Started getting healthy again back on September 27, 2017. As of about noon today I am just a couple of pounds of hitting the 100lbs lost mark since then. Will hit that mark within a week with no problems. Been a lot of sweat, lot of hours at the gym, a lot of miles, eating clean and just taking better care of myself. I have done it all naturally as well. Eating healthy is the easy part.
Feeling great again and well worth the effort. Got about 15-20 more pounds to get to my goal and then its all about maintaining that weight. Not gonna be an issue at all as I do not want to ever have to lose it again. Learned my lesson from past mistakes.
Also my wife started working on it as well a couple of months before me. She did not have near as much to lose but she has done extremely well in her journey. She looks amazing. We have been married 26 years and have a great relationship still today but the time we share together at the gym has definitely been great for our marriage. Quality time together doing something we both love. Very blessed and thankful for it all.

Good job! I know that�s hard to do.

that is a great testimony
i know several couples
including myself
who re-kindled
their relationship
because of weight loss & lifestyle change

way to go dude

CONGRATS! You have a story to tell. Motivation wanes but discipline keeps you going. Glad to see it has had carry over to other parts of your life.

THAT is dedication and hard work.

Stay the course Mark and congrats to both of you on your accomplishments.

Congrats!

Good job Mark! Keep it up!

Thanks...It's actually fun getting back in shape. If I can anyone at all don't hesitate to ask. Our bodies are all different but I will share what has worked for me. Thanks again

Wow Mark that is insane weight loss - and to say you did that naturally is something that I have never heard of in my life. 100 pounds in 5 months!!! That is 25 weeks...4 pounds a week (stand back boys I did that without a calculator).

Amazing sir -

When I hit my weight goal I am going to list the total hours working out or running, total estimated calories burned and total distance. I average about 16-18hrs per week of working out. It's not always easy to get it in. Sometimes I hit the gym late at night or super early in morning. For me its about accountability. I had to put that much effort in to create a daily caloric deficit to get to my goal. I eat pretty clean 99% of the time. I really stay away from anything processed or refined if I can. We eat a paleocentric style most of the time.
The people around me will attest to how I have done it naturally. My Dr. I have seen for over 25 years says I'm literally am in that 5% of the population that can shed weight quickly. Being a Firefighter/paramedic and driving apparatus I can't take anything like a stimulant etc. I also do not care to do so on a personal level. Was not a fan of the surgeries available either. I have just focused on doing it safely and getting fit. The time was just a byproduct. Glad it's happened that fast but I still have a lot of work to do to stay healthy.

I just don't think about how hard it is I just go do it. I hold myself accountable and put my time in even when my motivation is low. To me its just a matter of staying the course.

Wild. 100lbs is a lot of weight. Congrats!

Wow Mark!! Great job man.

I have been loosing about 2#s a week and I thought that was hard. Amazing work.

Keep it up!

What were the diet changes that impacted your weight loss the most?

Really hard question to pinpoint just one thing but I am a firm believer that you cannot outwork your diet. I really focus on cutting out anything other than natural sugars in regard to sugar, I really try to avoid processed foods, really limit my bread intake. I still eat dairy usually in yogurt, small amounts of cheese on sandwiches etc and eat smaller portions. Every couple of weeks I might splurge and eat out but its usually at McAllister's, Panera etc when I do. I don't eat much of anything fried. I am a big fan of smoked turkey breast from Rudy's. I buy a lb or so a week and eat it in lettuce wraps instead of using bread for lunch. Try to keep it in the refrigerator at all timesas its so handy and fairly natural. Lots of good things I can still eat I just eat less of them. Wife pretty well cooks with all coconut based products for oil, flour etc. We use honey to sweeten things when needed, We just pay attention to what we call hidden calories in things like dressings, drinks and such. I drink a ton of water which is excellent to help lose weight. You are more full and a hydrated body simply functions better.
I initially started out trying to stay under 2000 calories per day when I was pushing 340lbs. As I lost weight and really stepped up the workouts I allowed myself to take in a few more clean calories to help with recovery etc. Its a fine line though. I snack on fresh fruit normally and try to eat as balanced as I can. I also try not eat past 7:30-8:00PM if I can help it.

To me you gotta have the eating right coupled with a good level of exercising to see the best results. They go hand in hand. I cannot stress enough that all bodies are different and results will vary for everyone. There really is no magic potion, its just staying on top of what you eat and then putting working out pretty high on priority list. There are times it sucks to get up a lot earlier or to work out late at night but with all I have on my plate with my family right now I simply have to work around their Dr. visits, chemo treatments and pharmacy runs. I also still work like most people and have all the stuff that goes with that. some days I catch myself coming and going...LOL
I just try to take advantage of whatever time I get whenever I get it to work out. not to mention its a great stress reliever. It all goes hand in hand.

The biggest key to me is adjusting your "want to". You have to really want to do it. It simply has to be a priority. At least it is that way with me. I don't feel as if I am missing much when it comes to eating. I really have no cravings and to me its perfectly natural to eat like I do. I don't starve myself or get too extreme. I just eat as clean as I can as much as I can. its that simple.

