Jarrett2

I'm curious who among us Clydes & Athenas have dropped a significant amount of weight without weight loss surgery.

Who has done it?
What methods did you use?
Have you been able to keep it off?

RR3

I am not sure if my 75 pound drop is "substantial" but i did it with a low carb high fat diet and lots of long steady rides to burn off the fat.

I have pretty much kept it off.

WonderMonkey

I have, depending on your view of "substantial". Compared to some here it it may not compare but compared to others it's a bunch.

Step 1 - Decided you are going to do it. I mean really decide. Not "try" or "give it a shot" but "It's done. Now just do it"

Step 2 - Work on making lifestyle ADJUSTMENTS. We as humans can adjust but we have difficulties changing. In reality it is the same thing but one seems to be less intimidating than that other.

Step 3 - In Step 2 get your nutrition under control. This is where the majority of your success or failure will occur.

Step 4 - Find a few different exercises that you WILL ACTUALLY DO. Walk. Ride a bike. Swim. Whatever. Just pick a few and BE CONSISTENT over doing epic outings.

Step 5 - Refine steps 3 and 4 but always go back to step 1. Find your WHY. WHY are you wanting to do what you are doing. Find it and make reminders of it that you can see daily. If you can make your step 1 strong enough you can go back to it when you need to pick yourself up and keep going.

WonderMonkey

The below is in response to the "What methods did you use?" question. It has allowed me to keep moving and answer the "Have you been able to keep it off?" with YES and "I'm still progressing".

UrHuckleBerry

170+(scale stopped reading after 400), 230 currently. Just watched what I ate and stopped eating/drinking copious amounts of calories.

It has stayed off, and still going down.

BigMo59

I've went from 350 to 250 in the last 16 months. I'm 60 y.o. and have struggled with weight all my life. This time I didn't diet as in counting calories and denying myself everything. I just watch what I eat and ride as much as I can. I'd like to get rid of a few more pounds but my main concern right now is to not start gaining. I rode a lot last winter but we had a fairly mild winter here in Indiana.

JerrySTL

I have a buddy who went from 463 lbs (but actually probably more as he started losing weight before he found a scale) down to 250 lbs. He's 6'6" so the 250 was good. He joined weight watchers and followed their plan. He also took up running and some cycling. He also worked out at the gym. Diet and exercise - plain and simple. It took a little over 2 years of effort.

He did a few half marathons in under 2.5 hours and was getting ready for a full marathon. However his knee, which was one of the reasons he started to lose weight, required surgery which stopped his distance running.

Of course he did have problem maintaining the weight lose and is a little over 300 lbs now. But that's much better than the 463+ lbs before.

JamesRL

Dropped 60 lbs, walked 8 flights of stairs every work day, eliminated most simple carbs(white bread, white rice, potatoes, pop, sugar), ate more veggies. It isn't rocket science, or at least doesn't have to be. It gets harder, the first 20 lbs wasn't bad, but you need to keep slowly increasing your exercise as you go.

Birkybirk

I lost 95 pounds. I think WonderMonkey summed up the nuts and bolts quite well. I would say the same thing. I used to be athletic but gained a ton of weight over the years. I just got sick and tired of being fat. I cut out sugars, carbs and ride my bike almost every day for an hour. I also walk 5 miles or so tracking steps with a Fitbit. It hasn't been easy, per se, but my eating habits have become just that. Healthier habits. I will automatically look for the best choices in food. Eating high fat keeps me feeling full and just fitting into clothes that I have not been able to for many years is rewarding. I have no desire to return to the overeating I once did on a daily basis.

Velocivixen

I went from 248 to 132 on Weight Watchers - eating better and mindfully AND exercise/activity. I look and feel great. Kept it off 7 years. I still keep track of what and how much I eat and get some sort of activity most days.

Ursa Minor

352 to 198 over period of 4 years low carb

Charlie

indyfabz

90 lbs. in 9 months by decreasing calories and increasing aerobic exercise. No low this (other than calories) or high that diet.

bbbean 

160 lbs lost over 2 years with a combination of lower carbs, food/exercise logging, and daily exercise. Hit my goal weight a little over 2 years ago and have maintained my weight within a 7-8 lb window using the same methods. Simultaneously the easiest and hardest thing I've ever done.

