No Longer Medically Considered Obese

Am I really, finally making a progress post…? I see so many people on this sub share their victories and achievements and it’s honestly the most motivating part of hanging out here. I have fantasized about being one of those progress posts ever since I found this sub. I want to be the guy who posts the before and after pictures showing a completely different person who absolutely killed it and changed their life forever and will go on to undoubtedly live a happier and healthier life. Well, this is not that post, I’m afraid, but this is the first major milestone I’ve hit and I’m over-the-moon with excitement, motivation and tempo.

In September I was told I needed to start taking cholesterol medication, and I needed to change my annual doctor visits to every six months or more to monitor my blood sugars because I was “entering into pre-diabetic territory.” Blood pressure issues were also a concern to monitor, as well as many other not-fun-at-all-to-talk-about factors to be on the lookout for. All of my yearly checkups in my life have been mostly fine, with the attitude following a “work on this stuff, get these numbers down a bit, but you’re alright” kind of vibe. In the single year from my previous checkup to this one, everything became a major issue all at once. Big lesson here: Your health is not a gradient. That shit can and will just fall off of a cliff without warning.

Now, I hate medication. I hate pills, and I certainly am not a fan of requiring chemical assistance to survive. Surviving under the constant threat of a heart attack, stroke, diabetes, or anything else isn’t my idea of a great way to live, either, especially because I consider myself way too young to be even talking about this stuff (I’m only 39M, btw). So I bargained with the doctor like a grieving spouse at a church. The deal we came up with was that even though he wanted me to start taking the medication immediately, he wouldn’t push the issue for 3 months and scheduled another checkup for this morning. If I could show real, tangible progress towards taking care of these issues with lifestyle changes, he would continue to be passive about the medications until the numbers got in line with what is considered “healthy” or “normal.”

I started ADF and counting calories a few days later. For electrolytes I pretty much followed the wiki exactly on my fasting days, and after a few weeks or so I was able to keep my calories on my non-fasting days slightly under maintenance level. That’s it. I figured I would crank it up later, but I don’t really see the need to do so. At least not yet.

Today’s checkup was as eye-opening as the last, but this time in a good way. Let’s go over some general stuff here:

Starting weight 272, current weight 238.

Starting BP 157/92, current BP 125/82.

I didn’t get the exact numbers or what represents this stuff, but starting out pre-diabetic, currently not a concern.

Again, didn’t get the exact numbers but triglycerides were at a level begging for medication, now, again, currently not a concern.

Here’s the biggest one for me, though, my BMI. My bodyfat percentage was said to be around 39% at my last visit, which is in that oh-so-gross “obese” range, knocking on the door of the even-more-gross “morbidly obese” range. Today it was measured at 28%. “Overweight.” OVERWEIGHT.

Guys, I’m overweight! I’ve never been happier. Doctor was obviously very taken aback by all of this, and told me to keep doing what I’m doing and he’ll see me again in March to check in again. I’m excited to keep going, and I anxiously await my next doctor’s visit to see how much more progress I can make.

If you read all the way here, I thank you. I know this is very rambly and ranty, I’m just super excited and wanted to share a milestone and a bit of my story with some like-minded folks who might be going through a similar situation. That moment when your doctor’s expression is happily baffled is so worth all of the effort, stick to your goals and shock the world, everybody!