What made you feel good today?

[Olbucko]

Driving 200 km and back to take an Old Boy to the Doctors in Sydney to get his pacemaker checked out.
I work occasionally as a volunteer driver for the local council. The only downside is that I have to drive a Kia Carnival.

[Vincenzo]

This - I wish the Darwin Symphony Orchestra would do something like this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbJcQYVtZMo


Cheers Vincenzo

[MITCHAY]

Well I've been on the patches for the last week. They have not made a massive difference but I if I smoke one or two less a day than I would have it is still on the right path.

I weighed in under 100kgs at a low of 99.1 this week. Definitely moving in the right direction. I reckon once I get myself back into cardio I'd smash an extra 10-20kgs by the end of the year. If only it was not so boring

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by Vincenzo

This - I wish the Darwin Symphony Orchestra would do something like this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbJcQYVtZMo


Cheers Vincenzo

I would have thought that up there it would be a Sympathy orchestra

I don't think they could be really called a 'Flash Mob' but still sounded good for an outdoor venue.

I thought the next one in the playlist, Ravel's Bolero, lent itself more to the 'Flash Mob' label. As the music builds up more players join in.

[Vincenzo]

Apart from the song choice, it's the look on people's faces, especially the young ones that I like the most, everyone is enjoying themselves.

Cheers Vincenzo

[FPVS3]

Managed to do a nice landing at Heathrow. Means I'm a long way from my GTP though.

[FPVS3]

Originally Posted by graphicgoose

Thanks everyone for the encouragement and kind words, really appreciate it. I'm stoked that people are finding inspiration in my progress and only hope I can continue to inspire and encourage others in their journeys

Good job mate, how'd ya do it? Less carbs?

[mik]

Cough medicine

[stockNAfairlane]

I'm selling a specialist car on ebay (Third Gen Camaro) and everyone that has come and looked at it has been a genuine enthusiast and a nice person, it's good to have a chat about cars with people that enjoy them. So far i haven't had any of the usual tyre kickers and blowhards that usually just annoy me.

[stockNAfairlane]

Originally Posted by mik

Cough medicine

Haha, that just reminded me of when i was about 14/15, was very sick with the flu and there was some benadryl or something in the cupboard. I was normally the kind of person to just go "bugger it, i don't need medicine" but i had some tests at school and i really needed to go to. So not knowing how quick it was meant to work or how effective that old school medicine was i had a fair amount. Needless to say i felt awesome, no runny nose or headache and my throat was all good.

I was also very very very drunk on the stuff and i tried to skate to school and i have never stacked it that often in my life it was honestly like i had just drank half a carton.

Yeah school that day was weird.

[mik]

i have to say i felt like drinking the bottle, been coughing my guts out for a few days and nights with a bit of flu/cold, usually that stuff does nothing for me, the chemist bloke fixed me up with the good brew..
Good thing you did not have any nasty after effects .

[MITCHAY]

Another 2 weeks later on the patches. I'm down to 1 smoke at work in my lunch break and definitely smoking at a lot less at home.

I'm genuinely surprised at how effective they are. It seems so simple and even more so because Nicotine patches only exist in the first place by accident

[black13]

Originally Posted by MITCHAY

Another 2 weeks later on the patches. I'm down to 1 smoke at work in my lunch break and definitely smoking at a lot less at home.

I'm genuinely surprised at how effective they are. It seems so simple and even more so because Nicotine patches only exist in the first place by accident

keep it up , your health will love you
I went on the patches in the 90s, was a 40 a day smoker at that time, was the best thing I did, I had them beat in 3:5 weeks
don't ever give up trying to quit

[Lunch]

After watching my footy team getting flogged by the team on the bottom of the ladder yesterday, watching Essendon getting absolutely punished by StKilda today really made me feel good, especially given that i get to rub it in to the flog Essendon supporter at work tomorrow

[hawkgirl]

bottling my first beer - a beez neez clone with a final approx alcohol content of 6.7%

now just need to be patient for 2-3 weeks before final "testing"

[Batmobile]

Originally Posted by graphicgoose

Today marks a massive milestone for me. For the last few years I've struggled pretty heavily with depression and used food as a coping mechanism. This had a huge impact on my health, to the point where I was massively obese and at severe risk of heart attack and/or stroke. I was also on my way, rather quickly, to diabetes and all sorts of other medical issues (fatty liver, thyroid issues, heartburn so severe I couldn't sleep and it made me throw up at times).

Life wasn't pleasant, and this only fueled my depression and comfort eating. I tried all sorts of diets and attempted a bunch of times to make physical changes, but I always fell back into the same traps. It wasn't until I admitted that I couldn't do it on my own and started to get professional help sorting out my mental health that I was in a more favorable headspace to do something about my physical health (the two are massively linked!)

