Cowboy's Diary
- Thread starter cowboy48
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Perhaps you might inspire me too. I'm bumbling along & getting nowhere!
Sunflower_
Well-known member
It must be weird knowing you are about to turn older than your mum.. my Yank's brother died a few years back and now he is approaching the age he was when he died. He says it's a weird feeling.. Can't imagine but sending big hugs from England to Alberta xx
P.S. Realise that post is from January but the sentiment still stands! x
P.S. Realise that post is from January but the sentiment still stands! x
cowboy48
Well-known member
WOW. I can't believe it has been a year and a half since I posted in here. I have been sticking my nose in and perusing people's diary in that time but haven't posted. Time flies. Well it has been an interesting time in my life. We have our first grandchild. It is amazing to think that my son has a son now. Makes me feel really old. He is, of course the cutest baby of all time-lol and he makes me smile.
My fitness has been good. I injured myself in January so I haven't been running- which makes me sad. The good part about it is I haven't gained any weight and I am ready to get back at it. I still haven't weighed myself in about 3 years but I know approximately what I weigh by my clothes and how they feel.
I have been doing some Intermittent Fasting for about a year or so now. I was doing Keto along with it but not as strictly as I was to begin with. I find I maintain my weight with some carbs. I don't go hog wild on them but don't worry if I have some.
I can't believe I have been maintaining for about 8 years now. It is surreal to me and honestly I can't remember what it is like to be 320 pounds. I don't think about stuffing my face everyday and I think I have learned to eat in moderation. After just about a lifetime of being heavy I think I may have conquered this. That being said I am still extremely careful on not overdoing it. It has been a long journey. It took a long time to make this my normal.
I think back to when I was really heavy and how it made me look and feel. I spent so many years trying to break the cycle and I thank God that I was able to get past this. I know there are lots of people on this forum either just starting out or finishing their journey and want to let you all know that it is possible to be healthy and happy. If I can do it - anyone can! Perseverance and moderation is the key. I don't promise to have the magic key to this but I know this is what worked for me. I tried every kind of diet and weight loss thing out there and would lose a huge amount of weight and 6 months later gain it all back and then some.
I am not sure who is still here from my time before but I will try to get to your diaries and see how things have been with you all. In the meantime, Keep Fighting the Fight!!
My fitness has been good. I injured myself in January so I haven't been running- which makes me sad. The good part about it is I haven't gained any weight and I am ready to get back at it. I still haven't weighed myself in about 3 years but I know approximately what I weigh by my clothes and how they feel.
I have been doing some Intermittent Fasting for about a year or so now. I was doing Keto along with it but not as strictly as I was to begin with. I find I maintain my weight with some carbs. I don't go hog wild on them but don't worry if I have some.
I can't believe I have been maintaining for about 8 years now. It is surreal to me and honestly I can't remember what it is like to be 320 pounds. I don't think about stuffing my face everyday and I think I have learned to eat in moderation. After just about a lifetime of being heavy I think I may have conquered this. That being said I am still extremely careful on not overdoing it. It has been a long journey. It took a long time to make this my normal.
I think back to when I was really heavy and how it made me look and feel. I spent so many years trying to break the cycle and I thank God that I was able to get past this. I know there are lots of people on this forum either just starting out or finishing their journey and want to let you all know that it is possible to be healthy and happy. If I can do it - anyone can! Perseverance and moderation is the key. I don't promise to have the magic key to this but I know this is what worked for me. I tried every kind of diet and weight loss thing out there and would lose a huge amount of weight and 6 months later gain it all back and then some.
I am not sure who is still here from my time before but I will try to get to your diaries and see how things have been with you all. In the meantime, Keep Fighting the Fight!!
Cate
Long term member
Hey, cowboy. Thank you so much for coming back & telling us your news. I think it really helps others to know that maintenance is possible. Congratulations on being a grandad. You can appreciate a grandchild so much more as you have more time for them. The forum is a lot more active these days & we have a very supportive group. Some do IF, some do Keto, some a combo of both but most encourage one another & that is a lovely thing. Nice to have you back for a visit xo Cate
I'm glad you came back and posted, cowboy. I'm a pretty new member of the forum and am approaching my GW and maintenance has been on my mind quite a bit. It's great to hear you've been able to maintain after your peak close to 320. My peak was about 330 and I'm 202 now. Great inspiration learning about you! 
cowboy48
Well-known member
Thanks Cate. This forum has always been a very supportive place. Nice to know it still is.
cowboy48
Well-known member
I'm glad you came back and posted, cowboy. I'm a pretty new member of the forum and am approaching my GW and maintenance has been on my mind quite a bit. It's great to hear you've been able to maintain after your peak close to 320. My peak was about 330 and I'm 202 now. Great inspiration learning about you!
