Asthmatic chubster checking in

[Dradis]

Hey all,

i've been reading this website and forums for a while now but i've never posted until now. My story is likely a familiar one around these parts.

 

I packed on weight initially as a 15/16yr old during my parents' divorce. Before that i was sporty and in shape. I progressed onto doing a computer science degree and the inevitable desk job that followed.

Now 32 i've been on and off diets and exercise regimes for 16yrs, i've tried most and most of them and they rarely lasted (due to motivation, lack of results etc). Some worked, but then i would come off the diet and a few months later i was back where i started.

When i was approaching 30 things got even worse. I packed on pounds more than i ever had, i had health problems with repeated illnesses and my asthma which had been dormant for 15yrs came back with a vengeance. This time last year i could not walk up a flight of stairs without being out of breath and needing my puffer and i weighed 260lbs (5'10" male).

 

Enough was enough and last June i decided that no matter how hard it was going to be i would get something done about it. My main goal was actually to improve my asthma situation as it was permeating every aspect of my life, even causing me to wake 1 or 2 times per night. I was a MESS, and looking back i was also depressed i think.

 

I had to start slow, being completely crippled by flab, repeated bouts of illnesses and this darn asthma. So walking more was where i started. I started walking home instead of the last 2 tube stops + bus and i was aiming for the popular 10,000 steps a day using a Jawbone UP to measure (pretty useful early on i have to say).
I started tracking my food on myfitnesspal. No rocket science at this point, just making sure the old calories were not too high.

By september i'd dropped to 234lb, not bad i thought. I attended a wedding and was still by far the biggest in all the photos. How depressing! I also got dumped by my girlfriend of 6 years 2 weeks earlier.

Normally this would have restarted the downward spiral, but for whatever reason not this time.

 

As my weight loss through mfp+walking had started to plateau and with the fear of being eternally single setting in i signed up with a gym. The PT suggested all sorts of fancy weight and cardio routines. They all made sense but past experiences told me i needed to go with something i could stick with and i would ENJOY for the first few months, without it impacting my life (if i have to make a trip to go to the gym it won't last). So i picked a gym i could go to from work, during lunch rather than sitting at my desk. I lost no free-time, one of my goals (despite the fact i rarely do anything exciting with my free time but a boy needs his sci-fi and nap time and my work hours are long)
I headed to the pool, swimming being something i have always enjoyed and so far i've been going on average 4 times a week since (often i do intervals)
I was also given an eating philsophy by the PT, by FAR the best thing i got out of my 2 free sessions. The philosphy was based on eating low GL (subtly different to GI) foods to force my body into burning my excess body fat.
I also bought some body composition scales to track my progess. Yep, i'm aware all the readings might not be deadly accurate but the definitely do show if you are going in the right direction.

 

So that brings me to today. Now tipping the scale at 200lb. From Oct-April i dropped 9% body fat (all measurements by probably inaccurate scales remember), added 5% muscle and lost 4% visceral fat.

 

My asthma has all but gone, i'm still on 1 preventer puff per night but i'm hoping that won't be needed fairly soon.

I can run for buses.

Multiple flights of stairs are not a problem

Sometimes, just sometimes, i look in the mirror (usually just out the corner of my eye) and think "i'm not fat any more" (i am, but its good to at least think that sometimes)
 

 

My routine and diet have become a bit stale recently, so i'm going full on into the weights 3 times a week and swimming on off-days coupled with the paleo diet starting when i've purged my cupboards of the non-paleo stuff (waste not want not)

We'll see how it goes. Ideally i'd like to drop another 10-15lbs while packing on some muscle. Get my body fact down to maybe 20% (currently 29%).

I want to do a pull-up, just 1. Then we'll go on from there.....

[Piro]

Congratulations on your progress up to this point!  Your story is very encouraging and I found some motivation for myself in your words.  For that, I thank you.  Keep that positive mind set, diet, and that workout ethic you have developed and you will no doubt reach your goals and even surpass them!

[Dradis]

Thank you piro!

Another (selfish) reason I had for posting is I often forget just how far I've come. With my 1 year coming up on 17th June I've been thinking about it.

Sometimes I do something I haven't done for a year or so (a particular walk or something) and i remember how hard it was and how comparatively easy it is now. It's a good feeling and I wanted to document my story so I have something to look back on occasionally.

For me, without doubt, the key was small changes. The Big Bang approach for me would just lead to quitting.