Kuma Posted October 31, 2012 Report Share Posted October 31, 2012 38lbs in 3 monthsYou know how “they†say that 80% of weight control is all about diet? Well, I’m living proof. The Wife and I started the Paleo diet on August 1st and, with exactly zero exercise, I’ve dropped from 276lbs to 238lbs. We have stayed the course through 4 mini-vacations (long weekend trips), 1 career change, and (so far) 1 giant bowl of Halloween candy. That’s a lot of lard burned away by just a lifestyle change and my resting metabolism. So now I’m curious to see what throwing some weights around will do for me.I’ve always been a big guy. I hit 6’ 4†and 200lbs by the time I graduated high school. 5 years later, as I graduated college, I had ballooned up to 250 thanks to becoming sedentary and eating a college diet that was based upon soft drinks, fast food, and horrifying amounts of junk food. Half-hearted attempts at dieting and working out, along with being on my feet all day at various retail jobs, kept me around the 250 mark for the next 10 years. Until I landed my first office job. Then it all went to heck. I went from being a big guy, to being “The Big Guyâ€. I hit 300lbs in 2006 and was out of breath just from walking the 200 yards from the parking garage to my desk. So I did what all too many of us Y-chromosome types tend to do, I hit the gym with a vengeance. I managed to drop 40lbs in 4 months and was feeling pretty good about myself. Then it happened. I managed to blow-out my left knee and break two ribs within a two week period. That sort of stopped the gym visits cold. And, since I hadn’t made any diet changes, I managed to put back on 30 of the lost pounds within the year.Fast forward to 7/31/2012 and I found myself eating fast-food 4-5 times a week, nursing a bad back, considering knee replacement surgery, feeling my 44 waist slacks growing tighter by the day, and weighing 278lbs. I knew something had to change otherwise the Wife would be collecting my life-insurance a couple to decades too early. So when she came to me and said, “let’s try the paleo dietâ€, I jumped on board.I know I have some challenges ahead of me. My cardiovascular health is poor (to be kind) and, unfortunately, my knees are rather lacking in cartilage, so I doubt I’ll ever know the thrill of completing a marathon (seeing as how I hate running, this might be a blessing in disguise). So it looks like I’m going to go back to lifting heavy things for my exercise.Time for some goals:1) Target weight of 210lbsa. Would love to hit this before next summer just to give the Wife’s family a shock at the next reunion2) Strengthen my core to the point that I no longer have to worry if lifting a 40lbs bag of kitty litter will throw my back out again3) Have to buy all new riding gear for 2013’s riding season and maybe even be able to fit into a set of 1-piece leathers4) Flexibility – Any increase would be an improvement. It’s gonna be a heck of a journey and I’m looking forward to walking this path with my fellow travelers. "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." -- Sir Winston Churchill "Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming -- WOW-- What a Ride!" Link to comment
Critter Posted October 31, 2012 Report Share Posted October 31, 2012 Welcome to the Rebellion! Link to comment
Hiraedd Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 Indeed! Glad to have you on board Sounds like you're ready to put the work in to make this happen! Congrats on the changes you're already made, and the weight you've lost -- that's fantastic. Good luck with your goals! Hiraedd the Twice Risen: Hamadryad; Pilgrim battle log Link to comment
captncid Posted November 2, 2012 Report Share Posted November 2, 2012 Hey Kuma!I know how you feel being " The Big Guy." I am 6' 2" and my heaviest was 330 pounds. Not fun. Have you considered swimming as an alternative to running or biking due to your knee? May be a good workout for the days you aren't lifting!Welcome to the team! Level 8 Scottish Highland AssassinStr 20/ Dex 10/ Sta 15/ Con 17/ Wis 20/ Cha 13"Most of the things worth doing have been declared impossible before they were done."Daily Battle Log My Fitness Pal Fitbit Facebook Link to comment
Kuma Posted November 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2012 Thanks for the welcome everyone. Looking forward to being here for a good while.Capt, I'd love to add swimming to my regimen and my take a second look at it. I had a lot of success before with a Concept rowing machine (erg) but my gym let the one they had fall into disrepair. C'est la vie.I'm going to have to approach this a bit more cautiously than normal (for me) as I'm in far worse physical shape than I've ever been and do not want to make the mistake of hurting myself right out of the gate. Patience is a virtue that, at 42, I'm still learning...Have a great day everyone! "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." -- Sir Winston Churchill "Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming -- WOW-- What a Ride!" Link to comment
captncid Posted November 2, 2012 Report Share Posted November 2, 2012 I'm going to have to approach this a bit more cautiously than normal (for me) as I'm in far worse physical shape than I've ever been and do not want to make the mistake of hurting myself right out of the gate. Totally agree! Level 8 Scottish Highland AssassinStr 20/ Dex 10/ Sta 15/ Con 17/ Wis 20/ Cha 13"Most of the things worth doing have been declared impossible before they were done."Daily Battle Log My Fitness Pal Fitbit Facebook Link to comment
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