Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - 3 1/2 months, 102 lbs, 360 miles with pics

Well I wanted to update everyone. Since my first post not that long ago your support and motivation has help me in so many ways. I have lost 102 pounds since that day (April 14) bought and road a bike 360 miles and will be riding my first organized ride of 40 miles this sun. (and collecting the all important T-shirt) This is a before and after pic, the first at 526lbs the second at 424lbs.
Thanks again for all of the support :thumb:

hot damn son congratulations, kudos and all that. Keep riding

Congratulations, Taking Control. You really are---taking control of your life that is.:thumb: You give me inspiration. Thanks.
Kate

You are so inspiring!

keep going man you are committed

Wow, that's really impressive!

Great progress, keep it up and you'll be earning an emeritus certificate.

.......... and will be riding my first organized ride of 40 miles this sun. (and collecting the all important T-shirt)

Yes, but very soon the t-shirt is gonna be too big!!!

Congrats!:thumb:

HOW?? I'd be tickled to lose 10 pounds!

That is amazing! What did you do to drop the weight so quickly?

That is amazing! What did you do to drop the weight so quickly?

Yes, do tell. When I lost 100 pounds, it took ten months. And I was concerned about losing it too quickly.

Yeah. I've been working hard at it since early this year and just now reached the 30 pound mark in my weight loss...

Really happy for you. I watch for your posts to see how you are doing. Keep up the great effort. We all know what you've accomplished is simply amazing and has taken huge effort on your part.

Congrats man!

I have lost my weight with diet and exercise, no tricks no gimmicks. I keep track of every calorie that goes into my mouth and I keep my carb protein ratio as close to 1:1 as possible I am going to this clinic http://www.monarchmedical.net/ and would recommend them to anyone. The plan I am on teaches you about food and the relationship your primal brain has with it. ( the one that actually can control you when your screaming at yourself to stop.) One of the things that you do is eat every 3 hours, and right before bed (yep :) ) This keeps your blood sugar even through out the day and with no spikes or dips so that primal guy is all relaxed thinking everything is right in the world, plenty of food, and he will actually release your fat storage. Believe it or not, your brain can slip into fat storage mode very fast, Humans are the only animal on the planet that actually try and get ride of fat. This is just a brief overview of what I have learned from this clinic but it has been a great experience because the skills they teach are easy to incorporate into your life so they become a habit. This is key so you don't relapse or get board and all the things you all know we do.

Congratulations. That's fantastic and inspiring.

AWESOME!!! Congratulations!

Wow. That's a pound for every 3.5 miles. If I did that, I'd evaporate within a couple of weeks.

The fat storage relaxation process sounds like a good one. I imagine it means a strong amount of restriction to the diet?

Man kudos to you sir!!! Thats such awesome news... keep up the great work!!!!

The fat storage relaxation process sounds like a good one. I imagine it means a strong amount of restriction to the diet?

Not really, I eat 2600 calories a day, I also eat a lot pf fiber. for the most part I eat healthy filling foods (a lot of soy) chicken, tuna, turkey. But I can occasionally have beef or lamb. for the most part I eat the same thing almost every day because it is easy. ( don't have to think about it)

WOW! So awesome!

Question re your diet - it seems to involved alot of protein (although you mentioned fiber)... what amounts of other food items (fruits, veggie, starches etc) are you eating?

WOW! So awesome!

Question re your diet - it seems to involved alot of protein (although you mentioned fiber)... what amounts of other food items (fruits, veggie, starches etc) are you eating?

I'd be interested in knowing as well, since I don't eat anything that comes from an animal...

The only thing about weight loss it only gets harder as you get closer to your goal. The ironic thing is that was the easiest part. The next 100 will be harder and the one after that will be even harder. you want your BMI at 26 and i suspecting your around 6' so you will have to get down to around 200. just keep moving and keep your sights on your goal, Which you have implemented some good resources.

