Help! I'm Fat - *** Official Exercise and Weight Thread ***

[Thomasrickj]

I, too, have gained some weight. I'm currently 6'-0" 225. The gym has never been a problem, as I am pretty strong and lift 4 times a week. It's the way I eat. As you get older, it's very humbling that you can workout and lift nonstop, but a horrible diet is still 80% of what matters for keeping your weight in check. Hoping that if I post in here every once in a while, it holds me more accountable.

I'm getting married in November in Mexico, and I hope to be looking nice and trim on my wedding day. Luckily, I have a good buddy that's the same age as me, and he's always been a guy that stays in amazing shape. He's a good dude and he offered to help me get into tip top shape before my wedding without me even saying anything. He's turned me onto a meal delivery service named Mighty Meals (not sure if it exists outside of the DC area). The food is delicious and doesn't contain preservatives/artificial stuff. The only issue I've been experiencing is the portions are smaller than what I'm used to since most of the meals come in under 600 calories. He suggested protein bars and high protein yogurt to help bridge the gap of hunger so I usually have 1 or 2 protein bars and 1 or 2 yogurts per day. I eat the premade meal for lunch, and my fiancee and I have decided to do healthier dinners at home. I'm two weeks in and am only down a pound, but my buddy said it could be more than that and my body is retaining something due to having to adjust to a new diet. With the meals being smaller portions than what I'm used to, it was extremely difficult at first. I'm noticing my body is slowly adjusting and I'm not getting as hungry, even though it's not where I want to be yet. Even though the weight hasn't come down more than a pound in two weeks, I've noticed my blood pressure went from 142/80 to 133/80, which is a pretty big jump in just a couple of weeks. Hoping that continuing to do this I lose a pound a week once my body gets more stabilized and adjusted to this new way of eating.

My same buddy that is helping me with this diet said that sleep is just as important as diet, and stress plays a major role. Being a general contractor, my job can be extremely stressful. I've gotten better over the years, but still need to improve stress. If anyone has any tips for handling stress, please let me know.

The final goal is getting down to 190 by wedding day, and lower would be fantastic. Hoping to post in a few weeks that I'm under 220. Hoping everyone else is having luck and we're all here to encourage each other to get into better shape. We can all do this!

 

[throwittoblythe]

I just shake my head and chuckle at people that religiously weigh themselves everyday at the gym. I'll do it once a week just to see how I am doing but everyday.....nope.

I weight myself daily but I don’t live and die by that number. It’s a lagging indicator. I will say, your weight is really an average over the course of several days. A big meal here, a big #2 there can swing your weight by a few pounds. I tend to weigh daily and then use an average to see how I’m trending.

 

[RagingCloner]

I, too, have gained some weight. I'm currently 6'-0" 225. The gym has never been a problem, as I am pretty strong and lift 4 times a week. It's the way I eat. As you get older, it's very humbling that you can workout and lift nonstop, but a horrible diet is still 80% of what matters for keeping your weight in check. Hoping that if I post in here every once in a while, it holds me more accountable.

I'm getting married in November in Mexico, and I hope to be looking nice and trim on my wedding day. Luckily, I have a good buddy that's the same age as me, and he's always been a guy that stays in amazing shape. He's a good dude and he offered to help me get into tip top shape before my wedding without me even saying anything. He's turned me onto a meal delivery service named Mighty Meals (not sure if it exists outside of the DC area). The food is delicious and doesn't contain preservatives/artificial stuff. The only issue I've been experiencing is the portions are smaller than what I'm used to since most of the meals come in under 600 calories. He suggested protein bars and high protein yogurt to help bridge the gap of hunger so I usually have 1 or 2 protein bars and 1 or 2 yogurts per day. I eat the premade meal for lunch, and my fiancee and I have decided to do healthier dinners at home. I'm two weeks in and am only down a pound, but my buddy said it could be more than that and my body is retaining something due to having to adjust to a new diet. With the meals being smaller portions than what I'm used to, it was extremely difficult at first. I'm noticing my body is slowly adjusting and I'm not getting as hungry, even though it's not where I want to be yet. Even though the weight hasn't come down more than a pound in two weeks, I've noticed my blood pressure went from 142/80 to 133/80, which is a pretty big jump in just a couple of weeks. Hoping that continuing to do this I lose a pound a week once my body gets more stabilized and adjusted to this new way of eating.

