LIVIN' LARGE: Minimizing yourself and maximizing your life!When you have over 100 pounds to lose it can seem impossible to get started in the right direction.
Just out of sheer curiousity, how much weight have members of JPFitness lost? I have the feeling I will have to get out a calculator for this one....or an abacus perhaps.
For the lurkers out there, you can vote and don't have to post a message....its all right, I promise....you can work your way up to posting...
So here it goes....how much weight have you lost and kept off....
Upwards of 110 pounds at one point, back up a bit now, so it's a net of 90. I've managed to hover around that 90 mark for 4 years now. I want to lose another 70 or so.
80 in 8-9 months in 2002-2003. I'm back up some, I think making a net of like 60, but I keep bouncing around depending on what I'm doing, so I'm maintaining for the most part. I'm not sure how much of my gain has been muscle v. fat over the years (there has been both), so I usually don't use weight as a marker, I use clothes size and what I've termed the "jiggle factor" (the more you jiggle (in a bad way) the higher your number.) I prolly have to drop about 15ish pounds of jiggle-junk to get back to a size 3, I'd guess.
Its really hard to say. I'm down about ten pounds, but think I have lost more than thirty pounds of fat. Big Beer Belly gone. And I'm a red wine drinker
My peak was approx. 235 pounds in November 2001. I have dropped as low as 170. Currently in the low 180's, but the weight gain is good weight gain. I've had the weight off since around June 2002.
I was 245 about 4 years ago. I started lifting and actually jumped up to 250+, its been a steady decline from there to my current 195ish. Still trying to shead another 10ish though. (this last bit is way tougher though!)
While I did lose 72lbs, it's misleading to just look at my before and after weight. I went from 232 down to 160 or so, then started to add weight. I was about 17% body fat at 160lbs. I'm up to 192lbs and 15% body fat, today. I'd like to lose more fat, but it's better than being that scrawny and flabby 160.
At one point, I weighed 275lbs. That was almost 20 years ago and only lasted a short period of time. After that year, I dropped back under 235, where I've stayed for the rest of my life. So, I guess I HAVE lost over a hundred pounds, but it took 17 years to do it.
Everyone, just seeing the progress that you all have made is in and of itself inspiring.
Some of you touched on an important point - body composition versus "weight". I use weight because it is common and when you have a lot of body fat to lose, it is often easier to measure overall weight.
My personal goals reflect that I want to improve my body composition much more than I simply want to lose weight. Ultimately what we all tend to want is a lower body fat percentage. During the quest to lose bodyfat the gaining of muscle mass is essential as I am sure everyone will tell you. When I first started learning about fitness and nutrition two of the hardest concepts to get my head around were that in many cases I needed to eat MORE and that I needed to build muscle.
At one point, I weighed 275lbs. That was almost 20 years ago and only lasted a short period of time. After that year, I dropped back under 235, where I've stayed for the rest of my life. So, I guess I HAVE lost over a hundred pounds, but it took 17 years to do it.
Yes, my poll is flawed (I am beginning to dislike the word POLL - maybe its the okie accent when I say it outloud) but you guys got the point. Time is an interesting concept. I can remember thinking at one point when I was the largest - While I may not be able to add much to my life in terms of quantity by losing weight, I am certain I can improve the QUALITY of my life by doing so. I can honestly say that I have done that and it continues to improve. This is like many of the things in life that fall under the category "the journey is more important than the destination." Many people who take shortcuts on the way to health and wellness often find themselves lost and back where they started or worse.
I just wanted to say WELCOME to you, Newman!!! I've been reading your new section since yesterday and I think it adds important balance to JP's site.
Re: this thread, I lost about 40 lbs in two months on the Fear of Dying Diet back in 2000-2001. The other important aspect to this is what it actually does for your health immediately. Mine started with being told that I'd need cholesterol lowering meds after having been on blood pressure meds for 11 years. Yes, I definitely over reacted with the weight loss but, after losing the weight and learning how to take care of myself better from mostly forums like this one, I never needed the cholesterol meds and have been off the BP meds since 2001.
Oh, currently 210 at 6'3" and trying to get back down to 199. Haven't had the BF measured lately but usually in the 12-17% range. Even though I don't put a lot of stock in the BMI index, I'd still like to be within my range which tops out at 199. I know my BF is high right now because my normal weight is about 5 lbs lighter... and I didn't gain LBM during Thanksgiving!!!
Granted, I dropped my weight about ten years ago, but I dropped it nonetheless (275ish to 155ish in one year). I did it through wrestling from one unhealthy extreme to another, but after some yo-yoing through college, I finally settled around 185-190lbs as a healthy weight pending adding any lean mass. If I'd only known then (very little) what I know now (a ton) about nutrition... I'm looking forward to keeping up with this subforum. Great to have you on board.
