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[kingbean]

So GAF I'm feeling pretty positive and I felt like making a thread.

This week marks one month of my diet change. I'm not on a diet, I've just changed the way I eat and it's how I'll eat going forward.

I started this at 307lbs and today I weigh 292. I'm still a big fat fatty, but I'm making nothing but progress and it's mostly a mental thing.
I've done multiple diets in the past to varying degrees of success, but being prepared to be hungry and having the will power to not eat like a glutton is all it's taking.

When you were raised to eat 3 meals a day and that's what you do your whole life and never count just how much that is it's easy to see how someone can think they're eating normally.

Simply cutting back to 1400-1800 calories a day and I'm losing nearly half a pound a day. I'm not stopping until I hit a weight I feel good at, not sure what that is yet, but I'm think 200lbs.
I'm a broad guy, I'll probably never be 150lbs but who knows.

I hope that in a few months I'll come back to this thread and post how I've reached my goal and that I've had to buy a whole new wardrobe lol.

For anyone struggling with weight all I've got to say is that you've got to be okay being hungry for a few weeks before it becomes the new normal. After that first hurdle it get's easier and easier day by day.

EDIT: For anyone curious I'm following the zig-zag method.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Good job on losing weight! It's a straightforward health choice that too many people skirt around.

Lose the extra pounds and live longer. It's that simple.

 

[Vlaphor]

I lost a lot of weight (around 170), but then a bunch of stuff happened and I gained a good chunk of it back. Be sure to find a healthy balance so it can be a new lifestyle for you and not just a temporary thing like it was with me (working on it again, but progress is a lot slower due to me being older).

 

[AV]

Good man. I've been doing the same lately, admittedly nowhere near as drastic a shift, more like 225 aiming for 190. Last I checked I was 207.

As you say, it's making it a lifestyle change. 3 meals a day isn't the problem, it's when those meals are enormous. Were you a coke drinker? I hate the stuff, but cutting out sugary drinks alone is a huge factor. For me, it's been starchy carbs - I could eat bread, pasta, rice etc. all day long, but reducing my carb intake massively has had the pounds falling off me.

 

[Wings 嫩翼翻せ]

Rooting for you boys.

 

[julio_grr]

1400-1800 calories

Hmmm I am not sure this low is healthy.
I may not be the best example, but I eat whatever I want whenever I want, and weigh 150lbs (75kg) for 5'11 (1,80m). The key is exercise. I don't own a car, I walk all day long.

 

[kingbean]

Hmmm I am not sure this low is healthy.
I may not be the best example, but I eat whatever I want whenever I want, and weigh 150lbs (75kg) for 5'11 (1,80m). The key is exercise. I don't own a car, I walk all day long.

Trust me I know it's low. Once I hit my target I'll start eating 2000-2200 calories.

Exercise is something I'll start soon, I've got my gym membership and I'm trying to figure out my best course of action. IE going before work, after work or late at night. Things like that.

 

[kingbean]

Good man. I've been doing the same lately, admittedly nowhere near as drastic a shift, more like 225 aiming for 190. Last I checked I was 207.

As you say, it's making it a lifestyle change. 3 meals a day isn't the problem, it's when those meals are enormous. Were you a coke drinker? I hate the stuff, but cutting out sugary drinks alone is a huge factor. For me, it's been starchy carbs - I could eat bread, pasta, rice etc. all day long, but reducing my carb intake massively has had the pounds falling off me.

I still eat 3 meals. They're just much smaller.

I used to drink 1 soft drink a day, normally a root beer or dr. pepper. Now I have a diet coke or coke zero every now and then.

Yeah, I love carbs and thats normally what I do when I have my "cheat" day. Even on my cheat days I barely break 2000 calories. I'm doing the zig-zag method.

 

[Deleted member 77995]

Great job OP!

I will add in that a good sleep schedule is very important for your physical and mental health. There are many additional benefits to a good night's sleep so please treat yourself with the respect and care you would want for any of your friends or loved ones and sleep well.

Hope to read on a future update from you.

 

[kingbean]

Great job OP!

I will add in that a good sleep schedule is very important for your physical and mental health. There are many additional benefits to a good night's sleep so please treat yourself with the respect and care you would want for any of your friends or loved ones and sleep well.

Hope to read on a future update from you.

I actually have insomnia, but after a few tries my doctor finally found an insomnia medication that works and doesn't make me feel like complete shit. I'm hoping that I'll be able to sleep better once I start exercising and when my weight comes down.

Now I get around 9-10 hours of sleep. It helps going to bed around 9pm because I used to snack at night lol.

