My name is Teacher's Pet, and I'm a fat-ass.

[Teacher's Pet]

*Rocky theme plays in the background*

 

I've been fat pretty much all my life.

 

When I was about 8, I was the "cute chubby kid" because I had "baby fat"

 

Now it's 36 year old fat, and about to turn 37.

 

For the last 12 years, I've "experimented" with various weight loss plans, diets, exercise regimens, etc... My weight has fluctuated nearly 100 pounds in that time period.

 

The day I got on a scale (sometime in 1996) and saw that I was about 3 Twinkies from 400 (yes, FOUR HUNDRED) pounds, I knew ENOUGH WAS ENOUGH.

 

With the help of a nutritionist, I went from 395 to about 300 in just a few short months.

 

Job stress, my girlfriend's miscarriage, and other issues contributed to putting the weight back on.

 

About 6 years ago, I flirted with the idea of weight-loss surgery, but abandoned it for personal reasons (a story for another day)

 

3 years ago, on a whim, I joined a gym. For the first 2-3 months, I worked with a personal trainer, and even though I didn't go too much on my own when it wasn't time for my PT sessions, I did lose some weight, but did gain a lot of muscle. (My arms are fairly solid, considering my weight)....

 

Then.... I met "The Teacher". Somehow, she "fell in love" (note the quotes...we know the real deal) with the person I was inside, so of course, I pretty much stopped working out and taking care of myself.

 

Over the course of our relationship/engagement, I started overeating again. Being the vindictive and abusive woman she was, she used my weight as something to always attack me with.

 

I know in a relationship, it's normal for one partner to make comments like that about another in order to motivate them to improve, but she did nothing of the sort. All she did was hurt me. It was bad enough to feel awful about being overweight, but she made me feel like I was less than human. In one breathe, I was some fat a-hole, and in the next, I was her personal sex toy. It was a mixed message which didn't make sense, yet was very unhealthy for me emotionally.

 

Right after we broke up, I weighed myself. I was actually down a few pounds from my previous weighing (probably a year prior), but I fell into a deep depression and put the weight back on, once again.

 

That's about the time I found LoveShack.

 

2 weeks ago, I was joking around with a couple of my female co-workers who said they were going to help "Sexify" me. They told me that I'm cute, but with some weight loss, I'd be hot.

 

When 2 twenty-something chicks tell you that, it makes you really want to at least give it a try.

 

Fortunately, I've never missed a payment on my gym membership, so after using Mapquest to figure out where it is again (haha), I started working out again. I can honestly say I've missed working out on a regular basis.

 

Prior to last week, I've been to the gym only a handful of times in the last year, but I've gone 3 times in the last week. I really did miss it!

 

One thing I have going for me is that despite the stereotype, I'm not a couch potato. Sure, I have my moments when a game is on, or if a cool new video game comes out, but I live a VERY active lifestyle, especially when it comes to my job.

 

Where I work, I'm on my feet anywhere from 6-12 hours at a time, pretty much running around the whole time, and mid-week, I do a LOT of heavy lifting (beer kegs, cases of wine, etc...). I do not sit around! I like to think of myself as an "athletic fat guy".

 

My main problem is that I eat the wrong foods. It's not even a matter of eating too much, I'm just weak when it comes to good food. I'm spoiled. I work in a restaurant that has gotten 3 and 4 star reviews, and I eat for free. I even "pick" in the kitchen during the slow times.

 

I'm also quite a good cook in my own right, so I know how to make some awesome, though unhealthy dishes.

 

In my weight-loss pursuits, I've learned a little about healthy cooking, so I've always tried to substitute healthier ingredients whenever possible.. I don't use much oil any more (PAM cooking spray, etc...), a rarely add salt, if ever, and I eat a lot of "good carbs" (whole wheat breads, rice, etc...)

 

Now that I am in my late 30's, it's time to really get serious.....

 

.....(long pause while I contemplate writing what I'm thinking).....

 

When I was planning on having weight-loss surgery 5 years ago, I went through a lot of the required preliminary examinations. One of the specialists I visited, a pulmonary doctor (lungs/breathing/etc.) told me that one of my tests came back with a "slight problem".

 

Whether it was related to my weight or not he wasn't 100% (but he actually thought I may have had this problem since childhood), he did find that I have what appears to be a slightly defective lung. When I was about 10, a doctor told my family that I had a slight heart murmur, and being so young, it just sounded really scary, until they explained it's not a major deal.

 

THIS sounds like a major deal. My doctor sat me down and explained that my lungs don't process oxygen to the full extent they are supposed to, and that combined with being obese, I'm heading down the path to a possible stroke and/or heart attack.

