This is me at 301 Pounds
http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/3454/mohawk2gr3.jpg


Hey guys, my name is Dustin and ever since 5th grade ive been the heavier kid in class, every apt. at the doctors office i was told i was overweight, but if i didnt gain anymore and got taller it would go away. we'll my last year in middle school i fractured my knee, i went from playing all the sports offered to becoming an internet athlete. well 5 years later im 6'1" and 301 Pounds(as of last sunday)

Last saturday i had a life altering experience, i woke up one morning and decided enough was enough. I wanted to be normal, have friends, go to college, and have a well and healthy life.

I checked my BMI online and it said 40, i looked at the chart and it said i was considered morbidly obese. Fuel to my fire some might say. Ive been busting my ass this week, and have maintained my life style change.

I have lost roughly 25 pounds on a 'diet' i was doing, but im done with diets. Ive come to realize diet is the wrong thing for me, i need a complete lifestyle change.

ive been browsing the forums since sunday and finally decided to join up, basically because im looking for some support, friends, and motivation. And its nice to be around others struggling with the same problem you have, out in society i feel as im the only fat guy alive and everyones always looking at me.

So im finally doing something about it.

Morning Dustin,

welcome to the WLF. First off... sweet hawk!
Anyways, congrats to you for starting a whole new healthy lifestyle. You may want to read over ALL of the stickied threads here at the site. They answer a lot of questions inregards to fitness and nutrition. Also, I'm sure you've noticed there are so many people willing to help here, so if you have questions, don't be afraid to ask. Go ahead and start yourself up a food journal, if you need something to keep you accountable. You can also log all of your food at either FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal or Free Diet Plans at SparkPeople The best part, it's free. WOOT! Good luck with your weight loss.

-Sheryl

Welcome aboard Dustin.

Sounds like you are committed to change, which is great. You say you are going to throw the 'diet' mentality out the window. Might I ask what your plan is for losing the weight?

I'll join in with the welcoming committee .

Maybe they're all looking at the mohawk rather than the fat?! LOL Just kidding.

Keep us posted with what you're doing, and don't make the common mistake of going to extremes to get the weight off (usually eating way too little calories).

Current stats.
-6'1"
-291 Pounds
-extremely unhappy

The reason why i say im not calling this a diet is because to me, Dieting is a temporary thing people do to lose weight, often resulting in the weight being put back on. What most people would consider me doing a diet, i dont consider because i plan on eating healthy, and right from this point foward in my life. No fall backs, resets, or relapses (crosses fingers) I was reading that if you do something so many times in a row it becomes a habit, im using this tactic for my life. Exercise, eating healthy, no fast food, or soft drinks. Im pretty ADHD so it helps being off soft drinks and such anyway.


I actually just shaved my hawk off and i have a picture of me at my heaviest here somewhere.

And i do look a lot fatter without my mohawk haha i miss it!

http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/9645/p1000437im2.jpg

Well that's a great mentality. What are you doing in terms of exercise, if anything?

Everyday i walk/jog a mile in the morning, and then a mile in the afternoon.
(14 Miles a week)
Mon-Wed-Fri (situps/pushups)

Once i lose more weight i plan on adding a more vigorous work out regiment.
I have a buddy that is trying to go pro in body building and he constantly sends me invites to go to the gym. Once im more comfortable with my body i plan on taking him up on his offer.

Good start.

Instead of just pushups and situps, I'd do some sort of circuit using just bodyweight.... think squats, lunges, pushups, etc.

Interesting. Pro bodybuilders use drugs. All of them. Unless you are talking about pro on a particular natural circuit.

If he is looking to go pro in an un-tested division, I'd stay away from training 'his way.'

No offense meant to him.

Oh i dont plan on training his way, i just plan on using him as my buddy to go to the gym with. He does take alot of different things. I dont even like taking asprin lol, so i wont have to worry about that ^_^

With that mentallity you will do great. I liked the mohawk. Some people don't look so good in them, but on others it does. I think it looked good on you. Stay motivated, you will look amazing when you are at goal!
Cathy

Haha, good, and I gotcha.

Bodybuilders who are 'on' don't follow the same physiological rules as us mortals, haha. But what irks me is you'll find many of these bodybuilders preaching about how to train, which is completely fallacious.

But it sounds like you understand.

Best to ya man, and look forward to watching your progress.

Thanks man! I was curious as to how tall you are?

I'm 6 foot.

Alright cool man. another question, i know the goal is .5-2 pounds a week loss, so why is it that my first week ive lost this much? Im sure this is going to slow down, although i do like it

Does this happen to everyone on their first week of lifestyle change?
Its pretty motivational regardless!

As soon as the ipod gets done charging its game on, i just watched a video on proper lunge technique so im going to try that today as well.

Also steve i was wondering how long you've been on your weight loss journey, and if you started lifting during, after, or right before hitting your weight loss goal. thanks man

Everyone responds to the stress of dieting differently.

That said, most do notice a quick drop in the initial stages. The secret is managing your expectations. These quick numbers shouldn't be expected forever. And even consistent weight loss should be expected forever. Instead of expecting constant weight loss, the goal should be expecting plateaus and knowing that change in your approach is inevitable b/c of these plateaus.

Great!

This might burst your bubble, but I was never fat. I was quite the opposite: Grossly thin. I still have a very small bone structure. I've just worked relentlessly for years on end to pack on weight. Either approach, fat loss or muscle gain, simply takes consistency and dedication.

I primarily work with overweight individuals and in a vast majority of the cases, they start out with resistance training being a part of their program.