IamA 27 year old Man who recently lost over 100lbs... the "Old Fashioned Way" AMA!!

How can you be consistent and learn to stop procrastinating / skipping exercise? I can't do it so all of you people that managed to lose so much are like wizards to me.

Believe me I totally get that! It was the same to me, I struggled with keeping it up for a long time. Basically I let my results motivate me. When I'd see one number one morning, I'd want to push to see a better one the next time.. and I knew exercising got me there. Thankfully, I basically became addicted to exercising to the point where I (still) feel guilty for missing one. And I love it now as well. I couldn't imagine running and the gym not being a part of my everyday routine now.

"The old fashioned way"?

More like the only way. The more people realize this, the faster they will lose weight and keep the weight off.

There is no other way to lose weight than to just stop eating so much. It is a simple biological fact. Calories in vs. Calories out.

Agree very much.

How long did it take? And did this weight loss help or hurt any relationships you had while being "calorically gifted".

It really went up and down. In fact there was one time where I hit the 93lb weight loss mark.. and then went back up. To actually see the 100lbs... it was over 2 years.

Umm.. I will admit that I have fantastic friends and family and never did anyone really stop talking to me or leave me because of my size or weight gain. But I stopped being able to play Hockey or ball hockey or all the sports I loved with friends and stopped getting asked for things like that. Since the loss... I have more confidence, so being social is MUCH easier for sure.

I'm on the same journey. I've done it before, but fell off the wagon. This time, I'm going to make sure it sticks because getting near 30 and being this heavy is a no-go.

Best of luck! I know how difficult it is and how damn FRUSTRATING it is to fall off that wagon. I have come to the proper mind frame to know that I will never and CAN never get back to that size and that lifestyle. Found all the proper ways to go about it, and trust me it is relieving. Happiest I've ever been. I really hope you can find the same. It's worth it KEEP GOING!!!!

How do you deal with loose skin? I recently lost about 30KG and the loose skin is hell. Makes me think I've permanently fucked up my body by being fat.

I'm about 16 years old, people say it'll spring back but I don't buy it.

Edit: Woah, so much advice. Thank you so much guys.

I don't have as much loose skin as people would think. I think that has to do with the fact that I wasn't ALWAYS large. For instance when I was 16 I was playing AAA hockey and National Ball hockey. While bigger, I was still in relatively decent shape. But to deal with it. You have to find the right workout. Turn into muscle. Everyone's body is different. I wont pretend to be an expert at that stuff. Talk to someone. Go to a gym and ask a trainer. Ask a doctor. I'm sure they can help.

Congrats on your loss though!

I just lost about 55lbs in about 4 months purely by changing my diet - no exercise in that period (skipped it due to losing weight so fast). I found it very easy to do probably because my wife supported me and was extremely good a finding food with low carbohydrates and fat so i could eat almost as much as I wanted and still lose weight.

Was it hard for you to find proper food? What kind of exercise did (do) you do?

I've made a google document with a graph where i put in my weight every week. I intend to keep doing that 1-2 times a month after the diet. I think this "keeping an eye on yourself" is a good motivator to stay on track.

Congratulations!! That's fantastic!

I also had a good support system around me for a lot of it, definitely helps.

It was definitely difficult to find proper foods. And at first I did it wrong, by starving myself and feeling guilty after every meal. But eventually I found many things I liked that were also healthy. As I've repeated a few times. Chicken is the best, and my favourite. Also, luckily enough for me, even when I was big and mowing down Pizzas and fast food and junk food.. I've ALWAYS loved fruits and veggies. So continuing to eat them was easy, but eating them as an alternative to a snack of a bag of chips or chocolate bar was a challenge at first.

Honestly, one thing that I will credit for basically saving me was Rice Cakes! I know people immediately scoff at it, but done right these things can be amazing. A butter popcorn flavoured rice cake is fantastic, and I like putting Salsa on it.. Yum! Even made sandwiches out of them.

Running, Swimming, Biking, and Situps are the best I can suggest! Start with walking if you have to, but even a light jog will help. Believe me it does NOT take long to get into a solid running routine. Don't have to go fast or overly long. One week might be 5 minutes.. the next 7... then 10 and so on. It's a process.

One suggestion I like to give people on diets is this: Hot Sauce.

