Lifestyle Change!

Stuart Ablett

Member
Messages
15,917
Location
Tokyo Japan
I started this iPhone app >> My Fitness Pal << eight weeks ago, well it will be eight weeks tomorrow, Friday Aug 6th.

I love my iPhone and the MFP iPhone app has been my weapon of choice in my personal battle of the bulge :D

So far I've dropped 12/Kg/26lbs :)

first_comparo_pic.jpg

First comparison picture, I've seen others do this, and I wanted to take the pics while I'm still fat, as I won't be forever! :D

Not long ago, I was really wondering what the heck I could do, I could not seem to drop the weight, I was tired ALL the time, I slept too much and I was a wreak. I'm only 46 years old, I felt 106. I've done every single diet you can name, my shelves are sagging under the weight of diet books, all read, all studied and all now gathering dust.

My lifestyle change (I refuse to call it a DIET!!) is simple, I eat less, I eat good food. Gone of the days of eating stuff out of cardboard boxes, processed food is not something I'll be consuming much anymore.

At first, maybe the first week, I had some troubles with feeling hungry, but not that bad, much less than various diets I'd been on before, but within a week or two, I was really not feeling hungry. The MFP bot decided that I should consume 2200 calories a day, I did that for less than a week and then I dropped that number to 1800 calories and a week or two later, to 1500 calories. At 1800 calories, I seldom came close to that number and I was not hungry, so I decided to lower it to 1500 calories, and I seldom hit that number either. I read labels and now have scales at my home and work. I eat some bread, not much, but we make it, good quality healthy ingredients only please! I have now raised my intake back to 1800 calories a day, as I was too slow to recover from long rides, my body needs more fuel, and today, was the first day back at 1800 calories, and I am honestly having a hard time eating all of those calories :eek: I fill up so quickly now, one piece of french toast, one cup of coffee and say 1/4 of an apple and I'm full full full for breakfast.

Some of you might know that I have started cycling again, I use to be into it big time, did not own a car, but I owned three bicycles when I lived in Vancouver, I lived in East Van and I used to ride up to UBC 6 days a week, 32 Km/19.8 miles round trip. When I moved to Japan 20 years ago, I weighed 84Kg/185lbs I had maybe a 15% body fat, I did Aikido every day as well, now 20 years later, I let myself go, BADLY :doh: but, I'm turning that all around. I've entered into a 40 Km/25 mile fun ride this coming September 19th, a Sunday, it is called "Tokyo City Cycling" and around 2500 people partake. I have two friends going with me, one of them you guys know, Alex Reid has also singed up to watch me sweat, and another firend a Japanese guy named Hiroshi san. I have every confidence that I'll finish the ride, but I'm training now so I don't embarrass myself...... TOO much :eek: Last Sunday I did a 22.5 Km/14 mile ride around Tokyo, and it was stupid hot and stupid sunny and really really stupid humid and I was so stupid to leave at 1 PM :bonkers: (see a pattern here...) I took my time and had a good ride, I drank a LOT of water too. Then on Tuesday I had to go see my chiropractor who is a bit of a ways away, after than I took the very long way home and did a total of 30 Km/18.6 miles on that ride.

I still use the bicycle and trailer that I built everyday for deliveries, I still get weird looks but I'd get those no matter what ;) :D

I have changed my relationship with food, now it is only a matter of time, and I'll be back in shape.

As my progress continues, I hope you can stand more comparison pics, my goal is to be down below 90 kg/200 pounds by Christmas/New Years. I want to get back down to 84 Kg/185lbs at some point, I hope I can, that would be too cool. When I get closer to 100Kg/220lbs, I'm going to start doing Aikido again, full circle :thumb:
 
Stu you are an inspiration. I also am heavier than I was when we got married. I weighed 185 in 1983. Now 250! Go get 'em man!!! I am rooting for you from Indiana! Since 9-20 is my birthday, will try to remember to say a prayer for you the day before and look forward to hearing good things on my birthday from you about your bicycle adventure!:thumb::thumb:
 
Congrats and way to go! It's amazing how much just a few pounds makes and even the little things like taking stairs vs. elevator and such. I was using the "Lose-it" app for my ipod touch. I need to see if there is a similar one for my new google phone.

