I feel like I’m on Sherman’s march through the 20s.
October 28 weight: 220.6
October 21 weight: 222.4
October 14 weight: 223.4
October 07 weight: 222.6
September 30 weight: 223.6
I’ve lost 1.8 pounds in the last 7 days and 123.6 pounds in 40 weeks. Want stats from past weeks? Check out my entire 40 week weight loss progress.
I don’t care how long it takes me to reach 219.x pounds and my final goal of 194 pounds, I just know I will. It could take another 40 weeks for all I care.
I don’t reckon it will, though.
There is little change to report in my effort to count and burn calories. I’m still eating the same foods as last week, minus a couple hundred calories a day, and still running on the (albeit different) treadmill at a new gym.
I’m just enduring. It’s boring, but it’s a part of losing weight.
Enough about me, though. How’s your weight loss going? Are you losing more than 3 pounds a month? If so, how? Leave me a comment or post a message on Facebook/twitter. I need motivation and encouragement too, you know.
Let’s keep going to 219.
{ 67 comments… read them below or add one }
Honestly…I gave up a desk job and made my #1 job running around with kids and being a part-timer at a big box retailer. But I know everyone cannot do that. That, and when I still have some energy left in the day, I run it off at the gym. I love those little TV’s in the treadmill. Its my ‘me’ time. And honestly, I am a lot less stressed because of the job change, and that helps immensely.
That’s a good time job. A big box retailer nearby, I assume? You’re so close, you should start going to Hampton Hill! Are you in a contract at the Y!?
The best buy big box retailer, so yeah, nearby!
And no contract, but HH could never beat the price the Y gave me ($16 a month) because I am in a low income bracket.
I go in there all the time! I’m sure I’ve seen you.
Congrats on 1.8! 219 and 194 are in the crosshairs, and they are not that far off.
After my suckass week last week I did manage to lose something, so woot to that. I was jealous that you and alot of other bloggers are able pull huge numbers at first, but any loss is a loss, and I’m happy for myself and all y’all :)
40 weeks in and I have no doubts at all that your current gym routine is boring. Have you thought about mixing it up at all, or adding new stuff in (like Crossfit, or Tae Kwon Do, more sports, etc..etc..)? That would all be time permitting, of course, but hopefully something could be done to make this kinda fun again.
I’m more excited about 199 — that’s going to be a great day. It’ll be much more exciting I imagine, but we’ll just have to wait and see.
219 is going to be pretty fun. 209 is too. Okay, I won’t lie, pretty much every pound lost.
My routine is boring, and you’re right Steve, I’m going to start looking for something different. Maybe classes, a kickball league, something. I think I’ll always “force” myself to run, if not every day, then at least every other day.
I just hit 251.2 today, which means I’ve lost 91 pounds. for the last three months I have averaged 10 pounds per month. I run about 25 miles per week now, I swim about 1 mile per week total, and I do weight training three time per week. Definitely the way to break a plateau is to do something totally different than what you have been doing; it kind of “shocks the system”.
91 pounds is insane! 10 pounds per month is insane, too, I’m so jealous. You do a lot of cardio, too.
I agree with you and Steve, time to switch it up.
Congrats! I’m doing my march through the 240s right now- I’m right at 109-110 pounds gone since January. :P I think I should put together a blog and we could do an exercise challenge against each other or something- tweet through it? It would be pretty cool. And get our cover on People magazine, haha.
110 pounds gone since January!? You’re right at my heels. How’s your monthly weight loss progress going, still putting up double digits every month?
A collaborative exercise effort would be a great idea, I would have to think of how to work that out. Any suggestions?
Well done!!.. I have just joined “sparkpeople” and started a Blog, to help me loose 39lbs beofre jan 31st 1020.. any tips?
Yes. You might wanna invest in a time machine if you’re trying to lose 39 pounds by 1020. (o: (sorry, couldn’t resist)
I’ve heard of spark, it seems like a big community. My tips are to sweat every day at the gym and watch what you eat. I keep it simple!
1.8 is splendid, T!
As for what I do…I started a local Biggest Loser competition a few weeks ago and have lost a total of about 6 or 7 lbs, I think? Being very careful with my calories and started doing the HIIT. I incorporate it into various aerobic activities (tread, spin bike, running stairs, etc) and do it for about 20 mins/day, sometimes adding another 15 or so at night if I feel like it. I do that 4 days a week, with an hour of resistance training 2 days a week. The HIIT kicks my butt. These aren’t sissy intervals, these are SERIOUS intervals. When I’m done, I am DONE! Toast! Anyway, you asked. There’s my novel.
