SerenityValley
Surgically happy.
After my first bad result in several months, I was a bit down. So I decided I needed to evaluate my progress and get a real understanding of how much I have acheived. I find this hard to do, because I am very goal oriented and very "black or white" in my thinking, at least in regards to myself and who I am. So not reaching a target feels like failure, instead of celebrating the success I've had along the way. I'm getting better at this though; what would normally affect me for days, or weeks now affect me for hours or days.
Anyway, I'll roll the year back. March 1st, 2008. I was 23st 8lbs. I won't go into how I felt about myself, other than you can imagine, I wasn't happy.
I decided that this was the time to do something serious. I didn't do Lighterlife until some months later (September) but I did make a real and firm decision that everything had to change.
Now, Feb 27th, 2009. One day away from a full year (but I'm busy tomorrow and wanted to do this now), I have achieved the following:
Gone from 56" waist, to 36" waist (I was still at school the last time I had smaller trousers - and my belt from when I started goes right round my back).
Gone from XXL jogging trousers, to small.
Gone from XXL tshirts, to small or medium (depending on make).
Lost 5 notches on my wrist watch.
Lost 9st 11lbs (137lbs, 62.25kg).
Gone from 47+ on the bmi, to 28+ (and will eventually get to 24).
My smallest doe (Teyla) is around 330g. So I've lost around 190 Teylas.
My biggest buck (Ronnie) who is around 700g. I make that around 90 Ronnies.
My legs are thin at the bottom half and much smaller at the top half. My stomach is a fraction of it's original size (I used to be able to balance a dinner plate on it, now I couldn't balance a saucer on it. I suspect my behind is much smaller. My stretch marks are fading. I can feel bones and muscles I never knew I had. Not everyone recognises me. My arms are fairly thin. My face has changed and I do look 10 years younger and no longer look like I'm rather ill. My blood pressure was always good but is now a lower good. I suspect my cholesterol will be pretty good. I can see people do double takes when they realise they recognise me. I no longer feel ashamed when just walking around. I sleep better, and I no longer need to be in bed by 9pm to get through the next day.
I will be left with loose skin, which bothered me for some time - but the equation is simple "me at 330lbs = less happy than me now". Once I got my head round that simple fact, and the fact that I know I would never have succceeded to lose weight the traditional way (having tried for 25+ years to do so), it was easier to accept that loose skin isn't the end of the world.
The above just focusses on the weight related changes and successes. There were many more succcesses which were less directly caused by my weight loss. I'm a completely different man to the man I was on March 1st 2008. My friends will certainly vouch for that.
Anyway, apart from posting this for the "strokes" I might get, I really wanted to highlight how much I've achieved, for me, and for anyone else who ever feels like they can't make it. Anyone can, with the right tools and the right motivation. I don't believe in willpower - though some might say that willpower is just another term for motivation. But I truly believe that most people don't look at their motivations for wanting to lose weight and focus only on the fact they want to. Motivation sustains you, where wanting to often doesn't.
Apart from that, I'd say that people should always do it for themselves and no one else. Doing it for someone else, puts some of the ownership for success or failure on their shoulders and makes it easier for us to rebel against it. I've lost count of the number of times I've turned to food, because someone I love has upset me. Because in the past I always used them as part of why I wanted to lose weight. This time, I have never lapsed at all (and I had to sit around buffets, pizzas and chinese food in december!), and people have upset me just as before. By taking full and 100% ownership of my journey, I have found a path that works for me.
So I'm 25lbs overweight - that's a hell of a success considering a year ago, I was 168lbs overweight.
Good luck to anyone else, on their own journey.
Andy xx
Anyway, I'll roll the year back. March 1st, 2008. I was 23st 8lbs. I won't go into how I felt about myself, other than you can imagine, I wasn't happy.
I decided that this was the time to do something serious. I didn't do Lighterlife until some months later (September) but I did make a real and firm decision that everything had to change.
Now, Feb 27th, 2009. One day away from a full year (but I'm busy tomorrow and wanted to do this now), I have achieved the following:
Gone from 56" waist, to 36" waist (I was still at school the last time I had smaller trousers - and my belt from when I started goes right round my back).
Gone from XXL jogging trousers, to small.
Gone from XXL tshirts, to small or medium (depending on make).
Lost 5 notches on my wrist watch.
Lost 9st 11lbs (137lbs, 62.25kg).
Gone from 47+ on the bmi, to 28+ (and will eventually get to 24).
My smallest doe (Teyla) is around 330g. So I've lost around 190 Teylas.
My biggest buck (Ronnie) who is around 700g. I make that around 90 Ronnies.
My legs are thin at the bottom half and much smaller at the top half. My stomach is a fraction of it's original size (I used to be able to balance a dinner plate on it, now I couldn't balance a saucer on it. I suspect my behind is much smaller. My stretch marks are fading. I can feel bones and muscles I never knew I had. Not everyone recognises me. My arms are fairly thin. My face has changed and I do look 10 years younger and no longer look like I'm rather ill. My blood pressure was always good but is now a lower good. I suspect my cholesterol will be pretty good. I can see people do double takes when they realise they recognise me. I no longer feel ashamed when just walking around. I sleep better, and I no longer need to be in bed by 9pm to get through the next day.
I will be left with loose skin, which bothered me for some time - but the equation is simple "me at 330lbs = less happy than me now". Once I got my head round that simple fact, and the fact that I know I would never have succceeded to lose weight the traditional way (having tried for 25+ years to do so), it was easier to accept that loose skin isn't the end of the world.
The above just focusses on the weight related changes and successes. There were many more succcesses which were less directly caused by my weight loss. I'm a completely different man to the man I was on March 1st 2008. My friends will certainly vouch for that.
Anyway, apart from posting this for the "strokes" I might get, I really wanted to highlight how much I've achieved, for me, and for anyone else who ever feels like they can't make it. Anyone can, with the right tools and the right motivation. I don't believe in willpower - though some might say that willpower is just another term for motivation. But I truly believe that most people don't look at their motivations for wanting to lose weight and focus only on the fact they want to. Motivation sustains you, where wanting to often doesn't.
Apart from that, I'd say that people should always do it for themselves and no one else. Doing it for someone else, puts some of the ownership for success or failure on their shoulders and makes it easier for us to rebel against it. I've lost count of the number of times I've turned to food, because someone I love has upset me. Because in the past I always used them as part of why I wanted to lose weight. This time, I have never lapsed at all (and I had to sit around buffets, pizzas and chinese food in december!), and people have upset me just as before. By taking full and 100% ownership of my journey, I have found a path that works for me.
So I'm 25lbs overweight - that's a hell of a success considering a year ago, I was 168lbs overweight.
Good luck to anyone else, on their own journey.
Andy xx
