In fact people who have been over weight for much of their lives have a lot more muscle tone than a person of average weight. As a result of that, when they exercise they burn calories faster.

That said, my jeans are definitely looser lately, so I must be doing something right. The Daily Plate app for my iPhone has totally changed the way I consume food- my calorie intake is way, way down just because I can punch something in and instantly see how much it'll cost me (and whether it's really worth it). I haven't even had much time to exercise lately, because I'm in an intensive training program for work- I'm looking forward to getting back home and getting back to a regular routine at the gym or signing up for a martial arts class or something.

Still, some girl checked me out in Barnes and Noble last night and started chatting to me. Never used to happen when I was fat. :)

Go Tyler!

Yeah. Who does that fat guy think he is, having a family and falling in love? Doesn't he know that fat people are repulsive and don't deserve healthy adult lives? Its like looks aren't even that important! Crazy town!

(Doc just told me to lose 35 pounds by August; that's pretty "inspiring," too.)

Bravo for Tyler! Heading over to the blog now....

/sarcasm

Anyway man, big props. That takes a lot of work to keep at it but sounds like you're doing great. Keep it up and enjoy the new life your taking on. Congrats!

I hope you realize that cane sugar vs. HFCS is a false choice. Cane sugar is primarily sucrose, which is just a fructose molecule and a glucose molecule stuck together in a disaccharride. i.e., cane sugar is 50% fructose when it breaks down in your body. This composition is similar to HFCS, which in most consumer products is 42%-55% fructose and the remainder is glucose.

You have to cut down on all sugars, not just the fructose.

That makes sense. And when you jump start it, it goes nuts.

I bet you can go longer to reach the 500 than when you started, too. That's awesome.

Looser pants?

baquwards. What you probably have is called insulin resistance, aka "pre-diabetes." I had the same symptoms. Guess what? Turned into a full-on case of Type 2 diabetes and now things are totally different (in a good/bad way. Good: finally got with the program and feel great and lost a ton; Bad: no more pasta, rice, pizza, etc). Ask your doc to check you specifically for insulin resistance.

And yes, everyone loses water along with fat. If you still eat poorly and don't exercise, you'll lose muscle as well.

You gotta hand it to him--he's doing something, and he's seeing results. Sure, he'll have to tweak things here and there as he gets closer to his goal. But gradual modification is a lot more sustainable than crash dieting and then giving up. Can't you even give him some props before you start the naysaying?

But you have to hand it to him--he's out there doing it!

But I do agree it would be good for him to check in with his doc every so often, just to be safe.

Long term weight loss is best done by slowly changing diet (if needed) and setting an exercise regimen that is sustainable over the long term. Once you convince your body that it only needs N calories a day and must get Y minutes of exercise a week, it's going to keep demanding pretty much forever.

@pecan 3.14159265: so true. I go the the gym every day and I run on the treadmill for 30 minutes (with a bum knee) and then the elliptical for an hour. Boy, the relief in my knee when I get on that elliptical is amazing.

I've been checking this guy's blog from time to time, as someone trying to lose weight himself, Tyler acts as an inspiration. Rock on.

54.6 pounds / 70 days (10 weeks) = 0.78 pounds per day.

.78 * 3500 (calories per pound of fat) => 2730 calorie deficit per day.

That's a mighty big calorie deficit to create, so pardon my slight skepticism.

/some of the weight lost was probably water weight.

I used to get low blood sugar about twice a day, I would get shaky and irritable. I have been tested over and over for diabetes and I don't have it. Since I cut out HFCS, especially in beverages, those low blood sugar incidents are few and far between and when they do start it is not a crash situation, they are easy to curb, no big fast drops, I can get from breakfast to lunch without the shakes now.

I could have written that first paragraph, it is exactly my philosophy. These "diets" where people deprive themselves of anything that tastes good are just doomed for failure plain and simple. Eat what you know is bad in moderation and figure out what are sometimes type foods and what are anytime kind of foods.

Feeling guilty because you ate something unhealthy is the fastest way to get off the track to better eating.

Good job Tyler! I wish you luck!

i don't know if i could go a full year without eating at any restaurant altogether - that's quite an ambitious goal! good luck to you.

I know it first hand. When I started on elliptical at 269, I'd hit 500 calories (yes, it's not accurate but an indicator of how well I'm pushing) well within 25-30 minutes at a good pace. Now if I want to try and reach 500 calories, I have to go 40 minutes or so at a higher level which I don't mind. That's much better then before.

@Outrun1986: I try to sut way back on anything with HFCS as well, and I have noticed a big difference in how I feel. If I eat something with HFCS in it now I can actually feel that I am off. Sugar is my arch-villan I love sweet stuff. I crave sugar like crazy, I got checked out just to make sure I wasn't becoming diabetic and my sugar was fine. I just have a massive sweet tooth..

/knows from experience too.

@WiglyWorm: I am at a plateu right now myself. I gave up soda and all sugary drinks with HFCS in them. I only drink water and this really good lemonade made with pure cane sugar. No exercise and I have lost over 30lbs. I am working on cutting out junk food except for 1-2 times a month as a treat. I already try to avoid fried foods. I am trying to actually excercise but its not easy going to school full time and working full time with a wife and baby. No time ..