Thank you :).. of course it is 2010 :0
you know spark people?
Thankyou, I did mean 2010 :)
20 minutes a day? Are you a bossy mommy or are you an old lady? You know your body can do another 5 minutes a day. Don’t be lazy!
Nope. Read up on your HIIT, my dear. If you’re doing it right (pushing so hard at every interval that you feel like you’re going to die), you can’t–and shouldn’t–go more than 20 minutes at a time. Nor is it necessary. The payoff is in the loooong afterburn. I can do long, steady-state cardio for an hour or more. But the afterburn is nil. I’m going for the long-term fat burning effects.
Tyler, you appear to have echoed my sentiments today. I just finished journaling for the day. After 14 days of not losing a single pound despite my perfect eating and exercising, today I stepped on the scale and I hit my goal for this month. I am now down 60.8 pounds. Although I still have a long road ahead of me, my weight loss is sometimes frustrating. I know how you feel. But I, like you, have accepted the journey. No matter how long it takes, I will persevere, as will you. Once you have obtained the mind set that you are in it for the duration, then no amount of stalls, plateaus, or little weekly losses will conquer you. Oh, to answer your question, I have been losing about 10 pounds per month. I want to thank you again for this blog. I love reading about your journey. You are an inspiration. I am very excited for you to reach your 219 pound mark very very soon. Have a great week!
You hit the nail on the head, Sandra. If you’re on some sort of fad diet, you’re counting down the clock to reach your goal weight so you can stop eating terrible food. If you are living a healthy lifestyle with “balanced” eating and exercise, you’re not counting down — you’re just living your life until one day, one day hopefully soon, you’ll be at your goal weight.
No rush. We’ll get there.
I’m down 65.5lbs as of last Tuesday. I’m using caloriecount.about.com to log food and activities.
I’m getting to the point where my workouts are taking a long time for me to get tired, and realistically I can’t get my walks up to 5+ miles in an hour.
I’ve got hiking to do on the weekends, and I’m seeking out more intense walks that I can do to get the burn I want. For example, last night I went to the local sledding hill and walked up and down that for 40 minutes.
Every other day, I’m doing 200 reps of pushups, squats, jumping jacks, and lunges from Nerd Fitness blog’s challenge.
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/07/17/no-gym-no-problem-bodyweight-exercises-and-the-nerd-fitness-challenge/
I’ve got to get my intensity up.
Definitely get your intensity up. Whatever you think you can do, do another few minutes of it. You always have to keep adding friction to your workouts.
I’m proud of your weight loss, Matt!
I’m still very early in my journey, but am managing to keep losing weight. This week my target was to meet or get below your starting weight, but I came up .8lbs short. http://tinyurl.com/yko4d7v
Was set back by a knee injury preventing exercise though. I’m looking to find a knee brace to help out and will probably join a gym sometime in the near future. I like having the stuff at home, but I think the poor quality of the affordable home models might make me more injury prone compared to the beefier versions at the gym.
I wound up dropping 13.2lbs in months #1 which isn’t bad considering a week long vacation with no dieting and then the last week and a half no workouts.
It’s a steady, slow march so far. One that I hope will pick up once I add exercise back in. That exercise challenge idea from Jerilyn sounds interesting. Get a number of dieters/bloggers to all collectively do a workout challenge. Hardest part would be adjusting it to fit all the people since me starting out couldn’t keep up with people near the finish line.
Congrats on reaching 345 pounds! That’s pretty impressive considering that’s mostly with no workouts and just watching what you eat. I fully believe that it’s mostly nutrition that helps you lose weight — but the exercise keeps you fit, keeps you in a healthy mindset, and keeps you burning even more calories!
Oh, I forgot to answer your question about how I am losing the weight. I exercise about the same amount as you. However, my diet is different. I do not allow myself to go over 1500 calories per day. I eat anywhere from 1200 per day to 1500 per day, depending on how hungry I am. Now, I am a woman, so I need less calories. But I have really made a effort to cut out certain types of foods, such as processed foods, fried foods, and red meat. I try (try being the key word because its not a perfect system and sometimes I just need a chocolate fix – ala Jello sugar free chocolate pudding) to eat only foods in their natural state. I have cut out all white breads and pastas. I’m a whole grain girl now. Having said all this, I totally agree with you about not depriving yourself, learning to eat in the real world and exercising portion control. It is an excellent concept. But for now, since my goal is to lose 10 pounds a month, I am being a bit more restrictive with my diet.
