Okay, this thread is partly just to brag, but I am curious to hear if anyone else here has managed to take any significant amount of weight off. It'll be really interesting to hear how you guys did it.
Here's...
THE STORY: After the Marines, I stopped working out and started eating when I got stressed out (which was a lot). I balooned from a medium-build 6'4" to a 280lb. fug-beast with a BMI of 37. I wasn't too embarrassed about my weight. Sure, the sound of velcro when my thighs rubbed togeather was a bit annoying, but I could deal. Sure, I couldn't even do a push-up or pull-up (or jump), but I could deal. I had no shortage of friends, a good sense of humor (but so does every fat guy, right?) and no problems with women, so I could deal. However, waking up every morning and looking into the mirror at a pair of tits that put my girlfriend's to shame got me thinking it was time for a change. I looked at all the old pictures of my hockey days, baseball days and time as a Marine, and felt disgusted with myself. I knew it was all my fault (obesity is NOT a goddamn disease, and I have NO sympathy for those people)
I started out January 3rd by eating 1,200 calories a day and walking a mile three times a week. This progressed to 1,500 calories a day and a half-hour working out every day, once I got down to about 230lbs. or so. I worked and worked until I could run two miles, bench 205lbs, leg press 450lbs and could do squats with 300lbs. on my shoulders. I could do 50 push-ups and 20 pull-ups. Whenever I got on the scale in the morning and I hadn't lost a pound, I'd take a day off the diet and eat a like a fatass. If in two days I hadn't lost a pound, it was a rare occasion.
Now I'm 6'4", 168lbs, max out at 225lbs. on the bench, and my BMI is 21. The only downside is that I replaced my nervous eating with nervous smoking, which is the next habit I have to break. But better to die young and attractive than old and fat. I went from an XXXXL shirt and 42x34 pants to a M shirt and 30x34 pants. I haven't worn 30x34 since THE NINTH GRADE! My arms and legs have doubled in size, I've really tightened up my ass and the beer gut is gone, but my favorite part is NO TITS! I now have some very respectable pecs. My second favorite part? I CAN SEE MY DICK! With all the weight gone, "tiny dancer" looks huge, and I don't need a hand mirror to admire it.
I'm now eating 2,000 calories and working out four times a week.
The stretch marks are a little bit of a problem, but they're already almost gone and will go away altogeather in time (hopefully). All in all, I'm quite proud of myself.
And as a small side note, Under Armour is the best invention ever. I just discovered them (they don't make big & tall sizes), and they make the muscles look damn smooth.
Thanks for listening to me rant,
Kyle