 

[cryptoadam]

Good luck and keep it up. Its about will power and perseverance. Remember its a marathon not a sprint and don't quit on any set backs.

 

[kingbean]

Good luck and keep it up. Its about will power and perseverance. Remember its a marathon not a sprint and don't quit on any set backs.

That last part is the main cause of other diets failing. I've got the fortitude to keep up even when the scale tips forward.

I also know more about how weight fluctuates now after reading up more on how the body stores energy and water meaning that on cheat days I can weigh myself and be up 3lbs but the next day I drop back to where I belong.

Apparently when the body has the extra energy from those days when I eat normally it holds more water so it can use the energy thus making it look like I've gained fat back when in fact I'm still burning fat.

 

[cormack12]

Good job! It's a slow process but stay steady. Don't try and blast off a lot of cardio either too fast. You have a chance of injuring yourself and ending up on the couch recuperating, or you push too much and put undue stress on your heart before building up. Start with either a 5K jog or 15k stationary bike (if running is too impactful). Keep progressing as:

5K - aim for 30 minutes. Then keep trimming it down to a PB (this will take a reasonable amount of time). When/if you hit around 24/25 minutes increase the treadmill incline 1 and do it again. Then keep upping the incline.
15K bike - start on resistance 6. Goal is 30 minutes. When you reach it, up the resistance by 2. Same distance, 30 minutes.

 

[Neverwas]

I was at 240 a few months back. Down to 220 now. I'd like to get down to 185, but I have to get back into the swing of things after some injuries and illnesses knocked me on my ass.
I've mostly been substituting half my meals with salads, and either power walking 2-3 miles when the weather permits, or playing Beat Saber for 1 hour every day when it does not.

 

[kingbean]

Good job! It's a slow process but stay steady. Don't try and blast off a lot of cardio either too fast. You have a chance of injuring yourself and ending up on the couch recuperating, or you push too much and put undue stress on your heart before building up. Start with either a 5K jog or 15k stationary bike (if running is too impactful). Keep progressing as:

5K - aim for 30 minutes. Then keep trimming it down to a PB (this will take a reasonable amount of time). When/if you hit around 24/25 minutes increase the treadmill incline 1 and do it again. Then keep upping the incline.
15K bike - start on resistance 6. Goal is 30 minutes. When you reach it, up the resistance by 2. Same distance, 30 minutes.

Thanks for the info!

I'll start on the bike, I've tried treadmills before and it makes my ankle feel like it's about to explode. Old injury from hiking in my youth.

 

[KillCleanEat]

Glad you're doing this. I know it's hard, but you can absolutely do this. Routine is the key. Just keep up the routine. And do not get discouraged if you slip a day or two here and there. Just chalk it up to what it is. A day or two in the grand scheme of things. Seems you have a chosen method and plan to exercise too. I believe bike > treadmill. And don't neglect weight lifting.

One thing I had to constantly remind a friend of mine was not to be a hero. Do what is appropriate for you. Form over everything.

 

[jshackles]

Awesome job so far OP!

I'm in the same boat, recently had some health complications and the doctor sat me down and flat out said: "You need to lose 100 pounds, we're going to put you on a diet and exercise program to accomplish that". Must be working, because yesterday I went in for a 2-week followup and I had lost 9 pounds already.

Obviously the next 91 pounds will be more difficult, but I'm sticking with it.

 

[Duellist]

Good job op! A couple of years ago I had enough and started eating better, doing ddp yoga( highly recommended) and lost like 72 lbs. Went from 235 to 163( 5'10"). Anyways like a previous poster said make sure what ever your doing you can keep it up. When your fat once it's very easy to gain the weight back. I Gained a bunch back and am now at 205. Just Started intermittent fasting and going to do my yoga again soon. Good luck!

 

[triplestation]

For anyone struggling with weight all I've got to say is that you've got to be okay being hungry for a few weeks before it becomes the new normal. After that first hurdle it get's easier and easier day by day.

This is some good hard realistic advice. The hardest part of being hungry is when it gets late into the night where you can't even sleep because of it. But you just gotta push through that shit and take responsibility. Down the line when you're healthy, hunger and cravings decreases like crazy and your stomach refuses to accept the amounts of food you would otherwise have eaten when you were unhealthy. It's like a factory reboot. It's great.

 

[AeonGaidenRaiden]

Just simple intermittent fasting, pretty much skipping breakfast and not eating after 9pm will make you see a change in a week. And its a healthy diet, not something that comes back to haunt you after you stop doing it and go back to regular eating. I dont have weight problems but had a bit of belly fat and always felt bloated. This helped me out a lot, I felt lighter and more active. After only a month I was where I wanted to be and maybe only first few days were kinda hard but then again Im used to skipping breakfast randomly so I adjusted quickly.

