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

[besserheimerphat]

Recently, I got serious about losing weight. I have lost about 30lbs in less than three months. I am now below 210lb, which I haven't been at since my sophomore year in college (2012).

COUNT CALORIES

Here's how I did it:
1. COUNT CALORIES. This is the most important one by far. I had no clue what the math of my body looked like; it was a disaster. Weightloss isn't wishwashy; it's science. When I counted calories, I realized which foods are the problem. I ate McDonald's nearly everyday and still lost weight. Even if I go over, I still log them.

Sorry, but beer counts as calories.

2. 10,000 steps a day. If you are serious, you will do it.

3. Diet Soda. Yes, Diet Soda is different than regular soda for weightloss. It's still bad for you, but if your first goal is weightloss (mine was), a substitute for the sugar sodas is diet or zero calorie sodas.

4. No eating before bed. This one is less important, but it still helps. No eating food 3 hours before bed.

5. Weigh yourself everyday when you wake up. Seriously, when you see the scale go from 237.4 to 237.0 the next day, it's the best feeling ever. Its only a couple ounces, but its progress! Plus, weighing yourself everyday helps you to not go off the rails if you have a bad couple of days.

6. Pray about it. I know it's not for everyone, but I asked God to help me every day, and he showed me the way. I'd be lying if I said I did it by myself.

Fad Diets don't work. You know this, so don't try it. Chances are you have tried them and they only discouraged you. I tried carnivore, keto, only eggs for a month, all that BS. It's not sustainable and only made me feel like a lost cause.

Lifestyle changes need to be made. Once you realize that you are making changes for the rest of your life, you stop lying that you "will not eat cake or sweets for a month". That isn't sustainable, so don't do it. Just figure out something that will work for you.

Don't set a deadline (unless that helps you). Deadlines make me anxious, so I just chose to meet my daily calorie goal and the weight just fell off.

Again, COUNT CALORIES!

You can do it and you owe it to yourself to try. Even if you only lose 10lbs, that is a big accomplishment.

"Counting calories" doesn't necessarily have to mean measuring and logging all your meals. A person can pretty easily leave two bites of everything at every meal and know they're eating less. If that's enough, it will show up on the scale. If they haven't lost any weight over a month, then start leaving 3 bites. Rinse and repeat until the scale starts moving. Substituting better foods allows them to leave fewer bites.

TOTALLY agree on zero-calorie drinks. Makes a huge difference in calorie intake. And anything we drink is 99% water so it's really not "worse" than plain water. You're going to be more hydrated drinking 2 black coffees and 3 diet Cokes throughout the day than only drinking 1 bottle of water.

 

[ScottyP]

Do not cut out more calories. I’ve got to push back strongly on this. You’re already at a very low calorie intake that you are unlikely to sustain for your whole life. Going lower is just a recipe for failure

Edit* also you are 100% not gaining muscle at the same rate as you are losing fat. If yo were over a two month period that you have been stuck then you wouldn’t care about the number on the scale as your body comp would be excellent

Do you think I should just stick with what I'm doing? Maybe bump my calories a bit? Or maybe increase my exercise?

 

[FriendlySpartan]

Do you think I should just stick with what I'm doing? Maybe bump my calories a bit? Or maybe increase my exercise?

You could also move those calories around into more protein. Also adding more activity outside of the gym, just small stuff like getting up every 30 mins and do a plank or 10 pushups. Something just to break up longer periods of sedentary activity.

Again I’m saying this with almost no idea of what your diet or exercise regime really is but it’s still solid advice for just about anyone

 

[besserheimerphat]

Do not cut out more calories. I’ve got to push back strongly on this. You’re already at a very low calorie intake that you are unlikely to sustain for your whole life. Going lower is just a recipe for failure

Edit* also you are 100% not gaining muscle at the same rate as you are losing fat. If yo were over a two month period that you have been stuck then you wouldn’t care about the number on the scale as your body comp would be excellent

There are a lot of other factors, I agree. Is he 6'4" or 5'5"? Sounds like he works out, but could be otherwise sedentary. What is his current weight?

