What a difference a year makes!

On January 9, 2006, I wrote:

Well, here's another de-lurker emerging. I just turned 40, am at 385
pounds, 6'1'", and have finally committed to losing weight. I've been
watching my calories and visiting a gym for the past week. I am
sticking to a 2000 calorie diet. My exercise routine currently consists
of recumbant (sic) bike for the cardio part daily and weights to build
up
muscle three times a week. Unfortunately, I have knee pain so taking
long walks is not practical. I'm trying to add in little things as well
such as parking further away from the entrance to work, taking stairs,
etc. I am managing 10-12 minutes on the bike for now - I probably could
do more but I find siting on the bike very uncomfortable. I know I need
to do more, so I keep trying to stay in the saddle longer.

My goal weight is 200 pounds, which I haven't weighed since high
school. I know I can do it. This group seems to inspire a lot of loss,
and I plan on adding to it. So many of the posts here are inspiring,
especially Matty, the fellow publishing his monthly updates. If he can
lose 200 pounds, what's my 185?

A photo of me is displayed with one of my articles:
http://correspondencechess.com/campb...es/a040422.htm
We can consider this the "before" photo.

Neil
385/???/200

When I wrote the above, I had no idea what 2006 would hold in store for
me. I had started my weight loss with a visit to Gold's Gym in
Royersford on January 3rd. That was the exercise portion; the diet part
began on the 8th when I finally started adding up calories and I
realized that the "light" eating I had been engaging in was far from
light. Thanks to ASD and Fitday I quickly educated myself and forced
myself out of denial.

There's no need to recap the entire year; besides, I want to get to the
gym this morning, so I'll keep this short. I didn't know how I would
wind up - how much weight I could lose, what I would do when I lost
weight, et cetera. I still thought of myself as a fat person. In other
words, as a victim. If you had told me that by year's end I would have:

- lost 111 pounds;

- rowed boats for hours at a time;

- hiked four miles up a small mountain;

- purchased a bike, and one that cost ten times what I could have paid
at K-mart;

- rode the bike (!)

- leg-pressed my body weight;

- wore size 44 jeans;

- replaced my entire wardrobe, except for socks and shoes;

- developed a fondness for veggies, other than fried potatoes;

- chosen oatmeal and yogurt over sausage and eggs as breakfast food,
and apples over candy as a treat;

- wear t-shirts, shorts, and exercise gear in public;

- and run,

I would have thought you were nuts. Now fat people look at me and think
I'm nuts for doing all these things. And this is what I can do at the
end of 2006. Imagine what I will be able to do in 2007! No one can stop
me, except me. And that's not going to happen.

Neil
385/274/220

The Historian wrote:
On January 9, 2006, I wrote:

(snipped a lot of good stuff)

There's no need to recap the entire year; besides, I want to get to the
gym this morning, so I'll keep this short. I didn't know how I would
wind up - how much weight I could lose, what I would do when I lost
weight, et cetera. I still thought of myself as a fat person. In other
words, as a victim. If you had told me that by year's end I would have:

- lost 111 pounds;

- rowed boats for hours at a time;

- hiked four miles up a small mountain;

- purchased a bike, and one that cost ten times what I could have paid
at K-mart;

- rode the bike (!)

- leg-pressed my body weight;

- wore size 44 jeans;

- replaced my entire wardrobe, except for socks and shoes;

- developed a fondness for veggies, other than fried potatoes;

- chosen oatmeal and yogurt over sausage and eggs as breakfast food,
and apples over candy as a treat;

- wear t-shirts, shorts, and exercise gear in public;

- and run,

I would have thought you were nuts. Now fat people look at me and think
I'm nuts for doing all these things. And this is what I can do at the
end of 2006. Imagine what I will be able to do in 2007! No one can stop
me, except me. And that's not going to happen.

Neil
385/274/220

Happy New Year to the NEW Neil. It's been a pleasure to see your progress
over the past year and I look forward to seeing more of it in 2007.

