The Fat Guy

David Crowell :: Losing Weight
posts - 127, comments - 124
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About Me

I've been a fat guy for about 18 years.  It's time to do something about it.  I used to be physically active until around 7 years ago.  The weight wasn't a problem.  I now have a much more sedentary job, and my physical condition makes it difficult to be active now.

This blog will document what I do to lose weight, and the progress that I make.

I bought a scale near the end of October, and I was tipping the scale at just over 300 lbs.  I started changing my diet at the beginning of this month.  I started tracking my food intake, and logging every calorie, with a goal of averaging 1500 calories a day.

I'm not buying anything for the dieting.  I don't believe in fad diets.  The steps I'm going to take are:
  • Eating healthier (off to a good start)
  • Staying below 1500 calories a day (going well)
  • (Mostly) Stop drinking beer (going well)
  • Exercise (still working on it)
As far as exercise, I plan on buying an elliptical trainer, so I don't hurt myself, but can still get a good workout.  I would like to start riding a bike by May 2008, possibly even to work, about 15 miles away.

Update 1/14/2008
I've decided not to track calories anymore.  I've learned new eating habits, and the tracking of calories was taking a lot of time.  The time that I did it was useful as a learning experience though. 

I bought an elliptical in November, and I'm still learning ways to stay motivated, but I'm making good progress.

Update 5/26/2008
I bought a bicycle in late April.  I've been commuting part of the way to work on the bike 2-3 days per week.  The elliptical isn't getting much use, but I need to start using it on days I don't ride.

I'm planning to start running this fall to prepare for a "running club" at work that I'll run with in spring of 2009.

I need to work harder on my dieting again.  I've been letting it slip.

Update 7/25/2008
I started tracking my calories again.  I bought a recumbent bicycle, which is much more comfortable.  I'm now riding my bike all the way to work and back several times a week.  My weight loss has picked up again.

I'm eating an average of 1800-1900 calories a day.  I no longer have the elliptical, but I don't need it with the bikes, which I intend to ride year-round.

I've decided against running, to avoid knee or ankle problems.
 

Print | posted on Sunday, November 11, 2007 1:58 PM |

Feedback

# re: About Me

hey im fat too and i like the looks of you. i think we should fuck
11/13/2007 11:40 PM | derek boos

# re: About Me

Sorry, I think my wife would take issue with that :)

funny comment from a San Diego *.navy.mil IP address though!
11/13/2007 11:55 PM | David Crowell

# re: About Me

At least you're doing something about the weight. I have a father and grandmother who are 275-325 a piece and I wish they could implement similar measures to become healthy once again. They both eat to comfort themselves and combat stress, and this is a terrible cycle. Fight with your girlfriend, a 6 pack of Coors and 2 meals from The Green Burrito, for my grandma: bad day at work, a whole box of Twinkies is demolished. My grandma even takes care to eat secretly and will even get a guilty "caught" look when found eating between meals. My dad is oblivious to criticism of any type and when I mentioned losing weight for health's sake he basically told me to mind my own business.

It sucks to hear you splurged on Thanksgiving though. You really gotta buckle down man, especially with Christmas coming up and the abundance of food bound to be offered once again. Holidays must be a terrible time for somebody struggling with overeating(as I've observed every holiday season in my life) but you must stay strong. I've overcome a 3 year methamphetamine addiction and I know for a fact it was much harder than what my dad/grandma have faced. It's the lack of self control of something so simple as refusing to pick up that fork, as opposed to waking up every morning with intense, *intense* yearning for a bowl of narcotics and painful physical withdrawals. If I can do it, anyone can. ANYONE CAN.

Best of luck. Don't let the food get the best of you; it's just a plate that smells good. You've got the snarky bastards at Fark over there to distract you if hunger calls, lord knows I'd still be spinning a pipe if it wasn't for them. Hope you achieve your target weight man.

