How I lost over 100 lbs. and kept it off (long story)

[NinjaZX10R]

Fat weight: 267 lbs
Skinny weight after 2 years dieting and cardio: 160 lbs.
Current weight after 1 year lifting in gym: 187 lbs.

When I first joined this forum I didnt even bother going to the "losing fat" section because I'd already been there......and I joined this forum for tips and advice on gaining muscle. Well, out of curiosity one day I started reading through threads in this section and was stunned because I had the exact same experiences as so many of you here. So I thought I'd post up my own experience of losing over 100 lbs. and how I've kept it off for years now. Hopefully, you will see a little of yourselves in my story and it will inspire you to keep going with your weight loss and succeed.


The beginning:

I started to gain serious weight during high school. I had been steadily gaining weight during middle school but it was always kept in check by my high level of physical activity. Essentially, I was in a situation of having a really bad diet combined with a very high phyisical activity level......so I wasnt aware there was going to be a problem looming in the future......but I look back now and see that the seeds of disaster were first being sown then.

The Middle:

It really all started in high school when I got my drivers license and saved up enough money to buy a car. Thats pretty much when the world of fast food opened up to me. Rather then being dependent on my parents to drive me to get pizza and burgers and soda and all the other crap I liked to eat I could now do it whenever I wanted. On top of that.....high school was the time I stopped playing sports because it was more serious to try out for the team and such. I also got a job delivering pizza because it was the best money a high school kid could make in my area. It was good fast cash. Unfortunately, it was also alot of good free pizza! So basicallu I would spend my day sitting on my ass in school and eating and my nights sitting in my car seat delivering and eating pizza. The combination of even more bad food choices and suddenly becoming a sedantary person led to the obvious: Rapid and substantial weight gain.

There were some bright spots. During one summer break I was determined to lose weight and get in shape for next year. I started running an watched my diet and managed to lose 30 lbs. over that summer. But as soon as school started again my old habits of getting fast food and candy and soda for lunch returned and my physical activity level went to zero again. I remmember asking to go to the bathroom during class so I could sneak to the vending machine and get cookies rather then actually use the bathroom!!! I look back on it and laugh now but its really an indicator of how bad things were.

My lunches usually consisted of a run to the gas station for a super sized drink, a candy bar, and some chips........then I'd hit up the drive through on the way back to class and get a combo meal (which included my second big soda of the lunch break). My breakfast was usually some sort of sugary cereal with some "healthy" tea that I would always load up with a huge spoonfull of sugar. The only meal of my day that was even remotely healthy was dinner and thats because my mom made it. Of course, on days when she was too tired or my sister and I could convince her we would order a pizza or chinese take-out or whatever. So on those days my diet would consist of sugar cereal for breakfast with sugared down tea/coffee, fast food, candy, and soda for lunch, and pizza for dinner........with trips to the school vending machine for cookies inbetween.

The End:

I graduated high school at a weight of about 260-270 lbs. I was unhappy with myself and I had become sedantary. Bascially I was a recluse by that point. About the only thing that could get me outside was if I were going to see a movie or going out to eat. I was basically migrating between the television, the computer, and the big movie screen.........oh and fast food joints. The bright spot was that I kept my grades up somehow even though I didnt really care. I somehow managed to get A's, B's and C's without doing any homework or studying or attending most of the classes. The funny point came when my history teacher threatened to automatically fail me because I had missed so many days of class......but I had the highest grade in the class! hehehe. I think the fact I wasnt a trouble maker and that I had the highest grade in her class saved me. What my grades did do is get me accepted into the various colleges I applied for. All of a sudden I had options and I kinda woke up to the fact that now was the time to get serious and now I had real freedom to study what I wanted and get where I wanted to be.

At that point I made a simple decision. It was almost like flisking on a light switch. I just decided to get my life in order and move forward. I knew that first thing that had to happen to achieve that was to get in good physical shape. I began by researching healthy eating with a focus on clean foods free of artificial crap and chemicals and processes. I became a big believer in whole foods and organics and all that. I also started to exercise.

I ended up defering my acceptance to college by a year so I could work and get in shape. I didnt really start my exercise plan in earnest until the summer before my freshman year in college. Just by good dieting I had lost about 20 lbs. and I lost around another 15 lbs. over that summer. I walked up to my dorm for freshman year weighing in at around 230-235 lbs but I was a man on a mission to lose weight at that point. At that point getting in shape was more important to me then my college carreer I had just begun.......I had already seen some success y losing some weight over the summer and I was excited to continue it.