Wait until you're really into cycling and want to buy that 'all carbon road
bike' .....real sticker shock

Beverly

On 1 Jan 2007 05:36:13 -0800, "The Historian"
wrote:

On January 9, 2006, I wrote:

Well, here's another de-lurker emerging. I just turned 40, am at 385
pounds, 6'1'", and have finally committed to losing weight. I've been
watching my calories and visiting a gym for the past week. I am
sticking to a 2000 calorie diet. My exercise routine currently consists
of recumbant (sic) bike for the cardio part daily and weights to build
up
muscle three times a week. Unfortunately, I have knee pain so taking
long walks is not practical. I'm trying to add in little things as well
such as parking further away from the entrance to work, taking stairs,
etc. I am managing 10-12 minutes on the bike for now - I probably could
do more but I find siting on the bike very uncomfortable. I know I need
to do more, so I keep trying to stay in the saddle longer.

My goal weight is 200 pounds, which I haven't weighed since high
school. I know I can do it. This group seems to inspire a lot of loss,
and I plan on adding to it. So many of the posts here are inspiring,
especially Matty, the fellow publishing his monthly updates. If he can
lose 200 pounds, what's my 185?

A photo of me is displayed with one of my articles:
http://correspondencechess.com/campb...es/a040422.htm
We can consider this the "before" photo.

Neil
385/???/200

When I wrote the above, I had no idea what 2006 would hold in store for
me. I had started my weight loss with a visit to Gold's Gym in
Royersford on January 3rd. That was the exercise portion; the diet part
began on the 8th when I finally started adding up calories and I
realized that the "light" eating I had been engaging in was far from
light. Thanks to ASD and Fitday I quickly educated myself and forced
myself out of denial.

There's no need to recap the entire year; besides, I want to get to the
gym this morning, so I'll keep this short. I didn't know how I would
wind up - how much weight I could lose, what I would do when I lost
weight, et cetera. I still thought of myself as a fat person. In other
words, as a victim. If you had told me that by year's end I would have:

- lost 111 pounds;

- rowed boats for hours at a time;

- hiked four miles up a small mountain;

- purchased a bike, and one that cost ten times what I could have paid
at K-mart;

- rode the bike (!)

- leg-pressed my body weight;

- wore size 44 jeans;

- replaced my entire wardrobe, except for socks and shoes;

- developed a fondness for veggies, other than fried potatoes;

- chosen oatmeal and yogurt over sausage and eggs as breakfast food,
and apples over candy as a treat;

- wear t-shirts, shorts, and exercise gear in public;

- and run,

I would have thought you were nuts. Now fat people look at me and think
I'm nuts for doing all these things. And this is what I can do at the
end of 2006. Imagine what I will be able to do in 2007! No one can stop
me, except me. And that's not going to happen.

Neil
385/274/220

Neil, you really are an inspiration to all on this list! You've truly
changed into another person -- awesome!

Chris
262/130s/130s
started dieting July 2002, maintaining since June 2004

The Historian wrote:
I didn't know how I would
wind up - how much weight I could lose, what I would do when I lost
weight, et cetera. I still thought of myself as a fat person. In other
words, as a victim. If you had told me that by year's end I would have:

I forgot an item:

- shaved off my facial hair.

Way to go, Neil. You are an inspiration!

"The Historian" wrote in message
ups.com...
On January 9, 2006, I wrote:

Well, here's another de-lurker emerging. I just turned 40, am at 385
pounds, 6'1'", and have finally committed to losing weight. I've been
watching my calories and visiting a gym for the past week. I am
sticking to a 2000 calorie diet. My exercise routine currently consists
of recumbant (sic) bike for the cardio part daily and weights to build
up
muscle three times a week. Unfortunately, I have knee pain so taking
long walks is not practical. I'm trying to add in little things as well
such as parking further away from the entrance to work, taking stairs,
etc. I am managing 10-12 minutes on the bike for now - I probably could
do more but I find siting on the bike very uncomfortable. I know I need
to do more, so I keep trying to stay in the saddle longer.

