I've only gone swimming once in the past decade, and I wore a t shirt into the water. You might try that.

Sorry to hear about your stroke. Hopefully you have no major long term side affects or repercusions from it.

It was a minor one - I think the term used is "mini-stroke". I don't appear to have had much, if any, loss of functioning, but I was having lightheadedness for a while, as I posted back in January. And my limp is worse than usual, but that's structural. Still, all in all, I'd rather not have another. :)

Thats good you did not have a major one since i have first hand seen the ramafacations of it first hand.I'll knock on wood for you that you dont have any more setbacks

Now that im finally under 200lbs I felt i could toss in some updated pix.

The Before was over 280lbs and is from a Xmas 2006, I started my diet in April/May of 2007

Im currently at 197lbs , my target weight is 180 before the end of the year

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3185/...9ddb484417.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3193/...2e836cc1e2.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3184/...2c238034a6.jpg

BTW incase anyone recall I had a bad crash on my bike the first week of July, im still bikeless since the frame cracked and im still waiting for the repaired frame to come back from Calfee. I should be riding again within the next two weeks.
Ive supplemented my cycling with running and lucky for me im still dropping weight.

Nice job, so how many of you had extra skin and how did you deal with it?

Does anyone else see DeNiro, hare? :p

"Raging Bull" in the first photo?

Wow - awesome transformation.... and very sexy as well..can I say that here?

As long as your a women i wont complain :D

Way to go. I can't believe the difference in appearance.

Thanks!
In H.S. and most of college i looked similar to the way i look now. I was like 10lbs lighter than now in H.S. and like 20 more in college....

Then i just blew up and that horrible pic was the most i ever weighted.... Glad to be where im at now

Hey Tom y isnt this thread a stickie??? It was at one point, or am i mistaken

It was, but it's listed in the big index thread instead. We got too many stickies.

Alright! This is some inspirational stuff.

I can't compare to some of you, but I have to lose weight none-the-less.

I grew up SKINNY. I was so thin I could reach around the top of my arm and my fingers would touch, like the bottom end of a baseball bat. People used to see me and gasp because I was so thin. And I ate all the time. It got to the point in which I bragged about how much I could eat and not gain weight. I was like that Japanese guy who wins the hot dog eating contests. I used to be able to eat, at one sitting, a quarter pounder, supersized fries, six piece chicken nugget, extra hamburger, extra large coke, and an apple pie and not gain any weight.

Well, that changed many years ago.

I am almost forty, am 6,0 and this summer topped out at 211.5 pounds. I was so mad at myself when I hit that mark.

Now I'm about 207, and have been riding for weeks, so I'm a bit frustrated. I feel great, my endurance is up, and I have more energy, but I'm not losing much weight. So two days ago my friends all told me I have to go low carb.

Tomorrow I'll be on the low-carb, low-calorie plan.

My ultimate goal is to hit 180 and keep it there. I want a flat stomach. All my weight is concentrated on my gut (and a little on my neck). No weight goes to the arms or legs. Weird. It's all on the gut.

So, my goal is to get this darn gut FLAT by Christmas. Lots of exercise and diet.

First thing to go: Sodas. I drink several cokes per day. I've been hooked for decades, literally. I need to quit those darn things, and today I drank my last one (I hope). I'm switching to black coffee and unsweet tea.

Plus I'm commuting eight miles per day. It's not much, but it provides a total of about 50 minutes of intense exercise.

I'll post before and after when I get there.

Goodluck Mike - one thing you may want to add is a few drops of Stevia to sweeten the tea to help you through kicking the habit. (It comes in a dropper type bottle - available at Whole Foods or a health Food Store) Stevia is a natural no calorie sweetener. I know it's a crutch - but I figure whatever it takes.

Don't wear a t-shirt - get a loose-fit rash guard - they make them in larger sizes, and they don't absorb water like a t-shirt does. If you're in the sun, it's a lot less sunscreen that you have to apply.....

Actually the nice thing about swimming with a big t-shirt is the resistance.

Figure I'll take a shot at it.

First pic is from my high school graduation, so May of 2006 -- I'm the one on the far left. I think I was somewhere around 240. Second is about a month ago, weighing in near 180. I still would like to lose more, but I'm much happier and healthier now than ever :) I would have never believed I would be capable of this, as I've never been athletic. Thank goodness I found cycling and BikeForums. I'm now trying to work my way into the world of Tri's!

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...Graduation.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...s/IMG_9496.jpg

Also, I hardly swim so much as thrash around. :)

Well let me try this again. Somehow I managed to post into the wrong thread. :lol:

Here are my before and afters. The before is about 7 years ago before I hit my heaviest at 240 this Feb and before I had a Heart attack 5 years ago. I made some life choices and bicycle commuting for the health benefits this year was what has been the biggest help.


About 7-8 years ago somewhere around 230-235lb in a XL shirt in front of my old beater truck.
207 yesterday in a large shirt with my Biggest reason to take care of myself.

OK, here the pictures go..



First, me winning for my boy scouts, this was July of 07. I was about 255 here, my highest recorded high is 262 on May 2nd. I'm still looking for something that I have access to at work..

This water is about 64 degrees too... Very cold, to me.
http://img383.imageshack.us/img383/6618/p1010074rf9.jpg

Me, as I stand today.. Crappy camera phone.. A svelt 216.5.. Maybe I should have smiled.. Or turned to the side.. I am actually happy today.. :)
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/3...ge00009om8.jpg

And the wonderful new bike.... 07 Felt Z80
http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/1...ge00008ei8.jpg

Although now that I look at it, I should probably show the other side with all the hardware, and it's kind of dirty..

I don't even know where my post is that got me subscribed to this thread....from the first post it is very motivating and you all are very encouraging as well. I like being a member here for many reasons and this thread is one of them for sure....

So here is my addition...

2005
http://www.vsstech.com/ba/before.jpg

I was just in a bad place in my life...I had been riding my bike before I let myself go and I just started back. I like to try and go as fast as I can so

This was taken a few weeks ago at Oktoberfest

http://www.vsstech.com/ba/after.jpg


Shortly before the last picture I did a 4:22 century at Hotter than Hell. I really feel this is where I should have been the whole time. I just took a small detour...

Thank you all for the motivation along the way!!

i love these threads. so many people struggle with weight loss, but so many people have success too. some very impressive and motivating stuff in this thread. nice work people.

jan 2006 around 240 pounds
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/44/12...6426e95d26.jpg

march 2007 around 170 pounds
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/187/4...2c43aa0eec.jpg

it was hard, but is was worth it. later.

These kinds of threads are great. It's a lot like the success stories you hear at WW.

My highpoint was August of 2006: 388.6 Lbs. I am 6'2". I lost 20 lbs working with a nutritionist and working out lightly between August 06- August 07. My dad found out he has onset Type 2 diabetes in August 07, and that was my tipping point to get serious. I have been walking competitively for the past year (5k, 10k, even a half-marathon), and am now down 70 pounds to 318.6. But that still leaves me between 60 and 80 Lbs to go. So I am researching bikes and mixing in time on it to my workouts (ideally using it for the 6 mile trek to work), and plan to purchase this week. I get married a year from friday, and am shooting for 260 but will certainly be happy with anything beyond that!

Before and current pictures to come. Afters will following this winter and spring.