Battle of the Bulge - A Weight Loss Journey

[Busy Beaver Lumber]

No good deed goes un-punished. Back in March, I quit smoking after 30 years of about a pack a day. :-[

Over the 6 months that followed, I then managed to put on about 30 pounds. I smoked primarily out of boredom and now was eating more often to fill that void. Plus on top of that I would never say that my caloric intake or daily food consumption was a role model for others to follow. :

So here I found myself at 315 pounds. I was having a tremendous amount of joint pain, especially in my feet and knees, and on top of that I was holding on to a lot of excess water. It actually was very painful to just walk a few hundred feet at a time. In short I had reached the straw that broke the camels back and needed to do something about it fast.

So went to go see a highly recommended dietician/nutritionist and got some very eye opening education from her. The wife wanted to loose some weight too, so she also signed up with her. We were both shocked by what she told us. It was an eye opener to find out how many things we ate thinking that we were doing good for dieting that was actually killing any chance we had of loosing weight.

We use MyFitnessPal.com which is completely free and an awesome site to track out daily food intake and stay within the parameters set up by the nutritionist . It is an awesome site and if you use it, tag me as a buddy. My user name there is busybeaver1

So we have been on diet since November 8th. Thus far I am down to 293 and I have lost 22 pounds. Wife is doing even better and has lost 24 pounds. I already feel much better. Will use this thread to track my progress and hope to inspire others. My goal is to get down to 200 pounds.

11/8/2012     315 pounds
12/16/2012   293 pounds   lost 22 pounds

[drobertson]

Awsome new busybeaver!  keep it up, and thanks for the info on that website,  Merry Christmas!  you picked a fine time to work on the mid section!  But as I like to say, No time like the present!

[Holmes]

Good luck to both of you. This will be one of the best investments you will make in your life..

[thecfarm]

First I want to say how happy I am that you quite smoking. No easy task,I've done that.And good luck with your weight loss. Much easier if you both are doing it.  ;D Between the no smoking and the weight loss,you must feel like a new man.

[Shotgun]

Good luck, BB!  And to your wife also.  But, don't start smoking again.     

Norm

[Leigh Family Farm]

Congrats to you and the wife! Take before and after photos and photos every month. Post them up where you can see them. They're great motivators.

[Okrafarmer]

Congratulations, and keep it up! I need to do this too. I am hovering just over 300 lbs. I am not feeling too bad (I have a big strong skeleton), but 300 lbs. is really too much for anyone, unless you are a serious body builder.

I've been having upper back problems, which my chiropractor says are not related to being overweight, just from moving too many cants, logs, and so on improperly.

I will check out the website you gave. Thanks.

[Woodhauler]

I went through this too! Started at 374, and still around 225 or so!!  Took me one year to do it!

[Okrafarmer]

I'd like to get down to 225. I think that would be a healthy weight for me. Seriously, I'm a big-boned boy, so getting down to 200 or less would be an "exercise" in foolishness.

[Magicman]

I am happy for both you and your wife BB.  Keep it up and keep updated with your progress. 

A special congratulations for laying the cigs down.   

[Busy Beaver Lumber]

Thanks for all the support and good wishes. You folks are great.

Woodhauler, I followed your thread and found it very inspirational. Hats off to you for what you accomplished.

Okrafarmer, glad you joined me on myfitness website, together we can beat the battle of the bulge. I have totally changed the way i think about food and what I am eating and to be honest, I am enjoying my menu now more than I ever did before.

thecfarm - not to worry about the smokes, I am forever done with them. Have no desire whatsoever to every get hooked on them again. Dont miss them in the least. Wife says she still cant believe that I just stopped them cold turkey overnight after smoking for 30+ years

[Busy Beaver Lumber]

Progress update

11/8/2012     315 pounds
12/16/2012   293 pounds   lost 22 pounds
12/27/2012   286 pounds   lost 29 pounds

Goal is to loose a total of 125 pounds. Long way to go, but moving in the right direction. Would like to be at 260 by end of February. Hope I can do it. Would definitely help if I got into some sort of exercise program

[thecfarm]

Busy Beaver,hats off to you too. you are doing great.  ;D

[Riggs]

Good luck to you BB.

[Leigh Family Farm]

BB, you're doing great!