Looking forward to seeing your scale say 219 next week!
I’ve certainly made an effort to cut out processed foods, fried foods, etc., but I like moderation. It has its place, but just not a huge place.
Let’s hope for 219!
Hey Tyler. You are an awesome inspiration. I love your blog, especially how you update your progress. I started keeping track of my weight on September first. I started at 280 and my goal was 248 by new years. I smashed that pace and I’m already at 251 with 2 plus months to go. I do 5 days a weeks of 2 hours of cardio a day. I used to be scared of the elliptical machine because it kicked my butt the first time on it. Now I love that machine to death. I look forward to an hour a day on it. Also I blast my Koss headphones and headbang in the gym lol. I don’t care if I look like a freak because I’m losing weight. Thanks again for the inspiration. Good luck reaching your 194 lbs goal. I’m sure you’ll reach it.
I’m glad you like the blog, rolie! You’re already at 251 in only a few months? Amazing man. I love that machine to, and I’m glad you found the love I had for it.
What’s your ultimate goal? Is it 248?
Tyler, today marks ONE month since I made the commitment and I’ve lost 13.4 pounds so far. I’m monitoring how many calories I eat, going to the gym 3-4 days a week and pushing myself on new exercises. I started only being able to do the elliptical for about a minute, but last night I broke NINE MINUTES! So, for me, it’s just a daily awareness and commitment and to eat well and MOVE my body…two things I didn’t do before a month ago.
Congrats on another loss and another week closer to your goal!!!
13 pounds in a month is awesome in my book. You can sustain keep going to the gym for 3-4 days a week, so I believe you can continue to lose weight!
Good luck!
Hey Tyler. I’ve been on this journey for about 30 weeks, and I’ve lost almost 90 pounds, so I’m not quite at your rate, but I try ;)
I eat pretty clean during the day, and I try not to eat too much for dinner. I also workout 5 times a day and got on 3 3+ mile walks a week…that’s about it. The old fashioned way.
Congrats on the loss, and I’m excited to see you in the 210’s next week!
That’s 3 pounds a week, beej, almost my ratio!
I’ve lost 32 pounds in a year, so that almost qualifies as 3 pounds/month. My approach has three parts: first, a total overhaul of my diet. I was eating 90% junk, 10% good food, now the ratios are about reversed. This helped mostly with my energy levels, with my stomach aches, and mostly it made it possible for me to still eat about the same amount of food, but have that food be way fewer calories. Second, moderate calorie restriction. I eat about 1600 calories a day, most days. Third, daily light exercise. I walk about 2.5 miles a day walking to school and then walking on campus.
This has been the magic bullet for me. Like you, the weight loss isn’t coming as easily now as it did when I was in terrible shape, so I’m increasing my walking and starting to hike a few times a week. I’ll probably start lifting and doing some gym work too.
Keep up the intensity! How much weight are you looking to lose all told?
Tyler-
Thanks for the encouragement ! I’ve lost 70 lbs since Jun 22. On a plateau right now, havent dropped a pound in two weeks. The old me would have quit. The new me sees the big picture and keeps it going.
All the rest of you, great job ! Keep it up, and dont give up the fight !
70 pounds since late June? You guys are unbelievable with these huge losses. I like the new you.
Keep going!
Great numbers, Tyler!
Thanks William.
Hey Tyler. My name is Laura Robinson and I am an instructor at Hampton Hill. I was so inspired by your story that I signed up to receive posts from your blog. Reading today’s post, I would like to extend an invitation to you to come take a TBT class with me. TBT stands for Total Body Training and we use an interval approach to group fitness. We intersperse cardio work with strength training and end with core work and stretching. Class is about an hour, and I promise you won’t be bored! It is a great way to add variety to your routine, and it is one of THE best ways to lose fat and re-shape your body. If you have any interest in the class, please let me know. I’d love for you to try it!
Hi Laura. Thanks for checking out the blog! That sounds like a plan, I’d love to try the TBT class.
What’s the schedule for the class look like in the next couple of weeks?
You are probadly a little tired about hearing this, but you serve as an inspiration. I have started a blog to help with my motivation.
Thanks Steve. It’s humbling to hear and I appreciate it. I will keep up with your blog!
I wish I had your determination to hit the gym. I’m just over 40 pounds in 26 weeks, but that has been basically all diet and no working out.
