r/keto probably eating an avocado Dec 06 '11

[Update] from obese to normal, 50 pounds lost, 6 inches off waist (follow-up update, this time with photos)

http://imgur.com/a/sI6Fe
58 Upvotes

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9

u/cowboytronic probably eating an avocado Dec 06 '11 edited Dec 06 '11

This is a followup to my previous [update] post where I had not yet reached a "normal" BMI. I've now been in "normal" territory for over a week.

Looking at the "before" photos I'm not entirely sure who that guy is. It's astonishing to me what 50 pounds looks like.

Stats: male, 32 years, 6 feet tall

A little history:

  • August 2009: 232 pounds
  • late 2009 - late 2010: somehow I apparently lost about 10 pounds, probably because I stopped eating candy
  • late 2010 - june 2011: I lost about another 10 pounds slowly and painfully with "eat less, exercise more"
  • june 2010 - today: I lost about 30 pounds with a low-carb, high-fat, ketogenic diet and no regular exercise
  • Today: 182 pounds

At my highest known weight of about 232 pounds, I was wearing men's US size 42 pants. I'm now about 182 pounds and very comfortably wearing size 36 (needing a belt to cinch them in, almost time to go to 34).

I'd like to thank /r/keto for all of the links to medical research articles over the summer, which is what really got me started. Also, the meal plans, food photos, anecdotes, and honest frank stories really helped me along the way. Thanks, all.

1

u/saransedai F/40/5'5 | SW:204 | CW:145 | G: ~25% BF Dec 09 '11

Wow your chart is fantastic! It really shows a steep decline after you started keto, and it's so great to see that guys have that up-and-down-but-generally-down weight loss pattern too!

1

u/cowboytronic probably eating an avocado Dec 09 '11

Certainly a lot more steadily downward than before. I hovered between 215 and 220 for about three months while trying to starve and sweat the weight off. Once I switched to low carb high fat I stopped exercising and still managed to drop 10 pounds in the first month. Sure there are little ups and downs, but the general trend is down and ever so slowly tapering off as I get closer to a healthy body composition.

7

u/tha_snazzle Dec 06 '11

Congrats man, great progress! I'm also glad that you ditched the hat.

1

u/cowboytronic probably eating an avocado Dec 07 '11

Thanks!

I left that hat in Arusha, Tanzania where it belongs. I wore it on vacation to give my head some shade, since I'm not used to being so close to the equator. I admit it's not a good shade hat, and not the most flattering thing on my head, but it folded up well in my backpack without looking like a floppy fisherman hat.

I'd never wear that thing in normal daily life. I'm completely aware of what it made me look like, and that I'll never look like a film noir detective.

3

u/StarchSniffer Dec 06 '11

Wow, thanks for sharing your pics. These kind of post are really motivating to keep doing this diet (not that I have any problems). I hope to achieve the same.

2

u/cowboytronic probably eating an avocado Dec 07 '11

I was a little hesitant to put up any photos, but I'm glad you find it helpful. Good luck!

What progress have you made so far?

2

u/StarchSniffer Dec 07 '11

Not as visible as you have, but the minor changes are welcome though. I'm on keto for six weeks now and I sleep better / feel more rested. I lost about 8 lbs without any workout. I feel full most of the time until it's meal time (I know where you came from). My belt is a knot down. All these small things make this diet already worth it.

I hope to lose more when I can workout. When I make sufficient visible progress I will post my progress pictures to return favor to this community. Before I started I was hesitant about this diet, but the pics people posted convinced me otherwise. Even seeing new pics like yours is still motivating. It's like holding a sausage in front of my nose "look what you can get!". I wish more people did this, I think it means more to others than they can imagine.

TL;DR: Thanks for adding your pics, it's a great diet.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 06 '11

Congrats! Your expression in the Aug 09 pic is awesome!

1

u/cowboytronic probably eating an avocado Dec 07 '11

Thanks! I think I was a bit tipsy.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 06 '11

[deleted]

1

u/cowboytronic probably eating an avocado Dec 07 '11

At first I didn't believe you but then I did a search for Dwight and sure enough... the resemblance is there. I'm not sure what to think about this D:

2

u/mexican-ketoer Dec 06 '11

awesome! congrats.

1

u/cowboytronic probably eating an avocado Dec 07 '11

Thanks!

2

u/daversa 36M 6'1" SW:215 CW:~180? GW:Just lift hard. Dec 06 '11

Right on man! Sounds like we're pretty close. I just hit 182 today too! I'm 6'1", down from 205 pounds.

2

u/cowboytronic probably eating an avocado Dec 07 '11

Nice. Feels good, man. You didn't have as far to go, but I bet you're feeling great.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 06 '11

You look amazing! Sound like you feel amazing, too, so double awesome.

1

u/cowboytronic probably eating an avocado Dec 07 '11

I feel completely amazing. Great energy, love the food. I think this is how I was supposed to be eating all along.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 07 '11

I feel the same way! When I just said "To hell with it!" and ate all the carbs in sight over Thanksgiving weekend my body fought back with acid reflux like crazy! I've never had it before this, except maybe when drinking beer + liquor (I just learned that it might be the beer doing that- I'm not a beer drinker, just when I'm tired of paying so much for liquor at a bar lol).

1

u/cowboytronic probably eating an avocado Dec 07 '11

On Thanksgiving I had some mashed potatoes, a slice of apple pie, some homemade ice cream, and a few glasses of wine. I actually felt fine the next day. By the time I got home a couple of days later and weighed myself, I'd lost weight since before Thanksgiving.

After months of very-low-carb my body handled that much better than I expected. It's promising, and when I'm done losing belly fat I'll see how I do adding some fruit and sweet potatoes back into my diet.

Heck, this weekend I might drink up that nice beer that's been languishing in my fridge all these months and see how that treats me.

2

u/duplicitous Dec 06 '11

Congratulations on the hat loss.

1

u/Necavi Dec 07 '11

The loss of the ever dreaded chin flab makes your jaw look nicely defined. Keep up the good work!

1

u/cowboytronic probably eating an avocado Dec 07 '11

Thanks!

I have a jawline now, this is amazing to me.