 

[Frank Spencer]

Ginger Tea, Sweets and Green Tea are a good way to starve off hunger pangs. Nairns are great for oat biscuits snacks which help in your diet.

I'd also get your testosterone levels checked if you noticed you've put on weight and it's harder to get it off again, you lack energy and drive, your depressed and your mojo is low. Low testosterone levels is responsible for a lot negative issues in men. They tend to drop off post the age of 30.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[bati]

This is some good hard realistic advice. The hardest part of being hungry is when it gets late into the night where you can't even sleep because of it. But you just gotta push through that shit and take responsibility. Down the line when you're healthy, hunger and cravings decreases like crazy and your stomach refuses to accept the amounts of food you would otherwise have eaten when you were unhealthy. It's like a factory reboot. It's great.

I just passed this mark and can confirm that it is indeed how it works. Also, two simple tips to combat hunger - brush your teeth and/or drink water.

Also, if you hit plateau change things up, add 20 mins of light exercise or remove a small part of one meal - you'd be amazed how many calories there are in bread for example. Or sweetened coffee.

 

[Von Hugh]

Cut back on all fructose and sucrose, and you are guaranteed to lose fat.

 

[bilderberg]

just lift weights and then you can eat all the shit you want

 

[Ailynn]

I'm proud of you, kingbean ! You're doing great, and I believe in you! Don't let any plateaus discourage you...as long as you change something up a little, those will be temporary. I wish you all the best!

 

[cryptoadam]

Water, Water, Water!

Do not drink soft drinks, even that diet/caffine free crap.

Water is the bomb, nothing is better. Once you get used to it you will ask yourself why the heck were you drinking soda's all your life.

 

[kingbean]

I just passed this mark and can confirm that it is indeed how it works. Also, two simple tips to combat hunger - brush your teeth and/or drink water.

Also, if you hit plateau change things up, add 20 mins of light exercise or remove a small part of one meal - you'd be amazed how many calories there are in bread for example. Or sweetened coffee.

My roommate said brushing his teeth more often helped. Sounds strange, but he said it removed cravings for sweet things for him.

 

[Hobobaggins]

Hmmm I am not sure this low is healthy.
I may not be the best example, but I eat whatever I want whenever I want, and weigh 150lbs (75kg) for 5'11 (1,80m). The key is exercise. I don't own a car, I walk all day long.

Exercise itself really does not burn as many calories as people think it does. For a 180-pound person one would generally burn 100 calories a mile walked. Walked 3 miles? Congrats, you burned off 1 donut!

Not to say exercise is not beneficial to weightloss. Lean muscle mass burns more calories at rest, so more of that you have the more calories your body will naturally burn.

I lost about 240 pounds (was 420 at my heaviest) about 6 years ago by eating probably around 1200 calories a day, and have kept it off to this day. Next to no exercise or very little until I had dropped a significant portion of that. No that little of calories is not sustainable, but the benefits of shedding that weight is more than the detriments of a calorie restrictive diet. Now once you get to your goal or approach it you do need to find a lifestyle that is sustainable. As many people have suggested Intermittent fasting is a great option. It allows your body to enter a ketogenic state daily without have to be ultra restrictive to carbs. It also has the side benefit of not allowing you to mindlessly snack while in your fasting window.

One thing to remember is, a calorie, is a calorie, is a calorie. It does not matter if that calorie is from pure fat or pure sugar or vegetables. When I lost my weight I lost it be eating tacos and ice cream nearly every single day. This benefitted me so that I did not feel like I was denying myself what I liked, and thus made it less likely I would fall off the wagon and just gorge myself on what I had been denying myself.

After a while being hungry just becomes another sensation that does not drive your every thought and action. Like being warm, or having an itch.

One thing that I did not do as well as I should have and still probably don't is to drink LOTS of water. 1. takes up room in your stomach making you less hungry and 2 keeps you hydrated from the water you might be missing out on that you got from the extra food you used to eat.

 

[kingbean]

I'm proud of you, kingbean ! You're doing great, and I believe in you! Don't let any plateaus discourage you...as long as you change something up a little, those will be temporary. I wish you all the best!

Thanks, I appreciate it.

 

[bati]

just lift weights and then you can eat all the shit you want

That's not really true, there are too many factors to consider. If you go to the gym for one hour and do nothing but isolation exercises with lots of rest between sets then your total calorie burn will be low, maybe ~200-300, depending on weight. But if you do supersets or generally do lots of compound exercises, especially those targeting legs (squats, dead lifts) your burn rate in that hour will be far higher.