The first night in the dorm....while everyone else was meeting up to party because classes werent due to start for another week or so........I went out and found my new home: The football field/track. I made it my goal to run a mile at a good pace non-stop. My first attempt got me about 100 yards before I stopped and took a breather. Right then I said to myself, "Ok, so you cant RUN a full mile....but your gonna go the distance....whatever you cant run you walk it and finish.....and you're gonna do this every single night....rain or shine.....final exam week or party fridays.......you are at least gonna get this run in". And so my freshman year I went out to that track EVERY single night and I ever so slowly worked up to running a full mile. Seriosly, I ran during huge thunder storms and even blizzards. I ran when I was sick......it didnt matter. During the Winter the track was covered in ice. I ran on that ice. I started to run for time after I could easily do a mile. If I wanted to party on a Friday night......I would do my run at around 5:00.........but I got that run in.

I also started to drop weight steadily. The summer after my freshman year I was a lifeguard at a pool. Prior to that I could IMAGINE being a lifeguard because I was so out of shape. But that summer I had morphed from being utterly fat to what I would call moderatly overweight. I also continued my running every night over the summer but I added another mile and set a goal of running two miles nonstop in under 12 minutes. I didnt achieve that over the summer but I kept that goal when I went back for sophmore year.

Sophmore year I felt fit enough to kick things up a notch. I signed up for a jogging and conditioning class (something that would have literally killed me not even a year before that) and I also kept up my nightly runs but this time running two miles. Combined I was running about 5 miles a day now. I also began my first tentative weightlifting with my roomate but at that point I was more into my running because thats what had helped shed the weight.

The second semester of my sophmore year I basically ignored the rules of class registration and signed up for 6 P.E. classes in addition to my other classes and I paid for all that. Somehow it slipped through the system which was designed to prevent anyone doing something like that hehehe. The beauty of beaurocracy!! That semester was the hardest of my life. I was up 7:00 AM to about 9:00 PM on full blast mode and then I had papers and studying to do after that!!! But I kept up my grades and such.

By the end of that year I weighed in at between 159-165 lbs. My body had completely changed. I looked like a triathalete at that point. It hit me one day when I was stretching before a run at the track (this time a morning run) and a guy that was stretching mext to me asked me if I was on the track team and what my times were. I laughed and told him I wasnt and the only times I had ever concerned myself with was keeping a 6 minute mile pace as long as I could. I remmember thinking back at that point where I had been two years before.......unable to even run ounce around that track......and now I was being asked if I were on the track team!!! It really made me realize how far I had come in just two years.

Now Im continuing my weight loss goals by adding the goal of getting shredded and muscular within 1 year. Im applying the same consistency and dedication to my new routine of cardio and weight lifting that I did to my fat loss routine years ago.

Hope this has inspired anyone who reads it....especially if you're currently struggling to lose a large amount of weight and you're unsure if its possible or even worth it. First off......its possible. I could barely run 100 yards when I started.......I ended being able to outrun half my local high shools soccer team. In terms of whether or not its worth it.........

For people that have vast amounts of weight to lose (100 lbs. or more)....it is beyond words how much it is worth it. It will change your life more then just about anything possibly can......more then winning a million dollars..........trust me. Pretty much EVERYTHING in your life will change for the better when you shed that many pounds and go through the process of getting in shape. Its a garuantee because its simply isnt possible to achieve that without becoming a certain sort of person. Its a process that requires courage and dedication and all sorts of things.......and you simply cant go through it without changing for the better. They go hand in hand.

[The_Contrarian]

Pics? Well done!!

[thetrooper31]

awesome story great job

[KishanS]

awesome story, well worth the long read! good luck!

[jackson28]

Great story, I would love to see pictures of your transformation.

[fatlossidiot]

That was a long read.

You know, I had one of those "feel amazing" moments. I was called a G.I. Joe doll by 2 black people in the hall way after I got upstairs to refill my water bottles in school. It was awesome. Cause I looked like a G.I. Joe doll and I laughed my ass off and remembered that forever.

But now I'm a girl.




...Great story!

[BC23]

Awesome story, awesome job.

[dgessler]

Wow, I read it all even with my ADD.. very inspiring.. I might have my little brother read this.

[HardBody310]

very good story indeed. GJ!

