About 20+ years ago I lost the use of my right lung from a car accident. I was a normal weight until then. That accident began a weight gain journey that put me over 300lbs. At one official doctor’s scale I was at 305 but I was over that number for sure in the months before that weigh-in. In spite of “encouraging words” from my family I had pretty much given up on weight loss. I was never a fan of exercise or healthy eating. I like to eat pigs and cows and not the stuff they eat.
It’s too long to get into but I tried several different diets with limited success and lots of rebounds. I tried motivational books and videos always convinced my success was eventually going to be achieved. But I never found that inspiration.
A sober meeting with my pulmonologist explaining what “morbidly obese” meant was one of the things that got me started. Again, too much to get into but a little over a year ago I started eating one meal a day and counting calories. I’ve talked about it a little on this forum in the past. With my pulmonologist I set a goal of losing enough weight in a year to move me from “morbidly obese” to “normal.” This was going to be a big 60th birthday gift to myself.
Trying to keep this short I’ll jump to the end. I lost 130 lbs. I did it by eating 1500 calories or less every day. I hiked an average of 6.5 miles a day but I had to build up to that. And, when I was in a big plateau, I added swimming about 2100-2500 yards 4-6 times a week to my fitness routine.
I’ve talked about it in the past on this forum but I’ve never shown you pictures of the results. I know we don’t often show ourselves as I’d rather see brisket or anything Robert is cooking than some old guy sitting in a lawn chair sipping Marker’s Mark next to a smoker.
I’m doing this not for kudos but to encourage you. Maybe you made a resolution this year to finally drop some pounds and you’re loosing your mojo. I know it’s a cliche but seriously, if I can do this you can, too. There’s nothing special about me. I was freaking huge and always tired and I loved sitting. I had a million reasons to not start. Exercise and one functional lung don’t mix.
So here it goes. Sorry this isn’t brisket or bacon. Haha. Just some old guy.
Here I am enjoying an extra dirty martini. I’m over 300 lbs at this point.
I think I’m the one on the left but it’s hard to tell. We have the same number of chins.
And here I am in my wetsuit, something I never thought in a million years I would ever fit into. I swim outdoors in the winter and I hate the cold now, thus the wetsuit.
And here’s a comparison shot one of my daughters made using the martini man picture.
I still smoke and eat meat but a lot less. I’m an expert at chicken breasts and shrimp now. I give away a lot of stuff I make so I won’t eat it all. I have a newfound love of grilled veggies and salads. I also don’t drink my calories.
Questions? Ask away. I’m an open book. And now you’ve seen me in a wetsuit so there’s not much left to hide. I thought that was better than one of those shirtless shots in front of a gas station bathroom mirror.
It’s too long to get into but I tried several different diets with limited success and lots of rebounds. I tried motivational books and videos always convinced my success was eventually going to be achieved. But I never found that inspiration.
A sober meeting with my pulmonologist explaining what “morbidly obese” meant was one of the things that got me started. Again, too much to get into but a little over a year ago I started eating one meal a day and counting calories. I’ve talked about it a little on this forum in the past. With my pulmonologist I set a goal of losing enough weight in a year to move me from “morbidly obese” to “normal.” This was going to be a big 60th birthday gift to myself.
Trying to keep this short I’ll jump to the end. I lost 130 lbs. I did it by eating 1500 calories or less every day. I hiked an average of 6.5 miles a day but I had to build up to that. And, when I was in a big plateau, I added swimming about 2100-2500 yards 4-6 times a week to my fitness routine.
I’ve talked about it in the past on this forum but I’ve never shown you pictures of the results. I know we don’t often show ourselves as I’d rather see brisket or anything Robert is cooking than some old guy sitting in a lawn chair sipping Marker’s Mark next to a smoker.
I’m doing this not for kudos but to encourage you. Maybe you made a resolution this year to finally drop some pounds and you’re loosing your mojo. I know it’s a cliche but seriously, if I can do this you can, too. There’s nothing special about me. I was freaking huge and always tired and I loved sitting. I had a million reasons to not start. Exercise and one functional lung don’t mix.
So here it goes. Sorry this isn’t brisket or bacon. Haha. Just some old guy.
Here I am enjoying an extra dirty martini. I’m over 300 lbs at this point.
I think I’m the one on the left but it’s hard to tell. We have the same number of chins.
And here I am in my wetsuit, something I never thought in a million years I would ever fit into. I swim outdoors in the winter and I hate the cold now, thus the wetsuit.
And here’s a comparison shot one of my daughters made using the martini man picture.
I still smoke and eat meat but a lot less. I’m an expert at chicken breasts and shrimp now. I give away a lot of stuff I make so I won’t eat it all. I have a newfound love of grilled veggies and salads. I also don’t drink my calories.
Questions? Ask away. I’m an open book. And now you’ve seen me in a wetsuit so there’s not much left to hide. I thought that was better than one of those shirtless shots in front of a gas station bathroom mirror.
. I replaced it by smoking on my grills which worked but I've packed on the pounds. 
