Being a small guy, there is one thing I don't understand. Don't take this the wrong way, but how does someone let themselves get so big to begin with? I feel like a fat slob at 160, I can't imagine ever getting up to 200 I mean it hurts to move, its hard to breath, etc... Was there somwhere along the way that you realized you were too big and just didn't know how/didn't have the will to stop and/or reverse it? Again, I'm not trying to insult anyone, just trying to understand the physcology of it.
For me it has been a number of factors..
First of alll, my parents are both overweight. My diet growing up was poor. My dad refused to eat any vegetable except corn. It was a lot of red meat and mashed potatoes that were loaded with butter.. processed foods like Kraft Mac & Cheese... And of course the portion sizes were way too big. We'd go out to eat at least once a week, sometimes a few times in the same week and we'd have contests on who could finish fastest. Oh yeah, we drank soda soda and more soda. Occasionally milk or orange juice.
When I got on my own I knew I was big (around 200, 5'9") and I still ate like crap. I didn't know what a true serving was at the time and I still continued to gain weight, but I was aware of it. I just didn't know what to do. I was, though, starting to eat vegetables more since I hadn't had them growing up.
And then I started travelling for a living. It'd be constant mountain dew and fast food. And I knew deep down it wasn't good for me, but I really didn't know how bad it was for me. I ballooned up to near 300 pounds. I cannot explain to you how hard it is to travel for a living and eat healthy. I broke the cycle a couple years ago and started to lose weight during the summer (swimming, cutting out soda) my job went along with school year and once I was back out on the road it only took a month for the crap cycle to continue.
I tried doing exercises (i.e. weight lifting, treadmills) but just had no interest in it. It, to me, accomplished nothing. And they always had the stupid TV blaring with something stupid like Judge Judy and that motivated me even less.
Finally this year I broke the cycle. What did it for me was hopping on my home scale reading 280 (which was usually 10 pounds less than the doctor's scale) So let's say 290 was my weight. My blood pressure was 154/105 WITH medication. I was having chest pains, a numbness in my arm, loud snoring and trouble sleeping. And after all this, I visited the denist for the first time in years and they told me I was in the process of starting to lose my teeth due to excess tartar and plaque buildup from years of poor dieting and bad hygeine.
On top of this, gas was $4 a gallon and I kept thinking about how in high school I did commute by bike to school and work and never sweated the price of gas.
So I ended up doing things in steps...
First I cut out soda... and started drinking (home brewed) green tea.
Second, I went 90% vegetarian. I figured cutting my fat intake would help me lose weight.
Third, I started biking around town running errands..
Fouth, I started riding TO work 14 miles once a week. Getting a ride home. Then I started adding days riding to work. Then I got to all four days riding in. Then I started doing the round trip -- 28 miles a day. Each week adding another day of round trip. the entire time I'm learning about proper nutrtion. BECAUSE I HAVE TO.
It came down to finding a practical purpose for exercise (getting to work) and top of enjoying riding the bike and in order to do those things I have to maintain proper nutrition otherwise I'm back in the car and the cycle can start over again.
I'm now below the 260 mark and I think that's an accomplishment. My blood pressure is 110/70 and my doc says I'll be off meds within a few months.