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
In my most recent weight loss adventures, I have lost a total of 35 lbs. I'd still like to lose another 50 lbs or so, but I'd be doubly happy if I can just reach my lifetime goal of 8% body fat. I wouldn't really care much about my weight at that point. I've been following New Rules of Lifting and Lyle McDonald's fat loss publications.
__________________ If you see a woman wearing a bikini made of sea shells and you pick her up and hold her to your ear . . . . . you can hear her scream. - Ron White
I am down just over 100lbs, at 210ish right now, down from a peak of at least 321.
I lost it eating clean ie the post on Mens Health and lifting on various programs.
__________________ 2009: No races, No times. Slow year. So, now you're 96 cals short. You're now in starvation mode. Doomed. - LostDog
Blog entry: November 1, 2009, Pancakes LiveSTRONG daily plate log
Wow... This thread has been really informative. I had no idea so many of you had lost so much weight. It's actually pretty inspiring. I am becoming more and more convinced that this subforum was something sorely needed in this community.
I am becoming more and more convinced that this subforum was something sorely needed in this community.
JP, I don't know that "sorely needed" is really the case but I do think you hit upon something really good for the community. As I said before, "balance" comes to mind. There are lots of people at different stages in the progression so it's useful to have a variety of topics of interest to everyone.
JP, I don't know that "sorely needed" is really the case but I do think you hit upon something really good for the community. As I said before, "balance" comes to mind. There are lots of people at different stages in the progression so it's useful to have a variety of topics of interest to everyone.
At one point, I weighed in at about 260. I then started a new job and was far and away the largest person there. I starved myself down to about 225. I maintained that weight for about 2-3 years.
My wife then had gastric bypass surgery and I felt guilty eating a lot in front of her. I ended up losing about 60 pounds, again by starving myself. The last 10 or so pounds I started taking phentermine. At the time, I felt that BMI was the best indicator of proper weight and I was right in the middle of the BMI charts for 6 feet tall. But, I was repeatedly told by people, including my wife that I was too skinny. I ended up putting on about 25 pounds of fat, which is where I am at today.
Peaked at 264 Aug/03. Bottomed out at around 195 (after a long bike ride on a hot summer day) mid 2005.
Unfortunately, I've managed to find 20+ lbs since then. At this point, I'm writing off the balance of 06, and will be back on the horse right after new years.
I'd love to be able to maintain 185, but know that it is a constant struggle.
I remember reading an article once about people that where successful at maintaining weight loss, and that they had to practice "Chronic Restrictive Eating". I think that may be the only solution for me.
__________________
A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step.
I've lost 90+ pounds since May of 2005. I originally set a goal of 190, I hit that in June and dipped to a low of 187 in August. Started NROL Hypertrophy I that month and eating at or a little over maintenance, and I'm hovering around 192-195 right now. I'm going to go back to a fat loss routine pretty soon though, I'd like to add a little more definition to the muscle I've put on. I've been lurking around here for a while now, thanks for calling me out Newman!
I was 213, 214 back in June. Currently 187, at 6'. At this stage of muscle mass, 185 would probably be perfect. Im trying to eat about maintenance, do Hyper I, and hopefully lean out just a little more.
I've lost 90+ pounds since May of 2005. I originally set a goal of 190, I hit that in June and dipped to a low of 187 in August. Started NROL Hypertrophy I that month and eating at or a little over maintenance, and I'm hovering around 192-195 right now. I'm going to go back to a fat loss routine pretty soon though, I'd like to add a little more definition to the muscle I've put on. I've been lurking around here for a while now, thanks for calling me out Newman!
-Chuck
RockChuck, welcome to the boards! I'm glad Newman convinced you to join us. Congrats on that weight loss. I hope to see more of you in here now that you've stepped up and posted.
I maxed out at 305# over the years I have been as low as 185#. I am currently holding a Holiday loaded 210# (damn parties). My goal for next year is 185# by May for a Half Marathon I will be training for.
__________________ -50# by 4/1/10 2 down 48 to go.
Guys you are all amazing (by guys,I mean ladies too).... and for those of you who do not usually post...thank you for sharing. Someone asked about timeframe. I don't really think timeframe is important. Wellness is a lifelong pursuit. It isn't something you will be perfect at in a day, month, or even a year. We use the word quest here for a reason. In this thread i am referring to weight that you have lost and kept off; however, I think the explanation that many of the posters have provided about their loss/gain/loss, etc is immensely valuable.
The question is ambiguous, for there are two ways of answering it. First, how much weight have you lost at one time, and, second, how much weight have you lost cumulatively, over a lifetime? The most I have ever lost, over a period of several months, is about 50 pounds—a good bit, since I am only 5'8". Over my long lifetime, it probably amounts to 1000 pounds.