Now, some people don't like hot sauce, and that's unfortunate. But you can take any type of food, and saturate it with mild to intense flavor while adding almost 0 calories and no fat. Of course, there's plenty of sodium, but that's not always an issue.

For example. Chicken Breast. Easy to cook, low fat, good source of protien, but by itself, it can be bland. Throw some hot sauce on it. Like you said... Rice cakes. Pretty flavorless... Hot sauce? You bet. Don't really like those vegetables? You know what might make them taste better? Hot sauce...

I love hot sauce...

edit: just because this is getting so much attention, i'm going to throw out my favorites:

Arizona Gunslinger Chipotle

Virginia Gentleman's Chipotle

and Tobasco chipotle

• if you couldn't tell... I love chipotle hot sauces. And for those who don't know, chipotle is sun dried jalepenos. And they are amazing.

Wow I agree with you wholeheartedly. and I love hot sauce. And do use it alllll the time. Buffalo Wing Sauce. 0 calories. Love it!!!

Is there really any other way?

Not in my experience. Nope.

what kinds of things did you do to modify your diet?, did you have to get rid of a lot of foods that you like?

At first.. yes. I admit when I started, I didn't do it the right way.. essentially starving myself. Which was horrible, because after a good 2 weeks of getting results...the hunger and cravings tooks over and I binged again. It took a while to understand the proper way to eat.. and even then I still Yo-Yo'd. But yes, there are some things that I had to give up. and some others that I just had to find healthier alternatives to.

What have you determined is the proper way to eat?

I won't pretend to be a dietary expert. Because everyone does it their own way, and sometimes mine was unconventional.

So that's a tough one for me to answer. I eat my 3 meals a day. Very limited snacking.

How did you stay motivated?

Truth be told the harder thing is to stay disciplined. Motivation comes in the form of results. I mean when I first saw the scale at say 320 lbs, then the next time after a few days saw 315... that's a huge difference in your mind at the point, so it was motivation to feel that pride of seeing the numbers fall again. That's where my motivation came from.. seeing results both on the scale and in the mirror. Discipline is a whole new ball game.

Did your routine become habit after awhile? After, say 50 pounds, you didn't think "eh, that's enough" or anything? I'm struggling just to lose 20 pounds and after a week of effort I see five pounds come off and I think I'm good for now. :(

It definitely became habit. More than that it became an addiction. Never did I think that's enough. In fact I'm not sure I ever will. for health reasons I know not to lose too much and all that. But yes it becomes habit. I now just accept that the gym is a daily routine for me. It's just as normal as going to work now. Don't allow yourself to just stop and say I've done good enough for now. Push yourself. What naturally skinny or smaller people can't grasp is the difference 1 pound makes to your confidence. It's insane. I usually always set goals to get to the next 10lb mark. For example if 260lbs.. I couldn't wait to get to the 250's. The difference between 259.9 on the scale and 260.1 was STAGGERING in my mind. Crazy to think but true.

Were there any serious plateaus for you? A few years ago, I was at 335, when I decided that I was getting way too fat. Less than a year of counting calories and going to the gym 2 days a week brought me down to 282. However, I feel like I hit a brick wall at that point, and since then, I went back up to 299. I decided I wasn't going to weigh over 300 ever again and so I'm back down to 290, but breaking through that 280 barrier has remained elusive for me, sadly.

240-250 was always a wall for me. I found myself getting back up to 250.. dropping to 230, back up and so on. Hovered in the 230-260 range for a long time. After I got under 225.. it became a constant under there.

Keep going! Don't stop. Congrats on what you have done so far. Keep the mindframe that 1lb=10lb. Be proud of EVERY 1lb and eventually you will crave that pride pound per pound

Is the old fashioned way a combination of leeches and amputation?

Yes. I am typing this with my tongue

How's your self-esteem?

Great question. It waivers to be honest.

For a LOOOOOOONNNGGGGG time I was basically depressed and felt nothing of myself. I didn't want to go out or leave the house. I basically felt like a piece of crap, I really did.

Now... I am happy. That's how I would assess myself.. I am happy. I am certainly humble when it comes to all of it because who am I to talk, I was there. You see a lot of, how to put this, cocky people who are built muscular and can eat what they want and always in shape. The fact that I had to go through this has given me a good understanding of both sides of the spectrum.

