I need to brag on myself for a minute.

[Tobin S.]

I hopped on the scales this morning and weighed in at 275.8. That's down from 356.4 in April of last year. This week marks the 80 pound loss mark for me. I'm looking to get down to 230.

I fell so much better. The fact that I quit drinking also has something to do with that. There was a time in my life when I didn't think I could live happily without booze and cigarettes. July 5th will mark my fifth anniversary of quitting tobacco and I quit drinking last September. I feel great.

I'm becoming the person I've wanted to be almost since I started my bad habits, but couldn't until now: sober and healthy.

[mythology]

1. Congrats

That takes a lot of hard work.

[flor-de-jasmim]

2. That is fantastic! Congrats!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. You certainly deserve to brag on yourself, my dear Tobin!

Either one of those accomplishments would be brag-worthy..............but both?

Wow.

I know you're feeling good! Keep on keepin' on.

[MuseRider]

4. That is a huge effort

congratulations! I think you can count that one of your good, healthy traits is determination. Those are 3 really hard things to quit or control. I am impressed.

[Scarsdale]

71. Keep up the good work

Congratulations, what an achievement. So happy for you. This is not bragging, it is a statement and an excellent one.

[democratisphere]

5. Great discipline and you are an inspiration to all those attempting to quit bad habits

and a lousy lifestyle. Good luck getting to your ultimate goal, I know you can do it!

[Ron Obvious]

6. That's very impressive, Tobin!

You have every right to brag about it.

[randr]

7. You should be very proud of yourself

[Tikki]

8. YAY..Tis a great feeling, indeed.

It only gets better, Tobin...CONGRATULATIONS

I have been down that path and unabashedly congratulate myself and all others
who want to and do...smoke no more and drink no more.

As I get older I am becoming more like my role model, my late mother-in-law.

She would want me to be true to myself...but breaking unhealthy habits is how I feel good about myself.

Tikki

[forgotmylogin]

9. You are now no longer carrying four spare tires on your back!

An entire set of tires weighs 81 pounds.


Congratulations!

[RelativelyJones]

10. Well done. Congratulations.

[FM123]

11. Good job, good effort!

[underpants]

12. Excellent. Congrats.

I lost 60 back in 2007 and have kept it off. Makes you feel completely different, huh?

[No Vested Interest]

13. Good news, and thanks for sharing it with us.

Keep on keeping on.

[luvMIdog]

14. Congratulations! Your loss is your gain :P

That's wonderful news you are sharing! Go you!

[LeftInTX]

15. Double congrats!!! You were able to do this after Trump!!!

I've gained weight since the election.

[JudyM]

16. Mazel tov! That's some dedication, good going!

[CurtEastPoint]

17. Well I am IMPRESSED! Well done!

[Bernardo de La Paz]

18. Very good! Key to keeping it off is to eat well: nutritiously & only enough to satisfy hunger.

If you get your nutrition, your body doesn't crave food.

Then, having got sufficient nutrition, including bulk and fiber, then you can indulge in some tasty treats so that your mind won't crave food. Of course, you are now discovering or have been for perhaps five years that there is a world of delicious tastes and many of them are low calorie. This is important because focusing on nutrition and taste are central.

But, I am sure that you are learning all this quite handily on your own.

Keep up the good work! Weight that took a long time to pile on should not come off too quickly, but you are doing it well!

P.S. It's "brag about myself".

[Motley13]

19. !!!!!!!fantastic!!!!

[NBachers]

20. Is very hard for people to change their behavior, and I salute you Tobin for doing so.

[Stuart G]

21. k and r..nt

[BigBearJohn]

22. You are to be HIGHLY commended!!!! CONGRATS

[Ilsa]

23. You are awesome!

Congratulations on taking charge of your health!

[Generic Brad]

24. Wow!

Great job, Tobin!!!

[crosinski]

25. You Go!

Gods above, I know how hard it is to lose weight! I'm down 10 and up 8, rinse and repeat.

But now you, YOU, know how to DO this thing!