/fark handle is D_evans45
//Drop me a line at my e-mail
11/27/2007 1:47 PM | dan the man

# re: About Me

Dan,

If I considered every time I overate to be a failure, I'd never make any progress. Overeating is a lot different than a drug addiction. You can't just stop eating, at least not for long.

My 7-day average calorie consumption runs under 1500 calories per day, even with the occasional 2500-3000 calorie day. I also try to eat earlier in the day rather than later.

As far as convincing others, best of luck. My wife outweighs me, and I'm trying to get her motivated, but it's not really working. She is eating healthier, but is still prone to binges, and won't exercise. She's also a smoker. I'm hoping that my progress will spur her on.

I am a big fan of beer. However I don't like crap beer or lite beer, so I just quit drinking. Beer has too many calories. Yeah, I'm one of those guys in a "beer thread" who calls other beer pisswater... well, I would be if I had actually posted in a beer thread :)

Thanks for the support!
11/27/2007 2:46 PM | David Crowell

# re: About Me

Hey, here from Fark! :)

Just wanted to say, keep at it, and the best of luck. After a couple months, you'll find everything becomes habit, and it gets MUCH easier to keep up on the excercise. I was 342lbs, and I'm down to 226lbs over the course of a year and a half.

Now, if I don't get my excercise in, I feel like something is seriously missing from my day.

It takes a lot ot get the momentum going, but once you've done it, it easier to just keep going. After 40lbs or so, the idea of ever going back to my old ways was so revolting, there was no possible chance of it happening, and that's a great feeling. You'll get there.

Motivating others is pretty much impossible. Most of my family is big, and even with my changes, they won't budge. It's something that has to be realized from the inside, it's something that has to be important to them.

11/27/2007 3:08 PM | tadrith

# re: About Me

Dave,

I'll also compliment you on your progress, sounds like you've got a positive attitude and reasonable expectations. I also went over 300# before a heart attack. I lost 25# while in the hospital, and have gone on to lose 40# more by changing my eating habits. I've settled into an apparent rut at 245#, but my doc and dietician both are telling me that I'll start to drop weight again soon. My target weight is 220#, as I'm 6'4" and that's the weight my Dad has maintained for the last 20 years. (He's 6'4" also) Doc also says this a good weight for me to acheive.
I feel your pain at loss of certain guilty pleasures, such as beer. Mine was donuts (ex-cop).
I still indulge in the occasional beer, but I do count the calories and adjust my time on treadmill and rowing machine to accomodate. In other words, it's OK to splurge every now and then, but as they say, "everything in moderation, especially moderation".
Keep up the good work, I'll be looking in every now and then to see how you're progressing, and if needed, send some words of encouragement.

Greg
11/27/2007 8:08 PM | G.I.R.B.

# re: About Me

Two years ago I was on Weight Watchers. I was the only person who lost four pounds over the two weeks of Christmas holidays. The funny thing is, I had kind of abandoned my usual methods of dieting (i.e. tracking calories/points) during the visit to my parents'.

I did it by allowing myself to have a very small piece of anything I wanted. I cut treats into half or quarters if they weren't small already. That way I got to taste all the treats and not deny myself. After having a smidgen of everything, I asked myself if I was full. If so, I stopped eating.

I did the same with my meals. A small amount of anything I wanted. You have to be strong to family members who "encourage" you (would you like more potatoes?.... no thanks, I've had enough)

If I counted my treats as PART of my meals for the day instead of viewing them as treats & extras on top of my meals, I lost weight much more easily. I may allow myself a chocolate shake, for example, but I recognize it's somewhat filling and counts as maybe half my meal.

So next time a holiday comes up and you know you'll want to try some goodies, give that method a try? Hope that helps! Keep going!

//used to be in the major fatass BMI range
//now in slight fatass BMI range
11/27/2007 9:36 PM | Kat

# re: About Me

the first response posted from derek boos mad me laugh really hard...im at the libreary messing around and thought id say hi...

later...miike
12/4/2007 12:35 PM | your little brother
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