I found this site years ago when I was around 320 lbs. I managed to get down to around 230 about a year and half after.

But then I got back up to 280. However in the last 5 weeks or so I am around 264. I know that rate can't last but I feel POSITIVE that the losing weight will last.

My wife and I were going out 3 to 4 times per week. We have been great the last 5 weeks going out once a week. A pressure cooker has really helped. We discovered how easy it is to use and how quick and how tasty.

I am doing Andrew Lessman's secure for breakfast and so far so good. They taste good (has splenda though) and are filling for a really low amount of calories. I had always been fairly active but am doing more strenght work now. So I am sure I have gained muscle mass not lost it the past 5 weeks.

And it was actually quite easy to cut out fast food (except Subway...but 6 inch sandwhiches only). I probably went say 5 to 10 times a month to fast food mostly during work lunches. Hey if you only go once per week you are almost at 5. But zip, zero the last 5 weeks.

What finally got me going this time was a bit on Morning Edition shortly after New Years about identical twins. One was heavier and was becoming pre-diabetic. The other wasn't. The good news is that neither is diabetic now. But my grandmother was. And in addition to feeling great, having more energy, being able to do more, and on and on, not wanting to possibly develop that pushed me over to not a diet but new habits.

I guess everone has their tipping point. I am sure things were percolating for me below the surface and I swear that one 5 minute feature just was the spark to set everything in motion. Hoping for 250 by May 1 and then who knows after that....

[AnnieDrews]

Welcome back! I am fairly new here, but have really found great support and encouragement. For me, the wake-up call was seeing the difficulty my fiance's mother is having in her old age. She has always been overweight (probably over 300 lbs.) and cannot move around and is having lung problems. I don't want to see myself in that shape at age 75. Good luck to you!!

[CLCSC145]

Welcome back!

[L144S]

welcome back, eating in can really help to manage the food and calorie consumption, I hope ou wife is on board with you.

[diabetic z]

It's always nice to meet other guys on 3FC.

[ingrid55]

welcome back and good luck to you....

[lambchop]

welcome, and nice to meet you - be sure to stop in on the weekly thread - as many people check in daily there - and it's more active

glad to have you with us

<---big fan of the pressure cooker - fresh, homemade soups made super fast!

Thanks for all the welcome backs. Yes my wife is losing weight as well. However something that was important for us to understand and for any couples losing weight together is that on average men will lose it faster than women.

We have more muscle mass, in general, and less fat, in general. So far this has been the case with me and my wife. And knowing this is usually what happens has helped my wife.

And I also realized from friends at works that the whole 'big bones' joking actually has some reality to it. My wrists for instance have very little fat yet they are much bigger than a co-worker my height. I have much broader shoulders than him. What is important to look at is not BMI but fat percentage and if it is going down. I am not trying to get to his weight, I will never get to his weight. It wouldn't be healthy for me. So there are differences between men and women and of course person to person.

I am considering getting an Omron portable fat thingambob. Not a scale. You hold this in your hands and it gives a reading in around 7 seconds.

[PeanutsMom704]

welcome back, and great that you and your wife are working on this together!

I've been looking into the body fat scales - there are a couple of Omron models where the hand-held thing is part of the scale, so it checks weight at the same time as the rest of the analysis. Still haven't figured out for sure what I'm getting, but it will be my reward for hitting my first 10% goal.

[Losing80]

for coming back. Congrats on your dietary changes. Keep up with small changes and persistence, and you'll be at 250 by May for sure. Good luck!