I have found maintenance to be harder than losing the weight to tell you the truth. There is no payback on the scale if you eat right except that you stayed at relatively the same weight- it is something I had to get used to. You have come a long way and you should feel proud of yourself. Going forward into maintenance lean on the tricks you used to lose all the weight.
alligatorob
Respected Member
Hey Cowboy, thanks for coming back. seeing what someone like you has done is a real inspiration. Knowing that losing over 100 lbs and keeping it off for years is possible really helps.
I am new to the forum, I started both posting and dieting in May and have lost 44 lbs, but I probably have another 100 or so to go to get to where I need to be. Following your path would be a great thing for me.
I can appreciate what you say about maintenance being harder than losing weight. I have lost a lot of weight several times in the past, but never successfully kept it off. No success with maintenance. I can imagine what you say about the problem of lack of day to day reinforcement, a lot of what keeps me on track right now is looking at the pounds come off and feeling better as they do. That positive reinforcement can't last.
It sounds like your success in maintenance has been continuing to diet and exercise. Is that right?
Anyway, thanks for posting and I hope to learn more from you.
I am new to the forum, I started both posting and dieting in May and have lost 44 lbs, but I probably have another 100 or so to go to get to where I need to be. Following your path would be a great thing for me.
I can appreciate what you say about maintenance being harder than losing weight. I have lost a lot of weight several times in the past, but never successfully kept it off. No success with maintenance. I can imagine what you say about the problem of lack of day to day reinforcement, a lot of what keeps me on track right now is looking at the pounds come off and feeling better as they do. That positive reinforcement can't last.
It sounds like your success in maintenance has been continuing to diet and exercise. Is that right?
Anyway, thanks for posting and I hope to learn more from you.
cowboy48
Well-known member
Hi Rob,
Sounds like you are well on your way to achieving your goal. I would say exercise plays a big part in my maintenance. That and moderation of all food both good and bad-lol. I don't really diet anymore but watch what I eat. If I eat something bad - which happens to all of us I am careful on portion size.
I started my journey when I was 49 and it took me about a year to lose the weight. I started running at that time as well. I went from not being able to run 50 feet to now completing many 5K, 10K, 10 Mile and 1/2 Marathons. One thing I did find out was I loved to run- who knew? I was always the fat kid growing up and it took 49 years of losing and gaining for it to finally sink in to my thick head.
You are a 1/3 of the way to your goal. You got this!!
overlandflyer
Well-known member
if you crank back TC's fasting schedule a few hours, socially, intermittent fasting is quite easy. all you need to do is skip the "most important" meal of the day, traditional morning breakfast. on my minimal intermittent fasting days, i quit eating around 8pm. traditional lunch (noon) becomes my breakfast (break-fast... get it?) for a 16/8 intermittent fasting day. you can have "lunch" and "dinner" at tradition times just like normal people.
keto and IF have the same goals... keep your insulin level, or more specifically, your insulin to glucagon ratio low, and you can get at stored fat. keto does this through balancing the macronutrients.... IF is just a brute force way of doing the same thing. after ~14 hours, you have nothing left to trigger an insulin reaction. exercise before breakfast on an IF day and your body will have no choice than to burn fat.
and if you think your energy level would go down, think again... it goes up.
overlandflyer
Well-known member
... i've been maintaining a BMI of 23/24 for ~6 months now by staying with intermittent fasting, although not as extreme... many more 16/8 days than 18/6 or 20/4 days as i did when dropping weight. 12/12 days happen now and then. i have been keeping in +/- 4 lb range. i find the amusing part is trying to guess my weight... i'm rarely right and usually exactly the opposite as to how i'm feeling.