Super Congrats! In February of 2005 i was 452lbs. In January of 06 11 months later i was 300lbs. Since then I have rollercoaster’d up and down and am now at 316 down from 400 again in April of this year. So I 4 months I have lost 84lbs. I can tell you that once you get to about 300 it will be harder! And you will start to hit flat points for weeks at a time. Don’t let them discourage you, for the last 3 weeks I was stuck at the 328-333 range and in 8 days I am down to 316. I have done this 3 times now and have learned a lot about the rebound process and what happens. Just stick to it and constantly look at photos and I am a firm believer in multiple weigh in a day. It reminds me that I need to stick to my diet or those 3 lbs from last week can come back in a day, also tell everyone that you see daily, how you are doing they will think you are amazing and want updates and you won’t want to disappoint them!!. You have done amazing!! And I know you will keep getting better, riding has pulled me into the best shape of my life and this forum (the Clyde in-particular) even though i post rarely has always been there for me and helped me through tough times. Just remember where you came from. I also post on a blog daily that is in my sig to help me get called out if I don’t ride enough or start to falter!!!

TC, you are truly an inspiration!!

Fantastic job!

I would love to see a listing of your meal plan on an average day as well.

Congratulations on the weight loss. Keep it up.

Great job!!

Awesome job! I know first hand how hard of a ride weight loss can be having lost a lot of weight recently myself, I am glad that you took the step and are controlling your life.

PS: I have that shirt in your after lol Casual Male to the rescue!

Bravo.

Push

I would love to see a listing of your meal plan on an average day as well.

Congratulations on the weight loss. Keep it up.

First and formost congrats!!!!

I also would like to see your meal plan for an average day.


I also started 4-14-09 at 421 I have lost 40 pounds so far.

Also could you tell me about your road bike?

Keep up the hard work!!!

WOW! So awesome!

Question re your diet - it seems to involved alot of protein (although you mentioned fiber)... what amounts of other food items (fruits, veggie, starches etc) are you eating?

Actually as I had stated my protein carb ratio is almost exactly 1:1, I/E for every gram of protein I match it with a gram of carbohydrate. This mostly comes from vegetables and some fruit (tomatoes mostly). My dinner has 4 cups of raw spinach and I am currently eating fresh cucumber from our garden. fruit has a tendency to have so many carbs I have to limit it more.

I have lost my weight with diet and exercise, no tricks no gimmicks. I keep track of every calorie that goes into my mouth and I keep my carb protein ratio as close to 1:1 as possible I am going to this clinic http://www.monarchmedical.net/ and would recommend them to anyone. The plan I am on teaches you about food and the relationship your primal brain has with it. ( the one that actually can control you when your screaming at yourself to stop.) One of the things that you do is eat every 3 hours, and right before bed (yep :) ) This keeps your blood sugar even through out the day and with no spikes or dips so that primal guy is all relaxed thinking everything is right in the world, plenty of food, and he will actually release your fat storage. Believe it or not, your brain can slip into fat storage mode very fast, Humans are the only animal on the planet that actually try and get ride of fat. This is just a brief overview of what I have learned from this clinic but it has been a great experience because the skills they teach are easy to incorporate into your life so they become a habit. This is key so you don't relapse or get board and all the things you all know we do.

makes so much sense when i think about it. glad its working out for you. congratulations on the weight loss and yes like everyone says you are an inspiration to the rest of us:) are you doing other exercise too? 360 miles some people would do in a week:)

This is my day It is consistently the same (identical 10 days out of 12 on average)

Morn 6:30
Protein shake with 3/4 cup plain yogurt cal 360/ protein 52/ carb 32
this also has 30g of benifiber added ( important to attach bile so your liver makes more removing cholesterol )

Meal 2 9:30
Protein bar cal 160/ protein 15g /carb 18g
toasted soy nuts cal 130/ protein 10g /carb 10g
1/3 cup cottage cheese cal 53/ protein 9g

Meal 3 12:30
Protein bar cal 160/ protein 15g /carb 18g
soy chips cal 120/ protein 7g / carb 14g
jerkey cal 80/ protein 14g / carb 2g

Meal 4 3:30
same as above

Meal 5 6:30 This is my big meal of the day

Tasty taco salad
8oz lean ground turkey
1 cup onion (diced)
4 cups salad greens ( I use romaine, spinach and Swiss chard but any will do)
6oz grape tomatoes
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
4 tbsp salsa (I use pace)
chili powder to taste
cumin to taste

Sweat the onions in a nonstick pan with a pinch of salt (a pinch is approx 1/4 tsp for you non cooks)
add ground turkey chili powder and cumin. Brown then set aside.

