Thread: My Success story. 72lb in 12 months!

Good evening all, I'm finally classing this as a success so here's my story! Please have a read, i'm not so good with words but i'll give it my best. If it helps one person it's worth writing down.

I had been overweight from about 10/11 years old when I quit rugby and put a bit of weight on. I was fat throughout secondary school, without being horrendously overweight.

I started to pile the weight on at around 16/17 years old when all the nights out & kebabs became a regular occurances. I Quickly reached the 19 stone mark.

I started going to the gym and playing 5 aside football with my mates to shed the pounds as we had booked a lads holiday and it would have been nice to be in reasonable shape for it! I got down to about 17 stone, still fat, but feeling better and stronger by the day.

On returning from the two week lads holiday, the first 5 aside sesh was a grueller and I hurt my knee. It took too many professionals far too long to diagnose a torn cartilage in my right knee, which put me out of exercise for about 14 months in all. I had my operation but didn't do the rehab properly, and used my knee as a reason not to exercise.

Instead of trying to lose some weight before playing again, I started playing 6 aside and tore the cartilage in my left knee this time. Gutted. I haven't played football since.

On the 18th January 2010 I weighed 21st 2lbs. I had only weighed myself because I had been out at a friends birthday at the weekend and was the only one sweating - all night. Embarrasing!

I lost a stone in the following month, getting down to just over 20 stone. I stayed around 20 stone all the way through to the end of 2010.

Here's why I didn't lose any more weight that year. Diets and exercise didn't work. They didn't work because of one reason - I DIDN'T MAKE THEM WORK. I firmly believe you are the only thing stopping yourself from being who you want to be.

I made a promise to a friend at christmas last year that I would lose 4 stone in 2011 and make it down to 16 stone by this christmas.

I lost a stone in January, down to 19 stone then the football team I follow started doing really well and I started following them home and away drinking every weekend. More excuses to not exercise.

The season finished unsuccessfully for my team in May and I still weighed 19 stone.

This is when I made the most important promise of them all, the promise to myself. Literally! one night when I got in very drunk I told myself that this was it. This was the big one. I will weigh 16 stone by christmas and nothing can stop me. NOT EVEN ME.

I woke up the following day and it all clicked in my brain, almost like some kind of epiphany - the reason i'm not losing weight is because of ME. I'm making these poor decisions many times per day. Because deep down I know what foods are good for me, I know what foods are bad for me and I know that all exercise is good for you and that the longer and more intense you do the exercise, the more weight you'll lose.

This is they key for me - It's 90% mental. You have to beat yourself up everyday. (by yourself I mean the side of you that wants that little bit extra on the plate, or that little bit less exercise, the guy/gal inside you who tells you to have a day off, you know him/her all too well right?!)

Every chocolate you are offered, every extra helping you have, every time you knock 5 minutes off the exercise or do 3/4 less reps - they all count. It's the bad side of you that is telling you to stop.

As soon as I knew and understood this it became easier and easier NOT to do what the bad side of you is telling you to do. You HAVE to take that thought and do the exact opposite.

You feel like doing 5 minutes less on the exercise bike? DO 5 MINUTES MORE. That's 10 mintues longer than the bad side of you wanted to do!

You feel like having a chocolate bar or extra helping? DON'T DO IT, YOU'VE EATEN ENOUGH, 5 PRESS UPS. You've just smashed the bad side of you, he/she is stunned!

The other thing - don't be embarrassed when doing exercise. What's that about? Who gives two shiny **** what people think of you while you're walking/running around sweating looking all out of shape?

You're getting fit for YOU, not for anyone else. Just think, you're getting fitter and fitter everyday. You're looking better and better every day. It's about you!

As I write this it's the 22nd December 2011. I weigh 15stone 0lbs. I have beaten the bad side of me up so much that he damn nearly doesn't exist. He's feeble. I smile everytime I look in the mirror, not only because i've exceeded the expectations that I laid down for myself, but because I can take the bad side of me's thoughts and absolutely smash them to pieces. I laugh at them.

The guy who woke up on the 30th May 2011 is the strongest person I know mentally. It's me. The real me.

My confidence in any situation has at the very least trebled. I can go on nights out now and be the centre of attention. Instead of being the one turning nights out down because I feel horrible.

Plus i've got a brilliant story to tell about how I lost all the weight.

4 stone 2 lbs in 7 months, 5 stone 2 lbs in a year, 6 stone 2lbs since my top weight.

Ain't no stopping us now!

I've still got some work to do to get incredibily fit, and I will have done that by June 2012. Because I can, and YOU can. You just have to be able to mentally beat yourself EVERY SECOND OF EVERY DAY. EVERY LITTLE DECISION COUNTS!