I'm not saying to cut another 200 calories. But caloric needs are wildly variable so while 1550 is certainly below average it may be sustainable for him.

 

[ScottyP]

I’m 155 currently. My protein is between 140-150 grams per day. I strength train 30-40 minutes every other day and walk for 20-30 minutes on the days I don’t strength train. I have a desk job so work is pretty sedentary.

 

[madguy30]

I’m 155 currently. My protein is between 140-150 grams per day. I strength train 30-40 minutes every other day and walk for 20-30 minutes on the days I don’t strength train. I have a desk job so work is pretty sedentary.

Are you trying to burn more calories?

Can you jog/run?

Desk eliptical?

 

[besserheimerphat]

I’m 155 currently. My protein is between 140-150 grams per day. I strength train 30-40 minutes every other day and walk for 20-30 minutes on the days I don’t strength train. I have a desk job so work is pretty sedentary.

You could probably reduce your protein a bit if you struggle to maintain that intake. People usually round up to 1g/lb, but all the literature says it's more like 0.7g/lb (1.3 - 1.6 g/kg). That's plenty to gain muscle and strength.

I have a similar physical routine. I do a powerlifting workout 3-4X per week (compound lifts at 80%+ of max), but outside that I'm really sedentary. I've lost a bunch of weight and it takes very few calories to keep me from getting hungry/fatigued. Of course I can eat more, but it just makes me gain bad weight.

I'm not actually sure how many calories I'm getting now. I just keep an eye on protein and try to cut back other stuff so I'm losing weight at an appropriate rate. As long as I'm not losing too fast or having other symptoms (fatigue, brain fog, headaches) I figure my calories are fine.

 

[cyclone4L]

I’m 155 currently. My protein is between 140-150 grams per day. I strength train 30-40 minutes every other day and walk for 20-30 minutes on the days I don’t strength train. I have a desk job so work is pretty sedentary.

To be honest, I thought you were like 190 or 195. I’m guessing you are average height.
If you are strength training, it’s going to be pretty difficult to get to 145 without a serious cut.

 

[FriendlySpartan]

I’m 155 currently. My protein is between 140-150 grams per day. I strength train 30-40 minutes every other day and walk for 20-30 minutes on the days I don’t strength train. I have a desk job so work is pretty sedentary.

If you’re 155, you’re saying you want to get down to 145? Honestly man just up the strength training time and the way you lift and you’re fine. Mix in some more activity on the off days and you’re golden. There are a bunch of exercises you can do at work at a desk. Just set your phone or outlook to remind you to move.

 

[cyclone4L]

"Counting calories" doesn't necessarily have to mean measuring and logging all your meals. A person can pretty easily leave two bites of everything at every meal and know they're eating less. If that's enough, it will show up on the scale. If they haven't lost any weight over a month, then start leaving 3 bites. Rinse and repeat until the scale starts moving. Substituting better foods allows them to leave fewer bites.

TOTALLY agree on zero-calorie drinks. Makes a huge difference in calorie intake. And anything we drink is 99% water so it's really not "worse" than plain water. You're going to be more hydrated drinking 2 black coffees and 3 diet Cokes throughout the day than only drinking 1 bottle of water.

For me, counting calorie was as much learning how to create a sustainable diet as it was losing weight….

For the first week, I just counted the calories without changing what I ain’t… I was eating about 4,500 calories a day, and close to 6,000 on Saturdays. I was totally off the rails and had no idea.

Coke Zero is the best.

 

[ScottyP]

To be honest, I thought you were like 190 or 195. I’m guessing you are average height.
If you are strength training, it’s going to be pretty difficult to get to 145 without a serious cut.

I’m only 5’7” so I’m on the shorter side.

 

[cyclone4L]

I’m only 5’7” so I’m on the shorter side.

