How I lost over 150 lbs and changed my life

First, how I got fat. In 2008 I was in decent shape. 6'0 and weighed about 200 lbs. My life started to take a turn because I started letting stress get the best of me. To combat the stress I turned to drinking heavily like a moron. As time went on I slowly started putting on weight as well as becoming heavily addicted to alcohol.

By 2012 I was 260lbs, depressed, drinking 15-20 beer a night and eating twice a day. Usually two pizzas or something equally as bad. My living situation was horrible. I rented an apartment and it was basically a trash heap. I didn't throw anything out.

By the summer of 2013 I ballooned up to 320 lbs. Now I wanted to die. My drinking was even worse, I lost my job, my place looked like a garbage dump. I was hopeless. When I was sober all I thought about was killing myself, when I was drunk all I thought about was getting more drunk.

In September of 2013 I decided to make a change. I cleaned my place up over a two week period and moved to a new town. I started to research proper and healthy ways to start shedding the weight without the internet. I got rid of my phone and didn't get internet access. I thought it would make me continue to be lazy. I used the public library and I found that eating only natural foods was the way to do it. No shit!!!

My basic food intake for a year and a half like this:

Morning: two big glasses of cold water with a multivitamin, a hand full of carrots and a small portion of chicken breast.

Lunch: raw veg and chicken breast

Dinner: raw veg and pork loin or chop

I would have a tiny amount of nuts or more raw veg as a snack.

I was eating like that and people thought was crazy but it was working. I lost 50 lbs by Christmas and it just continued. I introduced protein powders into my diet about 8 months in after I started going to the gym.

I assume this was a healthy way, be it militant way to lose weight. I still eat like this but I eat steak, ribs, and so on as well. I also do eat the occasional piece of chocolate.

I weigh 170 lbs, haven't drank in almost 2 years, love my new job, and I love my new life.

Nutrition experts, did I do good with no prior knowledge of how to do it? I guess you can call the diet similar to paleo.

It feels so good to not get out of breath when leaning over to tie my shoes

Me last month

 

Congrats dude -- I'm assuming this story isn't a werk.

The only problem with your approach (and I hardly call it a problem) is that very few 320lb people have the will power to maintain a diet like you had for any meaningful amount of time. To do it on your own is even more rare (I'm guessing).

 

Reminds me of Lyle McDonald's Rapid Fat Loss program. It's essentially a way of crash dieting without losing too much muscle mass. It's not really meant for prolonged use because it's so God awfully difficult to maintain due to the lack of variety. You turned it into a several year program and actually made it work. Congrats man!

I would certainly add more fat though.

 

I applaud this but how long did it take you? I was fat until 16 weighed 265lbs When I decided to join a MMA gym in Columbus Ohio. Now I am a 18-2 MMA fighter competing at the regional level.

 

means nothing without a before pic (u at 320 lbs). without it this is just another dolce thread

 

Nicely done! The change you put forth is a testament to your consistency and discipline.

Having gone up to 320 lbs and then dropping to 170, did you deal with a lot of excess skin?

 

He said 2013.

 

I said how long as in how many years did it take that kind of weight loss takes time

 

He said he started Sept 2013 sooo that's just shy of 2 years.

 

Yeah, he started the weight loss in 2013 as stated by TS. So about 2 years, give or take. The maths is not difficult...

 

Congrats. I'm 5'10" 185 but slowly getting weight have that beer belly already. I think me at 175 with some muscle is the perfect body weight for my height.

 

Good job man. Sometimes we use food as a way to relieve stress, but thats a slippery slope for me too.

Congrats.

The best diet is the one that works for you, so if it worked - it worked.

 

Thanks for the responses. There is no excess skin at all. I don't think I was fat long enough and in a weird way the weight was so spread out that although I looked fat I never looked really obese.

 

I agree. I am doing that more now as I'm learning to maintain my health.

 

Good for you man! I could use some slimming down myself.. Thanks for the inspiration!

 

Do you have any before pictures? I'm sure that would help motivate some on here.