A Belated Introduction

[Kewilson]

I've been on the forums for almost six whole weeks doing the challenge and neglected to introduce myself... which is typical of me as a matter of fact.

Background: I started out my fitness journey at about 300lbs; my nutritional intake was ridiculously bad (non-stop junk food consumption) and my level of fitness was about -5 on a scale of 1 to 10. Not only that, but my weight was very slowly getting worse as time went on. So at a point of no particular significance I decided to make a change (actually, a bunch of them). Being a trained researcher, I poured through the empirical literature on weight loss and fitness (what works, what doesn't work, etc), and what I found sucked. Basically most people can lose weight, but keeping it off long-term is rare; usually because people slide back into their old, crappy habits immediately after losing the weight. Booerns, empirical literature. Booerns.

So rather than cross my fingers and hope for the best despite the evidence, I tried to set myself up to make changes that would achieve results and implement them at such a pace that they would become permanent; reversing them 'just because' would be nigh impossible because they're habits I've been doing for months or years. So I broke down the whole process intro a series of phases...

Phase I (6 months): Stop running full speed in the wrong direction - cut back on junk food and gradually introduce modestly healthier eating habits (e.g., replace pop with diet pop, limit number of 'treats' in general, etc).

Phase II (6 months): Get ready for major new habits - I bought an ancient stationary bike on the cheap and made myself go at it for at least 30 minutes a day. I knew going in that it was meager exercise, but the goal was more to force me to routinely and consistently set aside time for exercise. Side note: anyone want an ancient exercise bike?

Phase III (~6 months, progress-based): Major overhaul of diet (mostly Paleo paired with calorie tracking and more restrictions on junk food) implemented over the course of the first month (or so) and the introduction of regular strength training. I'm a bit over half way through this one. This is geared towards burning fat, and ends when I hit my target weight (somewhere between 180 and 200lbs).

Phase IV (open-ended, progress-based): Switch from burning fat to building muscle/strength, eventually achieving maintenance (or going after whatever goals I develop surrounding fitness).

So far so good. I haven't really had any back-slides on the changes I've made. While me of 18 months ago would find my current lifestyle basically uninhabitable, I'm quite comfortable - in part because I've had time to decompress from where I was to where I am. That's what makes it sustainable (for me).

Right Now: I'm part way through Phase III (I started in early March). I'm eating probably 85-90% Paleo at the moment, and go in for strength training 3 times per week. Treats are just that, relatively rare extras or add-ons. Since the start of the Phase, I'm down 40lbs (almost 80lbs since the beginning). I'm down at least one shirt size and many of my clothes are hanging off me. I'm lifting weights that would have been utterly beyond me just a few months ago. Nerdfitness has been a big help in refining the content of this Phase, so... thanks!

Goals/The Future: Basically, I'm trying to maintain the recent progress. I'm fiddling with my diet and workout routine based on new information as it comes in. I'm also putting together the outlines of the transition from fat-loss to muscle-building. The NF community has definitely been helpful in that regard. So I look forward to posting progress in the challenges and reading all the awesome, epic progress that everyone else on the forums is making.

Thanks for all the help and see you out there!

[tekilla]

This is awesome Kewilson! Congrats on your progress so far. I love how you've set it all out. Planning for success.

Basically most people can lose weight, but keeping it off long-term is rare; usually because people slide back into their old, crappy habits immediately after losing the weight.

Yep, this was totally me. This is why i'm here