 

He warned me that if I didn't have the surgery or at least lose a considerable amount of weight, he couldn't guarantee my continued health for more than another 5 years or so. He said that at my weight, I probably would NOT survive my first heart attack, and a stroke would almost certainly be fatal.

 

Somehow, I was able to let all of this go in one ear and out the other.

 

2 years ago (almost to the day!), when my ex left me and put me into my serious depression, it hit me that now I was alone again, and probably 2 years away from dying. And dying alone.

 

There aren't too many things I'm scared of in this world, but one of them is dying alone. But of course, being the eternal "child" that I am, I'm immortal, right? Nothing bad could EVER happen to me. I'm awesome and the rules of nature and medicine do NOT apply here.

 

Now it's 2008.

 

Over the last few months I've begun to feel my age and all my previous "health mistakes" are catching up to me. Part of this is from being overworked at my job... I suppose no matter how GOOD a shape you are in, working sometimes 60 hours on your feet in a week will make you feel this way, but I know it's more than that.

 

For the last 6 months, I've had chronic foot pain (again, attributed to being on my feet so much), but in the last few weeks, I've had constant pain in my right leg. At first I thought they were just leg cramps, but no matter how much time I spend in the hot tub at the gym, they don't go away. My left leg is perfectly fine, but I feel a heaviness in my right leg that I know is a LOT more than just a cramp.

 

It's a wake-up call. It's a warning.

 

In 2003, my lung doctor essentially gave me 5 years to clean up my act, so to speak, or face the inevitable.

 

Well, it's 2008, I'm still here, but now I really don't feel right, deep down inside. I don't know if it's in my head, or something more. Unfortunately, I can't attribute how I feel to "imagining things" anymore.

 

I really think my body is finally telling me something.

 

On a side note, I find it odd to post this story. In my entire time on LS, I've always been very open about my feelings, especially when I was going through some really dark times, but for some reason, I never felt it necessary to post my "medical issues". I always felt like I had enough things to deal with in my life, and this site is more about emotional support than medical. But now, my medical problems are beginning to effect me emotionally, so I decided it's time to just vent.

 

In fact, only ONE other person on LS knows about my "situation", and she's always been a big "cheerleader" for me, privately. I never thought this was something I wanted to post about, until recently.

 

So............

 

Last Monday, I got on the scale (for the first time in a long time), and grimaced. I'm still well below my previous high weight (working a physical job tends to keep some weight off no matter how little else you do in your life), but let's be serious here..... IT'S WAY TOO FU**ING MUCH.

 

I know how much I'm "supposed" to weight (according to accepted medical guidelines, I'm supposed to be 180, but that's ridiculous, as I have a large natural build)....

 

I'd be VERY happy at 225. In fact, I'd be ecstatic. If I were to wake up tomorrow and was 225, I'd squeeze my ass into a pair of Speedos and run through the streets, screaming.

 

But, the journey of a thousand miles (or pounds) begins with a single step (or a lot of them on a treadmill), so starting with my "weigh-in" last week, I'm back "in training".

 

I'm going to beat this. I swear.

 

I've put myself on a semi-strict workout plan (if I made it TOO strict, I'd never actually do it), and even though I've been a lot more careful with my diet the last couple of years, I'm going to tweak my eating habits slightly, such as giving up most sweets. I'd love to cut out all of the high-fat foods I like, but I've learned that if you try to give up EVERYTHING, you wind up giving up NOTHING, so I'll take the high-fat, high-protein foods I enjoy over the high-fat empty calories that are everyone's guilty pleasures. Besides, with a steady workout plan, you need the fat and protein intake so the body can constantly rebuild.

 

I can live without the chocolate and the ice cream.

 

Maybe.

 

Damn, it's been a long time since I've made one of my depressing, long winded posts on here. I thought those days were over. I figured I'd just do this in silence, and one day post a half-nude picture of my new "hot" self and everyone would go "Wow... what the hell did you do?!?!"... But nah...

 

I'm an attention whore, and I could use the support of my friends.

 

Just before I sat down to write this post, I weighed myself to see how I've done in the first full week of my new "attitude".

 

How did I do?

 

Why, I.......

 

-tp

...to be continued

[Teacher's Pet]

.....lost 3.7 pounds.

 

Now, to the "skinny folks" out there, losing nearly 4 pounds in one week sounds amazing, but it's really not.

 

At my weight, any sudden change to my level of physical activity or diet would create a much larger change to my weight.

 

In fact, TWICE in my weight-loss history, I've lost 10 or more pounds in ONE WEEK.

 

I suppose I could have done it this time, but even though I really did work out a lot, my eating habits could have been much better (though I actually didn't do so bad this week in that respect either)..

 

Of course, ANY weight loss, no matter how small is a good thing, so I'm not complaining.

 

3.7 down, 142.7 to go.

 

There, I said it.

 

I weigh 367.7 lbs. (you Europeans can figure out the damned conversions yourself! LOL), and dammit, I feel great, believe it or not.

 

In fact, I'm thinking of banging one of those 21 year olds at work.

 

I don't care how "big" I am, this Big Poppa has NEVER had a complaint in THAT department.

 

I make this sh*t work, dammit!

 

Besides, at my weight, do you think I'd have any problem eating something? *sly grin*

 

-tp

livin' large

[marlena]

I'm an attention whore, and I could use the support of my friends.

 

 

Ok, TP. I know that you and I have not always seen eye to eye in the political forum but I really do like you. You have a great sense of humour and you sound like a genuine person and one that it would be fun to be around.

 

I happen to like big men (well, maybe not that big) but 225 sounds perfect. I think that you should ellicit the help of a nutritionist. He'll keep tabs on you and guilt you out so badly that you will lose the weight because you will be too embarassed to visit him again when the next appointment is scheduled and you have to get on that darn scale.

 

You can do it. I bet if you lose 50 lbs you'll catch yourself a girlfriend and she'll be all the incentive you will need to lose the rest.

 

As for the ex, forget about her. Some people have such huge insecurities that the only way that they can make themselves feel better is by making others feel insecure. Don't bite.

 

Rooting for you,too!

Marlena

[oasis]

TP, the journey of a thousand miles begin with the first step and you my friend, is on your way. The important thing, is that you got your epiphany. Some people never do and usually end of in disastrous situations, i.e, stroke and worst death.

 

I am one of those health nuts. I could tell you what my daily regimen is like. It might help some. I eat no sugar, NO sweets, including cakes, ice cream and chocolates. No red meat, gave that up 9 years ago. Some days, either fish or chicken. I eat two bananas for breakfast and 3 scoops of wheat germ and orange juice and snack on grapes during the midmorning. For luch, two servings of vegetables/rice and/or chicken and fish. Around 5 p.m. a protein shake. And I feel strong and healthy just about every day. People are always me for workout and exercise advise, because they knows of my fierce commitment and dedication to it.

 

I am one of those avid exercise people. I have been also doing it for many, many years and consistently to boot. My size have remained just the same through the years and it is a testimony to my healthy eating and workout commitments. I make no excuses for working out, regardless of tirednesss, depression or whatever. My coping strategy for when things are not going my way, is if I can get through a workout I will be just fine. "Workout" is my yardstick in which I measure my ability to cope. I have been known to be the last person to leave the gym. And it closes at 11:30 PM?

 

The trick is to KEEP IT UP. No matter what. Envision the way that you would like to look, whether it is like Brad Pitt, or a thinner version of your self and keep that image in your head, during those "I do not feel like working out days". Force yourself and make NO excuses for not going to the gym. Put it in front of everything, beside work. The same thing applies to eating. When you start eating healthier, you will become accustomed to it. I know that it is hard, because of your work environment, but go for the healthier menus. Oh, the protein shake gives you that extra energy, you might want to add that to your diet, when you need that added boost.

 

And stick with it. You will be glad that you do.

 

Good luck!

[jerbear]

In fact' date=' I'm thinking of banging one of those [b']21 year olds at work[/b].

 

I don't care how "big" I am, this Big Poppa has NEVER had a complaint in THAT department.

 

I make this sh*t work, dammit!

 

Besides, at my weight, do you think I'd have any problem eating something? *sly grin*

 

#1 I guess the daily specials just got better!

 

#2 Gives new meaning to "baby! get in my belly! Baby, the other white meat!"

 

Happy Monday!

[Lunar Sonata]

Teacher's Pet, you're one of the regulars that I'd read a post and go "cool post". Allow me to share a couple of simple, yet effective tips that worked (and is still working) for me.

 

-Attentive eating. Get in the habit of chewing and tasting every bite. DO NOT eat in front of the TV or computer. Me, I think of every meal as free time to reflect and appreciate what I'm doing. Each meal, I keep in mind that I'm eating food that I worked for, had the opportunity and good fortune to work for, and millions of people in this world would kill to be in my place at this moment. I'm going to enjoy it by chewing and savoring my food! Chewing is so important. This habit was hard to start and keep at first but it gets way easier the more you do it.

