Sean from Tassie

[SeanDC]

Hi, this is my first post on weightloss.com.au.

I'm Sean from Tassie(obviously) and I have lost about 100kg over the past 2 1/2 years. I say about 100 kg because I didn't actually have a scale that went high enough to weigh me when I started and my weight has crept up a little bit in the maintenance phase. The highest weight I ever saw on the scale was 183 kg, but this was 3 weeks after I had already started. I went biggest loser style for those first few weeks. From no exercise at all to exercising everyday and eating about 1500 calories(too low I know). So my actual starting weight would probably have been closer to 195 kg. The lowest weight I have seen on the scale is 79.5 kg about 15 weeks ago.My current weight is 84.kg. I will post before and after pics in that section soon.

I just want people trying to lose weight that there are no easy solutions, no quick fixes. All weight loss programs are about one thing - calorie restriction. Calories in vs calories out that is all you need to know to lose weight. Start counting calories and work out your BMR (base metabolic rate).

An excellent free podcast on iTunes is Fat2fit radio. They use this philosophy. And I wish I had known about it when I was overweight. I wouldn't have believed you could eat so much and still lose weight.

[admin]

HI Sean

Great work. Yes I support your view that there is no quick fix other than input vs output.

I believe that you need to acknowledge what you eat by writing in a food diary or even on this forum and then you assess what change even a little change you can make the following day/week. We all have bad days but the goal is to have more good days than bad.

Keep up the good work, hope you can encourage others with some practical advise and look forward to your pictures.

Sharrelle from the weightloss.com.au team

[SeanDC]

I completely agree about the food journal, I have kept track of everything about my diet since the beginning. I have about 10 exercise books filled with details on what I ate each day and when. You have to know how much food you're consuming to get an accurate calorie count.

The 90/10 rule, (90% good, 10% bad) and you're still moving forward.

[mrsdavegrohl]

Hi Sean, and congratulations!! You've done such a great job losing all that weight, sometimes the road seems too long and hard for me, but knowing you've done it inspires me to keep going. Every day is a battle and the mental and emotional side far outweighs the physical side for me. Agree with you re keeping a food journal, I have been doing that since September, though I've never worked out the calories, have just followed a meal plan that my trainer gave me, and when I stick to it, it works. Just have to stick to it. Anyways, gotta go, just wanted to say well done on all your hard work, would love to hear more about it.

Cheers, Jane

[SeanDC]

Thank you msdavegrohl. I hate to say it but even when you lose all the weight the emotional and psychological issues still remain. I used to think that as soon as I had lost all the weight everything would be better. But I am sad to say it doesn't, it just brings up a whole new set of problems. That's why I tell people not to wait till you have lost the weight to do something you have been putting off until you lose the weight, just do it.

The best advice I can give about losing weight is that one thing you should really think about is counting calories, I know it's tedious in the beginning but after a couple of weeks you get to know pretty much everything you eat off by heart. You also need to find out your BMR. There are BMR calculators all over the web, just put your details in and it will tell you how many calories your body needs to survive on per day. If you eat at this level you lose weight. Because any activity you do will be taken out of the fat stores in your body. My BMR at the moment is about 2300 calories, so If I eat 2300 calories I will lose weight just by doing my normal daily activities, without exercising. But if I also do exercise this in creases the calories I burn thus increasing the weight loss. A calorie is about 4.2 Kj (I do have a calculator on my kitchen table).

About motivation, I hate to say it but fear is the best motivator I found. Fear of death is what mainly inspired me. Just think about the worst that could happen if you don't lose the weight. I know it sounds creepy, and you wouldn't hear it in a weight loss seminar but I am proof that it can work for some people. I developed a severe panic disorder because of it, they were some pretty tough times. but I knew that the only way I could stop the panic was to lose the fear of what the weight was doing to me by losing the weight.

[Metalcharm]

Love your story, Sean. A Big congratuations to you.

I'm a fa of fat2fit too It was just basic common sense stuff that every one should know.
I almost hated it when I got caught up and couldn't listen to them every day on my walks lol

[SeanDC]

Thanks metalcharm,

Yeah fat2fit is the best free, non-commercial podcast out there. Their only concern is giving people the right information and not trying to sell you stuff. And if you listen from the first free episode, which I think is episode 29 you can follow one of the hosts progress through each episode as he loses weight. It should have a wider audience among the 'weight loss community'. I can't recommend it highly enough. Another podcast is Jillian Michaels' on Itunes. It's free also. I know some people find her a bit over the top but she really does know her stuff and is extremely motivational. If you need something to listen too while you're working out give it a try.

All the best.

[Metalcharm]

lol - I listen to that one too. You have to filter out some of the self-help stuff but it's great for the message of health.

Which others do you listen to?

I also have
Cut the Fat
The Paleo Solution (I am not paleo but just find it interesting the detail they go into)
and my favourite is The Wellness Guys which is an Australian podcast and is full of good info both diet and exercise.

[SeanDC]

I haven't heard of the wellness guys, Cut the Fat or The Paleo Solution, I will check them out. Thanks. The two I mentioned are the only two I listen to which are fitness/health related. I found a lot of other ones just talk a lot of BS, new age stuff. With regard to the Jillian Michaels podcast, that actually sprang up out of a radio show she used to do on KFI radio in LA. It had lots of talkback (unlike the podcast) about 45 minutes a show. I have the link to a page with the archived episodes somewhere. If I can find it I will post the link. There are about 100 1 1/2 hr episodes, they got me through a lot of morning walks. 90+ min a day you need something to listen too right.