That's very true, but someone who is that large is going to have difficulty, especially at first. They are carrying the equivalent of another person! Try exercising with someone else on your back, squeezing your lungs, etc.

The 92 minutes at once could have been dangerous but he may have separated a bit. I can't imagine him being able to do that much at once, no matter how motivated.

I also heard somewhere (maybe on one of those medical shows about obese people) that when the morbidly obese start losing, they tend to lose a lot at once. I don't know why or where I heard that.

Awesome!! Good for you!

I'm trying to eat better (I slipped today..oh well, I'm sick :P) and I just signed up for Body by Glamour. The exercises look not too hard and I can do them while I'm waiting for the damn weather to warm up so I can do my 20-minute walks around the block. Weee haaaa!

I am also trying to avoid restaurants, it may sound silly but I want to go a whole year without eating at a restaurant. That doesn't count small portions of ok foods from places like Subway and Taco bell where you can eat healthy if you are careful (and look up the nutritional information to avoid the hidden calories before you eat it).

What do I get?

Congrats! I think that the difference is eating "real food" I have also all but eliminated HFCS, and eat very few processed foods.

I am getting healthier every day and i feel better.

@Blinky987: I would if I weren't, ya know, 6 months pregnant and all. But thanks for the tip ;-)

I lost 20 pounds in the last 6 months, not because I starved myself or took pills, but just through exercise and carefully monitoring my diet. I use FitDay.com to keep track of what I eat and how many calories I burn - it's a free online food and exercise calculator.

The use of the elliptical will probably help in terms of being relatively low-impact, but please, do be careful. If you go from no exercise to lots and lots very suddenly, it's possible to screw up your tendons something awful (and having screwed up my post-tibial tendon in an unrelated fashion, I definitely do not recommend screwing up your tendons).

my channel pika23 on youtube, I have a weight loss journal video that I do most every day except this week since my cam is wonky.

@kingzilch: Peter Griffin, is that you?

That much weight loss in that short period of time can be dangerous without the proper supervision. If you're going to be active physically, don't be lazy intellectually.

@mythago:
I was thinking the same thing. The outcome is fantastic, no doubt, but hopefully Tyler keeps an eye on his overall health! The journey to being physically fit is a marathon, not a sprint.

But, great work nonetheless, Tyler. It is truly an inspiration to many!

i've never heard of losing weight by sitting on the desk surfing the net, but this guy has totally turned it upside down and helped himself out

way to freaking go man! stick to it and keep on loosing those pounds! you surely have some kick ass will power!

/knows from experience

There are plenty of "in shape" yet over-weight people in the world. Over weight does not automatically equal sedentary, with the dynamics between caloric intake versus calories burned, matched with metabolism, and physical fitness versus physical appearance it is quite a simple minded assumption to make.

"You can't play catch with your kid when you get winded running to the end of the driveway, right?"

I got myself a big dog - husky/shephard mix and started walking him an hour each night. I've lost 25 lbs since December. The exercise is good for both of us. I haven't had to change my eating either, but the more I lose, the less I want to eat.

Way to go but I wonder how he got his wife pregnant at 344 pounds, Geez!

@KeyboardPillow_GitEmSteveDave: It's called plateauing.

I've been in a weight plateau for about, 10 years or so. Damn my big bones.

@KeyboardPillow_GitEmSteveDave: I will take your advice to heart, and raise my mug to you.

Of course, a small child can induce lots of exercise once they start crawling.

I was trying to find a reason to avoid the gym, but not now. It's off to they gym, the elliptical, and better health. You are my inspiration today.

Thanks!

I love the ellipticals because they are so low impact compared to treadmills and stair climbers. My knees ache just thinking about those machines. I can go and go on one of those for a very long time. 90 minutes though!? That's a VERY long time, especially for someone at his weight. Excellent job sir, keep up the good work and you'll be running laps around your kid!

Ha.

...

Now I feel fat. Time to get the bike out.

Tell the diet pill and crazy weight loss gimmick people to kiss your rear! All it takes is hard work to loose weight. If you lost 5 pounds, you can loose 5 more. Just take it in steps.

I actually saw a woman on the news once who was told that she had to loose 25 pounds before she could get bariatric surgery. She lost the 25 pounds and figured that if she lost that 25 pounds she could loose 25 more and decided not to get the surgery. She ended up loosing 200 lbs on her own. Pretty good story.

Great work Tyler! And *_GetEmSteveDave, get back to work! Don't be one of those guys who "used to" do stuff. If walking helped you lose weight make walking a part of your daily life. It's the lifestyle changes that really keep you fit.

This reminds me that I should start walking more often, like I used to do....

Don't get discouraged if your metabolism figures out what you're doing and puts on the breaks. You might start to plateu, but you won't stop losing all together.

@verucalise: I know, right? Those machines are HARD WORK. I can't imagine doing it that long.

AWESOME TYLER. Rock the FUCK ON.

92 MINUTES?!!? Those elliptical machines can make a grown man drop to his knees, ball up into the fetal position, and cry for their mommy.... Talk about your ass spontaneously combusting into flames.

Oh wait, that was me, last time I went to the gym.