Anyone that knows me knows that fitness/diet/weight has been a big part (struggle) of my life for well, all of it really. I've been in fantastic shape and I've been in not so great shape. I've always been a big guy. Husky, thick, call it what you will. In the past year and a half or so I've gone from 282 pounds (the heaviest I've ever been) to 250 (this past summer) and although I'm still chunky I'm in good shape for how big I am. Anyway, I thought I'd share a snippet of data with y'all. I love and am fascinated by numbers, data, trends, etc.

I weighed in this morning at 265 pounds. I know, I know - that's a lot of pounds, BUT I was 267 on 1/2/18 so it is a small step in the right direction. Here's the crazy part though - On 10/23/17 I weighed 257 pounds. I went from 257 to 267 in 9 weeks, and in that time period I ran (jogged) 98 miles and lifted 41 times. ***I RAN 98 MILES and lifted 41 times AND STILL GAINED 10 POUNDS IN 9 WEEKS!!!!!*** That's crazy. And depressing, but mostly crazy. Point to all this is you cannot out-train a bad diet. I went off the rails, intake-wise, through the holidays: desserts, eggnog, you name it - I ate or drank it. I've had a very slow start to exercising so far this year. I've lifted 4 times and jogged once (3 miles). So in contrast to working my butt off and gaining weight, in the past two weeks I've basically done next to no exercise, and still lost weight.

I know that we've got to have a balance or diet and exercise, but I was going back and looking at data and I was just dumbfounded at those numbers. SO - all that to say - if others are struggling with fitness goals (not resolutions...I don't like resolutions) keep it up. Be mindful of what you're taking in. Food-wise, I've kept it simple:

- Drink water, and lots of it.
- If I have coffee, drink it black with nothing added.
- Drink nothing else (soda, tea, etc. just means empty calories...FAT).
- Snack on fruits and veggies.
- Eat a piece of fruit or two instead of dessert (this one's big for me).
- CUT BACK ON CARBS! I can plow through a pile of pasta or bowl of rice like it's nothing. Carbs are necessary, but I tend to go overboard. Choose protein or veggies instead of (more) carbs.

Keep it up. It is possible. It's a numbers game. Work hard in the gym and be smart about what you eat, and you will lose weight. [i][/i]

I've got to lose weight as well. I'm bigger than I've ever been and I feel like CRAP!

You have to remember if your lifting. It’s not about how much you weigh. You have to look at inches lost. You may be gaining muscle and loosing fat and scale go up. But be much leaner.

This is true. I have gotten been bumping up my lifts and can definitely tell a boost in strength, so that's nice.

“Caffeine + nicotine= protein”

-Jon Daly

Hahaha you mean this guy, right?

I need to do the same mcninja. I am proud of you.

That’s right. The man, the myth, the legend.

He's an entertaining dude, for sure.

I guage my progress by my belt notches.

I MUST lose weight this year. I have developed Meralgia Prosthetica and it's getting worse seemingly by the day.

Had to google that. Doesn't sound fun.

I’m 6’4” and weigh 258-259. That’s down from 266 on October 1 and down from 287 in high school (07).

My simple advice for someone our size is track your macros. Might not be getting enough protein. But watch it all as well.

You said it, Mcninja! "Can't outrun that diet!"

It is 90% nutrition and 10% training. Bodies are built in the kitchen, then sculpted in the gym. And it's SO much more than weight or inches, we're talking vascular health, hormonal, everything.

If it has a "food label", it ain't food.

Nuts and veggies are better snacks than fruit in my opinion. Fruit has a lot of simple carbs whereas nuts have a lot of good fats and protein.

Yes sir, absolutely, agreed...BUT I've found that I have better discipline with fruit. I can satiate my hunger/craving/boredom by having a banana and then stop, whereas if I start eating almonds, I'll just keep plowing them until they're gone. But yes, point taken.

You can't outrun a bad diet is true but if you're like me, you may put on muscle mass easily and that may cause your weight gain. I haven't been to the gym in 10 years but the last time I was a regular, I started at 235 lbs. Lifting and doing treadmill and/or elliptical each, 5 days a week. 18 months later, I weighed 267. Now I'm heavier than that, but it's fat gain. Regardless of whether it's fat or muscle, it's still hard to carry around that much weight.

I just need to drop fat, not gain muscle. Muscle is still hard to carry around.

Weight is an independent risk factor for health, and lots of experts think that "fat but fit" is a myth....

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317546.php

Eat for fat, lift weights for muscle. Cardio/HIIT and a strict diet will have you shredding pounds and not gaining much muscle.

True stuff! Being an insurance agent, I've had applicants get "rated up" for being body builders!!! Extremely low body fat %, but the height-to-weight ratio is the issue. Pounds are pounds, and 5-9 guys shouldn't weigh 225 even if they're body builders. That heart is still having to work under extreme load!