Do you have any ankle, knee, or hip issues? I ask because here is a simple yet very effective way to get into an exercise program. Walk 15 minutes outside everyday. The catch is that you must walk farther than you did the day before. It can be one step farther, but you must go farther each day. And you cannot run at all to make your distance. The goal is to get up to a speed were you are on the verge of running. I got this from The 4 Hour Body and it works really well. 

As an added bonus, at the end of every work out do as many push ups as you can. If you can't do one push up, then go to a telephone pole and do an assisted push up. When you can do 50 push ups in one go, start doing push ups before and after the walk. An assisted push up is you leaning against the pole in the push up position and doing a push up into the pole while standing.

Good luck and keep up the good work!

[clww]

Great to hear that you have already lost so much extra weight! I think your goal by the end of February should be easily reached, judging by your success to this point. 8) 8) 8) More congratulations on stopping smoking, too.

[Busy Beaver Lumber]

clww - thanks much for the encouragement and comments on the smoking cessation. I was ready to quit.

Riggs - Thanks for the good wishes

TheCFarm- Thanks much for the encouragment. Those jellies you donated to the Christmas contest looked awesome. When I get near my goal weight I want to celebrate and order some of those. Love homemade goodies like that.

Kilgrosh - Right Knee started giving me a lot of pain when I put the extra weight on. So painful in fact that I could hardly walk more than a few hundred feet or stand on it for more than an hour at a time. Happy to say, It is feeling much better now that I lost the weight, but still occasionally bothers me a bit, but nowhere near how much it hurt two months ago. We live in a nice development that actually has about two miles of dedicated bicycle and walking paths in it and do plan to make use of them when the weather gets a bit warmer in the spring. Neither my wife or I like cold weather at all. She does use a tread mill we have at home, but i am to heavy for it at this point as its weight limit is 250 pounds. Have been using our exercise cycle a bit here and there as right knee allows. Real push ups are never going to happen for me. The damage to my spine, left arm, and left hand would never allow that to happen, but i do like the idea of the assisted pushups and used a support column in the basement this morning to try that idea out. I think it just might be a viable option, as long as i dont try too steep of an angle

[Leigh Family Farm]

...She does use a tread mill we have at home, but i am to heavy for it at this point as its weight limit is 250 pounds. Have been using our exercise cycle a bit here and there as right knee allows. Real push ups are never going to happen for me. The damage to my spine, left arm, and left hand would never allow that to happen, but i do like the idea of the assisted pushups and used a support column in the basement this morning to try that idea out. I think it just might be a viable option, as long as i dont try too steep of an angle

Glad to hear the knee pain is subsiding a bit. Do you have access to an indoor lap pool? Another option to the treadmill is running in the pool. Pro football lineman use this technique to build strength without damaging their knees. Basically you get into the shallow end and run through the water as fast as you can until the water gets to above chest height, then turn around and run back. Keep this up for 15 minutes.

The assisted push ups will help a lot. Resistance bands will work too. Using the pole in your basement, wrap a resistance band around the pole and grip both ends in your hands. Push the ends away from the pole just like you would if you were doing a standing cable press (youtube has example videos).

Keep up the good work! Soon you will be under 250, then 240, 230, 220, 210, and boom you met your goal!  8)

[thecfarm]

Would like to send you some jam. shipping is kinda high,4 jars are $11.35 and than the bubble warp is a couple dollars.

[swampbuggy]

Thank BB. You inspired me, as if I didn't already know I needed to do something. Got on the fitness pal site and started Jan 1. I also quit drinking. Not that it was a problem, just time for a change. My weight is heading downward as we speak. I hate exercise do I just work at the mill more. I figure lifting logs, cants, lumber has to account for something. Keep up the good work..I have a long way to go. Swamp ( Dan..dinraleigh)

[Busy Beaver Lumber]

Progress update

11/8/2012     315 pounds
12/16/2012   293 pounds   lost 22 pounds
12/27/2012   286 pounds   lost 29 pounds
2/9/2013       279 pounds   lost 36 pounds

This last 7 pounds took a bit longer. Kinda got stuck at 283 to 285 for 2 weeks. Not sure why, but then broke out of that band and am starting to loose more again.

Also making some minor changes like doing more woodworking to keep me on my feet and up and moving, and I am sure that is helping me burn more calories and stay away from the kitchen ;D

Starting to feel a bit better too, although I am still having a lot of pain in my right knee and feet. Hope this goes way if I loose more pounds.

[Busy Beaver Lumber]

Progress update

11/8/2012     315 pounds
12/16/2012   293 pounds   lost 22 pounds
12/27/2012   286 pounds   lost 29 pounds
3/1/2013       274 pounds   lost 41 pounds

Taking a bit more time than i would like, but at least I am going in the right direction.

[martyinmi]

That is phenomenal! 8) 8)

41 lbs in 4 months. I doubt I'd be able to do that in a year!

[Busy Beaver Lumber]

martyinmi

Thank you for the compliment. I believe that you could do just as well if not better. Have to be honest and tell you that both wife and I are seeing a nutritionist/dietician and she is awesome.

I am actually eating more now than I did before I met her, but now I am eating the right foods, and the ones that dont make me fat. Really do not feel hungry at all. So far not doing any exercise at all. Would have been impossible for me to even walk a half mile 4 months ago my joins hurt to much, especially my knees, but now I am getting to the point that I think I can actually do some walking or other forms of exercise.

Still want to loose another 75 pounds and get back to tip top shape

[thecfarm]

All good things come in time. It's good to eat right AND more AND still lose weight.

[Norm]

Great job, keep up the progress and you'll make your goal in no time at all. 

[OneWithWood]

Keep it up BB and you will feel like a new man.   

[SLawyer Dave]

Great job.  41 lbs is a lot to lose in that short of time.  I'm still trying to lose too.  I've lost 88 lbs, but it has taken me almost 4 years to do it.  So you are certainly doing something right to have lost that much so quickly.  Keep up the great work.

[Busy Beaver Lumber]

Thanks for all the compliments and support. You folks are great.

I am hoping that not that firewood bundling season is almost upon us that I can loose more weight as we bundle, stack, and deliver the bundles to the customer. Would like to be busy like we were back in 2010 and 2011. 2012 was a dog of a year between the high temps and all the fire bans. Hardly sold any wood at all and certainly did not get much exercise

[Left Coast Chris]

Great progress BB!   If you don't mind the asking, how tall are you?

I"m 6'5" and got up to 260. I've cut out most sugar, no snacks between meals especially after dinner and drink fresh vegie juice twice a day.  Also went to 3/4 sized meals but other wise normal meals.   No headaches or cravings and lost 20lbs over the last 4 weeks.  Feels pretty good.   Im thinking I want to get down to 230 which was my high school weight playing sports etc..   I had sore knees and hip and they are alot better with just losing the 20 lbs..

Keep up the good work. 8) 8)

[Leigh Family Farm]

Congrats so far BB! You're doing great! Be aware that a plateau is coming...thats when you don't seem to be dropping but a pound a week when you normal have been losing 10 pounds a month. Its natural so don't worry about it. All that is happening is that you lost all the water weight and your body is trying to burn through the visceral fat while you build muscle. Muscle is 3x heavier than fat. When you hit this plateau, look at your waist size and hip size. I bet they are still getting smaller.

Keep it up!

[ET]

Busybeaver, just found your thread this morning while sitting in my easychair doing nothing because of my hip and back pain related to a fall on ice back in January. Last Friday an MRI says I have a pinched nerve at L5 from a bulged disc. Ya I'm sure maybe my fall did some of the damage but more than likely my weight may have more to do with it.

Your weight loss journey has me thinking more seriously of trying to lose some weight.  I'm 6'3" and weigh 250.  Thanks for sharing your journey as you have inspired me to lose 50 lbs and I bet my bulged disc will be a pain in the past!

[OlJarhead]

Great stuff!  JKeep it up!  and try walking now too!  I started walking at 280 and it was tough...eventually I started my latest weight loss program (self induced) at 276lbs and while it was a tough go I went from struggling a bit on 2 miles to doing 4mph for 4.2 miles regularly now

Burns off a nice bunch of calories and allows me to eat a little more on the days i walk too   'course I'm down to 248 now though so it's getting a lot easier

[clww]

Nice work Kevin and Busy Beaver! 8) 8) 8)