Tear or cut greens into bite size pieces and place in a big bowl
add washed tomatoes
add turkey yogurt and salsa

enjoy
Nutrition information Serves 1 calories 624 protein 66g carbohydrates 64.5
This with 1 cup of quinoa cal 176/ protein 6/ carb 31

Meal 6 last of the day 9:30
Same as any of the other mini meals

Total daily calories 2483 / Protein 266g / Carbohydrates 248g

Yes I mix it up with circuit training at my local gym.

Good job TC. I like that primal brain theory, it makes sense to me. I'll be rooting for you!

Well done.

Congratulations TC. Now I know what you look like and will be looking for you on Sunday at the CBT:)

I gave this some thought. Here's a little commemoration of your huge milestone. Save it, print it and hang it up. You truly deserve this.

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o260/TomStormcrowe/Spinner%20and%20Clydesdale%20charts/takingcontrol.jpg

I'm honored , Really this forum deserves a fair amount of credit. The stories of so many others achievements have paved the way to my strive for a better me. Others have shown that it can be done, it is up to me to follow in their (and yours Tom) footsteps.

Now that is cool well done Tom!!!

Congrats tc

Thats amazing!

Congratulations. Keep it up. Feeling good is a great sensation.

Funny - I started riding my bike on April 14th of this year after a 10 year hiatus. I think I lost a few pounds and definitely feel better as well.

Don't worry of there are a few oscillations in your progress - life is a funny marathon and not so much of a sprint.

This is my day It is consistently the same (identical 10 days out of 12 on average)

Morn 6:30
Protein shake with 3/4 cup plain yogurt cal 360/ protein 52/ carb 32
this also has 30g of benifiber added ( important to attach bile so your liver makes more removing cholesterol )

Meal 2 9:30
Protein bar cal 160/ protein 15g /carb 18g
toasted soy nuts cal 130/ protein 10g /carb 10g
1/3 cup cottage cheese cal 53/ protein 9g

Meal 3 12:30
Protein bar cal 160/ protein 15g /carb 18g
soy chips cal 120/ protein 7g / carb 14g
jerkey cal 80/ protein 14g / carb 2g

Meal 4 3:30
same as above

Meal 5 6:30 This is my big meal of the day

Tasty taco salad
8oz lean ground turkey
1 cup onion (diced)
4 cups salad greens ( I use romaine, spinach and Swiss chard but any will do)
6oz grape tomatoes
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
4 tbsp salsa (I use pace)
chili powder to taste
cumin to taste

Sweat the onions in a nonstick pan with a pinch of salt (a pinch is approx 1/4 tsp for you non cooks)
add ground turkey chili powder and cumin. Brown then set aside.

Tear or cut greens into bite size pieces and place in a big bowl
add washed tomatoes
add turkey yogurt and salsa

enjoy
Nutrition information Serves 1 calories 624 protein 66g carbohydrates 64.5
This with 1 cup of quinoa cal 176/ protein 6/ carb 31

Meal 6 last of the day 9:30
Same as any of the other mini meals

Total daily calories 2483 / Protein 266g / Carbohydrates 248g

Very Inspiring!! Awsoem story and looks like you really are taking control. I am learning a ton from you - and reading what you are eating.

Have a blast on your charity ride. I say do as many as possible..do bring your own food so you can stick to your plan- Have you figured out how many colaories to add per hour of the ride?? Some say for evry ride over 1-2 hour they add like a gel (100 calories??) an hour...Just curious. My first year I would have South Beach Bars on every ride...

Now I am having trouble with not eating a ton - so I really need to takde actipon and keep being inspired here!

