and on a weight loss forum I use. I use a gym (in fact two gyms) and both my instructors are fabulous and tell everyone how fabulous I am, and celebrate every little victory. It's lovely!!

I too am motivated by health, but it doesn't hurt when you start being able to wear nicer clothes and get compliments. Now I am at the 220 mark and my next challenge is to get to 200 by the end of September.

 

[Rob Babcock]

Spice's story mirrors my own. My dad is diabetic and very overweight; at 62 years he's practically an invalid at the moment (due to an impending shoulder replacement). He at a crappy diet high in carbs his whole life and snacked the entire day thru. I love my dad, but he's a great example of where I was headed.

Two years ago I was 5'9"-ish and around 280 lbs. I couldn't walk to the break room at work without getting winded! When I began my "diet" (I hate to even call it that- it's been more like a sea change in my attitude towards life) I couldn't really do much of anything in the way of physical activity. But I started slowly and eventually it got easier.

To me, I overcame my inertia by setting small goals. When I looked like a beached whale, I was thrilled just to lose 10-15 lbs. Then 250 made me feel better, then 240. I set my goals in 10-20 lb increments, and I found focussing on those little milestones kept me motivated.

I still have a ways to go, but I can wear clothes I haven't worn since Clinton's first term! It wasn't overnight, but I started to feel healthier almost immediately. Don't let yourself get discouraged because you're too overweight, and don't dwell on how long it will take to get fit. It's a cliche, but the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Rome wasn't built in a day, but it was built!

 

[kyles]

Oh my jolly goodness, I weighed in today.....4 pounds this week, down to 216, 200 here I coooooooooooooooommmmmeeee!!!!!

 

[kadesma]

Oh my jolly goodness, I weighed in today.....4 pounds this week, down to 216, 200 here I coooooooooooooooommmmmeeee!!!!!

YEAH, Whoopee, way to go Kyles...You are on the way..We will all be calling you Miss Skinny Mini now..You must be so proud..I think you've done a fantastic job..
kadesma

 

[PA Baker]

Rob, what a great success story--good for you!

And Kyles, you continue to amaze and impress me! I'm so proud of your dedication and hard work.

 

[jkath]

Way to go,
Kyles!!!

 

[luvs]

good for you, kyles! you set your mind on losing weight and you are working so well towards your goal! i always read this thread just to see your updates.

 

[*Christina*]

hello, i am a newbie with diet I want to loose some kilos too.
so i started to do some exercise ... ( i do like doing it i just wish i wouldnt have to move )

 

[SpiceUmUp]

35 pounds down and still dropping! I am nearly half way to my goal. YAHOOOOOO

 

[jkath]

.........so i started to do some exercise ... ( i do like doing it i just wish i wouldnt have to move )

good one, Christina!

35 pounds down and still dropping! I am nearly half way to my goal. YAHOOOOOO

Holy cow! I've heard of Sporty Spice, Scary Spice and Baby Spice....
but I guess now we'll have our own "Skinny Spice"!

 

[SpiceUmUp]

I met Chef Paul Prudhomme about 7 years ago at the Fancy Food SHow in NYC. He signed a cookbook for me and an apron. I told him that my hobby was cooking and I had considered a career change to become a chef. He looked me up and down and said "you look like a chef" and he grinned broadly. I should have taken the hint then that it was time to drop some pounds. By the way, I found Chef Paul to be a really nice and warm person.

 

[kitchenelf]

I met Chef Paul Prudhomme about 7 years ago at the Fancy Food SHow in NYC. He signed a cookbook for me and an apron. I told him that my hobby was cooking and I had considered a career change to become a chef. He looked me up and down and said "you look like a chef" and he grinned broadly. I should have taken the hint then that it was time to drop some pounds. By the way, I found Chef Paul to be a really nice and warm person.

wow - that's where I met him too Spice!! But it was maybe 2 years ago - didn't even think to get an autograph - he was a very gentle person wasn't he?

 

[SpiceUmUp]

He impressed me as a gentle, warm and soft-spoken man in love with what he does for a living.



I met Jacques Pepin at the same show. When my eldest son was a toddler he was not really connecting with anything (he has Fragile X Syndrome). The only thing he really seemed to connect with was cooking show. Mainly the Two Fat Ladies and Jacque Pepin. When I told him that story, he insisted on having a picture of us taken together and he signed it to my son. I still have the picture and my son cherishes it. http://www.fragilex.org/

 

[SpiceUmUp]

OK, so here we are, I started the diet on April 29 and now it is July 30. SO three full months in to this. I have dropped 37 pounds. I have not had Pizza in 90 days. I have not had a bowl of pasta with sauce in 90 days. all the good stuff! But truth be told, I do not miss the good stuff. I am eating better than I have in years with well rounded meals that always include a salad and vegtable at dinner. I love my lunches of Salad or tuna and I rediscovered my love of sardines. I have alowed me to enjoy a bagel in the mornings and on Sunday I still have my Bagel with the works. Still I am averageing a little more than 2000 calories a day. I am confident I will stay on this for the long term (this is already the longest I have every stayed on a diet.) The goal is to drop 95 pounds from my start weight. I am a bit more than one third of the way there. I do not expect that Iw ill get there in 9 months. I know the weight loss will slow, and in fact has slowed. The thing that keeps me going is that the weight loss has not stopped. I am seeing the south side of 270 for the first time in YEARS. Pants are loose, I have sent the largest of the pants to the goodwill. I am now down two sizes. My belt is the next to go as I have drilled three holes in it and well frankly it looks silly with all that extra leather sticking out!

If I do in fact lose 95 pounds from my start weight, it will be 110 pounds from the heaviest I have been. That would be cool!


For me the secret has been to not really think of this as a diet, which has an air of the temporary about it. I think of this as a LIFE style change. A life I hope is being extended with this change.

Sunday I Will spend a part of the day cleaning up my bike and getting it ready to ride again so I can add physical activity to the life style.

Hope you are all seeing success in your efforts

 

[Rob Babcock]

Good goin'! You have to look at it as a lifestyle, not a diet. That helps you stay at it long term.

 

[jkath]

Spice! You are truly an inspiration!!!

You ought to consider posting a before and after once you've hit your goal weight.