Missbumble 

awwwwww

ZmanKC

Very similar to my situation. I started at 288 and am currently 224. I'd like to drop another 25 to 30 lbs.

ryanwood

I started in April 2008, and I am down from 280 to 235. I have been holding steady at 230-240, but I have put on a huge amount of muscle mass in my legs. Hopefully I will be able to start losing weight again this winter.

garethzbarker

started at 260 this spring, coming into the winter at 226. I don't know what my goal is total. i set little goals. for instance my first goal was to fit into a nice coat i was given haha. i'm trying to get below 100kg these days (presently at 103). once i hit 99kg i'll make a new goal and so on.

uber_Fred

I've crept up to 330. My Greek god weight at the end of plebe summer (almost 30 years ago) was 195, so I've got quite a way to go.

grueling

I am tipping the scales at 252 right now. Have hovered between 235-250 for several years. Would love to get back down around 205 or so. I think I will always be a clyde, as the lowest weight of my adult life was 207 and that was the week I did (tried to do, but didnt finish) the Leadville 100 (lots of training). If I could just change my choice of foods, I know the exercise that I get would provide good results. I need to stop emotional eating and get back to salads

russgross

I started the year at 345 lbs. This week, I hit 210, which is the upper limit of the so-called "normal" range for my height (6' 5"). At this point, it's less about weight and more about fitness. I've started to supplement my cycling with running. I'm signed up for a 3 mile run the day after Thanksgiving and a mini-marathon next May. On the cycling side, I'm going to do RAGBRAI next summer and may sign up for RAIN (Ride Across Indiana). I'm not sure I've ever felt better in my life. I no longer have sleep apnea. I only need around 7 hours of sleep per night, instead of 10+. And I was just thinking the other day that I can't remember the last time I had a headache. Best of luck to all of you that are working to lose weight. You can do it!

Griffin2020

I started at around 400#. I am down to 280.
I would love to loose another 100#, but would be happy if I only lost 50-60.
It has been a very long time since I have been below 250.

Jynx

15 more and ill be happy
20 more i will be excited
25 more would be ideal

barturtle

I've lost 40 this year. I'd like to lose at least another 40, but would ideally like to drop another 60.

IAmCosmo

My total goal when I started was 70#. That would put me under 200# for the first time since I can remember. At this point my goal is to lose the 40ish I still have to go to get there...

Missbumble 

Hey Newbie...Can we get details on what you did to lose the weught - food plan/exercise,etc. Great jonb!!

kjmillig

WOW to both photos. Yes, you are hot now.

10 Wheels

Nice effort...

russgross

Thanks! Below is an excerpt from a note I wrote on my facebook page awhile back. I apologize in advance for the length.

When I decided to embark on this journey in January, the first thing I did was cut soda from my diet. At the time, I was drinking 3 or 4 20oz. Mountain Dews per day. I was tired all the time and suffering from severe sleep apnea. I eliminated soda by first switching to water with sugar free energy flavorings added. These packets of kool aid type mix contain caffeine. Over a two or three week period, I gradually reduced those and started using just sugar free lemonade type mixes instead. I still drink those. I intend to eliminate them eventually and only drink pure water.

At a group session for people considering bariatric surgery (which I was considering at the time), they had a woman talk who had had the surgery. She stressed that the surgery required a "lifestyle change." Surgery alone doesn't fix the problem. You still have to change the way you eat. One thing that really hit home with me was when she said that food is an addiction for her, and she still struggles with it every day. She also talked about all the things she couldn't eat because she'd get sick due to the surgery and all the things she wouldn't eat because they could lead to backsliding and weight gain again. It's possible to undo all the benefits of the surgery by still eating the wrong things.

After that group session, I got to thinking. With the surgery, I was going to have to eliminate a lot of things from my diet, treat food as an addiction, and cut my portion sizes way down. Why couldn't I do that without the surgery? At that point, I resolved to make the "lifestyle change" without the surgery.