Sue

I have come to understand how important the bike is in losing weight. I started in April at 277. At my weight and speed that I ride, I burn about 1250 calories per hour or about that many calories per 14/15 miles. I do 100 miles per week (at 20-40 miles per ride). At that rate, I'm burning about 2500 calories per ride times 3.3 rides per week coming to about 8200 calories. My nutritionist has me on 2500 calories per day (I think that's a little too high, but she insists) and says I should lose 1 lb per week. So 2500 calories times 7 days per week = 17,500 calories that I'm taking in. However, when I account for the 8200 extra that I burning off, that comes to a net of only 9300 that I'm taking in. That will burn fat. I'm at about 250 now and comfortable. My goal is to be at 210 this time next year. It could be quicker, but I want to make it permanent. The math works! Keep up the good work!

professor Bob wow really you are on 2500 cals per day. I am 249lbs at moment and have been working on about 1200-1300 cals a day . I lose about 2 lbs a week.

of course weekends are my worst time and I probably negate some of that *sigh*

Steve

professor Bob wow really you are on 2500 cals per day. I am 249lbs at moment and have been working on about 1200-1300 cals a day . I lose about 2 lbs a week.

of course weekends are my worst time and I probably negate some of that *sigh*

Steve

That sounds like not enough calories, in my opinion. I tried cutting back that much and wasn't losing much weight. Did some research and found several sources that say cutting back more than 500 calories a day can actually slow weight loss. Something about your body thinking you are starving and starting to store fat instead of burning it.

I'm now at 2000 calories a day, and have lost 30 pounds since May.

That sounds like not enough calories, in my opinion. I tried cutting back that much and wasn't losing much weight. Did some research and found several sources that say cutting back more than 500 calories a day can actually slow weight loss. Something about your body thinking you are starving and starting to store fat instead of burning it.

I'm now at 2000 calories a day, and have lost 30 pounds since May.

Not if you exercise along with cutting calories. Your body doesn't suddenly decide to burn less energy when you run or bike because you eat less, moving the same amount of mass requires the same amount of distance requires the same amount of energy when efficiency is equal. Your BMR might change slightly but your body cannot compensate to that degree. The two big things you need to realize if you do a significant calorie cut is you need to take in enough carbs to power your cardio, that is where you get your energy, that low carb crap is total bs and extremely unhealthy. Also make sure to do some sort of resistance training to alleviate loss of lean muscle.

I did a calorie deficit of over 1000 calories for a period of over 12 months. All in all lost a total of 175 pounds, with a vigorous exercise routine. I would suggest if you are truly serious about it see a registered dietitian and have them help you cut through a lot of the crap and misinformation you find out there. Finding a good gym with knowledgeable trainers and staff helps too. I actually saw an article today that said exercise can hurt weight loss! I read it, and basically it was saying people overate after exercising and therefore exercise was bad. Like people are mindless automatons at the whim of their bodies. This was from Time Magazine at that!

I am also a fan of cross training, if all you do is one exercise you body will over time adjust to do it more efficiently. Doing a variety of exercise helps reduce this effect, but gradually build up! A lot of people bite off too much too soon and injure themselves.

I wallowed through almost 15 years of fad dieting and crappy advice from people who were more interested in making money off me than actually giving me good info. The reality is simple, you need to expend more energy than you take in. While there are a few tips and tricks you can follow along the way, the basic forumula does not change.

I agree with "fad dieting" causing more problems then are immediately known. As i posted at the beginning your primal brain thinks a certain way and does different things depending on the conditions it perceives. This is not the brain that you think with it is not something you can control (anymore then you can control your heart rate) The only thing you can do is change its perception of the world around it. This is done by eating small meals more often. My diet is proscribed by an MD. and is monitored on a monthly basis. (i weigh in every week but only see the doc once a month)
My body comp is checked at these times for such things as fat free mass (skeletal and muscle ) , water weight, and est fat. This is not something I would recommend to someone with out guidance from a physician. The reason I am dropping weight so fast is because I am so large, There is no way my body can keep the amount of weight my frame with my caloric intake. If I was sedentary at my current weight my body burns around 3600 calories. I am only eating 2600, That = 2lbs loss per week without exercise. On top of that I am very active (cycling/gym) This counts for my additional loss per week. (3 lbs extra per week average)

Have you figured out how many colaories to add per hour of the ride?? Some say for evry ride over 1-2 hour they add like a gel (100 calories??) an hour...Just curious. My first year I would have South Beach Bars on every ride...


Sue

I'm not really riding far enough to warrant changing what I eat that much (only 40 miles) I may throw in some extra soy nuts but that's it.