My weight problem began in adolescence. At about 16 I went on my first diet, a so-called "catabolic" diet, based on the supposed principle that some foods, like celery, expend more calories to digest than they have. Salads were iceberg lettuce sloshed with mineral oil and lemon juice! I've done them all--cabbage diet, peel a pound diet, grapefruit diet, Atkins.
From about age 40 to 60 I was substantially overweight... sedentary, little exercise. Things got worse in 1998. I had lost 25 pounds over the past 4 months, in preparation for surgery. On January 12, I smoked my last cigarette, on the eve of surgery for lung cancer. By May I had regained the lost 40 pounds, plus 10. My waist ballooned out to over 42". BF% was over 24. The health benefits of not smoking were canceled by metabolic change and increased weight.
Two years later, I made a 180º turn—joined a gym and began the first regular program of systematic exercise. Then in 2002 I signed up with a trainer, intending to stay with him only a couple of months, in order to learn some free weight routines and wean myself from strict machine work. I'm still with him. Strength and endurancde have steadily increased to the point where I'm far better all around than at age 35. BF hovers between 15" and 17%. (Balance is another matter: age takes its toll in this aspect of physical shape, for me at least.)
There is for me no such thing as a constant weight. I gain and I lose, and it's strictly seasonal. At summer's end I am around 160 pounds, blue jeans at 34", BF 15%. Then my wife and I cut back on kayaking and walking the beach, and caloric intake climbs. Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are the devil's workshop, especially when my wife starts baking those Christmas cookies... fruit cake cookies drenched in brandy, sand tarts, many southern favorites, also German cookies, like Zimtsterne, also breads like Stolllen. 36" blue jeans are tight now, and some days after I get back from the gym i just stay in sweats.
As far as battling with weight goes, the best time of my life was 1970. I had a fellowship to go to Europe and look into the effects of pedestrian streets on life style. With my family, I was in Paris, Seville, Alicante, Barcelona, Florence, Venice, Split, Munich, Rothenburg, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, London, and Chester. We traveled from city to city in a Renault 16 (wonderful car!), but within each city we walked. And walked. And walked, starting right after New Years, when I was around 190. By April I was 155, with a 32" waist (only time since I was 14). I didn't diet exactly, but ate lots of fresh fruit and vegetables and drank cheap red wine instead of gin.
And on January 1, it will start again--cutting way back on starches and fats, trying to get back to those 34" jeans.
Two comments. First, I'm apalled by what I see whenever I go to to the grocery store, particularly the women with their Hottentot rears and their shopping carts crammed with dangerous junk, often with obese kids in tow.
The first time I ever noticed Jean-Paul, BTW, was on the old Men's Health bulletin board where he expressed similar observation about grossly overweight shoppers.
Second, although we get fat through accumulating bad habits regarding food and exercise, so that there's an element of personal responsibility involved, personal irresponsibility does not explain entirely the epidemic of obesity afflicting the country. Go back and look at Life magazine issues from the mid 1930s to the mid-1950s.In crowd scenes there is scarcely a fat or even stout person in sight. In 1948, 15 or 20 women I see today in every visit to the grocery store would qualify for a job as a carnival fat lady. The increase in the incidence of obesity correlates with changes in our life styles... with fast food restaurants, with increases in processed foods, with size of soft drinks, with the omnipresence of high fructose corn syrup in everything, even hot dog buns. All of these things have a political dimension that too often escapes attention. The food lobbyists on K Street are very prosperous and politically very very active. The Bush administration's toadying to the grocery and sugar lobbies in such matters as the FDA's strongarming the World Health Organization to softpedal its statements on the causes of obesity is truly disgusting. Follow the money. Fatties waddling down the aisles of the grocery store and filling up their shopping carts with Twinkies and Sugar Puffs fatten more than themselves... they also fatten the wallets of lots of overpaid corporate CEOs.
I should also add that one factor in my own history over time was a gradual reduction in testosterone production, corrected for the past 4 years by testosterone replacement therapy, with substantial benefits in many ways.
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"It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in an argument." William Gibbs McAdoo. US Vice-President under Woodrow Wilson.
That was a great post. Thanks for taking the time on that one.
You've had quite a journey through life. I'm glad to see you're doing so well.
Winter is a challenge for me, too. My dad makes prune and apple coffee cakes, stollen, and pfeffernusse. Luckily, he's not as active a baker in the last few years...
Quote:
15 or 20 women I see today in every visit to the grocery store would qualify for a job as a carnival fat lady.
I never even thought of that. Not a lot of carnivals of that sort, anymore. True, though.
How much weight have you lost?
I've had the weight off since around June 2002.
During the quest to lose bodyfat the gaining of muscle mass is essential as I am sure everyone will tell you. When I first started learning about fitness and nutrition two of the hardest concepts to get my head around were that in many cases I needed to eat MORE and that I needed to build muscle.
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