[N_E_1 for Tennis]

26. You win the DU will power award, Great job!

[Honeycombe8]

27. Woo Hoo!!! You're a sexy devil, now!!!!

[sarge43]

28. Congratulations, Tobin S. Well done. Give yourself an attaboy.

[Sophiegirl]

29. Congrats!!!

Well deserved pat on the back.

I quite smoking Feb 2016. Major improvement in my health. I KNOW you feel better.

[GeoWilliam750]

30. Well done!

[elleng]

31. Congrats, Tobin!

[trocar]

32. Good on you !!!! nt

[mr_lebowski]

33. PHENOMENAL!!! Congrats ... neither booze nor nicotine are easy to up and quit ... many cannot ...

Keep on keeping on!!!

[GreenPartyVoter]

34. You are doing an amazing job!!

[MelissaB]

35. That is awesome!

Congrats!

[radical noodle]

36. Amazing self discipline

Congratulations! Hang in there, you'll get to your goal.

[Tobin S.]

37. I'VE READ EVERY REPLY AND YOU ALL ARE VERY KIND!

Thank you for all the kind words.

[Ligyron]

38. That's great!!

Yeah, lotta empty calories in booze.

[Towlie]

39. Here's a better way to do the math:

I accomplished a large weight loss myself but I didn't motivate myself with simple arithmetic, I oped for higher math. I kept track of my daily weight and calculated the derivative. That is, the rate of my weight change with respect to time. I set a realistic goal of reaching my desired weight by a certain calendar date and I made sure at all times that my weight-loss rate was going to get me there.

My advice is don't play around with addition and subtraction, and don't allow yourself to interpret "not as overweight as I used to be" as success, because it's not. Success is achieving your proper weight and then adopting a life-style that keeps you there. Start calculating the ratio of your weight change to time elapsed, and as long it's a negative number you at least know you're going in the right direction and if you keep it up, you're going to get there sooner or later.

[democrank]

40. You, Tobin S., should be mighty proud.

Good for you!

Sending best wishes.....

[SaveOurDemocracy]

41. How about that feeling of being in control, and the lift...

...in confidence that comes with those accomplishments? I don't know you but I feel very proud of you.

You could teach that squatter in our White House what winning looks like.

[grantcart]

42. best news all day

[TxDemChem]

43. Congratulations!!!

Wow, you are killing it!

[William769]

44. Good for you!

My weight loss is not as good as yours but for health reason I need to shed weight also.

Two moths ago I was at 270 today I am at 250. I would love to get back to 200 but I'll settle for 230.

[OnDoutside]

56. I find the Fitbit Surge has been fantastic for me,as it keeps

Me accountable. I have my Bluetooth headphones and I walk for my 5000+ steps a day listening to my Rachel or Randi podcasts.

[Thor_MN]

45. Congrats!! Keep it going!!

[iamateacher]

46. That Is awesome

You are inspirational!

[onetexan]

48. +1

i have 2 months to lose 10 lbs in time for an august wedding so u've i spired me as well

[Mountain Mule]

47. YAY! Good for you!

[LostinRed]

49. Congrats to you that is awesome

We need to stay alive so we can resist the Orange Menace

[FailureToCommunicate]

50. Lost nearly 6 stone ?!? THAT is some willpower! Congrats.

[SonofDonald]

51. Keep it up.

It can be done, you've found the willpower to get this far and believe me that is the most important thing.

I drank heavily for years, I came back down south after 17 years in bush Alaska, up there if you have a thirst you will drink.

I've been sober for 20 years four months and eight days and luckily I don't have any cravings for the drink.

I also weighed around 275 pounds after shattering my right leg and not working.

I lost 45 pounds in four months after going back to work, it can be done, believe in yourself and remind yourself every morning when you get up.

You are on the right track, you wouldn't be where you are if you weren't.

Keep on fighting.

[wryter2000]

52. Way to go!

You have reason to be proud.

[rock]

53. Brag all you want

Those are unbelievable numbers. Congrats!

[gademocrat7]

54. Congratulations, Tobin!

[SticksnStones]

55. Wow! Don't even know you and yet I'm so proud of you!

That's a great accomplishment ~ keep it up!