[152_pilot]

amazing story man

[wildhalf]

Great story... Well done

[NinjaZX10R]

Thanks all. Really I was inspired to write about my experience after reading so many other peep's stories on this forum about living life seriously overweight. I've read alot of posts on here where people are just beginning the part of the journey that I've been through. I just felt a need to tell people not to give up and that its possible and worth it to lose all that weight. I can't even tell you the difference it made in my life. It changed EVERY aspect of my life. The good news it that you wont have to waite for your life to change. Its not like one day you wake up two years later and you're in shape and you're happy...no no no...as you steadily make progress getting fit you will steadily see the rewards in all aspects of your life........its really all about sticking with the program long enough to the point where it starts to get easier simply because its become something you love to do now. So the rewards arnt something you're gonna have to waite for. In fact, I'd say with only 2-3 months of good solid effort you will begin to see the first tangible and obvious rewards in terms of your life......so its really not that long to waite.

If just one person thats seriously overweight reads my post and gets motivated to start living healthy then Im happy.

As far as pics go......I've actually got a little something planned for that but its not gonna happen for awhile. Im currently taking month by month digital pics to chart my progress and then after 8-12 months of extreme effort lifting weights and doing my cardio and diet Im gonna post them all in a series. I'll even scan some old pics of when I was in high school and weighed over 260 lbs. so you guys can get the full idea of the transformation I've made. . Basically Im gonna post the whole story in photgraphs......from my 100lbs + weight loss to my skinny-->ripped transformation.

My basic progress will be: Fat-->Skinny--->Ripped


Gotta be patient though. I only began taking pics last month hehe. Im not gonna post until I have 8-12 pics to show which means 8-12 months waite. But when I do........oh damn watch out.

[derickonfire]

Sweet mein.

[NinjaZX10R]

ok.....I cant help myself......I'll post a little teaser for you guys......some pics of me on vacation.....with a shirt on of course......and some pics after my weight loss but not at my peak.......Im not gonna post the most recent one's of me that show the extreme transformation.....Im gonna save that for 8 months from now.




Kinda Skinny me (my lightest was arond 158-165 which I kept at for a few years)...I think this was when I weight around 180 or so......... .

[BPsycho]

That was a long read.

You know, I had one of those "feel amazing" moments. I was called a G.I. Joe doll by 2 black people in the hall way after I got upstairs to refill my water bottles in school. It was awesome. Cause I looked like a G.I. Joe doll and I laughed my ass off and remembered that forever.

But now I'm a girl.




...Great story!

Wait what?

[Terve]

Great story!

What do you mean when you saying "things changed for the better" ?

What exactly are those things? Women? Opportunities? etc? Just curious, because I'm in the process of losing weight.

[wildhalf]

Great story!

What do you mean when you saying "things changed for the better" ?

What exactly are those things? Women? Opportunities? etc? Just curious, because I'm in the process of losing weight.

Things???? Everything you mentioned above... But most of all your self confidence will explode.....

I was at a wedding last night and felt brilliant. I know i looked great compared to what i used to look like.

Doors just open in front of you. People act differently to you and talk differently to you also...

[The_Contrarian]

Things???? Everything you mentioned above... But most of all your self confidence will explode.....

I was at a wedding last night and felt brilliant. I know i looked great compared to what i used to look like.

Doors just open in front of you. People act differently to you and talk differently to you also...

Wassup dude? You still on that low calorie shake programme by one of those companies?

[wildhalf]

Wassup dude? You still on that low calorie shake programme by one of those companies?

Nope finished tat a few weeks ago... on a high protien diet at the minute... lost 52lbs no so far in the last few months and 86lbs since last august....

But i would say that program gave me a huge start, but had to get off it so i could train the way i wanted to...

[samsont]

this is so inspiring.


I too, college student, i took a hiatus off of school, last 3 weeks Or so i got serious, I've lost 15 lbs. watching what i eat, but most importantly, every single morning for the past week, (sparingly before that) doing atleast 2 miles every morning. I usually walk, and i keep my motivation through music(i listen to bass lines and then play them later in the day) I try to run the length of 1 song, no matter how long that song is. today i did two songs..


anyways, I thank you for your story. I was in similar size, 286 now 270ish, and i love running, I was thinking while my run this morning(surprising how many thoguhts, ideas and inspriation i find during my runs) that i want to work my way up to running a charity race, to give me more motivation to run not just for weight but for something else, something that would require me to run every day.

