The short version:
- starting weight (407), goal weight (125), current (344.8)
- lost 120-130 pounds, ended up in hospital (pleural effusion)
- two and a half years later, back to 358.2 pounds
- moral - always have a scale that reads your weight
The really long version:
I don’t know the actual date, but it was late January 2004. I was getting a quote on calibrating the floor scales at work. The guy giving me the quote hopped on the scale to ensure there was nothing inherently wrong with the scale. He was more than 250 and the readings were the same no matter where he stood. It got me thinking, and a couple of days later I braced myself and very early in the morning stepped onto the scale.
412 pounds.
Holy shit. Later on I would decide that safety shoes plus clothing added to about 5 pounds, but it was a hell of a wake up call. Depending on my mood I use somewhere between 400 and 407 as a start point. I owned a scale that didn’t weigh over 330, and I’d convinced myself that I was only a few pounds over that. I mean, I got up and went to work each day. I spent a fair amount of time on my feet. And I was even slightly more fit than I had been when I started. This is scary since it probably means that the number was even higher at some point.
My mother was leaving the country in February for a month so I decided that would be the start date. I was actually down a few pounds at this point. I have to admit I chucked anything bad that had been left in the house just hours after she left. I didn’t follow any real plan for that month, but when asked about it later I just joked “no meat, no fat, no sugar, no alcohol”. I denied myself nothing, but stuck to a low-fat vegetarian plan. In the first month I dropped about 20 pounds, without feeling hungry. Once a week I would sneak over to the scale (very early in the morning) and check my progress.
By the end of the year I was 100 pounds lighter. People at work had noticed, with some really supportive ones coming from the most surprising areas. The most helpful was the body-builder guy (Dave) who quietly pulled me aside and told me how great I was doing. He was actually the first to notice and say something. He also bugged me about not getting enough protein (which I ignored), and offered to help me start an exercise routine whenever I was ready. I went off on a South American cruise at Christmas of that year and even came back weighing two pounds less.
So back at work I took Dave up on his offer. We went upstairs into the gym and went through the equipment. He suggested a combination of things, but I decided to start with cardio. We had treadmills, an elliptical and a recumbent bicycle. I tried all, but eventually decided the treadmill was it. After a short ramp up period I was doing a solid hour of walking (about 3.5mph, with eventually a 10% grade). My weight loss slowed for a bit, but the inches came off. I would get up at 5am, be at work by 5:30 and work out until 6:30. A quick shower and I was ready for work at 7am.
Over the next 5 months I may have only lost 25 – 30 pounds, but I felt great. I was toning up; people noticed more than they had before. I started back to eating a little meat, but kept it under 1500 calories. Early June I had a rough weekend and (long story short) Monday I ended up in the emergency. I’d been walking around (for probably 5 weeks) with fluid in my pleural cavity. The average person has about 15ml of fluid, when they eventually tapped mine it was about 900ml, with more drainage later. Oh, and it was infected as well. So I spent 18 days in the hospital (and in Canada, although the care is good, long stays are rare), and another couple of weeks at home. I’m nuts, but I actually went back to work with a drainage tube in my back. Hey, I was bored at home.
So after a discussion with the doctor I was told to hold the weight loss until I was well. He also said something had to give. I was eating too little, exercising too much, and not sleeping enough. Isn’t 4 or 5 hours enough? He did suggest, if nothing else, that I make sure I got more sleep. I did buy a treadmill to use at home.
I thought I’d be back to it in a couple of weeks. Honestly, it was the fall before I really felt halfway decent. Although I’d lost 15 or 20 pounds in the hospital it came back very fast (no surprise). By late fall I was still under 300 pounds. Then I left my job for another one. Gone were the wonderful supportive people who knew me 100 pounds heavier. Although the job paid more, had a better title, I wasn’t happy there. It was within the same company, but I would have to wait at least two years before I could post somewhere else. Considering I wasn’t happy, working an afternoon shift, and not really watching what I ate it’s no surprise that the weight slowly came back on. I was back flirting about the 330 point when I took advantage of something I had a chance to do.
I left the country and spent 5 months on a freighter (as a passenger) travelling around the world. I had originally got information for my mother (we share ownership of a home), but decided I wanted to go. It was insane, but I’ve never had problems finding work, and I wasn’t happy, so what the hell. I had a wonderful time. I even lost weight during part of the trip. I hadn’t taken a scale, and someone else was cooking for me, but with lots of exercise it wasn’t hard to lose a little. I was surprised that even some of the guys noticed (although I think they were just surprised that the first time we were walking together on shore that I had to slow down for them). The last part of the time was spent crossing the Pacific (cool) and then spent sailing down the west coast of the US and through the Panama Canal (back to Houston, via New Orleans). With not being ashore much, I didn’t exercise as much and probably overate in San Diego, New Orleans, and on the drive home. In the end I was 321 when I got home. Not great, but not bad.
I spent the summer doing yard work, and started looking for work. Let’s just say this wasn’t really a success. Originally my old place of employment had offered to give me a leave of absence. However, not being happy in the job I decided to decline it. On the face of it, this was a mistake. Although going back to a job I didn’t want may not have been a good thing. As the summer waned and I was still not employed I became slightly depressed, and again, no surprise – started overeating. The real danger is where you’re past the upper limit of the scale you own. You can be 330, 331, 332, or 358.2 pounds (yikes).
So, back on December 7th (the day I bought the scale that goes up to 400 pounds) I started again. I’ve wavered back and forth, trying to judge my energy levels. I’ve decided that for the moment I’ll aim for between 1800 and 2000 calories. This is combined with two, 45-minute sessions on the treadmill in the early afternoon. At the moment this is at a much lower intensity than I used to do. I find that the days I was only eating 1500-1600 that I’m completely without energy the next morning. At the moment, this higher calorie routine gives me a weight loss. If/when it stops I’ll reassess.
I have hand weights and resistance bands (which I rarely use). I will get better at this part (I do know that strength training is important). So for the moment my goal is to not eat too much as well as not eat too little. As well, there will be 90 minutes on the treadmill each day, and eventually some strength training.
I was on 3fatchicks before. I’m the first to admit that I’m not a joiner, although I found it helpful. I was around in the fall of 2005, before I changed jobs. After that I drifted away (from the board and the diet). This time I will try and do better (with the board and the diet).
– Best to all - Anne
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