As a quick story... when I was at the gym just the other week. There was a guy who clearly was cut and an athlete and a gym regular. You could tell by just the way he walked and his attitude that he was very arrogant about it. (not to mention the amount of time he spent looking at himself in the mirror. Trust me, NO ONE stares at themselves in the mirror more than self labeled "Jacked" guys at the gym. NO ONE. It's pathetically hilarious). Anyway, a younger kid, I'd say high school age, who was clearly a much bigger guy came into the change room and immediately this young cocky kid and his buddies started laughing at him and saying things.. not directly to him.. but loud enough I could see he could hear. I mean.. bullying at that age happens. I was made fun of, I even bullied as well. BUT this blew my mind. Because I went through the same thing as well when I was huge and started going to the gym, the stares and snickers. I HAD to say something this time because it just didn't make sense to me... I mean he was AT the Gym! Like me, here was a kid that realized he wanted to make a change and here he was attempting to do something about it! How is that something to make fun of????? That is something to be encouraged. I mean, had he been at home playing video games and eating Cheetos.. then.. as much as bullying should never happen, I'd have a little less sympathy for him. BUT he was here, committing to getting into shape. I basically told the kids to get lost.. in so many words.. and in my own little twist of words way made them feel stupid for making fun of him in the setting we were in. I talked to the kid, told him to ignore the crap and keep it up. I still see him all the time. He's doing great.

People blow my mind sometimes. Never understood making fun of "fat" people at the gym. I mean.. in the streets you see one and you hear "Go to the gym, fattie"... but then they do that to better themselves... and they get made fun of for it too. Huh?

I wish there were more people like you at the gym. I also lost a lot of weight (70 lbs) and when I first tried to go to the gym, I felt terrible because of the looks I'd get. I'm still not much of a gym person, but I found ways to get exercise that I really enjoy (dance classes, long bike rides, walking, jogging, swimming, and I have a weight set at home that I use sometimes when I'm just watching television). My advice to people wanting to get fit is that you don't necessarily have to go to a gym to be fit or physically active.

Definitely don't have to go to gym.. many different ways. But if you do go the gym.. remember that is why you are there. Never feel insecure of wanting to better yourself. Ever. The things they are looking at you for, and teasing you about IS why you are there. Use it as motivation. Then a few months later walk up to them and ask what's up.

One thing I used to was take my Gym membership and keep it on the treadmill... because I was huge in the original picture.. big face, chubby, and I would look at it and think of the difference while running

What is your favorite color?

Haha. Love this. Gun to my head I'd say blue. But I really have never had a specific one.

Also... if someone is holding a gun to my head to find out my favourite colour... something is wrong.

Great job LostCentury! So did you calorie count? I've lost 50 pounds so far from calorie counting, but that has taught me a lot about portion control at the same time. btw - You now look like a totally different man. It's amazing what is hidden underneath all that weight.

Thank you!

I tried the calorie counting. But could never stay on track. I calorie WATCH for sure though. Portion control is huge.

It certainly is incredible to see the difference yes. Those pictures of me bigger STILL shock me to see.

Congrats on your accomplishment thus far! Keep going!

What were your favourite foods before you lost weight? And what are they now?

Congrats btw! :)

Thank you very much! I grew up the same as any kid, LOVED Pizza. Still do love pizza, always will haha. But my pizza portions and choices have drastically changed. When I started college and whatnot I would order a large pizza and eat it myself. Now I make my own healthy "Pita Pizza's" with healthy ingredients. Or if at a party or something, limit myself to one slice.

Favourite food now is definitely Chicken.. it all it's sorts. I eat chicken at LEAST once a day!
There are plenty of other foods I enjoy as well. Still love all my pasta and spaghetti. Now it's all about different kinds, and portion control.

As one centurian to another...Awesome job man! (I'm -125 as of right now, about 40-50 to go).

I guess a question. What about loose skin, do you have much and if you do are you considering surgery for it or just living with it?

Congrats that's amazing! I'm around -110 and to be honest I don't really want to drop much more.

I don't have much loose skin. I am lucky that way. I want to tighten more flab and all that.. but no I don't have any that I can't live with.

Did you have trouble walking / standing at that weight?

And what did you do to start exercising at such a high weight point?

Congrats btw, great that you did it the old fashioned way!

