[ojconcentrate]

So... I finally found a weight management forum in which the last post isn't back from 2003 or 2004... Great news!

Here's my story....

My sister decided to get married all the sudden. Great news you might think but she told us it was going to happen in TWO MONTHS, which is perfectly fine for most family members to cope with except that I live in England and she lives over in Utah, USA. A bit far... Anyway, when you have to go you have to go. I need to support her.

So I thought this would be a great opportunity to lose some weight so i don’t look like a balloon in all pictures that I happen to be in.

I knew I was super obese, based on the BMI scale (I'm 6'2") which to this day I think helps a lot of people ruin their own lives by only taking into account 2 variables and assuming everybody exactly the same inside, but that’s another story. I knew I needed to change regardless of any scales. I just didn’t know how obese I was, because when I get fat, I get fat all over. It never concentrates in one place. It grows around the thighs, arms, chest, belly, neck and so forth. I don’t get the huge belly like some men so it’s really hard to judge how fat I was and I didn’t have a scale.

I’m an amazing cook! Serious! I love to cook. It relaxes me. I could take a whole Saturday to cook all by myself and make hot dishes, bread, deserts, everything. But I never realized that that came with a price. Most of my foods were packed with carbs. Lots of bread, lots of rice, pastas etc... And this was slowing making me grow. Little by little I wasn’t noticing how big I was getting.

My wife was going away to visit her family in Brazil and she was going to be out for 4 weeks so I thought it was a great opportunity to control what I ate. I love to cook + she loves to eat = I enjoy cooking for her. Let’s take advantage that she isn’t going to be here. You know how life is unfair and all? She can eat whatever she wants and never grow a size, I mean, come on!

ANYway....

Just before my wife went away I bought a scale and let me tell you... I weighed 144 kilos. As I understand it that’s over 300 pounds. It was a slap in the face for me. It’s funny how people just wouldn’t believe me, because I really didn’t look that big. ****, I didn’t believe it myself. I kept weighing myself over and over again. I thought there was something wrong with the scale until my wife weighed herself... 54kg... I guess the scale was right all along.

I had a choice to make, life was good, I love to eat, I could have just continued the way I was and be dead in a year or two... or I could diet and lose all this extra weight. I mean... between death and dieting I prefer dieting. Pretty good motivation if you ask me.

I decided to go on a low carb diet. It actually started on the day that my wife left on vacation on the 28th of June. Like most men I put a macho front you know... with comments like “yeah, it’ll be dead easy” or “bring it on”. I decided to take protein shakes which have 10g of carbs per serving twice a day replacing two meals and eating a protein bar which also contains 10g of net carbs in between one or two of those meals and have a low carb dinner with either beef, pork, chicken or fish with salad and vegetables for dinner. Sounded like a reasonable dieting plan.

The first week was killer. All I could think of was feasting on a huge warm French baguette all week. I could really see it every time I closed my eyes. I never realized one could actually be addicted to food (carbs in my case) like that. It was all very interesting.

I was eating ok (with exception of carbs) and drinking lots of water. I was trying to go into ketosis like in the Atkins diet which I did after a few days.

After the second week life got a lot easier. I no longer felt that need for carbs, I no longer felt hungry all the time. I don’t feel the need to eat the protein bar between shakes anymore.

It’s been exactly three weeks since I’ve been all alone (please excuse the drama, I really miss my wife), and three week since I’ve been dieting. This morning I measured 134kg which is a 10kg or 22pound loss. I think it’s pretty good considering that I haven’t been starving myself and with little exercise (which will start this week, I didn’t want to force it too much with all that weight).

My trousers are loose. My shirts already fit better, even my wedding ring is looser now live is looking pretty good.

I was nice to see how my attitude changed over these past weeks. In the beginning I was talking to my brother who I will see again in Utah after almost two years: “man, when I get there, you’re going to come with me and we’ll hit every fast food joint in Utah”. But now I’m just worried how I’m going to visit all the people I know there and avoid all the carbs which they will try to force feed me. I’m sure I’ll work something out.

I’ve already spoken with my wife and she will give me the support I need when she comes back. She will help me with my controlled meals that I’ve been having for the past three weeks.

It’s all been a very good experience in a variety of ways. The coolest one is to know that you can really achieve something if you want to.
I also lerned more about self control which can be applied to anything in life really... There's actually 3 packs of chocolates and 2 big packs of cookies inside one of the drawers of my wife's bedsite table thingy... and 3 weeks on and they haven't been touched... nice...

I expect to lose another 30 kilos which is like 60 pounds or so within the next few months. I’m sure life will get better and better. And now I actually have a possibility of living long enough to see my grandchildren. My wife and I are trying to get pregnant. Well... were... and will continue when she comes back of course.

My sister’s wedding is in two weeks now and only a week left before my beautiful wife comes back. I expect to lose another kilo or two before I go to the USA. Lots more when I come back!

It’s been nice to write all this up. I haven’t had a change to share this will a lot of people. I hope I didn’t bore you to death. I don’t know how many men are members here (I noticed that all the usernames I could find are female names) but I hope I fit in.

See you later..

[Tomato]

Hi ojconcentrate,

What a great introduction! Welcome to 3FC.
It's funny that in your case, it is your wife who can eat anything and never gains any weight - that the reverse of what many chicks here complain of - the HUSBANDS eat fast food and what not and remain slim.
Consider it a big advantage that you are such an excellent cook and that you love to cook. It will be no problem to adjust your meals to be leaner, healthier and still very nutritious (like you have already been doing). Congrats on the initial weight loss, I am sure that you will lose all the extra kilos/pounds and then some!

I knew I needed to change regardless of any scales. I just didn’t know how obese I was, because when I get fat, I get fat all over. It never concentrates in one place. It grows around the thighs, arms, chest, belly, neck and so forth. I don’t get the huge belly like some men so it’s really hard to judge how fat I was and I didn’t have a scale.

Actually, I would say that's good. Hopefully, this means that when you are losing, you will be losing evenly all over your body as well and you won't have to worry about one specific area (in us women, it is typically the abdominal area) that does not want to let go of the fat.

I have no doubts that you will survive your visit in Utah with flying colours - I'd say there must a TON of more interesting places to visit in Utah than their fast food places! [I have never been to Utah but I wonder - is Utah famous for their fast food? ] Perhaps you can squeeze in some hiking and such.

Please make sure to let us how your visit went and how your weight loss continues!!! Enjoy your visit in the US.

[auntie g]

Welcome, ojc! Sounds like you've got a good plan going there. You'll have been on your program long enough to keep it under control when you go to Utah, and like Tomato said, there's got to be better things to see there than just fast food joints. Keep up the good work!

[luckymommy]

Great story! You have a wonderful attitude about it all and I'm sure you'll do it. Just keep in mind that when you travel, you can retain a lot of water, so the scale might go up. Try not to get too frustrated because feelings like that can lead people to fall off plan. Also keep in mind that on some weeks, you'll lose a lot and on others, you might not lose at all. Try to stay focused on your hard work and let the changes occur at their time (I struggle with this a lot). There are times when I feel like I'm eating like an angel, working out like crazy and still, nothing happens. Then, all of the sudden, the weight will start to drop and within a few days, I'll show a huge loss (huge for me anyway). As far as traveling, that's a tough one. I know you didn't ask for advice here, but I really believe in pre-planning. If anyone wants to feed you something you know you don't want to put in your body, just tell them that you just feel terrible when you eat those kinds of foods and that they just don't agree with your body. That way, people aren't offended. They aren't likely to push greasy food on you if they know it'll make you sick! But, when you tell people you're on a diet, they tend to say, "C'mon, just this once," and they might make you feel guilty for making healthier choices. None of that may happen, but I just wanted to put it out there, in case it does. I look forward to your posts. Let us know how you're doing...and congrats on your huge loss so far!

[meowee]

boyyo . . . glad you found us. You are definitely heading in the right direction. Keep up the great work.

[BlzMaxGnrCCJkMly]

[bargoo]

Welcome and good luck!

[SunshineCA]

Hi and welcome to the site!!

I know what you mean re: a support site that's current and constantly moving. You will find this site will suit your needs. I recently stumbled upon it myself and have been hooked ever since.

Good luck with your weight loss! Have fun at the wedding!