nehushtan's profile

About Me:

A work in progress? Or a piece of work? I achieved two major weight losses in the past (1991 and 1996), each followed by reversal. That makes me a standard U.S. statistic. After other various halfhearted attempts to diet since then I gave up in 2007, resigning myself to majestic stoutness. In 2010 my brother's success and my wife's urgency to start her own weight loss stung me again into action. My age is tapping me on the shoulder. I would like to reach into next year and grab my future self by the coat lapels and shake him out of his complacency and make him understand he is running out of chances! March 2011 -- Reached Onederland for the first time in my adult life and BMI calculators now say I am "healthy" instead of "overweight" (used to be "obese"). May it continue! Now it's time to take this scrawny, flabby body to the next level.... firm and fit! Nov 2011: Health has continued and strength training has made me more firm and fit. Hurrah and excelsior! July 2012: OK, it's been two years. There are days when I still feel like an obese snackasaurus rex, but those days are few and infrequent. Most of the time I feel like a conquistador. March 2013: Still fun! Still at it! Jan 2014: Logging the food is the key. It's become the habit it must be for me. Various thoughts: Old & New me: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/416702-xl-to-m-see-pix-inside Face changes: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/229725-star-wars-nsv The world looks different: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/244997-the-world-looks-different It's not just an adventure: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/733283-a-job-offer Doctor's visit: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/972887-doctor-s-visit-nsvs Curse words: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/978012-curse-words The basking shark: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/473438-this-is-how-i-feel-today Remembering the past: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1165967-reminding-myself-what-i-hated-about-being-obese Weekly tracking: http://goo.gl/PchgGr Diet Nuggets blog: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/nehushtan

Why I want to get in shape:

Don't like having a gut. Don't like the way my stomach looks in profile -- it lops over. I want to be able to wear "trim cut" shirts. I want to be able to see my belt buckle (without pushing my gut in). After 7 months: lost 60 lbs, and now I can wear trim-cut shirts... but I still have a gut which lops over (not so much as it used to) and I still can't see my belt buckle. However -- the end is in sight! After 1 year: lost 80+ lbs and my gut is as small as it has ever been. Can ALMOST see the belt buckle. Would like a flat stomach (not so much interested in a six-pack) so I will continue to diet and exercise until I'm happy with it. After 18 months: lost 90 lbs and the belly is flat enough that I can SEE THE BELT BUCKLE! There's loose skin for sure. But I don't have to suck the gut in. As for the clothes, I used to wear pants in size 42, dress shirts size 17.5 x 36, XL casual shirts, and a XXL sweater vest. Now the pants are 34s, the button downs a trim cut 15.5x35, the pullovers, polos, and t-shirts M or S, and the sweater vest is S. After 2 years: I'm still at 90 lbs down, but that's irrelevant. I've got muscles and a tighter midsection. The belt buckle is always in view. The 34 pants are loose, need to be brought in another inch or more. Still working on losing some flab, but the mirror is my friend now and pays me compliments regularly. After 3 years of logging... Is it easy? No. Is it a habit? Mostly. Is it worth it? Yes! Sometimes I get the food panic... sometimes I get down about the restrictions... but the mirror reminds me: it's is totally TOTALLY worth keeping at it. What I say is: I was obese for 20 years, let me be in shape for 20. After 4 years: onward and upward! Weight loss is a big part of "fitness", but I am also adding: . Strength . Stamina . Flexibility . Tone . Shape . Posture . Balance

My Inspirations

• My wife: she set a high goal when I thought "I'll lose only 20 lbs"... aim high!
• My brother (lost 80 lbs) & my cubie at work (lost 75 lbs)
• Men 10 years older than I am who haven't taken care of themselves
• Past weight gains after successful losses. Viewing my gut in profile.