Why Diet ?

Flyer1

Hi all,

I've been a lurker around here for a long time, seeing these new dieting posts every few days. About 18 months ago I was a savage unhealthy 20 stone and standing 6ft 1. Now my natural frame size is very large so I didn't look 20 stone, most people thought I was about 15st. I put on weight over a very short period when things weren't great.

18 months down the road, i'm now 12st, toned, well built and happier then ever. People wonder how I did it ? Plain and simple - Cut the crap, downsize the dinner plate and get on the bike. I did it cutting down very gradually, I still ate what I wanted, but in moderation. Over time my apetite became smaller, I started hating food which I previously loved ( doner kebab ). I was the fella who wouldn't eat any green's before this, but I grew to love them. Between a combination of excercise, not a massive change in diet, I dropped 8 stone, what i'm trying to say is to people who are overweight and want to lose weight, you don't have to change your life, small changes make a biiiiiig difference. Everything else will follow.

g'em

Thanks for sharing Flyer1, a good success story is great to hear!!

Flyer1 wrote: »

18 months down the road, i'm now 12st, toned, well built and happier then ever. People wonder how I did it ? Plain and simple - Cut the crap, downsize the dinner plate and get on the bike.

You're right, it is that simple, perhaps some feel it's too simple to be true? Fair play for such a fantastic lifestyle turnaround

corkcomp

well done!! thats a great motivation / success story
i lost well over 5 st myself in around a year and it was all down to exercise and diet. There is a certain satisfaction that loosing the first stone gives that sort of gives people the motivation to continue!! i think its a bit like giving up smoking, the thought of not eating crap all day and having to break a sweat when exercising scares some people off, the same as going without a smoke does

EileenG

Way to go. That's a great story.

Davei141

Well done mate and good advice.

mrsberries

Congrats!

Thats an inspiring story, thanks for sharing!!

Did you embark on a new fitness regime or just stick to the bike?
Need to lose just under a stone myself and am trying to make subtle lifestyle changes as opposed to going on a diet. Have lost 4lbs over last two weeks by upping the veggies on my plate and cutting down (not out!) snacks.

aare

Well flyer...

As someone with a slightly shorter, but otherwise, I suspect, very similar body type...I have to say

ME JEALOUS!!!:mad:

Cos, sadly, my messed up (celiac, aging and other kinds of alien) metabolism never let me lose an ounce that way...(actually, it would be a good day if I stopped GAINING )

Still when you can lose weight that way you'd need to be off your head (or a hard core masochist) to do anything more drastic.

Just don't forget that option isn't possible for some of us, and you are DARNED RIGHT we hate you for it. :P

neuro-praxis

Flyer1, you are an inspiration. Well done!

I always feel irked, though, when people give the impression that the whole process is simple and easy. I don't find this process in the least bit simple or easy.

Presumably you sacrificed big-time and worked your ass off?

If yes, kudos. If no, lucky you!

samhail

making it sound so easy i bet determination plays a big part. hopefully i can post the same thing in a years time.

Flyer1

Thanks for all the positive comments folks ! Makes it all worth it.

Don't get me wrong, determination plays a huge part, i've had one main drive and that to me has been aerobatics, it's a form of aerial acrobatics ( with airplanes ). I've always loved flying, and started to get a taste for these aerobatics some time ago. Pulling high G forces is common practise so the lighter you are the easier it is on yourself and the more concentration you have on the flying rather than not blacking out.

Some people may not have a sport which they are so driven by, but if anything, do it for yourself. I didn't want to be carrying all that weight around with me for the rest of my days.

aare, I must say, my metabolism really isn't the best in the world, i've read all the books, tried all the advice, but if I look at a slice of pizza it seems to go straight on to me - even still despite i've a reasonably OK fitness level.

neuro-praxis, I wouldn't say it's easy, but simple ? yes. When people say to me " how did you do it ?" I tell them exactly what I did and they always tell me surely it can't be that easy. OK, I was hitting 5 - 7hrs/week intensive excercise but I enjoyed every minute of it. I found at first excercise was a chore, but I learned to love it.

The main message I want to give people is that no matter how bad you might feel about yourself, or how many stone you have to lose, you can do it. I went for a period of about a month where I could not for the love of god get below 15st 7lbs, no matter what I did. These plateau's can put a downer on things but keep it up no matter what. I'd gladly help anyone now who wants any help to lose some weight. I'm a much happier person for it now, and it has without a doubt changed my life.

aare

Flyer1 wrote: »

aare, I must say, my metabolism really isn't the best in the world, i've read all the books, tried all the advice, but if I look at a slice of pizza it seems to go straight on to me - even still despite i've a reasonably OK fitness level.

Ah sure, you are only saying that to try and stop me hating you...
:P

Didn't work, you'd want to see what happens to me if I look at a slice of Pizza!

Random

Nice one OP. You lost 8st in 18 months? Are my calculations right in that being about 7lb a month?

What was the hardest part? The diet or the exercise? Which did you focus more on? Did you give up things like beer, coke and pizza completely or do you still have it?

What sorta gym routine were you up to? Cardio or Weight machines etc?

Cheers

Flyer1

Hi Random, yeah it was about 7lb a month or so, I wanted to do it at a comfortable pace.

The hardest part initially was cutting down the portions, I was often finding myself hungry. The excercise was no real biggie as I was always active enough, I usually did a bit of cycling anyway when I was a big fella, so to step it up to doing it 5 - 6 times a week required will power. Some days i'd look at the bike and think to myself " arrgh, I really don't want to do this today " but i'd still get up and do it.

I gave up having Beer on a regular basis, but i'd still have the odd one every now and then. I still eat what I want but it's all about keeping it in moderation, but now that my diet has changed, the sight of something like a breakfast roll makes me feel sick. I just don't want to eat anything crap now which is great so I have no desire to do so. I'm also a stinger for checking out the nutritional labels on EVERYTHING I eat and i always keep a daily running total in my head of what i'm roughly after consuming.

Mixture of bike, a game called Dancing Stage Universe ( involves a dancemat ), some running, then work on toning using sit up's etc. and then some time on the weights aswell.