My goal weight is 200 pounds, which I haven't weighed since high
school. I know I can do it. This group seems to inspire a lot of loss,
and I plan on adding to it. So many of the posts here are inspiring,
especially Matty, the fellow publishing his monthly updates. If he can
lose 200 pounds, what's my 185?

A photo of me is displayed with one of my articles:
http://correspondencechess.com/campb...es/a040422.htm
We can consider this the "before" photo.

Neil
385/???/200

When I wrote the above, I had no idea what 2006 would hold in store for
me. I had started my weight loss with a visit to Gold's Gym in
Royersford on January 3rd. That was the exercise portion; the diet part
began on the 8th when I finally started adding up calories and I
realized that the "light" eating I had been engaging in was far from
light. Thanks to ASD and Fitday I quickly educated myself and forced
myself out of denial.

There's no need to recap the entire year; besides, I want to get to the
gym this morning, so I'll keep this short. I didn't know how I would
wind up - how much weight I could lose, what I would do when I lost
weight, et cetera. I still thought of myself as a fat person. In other
words, as a victim. If you had told me that by year's end I would have:

- lost 111 pounds;

- rowed boats for hours at a time;

- hiked four miles up a small mountain;

- purchased a bike, and one that cost ten times what I could have paid
at K-mart;

- rode the bike (!)

- leg-pressed my body weight;

- wore size 44 jeans;

- replaced my entire wardrobe, except for socks and shoes;

- developed a fondness for veggies, other than fried potatoes;

- chosen oatmeal and yogurt over sausage and eggs as breakfast food,
and apples over candy as a treat;

- wear t-shirts, shorts, and exercise gear in public;

- and run,

I would have thought you were nuts. Now fat people look at me and think
I'm nuts for doing all these things. And this is what I can do at the
end of 2006. Imagine what I will be able to do in 2007! No one can stop
me, except me. And that's not going to happen.

Neil
385/274/220

On 1 Jan 2007 05:36:13 -0800, "The Historian"
wrote:

On January 9, 2006, I wrote:

My goal weight is 200 pounds, which I haven't weighed since high
school. I know I can do it. This group seems to inspire a lot of loss,
and I plan on adding to it. So many of the posts here are inspiring,
especially Matty, the fellow publishing his monthly updates. If he can
lose 200 pounds, what's my 185?


There's no need to recap the entire year; besides, I want to get to the
gym this morning, so I'll keep this short. I didn't know how I would
wind up - how much weight I could lose, what I would do when I lost
weight, et cetera. I still thought of myself as a fat person. In other
words, as a victim. If you had told me that by year's end I would have:

- lost 111 pounds;

- rowed boats for hours at a time;

- hiked four miles up a small mountain;

- purchased a bike, and one that cost ten times what I could have paid
at K-mart;

- rode the bike (!)

- leg-pressed my body weight;

- wore size 44 jeans;

- replaced my entire wardrobe, except for socks and shoes;

- developed a fondness for veggies, other than fried potatoes;

- chosen oatmeal and yogurt over sausage and eggs as breakfast food,
and apples over candy as a treat;

- wear t-shirts, shorts, and exercise gear in public;

- and run,

I would have thought you were nuts. Now fat people look at me and think
I'm nuts for doing all these things. And this is what I can do at the
end of 2006. Imagine what I will be able to do in 2007! No one can stop
me, except me. And that's not going to happen.

What a powerful message Neil. Just think what 2007 can bring you!
Happy new year.

janice

"The Historian" wrote in message
ups.com...
On January 9, 2006, I wrote:

Well, here's another de-lurker emerging. I just turned
40, am at 385
pounds, 6'1'", and have finally committed to losing
weight.

When I wrote the above, I had no idea what 2006 would hold
in store for
me. I had started my weight loss with a visit to Gold's
Gym in
Royersford on January 3rd. That was the exercise
portion; the diet part
began on the 8th when I finally started adding up
calories and I
realized that the "light" eating I had been engaging in
was far from
light. Thanks to ASD and Fitday I quickly educated
myself and forced
myself out of denial.

