I've always been a big guy. I was the fat kid in school. When I graduated high school I was about 6'2" and 265lbs. In college, I lost a little weight doing slim fast, but quit because I couldn't afford the slim fast shakes. A few years ago, I lost a little weight playing racquetball, but my r-ball partner stopped playing so I quit that too.
About a year ago, my grandfather had open heart surgery. My other grandfather died a few years earlier from heart problems. I had been diagnosed as a diabetic about 3 years prior. On a family vacation in DC, we were walking from the Lincoln memorial to the train stop in Arlington Cemetary. My daughter noticed that I was having a hard time with the walk over the bridge. I was 310lbs that day.
I realized at that point, that all the previous successes I'd acheived in losing weight were tied to an expensive product or an activity that involved someone else. That night I went to a book store and started looking for an exercise program that didn't require a specific time, place, equipment or another person. I bought a book on Yoga and have been doing it every single day without exception.
I also started a way of eating (aka diet) called SugarBusters. It's basically concerned with whole foods, lower carbs (but includes fruits and veggies) and eating things that have values lower on the glycemic index.
Early this spring someone at work noticed that I was drinking 2 or 3 44oz diet cokes a day at work and mentioned that the caffeine might not be so good for me. Since that comment, I've only had water or milk to drink...mostly water.
About 8 weeks ago, I decided that one of my favorite things to do as a kid was to ride my bike. I could do it with friends or alone and have a lot of fun. So, I bought a hybrid. 3 weeks ago I rode it for 50 miles on my first organized ride and realized that although it's a great bike, it's not made for distance. 2 weeks ago, I bought a road bike (Giant OCR2) and yesterday I rode my first solo metric (66.5mi) and feel pretty good. I tipped the scales at 240 this morning.
My points are:
1. I was always heavy, so I never had any moments of true disgust or elation. I just always felt like I wanted to be more healthy.
2. I've learned that you can't rely on gimmicks, products or other people to make you more healthy.
3. I've slowly added (or rather taken away) things in my lifestyle that make more sense and I try to stick with them, biking is just the latest thing I've added.
Like most folks who've lost weight and made healthy improvements in their life, I have a nagging fear in the back of my mind that I'll return to my previous state. Each morning when I get on the scale and I'm a pound or so heavier (often due to water) I sort of freak out and think I'm back-sliding. Then I say to myself...."Listen, Idiot: a year ago you were a mess, yesterday you rode 66.5 miles on a bike! You're doing the right things. Just keep it up."
The most surprising thing has been to me that I've made some serious improvements without beating myself up. There have been precious few times in the past year that I've felt like I was suffering or really punishing my body. Most of the time, I've made calm, quiet choices and done gentle, enjoyable physical activities that have created positive results. No starvation diets, no crying and grunting in the gym....just small increases in activity and sensible eating. Someone recently asked: "When will you be finished with this diet and exercise program?" I sort of looked at them a little confused. Why would I want to stop? It's better than what I was doing before and it's a healthy lifestyle. My goal used to be to lose weight by eating a certain way and exercising. Now my goal is to continue to eat this way and enjoy the exercise.
The means has become the end.