I've lost 29.4 pounds since 8/10/07

[Droopy]

I'm down to 258.0. That is a major milestone for me because I have not been below 260 pounds in at least 3 years. The weight came off really fast in the first month, but over the last 5 weeks or so it's slowed to about 1.5 to 2 pounds a week which I gather is an acceptably safe rate.

I'm about to have to buy some new clothes. I've only got one pair of pants that fit me good now and they are an old pair that I wasn't able to get into until recently. I've gone from a 48 inch waist to a 42. I looked in the mirror today and noticed that my double chin is almost gone.

My diet plan is really simple. When I was at 287 pounds I looked up how many calories it would take to maintain my weight. It turned out to be about 3500 a day for a fairly active man- I unload a truck every night by hand. So I figured if I kept the calories down to 2000 a day then the weight should come off and it has. I also drink only water and I stay away from sugar.

My goal is to get down to 200 pounds, but I already feel much better. I guess that will happen when you stop eating whole large pizzas by yourself and drinking pop by the gallon. The hardest part for me was getting started. I was in denial about my weight gain saying that I really didn't eat enough to be as big as I was. I had to sit down and take an honest look at what I was consuming. I wasn't eating often throughout the day, but when I did eat, one meal by itself could be over 2000 calories. One of my favorite meals was chili spaghetti and cheese conies from Skyline washed down with a large Mountain Dew followed by a pecan mudslide from Dairy Queen. That alone was about 2500 calories. The two establishments are right next to each other in my hometown. I think that is a conspiracy!

[fizzgig]

1. way to go, droopy

and keep up the good work :thumbsup:

[madeline_con]

2. Kudos!

You're doing great!

Try frozen yogurt for treats, or make banana pudding with fat free pudding and skim milk. You can save calories and fat and still have yummies. :hi:

[lost-in-nj]

3. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!!

Congrats!!!!!

Bet you feel better to!!!!!



lost

[Cabcere]

4. That's awesome, Droopy!

:applause: I could really stand to lose quite a bit of weight, myself...but I find it difficult to get motivated, especially since a) I've always been overweight, so I'm used to it, and b) I don't really look as heavy as I am. :shrug: I'm sure there are other psychological factors at work, but it is inspiring to hear about your success! :thumbsup: Keep up the good work, my friend. :)

[Droopy]

9. I'm one of those people that carries weight well, too

The reason for that is that I have a naturally large build. My back and shoulders are as wide as the broad side of a barn and I've got the legs of an Olympic speed skater. That's why I say my goal is 200 pounds even though I'm only 5'10" tall. The height/weight charts will tell you that I should weigh no more than 180, but I don't think that they take into account an extra large frame. I just remember when I was about 200 pounds, which was in high school, and I could run 2 miles a day.

[Cabcere]

11. Yeah, those height/weight charts do have their flaws.

I have a fairly large build, too (for a female, anyway) - I'm only 5'7" but I have pretty broad shoulders and hips, which isn't fun, but that's the way it is, I guess. x( I actually gained about 10-20 pounds when I was rowing freshman & sophomore year of college, but I was in the best shape of my life then. :shrug:

[stuntcat]

17. me too, I think

I'm 5'7" and 1/2, and my shoulders are very square and my hips are real wide. It makes me even more afraid of gaining too much because I don't wanna seem lurchy. I wish I'd at least done a sport someday though so I could know what it was like to really be in shape. The closest I got was when I used to go dancing a lot.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

5. Nice Job

eom

[mzteris]

6. WOW!

That's really great!



It sounds like you're being really smart about a lot of things in your life lately, Droopy.

[Capn Sunshine]

7. That's awesome- wish I could say that

Keep it up dude. I have no luck at all counting calories. But I quit drinking wine/ booze/beer. For the most part. That helped a LOT.

[BarenakedLady]

8. Great job!

I've packed on quite a few pounds since February. I need to get motivated to get them off.

Congrats to you.

:toast:

[Pool Hall Ace]

10. Congratulations!

:bounce: Keep up the good work! :bounce:

[momophile]

12. that's awesome! congrats! nt

[Richardo]

13. You are the man, my friend

keep it up - the numbers on the scale are their own reward. :thumbsup:

[triguy46]

14. Good job. Congrats.

[stuntcat]

15. :headbang:

:headbang: This rocks, congratulations. I know you must feel so good, and so proud of yourself.. I mean it takes some discipline to make such a difference, 30 pounds is worth a little byebye party.
Ever since I turned 30 I have to watch EVERY bite. I gained a lot real fast and then lost it by starving. But now I've learned how to do it right.. kinda, I mean I still want stuff I can't have sometimes. I'm working on giving up sugar, especially refined.
An old friend of mine who was always very plump, since childhood even, has suddenly this year lost about a third of her weight :wow: she walked into a store where another friend of ours works and he didn't even recognize her.
Well anyway CONGRATS! :headbang:

[graywarrior]

16. That is awesome!

[AZBlue]

18. WOW! That's great!

You should be very very proud!
:applause:

[ThomCat]

19. That is awesome!

Congratulations! I hope you make your goal and stay there!

:hi:

[applegrove]

20. Good for you Droopy. What an inspiration you are. Yes I think you are doing

right by losing just a few pounds a week. Anything else is unhealthy. Plan on maitaining your weigh by keep to the healthy eating habits you are in right now.

[Coyote_Bandit]

21. Congratulations!

I've been trying to learn to eat better/healthier stuff. Just recently I've started paying more attention to portion sizes.

I need to lose some weight and I want to be smart about how I do it. I don't want to regain it later. I'm hoping that healthy diet plus portion control plus lots of dog walking does the trick.