 

[julio_grr]

Walked 3 miles?

I walk much more than that, each day.

 

[MacReady13]

Good luck and keep it up. Its about will power and perseverance. Remember its a marathon not a sprint and don't quit on any set backs.

This here is so very true. I'm changing my eating habits now to try lose a few extra kilo's I have put on over the years (i'm currently at 92kgs, and want to get to the low 80's, possibly even late 70's).
I'm in no rush, and just eat enough until i'm comfortable. I run for about 20-25 minutes a day and work up a real good sweat doing it!

 

[cryptoadam]

This here is so very true. I'm changing my eating habits now to try lose a few extra kilo's I have put on over the years (i'm currently at 92kgs, and want to get to the low 80's, possibly even late 70's).
I'm in no rush, and just eat enough until i'm comfortable. I run for about 20-25 minutes a day and work up a real good sweat doing it!

Ya no need to rush. Thats one of the mistakes people make, weighing themselves every day or week trying to rush it. OMG I only lost half a pound this week what a failure. Its even possible that you might gain weight one week just due to water weight or a bad meal here or there.

 

[Kamina]

Trust me I know it's low. Once I hit my target I'll start eating 2000-2200 calories.

Exercise is something I'll start soon, I've got my gym membership and I'm trying to figure out my best course of action. IE going before work, after work or late at night. Things like that.

Cutting calories in half from your total needed amount is likely to cause it to enter an emergency mode, which in return greatly lowers you necessary calories. If you start eating more again after some time, the body will keep that mode for a while and start gaining weight again.
It’s better to not reduce the intake to less than 2/3 to avoid that.

 

[MacReady13]

Ya no need to rush. Thats one of the mistakes people make, weighing themselves every day or week trying to rush it. OMG I only lost half a pound this week what a failure. Its even possible that you might gain weight one week just due to water weight or a bad meal here or there.

I was once, about 7 years ago, well over 110 kgs. I was suffering from some depression and that contributed to the weight loss. At the same time I found out I had type 2 diabetes. And, I had just lost my job. My doctor put it quite simply for me- you can either take 1 of 2 paths, the path to live or the path to die. Pretty easy choice. In 6 months, I dropped down to 77 kgs! Slowly though over the last 6 years i've put weight back on. Nothing overly drastic, but enough that I need to fix it. My diabetes is in remission and i'd like to keep it that way. Slowly doing it is the key. Don't live and die by the scales each and every day. Don't give up because you ate a donut or a chocolate bar and "cheated". You CAN eat stuff like that, but in extreme moderation. Don't go on any fad diets that you won't be able to sustain. Just eat less. Eat healthier and get more active and the weight will slowly drop off.

 

[cryptoadam]

I was once, about 7 years ago, well over 110 kgs. I was suffering from some depression and that contributed to the weight loss. At the same time I found out I had type 2 diabetes. And, I had just lost my job. My doctor put it quite simply for me- you can either take 1 of 2 paths, the path to live or the path to die. Pretty easy choice. In 6 months, I dropped down to 77 kgs! Slowly though over the last 6 years i've put weight back on. Nothing overly drastic, but enough that I need to fix it. My diabetes is in remission and i'd like to keep it that way. Slowly doing it is the key. Don't live and die by the scales each and every day. Don't give up because you ate a donut or a chocolate bar and "cheated". You CAN eat stuff like that, but in extreme moderation. Don't go on any fad diets that you won't be able to sustain. Just eat less. Eat healthier and get more active and the weight will slowly drop off.

great story and congrats. Great to hear your diabetes is in remission.

Keep it up.

 

[MacReady13]

great story and congrats. Great to hear your diabetes is in remission.

Keep it up.

Thanks. I'm not happy about the slow weight gain, but i'm taking the necessary steps to get my eating habits and lifestyle back on track. I figure if i'm hovering around the 78-83kgs mark I will be happy with that.

 

[kingbean]

Cutting calories in half from your total needed amount is likely to cause it to enter an emergency mode, which in return greatly lowers you necessary calories. If you start eating more again after some time, the body will keep that mode for a while and start gaining weight again.
It’s better to not reduce the intake to less than 2/3 to avoid that.

I've heard something similar. I might raise my total intake closer to avg 1800 over the next few weeks and see how that goes. Considering that I was probably eating close to 3000 a day I should still be good on actually losing fat.

 

[Kamina]

I've heard something similar. I might raise my total intake closer to avg 1800 over the next few weeks and see how that goes. Considering that I was probably eating close to 3000 a day I should still be good on actually losing fat.