[sxgt]

way to go man. Its easy to drop 40 - 50 lbs if you are massive. Its cutting those last 15 lbs on your tummy that kills everyone. like trying to go from 170 to 155 is so much harder then going from 280 - 230.

[NinjaZX10R]

Hey Samsont.........sounds to me like you are currently in a very similar situation to what I was in......and it also sounds like you've developed a love of running like I did. One reason I loved runnning was that I used it as "my time" where I could relax and be alone and think. It was like meditation which is why I liked to run at night when it was quite and still around campus.

I also like your idea of working up to a charity run. Thats a great motivator. If your at the point of running two miles per day.......you're already well on your way to success. Pretty soon your body will adapt and start to change to handle those runs.....and eventually you will be able to handle 3-4 miles per day. Assuming you have a good clean diet and have cut down on salk, sugar, fat, etc.......you're pretty much gauranteed to succeed so long as you keep it up.

Just wiate until you get to the point where you're running two miles for time. I suggest you get a stop watch and pick one or two of your runs per week to time and make a chart.....and try to improve, even if only by a second, your timed two mile run from the week before.

One thing I noticed: When I started to run for time and really started to run fast (well, fast for me anyway).......like when I was running 6 minute mile pace......my body began to change and look like a sprinter's body. Pretty much your body will change to meet what you demand of it. Dont demand enough......its gonna adapt and get soft on you....keep pushing its limits and it will keep changing and adapting to meet the challenges you give it.

As far as the question of what specifically changed in my life when I went through the process of loosing weight.....EVERYTHING.

1. My general mood changed. When I was fat I would get angry and frustrated easily. I would give up on anything that challenged me in any way without even trying. Weight loss made me more of a "go getter" that thrived on challenge rather then was defeated by it. Also now I almost never get angry.....I simply go with it and try to figure out a solution to whatever the problem is. Its not even a conscience thing......I dont even have to try not to get angry.......I simply dont get angry hardly at all. Just something I noticed that changed when I got in shape.

2. Weight loss actually saved my life. Now thats a real tangible benefit!! I was in a bad accident and was seriously injured. Broke alot of bones and injured my neck....almost broke it. Lots of blood and all that. There is zero doubt in my mind that if I had been put through that same accident years ago when I was 267 lbs. then I would have been killed by it. Being phyiscally and mentally strong is what got me through. Also improved my recovery time. Docs said I was the fastest healing person they had ever seen. So there you go: I would not be alive today were it not for losing all that weight.

3. When I would go in for physicals prior to loosing all the weight and adopting a healthy lifestyle I had sleep problems, skin problems, borderline high blood pressure, my bloodwork was off and the docs would always give me the diabetes speach. The last time I had a physical my doctor said, "I wish I had your blood" when the bloodwork came in. My blood pressure is perfect, diabetes isnt even mentioned to me, I sleep better, etc. Also my skin cleared up. I used to get clogged pores on my back and arms and I used lots of Clearisil and Acne meds to no help whatsoever. Ounce I cut out all the junk food and started the cardio my skin cleared up completely.....and I stopped spending money on crap that didnt work for me.

4. One huge benefit I noticed from getting in shape was mental sharpness. My first two years of college I got decent grades......but after that sophmore year when I really got into shape cardiowise......my last two years were at 4.0 GPA and I ended up graduating with a 3.67 cumulative GPA having made the Deans list for 5 semesters in total. Example: freshman Bio when studying my notes I would read over them two or three times before I had them memorized and made sure I understood everything for the mid term. By my sophmore year I was taking a high level Bio and I would only need to read over my notes one time before mid term......and thats ALOT of notes to read since I took notes verbatim.......and I could ace the mid term at that point.

5. Attention from girls went from ZERO (literally......none) to girls almost everywhere. There wasnt even effort required. Girls (and people in general) just seemed to be drawn to me by the end of my sophmore year. I didnt even notice it. At first I resented this because I used to think "they're just interested because Im in good shape and I look good and I want a girl that likes me for me" but I soon came to a big realization: It wasnt just my body that changed.....it was me that changed too and people could sense that. Being severely overweight not only speaks volumns about you as a person (unless you have a medical condition or something like that) but it also tends to weigh down and hide the person you really are.......often by making you insecure and because it tends to contanstly be on your mind that your overweight......its a constant source of frustration. I realized that losing all that weight not only let me be me in a sense but it also changed who I was......it was a process.....kinda like going through Marine Corps boot camp.......you arnt the same person when its over. So yes.....girls were attracted to my physically......but also to the person I had become in the process of conquiring that mountain that was loosing over 100 lbs. So in the end I lost all the resentment and didnt let it block me.