Ummm... Standing sucked yes. Walking, I would definitely get tired pretty fast. To start, my mother bought me a gym membership here. And it was the treadmill. Running and the treadmill have been my saviour. Of course it started as a 15 minute brisk walk, and escalated more and more from there. I remember when I started on the treadmill, I would attempt a slow jog or brisk walk at about 3.5mph. Today I run, for an hour at no less than 8mph. Thank You!

8mph for an hour straight? Regardless, that is super impressive by any standard. Congratulations.

Question. I haven't gone through the whole thread, so I'm unsure if this was asked already. What did/does your weight-loss diet consist of?

Sometimes. Some days is much harder than others. Intervals really helped me to be able gain speed in my running. Would do 1 minute of walking at 3.5. then 1 minute at 6. Then down the road it would be 1 minute walk, then 1 minute at 7..., and so on. Until eventually I could just keep going.

Mainly Chicken. Also love... Soup, Pasta, Veggies, Fruit, Wraps, Eggs, Rice, Rice cakes and Salsa, Many different things.

Congrats man! Over the course of about a year I've lost about 85 lbs, so my question is, how confident are you that you will be able to keep the weight off? I know everyone says that after after a while you start enjoying exercise and eating healthy, but personally I could go back to eating junk food and never workout again easily, so how do you plan to keep yourself going?

Congrats to you!

THIS TIME I am very confident that I will keep it off. And that is only because I have found the proper way to do it. I no longer consider myself dieting, just enjoying and active and healthy lifestyle.

There were a few times that I went back and gained most of it back. and I was so depressed about it.

Now I am happier than I have ever been and just feel confidence in everything. Last time I kept all my bigger clothes in case. This time I threw them all out and only have my new clothes. If I even lose a belt loop I feel guilty and will bust my ass to get it back.

It's a battle for sure because people who can gain it easily have to be extra careful. Which I plan to do. I have found food, drinks and exercise that I LOVE. More than I love the alternative.

I'm happy, and I like being happy. That's my biggest motivator to continue.

Congratulations and what was your favourite exercise?

Thank you!

Hockey always has been and always will be my favourite exercise. but not what you meant

Definitely running. I come from a family of runners and I transitioned to it easily.

Hockey hockey hockey hockey, what position do you play?

Hockey is, always has been, and always will be my life!

I live for the sport. It is MORE than a sport to me!

I've actually played high levels of hockey in my younger years and even had interest from several professional scouts along the way.

Once my competitive years ended, I turned to coaching and LOVED it. I coached hockey for 3 years in my hometown and nothing has been more rewarding.

I am much more geared towards Defense, but grew up as a swing man playing both positions as needed.

Do you think your stopping playing hockey contributed to your initial weight gain?

I know that a lot of people struggle to cut back their food intake to match their activity level and then gain a bunch of weight when they stop a sport.

ABSOLUTELY it contributed. Stopping sports, such as hockey and ball hockey and stuff definitely was a big contributor to the gain. Once college came.. my sports were beer pong, video games, and competitive eating.. with myself.. in the mirror.

Nice! I just started playing last year but I can definitely see where it becomes more than just a sport, I've already become a devoted die hard about it haha. Been playing tendy and loving it since the moment I stepped on the ice in gear for my first time.

That's awesome. Eventually it just consumes you. My dad had me on skates when I was 2 years old and played every day possible since then.

It became like a therapy to me. like no matter what crap was going on in my life... when I played..nothing else matters.

Also have played different levels of Ball Hockey my whole life as well. Love it.

I would play with a stick and ball in my driveway for HOURS.

How long did it take for you to keep exercise in your routine? My biggest problem has always been starting. I will run like 1-3 days and then have an issue such as my shins feeling like knives are stabbing them, or another big problem is my feet hurt like crazy while running. Just curious as to what you did, if anything, to overcome the urge to not exercise for whatever reason.

It was a mind frame thing. It was soooooo easy to tell myself that I was too tired, or sore, to workout that day. But then I remembered how crap I'd feel before... still do it... and then be SOOOOO happy I did afterwards and feel great. I keep that feeling in mind and use it whenever I don't want to go. It is the same everytime. The worst, smallest run is better than no run at all. It always feels so good after I'm done. I now crave that feeling so it's easier.

Congrats man! What was the hardest part about your regiment? What did you focus on most during your workouts? What new foods are you eating now that you actually love?

Thank you very much!

The hardest part, as I said, was the discipline to do it. To not join in on wing night with the guys. I gave up Pizza, and Beer, and other foods that I loved, and even had to avoid social situations because I knew I wouldn't be strong enough to not indulge.

