2020 Weight Loss Challenge Thread

[RJ]

Ok let's do this.

Continuing from last year:

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?34162-2019-Weight-Loss-Challenge-Thread&highlight=weight

[AKDoug]

At the risk of sounding like an ass (because, you know, I probably am one), and directed at no one in particular, if you find yourself posting in the now third annual PF weight loss challenge thread and you aren’t losing weight or achieving/maintaining your goals, it’s time to stop dicking around and get it done. Just do it.

You’re going to be hungry and/or tired and/or stressed and/or overwhelmed. So what, that’s just life and not an excuse to eat too damned much — and almost all of us are probably routinely eating too damned much and have been doing so for too damned long. Doing something wrong for a long time doesn’t make it "normal" or "right” no matter how used to it you are. And make no mistake, the problem isn’t a lack of exercise, it’s too much "food". You aren’t going to out exercise shitty eating habits. In 15-20 minutes you can easily eat more calories than you can burn the rest of the day no matter how much/hard you exercise.

Let the unfucking commence.

We get it Tom... at least most of us do. I, for one, would like to continue the weight loss thread. There's no reason to click on it if you don't want to participate. In my case, I had a hundred pounds to lose. In all honesty, that's not a 1 year process if you want to keep it off forever. Many of us that were in the 2019 thread are still losing and appreciate the support and guilt these threads bring. You never know, we might just help out one more person to join and and reach their goals.

I am in for 2020. I still have 40 lbs to go. Ending the holidays back at 232. Not partying tonight, so let the loss start again.

[BehindBlueI's]

I'm fucking off for the holidays and am not ashamed in the least bit. I'll get back to it on Jan 4 and stay strict until Bataan.

[Chance]

I'll participate. I'd like to drop five more percentage points off my body fat to get it in the 17%-ish area. We'll see. Here's to another year of hard work paying off.

[Yung]

Staying the course with my diet at least a couple years now. Still between 190-200, still at a smaller pant size than I've ever been as an adult, even including military service.

The real challenge will be incorporating a new physical activity, not necessarily exercise. It was kinda said over my shoulder and out the side of my mouth, but I promised a few witnesses that I would start learning jits (or some other empty hand skills) at some point in this new year.

[the Schwartz]

Already at my target weight of 183 ± 2 pounds (on a 6' 2'' frame), I'll be happy just to keep it right there for 2020.

So long as I don't start eating like an asshole, keep exercising, and stick with my Keto/Paleo/IF plan, it should not be a problem.

Bacon is a health food, right?

[jeep45238]

01JAN2020 weigh in after crap food for a while - so, here we go. Minimum goal is 185 pounds and 15% body fat by mid/late summer, weekly weigh in

201.2lb
23.3% body fat

16.2 pounds and 8.3% body fat to loose

[AKDoug]

Bacon is a health food, right?

Haha.. when I was low carb'ing it made me happy in the morning. Now it's pretty much out of my life since I only eat from noon to 8.

[Robinson]

I'm in. I want to get from 238 down to around 210-215. I figure it's possible in a calendar year.

Early in 2019 I did the intermittent fasting thing and it works for me -- as long as I stick with it. I plan to keep working out regularly as well -- perhaps it's not the key to wait loss but it's part of the overall equation.

[0ddl0t]

I'd be in if in coterie club

[RJ]

206.2.

[JAD]

178.6, up 5 pounds from a couple weeks ago. I’m a lot slimmer so I’ll chalk it up to creatine and several good leg days. The easy weight is definitely off. Goal is 165.

[Cookie Monster]

153.5 - 21%

Goal - 145 - 15%

[spence]

I'm fucking off for the holidays and am not ashamed in the least bit. I'll get back to it on Jan 4 and stay strict until Bataan.

I did that more or less, too, for a large part of December. Not completely throwing all caution to the wind, but at least on certain days. Now it's time to work on not having the days of willfully blowing past my numbers for caloric intake. And eat more meat, keeping up on protein intake seems to help a lot.

2019 was a year of 263 to 202.
202 to 196 shouldn't be too hard. I'd even take going to 180, but I don't know that I'm motivated enough to go that far.

