Official Weight Loss Support Group

[BailOut]

My story is not dramatic at all but I am still proud of it.

2.5 years ago, at the age of 34, I quit smoking and once my taste buds were functioning properly again I experienced a newfound love of food. Many things I could not stand before I began to love, and I experimented with all kinds of food. Over time I went from being chronically underweight at 5'8" and 120-125 pounds to filling out to 140. I was already active (snowboarding, mountain biking, etc.) so the weight went into all the right places.

My wife was all for a change in our diet so as our experimentation grew we were having a grand time of it, but one day I stepped out of the shower and glanced in the large mirror nearby, and I saw my father: average build but with a gut sticking out. It caught me off guard and I was not at all happy. I weighed in at 147 pounds, my highest ever.

I had to ponder how this had happened and I soon realized that while we were actually eating much healthier than before, and we weren't eating any more often than before, that our portion sizes had steadily gotten larger over several months. We share the cooking and cleaning responsibilities but I usually get the utensils and napkins and drinks ready while my wife serves the food. I immediately asked her to cut my portion sizes by 25%.

With that diet adjustment and my activity level it only took a few weeks for me to get back down to 140, and my flat stomach came right back. I have found that I can safely go to 142, but that any additional pound over that goes straight to my gut. As such I know that I am just a few too many hearty meals away from having a belly, and that if I drop my activity level someday I will also need to cut back on my food intake.

I don't have any revealing pictures from during that time as it was during the cold months, but here's an after shot from 3 weeks ago, now age 36, reposted from another thread: