I'm a guy,but I think I belong here.
 

Hi.

Sam Wilson. I'm a high school teacher who lives in atlanta, georgia. I used to be a police officer. Anyway, I also used to weigh 550 lbs, and now I weigh 315 lbs. I lost it all by changing my lifestyle and going to the gym obsessively and never, ever cheating on my changes.

Anyway, I've really been struggling. I still feel like I'm 500 lbs. I have a huge fold of skin on my stomach and my pants don't fit right and I feel like a moron half the time. If my wife didn't walk me out the door I wouldn't leave in the morning. She's a physical therapist and a former Dancer, she's superfit and has really helped me in my change.

Anyway, I'm not sure what my goal is anymore. I was a 58 inch pants when I started, I was hoping to get down to 240 lbs and a 38 pants. I'm at a 38 pants now but I'm still 315 lbs. I work out insanely, I eat according to my nutritionist's directions and never, ever cheat, and haven't lost weight since may, but my clothes are fitting looser. Well, my pants mainly which is really annoying because they keep falling down, and a size smaller won't go over my butt. So yeah, I get frustrated a lot. Wearing a tall size shirt to cover my skin flap is really embarrassing and I look like a moron. Anyway. I know I'm not a woman, but I think you guys can help me.

Hi and welcome to 3FC.

Congrats on your success and good luck with your goals.

Hugs
Michelle

Hello and Welcome!
don't get down on yourself, you've done great so far!
good luck continuing on your journey!
Aubrey

Hi Sam, Welcome! :bravo: on your latest Lbs loss so far!! You are doing great and good luck with your continue efforts!!

Sam,

You have lost alot of weight SWEET SUCCESS, and it sounds like your body might need a change in plans to shake it up a bit. There are several people on here that have lost large amounts of weight and have had to go through 3-4 types of plans to get there.

But that is not the most important thing I want to tell you. Right now you need to focus on your brain. Until you get your mental state figured out you will never be happy with what ever you lose, or how ever you look. There are many ways to get help, but for me I have found a ton of help with the book The Beck Diet Solution...it is NOT a diet, it is Cognitive Therapy. Retraining your brain to think like a thin person, and a big part of that is giving yoruself credit where credit is due.

SO there are my two cents, I would love to hear more from you, and I am so happy you posted! You do belong here, reguardless of gender!

Welcome, Sam! You aren't the only guy here.

I was right there with you. I didn't lose a pound in July, really, but I dropped a pants and shirt size. I lost inches, just not pounds. I think right now my body is changing shape. I've started losing again in this last week, but not with near the speed as before. That's ok, though. It's not a race to get to a certain weight. If you are making good food choices, then just give it time. This is something you will be doing for the rest of your life. It'll happen for you.

Welcome Sam
 

Glad that you found 3FC, Sam - there are a bunch of us guys here, around and about.

Congrats on your major loss to date. That's an impressive journey.

Neat that you have an eating plan from your nutritionist. Has she updated it since you've lost some 235 pounds?

It sounds to me that you're putting on some muscle as well as losing. That just helps to create more loss as time goes on.

Look over all the different forums; you're sure to find one or two that seem like a good fit for you.

Look forward to seeing you around.

Don't forget the scale doesn't discriminate among fat, water, muscle, bone, etc. If your sizes are changing, you're probably shedding fat and building muscle. When the pounds start dropping again, you'll have a higher percentage of muscle to help you burn calories.

When you're not losing but also not gaining, you're practicing maintaining which is the end goal. Sounds like you're doing great!

You weigh 100 pounds more than me and wear the same pant size kinda strange.

Welcome! I follow the blog of a guy named TOny who has lost 229 lbs.
He is very down to earth, practical and has done this the "hard way" also.
His latest post talks about losing well over 200 lbs, but at 305, still seeing himself as a round person.

If you are interested, his blog is: http://zeusmeatball.blogspot.com/

I guess I should clarify some things.

I know I still weigh a lot and have a relatively unusual pants size for my weight, I'm a former football player and powerlifting competitor, so I guess I'm fairly muscular. I weight train intensely still (not at a competitive level), and my focus is more cardio/endurance, but I still bench/squat/deadlift at competitive weights.

Of course I don't see any of that, I still feel like a 500 lb fat person who shouldn't be looked at by anyone.

And also, I've started seeing a therapist. I saw one in college for different reasons, some of which are being revisited, but I started going again because my wife thinks I have an eating disorder and or body dismorphia. Which I totally do, like I said, I'm a wreck. I go outside now unlike before, but I can't go by myself and I'm prone to panic attacks in places like malls or movie theaters.

Anyway, thanks for the warm reception. Sorry for my monotone, I guess it's just hard for me to be open about this stuff.

Frrom one Man to another...WELCOME...this place is GREAT! You'll be glad you came!!

Welcome. I cannot believe you have lost so much already. Thank you for sharing your inspiring story!!!!

Welcome!! and Congratulations on all your hard work. I can not wait to read more from you. It sounds like you are doing what you should. I did too wonder if a change in plan was right for you???

P.S. my boyfriend weighs 10 lbs more than you and wears a 48. And lots of us ladies have discussed how differing body shapes call for different sizes. Good for you for getting to that size!! So no worries, our bodies just surprise us. :)

That's amazing! You've done such a service to yourself. Minds take longer than bodies to adjust. I'm at goal and still see that fat girl. Therapy can be incredibly helpful and I'm glad you're there. Mine was instrumental.

Nice to see all the guys out too!