Nearly there - My Introduction

[Blitz]

Well...I was hoping I was wrong and you were right. At least you have learnt something about your body from it. A lot of these studies are done on "normal" bodies. We the once overweight aren't that normal. Our metabolism has been messed up by years of being overweight. Our bodies are trying to "reset" us to where we were. It is reacting as if we are starving and underweight...that is why I (and I'm guessing you) can easy put on a kilo in a day without any trouble at all. And that is why VIGILANCE is the watch word for us in maintenance...any slippage means a rapid trip to obesity.

You've got a fine runner's body now. If you go skinnier it may be a fine marathon runner's body...it is up to you how you want to look. You look healthy and fit but your own body will tell you how it is faring. Just make sure that you are in the healthy range of those general charts to keep it real.

These are amazing transformations aren't they? If you are anything like I was you will be spending a lot of time in front of the mirror getting to know that "new" face. They are your eyes...but they are on someone else's face! Enjoy the discovery.
A month or so back I popped into a hairdresser to get a hair cut. An ex-girlfriend of my friend runs it - I hadn't been there for some time...I greeted her but she was busy with another customer and I got done by someone else. I was puzzled by the cold response I got from her...she didn't sound as friendly as she use to. Went to a magic club meeting a few nights ago and mutual friend asked if I had been in her shop. Turns out that they were chatting about various people and he told her that I've lost a lot of weight - and the penny dropped for her who that strange guy was who greeted her so familiarly. She hadn't recognised me! Guess it was a long time between haircuts at that shop...I didn't even think of that as the reason for her coldness.

Hey Natasha!...I've got a hairy chest...and a hairy back too - does that count for something?

Kim

[DD Diva]

Hey Andy,
What an awesome transformation! You look AMAZING (and cute too) you're going to be fighting the women off with a stick!!! Bet your ex is sorry she let you go now, huh??

[AndyJ]

Hey Andy,
What an awesome transformation! You look AMAZING (and cute too) you're going to be fighting the women off with a stick!!! Bet your ex is sorry she let you go now, huh??

Lol, thanks.

Women are least on my list at the moment, my career has to change, I am trying to get that on track.

In reply to a few other posts, in those photo's I was near 130kg, don't think I was at my heaviest.

I do feel amazing.

Went to my mums last night, lots of food and alcohol, weighed in this morning at 82kg, so that is 2.5kg gained in 3 days.

I am not to fussed, I know I can get back to my diet and exercise no issues, won't be surprised if I am back down to 79.5kg by Friday, will of cause report in to see if that is the case. I know excess food weight can add 2kg over several days, I have noted that before (last xmas). But the advantage I have is, before when I did this, it wort of kick started my metabolism, I not only lost the 2 or so kg quickly afterwards, but I was able to lose another 2-3kg on top of that before it all slowed down again, hoping for same reaction here.

Even though I wanted to be 76kg, I think it is just to skinny, I am big framed, and my muscle mass is a little more than the normal, so my target should be 78kg. Max I ever want to weight is 82.5kg, yes still classed as overweight but I don't think it is. So this morning 82kg, still under my allowed maximum. Time to shred 4kg and get back to my proposed weight. And next time i have a lot of festive activities, make sure i stay under that 82.5kg.

[Blitz]

Well you are relatively still young so your body can bounce back quicker. As you get older (as JP has been discovering) it does get harder to lose the weight more rapidly. Not only does the metabolism naturally starts to slow down but the mind starts to drift.

It is like the hare in Aesop's tale of the hare and the tortoise. He relaxes so much because he thinks that he can make up the ground that in the end he discovers that he has left it too late and loses the race. Always the better policy to keep the chooks in the pen than to let them out and having to chase all around the yard to get them back in!

These are the things we learn through our journey.

Kim

[AndyJ]

Weigh in this morning.

81.1kg

Still below my 82.5kg maximum. Have not stuck to diet, ate a whole pizza at a work function the other night..

So going ok, no cause for alarm.

Looking to shread an extra 2-3kg still, but not to concerned as long as I am below that 82.5kg.

[Blitz]

Weigh in this morning.

81.1kg

Still below my 82.5kg maximum. Have not stuck to diet, ate a whole pizza at a work function the other night..

So going ok, no cause for alarm.

Looking to shread an extra 2-3kg still, but not to concerned as long as I am below that 82.5kg.

Andy, knocking off a whole pizza should be cause for alarm. That sort of eating can lead to a major breakout in the future. I'm not having a go at you for eating pizza (although you could have picked healthier and more filling food) but rather the portion size and my perception (I wasn't there...this is just my gut reaction) that eating the whole and not just some of it suggests lack of control.

You weighed in at 81.1kg this morning...which is great - that is a 0.9kg loss but that was done in five days...in your last post you told us that you put on 2.5kg in three days. You do the maths - sooner or latter those unwise eating choices are going to run you down.

Successful maintenance is about moderation. You can't eat healthy sometimes and unhealthy at other times...just like you can't be a little bit pregnant. Either you have a healthy lifestyle or not. Any middle ground will soon disappear to the unhealthy side.

Here is a key question you have to ask yourself, "why did I fail to maintain my weight loss last time?" Yes you were in a relationship - but no one but you put that food down your throat. Life happens to each and every one of us. There is the good and the bad. "Normal" people don't put on weight - so we should stop using events in our lives as excuses.

You are still young...and losing weight isn't so tough but as you get older it will get tougher as your metabolism slows naturally. Also this yoyo-ing of losing and gaining will also begin to affect your metabolism, making it even harder.
Far easier to live a healthy lifestyle of moderation and vigilance than a lifetime of angst and struggle.

