Weight Loss Stories – Jimmy Lost 180 Pounds in 12 Months

Name: Jimmy
Age: 34
Family Status: Married without children (3 cats!)
Occupation: Customer Service Specialist and Freelance Writer
Hometown: Spartanburg, South Carolina
Pounds or Inches Lost: I lost 180 pounds!
Starting Weight: 410 pounds
Current Weight: 230 pounds

Jimmy’s Weight Loss Story!

When did you become unhappy with your weight?
I think if every overweight or obese person were being honest, they would answer that question with ALWAYS! But, for me, it was when I was substitute teaching in a 6th grade English class and heard the horrific comment, “Mr. Moore is fat!” from a pudgy little boy that I started feeling guilty about weighing as much as I did.

What made you decide to lose weight?
Enough was enough. I was on prescription medications for breathing, cholesterol, and hypertension and moving around was getting more and more challenging. Simple things like sitting in a booth at a restaurant, getting in and out of my car, or even walking from the parking garage to my office without sweating profusely and gasping for air was just plain pathetic. I was DETERMINED like never before to DO IT this time.

What were the most important changes you made to lose weight?
1. I got in the frame of mind that NOTHING was going to stand in the way of my success. No excuse was good enough to quit no matter how hard or challenging it got. I was going to make it happen and last forever! So far, so good! 2. Implement a healthy eating plan that would help me ward off hunger pangs that had made me so miserable on previous “diets,” eat delicious foods that I actually enjoyed consuming, and stop worrying about everything I had “heard” about healthy eating and instead doing the research for myself. The plan I used that gave me access to all of these things was the low-carb lifestyle. 3. EXERCISE! What I once thought was torture for the body is something I could now NEVER live without. I started off slow and worked my way up, but it has made an unbelievable difference not only in my weight, but in my mental well-being and overall health.

What was most challenging about losing weight?
Waiting for people to react to the weight loss. I lost 30 pounds the first month and 40 pounds the second month of my weight loss experience. Can you believe there was not even ONE single comment from anyone about it? It wasn’t until I passed 100 pounds lost before someone finally asked me, “Hey, have you lost a couple of pounds?” Uh, yeah, you could say that! LOL!

How long did it take you to start to see results?
In terms of seeing the scale go down, it was immediate. I lost 16 pounds in the first week, another 7 pounds in the second week and averaged about 4-5 pounds per week for the duration of my 180-pound weight loss.

How long did it take for you to reach your current weight?
One year. I started out weighing 410 pounds committing to my New Year’s resolution on January 1, 2004 and by December 31, 2004 I weighed 230 pounds. I have held within 5 pounds of that goal ever since.

How long have you maintained your weight loss and how do you do it?
It’s been 2 1/2 years since I started livin’ la vida low-carb. Since low-carb eating is what helped me lose weight, why change anything when it comes to maintaining? That doesn’t even make sense abandoning something that has worked so well. And I haven’t, which is why I have been able to maintain my weight loss so well.

How has your life changed now that you’ve lost weight?
You don’t have enough pages to fit into print everything that has changed in my life as a result of my weight loss. Let’s just say the quality of life is better than it has ever been and I am the healthiest I have been in my entire life! I’m completely off all prescription drugs and life is so much more meaningful to me now. I wrote a book about my experience called “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb” and maintain a popular weight loss blog at LivinLaVidaLowCarb.com where I seek to educate and encourage others who need to do something about their weight. I feel it is now my mission in life to share what happened to me to give overweight and obese people hope that they can overcome their weight problem just like I did!

How did ShapeFit help you reach your weight loss goals?
I admire the work that ShapeFit is doing to get the word out to people about healthy living. Whenever I am down and feel like giving in to temptation, going to ShapeFit.com and reading about the right thing to do is just what is needed to keep me focused and on track. It’s a lifesaver!

Jimmy’s Weight Loss Tips!

Weight loss tip #1:
Get serious and commit to losing weight for good!

Weight loss tip #2:
Find an eating plan that you can do for the rest of your life.

Weight loss tip #3:
Get your body moving on a daily basis to shake off those calories.

Weight loss tip #4:
Find support from family, friends, and co-workers who will be honest with you.

Weight loss tip #5:
NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER give up!

Jimmy’s Weight Loss Eating Plan!

Breakfast:
Eggs with cheese.

Lunch:
Turkey and cheese with a low-carb whole wheat wrap.

Dinner:
Chicken breasts, green beans, side salad with Ranch dressing.

Snacks or Mini Meals:
Low-carb, sugar-free chocolates and protein bars. Strawberries, blueberries with real whipped cream. Nuts, raw veggies, pepperoni slices, string cheese.

Jimmy’s Weight Loss Workouts!

Weight Training:
I did not start weight training until AFTER I lost weight, which in hindsight was a mistake on my part. However, I started training twice a week on weights working various part of my body. I’m still a work in progress with weight training.

Cardiovascular:
30-45 minutes on treadmill for the first six months. 45-60 minutes on elliptical ever since.

1. Prev:Weight Loss Stories – Jodie Lost 185 Pounds
2. Next:Weight Loss Stories – Jim Lost 75 Pounds and 16 Inches