My same buddy that is helping me with this diet said that sleep is just as important as diet, and stress plays a major role. Being a general contractor, my job can be extremely stressful. I've gotten better over the years, but still need to improve stress. If anyone has any tips for handling stress, please let me know.

The final goal is getting down to 190 by wedding day, and lower would be fantastic. Hoping to post in a few weeks that I'm under 220. Hoping everyone else is having luck and we're all here to encourage each other to get into better shape. We can all do this!

By no means am I a fitness expert, but I would look up the macros of those premade meals and those protein bars. My guess is you’re taking in more carbs/sugar/fat and not enough protein, and that could be part of the issue on why you aren’t seeing the scale move. If you need ideas on healthy meals that don’t feel like healthy meals, look up Tasty Shredz on social media.

As far as stress goes, Ashwaganda has helped me tremendously. It will be foreign at first if you’ve never used it, but I noticed a difference on the first day I took it. You can take it in pill or gummy form.

Good luck my friend!

 

[Thomasrickj]

By no means am I a fitness expert, but I would look up the macros of those premade meals and those protein bars. My guess is you’re taking in more carbs/sugar/fat and not enough protein, and that could be part of the issue on why you aren’t seeing the scale move. If you need ideas on healthy meals that don’t feel like healthy meals, look up Tasty Shredz on social media.

As far as stress goes, Ashwaganda has helped me tremendously. It will be foreign at first if you’ve never used it, but I noticed a difference on the first day I took it. You can take it in pill or gummy form.

Good luck my friend!

The macros on the meals and bars are very good. Protein bars are 150 cals with 28 grams of protein. Thought they wouldn’t be good, but they are (David is the brand of protein bars). I’ve found in the past that too many protein bars are basically just a candy bar with added protein mixed in and are horrible for you and high in sugar and fat. Finding a good one that’s healthy has been great. As far as protein, I eat at least 140 grams a day. My friend helping me said 130 or more is going to be really good and should be a goal. These premade meals usually have 40+ grams of protein per meal. My buddy that’s helping me eats them twice a day so I’m trusting his judgement as he’s always been in amazing shape. I’m also doing a protein shake after working out as well. On days when I lift I’m getting closer to 180 grams of protein, 150 grams on days when I’m not lifting because of the shakes making the difference. I’ve also cut out sugar and sweets. Two weeks in may be why I’ve only seen a pound come off. I’m hoping in a few weeks a noticeable trend of 1-1.5 pounds per week lost happens.

 

[clonechemist]

I, too, have gained some weight. I'm currently 6'-0" 225. The gym has never been a problem, as I am pretty strong and lift 4 times a week. It's the way I eat. As you get older, it's very humbling that you can workout and lift nonstop, but a horrible diet is still 80% of what matters for keeping your weight in check. Hoping that if I post in here every once in a while, it holds me more accountable.

I'm getting married in November in Mexico, and I hope to be looking nice and trim on my wedding day. Luckily, I have a good buddy that's the same age as me, and he's always been a guy that stays in amazing shape. He's a good dude and he offered to help me get into tip top shape before my wedding without me even saying anything. He's turned me onto a meal delivery service named Mighty Meals (not sure if it exists outside of the DC area). The food is delicious and doesn't contain preservatives/artificial stuff. The only issue I've been experiencing is the portions are smaller than what I'm used to since most of the meals come in under 600 calories. He suggested protein bars and high protein yogurt to help bridge the gap of hunger so I usually have 1 or 2 protein bars and 1 or 2 yogurts per day. I eat the premade meal for lunch, and my fiancee and I have decided to do healthier dinners at home. I'm two weeks in and am only down a pound, but my buddy said it could be more than that and my body is retaining something due to having to adjust to a new diet. With the meals being smaller portions than what I'm used to, it was extremely difficult at first. I'm noticing my body is slowly adjusting and I'm not getting as hungry, even though it's not where I want to be yet. Even though the weight hasn't come down more than a pound in two weeks, I've noticed my blood pressure went from 142/80 to 133/80, which is a pretty big jump in just a couple of weeks. Hoping that continuing to do this I lose a pound a week once my body gets more stabilized and adjusted to this new way of eating.

My same buddy that is helping me with this diet said that sleep is just as important as diet, and stress plays a major role. Being a general contractor, my job can be extremely stressful. I've gotten better over the years, but still need to improve stress. If anyone has any tips for handling stress, please let me know.

