Originally Posted by Vincenzo (Post 5419767)

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

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


Cheers Vincenzo

Originally Posted by graphicgoose (Post 5415064)

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 :)

Originally Posted by mik (Post 5419982)

Cough medicine :violin

Originally Posted by MITCHAY (Post 5429788)

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 :lol

Originally Posted by graphicgoose (Post 5414729)

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

Originally Posted by black13 (Post 5430778)

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

Originally Posted by FPVS3 (Post 5419963)

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

Originally Posted by graphicgoose (Post 5435121)

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

Originally Posted by graphicgoose (Post 5499405)

Been quiet in this thread lately!

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

Originally Posted by graphicgoose (Post 5499405)

Been quiet in this thread lately!

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

Originally Posted by BradEL (Post 5499475)

Good on ya man, I'm still looking :doh

Originally Posted by supershifty (Post 5499608)

Niiice mate!

A good girl is a bloody awesome find.

Cheers!