[shenmue]

57. Good results!

[GaYellowDawg]

58. Awesome!!

You've done a great job! Didn't it feel awesome the first time that number started with a 2? I started my weight loss back in November 2014 and I've gone from 350 to 228. 190 is my goal now.

But great for you! You should pat yourself on the back every day for all the hard work you've done. Your journey has been a lot harder than mine; I have never smoked and I might have alcohol 3-4 times a year. So you've stopped drinking, stopped smoking, and lost weight? You are a champ!!

[mnhtnbb]

59. Great job, Tobin!

I have been trying to give up booze--down to one cocktail/day and no wine--but it's tough. Especially with the state of the world!

Good for you!

[OrwellwasRight]

60. Congrats!

Well done!

[demigoddess]

61. thank you for giving up cigarettes. I can smell one half a block away. The ammonia

in them alone will kill you.

[Doreen]

62. Congratulations!!

[montana_hazeleyes]

63. Congratulations Tobin S. !

You have done a great job tackling these things that adversely affect your physical health and it has helped you feel better in many ways.

[denbot]

64. Holy Crap Tobin!

Congrats on the discipline it took to lose 80 pounds!

[LittleGirl]

65. Well Done!

You've inspired me to keep my goal. I want to quit smoking on June 1st. For the last time already.

I quit for 5 yrs and let stress get me hooked again. I need to lay off the alcohol as well as I've let that get to easy. I climbed the hill today near my neighborhood and I did better than expected. I want to have a post like yours someday. I don't need to lose a massive amount of weight just 15-20 lbs and quit smoking and enjoy alcohol rather than 'need' it.

I'm very happy for you. Thanks for sharing your story! Cheers!

[flying_wahini]

74. I quit smoking for 10 years then promptly smoked another 20 before finally quitting.

Chantix is a miracle drug and I can't tell you what a life changing thing it has been.
Also my insurance paid for it 100%.

I never thought I would ever be able to quit. Consider it.

[Lyricalinklines]

66. Congratulations, Tobin S.!

Thank you for sharing here a bit of your journey. I'm inspired.

[applegrove]

67. Good to brag at times. That's quite a feat. I should brag more often.

Last Friday I was having dinner with a group of people, some of whom I don't know so well. I told a story about how I didn't know internet vernacular when I first started interacting online. I made a joke and some did an IOI. I thought that is mean calling me an absolute zero (two bars vertical bars separated by a zero is the scientific symbol for absolute zero. Of course they were LOL laughing out loud). Supposed to be funny. I used to be self effacing all the time. One person there at dinner thought it was a sign of my insecurity. She looked sad for me. I thought to myself I don't brag enough. Then they'd see my self effacingness as a strength rather than a sign of weakness. So brag away. Share the good with us too. There are strengths and weaknesses in all of us. Losing 80 pounds is huge. It is not easy to give up smoking and then drinking and then food. I know. I'm stuck on the food part. But I have a health app that cues me to take a certain number of steps a day and such. Hopefully that and not drinking pop will start me losing. You are an inspiration. Never hide the good stuff. How have you changed your diet?

[volstork]

68. Congratulations

and best wishes for reaching your goal!

[DFW]

69. Well done!

That must have required an extra dosage of willpower

[TexasBushwhacker]

70. It has to be inspiring for your wife too

You said she's struggling with her new diabetic friendly, low carb diet, correct? But look at the example you've set for her. The 2 of you are getting together, supporting each other.

[anniebelle]

72. You SHOULD be proud!

[PennyK]

73. Wonderful and awesome!

I've followed part of your story and I know that you have done some really hard work on yourself. Mazel Tov on all your success so far and keep up the GREAT work!

[Roy Rolling]

75. Thousands of supporters

Everyone here cheers your success and backs your journey. DO NOT go back. Congratulations on the discipline for such a truly life-changing effort. Inspiring to all.

[tblue37]

76. Congratulations! This is certainly worth a little bit of "bragging." nt

[SharonAnn]

77. That is absolutely terrific!

[nolabear]

78. Hooray, Tobin! I know how much dedication it takes.

Well done!