Kim

[AndyJ]

What is the general thought of the new BMI calculator?

http://people.maths.ox.ac.uk/trefethen/bmi.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healt ... w-BMI.html

Do people believe it is more accurate?

[JP1]

What is the general thought of the new BMI calculator?

http://people.maths.ox.ac.uk/trefethen/bmi.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healt ... w-BMI.html

Do people believe it is more accurate?

Interesting, thanks for sharing..

[Blitz]

It's all maths to me! Maths and me parted company from each other during high school when they decided to introduce alphabet letters into the equation. I was having enough difficulties with the numbers without introducing more trouble into the problem.

I ran my old and current weights through the machine and came up with:

153.7kg Old BMI - 55.1 New BMI - 55.4
69 kilos Old BMI - 24.7 New BMI - 24.9

Any way you look at it - there isn't that much difference in the scheme of things.
The old and new BMI for overweight number still means I was fat as a pig and I better do something about it or die!
The old and new BMI for my current weight still means that I'm in the healthy range.

These are just rulers in the end. So long as you compare like with like you will be okay.
Sure there are going to be exceptions but it has to be remembered that these are general charts/guides and those that are exceptions (like elite fit athletics and those who have lost a lot of weight and carry excessive skin etc) ought to seek specialist's advice if they want that kind of accuracy.

How are you travelling Andy? Are you doing okay?

Kim

[AndyJ]

How are you travelling Andy? Are you doing okay?

Kim

Yeah doing fine. Pushing myself hard this week. Strangely I am dropping 1kg a day at the moment, that binge eating last week probably didn't make me gain much weight other than food weight.

Tonight's 10kg was hell, could not run any of it and had to stop a few times to gather myself. But I still pushed through it, walked still at slightly over 6km an hour, so still burning calories.

My next "bad event" is a work function on the 19th July, I will not break my diet/exervise until then, goves me something to look forward too.

[Blitz]

Yeah...some runs are like that.
When you have been pushing the boat out a bit too much your body "says" hang on and let me catch up a bit.
I've certainly had nights like you have just described. You just have to listen to your body and pace it a bit.
Other nights the complete opposite can happen and your body "says" - we can do more than that big boy...how about putting it up a notch or two?
They are the real cool nights...they certainly stand out in my memory.
The first night I ran my circuit completely without walking...first night I doubled the distance of my run - just because I felt like it...stuff like that gives you a real buzz.

Work it hard...but always listen to your body. If you break it - you'll be doing yourself no favours.

Kim

[AndyJ]

It's all maths to me! Maths and me parted company from each other during high school when they decided to introduce alphabet letters into the equation. I was having enough difficulties with the numbers without introducing more trouble into the problem.

I ran my old and current weights through the machine and came up with:

153.7kg Old BMI - 55.1 New BMI - 55.4
69 kilos Old BMI - 24.7 New BMI - 24.9

Any way you look at it - there isn't that much difference in the scheme of things.
The old and new BMI for overweight number still means I was fat as a pig and I better do something about it or die!
The old and new BMI for my current weight still means that I'm in the healthy range.

These are just rulers in the end. So long as you compare like with like you will be okay.
Sure there are going to be exceptions but it has to be remembered that these are general charts/guides and those that are exceptions (like elite fit athletics and those who have lost a lot of weight and carry excessive skin etc) ought to seek specialist's advice if they want that kind of accuracy.

Kim

A little bit more of a difference for me regarding the new BMI.

Old BMI at 79.35kg = 24.5
New BMI at 79.35kg = 23.7.

[Blitz]

I noticed that it was very height sensitive. Because of my weight loss I've actually gained a centimetre. So I tried my old weight at my old height and my new height. Just that centimetre made a good size jump. Also the old BMI reading that it gave out doesn't match my old BMI reading I got elsewhere (54.7). In the end it doesn't matter that much. My gained muscle and loose skin have probably biased the reading too much to make it applicable.

Kim

[AndyJ]

I am guessing I am probably 2kg of excess skin. So probably more like 77kg.

[ganymede]

Hi Andy, WOW what a transformation! You have done exceptionally well and whilst going through emotional hardship, I've gotta hand it to you. You are looking amazing! I bet your ex is kicking herself, eh?

I sure know the feeling... have only recently become single after 7 years with someone and it ended very, very badly. It's great to be free of them but with that comes the urge to eat an entire pizza as I see you have done too It takes a strong mental will to look past those things and keep focused. It's hard work, mentally more than physically. I am constantly like a squabbling teenager/Mum with my mind - the teenager always saying "But I want ittttt!" and the Mum saying "No! It's bad for you. Go for a walk instead!"

What advise I'd like to give is this. Each time it gets harder. Each time we fall back into bad habits and undo the work we so consistently slogged out to achieve and each time it's harder to get the kg's off again. Trust me when I say, no amount of pizza, chocolate, whatever your sinful food is, is worth the cost of your health and happiness. Once upon a time when I first set foot along the weight loss road, I got myself down to 73kg's, losing the first 10kg in a month and slogging out hard at the gym 7 days a week for 1.5 hours each day. I wanted it so badly, I was willing to do anything. And then I met my partner and became complacent... I hovered in highers weights, struggled to keep the kg's off then went through stages of "I so don't care". Second time around I got myself back down to 76.3kg and I was SO HAPPY.

Then complacency and "being busy" became the top excuse and all of a sudden I was a massive 100kg again... that was the beginning of this year. I've gained some weight, I won't deny that. I gave in to my cravings and ate whatever I wanted. Now I'm paying for it, having to re-lose those kg's I worked so hard to lose to begin with. And was the food worth the gain? Not one bit...

Stay strong Andy and sorry for the epic rant!