tjkraz
02-24-2006, 08:02 PM
I don't know that I've posted here before, but I did want to quickly share my success story with everyone. Maybe somone will find some inspiration in it.
I'm 6'3" with a pretty athletic build, and my weight has been in the 230s to 240s most of my adult life. Last October I became the (not so) proud owner of a hernia and had surgery in December. By the time I was cleared to resume normal activity, my weight had ballooned up to 255. I started dieting just about 6 weeks ago with the lofty goal of getting down to 230 before our trip.
Well, this morning I weighed-in at 231. :sunny:
There's no magic to how I did it--low calorie meals and exercise. I took myself down to about 1500 calories per day. Breakfast was usually a granola/nutrigrain bar of some sort or a couple of Eggo 'Special K' waffles. Typical lunch was a sandwich with Wonder Light bread, Fat Free Pringles or other light chips, cottage cheese or yogurt and a fruit or vegetable. Dinner was pretty normal, often with a salad w/ light dressing. Occasional snacks have been more fruit / vegetables or a "100 calorie" snack pack.
Oh, and a lot of water, too.
And then there's the exercise. Ugh! I started out with mostly weights and calesthenics (?), but then I discovered something new to me: running. My wife has had a treadmill for a year or so. I've never been a big fan of running, but a few weeks ago I figured 'what the hell.'
First time out I struggled to jog 1/4 mile. But it wasn't the worst experience in the world, so I figured I'd stick with it. I kept at it, usually every-other-day, trying to go a little further each time. Now I'm going 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 mile, 3 to 4 times per week, and I really enjoy it. IMO, it's the best 25-30 minute workout I could imagine. It's gotten to the point that I'm almost guaranteed of losing a pound per day whenever I run and stick to my diet.
Much to my delight, I've had ZERO nagging aches and pains from the running. I tend to play a lot of basketball during the summer, and it will often wear on me over time...sore back, sore knees, etc. But my legs have come through the jogging with flying colors.
So, I'm technically one pound short of my goal with two more weigh-ins before the trip actually begins. All of my shorts fit. My jeans are actually hanging loose on me. And, from a cardiovascular standpoint, I'm in the best shape I've been in for probably 5 years.
I'm not sure what will happen when I get back. Admittely I have made a pattern of losing weight prior to vacations in recent years and then completely dropping the diet / exercise routine for months thereafter. I know myself too well to think that I could continue eating these types of meals and doing this sort of exercise indefinitely.
But that said, it does feel a little different this time. In one regard, I'm already dreading the high-cal meals I know I'll be facing most days at Disney. We will be grocery shopping at the start of our trip, and I know I'll be getting lots of fruit and veggies and other healthy stuff for the room. That will certainly help.
At the very least, I'm going to try and stick with the running when I return. I'm blessed to be able to work from home, and the treadmill is only 15' away from me.
So that's my story. I hope it helps someone find a bit of inspiration. I'm not a doctor, but I usually cringe at these flukey diet fads when they make the rounds. For my money, it doesn't get much easier than lowering your intake, eating healthy and exercising. :thumbsup:
I'm 6'3" with a pretty athletic build, and my weight has been in the 230s to 240s most of my adult life. Last October I became the (not so) proud owner of a hernia and had surgery in December. By the time I was cleared to resume normal activity, my weight had ballooned up to 255. I started dieting just about 6 weeks ago with the lofty goal of getting down to 230 before our trip.
Well, this morning I weighed-in at 231. :sunny:
There's no magic to how I did it--low calorie meals and exercise. I took myself down to about 1500 calories per day. Breakfast was usually a granola/nutrigrain bar of some sort or a couple of Eggo 'Special K' waffles. Typical lunch was a sandwich with Wonder Light bread, Fat Free Pringles or other light chips, cottage cheese or yogurt and a fruit or vegetable. Dinner was pretty normal, often with a salad w/ light dressing. Occasional snacks have been more fruit / vegetables or a "100 calorie" snack pack.
Oh, and a lot of water, too.
And then there's the exercise. Ugh! I started out with mostly weights and calesthenics (?), but then I discovered something new to me: running. My wife has had a treadmill for a year or so. I've never been a big fan of running, but a few weeks ago I figured 'what the hell.'
First time out I struggled to jog 1/4 mile. But it wasn't the worst experience in the world, so I figured I'd stick with it. I kept at it, usually every-other-day, trying to go a little further each time. Now I'm going 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 mile, 3 to 4 times per week, and I really enjoy it. IMO, it's the best 25-30 minute workout I could imagine. It's gotten to the point that I'm almost guaranteed of losing a pound per day whenever I run and stick to my diet.
Much to my delight, I've had ZERO nagging aches and pains from the running. I tend to play a lot of basketball during the summer, and it will often wear on me over time...sore back, sore knees, etc. But my legs have come through the jogging with flying colors.
So, I'm technically one pound short of my goal with two more weigh-ins before the trip actually begins. All of my shorts fit. My jeans are actually hanging loose on me. And, from a cardiovascular standpoint, I'm in the best shape I've been in for probably 5 years.
I'm not sure what will happen when I get back. Admittely I have made a pattern of losing weight prior to vacations in recent years and then completely dropping the diet / exercise routine for months thereafter. I know myself too well to think that I could continue eating these types of meals and doing this sort of exercise indefinitely.
But that said, it does feel a little different this time. In one regard, I'm already dreading the high-cal meals I know I'll be facing most days at Disney. We will be grocery shopping at the start of our trip, and I know I'll be getting lots of fruit and veggies and other healthy stuff for the room. That will certainly help.
At the very least, I'm going to try and stick with the running when I return. I'm blessed to be able to work from home, and the treadmill is only 15' away from me.
So that's my story. I hope it helps someone find a bit of inspiration. I'm not a doctor, but I usually cringe at these flukey diet fads when they make the rounds. For my money, it doesn't get much easier than lowering your intake, eating healthy and exercising. :thumbsup: