35 pounds

Around the first of September I was bothered with repeated bouts of A-fib, something I have had issues with for several years as well as COPD, and just flat out decided I needed to do something. I knew I was over-weight and I knew I enjoyed too much soda. When I sat down to eat I’d eat until I was full. Caffeine intake was over-board too. I went to my doc and we had some discussion on treatment for afib and he didn’t feel that I was a candidate for a couple of the procedures at the time, but he did agree that I should lose some weight. After seeing him I had to digest a few items of reality and decided to get with it. Today I have lost 35 pounds and want to shed another 30 over the next few months.

I decided to bounce caffeine out of the door with the exception of my one mug of coffee each morning. I cut way back on soda having maybe a can a day and that most likely will be caffeine free if I have any. I eat until I am not hungry. Big difference between that and eating until I am full. Very big difference. I eat more small meals than two or three larger ones. I drink about two gallons of water a day. Ma and I walk at least a mile a day. This as been so simple I’m embarrassed at how dumb I was regarding weight management.

I need some new jeans…..after Christmas sales. My watch band ids loose on my wrist, something that I haven’t experienced for 40 years. I’ve had to punch three new holes in one belt and 4 in another. Today is Carole’s birthday and she said this has been the best present I could have given her. I think this is the best Christmas present I could give myself. These first 35 pounds have flown off me. The next 30 are a goal I hope to achieve. Its been over a month now since I have had an afib episode and today I finally realized I can breathe easier.

Feeling really good today and wanted to share.

Way to go Tom! It’s pretty crazy what knocking out caffiene and replacing it with a water heavy regimen will do!

Thats great news! I also am over weight. My problem is I’m a old farm kid who heard the saying “clean your plate” and that stuck with me to this day. If it goes on my plate it goes in my stomach. The other thing is I hardly ever walk. And also drink very little water, maybe a 12 oz. bottle a day. Add 3-4 cans of Diet Dew and you have a old over weight guy.

I don’t know what it will take to motivate me to get after it but I know I need to do it.

Again, congrats and stay after it!!

oh sure,go and set a good example ! lol
good on you Tom !!
eliminating anything bread,potato,beer,soda will make the pounds fly off and stay off.
as for me,I dont know whats worth more,my health,or my sanity whats left of it anyway.

Good job tom I can only imagine how difficult it is to actually is to make those life changes. I’m happy to hear your working your way to better health.

I’ve been fighting my wicked addiction. To red bull. It used to be mountain dew but now I drink red bull like its juice

Congrats on feeling better Tom !!!
Glad to hear it!
Now if you need to get rid of some of them sausages…you just let me know!
Kidding Bud!
And Christmas goodies on the way!
Moderation?

Tom….. congrats on the huge lifestyle change! One thing I have been told by health care professionals in the past, is there is such a thing as too much water. Over works your kidneys, and flushes other good stuff out of your body. Water is good…. just consult your doctor about taking in as much as you are….

Happy Holidays and a very healthy New Year to you!

Congratulations on the first 35 and good luck on the next 30.

Way to go. Its not easy but worth the reward.

After dropping almost 70 pounds I haven’t been in this good of shape since my early 20s. Will be 50 next summer. Now I look for challenges. This weekends challenge is to shoot a deer on the backside of a property and drag it a little over a half mile out of there by myself. This drag includes going over two se mn ridges. Cant hardly sleep at night Im so excited to put the new me to the test. It wasn’t to many years ago just walking myself in and back out of this area would of been a challenge.

Good for you, I have to do something two, bowhunting was a real chore this year, DK.

Thanks all….I hope its a little inspiration and enough to help get rid of some of the weight one doesn’t need. While walking this morning I mentioned to Carole that today was the first real time I felt as though the weight off from around the middle afforded me easier breathing. The COPD is a progressive disease and no cure. Finally realizing that other factors which compound the effects of the COPD CAN be managed was a huge step. Then internalizing the need to make some changes and things fell into place.

As Dutchboy mentioned, sometimes what we were taught as youngsters sticks around for a long time. His “clean the plate” got drilled into me as a kid too along with “fill the plate because we’re not having a snack”. Hard ideals to discard after many years of practice. Fortunately Carole and I are still active and I’d rather be outside or in the shop working than being in the house. I don’t ice fish anymore because I just can’t breathe well in cold air and falling on ice could be a bad thing. I do a lot of gardening and still clear our snow as well as three adjoining neighbors walks and drives. I still have stayed heavy until I made a conscious decision to shed some weight and now I find myself looking further down the road and stay focused on getting that other 30 behind me instead of on my behind. Its not easy but then positive change seldom is.

Again, thanks for all the support guys!

Congrats Tom, you’re doing what few can actually do. I wouldn’t change a thing you’re doing. But have one suggestion on the soda side. One a day of the right kind in moderation I think is still ok. Try Zevia soda. 14 flavors, some with caffeine, some without. All without sugar and all without artificial flavors or colors. They even have some new energy drinks now for the Red Bull guys. http://www.zevia.com

I “cheat” each day with either one Zevia – Mountain Dew or Cherry Cola and it’s better than the “Real Thing” I used to have 3 cans of a day.

Good luck in 2019 to keep the svelt figure you’ve earned!!

Well done Tom!
Once you get in the groove it’s pretty fun to stand on the scale each morning, then look in the mirror and say “Is that me?”

Good for you Tom. The older we get the tougher it is to lose, so keep it up. I look at food now and the weight goes straight to the mid section.
Maybe your FW will have a hard time keeping her hands off you.

Good work Tom, similar story, Afib for 10? years, cardioversions, many, 2 ablations, been good for 6 years with meds, back to Atril flutter this time, cardiovonverted 2 weeks ago, I need to lose weight, I know that, have to really try hard. lots of coffee, pops for my cocktails, too much food.Need to get with it.

Congrats. I recently went from 220 to 192 – feels good!

I’ve never understood how so many people can drink so little water. As far back as I can remember I’ve had to drink a gallon per day minimum. Water is life.

Great job Tom. You can be so proud of yourself. Just think about how many years you’ve added to your life. Keep up the good work.

It’s amazing what can happen when someone finds something that works for them.
Generally, if people cut out half of the caffeine, sugar, and breads their weight goes into free-fall.
Skipping breakfast once a week will also do wonders, as the stomach cannot heal itself while constantly digesting food.

Congrats, Tom! Keep it going.

-J.

Nice job there Tom! I hope that you can stick with it. As you know, I lost about 50 lbs a couple years ago and all it took was 1 month to throw all my good habits out the window. That was the year that Ashley graduated college and Tyler graduated High School. On top of that, they both have May birthdays. All that cake, ice cream, and graduation party goodies put me back on the path of overindulging. Since then, the 50 lbs that I lost has now been found.

Despite knowing how much better I felt at that lower weight and seeing lab results improving, its hard as hell to break that cycle of overeating. Congrats to you for having the discipline to stick with it!

great job, Tom!

my wife and i started a low-carb/high-protein approach in mid-June and i’m down 47lbs as of this morning: was 267, now 220. she’s down a touch over 40. my goal was 45lbs at age 45, and once there i donated a huge pile of clothes as part of my permanent change mindset. now that i’ve been maintaining that point for a couple months i’m going to shoot for 215 after the holidays to make it an even 50lbs. along with changing the mix of regular foods for meals, it meant ending my relationship with Mountain Dew and beer, good friends from whom I moved far away. Lefse makes for great sandwich bread, and i didn’t realize there was a hole in my life waiting to be filled by snap peas.

and i’m very aware of the other thread about Christmas Cookies! we’ve got some around the house, just way less than in years past and i’m able to manage limits much more easily. i try to think of it as a change i’ve made towards certain foods, more than a diet or list of things that i can’t have. good luck with your change, i’m sure you’ll keep it up!

congrats tom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nice work!

