Ask buriedbeds about losing 200 lbs (very, very long)

[buriedbeds]

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Did you experience any knee or leg problems? Shin Splits, etc?

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Nope, I was, for the most part, OK. I'm lucky in that I did this young and am naturally fairly physically strong. I was in terrible, terrible shape, but I think I probably have a very resilient body relative to a lot of people, knock on wood. Now, did I have any pain? Sure - it hurts like hell when you start using muscles again that you haven't used in a long time. But your body adapts. I think mine was quite good at it.

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My dad is overweight and even had triple bypass heart surgery last year because he eats like sh.it but he has bad knees and it's hard for him to walk or run anymore. What do you suggest I tell him to do to get off his ass as I'm concerned for his health as he's a diabetic as well.

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First, I hate to say this, but there is nothing you are going to say that will have long-lasting effects for him. It never worked when people said things to me, it doesn't work when I say things to my mom, who's also overweight. It absolutely MUST come from the person. And it can't even come from them because they want to do it for you. You need to want it for yourself, and you need to want it bad. I bottomed out. I did not and do not do this for anyone but me.

But if it's something that he wants to do, he should look into water aerobics, as suggested, or swimming, or walking in moderation, which maybe he could do until he gets sore and then quit - his body will most likely adapt and get better at it with time. There's a tape called "walking off the pounds" that's supposed to be quite good. Really, he should just do ANYTHING. Grab a couple of dumbbells (or a small kettlebell) and through them around while he's sitting on the couch watching tv. Get a swiss ball and do some low-impact exercises on it. Maybe some pilates. Or just park further from the store when he goes out, or take the stairs instead of the elevator. Start SMALL, start MANAGEABLE. No more than 1/2 an hour, if that's what he can do. If it's something he can enjoy, all the better. One mistake that people often make is in thinking that they have to start out running marathons. That's bs. You do what you can until you're tired. When that's not enough, you do a little more. It snowballs over time, and eventually you are where you want to be.

Diet-wise, I firmly believe from my experience, my uncle's experience and the fact that it used to be the primary treatment for the condition before the ADA and pharmaceutical companies came around peddling drugs, that low-carb diets are the way to go for Diabetes, which is a terrible, terrible thing to have. I know it must be frustrating for you, but believe me, it's awful for him. Best of luck.

-bb.

[buriedbeds]

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great job! You really are an inspiration. Plus, you're a pretty good writer, too.

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Thanks. Inspiring enough to get Jenna's number? [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] Kind of like a make-a-wish program for the formerly-super-morbidly-obese?

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You say you don't look down on people who aren't trying to lose weight because you know how hard it is to live as a fat person. What do you think of those who have come to accept or even celebrate their obesity? The whole "Fat is Beautiful" mindset, I guess. IMO, they are deluding themselves and ignoring very likely future health problems. It's great that they're not depressed, but they're just about as likely to have other health problems. What do you think?

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My feeling is twofold: first, I understand it. They are trying to regain their sense of self, to say "I am a valuable person despite my physical traits," which I support just as I support anyone who wants to affirm their value despite being put down for being black, gay - whatever. Because I absolutely believe that that's true. I'm TREATED today like I'm a more valuable person than I was 2 years ago, but I am not. I was just as caring, competent, hard-working, sincere, funny, dedicated and devoted to my friends and family today as I was then. I am NOT a better person. I am a THINNER person. Which, really, has NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CONTENT OF MY CHARACTER.

I am much more sensitive to, for instance, gay or minority rights because of my experience. I know what it's like to walk into an interview that I was TOTALLY qualified for - maybe even overqualified for - and to be totally dismissed as soon as the person laid eyes on me. On paper, on the phone, over email - I was the ideal candidate. Take a look at my body and I am immediately out of the running. That is wrong. Further, every time that that happened those people messed up - I am smart and I work hard. They dismissed me because of what - not who - I was. Their loss. Which, incidentally, is much easier to say now as a thinner person, because I no longer have to face that problem. But I remember vividly.

I also remember the way I was treated daily. You have to keep in mind, if you've ever messed with a fat person, that it ends for you when you go away. For them, you are one in a seemingly-never ending stream of people who are treating them that way. I remember being harassed by a group of ghetto kids on the train in DC, in front of my brother, for being fat, and being completely powerless to do anything about it. I remember being messed with by frat boys in bars. I remember scores of other experiences, and because of that I understand where they're coming from. They're trying to say "I am valuable. Do not discount or harass me." And I support that totally, because I believe totally that it's true. I judge people by the content of their character. If they're jackasses - fat or thin - I have no problem with them getting the short end of the stick. But getting treated like [censored] because of what - not who - you are, well, it just sucks. And I think very, very little of people who do it, whether they're racists, sexists, homophobes or people who hate fat people.