 

Believe it or not, just by applying the above, I didn't even need to change what I ate because eating half the amount of food got me just as full as before I ate attentively. It bears repeating... I ate HALF the food I did before and got JUST AS FULL! That's freaking crazy and surprised the hell out of me.

 

-Determining whether you're really hungry. Overeating plays tricks in your mind that I'm sure you're very familiar with. I, too, loooove food. I'd see the food and think I'm hungry. I made a four hour rule for myself. If I crave a food, I think whether I ate four hours ago. Don't snack! Incorporate your food craving into your next meal. I also set a deadline at night for when I will eat dinner. I don't eat after dinner and in the rare event I miss dinner, I eat a green vegetable before sleeping. For me, being hungry at night is an aide to keeping my circadian rhythm straight. Good sleep is as important to metabolism as eating well. You're supposed to be hungry before you sleep. Just think "Hey, the sooner I sleep the sooner I eat breakfast!"

 

Anyway, I'm sure you know the rest about diet and exercise. I just typed up stuff that I didn't find obvious and works for me. In the past 3 months I've been losing like half a pound a week because I lacked exercise. I'm excited about the results you'll get if these methods work for you.

 

I hope this works for you and may you have a longer, better life because of it!

[ahah2322]

Hey TP, I'm one of your fans

 

I'm a girl and I'm very harsh when it comes to people's weight. If you are fat (for you, I'm gonna say cute-chubby:)), you're fat and the reason must be ascribed to you ( unless it's due to unfortunate genetic deficiencies). No one is born overweight. It's the lack of discipline and control when it comes to food and exercise. So, make no excuses for yourself. You deserve to be harsh on yourself. It is not easy and there are NO 'magic' formulae, just the formula of 'EAT LESS, EXERCISE MORE' that many fail to follow through because they lack the mental fortitude to do so. Exercising more and consuming less is an open secret. The mentally tough go through with it, the weak look for 'painless' alternative 'magic' formulae.

The process is painful, sure, but trust me, whenever you're done with a day's workout, you'll be on cloud nine.

 

Firstly, make no excuses for yourself. You have spent a good part of your life indulging in an unhealthy lifestyle and there are consequences i.e. poor health, et cetera. You deserve to be harsh on yourself. You deserve to go through the pain. You deserve it. Secondly, ask yourself if you want to be mentally strong or mentally-weak. I'm sure it's the former so stick with it. Whenever you falter, ask yourself that again. Do not defeat yourself, TP!

 

Sure, you can envision where you want to be i.e Teacher 'Brad Pitt' Pet, but exercising should be a lifestyle fixture, so make it part of your lifestyle! It ultimately boils down to whether you want to have the mental fortitude to go through this or take the deplorable path of least resistance.

 

TP, the rewards are sweeeeeeet! You're awesome now, but you will be more freakin formidable with a strong mind and a fit body.

 

Ahah2322

-TP, Fighting!!!

 

(can't resist that, sorry!)

[Lizzie60]

YOU GO BOY!!!!

 

Don't give up..

 

First, IMO, you have to find out what makes you eat. You got to solve that problem first.. otherwise it's an ever-ending war against fat.

 

From there, you got to eat healthy... exercise... then time will take all those pounds off miraculously... but you cannot give up on this new 'lifestyle' that the only way..

 

Good luck.. I know you can do it..

 

My advice: visualize... it really works...

 

Remember ... you will feel better, look better, have more condidence, will have lots of women...

[Stockalone]

Hmm, not sure I can give much advice since my eating "problem" seems a bit different from yours. After I stopped playing organized football, I kept eating as much as always. And I was happy that I didn't have to work out as rigorously as I used to. Add to that a desk job after getting my degree, working long hours in the beginning with far less exercise and being single for over two years (no gf telling me to watch what I eat), and you have a recipe for desaster.

 

So I went up to 300 lbs from my "playing weight" of 240-250. Right now, I am working on bringing back that 250 lbs linebacker that hides somewhere under that extra weight.

 

Given that we fat guys already know what is good and bad, but ignore it mostly, you will already be aware of what I can tell you. But I'll do it anyway. We need to be constantly reminded.

 

First, I would advice you to talk to your doctor on how to best lose weight. Given that you have a pre-existing health concern, he might be able to make a plan for you. If there are things that you need to consider while working out, ect., he will know about it and let you know how do deal with it.

 

Free food at a good restaurant. Tempting, but it is also a huge opportunity. You can eat what you want, right? That also means you can choose healthy food that still tastes good without having to cook it yourself.