Life is an absolute joy. You DO only get one shot at it, so why not be at your ultimate happiest whilst doing it?

TAKE CONTROL! I did, and now I'm unstoppable.

and Yes, I am always this positive! How could I not be?!

I sound like a mental case don't I!

Any questions, please ask.

Glad that everything has been working out for you! Well done!

wow, well done an amazing achievement and you know maintenance will be no problem to you because you have cracked it. You said at the start you are not good with words - I disagree, your story is inspirational! You must be very proud of yourself, have a lovely christmas you deserve it, feeling healthier and happier!!

Well done on your weightloss. Thank you for sharing your story. Like you the reason I'm having problems with my weightloss is down to the mental side - something that I'm working on!!

wow well done you and fair play to you for being so up beat i wish u were my neighbour!

You really are an inspiration well done with your weight loss which is fantastic but also for beating those little voices that keep telling us another slice of cake wont hurt or a day off from the treadmill is fine as you will do extra tomorrow (which we never do)!
Have a great Christmas and a brilliant 2012 thank you for sharing your story with us, you must be so proud of yourself and so you should be
By the way which footie team do you support, love football have season ticket and try to get to as many away games as I can.
Take care xx

I disagree with you about your writing too - your words are excellent and that one person you may just help ..... Im hoping thats me!

Id planned with my friends that diet day started on 9th Jan ..... I can eat what I want till then blah blah blah.

Why am I waiting? because the bad side is telling me I can.

My good side however has just won the argument and now I find myself looking forward to getting on track TODAY!!!!!

So im off to plan some menus for shopping and intend on taking the dog for a very long walk!

Im so glad I found your story and I wish you every happiness in 2012.

BB x

Brilliant! Well done. You are an inspiration.

Huge congrats you've lost exactly the same amount as me this year (5st 2lbs). Heres to losing even more in 2012! xxx

This is exactly the inspiration I need, my Turkish delights have just been thrown behind me (then picked up and put in the bin which is much more sensible) but I am so motivated by your story I wish you all the success in the world for the rest of your weight loss and it's time for me to start my own ^^

Thanks for all the messages people!

I'm very excited tonight as I'm intensifying the exercise from tomorrow. I've still some fat to go, although it might only be a stone or so.

I'm going to try and do it by the 1st of March. BRING IT!

thats amazing !! Well done you must feel so great !!

You've done brilliantly. Thanks for sharing, and for the words of encouragement - it really helps someone like me who is just starting

Intensified exercise = 6lb loss in a week. Now down to 14st 8lb.

Even at this stage I can still pull big numbers through not giving up every second of every day. I just feel like i've got to the point where I can't put weight on (like over christmas) and when I want to lose weight, I can block the other side of me out and do like I have done this week!

I still get that little voice in my head telling me to stop exercising when it gets hard, but the fit side of me has a much stronger, much louder voice these days!

6lbs in a week! COME ON!

It ain't over til the fat boy slims

x

Well i'm down to 14stone 8lbs now. That's a loss of 6stone 8lbs from my top weight of 21st 2lbs.

From size 40 to size 34 jeans.
From XXXL to L in shirts & polos.

What a feeling!

I may have another stone left to lose. I can see the beginning of stomach muscles coming through although I still have some belly to get rid of!

I can remember when I felt a bit off/a bit groggy/ a bit not myself on a night out about a year ago, I looked at myself in the mirror of a bar toilet to see a fat, lightly sweating run down man looking back at me.

I did the same recently when I felt a bit off colour, I looked in the mirror and saw a healthy young man looking back at me causing me to be absolutely beam. The night was going to be a cracker anyway because I was with friends whom I absolutely adore, but that moment could have turned a terrible night into a superb one!

The physio (post knee surgery again!) has given me the nod to start running on soft ground again from next week. So that should open up a whole new avenue of fitness.

I was right when I posted back in August, this is the big one. and I've almost done it. My god it's been worth it!

I never realised how much I used to miss out on. It took losing all this weight to realise it. I used to turn down nights out where I knew there'd be lots of people because I couldn't deal with any attention. Now i'm more than happy to be the centre of attention (on occasions, i'm not an attention whore!)

I rarely spoke to women because i felt awkward and embarrassed, even though i didn't really realise this until now. What a change - I'm now getting the mickey taken from the lads because I spend a lot of my time on nights out with their girlfriends and other women! The amount of confidence when you feel fit has absolutely astonished me.

It's such a good story to have as well. Oh by the way I lost 6stone and 8lbs and it's completely changed my life!

SUUUUUUPERB FEELING!

If you're reading this and wondering if you should start, or why you can't lose weight. You can, I made it the most important thing in my life and it worked. Now I'm reaping the benefits and it's absolutely amazing!

x