cowboy48
Well-known member
I have been using IF for probably the last year or so. I was eating Keto for about 8 months or so to help my wife with her weight loss journey but found that Keto didn't work that great for me. So now I eat what I want but prefer to eat lower carbs now. Hamburgers with buns don't really do anything for me anymore-lol. Lettuce wrapped ones sit better in my stomach. I have probably been +/- 10->15 pounds in the last 8 years. Sometimes I am lighter and sometimes heavier. Like I said I don't use a scale anymore but know on how my clothes fit and how I look. I was a slave to the scale for way too long.
overlandflyer
Well-known member
as i don't even count calories, Keto seems too complex for me. i agree again with you and if anything, i just try to minimize carbs. sort of sucks having a great bagel shop a short walk away... . 3-4 days ago i bought a dozen ( = 13... thanks a lot, Bakers!) and they're gone already!! i could see the effect even this morning... +2. ... no more bagels for me for a while.
. 3-4 days ago i bought a dozen ( = 13... thanks a lot, Bakers!) and they're gone already!! i could see the effect even this morning... +2. ... no more bagels for me for a while.
cowboy48
Well-known member
as i don't even count calories, Keto seems too complex for me. i agree again with you and if anything, i just try to minimize carbs. sort of sucks having a great bagel shop a short walk away...
Bagels are huge in calories, fats and carbs. I think there are some bagels that have more fat and calories than donuts. That being said, they are delicious-lol.
cowboy48
Well-known member
Hi Cate,
Maintenance is very hard. I am thankful that if I start to eat too much of the stuff that I shouldn't be- my brain kicks in and says, " NO". It used to say, " Have at it- let's see how much of this cake you can eat"-lol. Exercise is definitely the one thing that helps me. Sometimes it is hard to start but once I do, it feels good- especially when I am done-haha. Plus once I am done I don't fell like eating any sugar or carbs- protein is what I crave. Maintenance really is a balancing act.
alligatorob
Respected Member
Hey Cowboy, this caught my eye.
Knowing about your experience is very helpful.
That is the transition I would like to have one day, my brain is still in the eat all you can get your hands on mode. How did your transition work? How long did it take? Is it pretty much complete, or do you still have to fight it back at times?
Knowing about your experience is very helpful.
overlandflyer
Well-known member
muffin ... 18g fat
donut ... 11g fat
Kaiser roll ... 2.5g fat
2 slices, whole wheat bread .... 1.8g fat
bagel ... 1.5g fat ... huge?
cowboy48
Well-known member
Hi Rob,
It took a while. I think my running helped me at that time. If I overate then I knew I was running later and the calories would be burned off or most of them. I didn't eat to make up for the exercise as that can be a slippery slope. I just knew I would burn most or all of the calories off. That being said it took me a bit to get there. It also helped if I was training for a race. Now this isn't a formal race just fun runs put on in different locations that I trained for. I knew that if I didn't eat right then my run would suffer so I just wouldn't eat the bad stuff.
I am the kind of guy that can eat the same thing day after day and only that stuff- no deviations. My will power is pretty strong but I have to be in that Mode or my willpower sucks-lol.
To be honest with IF I can go days without eating- which to me seems surreal. Considering I was always the kid and adult that would polish off a whole pizza and a burger or two without blinking. It just seems weird. Do I still crave sweets and pizza and all that stuff. Yeah at times but those times as few and far between now. Do I slip and eat that stuff? Absolutely. I am still human but now it is just one or maybe two pieces.
Like I said I live by moderation. Something it took me a LONG time to figure out. I was always eating a lot and always bad stuff. Now, not so much. I wish I could pinpoint an AHA moment but there really wasn't one. It just slowly happened over time.
Looking back on my diary helps too. I used to read my first entries to see what I wanted at that time and then look at where I am today. I think there are a lot of people that are struggling that should go back and read the first couple of pages of their diaries and then look at what they are writing today. Is it the same thing? Are they still trying to lose the same 10 or 100 pounds that they were trying to lose 5 years ago? I know it was a reality call for me when I realized if I didn't stop my self destructive behavior I would go back and then have to lose that 120 pounds again. I just made up my mind that wasn't going to happen.
Getting older also helped me in a way. I wanted to be around for my kids and grandkids and I was scared I wouldn't be. Plus I wanted to be healthy for once in life and feel good. That is way better than eating that piece cake- at least that is how I felt.
It is a slow process but you will get there!!
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