At Christmas I weighed 121kg when I went to the doctor and was made aware of the severity of my physical health. This was around the time I'd started
seeking help for my mental health. By mid March I'd lost 6kg and gotten down to 115kg, but was really in the right headspace now to do something drastic to improve my physical health and way of life.

On the 19th of March I started a 12 week intensive diet and exercise program,
which I have completed as of yesterday. I now weigh 80.5kg, meaning I've lost 34.5kg over these last 12 weeks and have lost 40.5kg in total since my heaviest.

To say I feel amazing would be an understatement! My quality of life, health and fitness have improved immensely and this has only given me more
motivation to keep pushing myself.

It's my hope that if anyone takes anything from this it's that sometimes you CAN'T make changes on your own, especially when it comes to mental health
and depression. It can be debilitating and admitting you need help shouldn't be considered a sign of weakness, it takes huge guts to admit and the benefits
far outweigh the cons.

Here's some before and after photos showing my progress from the last 12
weeks.

image

Bravo Mother Goose .. A remarkable feat , only accomplished by one who is prepared to stare down the demons , and rise above , standing tall and so proud .Your story is inspirational...

[MITCHAY]

Originally Posted by black13

keep it up , your health will love you
I went on the patches in the 90s, was a 40 a day smoker at that time, was the best thing I did, I had them beat in 3:5 weeks
don't ever give up trying to quit

Definitely feeling a lot better. I only smoke 1mgs anyway which I worked my way down from 12s and then 8s and then 4s.

I think any smoke less is a lot better for you. Luckily for me I have been rather preoccupied with work for the last few weeks and barely notice. Saving at least 10 mins a day out of my break which works well

[graphicgoose]

Originally Posted by FPVS3

Good job mate, how'd ya do it? Less carbs?

Cheers mate. I used a meal replacement program called Optifast. Back on normal foods now and weight has stabilised, so I just gotta keep monitoring it. My dietitian wants me to bulk up now, to boost my metabolism. So I'm working on that now

[asagaai]

Originally Posted by graphicgoose

My dietitian wants me to bulk up now, to boost my metabolism. So I'm working on that now

Firstly congrats for taking control. Best way to boost metabolism is to get a weights programe at a gym, and stick to at least 3 sessions a week.

You will put on weight (muscle is heavy) but will increase your metabolism. If you watch your carbs, and have high protein intake, you will firm up and keep that fatty weight off.

Also- good for the mind, assists keeping the black dog away.

[graphicgoose]

Been quiet in this thread lately!

I've recently met a girl who's turning out to be pretty bloody amazing!

[BradEL]

Originally Posted by graphicgoose

Been quiet in this thread lately!

I've recently met a girl who's turning out to be pretty bloody amazing!

Good on ya man, I'm still looking

[98TLS]

Made me feel pretty good coming across my old XR6 ute and find it in pretty good nick,i loved that car really did,owned it around 6 years ago and nice to see shes still in good shape.Had to stop and take a pic.

[supershifty]

Originally Posted by graphicgoose

Been quiet in this thread lately!

I've recently met a girl who's turning out to be pretty bloody amazing!

Niiice mate!

A good girl is a bloody awesome find.

Cheers!

[superyob]

Working week finished for me practically. Taking year 10 mechanics students to Kingston Park Raceway tomorrow. There they will fall victim to my raging talent on a Predator Kart. Or not...

[JAJH]

Coming home to see the wonderful, warm welcome my 5 year old Grand daughter gives me. Doesn't matter what sort of crappy day I've had, her smile melts away all the stress.

[graphicgoose]

Originally Posted by BradEL

Good on ya man, I'm still looking

Originally Posted by supershifty

Niiice mate!

A good girl is a bloody awesome find.

Cheers!

Cheers fellas! I've been single most of my life (I'm 28). I've dabbled with dating but it's pretty brutal out there, especially if you're not used to how the game works these days.

It's refreshing meeting a girl who's upfront and doesn't leave me guessing. Knowing exactly where I stand definitely takes a lot of the stress out if it!

See how things progress from here I guess

[damo76]

Hopped on the scales and saw i have lost bit over 4kgs this week

[danzvtil]

I was driving on the highway today thru light rain. Light enough to settle on the windscreen and to use the wipers but not heavy enough to hit the side or rear windows. Kinda Cool>>>>

[DFB FGXR6]

Saved about $100 dollars today by fixing a part on one of my machines myself.
Very satisfying feeling when you pull something apart, put it back together and it works

[graphicgoose]

A couple of months back a mate and I bought tickets to Hellfest (3 day metal music festival in France in June next year) without having booked flights or even the line-up being released. 75% of the tickets had been sold, at which point the halted sales to allow the naysayers a chance to buy tickets once the line-up had been announced...Been a bit of a nervous few weeks...but the line-up was released last night and it's pretty bloody awesome! The remaining tickets sold out within a couple of hours of the line-up announcement. This is going to be epic!