CNN iReport

I've lost right at 125 pounds (124.8 pounds) in the past 41 weeks.    I started at 344.2 pounds on January 15, 2009 and as of November 4 I weigh 219.4 pounds.  I've been able to lose weight while eating the foods I still love, but doing so moderately and going to the gym a 4-5 nights a week.

I still eat cheeseburgers, fries, and my favorite ice cream, cookies and cream.  In fact, weekly.  I still go out to restaurants and choose from anything on the menu.  I still go to a Chinese buffet I used to frequent when I was 344 pounds.  I still enjoy BBQ regularly, a staple living in the deep south.

I discovered early on in my journey to not restrict myself from anything -- restriction and limitations simply create a deeper temptation for a food.  While it may be much healthier to eat nothing but salads and grilled chicken all the time, it's simply not sustainable for me, nor is it for most people.  I know it'd be ideal to eat healthy all day every day, and maybe I will sometime in the future, but I'll just be honest and say that I have a deep love for some hot wings and a cold beverage.

It's just enjoyed in moderation.

When it comes to physical activity, I don't have a workout routine made by a trainer or anything.  I just go to the gym and get on any given machine that night -- treadmill, elliptical, bike, or the StairMaster.  I workout about 30-40 minutes a night and make sure I sweat -- if I'm not sweating, I know I need to work harder.  The sweat tells me I'm burning calories.  It was hard when I first started, I could only do about 3-4 minutes on a machine on the lowest levels, but that changed overtime -- I've done as much as 99 minutes (max limit) on the elliptical at level 20, its hardest resistance level.  Now that my body is getting more fit I love seeing what it can handle.

I had tried several "fads" to lose weight before deciding to count calories, never losing more than 10 pounds in my entire life before this last and final attempt (hopefully) to lose weight.  That is a crazy thing to say, but it's true:  I've never lost more than 10 pounds in any previous weight loss attempt, let alone 125.  I've been able to lose it by exercising, counting calories, and going out for hot wings only a few times a week instead of every single night.

I can't say I've lost this weight alone, though.

A week after I started my weight loss journey I started a blog, 344Pounds.com.  I blogged my progress keeping track of what I ate, what kind of exercises I did, progress videos/pictures, etc. I didn't tell anybody about the blog for the first couple months because I was too afraid -- but in early March the Consumerist website mentioned my blog and the amazing "blogging journey" began as well.

Since being on Consumerist I've been interviewed or mentioned by several national media outlets, been on my local CBS station (twice), and even received a letter from Governor Mark Sanford (I live in SC) congratulating me on my decision to lose weight.

The last 41 weeks have been very surreal.

I receive several hundred e-mails and comments through my blog every week and tens of thousands of visitors every month.  And while it takes a while, I respond to every single comment and e-mail I get -- comments on my weight loss, people seeking encouragement, others giving me advice, family members asking me to send an e-mail to their (father, daughter, husband, etc) and talk them into start losing weight so they won't die from obesity.

It's all been extremely humbling.

As of today I have another 25 pounds left to lose.  As it is I don't recognize myself in the mirror and my past clothes are foreign to me -- I can't imagine ever having fit into them, they're like blankets on me.  I used to have to go to specialty stores to buy XXXXL shirts and 48-inch waist pants, but now I can find my large shirts and 34-inch waist pants anywhere I look.

I will still continue my blog because I know I'm helping people.  I know it's tough to lose weight and while some people are doing it to look a little better or to fit into that bathing suit next summer, some are doing it because they know it's going to kill them.

I knew my weight was going to kill me and I decided to change my life some 41 weeks ago.  I hope my story will help you do the same.