And no, I'm not a hippy. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] That's just my opinion.

Now, on the other hand, I do not agree, really, that it's an ideal way to live your life. I DO think that you can be healthy and overweight - I've known fat people in better shape than thin people who didn't take care of themselves. But I don't think it has a real long-term upside. So I disagree with them about that.

But I also believe strongly that it's THEIR life, NOT mine, and I respect people living their lives however they choose, whether or not I agree with their decisions - so long as their decisions are not affecting other people. Which, in the case of being overweight, I don't believe they are. Sure, maybe they take up some more room on the train, but that's not the same thing as being an [censored], randomly punching people on the street or giving poisoned milk to school children or something.

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This is a great story, nothing to add except thanks for sharing.

James

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Thanks.

-bb.

[spider]

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The day-to-day readings don't mean anything, it's the long-term trends that matter.

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Yeah, great point. As important as the scale is, you have to realize it easily fluctuates by a couple of pounds. It helps to have a consistent procedure (no clothes, first thing in the morning) but even that will show fluctuations.

Another very simple thing along the lines of your multiple forms of feedback is the belt. Most men are storing a high percentage of excess weight in the belly, and you can get a suprising amount of feedback just from day to day tightness in the belt.

[evagaba]

I didn't read all the replies, but great story.

I have always been overweight myself but not obese. Lets just say I could have always afforded to lose 20 lbs.

4 Years ago I quit smoking after 18 years. 6 Months after that I gained an additional 25 lbs putting me at 246 on a 5'9" frame. I had never been able to lose weight myself and this was just around the time that Atkins was taking off. I decided to give it a try and LOVED it. In 6 months of Aktins and exercise, I lost a total of 57 lbs. Be warned though, it only works ONCE. I had a friend who did the same as me, lost 45 lbs, put it ALL back on and then tried Aktins again 2 years later...IT DID NOT WORK the second time around.

Anyways, good for you!

[buriedbeds]

Spider - I agree.

Evagaba: Thanks. What you're talking about is usually referred to by people as "the golden shot." It's generally, however, not that it won't work, just that it doesn't work as well at the same carb levels:

http://www.lowcarbluxury.com/goldenshot.html

-bb.

[riverrchic]

This has been a great read - thank you for sharing. I'm really impressed with your drive and dedication.

My question: are you a fan of shows like the Biggest Loser?

[buriedbeds]

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This has been a great read - thank you for sharing. I'm really impressed with your drive and dedication.

My question: are you a fan of shows like the Biggest Loser?

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Thanks. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I hate hate HATE that show. I admit that I watch it (this season's my first), but my girlfriend gets annoyed with me while we do because I scream at the TV so much.

It's ridiculous how bad that show is in terms of what you really need to do lose weight in a lasting way. The grand majority of the contestants have apparently regained the weight, and I think that that's largely a function of how horrid and unhealthy the whole process is. Here's an article on what happened to contestants after being on the biggest loser.

My list of complaints with the show is long, but here are some of them:

1. They are NOT doing it in a sustainable way. They are killing themselves for hours a day in the gym. This greatly affects their metabolism - and what's going to happen when they go back to work and CAN'T work out as much?? Their bodies will gain more from eating less.
2. They are not doing it in a healthy way. They are eating almost nothing - which screws up your metabolism when you do it for a long time so that when you DO start eating again you gain massive amounts of weight. This isn't even mentioning the fact that they are intentionally making themselves horrifically dehydrated - and calling that weightloss. Losing and gaining weight very, very quickly is a horrible shock to your system, and they are setting them up to run their bodies through a meat grinder. WTF is the rush?? You didn't gain it overnight, you don't have to lose it overnight, either.
2. They have a completely unrealistic situation regarding their motivations. They have someone (like, for instance, the millions in the viewing public, who they have to be aware of at all times, what with the cameras...talk about peer pressure) watch their every move. When they get home, are they going to have that? No. They will have to find that motivation internally. That is the single biggest adjustment that anyone has to make in doing this, and as far as I can tell they will have no support in doing it.
3. Relatedly, they are in an isolated environment. In order to REALLY lose weight in a sustainable way, you MUST learn to do it in the course of your everyday life. When do people fall off the wagon? When they have interactions with other people that trigger their bad habits, either in the form of people or events causing tension or in the form of people or events that they've previously associated with foods that are not healthy (gatherings, birthdays, holidays, etc. etc. etc.). When you're isolated from that, you don't have to learn how NOT to grab a box of twinkies when the person you're dating dumps you, how NOT to eat candy at Halloween, etc. etc. etc. And when you put them back in that situation, they're just not going to be prepared for it the GRAND majority of the time. I can't tell you how much of the traffic on my weightloss board is seasonal - people screw up during the the christmas holidays, then show up repentant in the new year, or people work out for the summer and then fall off at halloween. Life doesn't stop just because you need to lose some weight. You need to learn how to deal with that, or you absolutely will fail.
4. The show is goddamned degrading. This week they had them digging through donuts to find a coin worth $5,000, and they had to eat a donut just to play. Ha-ha, fat people digging through donuts. Where's your [censored] dignity, people?? The fake goddamned sympathy and empathy they toss around and then have them do garbage like that is revolting to me. What a lot of people don't realize is that these people are essentially addicted to a drug, and they're having them degrade themselves and their situation on national television. That donut thing is exactly the same thing to me as if they had a bunch of coke addicts sifting through kilos of blow looking for cash, and forcing them to do a couple of lines beforehand just to participate. It is exactly the same thing. These people are killing themselves with that drug, but it's a socially-acceptable drug and people love making fun of fat people, so it's okay. Having been hooked on that drug and nearly killed by it, I honestly just find it repellent.