6. Respect. People began to listen to what I had to say and take it seriously relative to when I was overweight.

7. Confidence. It went through the roof.

8. Adventurous spirit. Since loosing weight I've travelled all over the world all by myself just to see if I could do it, I've jumped out of airplanes, I've flown an airplane, I've gotten my motorcycle license and have bought three motorcycles, I've survived a bad accident with a good attitude........None of which would have happened had I still been 267 lbs.!!!!!! Its allowed me to experience life in so many ways that were closed to me. Good example: There was a girl I really liked who won a contest and got two free skydiving tickets. She liked me and invited me to use one of her free tickets and I was excited to go. It would be the perfect first date. Well, turns out I was too fat to be allowed. I found out about this before the jump when I called for information and I was so embarrassed by it I made up a story about not being able to go. I think she could sense I wasnt telling the truth and so she basically lost interest in me. I was too embarassed to tell her the truth and settled for her thinking I was just a liar and writing me off......that was a better outcome then her finding out the truth in my mind. In hindsight I dont know wether it would have been better to have gone to the airport with her and THEN been told I was too fat......at least then she would have known I really did want to go!! Hehe, so you can see why after I lost weight I started jumping out of airplanes alot!! LOL.

Basically, I could go on all day about how loosing all this weight has been a positive thing. The only thing you need to know if you are right now facing the challenge of loosing over 100 lbs or more is this:

Just get started. Dont waste another day doing nothing. Thats one less day in the rest of your life where you could be feeling awesome and having all kinds of adventures and just loving life. Trust me.....if you make it through the crucible......and it is a crucible....of loosing over 100 lbs. you are, by definition, going to be a better person......and I dont mean physically........I mean mentally. Because in order to do it you are gonna gain courage, dedication, patience, commitment, etc.......and all that WILL make you a better person. I promise. You simply cant go through the process required without being changed by it.....and for the better.

[samsont]

Hey Samsont.........sounds to me like you are currently in a very similar situation to what I was in......and it also sounds like you've developed a love of running like I did. One reason I loved runnning was that I used it as "my time" where I could relax and be alone and think. It was like meditation which is why I liked to run at night when it was quite and still around campus.

I also like your idea of working up to a charity run. Thats a great motivator. If your at the point of running two miles per day.......you're already well on your way to success. Pretty soon your body will adapt and start to change to handle those runs.....and eventually you will be able to handle 3-4 miles per day. Assuming you have a good clean diet and have cut down on salk, sugar, fat, etc.......you're pretty much gauranteed to succeed so long as you keep it up.

Just wiate until you get to the point where you're running two miles for time. I suggest you get a stop watch and pick one or two of your runs per week to time and make a chart.....and try to improve, even if only by a second, your timed two mile run from the week before.

One thing I noticed: When I started to run for time and really started to run fast (well, fast for me anyway).......like when I was running 6 minute mile pace......my body began to change and look like a sprinter's body. Pretty much your body will change to meet what you demand of it. Dont demand enough......its gonna adapt and get soft on you....keep pushing its limits and it will keep changing and adapting to meet the challenges you give it.

As far as the question of what specifically changed in my life when I went through the process of loosing weight.....EVERYTHING.

1. My general mood changed. When I was fat I would get angry and frustrated easily. I would give up on anything that challenged me in any way without even trying. Weight loss made me more of a "go getter" that thrived on challenge rather then was defeated by it. Also now I almost never get angry.....I simply go with it and try to figure out a solution to whatever the problem is. Its not even a conscience thing......I dont even have to try not to get angry.......I simply dont get angry hardly at all. Just something I noticed that changed when I got in shape.

2. Weight loss actually saved my life. Now thats a real tangible benefit!! I was in a bad accident and was seriously injured. Broke alot of bones and injured my neck....almost broke it. Lots of blood and all that. There is zero doubt in my mind that if I had been put through that same accident years ago when I was 267 lbs. then I would have been killed by it. Being phyiscally and mentally strong is what got me through. Also improved my recovery time. Docs said I was the fastest healing person they had ever seen. So there you go: I would not be alive today were it not for losing all that weight.