Trying to eat reasonably healthy, live a good lifestyle and learning about it has become a bit of a hobby for me, and it really isn’t that difficult. I could write a 100 page book on it, but to make it simple. Eliminate sugar, drink water (I know 64oz is the old saying, but that is not a lot at all… half your body weight in ounces is much more ideal. example, you weigh 200lbs, drink 100oz of water), sleep 8 hours a night, and eat foods in their most whole and simplest form. If it was growing or living, then eat it, and eat almost as much as you want, and alter it from it’s original form as little as possible when making it. Eat a large breakfast everyday, kickstart your metabolism for the day and eat a small meal or snack every few hours. Don’t eat late at night before bed.

I try to follow eating healthy about 80-90% of the time, or Monday-Friday 100% spot on. Then if I want a bowl (or half gallon) of ice cream, or a Casey’s Pizza, greasy burger, etc., I can have one every now and then and not have any long term consequences from it because it’s not a habit. A little planning ahead and meal prepping on Sunday evenings helps me eat perfect for the next 5 days and avoid bad situations.

That’s great Tom! It’s my opinion that the weight itself and appearance are the worst reasons to lose weight. The energy you feel is all the motivation you need.

One great tip is to shop around the perimeter of the grocery store and never venture down the isles. The isles is where the sugar and carbs are. Both of these cause you to eat more and feel hungrier. Without them, you can still clean your plate because you will typically eat less.

I respectfully disagree with the eating a big breakfast to start your metabolism. You will indeed get a boost of energy from breakfast but unfortunately this only trains your body to run strictly on carbs. Once that energy runs out you start to crash and need more carbs to feel better. The. If you don’t use those carbs, they get stored as fat. You’re probably far better off eating nothing but small snacks every 2 hours.

I’ve experimented with something called intermittent fasting. This is where you eat only during a 6-8 hour period each day. Usually between noon and 6 or 7 pm. Once you get past the first 3-4 days I can honestly say you actually feel much more energetic throughout the day than if I ate any sort of breakfast. Definitely check with a doctor before doing this because it may not be good with other medical conditions.

Good luck. Try try try to eliminate soda completely. I can’t even drink a can of soda because I can’t stand the taste… unless it’s mixed with captain or kilo kai rum.

biggill wrote:

I respectfully disagree with the eating a big breakfast to start your metabolism. You will indeed get a boost of energy from breakfast but unfortunately this only trains your body to run strictly on carbs. Once that energy runs out you start to crash and need more carbs to feel better. The. If you don’t use those carbs, they get stored as fat. You’re probably far better off eating nothing but small snacks every 2 hours.

This is where people start to differ, and science can prove both sides of it. I personally (from how my body feels and research) feel that carbs are very good for you and are your preferred energy source for your body. Food is nothing more than fuel for your body, and your body runs better or more efficient on carbs than on stored fat. Limit the fat on your body, let your body run 24/7 on carbs.

My typical breakfast every day is a omelet with whatever leftover veggies and meat is in the fridge, and a big smoothie of spinach, broccoli, apple, orange, banana, a few strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and whatever other fruit or veggie needs to get used up, mixed with yogurt and milk. Large breakfast, but it works for me.

Congratulations Tom.

Congrats Tom! Keep it up!

Congrats Tom.

But I have to agree with some, that sounds like way too much water to be drinking on a regular basis??

B-man wrote:

that sounds like way too much water to be drinking on a regular basis??

I drink about a gallon/day and it takes some effort. I’ve done it to help redirect urges instead of trying to fight them – ie., when I want a soda I say “yes” to a water. Doubling that up to 2 gallons per day is a lot, but it’s still well below the level of risk if it’s spread out over time. Pace it to under a quart/hour (32oz) and you’re fine if you have properly working kidneys. Now, is there a need to drink so much water? Once you’re well hydrated you’re probably not getting a lot of benefit from the excess water beyond feeling full.

Congrats Tom! That is a real accomplishment to lose that much weight. IDK how you do it with all those wonderful eats you keep posting. LOL