Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Then and now.. A years difference

Well I stumbled across a picture that was a year old of me before I started the diet and exercise program.

I started at a measured high of 267 and am an insulin dependent type II diabetic looking like this.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a64/dave5339/006-1.jpg

Thanks to the My Fitness Pal app on my phone, walking more than a few miles, some running, and riding lots, I've now fallen out of the Clyde status to 192#, (my goal is 174) and looking like this.. Still an insulin dependent type II however, but I am working on that.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a64/dave5339/001-3.jpg

Just a bit of a change.

Semper Fi

Great job!!!

Holy cr@p!

Nice work. And all in a year! Congratulations and best wishes for reaching your goal soon.

Congrats... Way to go... good luck getting to your final goal.

Wow, great job! :D

I am on MFP

wholy s*@&!!!!!!!!!!!

that is 100% grade A awesome.

more details on eating changes and biggest hurdles please.

great job!

Great Job ......very motivating!

Fine work Dave, outstanding results, you have inspired us..
Already getting requests.

more details on eating changes and biggest hurdles please.

Good work man! You're kicking butt, keep at it.

wholy s*@&!!!!!!!!!!!

that is 100% grade A awesome.

more details on eating changes and biggest hurdles please.

Most of my details are in my blog, (linked in my signature line). I'll add more details tonight when I can.

The biggest eating change was staying in the calorie budget. There were days when I really wanted that double cheeseburger and fries but knowing what it would do to the budget I held off. The other big change for me was reducing the portion size, I was always one of those, "There's still room on my plate type guys" and my portions tended to be fairly large.

What I ate changed also. Being a diabetic my wife and I have moved away from a lot of the processed foods. We've moved to a lot of fresh veggies, fruits and lean meats. This means that my wife ends up doing a lot more meal planning and cooking which is a good thing. It's also helped us change our kids diets from junk to healthy.

The two biggest hurdles for me was time management and going cold turkey stopping a 3-5 diet coke a day habit.

The time management issue really involves my exercise routine. It's hard to take an entire Saturday away from the family to go ride 125+ miles but I do it. Fortunately my wife rides and my kids are wanting to run so the exercise is something we are all involved in. As the kids get older and better on their bikes it will be something that we can incorporate as an entire family. Right now, my wife and I alternate our ride nights, that way we both get rides in during the week. The nights we aren't riding, were either taking the kids for a walk or a run.

Kicking Diet Coke has been by far the hardest, right about now, I'd dang near kill for a Diet Coke. I could slide back into that habit in a heart beat. I won't let myself though cause I saw measureable weight loss and a drop in my fasting blood sugar when I kicked the soda habit.

The thing that has really made this work for me is goal setting. I am very goal orientated and have been able to break everything down into a series of small goals leading to my big goals. The scary part of that though is when I start hitting my cycling goals what is going to come next. I've done the century, I've now done a brevet, (200 kilometers / 125 miles), and am aiming for a double century. What happens when I nail my double? The local randonneurs are already suggesting 400k, 600k and 1200k rides...

Semper Fi

awesome, thanks for sharing, inspirational. did you keep your largest pants?

Very impressive!!

Awsome

Super job Dave! Keep it up!

Totally inspirational, Marine! I started riding three weeks ago, and the intention is to get closer to my USMC weight from 24 years ago. I'm pushing 300lbs right now, and even though I can ride 50-100 miles a week, I am still not losing the weight.

But your pics really inspire. Semper Fi, Bro!

Great work! Inspiring to say the least!

Uhm.. wow. The difference is simply amazing.

That is amazing! You look fantastic!

Wow! Congratulations! Good luck getting to your goal weight.

Totally inspirational, Marine! I started riding three weeks ago, and the intention is to get closer to my USMC weight from 24 years ago. I'm pushing 300lbs right now, and even though I can ride 50-100 miles a week, I am still not losing the weight.

But your pics really inspire. Semper Fi, Bro!

Hmasing,

The trick is to not only exercise more, but to eat less. I am religious about tracking everything in My Fitness Pal and staying mostly in budget. A day or two out of budget doesn't hurt as long as you are running a steady calorie deficit. Since I started this last June, I am averaging a net calorie intake, (gross calories in - exercise) of around 1150 calories per day.

Also watch what you eat, my wife and I have moved away from processed foods and we find ourselves eating a lot more fresh veggies and fruits as well as healthy meats.

If you made it through Marine Corps boot camp, this should be a walk in the park! My now not so secret goal is my dress blue jacket hanging in my closet... One of these days I'll be able to wear it again.

Semper Fi

Wow -- those pictures are worth waaaay more than a thousand words. Truly amazing.

I'm a year behind you. I was up to ~240 at the end of last year, and made the decision to lose weight. Like you, I found portion control combined with reasonably healthy food choices to be a winning combo. I'm down to 210 now and hope to get to ~175 and stay there. So I have a loooooong way to go.

And keeping it off is the hard part!

I tumbled to MFP a couple weeks ago and rapidly became a true believer. Great app, good web site, good system.

Net 1100 calories seems awfully low, though... I presume you have discussed this with your doctor?

So thanks for posting the pix and writeup; it helps all of us that are in the same boat.

Tom in SoCal

Congrats, I only hope to do as good as you have.

Lookin good!

Great job, fantastic! Good luck getting where you want to be, and better luck with kicking the meds.

Wow, what an inspiration just looking at those pictures. Great job! I know that this will help in my weight loss journey.

Congratulations!

Wow, nice work! You look great! Keep it up.

I'm probably 3-5 months away from losing my own clyde status. I don't weigh myself regularly, so I don't know exactly where I'm at. Last time I went to the Dr, I was 224, and I've gone down a belt notch since then.

Thanks for the motivation.

Congrats to you for your success and hard work. That is a big improvement!

Wow ,

That is impressive mate, Keep up the good work and make sure you apply for your Certificate you deserve one

Very nice. You are doing a terrific job.

Like whats been said, great work, you don't even look like the same person.

I started 6 months ago, but haven't seen much weight loss. My face is thinning, and my pants are starting to loosen up some though. I try to watch what I eat, but could do better I know. I'm now up to 40-45 mile rides, 4-5 days a week, increasing mileage each month. My goal is to lose more weight, and do a century in Oct.

You and others have inspired me to proceed, thanks.