3. When I would go in for physicals prior to loosing all the weight and adopting a healthy lifestyle I had sleep problems, skin problems, borderline high blood pressure, my bloodwork was off and the docs would always give me the diabetes speach. The last time I had a physical my doctor said, "I wish I had your blood" when the bloodwork came in. My blood pressure is perfect, diabetes isnt even mentioned to me, I sleep better, etc. Also my skin cleared up. I used to get clogged pores on my back and arms and I used lots of Clearisil and Acne meds to no help whatsoever. Ounce I cut out all the junk food and started the cardio my skin cleared up completely.....and I stopped spending money on crap that didnt work for me.

4. One huge benefit I noticed from getting in shape was mental sharpness. My first two years of college I got decent grades......but after that sophmore year when I really got into shape cardiowise......my last two years were at 4.0 GPA and I ended up graduating with a 3.67 cumulative GPA having made the Deans list for 5 semesters in total. Example: freshman Bio when studying my notes I would read over them two or three times before I had them memorized and made sure I understood everything for the mid term. By my sophmore year I was taking a high level Bio and I would only need to read over my notes one time before mid term......and thats ALOT of notes to read since I took notes verbatim.......and I could ace the mid term at that point.

5. Attention from girls went from ZERO (literally......none) to girls almost everywhere. There wasnt even effort required. Girls (and people in general) just seemed to be drawn to me by the end of my sophmore year. I didnt even notice it. At first I resented this because I used to think "they're just interested because Im in good shape and I look good and I want a girl that likes me for me" but I soon came to a big realization: It wasnt just my body that changed.....it was me that changed too and people could sense that. Being severely overweight not only speaks volumns about you as a person (unless you have a medical condition or something like that) but it also tends to weigh down and hide the person you really are.......often by making you insecure and because it tends to contanstly be on your mind that your overweight......its a constant source of frustration. I realized that losing all that weight not only let me be me in a sense but it also changed who I was......it was a process.....kinda like going through Marine Corps boot camp.......you arnt the same person when its over. So yes.....girls were attracted to my physically......but also to the person I had become in the process of conquiring that mountain that was loosing over 100 lbs. So in the end I lost all the resentment and didnt let it block me.

6. Respect. People began to listen to what I had to say and take it seriously relative to when I was overweight.

7. Confidence. It went through the roof.

8. Adventurous spirit. Since loosing weight I've travelled all over the world all by myself just to see if I could do it, I've jumped out of airplanes, I've flown an airplane, I've gotten my motorcycle license and have bought three motorcycles, I've survived a bad accident with a good attitude........None of which would have happened had I still been 267 lbs.!!!!!! Its allowed me to experience life in so many ways that were closed to me. Good example: There was a girl I really liked who won a contest and got two free skydiving tickets. She liked me and invited me to use one of her free tickets and I was excited to go. It would be the perfect first date. Well, turns out I was too fat to be allowed. I found out about this before the jump when I called for information and I was so embarrassed by it I made up a story about not being able to go. I think she could sense I wasnt telling the truth and so she basically lost interest in me. I was too embarassed to tell her the truth and settled for her thinking I was just a liar and writing me off......that was a better outcome then her finding out the truth in my mind. In hindsight I dont know wether it would have been better to have gone to the airport with her and THEN been told I was too fat......at least then she would have known I really did want to go!! Hehe, so you can see why after I lost weight I started jumping out of airplanes alot!! LOL.

Basically, I could go on all day about how loosing all this weight has been a positive thing. The only thing you need to know if you are right now facing the challenge of loosing over 100 lbs or more is this:

Just get started. Dont waste another day doing nothing. Thats one less day in the rest of your life where you could be feeling awesome and having all kinds of adventures and just loving life. Trust me.....if you make it through the crucible......and it is a crucible....of loosing over 100 lbs. you are, by definition, going to be a better person......and I dont mean physically........I mean mentally. Because in order to do it you are gonna gain courage, dedication, patience, commitment, etc.......and all that WILL make you a better person. I promise. You simply cant go through the process required without being changed by it.....and for the better.

yeah man thanks!!! i agree with you, although i didn't read the rest of this post i will later(i gotta run but had to make a post lols). yeah my dad went from 330 to 195 (hes 6'2'') back in the day running and he ended up running half marathon down the road, thats where this idea came from !!

yeah man its tough, dealing with the side effects of the lot of walking/running i've been doing (shin splints, chafing, sore calves) but its almost to the point now i feel like crap until i get that run in!!!! and again i can't say it enough, thanks for the added inspiration!!

