Runtastic Success Story: How I Lost A Total Of 265 lbs

It has been an interesting journey so far.

It all started in September, when a I had a complication during a simple surgery. I got a severe sepsis and they put me into an induced coma for several days and I had to undergo many emergency surgeries during that time.

For almost a week it was unclear if I was going to make it. Then, just in time, they gave me antibiotics that worked and it slowly began to get better. A few days later, I began the recovery phase. It took me about one week until my head was clear again, and I noticed what was happening around me. (I could write several books about the time I spent in a coma and, although this is not an experience that I wish anyone, it is definitely a life changing one).

At this time I became aware that I could no longer walk anymore, because my muscles kind of “collapsed” while I was in the coma. Even speaking was hard for me after this long intubation. Due to the many drugs that I had to take while I was in the coma, my body stored all of the water that it could get; therefore, I did not weigh 423 lbs (192 kg) anymore (my weight before entering the hospital) but 497 lbs (225.5 kg). Here’s a picture of this time:

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Thus, the physical therapy was really difficult in the beginning. This was also a turning point for me, in which I said that I cannot go on weighing this much. Plus, the fact that the doctors and nurses had to go to inhuman lengths to help a patient with that much weight, was really embarrassing for me.

Four weeks after my coma, I could walk home from the hospital on crutches. The doctors said that they thought I would have to walk like this for 8-12 weeks, but with a little bit of ambition, it was already able to walk without the crutches after 4 weeks. At this time I weighed about 364 lbs (165 kg). Then I totally changed my diet. Less carbs, more protein, less sugar, almost no fat, no pork meat, no white flour. I was only drinking water, alcohol only occasionally. And most importantly, at least 4-5 SMALL meals per day. The most important rule for losing weight is not trusting a diet, but to be aware of your diet. Diets are only possible for a certain amount of time, but not for a lifetime. A change in diet, however, is something long-term, but this is only possible, when you are aware of it and when you have the discipline in the very beginning.  

Sometime later in spring I knew that I also had to start with fitness and sports to reach my goals. At the beginning I only spent a few minutes on the cross-trainer with little resistance. Week by week the time got longer and also more intense until I started mountain biking. I stuck with mountain biking and now, in addition, I also go hiking or walking a lot, but mountain biking is still in my plan. The combination of healthy nutrition and regular fitness allowed the weight to disappear kilo by kilo. During this time I also started tracking with Runtastic. Normally I have 6 training days and 1 rest day per week. Most of the time I try to train one hour in the morning and 1-1.5 hours in the evening. I started in the spring going to work by bike (almost 40 miles / 60 km a day). This way, I also have 2 hours of training per day and save money on transportation to work. 🙂 On the weekends I also go to the mountains by bike.

Today my weight fluctuates between 161 and 172 lbs (73 and 78 kg), depending on the season. In the summer a bit less, in the winter a bit more. Improving my quality of life has been worth every second of effort. Meanwhile, I became kind of addicted to biking. Therefore I am looking forward to the next few thousand kilometers on my bike.

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EVERYONE can do what I did. It is all about discipline, even when the weight on the scale stops dropping for a few weeks. Keep going – you’ll surely see results soon 🙂

Today I can recommend to every overweight person to at least try. Everyone who does it, will not regret it.

Good luck and stay with it! 🙂
Yours, Thomas

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adidas Runtastic Team Are you looking to lose some weight, get more active, or improve your sleep? The adidas Runtastic Team gives you useful tips and inspiration to reach your personal goals. View all posts by adidas Runtastic Team