I remember reading your post last January, Neil. I've
looked forward to and read each one of your updates. I
love reading about the success of others - it always helps
me to motivate myself. You've done so much hard work and
your progress has been absolutely amazing. Thanks for
sharing it with us. The best to you in 2007.

Take care,
eddiegirl
136/135/130

"The Historian" wrote in message
ups.com...
On January 9, 2006, I wrote:

Well, here's another de-lurker emerging. I just turned 40, am at 385
pounds, 6'1'", and have finally committed to losing weight. I've been
watching my calories and visiting a gym for the past week. I am
sticking to a 2000 calorie diet. My exercise routine currently consists
of recumbant (sic) bike for the cardio part daily and weights to build
up
muscle three times a week. Unfortunately, I have knee pain so taking
long walks is not practical. I'm trying to add in little things as well
such as parking further away from the entrance to work, taking stairs,
etc. I am managing 10-12 minutes on the bike for now - I probably could
do more but I find siting on the bike very uncomfortable. I know I need
to do more, so I keep trying to stay in the saddle longer.

My goal weight is 200 pounds, which I haven't weighed since high
school. I know I can do it. This group seems to inspire a lot of loss,
and I plan on adding to it. So many of the posts here are inspiring,
especially Matty, the fellow publishing his monthly updates. If he can
lose 200 pounds, what's my 185?

A photo of me is displayed with one of my articles:
http://correspondencechess.com/campb...es/a040422.htm
We can consider this the "before" photo.

Neil
385/???/200

When I wrote the above, I had no idea what 2006 would hold in store for
me. I had started my weight loss with a visit to Gold's Gym in
Royersford on January 3rd. That was the exercise portion; the diet part
began on the 8th when I finally started adding up calories and I
realized that the "light" eating I had been engaging in was far from
light. Thanks to ASD and Fitday I quickly educated myself and forced
myself out of denial.

There's no need to recap the entire year; besides, I want to get to the
gym this morning, so I'll keep this short. I didn't know how I would
wind up - how much weight I could lose, what I would do when I lost
weight, et cetera. I still thought of myself as a fat person. In other
words, as a victim. If you had told me that by year's end I would have:

- lost 111 pounds;

- rowed boats for hours at a time;

- hiked four miles up a small mountain;

- purchased a bike, and one that cost ten times what I could have paid
at K-mart;

- rode the bike (!)

- leg-pressed my body weight;

- wore size 44 jeans;

- replaced my entire wardrobe, except for socks and shoes;

- developed a fondness for veggies, other than fried potatoes;

- chosen oatmeal and yogurt over sausage and eggs as breakfast food,
and apples over candy as a treat;

- wear t-shirts, shorts, and exercise gear in public;

- and run,

I would have thought you were nuts. Now fat people look at me and think
I'm nuts for doing all these things. And this is what I can do at the
end of 2006. Imagine what I will be able to do in 2007! No one can stop
me, except me. And that's not going to happen.

Neil
385/274/220

You have been very dedicated but also seem to have enjoyed it! Good for
you! Good luck this year!


--
Rachael

176/116/119

www.justgiving.com/rachaelslondonmarathon

Rachael Reynolds wrote:
"The Historian" wrote in message
ups.com...
On January 9, 2006, I wrote:

Well, here's another de-lurker emerging. I just turned 40, am at 385
pounds, 6'1'", and have finally committed to losing weight. I've been
watching my calories and visiting a gym for the past week. I am
sticking to a 2000 calorie diet. My exercise routine currently consists
of recumbant (sic) bike for the cardio part daily and weights to build
up
muscle three times a week. Unfortunately, I have knee pain so taking
long walks is not practical. I'm trying to add in little things as well
such as parking further away from the entrance to work, taking stairs,
etc. I am managing 10-12 minutes on the bike for now - I probably could
do more but I find siting on the bike very uncomfortable. I know I need
to do more, so I keep trying to stay in the saddle longer.

My goal weight is 200 pounds, which I haven't weighed since high
school. I know I can do it. This group seems to inspire a lot of loss,
and I plan on adding to it. So many of the posts here are inspiring,
especially Matty, the fellow publishing his monthly updates. If he can
lose 200 pounds, what's my 185?