[NinjaZX10R]

I know what you mean about feeling like crap if you dont get that run in. I remmember sometimes after a long day od SIX P.E. classes plus studying I would be so exhausted I would lay there in bed.....but I just couldnt go to sleep unless I at least did that nightly one mile run around the track to finish off the day. Wierd.

[NoS_oUtLaSt]

That is truely amazing man. You are an inspiration to me.

[Im_Possible12]

Never to discredit Ninjas hardwork, I too have walked[or ran] down that same road.

Ill try not to write as much as him though =]

I was an overweight athlete. Oxymoron? Maybe. But that's what I thought I would always be. Overweight. I still had my baseball talents and I still had those females that liked me for my attitude. So i continued to buy those hunni buns and chocolate brownies.

I Graduated high school 240pounds.

I wanted to be skinny. I hated it when people called me fatso or fat ass.
It hurt inside a lot. But I deserved it because that's what exactly I was.

Upon graduating, Me and my fat friend started bicycling for about a week. I dropped a few pounds and was loving it. But then my fat friend joined the marines and I stopped working out.

A few months later I was in starbucks with some friends and He was in there. To my surprise he was fit and skinny. Wow one of Americas Finest soldiers was my fat friend.
Boy I was proud but depressed.

My mentality "Im a fat ass forever"
Throughout my first year in college I wore big thuggy clothes and was overweight. I put on 40 more pounds and got up to 268 pounds. It didnt matter to me. I hid it well. I was stocky and thats what people thought i was. I havent been to a beach in years.

Due tosome mishaps in baseball I didnt attend college anymore because I was pissed I wasnt playing. I was doing nothing with my life.

Until I got accepted to a college in Virginia. My family drove me down. All who are in great shape except for me, I made a promise telling them I will change my life.
Yeah right... The skeptical responses.

At first it looked like they wouldve been right. Everynight 5 5 5 dominoes pizza.
Late night snacks. All that nasty stuff.

Until Baseball tryouts hit. I was always a good pitcher. But I seemed to not have any strength. I was so outta shape I strained my elbow which lead to tendinitis. WOW WHATS THE DEAL!?
I couldnt get a break.

But this time rather than winning about it. I took control.
I promised I would never be a fat pig.

November- I would diet and cut out all the fattening foods and drinks.
It was slow and hard because you want to see fast results. Being a college student was hard enough but this made it worse.

Well when i got home for winter break. I was at 235 pounds. Everyone was like wow you lost weight good job! I was like wow thanks.

But i wasnt done.
I went back for four more months.
6AM GYM- 7PM GYM
repeated
everyday
Some days id be there for 7 hours playing all kinds of sports.
I wouldnt drink or do anything that would throw my body off.

Heck I even turned down 4 girls because I knew I would get side tracked.

I wouldnt let it stop me.
I had no muscle either. So i started working with weights.
Strong everyday.

I wanted to be a shining light to those who were left in the dark.
Now I am 210 pounds lean. I am still not done.

I helped 4 friends drop over 30 pounds each.

My tendinitis is gone.
My strength and will power is up.
My fastball is harder than ever 90+
and I am ready for the future.
It was GOD that pushed me through.and I give all the glory to him.
Theres a lot more detail I left out but yeah, Never ever give it up.

Remember Why quit today what you might accomplish tomorrow.

Im_Possible12
chao

[LaineyLyn]

I love this post Very inspiring!!

[DeadCode2k]

Damn Congrats NinjaZX10R and everybody else who accomplished there goals.

I was weighting 265lbs and I'm currently 155Lbs.


It took a lot of hardwork and struggle. But its all worth it in the end.

All the sweat and tears pay off in time. My stories are similiar too Im_Possible12 and NinjaZX10R .

Good shiznit!!!!!

[cbad7676]

damn your story is almost a mirror of mine. much props. i went from 285 to 205 in a lil over a year. do you have alot of loose skin? my body fat is way down but i seem to have some extra skin that just wont leave

[NinjaZX10R]

No, I dont have loose skin. Thats one thing Im thankfull for is that my fat was pretty evenly distributed. Also I've always had a good muscle base too which helped.

I've seen some people at my old weight (267 lbs) that seem to carry it all in there stomach and I can see why they would get stretch marks and loose skin and such. I guess thats just something you have to live with or get surgery to fix. It can also happen if you lose alot of weight very quickly.