Ah. If you are strength training and are muscular, it will be difficult to get to 145 without a serious cut. The ideal weight for someone your height is around 155 anyway and that’s for non-weightlifters.

 

[CyCrazy]

I’m 155 currently. My protein is between 140-150 grams per day. I strength train 30-40 minutes every other day and walk for 20-30 minutes on the days I don’t strength train. I have a desk job so work is pretty

You are 155 and want to lose more weight?

 

[FriendlySpartan]

You are 155 and want to lose more weight?

Most likely he just wants to shift body composition but either way his call

 

[besserheimerphat]

For me, counting calorie was as much learning how to create a sustainable diet as it was losing weight….

For the first week, I just counted the calories without changing what I ain’t… I was eating about 4,500 calories a day, and close to 6,000 on Saturdays. I was totally off the rails and had no idea.

Coke Zero is the best.

I totally get it. I think my brain just rejects the order and planning necessary to do it. I've never been tested for ADHD, but I certainly have some traits like lack of organization. Anything that requires a rigid plan just gives me the ick.

 

[besserheimerphat]

I’m only 5’7” so I’m on the shorter side.

Whoa, yeah - 5'7" and 155 is already damn good especially if you're currently lifting and gaining strength. You may need to shift your focus from the scale to things like waist, bicep/wrist, neck and thigh/knee measurements. If the ratio of muscle circumference to joint circumference is going up, you're headed the right direction even if the scale doesn't move (or goes up).

 

[besserheimerphat]

Timely thread from one of my favorite sources of health info.

 

[BoxsterCy]

I’m 155 currently. My protein is between 140-150 grams per day. I strength train 30-40 minutes every other day and walk for 20-30 minutes on the days I don’t strength train. I have a desk job so work is pretty sedentary.

Checks scale only to find I have been dethroned (or maybe tied) as the leanest guy in this thread.

Maybe I could have gotten under 155 if I'd taken my socks off. FYI, 5'-8" now (shrunk from 5'-9") and turning 73 in 4 weeks. Been a bad summer for me. Biking and weight lifting have both been curtailed by a couple of bulged disks in my neck which have been giving me a lot of pain and tingling/numbness. Good news is that it's been incrementally getting better and I am tempted to get back into the gym for some light workouts. Been trying to get in 3 mile walkabouts each day but it's not a good substitute for what I've missed since late April.

 

[besserheimerphat]

Checks scale only to find I have been dethroned (or maybe tied) as the leanest guy in this thread.

Maybe I could have gotten under 155 if I'd taken my socks off. FYI, 5'-8" now (shrunk from 5'-9") and turning 73 in 4 weeks. Been a bad summer for me. Biking and weight lifting have both been curtailed by a couple of bulged disks in my neck which have been giving me a lot of pain and tingling/numbness. Good news is that it's been incrementally getting better and I am tempted to get back into the gym for some light workouts. Been trying to get in 3 mile walkabouts each day but it's not a good substitute for what I've missed since late April.

View attachment 132436

Well you've only got me by 120lbs (also 5'8")...

 

[BoxsterCy]

Well you've only got me by 120lbs (also 5'8")...

I know! It's a big guy thread to a great extent. It started as more or a weight loss thread but we've seen it evolve somewhat to include general health and exercise. I've always been a lean guy and have never weighed more than 160. In my 30's - 40's I was in the 130's but was running/training to run 5k and 10k. I was never "fast" but running the races gave me a goal and incentive to "train" and sort of instilled a bit of fitness ethic into me a at age 34 or so.

I think I owe a co-worker with the Corps of Engineers. We were Army civilian employees and he introduced us to the Army fitness testing (the old sit-ups/pushups/1.5 mile run). I did not run at all at the time and tried the 1.5 at an indoor gym track and did okay which got me into running. Interestingly enough the guy who got me into this more was a big somewhat overweight guy but an avid biker and was also a bit of a biking mentor to me. I should touch base with him and remind him of what he did for me 40 years ago!