We are Livin' Large @ JP Fitness! (formerly titled Big Losers)

[karkid]

Hey I just want to hear from the big losers that are on here. I've lost about 50 pounds, put on some muscle, and imho look pretty dang good now. Ive got about 30 pounds of fat left to lose, maybe less. I'm 5'9" 215ish. How many of you have lost that kind of weight, and how did you stay motivated? What was the hardest part of achieving your goals? What do you do now that you have are there?

[Lost Dog]

Well, three years ago, I was 232. Got down to 165 a couple years back. I'm up to 187, now. It's a long haul with literal ups and downs.

Motivation to lose that initial weight was never a problem. I'll be honest and say I've had a lot of frustration with losing "the last few." I never have. Yet.

I'm still trucking along, taking it slowly but surely. I'm motivated by different things, now. Getting stronger, getting bigger, better health, and getting leaner (slowly, unfortunately).

[Jean-Paul]

Roland, you were looking pretty friggin' "jacked" at the summit, so I don't know what you're complaining about.

[Lost Dog]

Jacked? Maybe I have body dysmorphia.

But, thank you. Made my night.

Now, I better go to bed before something bad happens and ruins it all.

Good night.

[K-Court]

My kids claim I'm a loser, but I'm in full denial .... :p

[Irishdazza]

I went from 97kg of mostly fat to 84kg at 10% in 6 months, 4 years ago.

I haven't been consistent with my diet since and my BF fluctuates quite a bit. But I'm stronger and fitter and feel a lot better for it. I rarely flag on my workouts - it's always diet that lets me down.

[Brian A.]

I was the fat kid growing up weighing in at about 279 going into my freshman year of HS. Then HS football and track cut me down to the 230's by my senior year. It was great because I could still eat whatever I wanted and still lose weight. Then the first two years of college put the weight back on (same eating habits with much less activity). Finally training for spring breaks my junior and senior years of college got me down to a pretty lean 213. Now I'm hovering in the 220's a little bigger but not quite as lean.

[Mahler]

Okay. You want the truth? You can't handle the truth! At least I couldn't. So I made some changes. Here are the pics to prove it.

Mahler at age 51.

and

Mahler at age 57.

Judge for yourself.

[GG300]

My gym did a sucess story (very prematurely) on me after I had been working out there for a little more than a year. If you Google Wisconsin Athletic Club and Click on Sucess Stories you will find mine listed under Gregg Gilmore. I started out weighing in at 305# and I am currently at 195#. The pictures in the sucess stories show me at about 280# (Bar owner days) and where I was at then at 220#. I started working with my current trainer just after that and while I have only dropped another 25# I have shaved of 10% Body fat since my 220 days. I am now pushing to lose 20# by the end of the year. When I hit my final goal I will put a pictiure in the fitness pics.

[RacerBill]

Holy cow, John!! I don't even recognize the guy in the first photo!!

About two years ago I was around 220-225 (didn't like to weigh myself!). Began weight training with TAP, and managed to change my eating habits along the way. I'd lost 9 pounds when we did a health fair at work and my body fat tested at 23%. Today I'm around 180 (give or take a few) and the last health fair tested me at 15.5% so despite the improvement, I still have some ways to go.

I don't have a digital photo of the fat me. I'll see about getting one converted and I'll post it sometime.

Keep going strong, Karkid. It's tough going sometime, but I just have to remind myself that I'm never going back to the way it used to be.

[Deserve]

You guys are all pretty d*mn amazing. It puts you in an elite class to have kept it off for so long.

[DrWheatie]

I was 5'9" and 240 lbs. in December of 2004. My wife was pregnant with #3, just got a new house so I decided to increase my life insurance. The physical didn't go well. The insurance doctor kept commenting on my weight and my BP (around 150/100) I went to see my Family Doc who wanted to put me on BP medication right away. I decided that was it. I started reading Men's Health and joined the MH Belly Off Forum. Did ABS diet, then HGM and have worked my way up and down to 193.5 lbs this am.

My biggest problem without a doubt is eating enough. I have plateued over and over at 192 to 193. I know my problem is not eating enough. I'm now working on eating at least 2500-2800 cal a day. As much as I've heard it I still have trouble believing it. Sometimes when you get stuck EAT MORE!

[Ogedei]

Originally Posted by Mahler

Okay. You want the truth? You can't handle the truth! At least I couldn't. So I made some changes. Here are the pics to prove it.

Mahler at age 51.

and

Mahler at age 57.

Judge for yourself.

You know those are the first before and after pics I have ever seen of you Mahler. Nice work man! You are an inspiration to us all! (DUH!)

Og.

[Ogedei]

A couple years back, around christmas, I think 2003 I weighed in a 300+lbs. I had weighed myself on a scale at 321 (I stand 6'5"), and I doubt I had lost any prior to switching lifestyle tracks. I don't know for sure, you see at 300lbs finding a typical bathroom scale to support your tremendous bulk is difficult.

Either way I something snapped in me and I found myself surfing fitness sites, I had read Men's Health a little and knew I had to not go on a diet, I knew I simply needed to eat better and excercise more.

I started reading Internet forums, MH to be exact. A new 52 Day Challenge was starting. I almost didn't join that first one. I almost talked myself into waiting for the second one, to get more framiliar with the ground rules of it all. In the end what had snapped stayed snapped and I decided if I was going to do this I was going to do it now. I joined the Challenge.

I learned to eat clean. I stopped eating crap, I stopped drinking gallons of coke (non-diet anyhow) and I started lifting weights. The Iron Manual. I lifted in my basement with a crappy bench and concrete weights. I eventually started going to the gym here on campus.

I saw weight come off. I saw it come off 2lbs a week like clockwork. That was motivation. I slowly saw myself change. Only it really is so slow you don't. I weighed in at 220 or so at the next christmas.

I visited my parents that Christmas. They didn't recognize me. That was all the reward I could have ever needed really. I changed my lifestyle so profoundly my parents did not recognize me.

The people here and at a time on MH have been great inspirations to me and my fitness quest. Having a group like this is awesome. I love you guys! You have made my life SO much better!

One last thought. I went from a XXL sized t-shirt to a FRICKIN' MEDIUM!
Now let's see about before and after pics.....

Before: (sorry it is so blurry I am a retard and couldn't figure out my webcam.)



Now:





Progress:

[pjb923]

Everyone that has posted has an amazing transformation story. There should be a sticky thread for all the success stories and a little information on how it was accomplished. These types of stories are a great motivation, especially for people that may be struggling with their own weight loss.

And John, like a few others have said already. I have never seen your "before" picture. I would not have known it was you. You are living proof that it's never too late to make a change. You are in better shape than most people half your age. Nice work!

[pjb923]

Ogedei, that is really amazing. I'm not surprised that your parents didn't recognize you. Thank you for sharing your progress pictures.