A photo of me is displayed with one of my articles:
http://correspondencechess.com/campb...es/a040422.htm
We can consider this the "before" photo.

Neil
385/???/200

When I wrote the above, I had no idea what 2006 would hold in store for
me. I had started my weight loss with a visit to Gold's Gym in
Royersford on January 3rd. That was the exercise portion; the diet part
began on the 8th when I finally started adding up calories and I
realized that the "light" eating I had been engaging in was far from
light. Thanks to ASD and Fitday I quickly educated myself and forced
myself out of denial.

There's no need to recap the entire year; besides, I want to get to the
gym this morning, so I'll keep this short. I didn't know how I would
wind up - how much weight I could lose, what I would do when I lost
weight, et cetera. I still thought of myself as a fat person. In other
words, as a victim. If you had told me that by year's end I would have:

- lost 111 pounds;

- rowed boats for hours at a time;

- hiked four miles up a small mountain;

- purchased a bike, and one that cost ten times what I could have paid
at K-mart;

- rode the bike (!)

- leg-pressed my body weight;

- wore size 44 jeans;

- replaced my entire wardrobe, except for socks and shoes;

- developed a fondness for veggies, other than fried potatoes;

- chosen oatmeal and yogurt over sausage and eggs as breakfast food,
and apples over candy as a treat;

- wear t-shirts, shorts, and exercise gear in public;

- and run,

I would have thought you were nuts. Now fat people look at me and think
I'm nuts for doing all these things. And this is what I can do at the
end of 2006. Imagine what I will be able to do in 2007! No one can stop
me, except me. And that's not going to happen.

Neil
385/274/220

You have been very dedicated but also seem to have enjoyed it!

This isn't directed at you, but I'm amazed at the number of people who
assume I haven't been enjoying the new lifestyle. Yes, there are
moments I'd rather not exercise. Yes, at times I'd rather enjoy packing
it away as I used to. But on the whole, I'd rather be active and
feeling great, rather than sluggish and bloated.

My original post to this thread didn't address all the physical
problems that have cleared up or lessened during my weight loss. My
knees and back thank me for what I've done. My skin is clearer, I'm
told, I resist illness to a much greater degree than I have in the
past, and my stamina is much greater. I can lift things more easily,
thanks to the weight training. And thanks to the improved, healthier,
more fiber-rich diet, other daily activities.... well, I'll leave it at
that.

Good for
you! Good luck this year!

Thank you, and the same to you.

Neil
385/274/220

Beverly wrote:
The Historian wrote:
On January 9, 2006, I wrote:

(snipped a lot of good stuff)

There's no need to recap the entire year; besides, I want to get to the
gym this morning, so I'll keep this short. I didn't know how I would
wind up - how much weight I could lose, what I would do when I lost
weight, et cetera. I still thought of myself as a fat person. In other
words, as a victim. If you had told me that by year's end I would have:

- lost 111 pounds;

- rowed boats for hours at a time;

- hiked four miles up a small mountain;

- purchased a bike, and one that cost ten times what I could have paid
at K-mart;

- rode the bike (!)

- leg-pressed my body weight;

- wore size 44 jeans;

- replaced my entire wardrobe, except for socks and shoes;

- developed a fondness for veggies, other than fried potatoes;

- chosen oatmeal and yogurt over sausage and eggs as breakfast food,
and apples over candy as a treat;

- wear t-shirts, shorts, and exercise gear in public;

- and run,

I would have thought you were nuts. Now fat people look at me and think
I'm nuts for doing all these things. And this is what I can do at the
end of 2006. Imagine what I will be able to do in 2007! No one can stop
me, except me. And that's not going to happen.

Neil
385/274/220

Happy New Year to the NEW Neil. It's been a pleasure to see your progress
over the past year and I look forward to seeing more of it in 2007.

Wait until you're really into cycling and want to buy that 'all carbon road
bike' .....real sticker shock

I'm still getting used to 100 bucks for 'athletic shoes' - for that
money I can't call them "sneakers."