 

About fatty food, chunk food. I have one day that is reserved for that unhealthy, but tasty food. I picked saturday, because that is the day I already spend on the couch, watching sports (saturday is soccer day here in Germany, like you ahve football on sundays). That is the day I would be most tempted to eat unhealthy, so I made that day the official chunk food day. That way, I know I get to eat what I want (in moderation of course) on one day of the week, and that helps me to stay away from it for the rest of the week.

 

I am a fairly good cook myself and the biggest problem I had with that was that I always cooked more than I would have needed for one person. Cooking measly portions for one felt kind of stupid. It is also tempting to cook the stuff you really like and less of the healthy things. There was no longer a mommy or a gf reminding me to eat vegetables.

 

You already said that you started to substitute, eating more rice, etc.. I have substituted cream with milk in a lot of my recipes. Partially in some recipes, completely in others where it makes no huge difference. I love pasta and carbs are my problem. So I switched to wholemeal pasta. I now eat oatmeal with a few frosted flakes instead of only frosted flakes for breakfast. I eat less cheese, etc.

 

What you could also do is include vegetables or a salad in every meal you prepare. It takes time but as long as you pick things you like, it will help to eat less rice, pasta (meaning less carbs) etc. in the process.

 

Eat more fruit. Prepare a fruit salad as dinner. When you feel hungry during the day and would like a snack, drink a glass of water and eat an apple, a banana, whatever fruit you like.

 

Good luck!

[Trialbyfire]

YAHHHHH TP! Losing weight in a hurry is bad mojo. A little at a time is the best way, by increasing your metabolic rate through exercise and eating healthy.

[underpants]

TP,

 

You can do this.

 

That surgery is risky and it won't help with the change of lifestyle that is the core issue with obesity.

 

It is a shortcut that actually is kind of strange because once done it can't be undone and the patient can no longer enjoy the foods they once did ...for the rest of their life. One lady I know distantly has had to redo it 3 times because she has stretched out her remaining stomach by indulging. She hardly has a working stomach any longer and now she is having intestinal problems. She can't digest her food and get nurtients any longer. I'm afraid she will die from her addiction to food and her denial and surgical fixes.

 

It just seems like such an extreme solution.

 

Try the hard way first. Even if you did the surgery the hard part will still be changing the lifestyle.

 

That book 'body for life' has helped someone I know. It is very inspiring. She has been working on her life change for a year now and she feels and looks so much better. She still has a way to go and has learned to change the work out routine when she hits those plateaus of 'no weight loss'. Consistency, TP. Every dang day.

 

Several tiny healthy meals are better then a few big gut buster ones.

 

I love that show The Biggest Loser because they really do delve into the whole lifestyle and emotional mentality issues. I find it so inspiring to see how much the attitudes of those people change and how they literally light up after their transformations. They do follow ups and the ones that make it have really changed their mindsets when it comes to food and excercise.

 

It is not that you have to "give up" things TP. It is that you want to GAIN a healthier lifestyle.

 

Besides you will have to be able to run, catch and bench press all those ladies.

 

You can do it. Go TP, go.

[bootylicious]

Go TP! Keep us updated and good luck on your new routine. Stick to it and don't give up! :bunny:

[Ssheena]

Hi TP..

 

It's great you are posting about this. Here are some suggestions.

 

a) keep a food journal. Write down everything that goes in your mouth (specifially stuff that has calories - tsk..)

 

b) get a complete physical and see what the doctor says (if you have good health insurance)

 

c) join a group. Weight Watchers or sparkpeople.com (I happen to know someone or two from here on it)

 

d) hypnosis - also many people have success with that.

 

e) forgive yourself for your slip ups but get right back on it. Ie, whoops, I had pizza for breakfast, the days shot, might as well eat everything in site. Nope, whoops, I had pizza for breakfast, that was a mistake to eat the whole thing instead of just a slice, now I'm going to really watch what I eat for the rest of the day.

 

f) lift weights. If you have an Mp3 player, I really like using podfitness.com I can pick my workout, my music, my trainer etc... they have weight workouts, cardio workouts, pilates, yoga, spinning, everything.

 

g) find a workout buddy.

 

Jeez, if I could, I'd have the gastrio surgery. If you eat too much, you puke. I'm guessing it's the portion size that gets you. Think about it. The "correct" portion size for cheese is dice sized, meat is palm sized, etc., etc. It is risky though.

 

The hardest thing for me is keeping plugging away at it. It really is a life change and it takes a long, long time to get it off and keep it off.

