My name is Jim Doughty. I am 40 years old, am married and have 3 kids. I have lost 200 pounds since January 1, 2005, all through diet and exercise. I went from a size 4X to a size Large, and a 52” waist to a 34”. I have been a member at Club Fitness since May 2008. You can usually find me working out at the St. Charles location.
I have been overweight since I was 5 years old, and have always struggled with my weight. Over my lifetime, I tried every fad diet there was. I would lose a few pounds, but it always came back on, plus more. I started thinking about making a lifestyle change towards the end of 2004. I was nearing 400 pounds. My wife had just had our 3rd child, and we had a 1 year old and a 3 year old as well. I would get winded just carrying them up the stairs at night. Our oldest was starting to get involved in sports. I would try to play soccer with her, but just couldn't last more than a minute or two. I was miserable. My knees were always in pain. My ankles would cramp up just walking 50 feet. I considered having gastric bypass or a lap band, but couldn't afford it, and was really afraid of the complications. So, for Christmas I purchased a membership to a gym for me and my wife and set my start date for January 1. Although I had tried dieting before, I had never exercised. This time it was going to work. I had a family counting on me.
I started doing strictly cardio. I was only able to go about 5 minutes on the treadmill, but kept at it and every few days I would go a little longer, and raise the incline a level or two. I stuck to a low fat, low calorie diet as well, and the weight started falling off. In the beginning, I was losing 8 and 10 pounds a week! After a few months I tried out other machines, the elliptical, the stair climber, and the exercise bikes. By the end of the first year, I had lost 100 pounds and was already feeling so much better.
I kept at it another year and by the end of 2006 I had lost another 50 pounds. I bought a bike and took up cycling. I am not a racer by any means, but love distance riding. Throughout the Spring and Summer I try and ride every day, often doing 100 mile day rides. I also have done RAGBRAI for the past two years. That is a 7 day, 500 mile ride across the state of Iowa. I am planning on a third time this Summer.
I did hit a plateau in 2007. For most of the year, I didn't lose any weight. I still had about 50 pounds I wanted to lose, but it wasn't coming off. I started working with a trainer who taught me a high impact cardio routine mixed with some weight lifting. This did the trick. I still do this routine about 3 to 4 times a week. I helped me take off another 40 pounds by the end of the year, and then another 10 throughout 2008.
In addition to cycling, I am now running and swimming as well. I have done several 5K runs and am planning on doing a triathlon this summer. I have added more weight lifting to my workout as well, and am toning up quite a bit. I am assistant coach on my children’s soccer teams and am active in their school athletic association. I am off all prescription medications, and am in the best shape of my life! I am even more outgoing now, and more self confident. I have so much more energy, I run circles around my kids, and make exercise a priority in our lives. I don’t want them to go through what I had to go through, so I am teaching them to stay active and make healthy choices.
My advice to beginners is keep at it. The pain will go away! Also, work with a trainer! It’s worth it. Take your time and remember to take baby steps. This isn’t The Biggest Loser. You are not going to lose 100 pounds in 8 weeks. Don’t be discouraged, keep at it and the weight will come off. The longer it takes to come off, the longer you will keep it off! And don’t forget to reward yourself!
-Jim Doughty
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