Chicken, Chicken, Chicken. Eat it all the time. And there is SO much you can do with it. When I'd eat it before it would be a breaded chicken burger or always breaded. Now I buy big boxes of Boneless, skinless chicken and cook it in many different varieties.

Another one is Sweet Potato Fries. Never liked them before. Love them now. Great compliment to a cooked chicken breast.

Congratulations - you look great! Have you had any big reaction moments from friends or family? What's been the best?

Thank you!!

Yes I've had A LOT of positive feedback. My parents basically offered to fund a whole new wardrobe for me. They have bought me running shoes through the time, helped pay for my gym memberships when I was in school or broke. They have been incredibly supportive and incredibly proud. I am grateful.

Friend as well. I have the best friends. Every time I see them they tell me I look great and they are proud of me and all that. Also we can now "make light" (totally intended) of the size I was and sort of laugh at it (not in a mean way, because I know how that feels too).

How do you avoid turning into to one of those ex-fat people that shames fat people? Cuz I've noticed when people lose weight, they become awful human beings.

I've always been athletic and in good shape, and I've never really cared when someone is fat. People who have lost a lot of weight love to belittle fat people (and post lots of pictures of them selves working out on instagram, but that's a whole other story).

I have empathy I guess.

I get what it's like. So I can relate. I would never shame someone for that, EVER.

Also.. I'm not an asshole... usually.

Did you ever feel like progress was so slow that it would never happen? As in, even if you did everything right, you wouldn't succeed?

PS. I weigh 210 and always get tired putting on socks.

Definitely felt that way. Yep. Then there were times when I thought I ate more... and the scale was lower the next day.. funny how it can work that way.

ya... screw socks... bastards.

Hey so my last comment got deleted by a bot, but just wanted to say congrats for your transformation. I'm only 20 and lost about 95 at this point and I know how tough it can be. It's the best feeling ever though being able to fit into normal sized clothes and keep up with your friends doing physical activities. There's honestly so many little things like that which so many people take for granted. It's all worth it 110% though so congrats and good luck keeping it off, which I know you will. One question though, did you hit a point near the end of your weight loss where it got difficult to lose some of that last of that belly fat? That's where I am now and I was wondering if you had any input. Thanks!

Hey thank you! and Congrats to you as well! Fantastic!

There was a definitely a point where I would see lower results on a scale, but still a bit of over hanging fat on the belt or in the mirror. VERY FRUSTRATING. All I can say worked for me was continuing my situps everyday and my regular routine. Everyone's body is different, I didn't change anything for that area specifically. I WISH I could help more. but I hope you find your way to do it.

Your results are very amazing. I would have never been able to tell you were the same guy from the before and after photos.

Out of curiosity, did you ever try any exercise programs and what was your take on it?

Thank you very much!

No. I basically did it all myself and just continued to do what works.

I plan to tighten and keep weight training, and would like to try P90X sometime in the near future.

You are going to come to a point where you aren't going to be able to lose weight anymore. How will you decide when you are there?

I made the decision actually last week that I have reached the # I am happy with. I am no longer on a diet, just maintaining a happy and healthy lifestyle. I give myself about a 10-15lb window that I never want to be under or over, if in that window.. I am happy.

I think the question on everyones mind is- did you do the diet that doctors don't want you to know about?

Nope. I did the diet that doctors have told you about for years. Diet and Exercise.

For the record, if this is what you mean, I have never done a single drug in my life. (not including drinking and pain medication and stuff) Never smoked pot, or anything like that.

How do you manage to control to stick to your diet?

Asking because I can usually follow it for 2-3 weeks and then go back to all the unhealthy snacking / eating I did before. But not this time, damn it.

Good for you!!! Stick with it this time!!!

Basically found the foods I liked, and the diet that worked. And they are good foods too! that helps.

If I ever got the craving to snack.. I would think of a number on the scale that was 5lbs heavier than I was and hate myself even thinking about it (1lb is a HUGE difference when losing weight). So I would not snack and think of a lower # because of it.

Were you really so fat you needed a cane to walk? Have you been able to give it up?

I had a feeling this question would come up because of the picture haha. The answer is no. Actually at the time that picture was taken I had a broken foot from a golf cart flipping incident.

I know your follow up question.. and no... the cart didn't flip because I was really fat.