If you do a body composition analysis you can find out exactly what your total needed intake is and what you should cut to work on lowering your weight in a healthy way. Also you‘ll know where your problems lie exactly (regular fat, visceral fat, water gatherings,...) and how to target them best.
In can also recommend getting an app like FatSecret to track your food consumption and compare it to your recommendations from the analysis.
It teaches you were to cut down and how to compensate to not go hungry.

As for sports i can recommend starting with body building. If done right it consumes lots of calories too, but is easier to handle than cardio for some people.

 

[Hobobaggins]

I walk much more than that, each day.

Congratulations

 

[Hobobaggins]

I've heard something similar. I might raise my total intake closer to avg 1800 over the next few weeks and see how that goes. Considering that I was probably eating close to 3000 a day I should still be good on actually losing fat.

Listen to your body, everyone needs to find what works for them and it may be wildly different between two people. I was even more calorie restrictive than you currently are and I did it for a year. If you feel your energy level is too low sure then up the calories a bit but if not don't feel you have to.

 

[JimmyRustler]

For anyone struggling with weight all I've got to say is that you've got to be okay being hungry for a few weeks before it becomes the new normal. After that first hurdle it get's easier and easier day by day.

I'm pretty crazy when it comes to my eating habbits and have changed my diet so often I can't even count.

Just a word of advice here: What you write here is true. From my experiance it takes around 4-8 weeks until your body adapts to whatever changes you challenge it with.

 

[AgentP]

Just count cals and do a deficit. I was 273lbs wand went to 1200cals for a while, then started at the gym and upped to 1500cals. I lost 75lbs in 7 months. Now I'm slowing working on another 5lbs, but not in a hurry.

https://tdeecalculator.net/

 

[kingbean]

Just count cals and do a deficit. I was 273lbs wand went to 1200cals for a while, then started at the gym and upped to 1500cals. I lost 75lbs in 7 months. Now I'm slowing working on another 5lbs, but not in a hurry.

https://tdeecalculator.net/

2770 calories to maintain. So yeah, I think I'm cutting back enough to keep losing for a while.

 

[JimmyRustler]

Oh, and one more general advice for you guys struggling.

I took me a while to get into the whole diet thing (by now meal planning and training is my favorite hobby) and I tried countless diets (keto, intermitted etc.). What I found works best is a) to count calories and most importantly b) spread it out into as many small meals as possible. And I'm not telling you this because of the possible improvements to metabolism due to frequent meals (which is debatable and there are different studies saying different things) but purely because of the psychological aspect of the whole thing.

I cannot even tell you how, especially as you get into it, how much easier it is to avoid cheating on your diet when you have your regular meals every 2 hours. Every time I was close to cheating I was like "Nah, what for, in an hour or so I have to eat my own shit anyway." Do this for a while and it suddenly won't even be an issue at all any more.

I did this for almost a year and then the frequent meals got so overwhelming I went down to relatively normal 5 meals a day. Much easier now and the best of it: The craving to cheat did not return at all.

So good. I never felt better.

 

[bati]

Regarding the post above, one hidden benefit of frequent meals is more even energy level. If you're prone to getting tired during the day this might help you because it eliminates the spikes in blood sugar which can lead to drowsiness. And for those starting out with smaller meals, wait 20 to 30 minutes after a meal before you decide you haven't had enough and increase your portion. Even a 200 to 250 calorie whey shake is enough to keep hunger at bay for 2 hours.

Also, and I cannot stress this enough, and it goes for both food and exercise - adapt the programs for yourself, not the other way around. Don't respond well to eggs? Don't at them, find a replacement with similar nutritional value. Your joints hurt when doing specific exercises (like elbows when doing skullcrushers)? Don't do them, compensate with another exercise.

Do not fuck around with your health.

 

[jufonuk]

I lost a fuck ton felt great then eased off and now the weight slowly crept up. But now it’s going back down

 

[Marsellio23]

This is just great! I support you. This is the right decision.

 

[synchronicity]

Good luck in your continued efforts op.

A little off-topic, I don't believe in labels of "good and evil", but the food industry is about as close to "evil" as I could imagine. A little research on the history of things they've done to addict their "customers" with no regard to the devastating health consequences they would inflict just makes me shiver.

Most of what people eat is not food, but it's hard to understand this when everyone around you is doing the same thing. (The fish is not aware of the water type of thing.) If you want to really have a positive effect on your long term health (not only weight), the grocery / market shrinks to a tiny little area of living, whole foods.

 

[Saruhashi]

A small bit of advice I would give to anyone is to also track your finances in the same way that you are tracking your calories, diet and exercise.

Sometimes the realization that you are also saving money by not eating too much can be an extra side-motivation.