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Building On Incremental Change
before
Start: 451 lb Height: 5 feet 10 inches
Current: 219 lb Age: 53
Lost: 232 lb Diet: cwilcox007's own diet
My Aha Moment
I didn't begin my Fat Secret "success story" on purpose. It was all pretty much an accident. At my heaviest I weighed 499 pounds, had a gastric bypass surgery and then ate through it and regained nearly everything I had lost. So my story really begins back in March 2010, I weighed 455 pounds and was an aspiring standup comedian. One day while reading the paper I saw the Biggest Loser was going to have open auditions for the popular TV show in Washington DC. I had never seen the show but was aware it was the number one show on television at the time. I kind of figured being on that show would give me some name recognition that would help my comedy career. And that's how it all got started.
The producers from Three Ball Productions liked me and chose me as one of 12 of over 1000 applicants to come back the next day for an on camera interview. Remember, I had never actually even seen the show and in that interview they asked me some very pointed questions that I had never considered before in my life. The interview was devastating and I began to look at my life in ways that I never had before. I wept. I thought the interview went very well so I ran home and pulled up some old seasons via on demand on my TV. What I saw scared me.
I knew one thing for sure; if I was going to be one of those people that had to compete for a final spot on the show I was in big trouble. And for the sake of my comedy career I had to be on that show. I jumped on Facebook and told all my friends that there was a pretty good chance I was going to be on the next season of the Biggest Loser. But I confessed that I would need some help. I actually posted my weight at the time and asked my friends for advice on how I could start getting in shape in the event I had to qualify for the show. Evidently my friends in been concerned about my size for quite some time because the tips and support poured in.
My friends provided me with all the common sense things we need to do to lose weight that we all know but seldom like to apply in our attempt to lead a healthy life. I was encouraged to move more, eat less, drink water and most importantly remember that I didn't get to be the size I was overnight and it was going to take some time to reverse what I'd done myself. I was encouraged to look at the type of food I was eating and replace fast and processed foods with whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and lean meats. I was also advised to eat more frequently during the day. And I was told to take it easy on the exercise and get a doctor's opinion before attempting any vigorous activity.
An amazing thing happened. By making small simple changes while I was waiting to hear if I made it on the show or not I began to lose weight. I'll never forget my first couple of walks. It was all I could do to get to the end of my street and back. By the third and fourth day I was going little farther and within a week I was making it all the way around the block. Within a couple of weeks I was making it all the way around the block without stopping to rest and the weight was still coming off.
I Didn't Make The Show!
In hindsight I'm glad I didn't make it onto the cast of the Biggest Loser. The alumni of the show don't have a very good track record of keeping the weight off that they lose on the show. Of course they wouldn't. The lifestyle of living on "The Ranch" is not sustainable. And really the bottom line to effective weight loss is changing your lifestyle. It's not about diet. It's not about workouts. Successful weight loss can only come from changing what you eat, how you eat and how much you move. You need to incorporate smart choices into your life every day. But the important and exciting thing is you don't have to do it all at once. Start small and each week add another attainable goal and work towards it. Keep doing your goal from the first week - combine that with the goal from the second week and so on.
Here are some things I did to help make my lifestyle transition easy. You can't just change your eating habits overnight. What you can do, is make better choices when you sit down at the table or when you decide to have a snack. Focus on one or two things you want to change each week and stick with it. You have to set goals. Make your goals simple and attainable and write them down and post them where you sure to see them during the week. Find the foods and exercises that work for you. Don't necessarily follow any strict regimen that a friend or the latest diet book outlines for you. You need to find the food and exercises that you personally enjoy or you will never stick with it. And you need to build some team support. I used my Facebook friends. Maybe the idea of posting your weight on Facebook sounds crazy to you but you should let some friends and family know what you are doing and ask them to help hold you accountable.
Minus 280 Pounds And Counting!
It has taken me 3 1/2 years to lose 280 pounds. I have to tell you how incredible it feels to go through life with a new body. I can go places and do things I used to only dream about. My life is richer and fuller than I ever imagined. I have to tell you that in the beginning if I would've thought that taking three and half years to losing 280 pounds would be impossible and not something I would be willing to do. I would've been very discouraged. But the good news is, looking back at three and half years, seems like a minute. I have used weekly and monthly goals for my entire weight loss journey. I've had good weeks and bad weeks but obviously many more good weeks to encourage me to continue the changes that have gotten me this far.