So what did I do specifically? As I said, I eliminated soda. I switched to lower calorie alternatives: cheese made with 2% or skim milk, low calorie bread (35 calories/slice instead of 70), nonfat cottage cheese. I started cutting back on portions and listening to my stomach. If I wasn't hungry, I didn't eat (or snack). I started watching the number of calories I ate. Not counting every calorie, per se, but estimating. Over a month or two, I slowly cut my average daily calorie intake to between 1000 and 1500. I eat a lot of protein (skinless chicken breast, pork, fish). I initially cut out all snack foods and desserts. No chips, no candy bars, no ice cream. Nothing!

It was winter, so I started walking on the treadmill. I probably started out at 2 mph and would walk for an hour while watching tv. I gradually increased the speed up to 4 mph, which is about the limit of what I can do without starting to jog. When it got warmer out, I fixed up my bike and started riding. The first time out, I barely made it 1.5 miles before I had to stop and rest. Every time I went out, I pushed myself a little more. By September I was able to ride a century.

So, here's my advice for people wanting to lose weight (based solely on what worked for me). You don't need a special diet (Atkins, etc.), but if one of those works for you, more power to you! The bottom line is, you have to use more calories than you take in, in order to lose weight. There's really no getting around that. One pound of fat equals 3500 calories. I've read that an average male my age burns approximately 2000 calories per day just going about their daily business. Therefore, just by cutting my intake to 1500 calories, I can lose a pound per week (7x500=3500). To lose more, I added exercise. With regards to exercise, find something you like doing, and do it. If you like walking, walk. If you like cycling, bicycle. Start slowly and add on. Even a mile walk per day, initially, will help out tremendously.

So that's basically what I've done. I should note that it's not simply my goal to lose weight. I want to be healthier. I still have things to work on to achieve that goal: drink water with no add-ins, eat more vegetables, exercise more, add some sort of weight lifting regimen. I'm still working on all of those.

One final word of advice, if you've read this far..... Share your experiences, your goals, your achievements on facebook or in forums like this. If you're like me, you'll get lots of words of encouragement, some of them from people you would never have expected or don't even know!

PlatyPius

Currently around 290-ish (I don't weigh myself very often...too depressing.) Should be around 180-190, possibly 200. I was a weightlifter in high school, and I still have that build underneath the layers of fat. lol. I weigh more than it looks like I do. Guess that makes me dense.

kenrudman

I'm 6'1" and haven't been under 200 lbs in about 5 years. 209 yesterday. Down 20 pounds since Labor Day, when I got my road bike and started to ride nearly every day. After more than 1000 miles, I'm back to my pre-balloon clothes, feel great and have much lower stress. Would love to get down to my "wedding build" so that my middle is narrower than my (admittedly pathetic) chest and shoulders. Like others here, I think I'll be shifting my focus to measuring my waist and overall body fat since I'm adding a lot of muscle and that's likely to skew any number-fixation. That said, it would be cool to weigh < 190.

Missbumble 

i am blushing

Zoxe

I'm at 255 now, down from 285 last July and lower % bodyfat overall.

If I can lose another 20 lbs, I can be the weight I was when I got married in '99. So that's my goal right now.

Ultimately, I'd love to be under 200, but biking, exercise, and food is more about being healthy and having fun than "the numbers." Weight loss is just a side product of being a healthier person and spending some quality time with Mrs. Zoxe outdoors.

takingcontrol

Ok, I saw this post and decided to reply so the few who know me don't think I have dropped off the planet. Down just over 156lbs since April 2009. My loss per week has slowed down some since school started and the weather turned cold. I have been looking for a trainer but it seems like this is an item that should be purchased used when the weather is nice. I saw them all summer priced between $50-$75 on craiglist. Now I don't see them anymore under $100, live and learn.

Tabor

Wow, me too. But I started at 229 and I hope to finish at 174ish.

JCA91

Enough to kill the climbers uphill!!

41ants

6' 1.5" currently weighing 228#. I actually would like to ADD about 15 more lbs of lean muscle mass. Cycling to cut up a bit by dropping water weight and some fat.

dondub

6 ft even down to 160ish from 240ish.. quit drinking booze made the lbs fly off! and ride alot. also sitting @ about 6-7 percent body fat is interesting.. a lot colder if you can make the sacrifice and you drink daily, try to stop it will help drop lbs

surgtech1956

My goal is 50# total.