Back in August I wrote a post sharing my goal of losing 30 in 3 months. I stated in that post that at the end of the 3 months I would post my result, including before and after pictures, regardless of the outcome. The results post was supposed to be published on November 29, 2018, but as usual I am a bit behind on getting the post up.
I will warn you now that both the before and after pictures are not pretty. I am rather fat in both the before and after pics. If you don’t want to see a half-naked fat guy you should stop reading now and not scroll down the page any further. You have been warned.
To get straight to the point I did not meet my goal of losing 30 pounds in 3 months. I managed to lose 18.4 pounds in 3 months. I went from 224.8 pounds at the start to 206.4 pounds at the end. I also went from 30.2% body fat to 25.7% body fat. My BMI dropped below 30 which means I am officially no longer obese, I’m just really overweight. Although this was well short of my goal I am still pleased to have lost that much weight.
The first couple of months in Thailand I was losing weight pretty steadily. I was a little behind the pace needed to lose 30 pounds, but I was still on pace to lose almost 25 pounds. However, my weight loss plateaued in November.
My weight loss was achieved with a combination of intermittent fasting, a morning HIIT workout, an afternoon swim, and lots of walking. After the first week of November I moved out of my apartment in Chiang Mai to a hotel with no fitness center or swimming pool. This resulted in a large dropoff in my amount of exercise. Once I returned to the U.S. I continued to not exercise and I also indulged in quite a few foods that I had missed while in Thailand. Not surprisingly, I didn’t lose any weight the last couple of weeks in November.
Below are my before and after weight loss pics.
Although I still have a big gut, it isn’t quite as massive in the after pics. The man boobs are also a little smaller. The biggest difference was that I lost some weight from my face which I think made a pretty big change in my appearance.
The shorts I wore in the before pic are now way too big for me. While I was in Thailand I had to take an elastic band and tie two belt loops of the shorts together so I could wear them without them falling down while I was walking.
I have actually gained a couple pounds already this month. Although I have gotten back on track with my intermittent fasting, I haven’t gotten back into the exercise habit. I need to start exercising consistently and eat better so I can start losing weight again. The fact that I lost quite a bit of weight in Thailand proves I can lose weight. I just need to do the actions necessary to lose the weight. I’m not going to set a new weight loss goal, instead I will set goals to develop exercise and eating habits that will result in losing weight.
Congrats on losing weight even if you did not meet your goal. Losing weight is not meant to be easy and all that matters is that you are making strides in the right direction.
Thanks, I am going to keep working on losing more weight.
Hey, the goal is just a target. You might have missed the dead center but you hit the big circle. That’s a big deal, most everyone else your age is gaining every year and you are shrinking. Be proud of it, you did something rare!
Thanks, I’m going to keep working on losing more weight.
That’s awesome that you lost some weight… significant amount even if you didn’t hit your goal. It reminds me when I visited Ecuador for 3 weeks. Maybe stepping away from your routine helps?
Thanks. It is much easier for me to lose weight when I’m outside the U.S. I’ve already gained a bit since returning. I’m going to have to start a new routine here to start losing weight again.
It’s weird how much overlap there is between losing weight and sticking to a budget. Both require willpower… but it’s so satisfying to meet goals in either.
Cheers!
Yes, they do both require willpower. Sticking to a budget requires less willpower for me though.
I think I have to agree.