The final goal is getting down to 190 by wedding day, and lower would be fantastic. Hoping to post in a few weeks that I'm under 220. Hoping everyone else is having luck and we're all here to encourage each other to get into better shape. We can all do this!

Your plan sounds like a good one.

In my experience, the first 1-2 weeks of a ‘cut’ type of diet are the hardest, after that my brain and body usually adapt pretty well, and cravings to binge on carbs/sweets subside. It’s also been my experience that the only eating patterns that lead to weight loss for me do lead to feelings that I’m not eating to the point of feeling ‘full’ that I normally recognize. That should also subside over a few weeks as your stomach and gi system get used to eating less food. If the lack of feeling fullness is a problem, just make sure you’re eating big quantities of fairly low calorie, high fiber vegetables (carrots, cabbage, broccoli, etc)

Good luck - if you’ve been lifting consistently for years, you’re going to look and feel amazing after cutting for a few months.

My only final suggestion is to consider running, if you can stomach it. I’m ‘lucky’ that I naturally enjoy it, and I find consistent long runs seem to suppress hunger for me.

 

[FriendlySpartan]

The macros on the meals and bars are very good. Protein bars are 150 cals with 28 grams of protein. Thought they wouldn’t be good, but they are (David is the brand of protein bars). I’ve found in the past that too many protein bars are basically just a candy bar with added protein mixed in and are horrible for you and high in sugar and fat. Finding a good one that’s healthy has been great. As far as protein, I eat at least 140 grams a day. My friend helping me said 130 or more is going to be really good and should be a goal. These premade meals usually have 40+ grams of protein per meal. My buddy that’s helping me eats them twice a day so I’m trusting his judgement as he’s always been in amazing shape. I’m also doing a protein shake after working out as well. On days when I lift I’m getting closer to 180 grams of protein, 150 grams on days when I’m not lifting because of the shakes making the difference. I’ve also cut out sugar and sweets. Two weeks in may be why I’ve only seen a pound come off. I’m hoping in a few weeks a noticeable trend of 1-1.5 pounds per week lost happens.

I’m going to be the bearer of bad news but 1-1.5 pounds per week is extremely unrealistic at your size and current athletic level. The body as a core function does not want to lose weight. Losing a pound a week equates to around a 500 calorie deficit per day. With those dietary changes you are making allowing the 1-1.5 pounds you currently lost is about right.

The issue that is going to come up is that your metabolism is going to adjust to this new calorie deficit and slow down to accommodate. This doesn’t make continuing to lose fat impossible but will mean that your progress will slow down dramatically and you will plateau. At that point you will either have to adjust your diet again or your activity levels. Getting enough sleep is huge and will also help make sure you are getting the full benefit but I just say this to caution ya a bit.

Also without knowing your body comp using just wait is a poor indicator, if you gained a bit of muscle and lost half your goal of pure fat you would probably be surprised about how you look given you have been lifting for so long. That body comp number is more important then general weight.

 

[MJ29]

The macros on the meals and bars are very good. Protein bars are 150 cals with 28 grams of protein. Thought they wouldn’t be good, but they are (David is the brand of protein bars). I’ve found in the past that too many protein bars are basically just a candy bar with added protein mixed in and are horrible for you and high in sugar and fat. Finding a good one that’s healthy has been great. As far as protein, I eat at least 140 grams a day. My friend helping me said 130 or more is going to be really good and should be a goal. These premade meals usually have 40+ grams of protein per meal. My buddy that’s helping me eats them twice a day so I’m trusting his judgement as he’s always been in amazing shape. I’m also doing a protein shake after working out as well. On days when I lift I’m getting closer to 180 grams of protein, 150 grams on days when I’m not lifting because of the shakes making the difference. I’ve also cut out sugar and sweets. Two weeks in may be why I’ve only seen a pound come off. I’m hoping in a few weeks a noticeable trend of 1-1.5 pounds per week lost happens.

What works for your friend may well not work for you. There is no one perfect combination of things for everyone because bodies are different. I would do your own calorie/macro calculations (Macros Inc is a great resource for macro checks).

And as FriendlySpartain said, 1-1.5 lbs a week is not realistic.

 

[MJ29]

Your plan sounds like a good one.

