Before Surgery - October 20th, 2010

Hi guys,
Here it is. My first official before blog about my weight and my size. This blog is not for the faint of heart and I am warning you. What you see might scar you for the rest of your life. I am doing this for me. I want to see how I progress throughout the months and this blog will be done on a monthly basis. So here I am from head to toes!


Measurements

October 20th, 2010
Weight:       415 pounds (estimate as my scale only goes to ~407 pounds)
Neck:           19 1/2"
Chest:          57 1/4"
Waist:          59 1/2"
Left Arm:     18 1/4"       Right Arm:   19 3/4"
Left Thigh:   33 1/2"       Right Thigh: 33 1/2"
Left Calf:      20 1/2"       Right Calf:    21"


Pictures

Fully Clothed Shot


Front Shot


Muscle - Front Shot


Side Shot


Back Shot


Muscle - Back Shot


Gut Shot (Sorry but I had to)


Me and my Lover - Reach Around Shot


Until next month folks...

What a courageous guy to post those before pictures ! I really love the one with your girlfriend, it's so cute to see you two like that...It will be cool to redo this picture in a few months, it will sure have change!
The measurements are a great tool to help us realized how much we've changed... I just measured myself yesterday and the results are incredible : I lost 18 in. at the waist, 21 in. at the hips ( almost 2 feet!!!) and 12. in at the thigh ( can you believe, 1 foot in one thigh !!!)

You'll be amazed too how much your body will change, these pictures will tell you!

That's exactly what I wanted. I want to be accountable for what I do. No more hiding. This is who I am and this is what I look like. Am I happy about it? No. Do I want to change? Yes. So here I am laying it on the line. For the world to see. I want to change to be healthier and I want to be able to go back and look and these pictures to remember what it was like and how I don't want to go back to that. Like you told Sarah, sometimes the weight doesn't come off but the body changes. These measurements will help me track all of it.

I will be starting a video blog as well shortly. I always wanted to track my journey via video to know exactly how I feel at that time. It's the way of the future and I want to stick with the times.

Good for you Derek !! You are on your way !

I love the idea of a video blog and I agree being accountable definetly makes all the difference for me. Even when I was dieting, the accountability in weigh****chers kept me going.

I can't wait to see some in progress shots and after shots !!

Hi Cindy,
Thanks for the support! I still haven't bought my HD Webcam yet but I think I will be purchasing one tonight.

The accountability thing really worked for me in the past too. I was followed very closely when I was doing the Dr. Bernstein diet. I got weighed-in every 2 days and got urine samples to make sure I was in Ketosis so no cheating was tolerated. I was doing so good! I know I can do it again! 

This is a great start... recognizing where we are and showing our desire to change it the most important part. As we all now, if you are not ready mentally, you are going for a failure.

I am very happy for you.

Thanks for supporting me Nathalie! There's nothing more real then statistics and the more I have the better it will look like in the long run.

Derek

 I sooo wish I hadn't been scared to take those kinds of before pictures!  I am taken in the middle ones.  I also never took before measurements because sadly a tape measure wasn't long enough to go all the way around me!

You will be amazed in a few months when you go back and compare!!  

P.S.  I too think the pic of you and your girlfriend at the end is adorable!

-Sarah

Thanks Sarah. 

I knew I would regret it afterwards if I didn't take any pictures so I had to take some. Oh  and trust me the tape measurer wasn't big enough for me either; we had to use a string and measure it against the tape measurer. Not exactly 100% legit numbers but for now it'll do.

Thanks for the comment about the pic of me and my girlfriend. I really like that one too.

Derek

Derek,
This is a great idea and very courageous. It shows how far you've come already in the journey. It comes to a point where we just want to be utterly honest with oneself and that is the beginning of the change process. Hats off to you. I also think you handsome. You have an infectious way about you and that smile......I too love the pic with your girlfriend!