Oh, I can participate here.
Disclaimers: Some preaching ahead, works for me, your mileage may vary, etc.
I made it all the way up to 297.2 lbs earlier this year, and for the first time in my life something
really clicked. Getting so close to 300 was something I never thought I'd experience, and I haven't been the same since. After that day I gained no more for the last few weeks at my last job, and got serious the morning after I'd left.
On Saturday, February 9th 2019, I weighed in at 296.2 lbs and got serious.
That day I started keto and upped my consistency at the gym. I went shopping to buy some nice button-down shirts for my new job, and bought them a bit too tight. Tight enough not to be able to wear them right away, but with some aspirations for my first day 10 days later. I suffered through (luckily) just a few days of keto flu and learned how to stop panicking at the first thought of hunger.
I started my new job on Tuesday, February 19th at 282.4 lbs.
I learned how to live on salads (though they're nearly 1,000 Cal with extra fat and protein) while starting my day with a 1000-Cal workout and running on a non-trivial Cal deficit (never more than 2,000 Cal in a day). I eventually added cycling on 3 of my no-gym days and did my second century. I spent 12 days exercising like this and eating around 1,200 Cal until I nearly passed out mid-workout, just to learn where my limits are. I dropped cycling in favor of upping CrossFit and Olympic weightlifting to 5 times per week, and am now looking at adding in one long-ish weekend ride (30–50 miles). I drink only keto-friendly alcohol (whiskey, neat) and eat
nothing for the rest of the day once that starts, regardless of the time. I mostly stick to intermittent fasting, with a 12pm–8pm feeding window.
This morning I weighed in at 231 lbs.
That's the least I've measured since high school (class of '04), and 1 lb less than after I shed 32 lbs with Whole Life Challenge in 2013. After a lifetime of XL shirts, I went up to XXL last year and back down to XL a few months ago, with L imminent. I already wear L gym shirts and shorts, and size 36 pants aren't tight at all any more (while size 42 were in February). I'm aiming for L street clothes by the end of the month. When a workout kicks my ass, I kick its ass right back in return.
My goal is not a number.
I just want to be healthy and fit. I don't want heart issues by 40. I want to sleep well. I want to look good naked. I want to feel always the way I feel these days.
This is life. My "ideal weight" is probably somewhere in the 180 lb range, but we'll find that out for sure eventually. The only thing that'll change at that point is that I'll add some Calories and variety to my diet. My mindset won't change one bit.
If you're thinking "that's crazy" or "I could never do that", you're wrong.
What you likely can't do is start today with what I do now. You have to add things into your life in a way that makes them stick. For me that's a bit head-first, but I also had a coming-to-Jesus moment standing on my scale in January. And even I added just the diet at first, with a push to slightly improve my exercise consistency. I made new changes as existing ones became effortless habits. It takes time and effort, but if I can do this, anyone can.
You have to
actually want it.
You have to want it more than fries or sitting on the couch. You have to want it more than the temptation. You have to want it enough to feel
empowered when you say no to dessert. You have to want it enough to embrace the discomfort of feeling hungry, missing the satisfaction of junk food, and strenuous exercise.
But if you want it, you can do it.
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't—you're right.”
―Henry Ford