In my experience, the first 1-2 weeks of a ‘cut’ type of diet are the hardest, after that my brain and body usually adapt pretty well, and cravings to binge on carbs/sweets subside. It’s also been my experience that the only eating patterns that lead to weight loss for me do lead to feelings that I’m not eating to the point of feeling ‘full’ that I normally recognize. That should also subside over a few weeks as your stomach and gi system get used to eating less food. If the lack of feeling fullness is a problem, just make sure you’re eating big quantities of fairly low calorie, high fiber vegetables (carrots, cabbage, broccoli, etc)

Good luck - if you’ve been lifting consistently for years, you’re going to look and feel amazing after cutting for a few months.

My only final suggestion is to consider running, if you can stomach it. I’m ‘lucky’ that I naturally enjoy it, and I find consistent long runs seem to suppress hunger for me.

Lucky. Lots of cardio makes me more hungry.

 

[clonechemist]

Lucky. Lots of cardio makes me more hungry.

It seems running specific. Cycling makes me want to feast

 

[KnappShack]

It seems running specific. Cycling makes me want to feast

The treadmill makes me want to drink alcohol

 

[madguy30]

Your plan sounds like a good one.

In my experience, the first 1-2 weeks of a ‘cut’ type of diet are the hardest, after that my brain and body usually adapt pretty well, and cravings to binge on carbs/sweets subside. It’s also been my experience that the only eating patterns that lead to weight loss for me do lead to feelings that I’m not eating to the point of feeling ‘full’ that I normally recognize. That should also subside over a few weeks as your stomach and gi system get used to eating less food. If the lack of feeling fullness is a problem, just make sure you’re eating big quantities of fairly low calorie, high fiber vegetables (carrots, cabbage, broccoli, etc)

Good luck - if you’ve been lifting consistently for years, you’re going to look and feel amazing after cutting for a few months.

My only final suggestion is to consider running, if you can stomach it. I’m ‘lucky’ that I naturally enjoy it, and I find consistent long runs seem to suppress hunger for me.

I miss running terribly with an ongoing calf issue. If I had a stressful day of work (or not even, just a good consistent thing to do) a good 25 minute burst of a run at a good clip was so helpful in getting that out of my system.

 

[Thomasrickj]

I’m going to be the bearer of bad news but 1-1.5 pounds per week is extremely unrealistic at your size and current athletic level. The body as a core function does not want to lose weight. Losing a pound a week equates to around a 500 calorie deficit per day. With those dietary changes you are making allowing the 1-1.5 pounds you currently lost is about right.

The issue that is going to come up is that your metabolism is going to adjust to this new calorie deficit and slow down to accommodate. This doesn’t make continuing to lose fat impossible but will mean that your progress will slow down dramatically and you will plateau. At that point you will either have to adjust your diet again or your activity levels. Getting enough sleep is huge and will also help make sure you are getting the full benefit but I just say this to caution ya a bit.

Also without knowing your body comp using just wait is a poor indicator, if you gained a bit of muscle and lost half your goal of pure fat you would probably be surprised about how you look given you have been lifting for so long. That body comp number is more important then general weight.

I’m still a somewhat tubby dude with plenty of fat that needs to come off. In terms of lifting, I haven’t really gotten stronger over the past year or two. I’m more or less maintaining my muscle and strength so the additional weight I’ve put on is likely all fat. If my body adjusts over time then I can always adjust things and come up with a modified plan. One thing my buddy said to do is every 10-15 pounds he recommends taking a break from dieting and just maintaining for a month before going back on a diet. I’m currently eating around 2,000 cals a day while attempting to lose weight. If I average a pound per week lost (still an unknown since I’m only two weeks into this to know) that means I’d be averaging a 500 calorie per day deficit right now. Hoping this all works and willing to try it before figuring out if it’s good or not.

One big problem I have is from a surgery a few years back me gaining weight has caused knee issues. As I lose weight, my knees tend to improve, which allows me to do more cardio. I was 15 pounds lighter in February and was able to run more and played hockey. My knees are in pain with the weight I’ve put on so I’m having trouble running without being in pain. As the initial bit of weight comes off I plan to do more cardio, which should hopefully be one of the adjustments I make that helps me as it gets tougher to lose weight.

The 1.5 per week is just something I’m hoping for, but 1 per week might be more realistic. I’ve heard aiming for 2 becomes horrible and unsustainable. In the past I’ve dieted so badly that I was dropping 2-2.5 per week and after about a month my body just can’t do it anymore and then I balloon.