I need to weigh in and update my scale, been a while. I know I've lost a few pounds as my jeans are much looser than they were a few weeks ago. My company has a gym on site, so I've been using it several times a week. They also have a cafeteria that serves healthy choices as well as a full salad bar, so I've been taking those options and walking after lunch. The building is big enough that even if the weather isn't nice, I have no excuse for not taking a walk.

Keep it up! :thumb:
 
Good for you and your determination. You are doing your health a great favor. Just take a look at your wife and children and you will decided you want to stay around long enough to see them reach lifes important passages. :thumb:
 
Stu,
I hear you, and I'm more than a few lbs up the scale from you. Lori, my DW has slimmed down significantly the past few months, and I'm feeling like you described. I admire you for your accomplishments... keep up the good work!
 
Way to go Stu! :thumb:

I've kind of hit a plateau, and need to kick things up a notch.

The good news is that I have changed the way I eat and I haven't gone up, but I haven't really gone down...

I know the real reason is that I haven't been exercising enough lately, so just need to get out there and do it..
 
Stu you are an inspiration. I also am heavier than I was when we got married. I weighed 185 in 1983. Now 250! Go get 'em man!!! I am rooting for you from Indiana! Since 9-20 is my birthday, will try to remember to say a prayer for you the day before and look forward to hearing good things on my birthday from you about your bicycle adventure!:thumb::thumb:

I'm with Jonathan here Stu... rooting you all the way... I've heard more than one fitness guru on TV tell their audience... Diets don't work... only a life style change will work.
Most of us, including me, eat way more than we need and as we get older and more settled in our routines, we are less active, therefore need less intake. I got out of Navy boot camp in 1960 weighing 148 lbs.. I went in weighing 133... almost didn't get in because I was so thin... for the next 32 years my weight never got over 155... I ate when I was hungry and not when some clock said it was time to eat... often I would only eat one or two meals in a day. I worked hard and really didn't get all that hungry during the day. I married for the second time in 1992 to a woman who cooked every meal, and believed in a scheduled mealtime.. she still does... the first year I put on 30 pounds and by the second was up over 200... I never felt good at that weight... can't imagine what I would have felt like at 250 or over... last year I had a little problem and wound up in the hospital with an emergency surgery on an umbilical hernia... they wound up doing a small bowel resection. For the week I was in the hospital, I got nothing by mouth and lost down to about 170 lbs and for the next 6 months, I had no appetite and ate very little... the appetite is coming back and I've begun to creep up. I'm trying to watch intake and try to keep the weight down around 180-185... it's hard. I'm almost 69 years old and don't need to haul around any extra weight.

Keep up with what you're doing... you're looking good.
 
Thanks everyone!

It is funny, I was putting stuff away on the shelved down stairs in the L shop and I had some 5 Kg bags of salt and some 1 Kg bags of sugar, I picked up two 5 Kg bags of salt and two 1 Kg bags of sugar, that's 12 Kg, 27 pounds, 8 weeks ago, I was not holding that in my hands, but carrying it with me everywhere I go :D Got heavy, so I put it back on the shelf ;) :)
 
Congrats on your progress, Stu. :thumb: I'm pretty happy with my weight, but I could use better muscle tone, so I need to also start getting more exercise and eating better, perhaps actually eating more. Most days I only eat two meals...the others, I just eat once. I also have a metabolism like an Indy car.
 
I checked in at Cardio Rehab, 199 today, had been 220 for the past year. Was at 199 following my heart surgery (where I clocked in at 236)

Loosing weight w/o trying... am I ill again? Or Just sweating the pounds off?

Great for you Stu, we all need to reduce our mass...
 
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I got my mum to scan and send me these pics, as you can see I used to be thin, so I can be thin again!!

:D

todd_stu_pool_1985.jpg
Me and my older brother about 1985, a little chubby here

stu_cannondale_1989_kelowna.jpg
1989 in front of my parent's house, about to set off on a ride, I still have that jersey and I hope to fit into it by next summer, I was about 84Kg/185lbs here

stu_dave_1990.jpg
Just before I moved to Japan August 1990, with my best buddy Dave.

Cheers!
 
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