Hard Reset. Support needed!

[Broba Fett]

Going to be a bit of a long story as I want to get everything out there.  (tl;dr: I lost a bunch of weight. Life happened. I gained half of it back.  Now I need help getting back on track.)

 

October of 2012:  When weighing in for a minor surgery I was appalled to find I weighed 500.5lbs. 

 

I started making small changes over the winter.  I cut out soda.  I decided I didn't need most of a family-sized dinner to myself.  I bought the nerd fitness guide and started doing the workouts, using a huge box of kitty litter for a dumbbell.

 

I walked and then I ran, using couch to 5k.  I joined the forums here and completed an 8 week challenge or two.

 

The weight started to come off.  I ran an official 5k in July of 2013, down 50lbs.  When I tried to increase my runs to ~10k, I started experiencing ankle pain.  Fancy/expensive new shoes didn't help so I got a gym membership and started lifting with Starting Strength, progressing to Stronglifts and 5/3/1.

 

I tried every set of dietary guidelines I could find.  Weight Watchers, Paleo, low carb, counting calories, IIFYM.  Most of them worked to get another 10-20lbs off and then I'd plateau. 

 

Fast forward to summer 2014.  I'm eating the same thing 6 days/week, weighing food down to the gram to ensure I get the same amount of Carb/Pro/Fat every day.  I'm exercising 5x per week.  I'm down to 352lbs.  148lbs down. I'm feeling pretty great about my body.  It's the first time I feel like I look GOOD!  I'm in better shape than most of my friends who are literally half my size.  I'm starting to actually feel strong!

 

Then life happened.  My marriage of 4.5 years ended.  It was my choice, partly brought on by my newfound confidence from my weight loss, partly a mix of many other things.  I'm better for it mentally and emotionally.

 

It didn't happen quickly.  I kept working out and I ate the same for the most part.  However, while the ex was at the house I didn't want to be there and thus I ate at home less and the weight loss stopped.

 

Then that fall my ex moved out and dating started.  My ex was my first real relationship so I dated quite a bit last fall and winter.  Once again, it was great for me emotionally and for my confidence but dating generally equals eating out quite a bit, especially if you aren't getting serious with anyone.   I was also going out drinking with friends rather regularly.  Beer is an excellent thing but it certainly did not do me any favors while trying to lose weight. I eventually gave up on my strict eating habits and started eating what I want. By the beginning of 2015 I was yo-yoing between 375-385 consistently.

 

I kept working out (mostly) consistently throughout this time period until January 2015.  I asked someone on another forum for advice on my squat and they suggested I try to vary my routine and try a box squat instead of the standard back squats I had been doing.  Stupidly, I decided to do so without backing off on weight.  So with ~180lbs on my back, I tried a box squat and came up wrong.  I heard a pop, felt pain, and lost all my strength.  I was barely able to get the bar back on the rack. 

 

I quickly developed chronic lower back pain that shot down my left leg.  Went to a doctor and PT and was diagnosed with sciatica, which I still struggle with now.  This was the nail in my coffin.  I gave myself a break from the gym to heal up and never really went back other than a couple half-assed attempts that didn't go beyond a few visits.

 

April of 2015:  I meet a beautiful woman online (hereafter T) and we meet up in person.  She is everything I've looked for and I become exclusive with her and stop dating online very quickly.  She is also an excellent cook.

 

Shortly after T and I get together, I move out of the house my ex and I bought together and I move home to live near family.  This results in a 3hour round trip daily commute and a 2 hour drive every other weekend to visit T.  Any working out ceases.

 

By early fall I'm hovering around 400lbs and decided to try Nutrisystem.  It worked and I lost 25lbs in two months, taking myself to around 375.  I was hungry all the time and the food was awful and I was eventually spending a couple nights per week at T's house with no Nutrisystem food available.  So I cancelled it and went back to eating garbage. 

 

In November of 2015 I move in with T and her 7 year old daughter.  As mentioned, T is an excellent cook and I'm no slouch myself so we cook GOOD food.  And we eat it.  And I continue to not exercise.  And I gain weight, lots of it.

 

Two weeks ago a friend gave us an excellent gift of a used bench/squat rack, 45lb bar, and 250lbs in olympic weights.  I started lifting again last week and was pleasantly surprised to find I haven't lost much, if any, strength in the past year or so.  Still having soreness with my sciatica daily but I've learned to deal with it.

 

This morning I weighed in at 431.2lbs.  I am horrified that I've put on 80lbs in the past year and a half and 55 since last fall.  I'm winded by basic exercise and I'm sick of it.  So now it's time to get it together and get going in the right direction again.

 

I've tried multiple times in the past few months to jumpstart myself back into things and I think the big mistake I've made is trying to go 0-60.  When I first started I made small changes like cutting soda/portions/etc every few weeks and this eventually added up to where I left off.  I think it may be unreasonable to try to go from nothing to tracking my macros to the gram and jumping into 5/3/1 on day one.

 

So the first set of changes I've put into effect:

 

1. No sugar-filled caloric drinks such as sweet tea/juice/frappes/etc.  Milk is allowable in protein shakes.  One of the things I've still done a good job of is drinking virtually no soda, diet or otherwise.  Just need to cut out any other caloric drinks I've picked up in the past year or so.
2. No alcohol until the weekend.  I work on Saturday so weekend in this case is defined as when I get home Saturday night through Sunday afternoon.
3. Each meal is one plateful.  We will worry more about content once I've shrunk my stomach a bit and am not still hungry after eating a heaping helping of something.
4. Lifting 3x/week.  Need to get back in a routine.  Cardio as I can do it, will commit to doing more once the lifting is second nature again.
5. Tell as many people as I can so they can help keep me accountable.  AKA be "that guy".

