Things Can Only Go Up From Here...

[jay4k]

Hi, guys, my name is Jaylon, I'm a 24-year-old male living in Orlando, FL (recently moved here 3 months ago with my wife). I decided to start this log in order to hopefully keep myself accountable as I work hard to lose weight. Problem is...I don't have much of an idea of where or how to start. I currently weigh 435lbs. I was at my heaviest about a month ago (455), and somehow lost 20lbs out of nowhere (I think depression may have something to do with it). I've always been the biggest person out of all my friends ever since I was a kid. I got picked on all the time. I only recently started gaining some self-confindence a few years ago, thanks to my wife. Sorry if I'm rambling or if this post feels like its not going anywhere...there's just a lot on my mind and I'm trying to sort around and figure out what to say lol. In a nutshell, I'm just tired of looking at myself in the mirror and hating what I see. I'm tired of not being able to wear the clothes I like because they don't have my size. I'm tired of feeling like everyone's staring at me. Things have to change and nobody can do it for me. I realize that. I just need to know where to start. I'm gonna check out this oldschool gym in my area. I'm kind of excited about it...kind of scared at the same time. I don't want to be a joke to anyone else. My ultimate fit goal is to become a professional strongman or powerlifter. I know it sounds like a far shot, but I'm willing to work hard and make it reality.

Anyways, thats it for now. I'll be sure to post every day and log everything I go through on this journey. Hopefully I make a friends along the way.

[CommitmentRulz]

Welcome. Make sure you read these two threads, at the top of this forum:

- All you ever needed to know about losing fat.
- DON'T LOOK PAST the BASICS

[jay4k]

Thanks for the welcome, I'll definitely check both of those threads out as soon as I find them. I'm still learning how to navigate the forums.

[killshot]

Thanks for the welcome, I'll definitely check both of those threads out as soon as I find them. I'm still learning how to navigate the forums.

At your weight it doesn't really matter what you do as long as you do something. You'll lose a lot at the start, but don't let that get you overly excited because then you'll get overly sad when it starts slowing down. Set a goal and do it. Every week, try to do a little more. I started my journey at 379, and honestly wouldn't have even started had I not decided to play softball with my uncle and realized how hard it was for me to run from home to first base.

There will be days when you say to yourself "I don't feel like going today, so I'll go twice as hard tomorrow", find ways to talk yourself out of it. Once you step foot in the gym, those thoughts go away and you start doing your thing. Don't push yourself too hard all at once either, because you'll burn yourself out. Find goals, and then work towards those goals. Have short term, and long term goals. Make new goals as you meet your old ones. For example my long term goal is 290 lbs, my short term goals are things like increasing weight on my lifts, increasing my cardio by one minute every week, being able to run to second base without getting winded at full sprint (our first game was a few days ago, and I lasted the whole game + ran to second without feeling tired at all!)

Also be aware that some people around you may not want you to change. They might be afriad that you won't depend on them anymore, like them if you're not so big, etc. Just keep trucking along. I hope you can make your goals, you can find a lot of motivation looking through logs here.

[jay4k]

At your weight it doesn't really matter what you do as long as you do something. You'll lose a lot at the start, but don't let that get you overly excited because then you'll get overly sad when it starts slowing down. Set a goal and do it. Every week, try to do a little more. I started my journey at 379, and honestly wouldn't have even started had I not decided to play softball with my uncle and realized how hard it was for me to run from home to first base.

There will be days when you say to yourself "I don't feel like going today, so I'll go twice as hard tomorrow", find ways to talk yourself out of it. Once you step foot in the gym, those thoughts go away and you start doing your thing. Don't push yourself too hard all at once either, because you'll burn yourself out. Find goals, and then work towards those goals. Have short term, and long term goals. Make new goals as you meet your old ones. For example my long term goal is 290 lbs, my short term goals are things like increasing weight on my lifts, increasing my cardio by one minute every week, being able to run to second base without getting winded at full sprint (our first game was a few days ago, and I lasted the whole game + ran to second without feeling tired at all!)

Also be aware that some people around you may not want you to change. They might be afriad that you won't depend on them anymore, like them if you're not so big, etc. Just keep trucking along. I hope you can make your goals, you can find a lot of motivation looking through logs here.

Killshot, thanks man. I really appreciate your input. It's crazy cause all of my closest friends have been trying to get me to go to gyms with them for so long. The only one who wanted me to stay the way I am was myself. The "I don't feel like going today so I'll go twice as hard tomorrow" quote was definitely me when I attempted to go to the gym back then. Now I have to put myself in the position of not having a choice...because now I don't have a choice, it's lose weight/get healthy or die. I literally wake up gasping for air now. I'm 6'3, 435lbs.

Quite honestly, I didn't think I'd get so much as even two responses to my post. I'm used to being let down because I let myself down a lot. I feel that making this post was probably the single most important move of the day. My overall moral is better as of now.

Thanks for the motivation man, I'll probably take my first walk in a long time tomorrow morning. I'm pretty excited about it.

[killshot]

Killshot, thanks man. I really appreciate your input. It's crazy cause all of my closest friends have been trying to get me to go to gyms with them for so long. The only one who wanted me to stay the way I am was myself. The "I don't feel like going today so I'll go twice as hard tomorrow" quote was definitely me when I attempted to go to the gym back then. Now I have to put myself in the position of not having a choice...because now I don't have a choice, it's lose weight/get healthy or die. I literally wake up gasping for air now. I'm 6'3, 435lbs.