Way to go man!

Impressive. Congrats to both you and your wife.

Factored in with the active lifestyle this is a WINNING COMBO for a long healthy life!

Eating right and working out 18 hours a week will do it....but its hard to do. I am sure you can attest to that.

Must be a way of life to make the dramatic change - your doctor does not have any concern with dropping weight that fast?

So amazing....big league commitment for sure and certainly helps to have your wife on board no doubt!

Congrats Mark!

Mark,
Very proud of you, the diet is difficult for some people myself included. What does your typical breakfast consist of Oatmeal, eggs or a special high protein?

Also are you doing cardio before weights or after? I am trying to find a happy medium...

I have gotten up to 250 pounds, I have to get back to 215 or less if I want to get back into a uniform...

SO AWESOME MARK!!!!! What a story. Keep on keeping on brother!!!

I usually have a banana, couple spoons of homemade peanut butter and protein shake. Never been a big breakfast guy so my goal is to get something in my stomach to get the day going. First thing I do though before I eat is drink a glass/bottle of cold water. Eat then throughout the day I also drink another 4 glasses or so. Last thing before I go to bed is to drink a glass as well. I am a big fan of staying hydrated. Just feel a lot better when I am. I drink water as needed when working out. I will change up breakfast a bit here and there but that is my usual. Sometimes I will eat an orange and a few slices of smoked turkey instead of the banana.
I let hunger be my judge in regards to eating more or less each day.

I like cardio first to get warmed up etc. Sometimes I will do cardio before and after. I just let me body tell me how its going each day in that regard. I will say I am doing more cardio than lifting probably. I use the elevation feature on the treadmill as well as the stairmaster when I want a true fat burning session.Also getting more into HIIT as well though I am just a novice and sticking with the basics.

Some weeks its a bit less, others its about 18hrs. Just depends on what I have going on and my mood when I get to the gym. I have had the same Dr. for over 25 years and trust him 100%. He has no issue with it or if he does he has not mentioned it to me. He is not a fan of surgeries, fad diets or stimulants. He prefers his patients use sweat equity to lose it if they are physically capable.

Its definitely hard to maintain that schedule but again it is how I have to approach it if I want to be succesful. I truly believe in the words that Eric Thomas speaks when he says you have to want it more than you want to breathe. Goes with anything that takes effort in life. If you want it you got to be willing to do the work to get it. I get asked a lot how I do it and honestly I think most want a shortcut or a magic bullet...there really are none.

Firstly, you are to be commended on your weight loss story.....so did you put all your weight back on from the first time you lost so much weight, several years back? I didn't think you had 200lbs on ya. If you lost 100lbs again, you would weigh 100lbs. Don't think that is the case....I enjoy reading about your journey. You are a very dedicated and motivated individual when you put your mind to doing something. I'm 57, and each year gets harder to lose weight for me. Last year, I had a phenomenal year in my books...started at 259 and got to 229. Although, now I weigh 238. Holiday was not good this year, but trying to get back at it. Skiing injury over Christmas has limited my workouts but I'm getting over the everyday pain, so fixing to hit it again. Positive results for me for weight loss is eat less, exercise more, drink lots of water and do not eat after 7pm at night.

Keep up the great work and keep posting....you may be inspiring more people than you think.

I did initially lose a lot of weight back in 2012. I kept it off pretty well till around summer of 2016. It started creeping back up and I kept procrastinating as far as getting back in the gym. Then 2017 hit and we had probably our roughest year as a whole family. Lost too many family members and some close friends etc last year. Just seemed every week someone passed away or had something bad going on. I kept procrastinating and put a lot of that initial weight back on. Poor eating habits and laziness on my part. I had to own that and admit that I needed to do something about it so I did.

I don't feel as if its been as hard to lose this time as the first time. i think I learned a lot from that first experience. More importantly I learned that just because the weight comes off does not mean the fight is over.It will be something I have to keep a close eye on for the rest of my life.

I am wired a certain way in that when I set my mind to do something I don't really see obstacles and don't get caught up in a lot of self doubt. I just work at it till I get to where I want to be. More times than not it works for me.

Not to sound funny but there is a line from a song I really like that relates to the way I see things like this....

All you have is your fire
And the place you need to reach

Just sums it all up for me.

And just in time for bikini season!

That's quite the accomplishment, very awesome and motivating.

At one time last summer I'd broke 60lbs lost, from when I started in Jan of 16. I've started a new job, and it should allow for alittle more work out time, along with being a whole lot more active throughout the day, goal is to break the 200 mark by Aug, that'd be 70.

I bet you reach your goal without any issues at all.

Didn't you go through a massive weight loss some years back?

Brian and Mark great work guys.

Very inspiring. I set out to lose 35lbs and am well on my way. That sounded daunting at the start but what you guys have done is really impressive and makes that seem easy.

I am about half way to my goal and I know I can finish it. If yall can do it... #METOO ha ha

Answered that earlier in post.