Here is the Story of How I’ve Lost 41 kg (90 lbs)

My name is Patrick. I am 40 years old and live near Leipzig, Germany. My starting weight was 123 kg (271 lbs). With the help and support of my significant other, I have lost a total of 41 kg (90 lbs) over the past few years! Today I feel great and here is my story…

From heavy smoker to weight gain

I had always eaten a more or less balanced diet ever since my sports-filled childhood. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and fruit in between – I had maintained this habit into adulthood. However, I did have one major vice: smoking. I smoked nearly 25 cigarettes a day. But then I started cutting back one at a time.
In October 2010, I decided to finally give up smoking completely. I was already down to 4 cigarettes a day and a couple of personal events led me to say goodbye to smoking forever. After talking to my family doctor, I was aware that my metabolism would change and that this might result in weight gain. Actually, my doctor gave it to me straight: “You should count on gaining weight!”

From 84 kg (185 lbs) to 123 kg (271 lbs) in a matter of months

But I hadn’t counted on my weight skyrocketing from my original 84 kg (185 lbs) to 123 kg (271 lbs) in a matter of only eight months. I remained at this weight for the next two years. On ordinary walks with my family, I found myself wheezing and gasping for air. Then, it was time once again to buy some new clothes. I was going to have to move up a size from XXL to XXXL, which is huge for someone measuring 179 cm (5’10”). I was no longer willing or able to accept this fact.

“Something has to change”

Something finally had to change. I asked my significant other for advice, and she helped me to slowly change my diet. We reduced my portion sizes and, to the chagrin of our children, rid the house of sweets. Keeping the house sweets-free meant I was no longer able to grab something sweet when the urge hit me. From then on, my diet included fewer carbs, more protein, and more fiber.

-15 kg (33 lbs) in the first 10 months

Ten months later, I had overcome the first obstacle! The first 15 kg (33 lbs) were gone. But the remaining weight proved to be very stubborn. My significant other convinced me to finally start running with her. I agreed to join her, but without much enthusiasm… My first run lasted all of 170 m. My heart rate soared to 192 beats per minute and I felt like I was going to collapse! I continued for another 700 m at a literal crawl until my heart rate “returned to normal.” Normal?! My heart rate was still 132 after walking for 700 m…
I stuck with these “walks” until I was finally able to run 2 km in approx. 25 minutes. In order to keep track of my progress, I installed the Runtastic app and immediately upgraded to the PRO version.

Patrick runs and runs and runs…

After that first day, I tried running several kilometers at a stretch several more times to see if it would get any easier. But each time, the same thing happened: My pace would be too fast, my heart rate too high and my body too exhausted. So I did some research on beginners’ tips, reduced my mileage and slowed my pace down. I quickly started making progress and my heart rate continued to improve steadily. After a while, I was able to run 3 km at a stretch and was very proud of myself.
My next goal was to participate in the town’s annual New Year’s run, which always attracted several hundred participants. The course runs 5.7 km through the town. Today, I am so proud of myself for participating and I can definitely say that this run was simply amazing.
Afterwards, my motivation continued to grow with every additional improvement in my running performance. My training really got a big kick when I hit the 8 km mark. But getting there had been so strenuous that I didn’t think I could possibly improve on this performance. But sure enough, on my very next run, my body responded to the training stimulus. I ran 8 km again and with less effort this time! It continued to get easier and I continued to improve until I finally reached the 10K mark. By that time, I had been training for one whole year.

Steady weight loss thanks to running

In December 2015, I managed to reduce my weight to 82 kg (180 lbs). At the beginning of this year, I managed to break the 10K mark and can now run 14 km at a stretch.
Over the next three months, I lost an additional 3 kg (7 lbs) without even really trying to. I was now at the same weight as I was when I was 21.
In the meanwhile, my body weight has settled at 82 kg (180 lbs). Personally, I have reached my mental and physical goal and am comfortable running 14 km per run. At one time, I had played with the notion of running a half marathon, but in the meantime, I am happy with maintaining my current distance and only look to improve my running through quicker times.

“I use the Runtastic app as my running diary”

What has Runtastic done for me? I have tracked all my runs with the app. For me, it is a kind of diary. I like to go back and compare my runs. And I also save pictures of my runs in the Runtastic app. These often make for great memories. Additionally, the leaderboard between my friends and I gives me an added incentive to keep running.
Over the last few years, I have run 500 km and burned about 45,000 calories. And of course I have lost 41 kg (90 lbs) 🙂

I am incredibly proud of myself and my achievement!

Have you also lost weight? We’d love to hear about it! Send your story and some before & after photos to mysuccess@runtastic.com.

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