Quite honestly, I didn't think I'd get so much as even two responses to my post. I'm used to being let down because I let myself down a lot. I feel that making this post was probably the single most important move of the day. My overall moral is better as of now.

Thanks for the motivation man, I'll probably take my first walk in a long time tomorrow morning. I'm pretty excited about it.

Good for you. It gets better, I promise. Less than a month ago when I was nearing 400 lbs, I would occasionally stop breathing in my sleep and wake up gasping, and I snored like crazy because my airway was closing up. Right now I'm down about 32 lbs and my wife said I barely snore, and I actually sleep through the entire night and wake up feeling great. Stay strong, stay motivated. It gets so much better and easier every time you go. If you have to, hire a trainer so that you're obligated to go at least 2 or 3 times a week. They're expensive, but for some people that's what it takes. You can do it!

[GirthRogers]

The more specific your goal, the more likely you are to achieve it.

Write down exactly what you want to achieve, how you intend to do it, what shorter term goals you have along the way, and when you plan to finish each goal.

Saying, "I want to lose weight" is different than saying, "I'm going to do a IF focused Keto diet to lose 2 pounds a week while building muscle by exercising three times a week with weights and twice more with cardio."

Which sentence do you believe will come true first?

Go read CherryGarcia's log. It'll really help you. After that, figure out exactly how you intend to achieve your goals. A strong body requires a strong mind. Good luck!

https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showt...hp?t=166528931

[jay4k]

The more specific your goal, the more likely you are to achieve it.

Write down exactly what you want to achieve, how you intend to do it, what shorter term goals you have along the way, and when you plan to finish each goal.

Saying, "I want to lose weight" is different than saying, "I'm going to do a IF focused Keto diet to lose 2 pounds a week while building muscle by exercising three times a week with weights and twice more with cardio."

Which sentence do you believe will come true first?

Go read CherryGarcia's log. It'll really help you. After that, figure out exactly how you intend to achieve your goals. A strong body requires a strong mind. Good luck!

Thanks for the insight! I never thought of weightloss that way, it definitely puts the goal into more perspective. I'll check out CherryGarcia's log now. Thanks again!

[jay4k]

Woke up at 9:15 AM, had 1 slice of whole wheat toast w/ avocado and egg. Also incorporated a cup of pineapples and a glass of water.

Went for an hour walk around my neighborhood, which felt pretty good although it left me out of breath (which I presume is normal considering how out of shape I currently am lol).

At noon, did a 30-minute cardio sesh using the Daily Burn app. I'm sure I stopped to catch my breath after every minute, but that'll change with time.

For lunch I had half of a boneless/skinless chicken breast, lightly seasoned with salt & pepper, roasted Brussel sprouts, and a cup of yellow rice.

I'm currently waiting for my wife to get home from work so we can do 30 minutes worth of yoga via Daily Burn, and afterward, I'll probably eat a light grilled chicken caesar salad for dinner.



Still don't quite have an idea of what I'm doing as far as dieting goes, but I'm starting to have some interest in paleo and keto. If anyone has any suggestions as to which would be a better fit, or if anyone has gone either route please feel free to shed some light.

[killshot]

Woke up at 9:15 AM, had 1 slice of whole wheat toast w/ avocado and egg. Also incorporated a cup of pineapples and a glass of water.

Went for an hour walk around my neighborhood, which felt pretty good although it left me out of breath (which I presume is normal considering how out of shape I currently am lol).

At noon, did a 30-minute cardio sesh using the Daily Burn app. I'm sure I stopped to catch my breath after every minute, but that'll change with time.

For lunch I had half of a boneless/skinless chicken breast, lightly seasoned with salt & pepper, roasted Brussel sprouts, and a cup of yellow rice.

I'm currently waiting for my wife to get home from work so we can do 30 minutes worth of yoga via Daily Burn, and afterward, I'll probably eat a light grilled chicken caesar salad for dinner.



Still don't quite have an idea of what I'm doing as far as dieting goes, but I'm starting to have some interest in paleo and keto. If anyone has any suggestions as to which would be a better fit, or if anyone has gone either route please feel free to shed some light.

I can't speak for Paleo or Keto, but one thing I'd recommend is weighing your dressings and being conscious of how much salt you use when seasoning. You have to drink quite a bit of water to make sure you're not retaining water due to sodium intake.

I was pretty surprised when I realized how many calories/fats dressings had and how easy it is to rack them up due to using a lot of dressings.

Here's an interesting readup on sodium and what you can do to counter act it's affects on water retention - https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/cou...take-3368.html

It's hard at first but as your body gets used to the increase in water you'll stop peeing so much and you'll notice that you drop a lot of water weight

/e

If it helps you, I use cronometer to log all my foods so I can see all my micros and macros as well as my overall calorie intake. Some of it comes down to estimation, but as long as you're consistent and honest you can see where you are and what you can change.

[killshot]

Hope your journey is still progressing, been keeping an eye out for you

[jay4k]

Hope your journey is still progressing, been keeping an eye out for you

Thanks for the motivation Killshot, my apologies for not keeping this post updated. I recently came out of the hospital due to showing symptoms of a heart attack. Thankfully my heart is healthy, however, it seems to be more of a respitory issue, which is more than likely linked to my weight. Although I feel a little discouraged about having been in the hospital, it just proves to me even more than I need to make a serious and dedicated change in my life. So I'm going to keep pushing and fighting to reach my goal. I've been thinking about trying vegan as a 30-day detox. I've seen a few videos on youtube and given the results, I think it might be a good idea to try out.

[killshot]

Best of luck! I know that as I dropped weight my breathing became much easier and had a lot less stomach issues.