I seriously could go on for a while, but those are my biggest complaints with it - and that's before I get to the basic things, like how annoying the trainers are, how annoying the commercial breaks are (because they always hold you "in suspense") and how I wish they'd find SOMEONE to be on there who's not a wuss because they seriously ALL cry like every 5 minutes, which just leaves me embarrassed for those people.

That said, go kae! [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] She's the one who I think is the least likely to regain, along with Bill.

-bb.

[fmxda]

Now that you've reached your goal of XL and a weight of mid-to-low 200's, which is a great achievement considering what you've been through ... why not set the bar even higher?

You say that you have a big build--which I don't doubt, considering your weight growing up--but depending on your height, it is a widely accepted medical fact that your ideal weight is a probably good 30-40 pounds lower, and losing that extra weight will be definitively beneficial.

Even pro football players that are jacked, in the best shape man can be--with massive muscular builds and extremely low body fat percentages--still top out at around 210-230 lbs for a 6 foot person. In my opinion, it is virtually impossible to weigh more at that particular height and be of a healthy weight.

One may enjoy reasonably good fitness and have little to worry about on the yearly blood test at the age of 30, but about 1/3 of all Americans (I assume you are American) die from heart disease, stroke, diabetes... diseases correlated very strongly with being overweight/obese. Many more than 33% suffer from these largely avoidable diseases.

I don't think you'll find a lot of 30 year olds with early stages of diabetes, hypertension, or dangerously high serum levels of cholesterol. Not a lot of 30 year olds ever expect they are already headed down that path.

But it's a fact that one of the strongest correlates of who will be that 33%+ to develop heart disease are those who are in the top third of weight. Even in fat America, the top tertile of weight at age 30 would be surprising low imo.

I'm not trying to diminish your accomplishments: they are quite impressive and inspirational. But it kinda seems from your comments in this thread that you feel satisfied with your weight and health and don't have much motivation to slim down further.

[TheProdigy]

Good to hear!

I admit I have always looked down on morbidly obese people and this does give me some insight. It also shows that anyone can make their way out of it.


In your mind, do you feel there is any excuse for being obese?

[xorbie]

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My feeling is twofold: first, I understand it. They are trying to regain their sense of self, to say "I am a valuable person despite my physical traits," which I support just as I support anyone who wants to affirm their value despite being put down for being black, gay - whatever. Because I absolutely believe that that's true. I'm TREATED today like I'm a more valuable person than I was 2 years ago, but I am not. I was just as caring, competent, hard-working, sincere, funny, dedicated and devoted to my friends and family today as I was then. I am NOT a better person. I am a THINNER person. Which, really, has NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CONTENT OF MY CHARACTER.

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I disagree completely with your last sentence. It may be contrary to what you believe, but I think being mordibly obese says a lot about a man's (or woman's) character. If anything, our society errs on the side of materialism, but there is something quite important about being presentable, about being healthy, about putting your best foot forward.

It's not that I don't feel for people who are overweight, particularly if they are fighting depression and their eating habits are tied into this. It's not that they are "bad" people in the sense that I wouldn't expect them to torture dogs or molest children. But they are weak, and weakness can't be looked at as not somehow a personalilty trait.

Your weight loss demonstrates something quite important about your character - strength. Don't sell yourself short.