Inpd

I think that's a winner. Absolute values are not important, but relatively speaking @Velocivixen lost close to 50% of her body mass.

CdaleNike21

They're all winners in my opinion.

Jarrett2

Agreed. All winners. I'd love to hear more stories.

My story, I dropped 153 lbs initially. 405 to 252. Then eased up on the plan over last winter and shot up to 280 (125 down) and stayed there most of 2015.

Just sort of restarted a couple of weeks back on a new plan called The Primal Blueprint. Down to 272 again and dropping.

largefarva

I went from 298 in May around my 40th birthday, down to 223 as of today. 75 lbs...not too shabby but I want to lose about 30-40 more. 30 lbs will put me back into the normal range for my BMI, so I'd like to get little bit below that. Honestly though...anything under 200 lbs and I'll be pretty dang excited. The only modifications I've made to my diet is I've completely cut out any sort of fast food and have not had any frozen or fried food since May. Smaller portions to a degree as well....but not stressed that much.

As far as exercise goes, I've really upped it with cycling....over 2600 miles since my first ride on May 31st. You guys should see my work pants on me....if I didn't cinch them down with a belt there is no way they could even possibly stay on me. I have lost 8-10 inches on my waist so far.

People who haven't seen me in a while are shocked when they see me. I haven't weighed in the 220's since around 2000 or so. Right now is the lightest my wife has ever seen me, when we met in 2007 i was around 250 and slowly gained weight from there...well until now.

scrming

Yep... pretty much sums it up for me... cut the junk, watch the calories and pedal whether it's inside or out... down from 325 to 215 in a year...

indyfabz

Very important. Before I started losing weight I would do things like have cheese hoagies with mayo as late night snacks a couple of times per week.

awfulwaffle 

I think I might count. 290 to 175 and still dropping (though I'm near my lower limit). Started when I was working a job that required about 12 miles of walking per night, 7 days a week. That got me down to 240. The rest of it was done with regular cycling, weight training, and just monitoring my calorie intake with MyFitnessPal. Cut out the junk food, eat more balanced macronutrients, etc.. Eating healthier has become the new routine, so I don't really have a drive to eat a bunch of junk food anymore. I do have some high calorie beers now and again though

spoiledrotten

I don't get it with the surgery. Loosing weight is like getting out of debt. It takes a change in lifestyles. The surgery is for those that want to loose weight by sitting on the couch and scrolling through the channels on the TV. If you can gain the weight due to your lifestyle, then you can gain it again after the surgery if you don't change your ways. You have to get off your butt and burn more than you take in. I know that's not easy for many, since many live to eat rather than eat to live. I love to eat, too, but cutting way back on sugar and salt intake was a key factor in my loosing 30#. I know that isn't significant to many, but from someone that weighed in at 135# at 20 years old, then to gain up to 230#, it was getting back to the comfort zone that I feel better in. There's a woman at work that is huge. She has mentioned surgery. I told her to get a bike and get out and ride. She was gung-ho over that idea. She borrowed a bike and rode one day for 3 miles. She hasn't mentioned the bike again. She's also the kind that gets up from her desk, goes outside and sits in the sun on her breaks rather than walking down the street in the morning and afternoon, and even at lunch. She just wanted to talk about loosing that bank of fat she carries.

Jarrett2

Let's not turn this into an anti-surgery thing, rather just a positive success thread on weight loss without surgery and ways to achieve it.

It's funny you mention this. I'll bump into acquaintances that haven't seen me since my heaviest at the grocery store. I'll say, "hey!" and they just nod their head and keep walking wondering who that weird guy that seemed excited to see them was

scrming

It's really not that simple or cut and dry... While I didn't have surgery, it took a very major life event to get me to change my lifestyle... having TWINS at 50! Yeah, that will motivate you!

Tundra_Man 

I've lost more than 180 pounds.

Unfortunately I did it by losing 60 pounds three times while gaining it back in between.

chefisaac

I've lost 140 pounds. Used cycling, walking, hiking, weight lifting, kettlebells and HIIT. I track all my food.

I am watchful of my sugar intake, simple carbs and my sodium intake. I am constently learning things and love it. Some days are harder then others but I continue to work on myself and journey.