 

That last one is where anyone reading comes in.  I'll be setting up a battle log this evening with goals and my daily progress and will update this thread with the link (EDIT:  Here you go!) .  If you're reading please feel free to head over and follow along.  I can use all the support I can get and I'll be happy to return the favor.

 

Wish me luck!

[AshPS]

You k ow I'm here my friend and supporting you every step of the way!!

 

Big hugs for making the decision to come back!

[Broba Fett]

Thanks Ash!

[Why not?]

Great job getting back on the wagon! Look at the weight loss this way: you've lost those 80# before so you know you can do it. You've also identified the issues that caused you to regain the weight last time so you'll be able to avoid those pitfalls in the future. I look forward to seeing you crushing this!

[Broba Fett]

27 minutes ago, Why not? said:

Great job getting back on the wagon! Look at the weight loss this way: you've lost those 80# before so you know you can do it. You've also identified the issues that caused you to regain the weight last time so you'll be able to avoid those pitfalls in the future. I look forward to seeing you crushing this!

 

Thanks!  I'm really hoping getting back on here will get me some momentum and keep me going this time.

 

Link to battle log has been added if anyone wants to follow along.

[Stronkey Kong]

Good job making it through all of the turmoil. It looks like eveything is headed in the right direction again!

 

I'll definitely be following.

[BarbarianBassBro]

That´s a lot of life happening! Good you´re back on track  

[Broba Fett]

That´s a lot of life happening! Good you´re back on track [emoji4] 

Thanks! Now I just gotta stay there.

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[Noname123]

No reason GOOD food can't be HEALTHY food  Maybe you and your SO can make it a project with the little one so you make sure she grows up with your good habits instead of the ones you want to nix. 

[shaar]

On 3/24/2016 at 4:38 PM, Broba Fett said:

 

I've tried multiple times in the past few months to jumpstart myself back into things and I think the big mistake I've made is trying to go 0-60. 

 

 

This SO MUCH.  I remember when I first joined NF I read the phrase, "fitness is a marathon, not a sprint" but it took me failing multiple times by trying to go whole-hog before it finally sunk in.  This article really laid it out the best for me IMO - https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2015/01/15/how-lego-and-minecraft-will-help-you-get-in-shape/  Slow and steady, brick by brick, it will take time but you will build something awesome!!

 

Good luck!  It sounds like you've got a great support system on all sides (digital and otherwise) and you know what needs to be done...  Time for the hard work part!

[Broba Fett]

 Time for the hard work part!

True that! Definitely raking it one block at a time this time around.

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[Bob the Bardbarian]

Welcome back.

Now go forth, and kick some ass!

[Broba Fett]

 

On 4/5/2016 at 3:15 PM, Captain Inertia said:

Welcome back.

Now go forth, and kick some ass!

Just now saw this.  Thanks!

[Wild Wolf]

Echoing everyone above ^^- Glad you're back brother! 

 

...And just cuz the thought popped in my head-I'm all for NF meet-ups. Its prolly been the best part of NF since joining in 2012: Getting to meet my fellow rebel's. So, I'm not sure it would work out this hunting season, but maybe next year we can plan a trip to go hunt or something? Bag ourselves a nice buck or two 

 

Wolf

 

 

[Broba Fett]

57 minutes ago, Wild Wolf said:

Echoing everyone above ^^- Glad you're back brother! 

 

...And just cuz the thought popped in my head-I'm all for NF meet-ups. Its prolly been the best part of NF since joining in 2012: Getting to meet my fellow rebel's. So, I'm not sure it would work out this hunting season, but maybe next year we can plan a trip to go hunt or something? Bag ourselves a nice buck or two 

 

Wolf

 

 

Thanks man.  Updates will be at the battle log if you want to keep following along.

 

And that. sounds. awesome.   Especially since you Texans get to hunt with rifles.  That may just convince me to order an upper in 6.8 SPC whenever I finally build my AR.  Let me get through the year and my wedding next summer and then we can see about doing a hunting weekend or something.

[Beerzerker]

You can do it, Broba. How can I help encourage you or hold you accountable? What works for you?

 

With that said, I know you can do it. As you can tell from my handle, I enjoy a good beer, and I'm not willing to give it up. Just keep it to low levels, like you're talking about.

 

One thing to keep in mind, is that good food doesn't have to be unhealthy food. My wife and I keep treats to a minimum(not in the house at all) because we won't resist them. But focus on eating good, healthy foods. You can do this. You've shown you can make great progress, and you'll get back at it.

 

Stick to your plan. You've got good stuff there.

[Broba Fett]

21 minutes ago, Beerzerker said:

You can do it, Broba. How can I help encourage you or hold you accountable? What works for you?

 

With that said, I know you can do it. As you can tell from my handle, I enjoy a good beer, and I'm not willing to give it up. Just keep it to low levels, like you're talking about.

 

One thing to keep in mind, is that good food doesn't have to be unhealthy food. My wife and I keep treats to a minimum(not in the house at all) because we won't resist them. But focus on eating good, healthy foods. You can do this. You've shown you can make great progress, and you'll get back at it.

 

Stick to your plan. You've got good stuff there.

Right on man.  I see you found the battle log.  Just follow along and join in the convo.  I shall do my best to do the same for you.

 

I love me some beer.  Brewed my first batch of homebrew (an APA) a little while after launching this reset thread.  It turned out really well and I managed to keep consumption to the weekends like I had planned.  Going to order another kit soon to restock the fridge.  Glad to have you along.