I wouldn’t have started my blog had it not been for yours, so don’t lose faith. You were the catalyst for an incredible change in my life – and I suspect in many others lives as well.
Thanks, Paul. Hit the gym, though. You can certainly lose weight (create a calorie deficit) by eating right, but you really need to get in the gym.
It’s fun after a while. Great blog, too!
I agree, I wish I could find the motivation for the gym, but I’m not quite there yet.
So I started by taking a 10 minute walk during lunch and taking the stairs at work. It’ s not enough, but it’s a start. This weekend I’m going to add a few 1/2 hour walks. And next week I’ll do 15 minute walks at lunch.
It feels good to get the body moving. And as long as you keep adding time, walking is a good way to go from no movement to being ready to hit the gym.
I just (re-)started working out at a new gym. I liked it so much last night I stayed another hour, so the new motivation is great. I’ve never been able to fit in the time before – hard to fit in any time for yourself in grad school. I’ve decided I’m too important to ignore being unhappy any longer, and that I’m worth it. You are too – and that new gym can make all the difference!
I love the new gym! It has such a family atmosphere, not at all like Gold’s. I won’t dog them, I liked the staff at Gold’s, but it just seemed like a really cold place.
Was just thinking about you after reading an article in this morning’s Financial Times about “The man who invented exercise.” http://bit.ly/3ixTT2
You’ve mentioned often the activity part of your success in losing weight. I think it often gets missed, which is what the article spoke to.
I just posted a blog post of my own, riffing off that article, and I reference your own routine and success you’ve had, tied directly to ramping up your own personal activity level.
BTW, I’m now down 47 pounds in 18 weeks, dropping from 259.5, to 212.5. I can’t believe the change in my looks, how clothes fit, and the boost in confidence level, not to mention the associated long-term health benefits.
Great work, Tyler. Keep it up, man.
Thanks for thinking of me!
212 pounds! Man, that’s fantastic. I dream for the day, and I hope you keep it up! How much more weight are you looking to lose, if any?
Great job Tyler! I enjoy reading your blog because it helps me as well as others on the same journey that you’re on. I’m down about 18 lbs so far and still going. Again, great job.
Keep going, Daniel! 18 pounds a fantastic start.
Tyler, you’ve been an inspiration- my husband had gained 40 lbs in the past 5 years. Everyone else at work was heavy…the meals while traveling were huge…no time to exercise…he was going on 50 and well, middle aged guys get fat…
I told him about your blog. He took up the Nordic Track again (found one used on Craigslist for $50) and it made all the difference in the world. Before, even cutting back on food made no difference in his weight. The exercise was (and is) key.
Tyler, you made that so clear. I really appreciate you writing about your hard work AND I like that you “eat like a guy”. I think if you had done salads/yogurt most guys would say, Forget that!
Real weight loss on real food. Very cool. I think it’s so important that you show that weight plateaus are part of the process and that it’s important not to give up.
Question for you- Have you been an inspiration to people in your real day-to-day life? My husband says that a few coworkers are starting to change their habits, now.
Used cardio equipment is the way to go. I love being thrifty, the new stuff is (typically) not worth the price unless you can get a really good deal.
I think that’s my biggest point too. While you should definitely eat as healthy as can be, I’m not afraid to say I eat cheeseburgers and lose weight. In reality, if you, me, or anybody wants to help people lose weight we have to provide practical lifestyles. Yogurt and salads aren’t attractive to most people out there, especially most guys. I want to have my occasional cheeseburger and fries, thank you very much.
I hate saying that I’ve “inspired” people in my every day life, but yes, I have. A lot of people who were overweight but not obese like me now weigh more than me. Those people are trying to lose weight now :)
Tyler – you are doing great. I just finished an endurance race (figured out that’s not a great way to lose weight) and am using the mileage base to run more and do other activities. I’ve been using “The Biggest Loser Weight Loss Yoga” DVD with good results (it’s available on Netflix if you want to try it out.) I know it sounds hoaky but it’s really focused on using your body weight for strength training (all you need is a mat), and it also increases your flexibility, which is really important when you start to put more of those running miles on.
One suggestion – have you tried circuit training? Where you do four or five exercises, mostly weight but one with cardio, sets in sequence without taking a break except between circuits? I’ve been meaning to do that – I know that it will be a new challenge and the scale will show it!