 

I did hear something like if you give up something (like doughnuts if you usually eat those on Fridays or so) you can lose 10 pounds in a year just from that. I gave up bagels and I think chips and cheetoes for a year.

 

Oh, have a picture taken of you in just shorts and post it where you can see it all the time.

 

Hope that gives you some idears..

[blind_otter]

YAHHHHH TP! Losing weight in a hurry is bad mojo. A little at a time is the best way, by increasing your metabolic rate through exercise and eating healthy.

 

I second this. Although my adventures in weightloss, coming soon to a thread near you, are due entirely to my pregnancy - I have been told by multiple sources that I should lose weight slowly, in fact I've been told I should take as long as I was pregnant to lose the baby weight. Otherwise you end up with baggy, saggy skin that can only be corrected through plastic surgery.

 

Also - if you do keep a food journal, one thing I learned from a previous lifetime is to also journal how the food you ate made you feel. That can help you make connections and understand if you are an emotional eater.

[Gatormaniac]

You can do this T.P.!! And, you're absolutely right that your body is telling you something. It's essential that you not only lose the pounds, but increase your blood flow, especially to your lower extremities. Patience and perseverance is the key. A healthy diet takes work..lots of it. It also takes time out of your day as preparation takes much longer than popping something in the microwave or picking up the phone and ordering take-out! You must go in knowing that it's going to be a radical lifestyle change. Establish diet/excersize and weight loss goals, but make them realistic. Stress management is also essential. I hope you'll continue giving us progress reports!! Best of luck!!!

[frd150]

Hey Tp,

 

First off ,good for you. Its funny when you think about what motivates us. For me it was the breakup that brought me here to LS. I spent several months depressed and I can say with certanty that the stress that I was under shaved a couple of years off my life.

 

I have always been thin to the point where it was always a disadvantage in organized sports. I was a big baseball player. I practiced day and night year round but I could never compete with the bigger guys and this was never more apparrant than when I hit college. this is where my baseball career ended.

 

So fast forward again back to my recent R ended up for the first time in my life with a tire around my waist due to all the eating out my ex gf and I did. I had Dicky Do for sure.

 

 

So a few months after the breakup I picked up the phone and called the gym. I was fortunate enough to talk to someone that was compassionate caring person,rare. They are usually blood thirsty sales people. Long story short and 5 days a week in the gym Im in the best sape of my life!I lost the tire post breakup only to put on 10 pounds of muscle .

 

 

So ,with hard work and a healthy lifestyle you can do it. Ive seen several transformations in my gym. Just remember,everything in moderation. Allow yourself at least one cheat day a week . At first you will chomp at the bit for them but soon enough you will find yourself not even needing them. I still have the occasional cheeseburger (the worlds most perfect food) even with a veggie patty( I do not want to forget about the vegans) and beyond that I will even eat till I feel like Im going to burst. I did it yesterday by having half a chicago style pizza with alfredo sauce but what that does is remind my how crappy I felt when I constantly ate that way and thus it gives me more motivation in the gym.

 

 

Dude, you can do it. Before you know it it will be habit and that good feeling that you remember will become addictive.

 

Keep us posted.

 

 

Oh by the way pick up the book called "Body For Life" by Bill Phillips. Its what gave me the jumpstart I needed.

[johan]

TP, the stuff your doctor said freaked me out. And the stuff you said about your leg, too. The kind of changes you need to make are not made by many people, and that's not for lack of desire or for lack of knowing the right thing to do.

 

You might think I'm kidding, but I'm not: consider doing what that guy in the Subway commercials did. Find a sustainable diet that automatically provides balance and moderation. I think his strategy, if it's real, is actually really good. Not only that, but it could lead to permanent changes in diet.

 

You have to find something you can sustain. The gym euphoria is only going to last so long.

[underpants]

Next time you are at the gym you should try to leg or shoulder press 145 lbs. Then realize that is what you are carrying around everyday with every step.

 

No wonder your body (insides and legs) are reacting negatively.

 

As we age the rigor of youth cannot deny the abuse and neglect we bring upon ourselves.

 

I give you mad props for making a commitment to do something about it. I know there is a fighter in there. I have argued with him frequently.

 

Because I like you and have seen this battle with my own loved ones. I will ride your arse about it. Run away from the democrat. (at least you are running).

 

Go to Lowes and get 145 lbs of sand. Then as you loose lbs. Subtract from those bags accordingly. A reminder and a progress check sort of thing. Ha, put them in front of the fridge so you have to move them everytime you open it.

 

A loved one of mine decided to walk across the country. She charted her progress via a thing that measures you walking distance and a map. That was cool and just a small part of her overall life change.