 

[Thomasrickj]

What works for your friend may well not work for you. There is no one perfect combination of things for everyone because bodies are different. I would do your own calorie/macro calculations (Macros Inc is a great resource for macro checks).

And as FriendlySpartain said, 1-1.5 lbs a week is not realistic.

I’ve checked the macros on the stuff I’m eating and it’s pretty darn good. That’s been something people have told me to make sure I’m accounting for. Appreciate you saying something though.

 

[clonechemist]

I’m still a somewhat tubby dude with plenty of fat that needs to come off. In terms of lifting, I haven’t really gotten stronger over the past year or two. I’m more or less maintaining my muscle and strength so the additional weight I’ve put on is likely all fat. If my body adjusts over time then I can always adjust things and come up with a modified plan. One thing my buddy said to do is every 10-15 pounds he recommends taking a break from dieting and just maintaining for a month before going back on a diet. I’m currently eating around 2,000 cals a day while attempting to lose weight. If I average a pound per week lost (still an unknown since I’m only two weeks into this to know) that means I’d be averaging a 500 calorie per day deficit right now. Hoping this all works and willing to try it before figuring out if it’s good or not.

One big problem I have is from a surgery a few years back me gaining weight has caused knee issues. As I lose weight, my knees tend to improve, which allows me to do more cardio. I was 15 pounds lighter in February and was able to run more and played hockey. My knees are in pain with the weight I’ve put on so I’m having trouble running without being in pain. As the initial bit of weight comes off I plan to do more cardio, which should hopefully be one of the adjustments I make that helps me as it gets tougher to lose weight.

The 1.5 per week is just something I’m hoping for, but 1 per week might be more realistic. I’ve heard aiming for 2 becomes horrible and unsustainable. In the past I’ve dieted so badly that I was dropping 2-2.5 per week and after about a month my body just can’t do it anymore and then I balloon.

If you’re willing to put in the work to really track your calories, you should be able to adjust your intake as you go based on results. Everything you’re saying lines up well with my previous experiences losing weight at a rate of 1-2 lbs/week over several months

 

[besserheimerphat]

I’ve checked the macros on the stuff I’m eating and it’s pretty darn good. That’s been something people have told me to make sure I’m accounting for. Appreciate you saying something though.

The macros are super variable depending on the brand. Tons of bars advertise as "high protein" but they can be as low as 8g or as high as 30g. And the calories can vary from 100 to 500 depending on fat and carb content. And then of course you have to find one that tastes good enough. If you tell a person to "eat a protein bar" their results could be terrible if they aren't checking those other things. It's work for a while, but once they find stuff that works they can go on autopilot for the most part. And THAT is the key - making it second nature.

Then if they stray for a meal or two, or a day, or a holiday weekend, it's much easier to get back into the groove after.

 

[besserheimerphat]

Another podcast from the Barbell Medicine doctors about training during calorie deficit. Long story short, there's no reason to think you can't train hard while losing weight and still make great gains - strength, muscle mass and cardio - at the same time.



They discuss studies done on actual humans (not cells in petri dishes or mice) so you can take the results seriously. I'm not saying those other studies aren't valuable, but they only look at one or two mechanisms while the human body has thousands of simultaneous mechanisms that create both positive and negative feedback loops. If a study doesn't look at the change of performance in humans, it's hard to have confidence that the findings will yield real results.

 

[KnappShack]

Another podcast from the Barbell Medicine doctors about training during calorie deficit. Long story short, there's no reason to think you can't train hard while losing weight and still make great gains - strength, muscle mass and cardio - at the same time.



They discuss studies done on actual humans (not cells in petri dishes or mice) so you can take the results seriously. I'm not saying those other studies aren't valuable, but they only look at one or two mechanisms while the human body has thousands of simultaneous mechanisms that create both positive and negative feedback loops. If a study doesn't look at the change of performance in humans, it's hard to have confidence that the findings will yield real results.

I will say that since I'm incorporating more cardio my leg training has gotten harder. I still was able to increase the weight, but not at the same rate and not without a lot of bad ******* attitude to lift it.

We'll see how this continues....

 

[Thomasrickj]

That was our absolute worst half of basketball this season.

 

[madguy30]

That was our absolute worst half of basketball this season.

Sir this is a fitness and health thread.

 

[Gorm]

Sir this is a fitness and health thread.

To be fair, this season has been a bit taxing on my heart.