One last thing – sounds like you’ve got a pretty slick food journaling system in place, but if you have an iPhone, “LoseIt” is a free ap that I’ve been using to track food. For some reason it’s way more handy than other methods I’ve tried, and it also lets you set a calorie “budget” for the day so that you can see how many calories you have left (and even how you’re doing over the week.)
Keep up the awesome work – you’re doing great!!
I haven’t tried circuit training. I don’t know what all these crazy terms mean, circuits, HIIT, etc., etc. I just like to eat food and run a little bit. I’m a simple guy.
Dumb and simple.
I don’t have an iPhone, I used to. I have a G1 now, and while I use apps to look up calories, nothing replacing tracking my calories like a pen and paper at home. I just copy it over on Saturdays when I update calories.
Thanks for the comment, erin! You rock!
Congrats on continuing your weight-loss Tyler! I check your page every couple of days. It’s good to see someone else going through what I’m going through :) I started my path to weight loss and healthier living back on July20th. I was 371.4 pounds and could not walk .2 miles (how far I walked from my works parking lot to the building I work in) without being badly out of breath. Now I’m 317.8 pounds and can walk for miles. Good times!
I’m glad you check my blog, Brian! That’s crazy to lose that much so quickly! Keep it up man.
What’s your goal?
I’m not sure yet. Probably around 175lbs. It’s so far off right now I’m not even going to try and set a goal. I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing and when I get close I’ll decide what will look good on me. According to BMI I’d have to get down to 161lbs to be “normal weight”, but that seems really low… I havent been that weight since .. well, probably about 13 years old. I’m 43 now.
That’s a good idea not to plan so far ahead. My original weight loss goal was 244 pounds, and you see how that turned out.
Down 70 lbs from 295 to 225 starting may 5th of this year so I am averaging 10 lbs a month. I had an ugly week eating this week – I got sick so I had to quit working out and I regained my fondness for cookies. I used exercise DVDs – I like the beachbody ones (power 90 and p90x) I did the power 90 for 90 days and I got 5 days into the p90x before I had to quit. I am starting back on monday :) Have you tried protein drinks? Seems to have helped my hunger and recover after workouts.
Cookies are delicious, no blame there.
I take protein after my workout — just mix a scoop with water. It doesn’t do much for hunger, but it is good to get my daily dose of protein and keep the muscles fueled!
My weightloss journey has been on and off. At one point I was at 210 down from 233 but I am back to hovering right below 220. Ultimately I one day hope to be down to 165 or so. The problem is I find it hard to balance a relationship, working full time, going to school full time, trying to maintain a social life, etc. Then again, I know I am just making excuses for myself. I need to find a balance. Your blog has been great inspiration to me and is a constant reminder of my ultimate goal. Thanks for all you do Tyler.
Good job as always! I second Sean’s P90X plug, that workout is murder. It’s one of those where every time you finish a full workout you know you’ve done something pretty amazing. I like Beachbody’s programs. They’re always intensive, interesting and they constantly expect you to up your resistance or participation as you go through it. And the results are fairly quick as well, the muscle goes on incredibly fast.
Tyler : Treadmill running does get boring, but try varying the incline and it makes it a little more interesting. When I started alternating running and jogging up hill the pounds FELL off….really. Those hills do the trick for weight loss. Found a cool “ultimate” treadmill workout that’s fun to watch and hard to do at stevepfeister.com…it’s worth a look…very cool and a good fitness site for good sensible advice.
Blah, I had to work for a month! straight out of town so I am totally off the routine and feeling unmotivated. Time to lace up the sneakers to loss-of-circulation tight and get going! I was matching your loss for a while (although I started at 250 so maybe it was easier for me to initially lose the first 10 lbs or so) but now I’m all over the place =(
I’m struggling. Since May I’ve only lost 5/6 pounds. I start my week off strong by eating right and hitting the gym, but as the week goes on, work takes over, or something comes up.
I’m not quite sure how to deal with it.
Back in ‘07 I went from around 250 down to 217. A year ago I went back up to 232 and decided something needed to change. I’m down to 226.
My diet is spot on for the most part, I just need more physical activity.
How do you deal with those unexpected events that come up?
I started changing my life May 28th,2010 . I am eating heathier and exercising 5 days a week. First week lost 7 lbs. second 2.2 third 3.8 I am up to 3-4 miles a day on my treadmill and have started swimming laps in my brothers pool this week . I am hoping to get swimming in 2 days a week. I will also be incorporating strength training in soon!! Good luck !!!