 

All kinds of fun stuff like that TP.

 

Make you transformation a wonderful game.

 

Now, drop and give me 20.

[BentSpine]

*Rocky theme plays in the background*

 

I've been fat pretty much all my life.

 

I have heard enough.

 

A whopping 90 % of those losing weight gain all the weight back.

 

I have no doubt that you can reach 225 pounds with your Rocky like inspiration. You will look great, feel great and have a lot of (great) sex with great (thin) looking women.

 

But if your over all goal is to stay 225, your primary short-time goal must be to learn how not to gain. And not gaining at 225 will be different from how you not gain at 260. I hope at this point a vision of consecutive plateaus is forming in your mind.

 

If I imagine you staying at 225 sucessfully, I feel that it would take you five years to get there: three years losing a pound/week on averge and two years establishing habits that are enjoyable enough to enable to not feel deprived. The weight loss would do well to be slightly more than a pound/week in the beginning and then gradually taper off to a pound every third week closer to your target weight.

 

With regards to building habits, I have a slight fear that you don't get enough pay-offs from exercising besides it helping you lose weight. If that's the case you would be wise not to count on exercise as a tool in your arsenal. Those who haven't exercised before and rely on daily, hour long bouts of heavy exercise will likely not be able to keep it up, one day day will get fed up and they will pack to pounds back. You, Teacher's Pet, don't want to be one of those.

 

In fact, I would say avoid relying on anything which will disappear once you have reached your target goal. The less you involve other people in your weight loss lifestyle, the less dependent on them will you be when you try to make the crucial transition from weight loss to maintenance. Reward yourself with other things than food and pats on your back for weight loss. Do spend time with other people, but don't talk about weight loss.

 

You would also be wise to realise that once your have reached 225, the payoffs from eating low-something, yucky "food" and doing boring exercise will be smaller. Because before you reach your target weight, you can make up all sorts of rewards that you will get once you get there but once there you already know the bleaker reality.

 

As Blind Otter brought up, another side effect of slow weight loss, besides lasting habits, is less problems with excess skin. So ditch the scales, concentrate on eating SLIGHTLY less calories than your daily requirement (google basic metabolic rate) every day and go about your life. Then one fine day you will notice that you use an tighter notch in your belt. You smile at this surprise and go about living your good life with your enjoyable habits.

 

The Happy End... (Music, and then Fade to Black)

 

*sound of scratched record*

 

Oh, you're likely an emotional eater, so deciding to start writing an eating journal is the best thing you could possibly do today. Blind Otter has it right. And read calorie labels.

 

*Fading music continues*

[Teacher's Pet]

Hey guys..

 

I just wanted to thank EVERYONE for their advice, comments, support, love, hugs, oral (hehe), and everything...

 

For me, the basic "act" of losing weight is fairly easy. Larger people like myself have bodies that are so used to being "abused" by bad food choices and lack of exercise, that the minute even a little "discretion" is used, the weight begins to come off.

 

The real CHALLENGE is committing to a plan. Weight loss, to me, is 80% mental. Going to the gym (or even just taking a nice walk) is easy. Eating healthier food is easy....

 

.....But, come on... eating sugary/salty/fatty crap is a LOT more fun. Sitting around watching TV all day is a LOT more fun than going to the gym. Even though we know what's RIGHT, our minds tell us otherwise. It truly becomes nothing more than a battle of wills against oneself.

 

I have been able to lose 30 POUNDS in just a month in my past, without any real stress. How? That month was spent committed to a plan of low-fat eating and regular exercise. The weight just vanished without even thinking about it. It's when I would lose focus on what I was doing when I would fail.

 

Sadly, we live in a world with a lot of "input/output"... there's TV, music, video games, sports broadcasts, all-you-can-eat buffets, you name it! Those things surround us 24/7 and, of course, they are all fun and appealing activities. They require little to no WORK to enjoy, and the presumed "reward" of a good time/good meal is easy to come by.

 

I'm an input junkie. I LOVE watching ballgames. I LOVE video games. I LOVE music and movies. And yes, I've made the Hall Of Fame at the local all-you-can-eat joint.

 

At the same time, I know perfectly well what works for me, and what it takes to achieve it. It's simply a matter of pushing the "bad input" away from me (or at least push it to the back of my mind where I don't need to think about it regularly), and bringing the "good input" (self-satisfaction of weight loss, good eating, good habits) to the foreground and making THEM my priorities.

 

Like I said, it's primarily a MENTAL challenge. The body just goes along for the ride.