No matter what your current situation is I would like you to believe that by making lifestyle changes you can achieve your hearts desire. I have severe arthritis in both of my knees. I began this journey when I was nearly 50 years old and I was pretty set in my old sedentary lifestyle ways. That is why it is so crucial that you find a plan that works for you. I found the because of my bad knees an elliptical machine, stationary bikes and swimming pool activities worked best for me. I had a soft drink addiction that I never thought I'd overcome and to be honest I was never much of a fan of drinking water. But over time by setting small incremental goals I've been able to overcome those problems.
An important thing to remember is that you can never out exercise bad eating habits. I managed to lose most of my weight by doing a half hour of cardio three times a week and incorporating some weightlifting into my exercise program. The cool thing about weightlifting is that muscle burns fat while you sleep. Now that's a fat burning program that I love. The choices you make at the grocery store and in restaurants will be the key to your success. There is a pastor in Annandale Virginia who wrote a book called Bod4God. Pastor Steve Reynolds likes to remind us in that book when it comes to food "if it gets near you it gets in you."
When you go to the grocery store shop the outer aisles. The outer aisles are where you will find your lean meats, produce, and low-fat dairy. You should seek out nutrient dense foods. Nutrient dense foods are foods that are high in protein, vitamins, and minerals but relatively low in calories and fat. Learn to read nutrition labels. I like to do little tricks before I go out to eat in a restaurant. I drink a large glass of water and maybe an ounce of raw almonds so I'm not quite so hungry when I'm perusing the menu. I used to be the kind of a guy that would look for the largest quantity of food on the menu as opposed to what I thought might taste the best. Now when I go to a restaurant I look first for what might be the healthiest choice and then I look to see what might taste the best. I know crazy concept right?
Possibly A Huge Setback!
I recently had an accident at work which resulted in five fractures in both my wrist and back. My world was shattered. This had been the summer that I had dreamed of all of my life. I was actually in the physical condition to go out and enjoy life in ways that I never had before. And suddenly I found myself unable to do the things that I had learned to love; spending time in the gym, riding my bicycle, going on hikes with my family and my son and I had actually even signed up for a triathlon sprint this summer. I spent a few weeks feeling sorry for myself and letting my body recover from the horrible trauma it had endured.
It didn't take long before I realized that the sedentary lifestyle I seem condemned to was not who I am anymore. I called my doctor and asked him what I could do in the way of exercise while I recovered. Walking was pretty much it. This was not a good alternative for me because of my bad knees. It was also pretty devastating to be stuck at home all day and even though by now the food choices we keep in our home are pretty healthy I found it pastor Steve the old adage, "if it gets near you it gets in you" was rearing its ugly head. I was witnessing myself to slowly gaining weight again. That would never do.
So I went back to the basics, posted where I was at on Facebook, started walking as much as I could even though it was painful, and started tracking my meals on Fat Secret once again. It has been six weeks since my accident and I have now lost all the weight I gained as a result of the accident. I also have a new set of goals for the week and the month posted on little sticky notes all over the house to keep me mindful of where I want to be.
It's funny in a way that my friends on Facebook in the beginning provided me with all the encouragement. Now when my friends see that I'm back on track and doing the best I can with a broken back and broken wrist they are looking to me for inspiration. And I think that's one of the things I like best about the Fat Secret website; your stories of perseverance and courage remind me that I'm not alone in my journey. Let's keep moving forward and make the most we can of our lives. I'm now 53 years old and plan on using the site for the next... Oh maybe 30 years or so. So let's get busy one small simple change at a time.
Diet Calendar Entries for 20 August 2013:
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1145 kcal
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Fat: 44.41g | Prot: 69.63g | Carb: 122.49g.
Breakfast: Louisiana Hot Sauce, 100% Whole Wheat Bread, 98% Fat Free Oven Roasted Turkey Breast, 2% Milk Singles Sharp Cheddar, Egg. Lunch: Turkey Avocado. Snacks/Other: Blueberries, Ann's House of Nuts Almonds. more...
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2660 kcal
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Activities & Exercise:
Walking (moderate) - 3/mph - 1 hour, Resting - 15 hours, Sleeping - 8 hours. more...
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