Losing my ass!

[RudeWolf]

When I step on the scales I pretend that they show my health percentage.

[HeadphoneAddict]

That last 10 lbs is a bitch...

[postjack]

Great thread. Stories about weight loss are so awesome for me, because I understand what a dramatic change in can have in someone's life.

 

I guess it was about four years ago I hit 235lbs, 26 years old and 5'10". 

 

I did Atkins, which a lot of people knock, for good reason, but Atkins taught me two very important things:

 

1. To cook at home for myself. Before this, I ate a lot of frozen pizza and restaurant stuff.

 

2. To eat food. This continues to be the key in all the ways I eat. Don't eat food products, but food.

 

I lost a bunch of weight on Atkins, I think 35 lbs, which got me down to 200. I did this over the course of several months. I then started incorporating nuts and fruits. I continued on this path for a while, until my fiance and I watched a documentary that changed everything:

 

 

Forks Over Knives

 

If you haven't seen it, see it. 

 

I also became a follower of Michael Pollan when I read his book:

 

 

In Defense of Food: Eat Food, Mostly Plants, Not A Lot.

 

We went low fat vegan hardcore for several months, mainly using recipes from the Engine 2 diet and I lost another 20 lbs eating that way. Its the happiest I've ever been when eating. 

 

I am by no means a vegan now, though most of the recipes we use are vegan. My weakness is ice cream and sweets. I've gained about another 6 pounds, which puts me at around 186, still a pretty darn good weight, but I'd like to be about 10 lbs lighter. And thats still 50 lbs from where I started many years ago.

 

Here is the truth for me about weight loss: diet is where I lose weight, not exercise. Exercise is the magic pill, it works wonders for my mental, emotional, and physical well-being, but its not the key to weight loss. Its much, much easier to put less in to reach that calorie deficit, then it is to burn it off. Of course it can help, but if I'm still slamming back Ben and Jerrys and hamburgers, the weight ain't gunna come off.

 

Having said that, I recently bought a Concept2 rower, and have slowly been incorporating daily exercise into my routine, and it makes me feel amazing.

 

Melody and I just started down the VB6 diet (Vegan Before 6:00PM). I'm hoping to one day truly commit to going full low fat vegan again.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

I've heard that before -- basically, that diet and exercise should be treated separately.  Diet for weight loss, exercise for ...uh... the benefits of exercise (better circulation, etc.).  I know of no-one who has gone that route and hasn't had success.

[postjack]

I've heard that before -- basically, that diet and exercise should be treated separately.  Diet for weight loss, exercise for ...uh... the benefits of exercise (better circulation, etc.).  I know of no-one who has gone that route and hasn't had success.

 

Truth. It seems obvious for anyone who understands the math, but I spent many years beating my head against that wall, busting my ass trying to run but still eating whatever the hell I wanted, and being mystified when I wasn't losing weight. I'd also always hurt myself running. I really enjoyed the running, but even with the right shoes etc, I think my legs are just to stiff to handle the impact. Rowing seems to be working out, its low impact but works a lot of muscles. I'm ramping up very slowly, starting as low as five minutes, and now over a month later I'm doing 16 minutes, or about 3000m. I want to be doing 5000m a day, or around 25 minutes.

[Aimless1]

Welcome back Posty!

 

Good point about eating food and not meals as well as separating diet from exercise.  That has been my experience as well. 

 

I was fiddling around with my bike computer yesterday and saw I had entered my weight at 308 (ugh) back when I got my trike somewhere around Halloween, 2012.  Checking in this a.m. I'm down 30 #.  Exercise helps but the majority of the loss was due to diet only.