 

Today, I actually feel pretty good. I ate light yesterday (I did have a burger, but it was made at my job, so it's 100% natural beef - we actually grind our own patties), and it was early enough in the day that I had the rest of the day to digest and begin to burn it off. I'm even proud of myself that I tossed my plate away still half-full of fries (which, I might add, are handcut.... eat our fries, you will NEVER go to McDonalds again!)

 

I ate that around 4pm, and then I still worked another 4 hours, so that kept my metabolism going for the rest of the day. Later that evening, I had a low-fat peanut butter sandwich on whole-wheat bread as a snack. Nothing too heavy, but it was just right.

 

I slept like a baby, and when I woke up, I had nearly ZERO pain in my leg.

 

In fact, the pain I had in my leg today was a LOT less than normal, and I did a LOT of running around today at work (they decided to let me wait a few tables on our outdoor porch in addition to running the bar...so it kept me VERY active...and rich lol)

 

It's 8pm now, I'm not hungry (I'll eat some peanuts or other high-protein natural snack if I really feel I need to), but I feel pretty good otherwise.

 

All I need to do is remember that I feel a little better today, and it's only been a couple of days of really "trying"... If I fast-forward in my head to how this "good feeling" will feel a month...3 months....a year down the road at this rate, there's no reason why I shouldn't be able to commit to what I'm doing, knowing how great the rewards are.

 

But again... I want to thank EVERYONE for their kind words and advice, and if I could, I'd invite all of you to my place for a high-quality dinner.. but... you are all over the world, and honestly, I'm too cheap.

 

So, accept my thanks instead, and I'll be sure to keep posting on this thread to update my progress. I now have all of LoveShack to be accountable to, and I really don't want a mailbox full of hate mail, so I better do this right! :)

 

Now.. I'm off to crack open a (light) beer and watching my Yankees get pummelled by another third-world team.

 

-tp

sex machine.

[Citizen Erased]

I don't really know what to say besides from I am proud of you and I hope you really stick with this sweetie. I think everyone in your life, and everyone on this forum, would rather have you around for much longer.

 

:love::bunny:

[Jilly Bean]

Good for you, TP!

 

You are very right that it is more of a mental challenge than anything. Kind of cool to see how far your willpower can go, huh?

 

When I was competing years ago, my diet was very strict. BUT, my trainer knew that there were certain foods that HAD to stay in my diet. If I deprived myself too much, then I would cheat.

 

So, I would make air-popped popcorn at night when I was sitting on the couch and needed to snack. Put some of that Mrs. Butters cheese topping on it, so it didn't taste like cardboard - lol. Also, I ate dried fruit and chocolate Balance bars to satisfy my sweet cravings. So, it felt like I was cheating, but I really wasn't.

 

My only advice is that if you do fall off the wagon, ie. skip a workout or eat a cookie, take it for what it was, and don't allow it to be the beginning of a new trend. One little mistake or blip doesn't need to send you back to square one.

 

The other thing I will leave you with is this. You are still a young man, so project forward to being 60 years old. What advice do you think you would give yourself at 60 to your 40-year old self? Would you say to continue the bad habits, or would you say you wish you made the changes when you were still young enough for them to matter? Certainly the 60-year old you will say you were SO happy you started on your fitness regime when you did. Changes you make today, will have an immeasurably positive benefit for the long-term.

 

BEST of luck!

[oasis]

TP, you are off and running with your new plan. Just don't stop.

 

One more tip, for dinner, you can alternate between the peanut butter on whole wheat and subsitute it with raisin bran cereal with soy milk and 2-3 scoops of wheat germ. It is merely fiber, so it creates bulk and gives you a full feeling. It also works to push waste from the colon, so it does wonders for your abdomen.

 

Continued good luck with you quest for good health and wellness.

[Storyrider]

tp, glad you're doing this and posting about it.

 

Please consider seeing a doctor about your leg. There is no way to know whether the leg pain is a circulation issue, a bone problem, a nerve problem, or what.

 

Especially since you're increasing your exercise dramatically, take it from an official, bonafide Jewish mother ...you should see a doctor.

[Teacher's Pet]

After talking to a close friend of mine (who happens to have some PT training and plenty of doctors in his family)... it seems the likely problem with my leg is that it's hyperextended.

 

The pain really started when I started working out, and of course, the macho man that I am, I was doing leg presses at the weight I used when I was working out steadily in the past, instead of scaling back and getting my body "used to it again".....

 

The last couple of days, I've taken it easy, and the pain is gone. I'm going to the gym in a few minutes, so we'll see what happens....

 

-tp

"and i limped...i limped so far away.."