[GyroF-16]

01JAN2020 weigh in after crap food for a while - so, here we go. Minimum goal is 185 pounds and 15% body fat by mid/late summer, weekly weigh in

201.2lb
23.3% body fat

16.2 pounds and 8.3% body fat to loose

You can do it, Jeep!
At the start of last year, I was 2.4 lbs less than you (198.6), and I set a similar goal. I made 185 so quickly (beginning of March), that I had to keep revising my target.
My method:
Consume only BMR (about 1750 cal) + actual calories burned during exercise
Intermittent fasting (essentially skip breakfast most days, coffee only until 1100
Exercise for 1 hr or 600 cal 5 days a week.

I used the MyFitnessPal app to track the calories consumed, exercise, and weight. It has a great database for calories per serving for every food I tried. Can even scan the barcode using my iPhone and get nutritional info per serving. The app is free, and I never used the “premium” membership option.
46583

[jeep45238]

You can do it, Jeep!
At the start of last year, I was 2.4 lbs less than you (198.6), and I set a similar goal. I made 185 so quickly (beginning of March), that I had to keep revising my target.
My method:
Consume only BMR (about 1750 cal) + actual calories burned during exercise
Intermittent fasting (essentially skip breakfast most days, coffee only until 1100
Exercise for 1 hr or 600 cal 5 days a week.

I used the MyFitnessPal app to track the calories consumed, exercise, and weight. It has a great database for calories per serving for every food I tried. Can even scan the barcode using my iPhone and get nutritional info per serving. The app is free, and I never used the “premium” membership option.
46583


Thanks for the encouragement. I’ve never counted calories and just logged my first meals a few minutes before you posted using the app - the barcode was handy!

I’ve been 165 during basic training and 250 during some craaaaaaap times active duty, and food really was the culprit on the weight gain there. Once I hit 180 I’ll drop it to 170 and probably maintain. When we start to get hot and heavy at work I doubt the weight will stay down due to some muscle gains, and that’s fine - just as long as the waist stays similar

[Le Français]

I lost 50 pounds the last three months of 2018 and have kept it off since then.

46548

In my experience, people are generally more capable then they are willing to let themselves believe (except when it comes to making excuses, then they are truly world class).

FWIW, my post was meant as encouragement. Some people need to be coddled. I wasn’t talking to those people. :)

If my post “offended” anyone, good. Maybe the completely self-fabricated "scorn" of some internet rando will be exactly what they need to finally stop shoveling garbage down their gullet. Or not. :cool:

Now, back to your regularly scheduled kumbaya/internet group hug session. :)

Well said. Even when recently being provided with months of access to mostly unhealthy free food, I dropped body fat (11% to 9%, if memory serves). Don’t cost yourself short and long-term quality of life for a few moments of mouth pleasure. It’s a bad deal.

[Crawls]

I'm in. My new project at work has been sabotaging work out time and my waistline reflects it.
Current weight is 222 lbs at 13% (or so) body fat.
Goal is <200 lbs by September.
New Peloton gets delivered Saturday.
Considering giving up beer but I have a fridge full of it left over from a Christmas party.

[Odin Bravo One]

Trying not to lose anymore in 2020

[Trukinjp13]

I’m in. Last year was not a good year for me. Broken leg then broken elbow and torn tricep tendon. Need to kick this shit in gear again.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Risto]

Fuck it. I’m in.

220lbs today. Sure would like to return to my 180s days.




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[Chance]

Clocked in at 22.6% body fat this morning. Up 0.6% since pre-holiday measurements, so not great, but could have been worse. I suspect it will remain stagnant for another week or two while we work through the holiday goodies and attend the remaining New Year's functions.

I'm wondering if I should embrace the suck and nose dive to my target percentage or stay gradual. A quick loss would be a little more difficult to maintain after the fact, but being in a months' long calorie deficit beats the bejesus out of my strength.

[luckyman]

Alright, I’m in too.

Weight yesterday was 193; waist 35.5”

That’s 14 lbs down from my high of a couple years ago. I figure optimal weight would be 175-180. I’ll officially shoot for 180, front-loaded to the first half of the year.

I’ll aim for 1.5 lbs a week loss, with 160 grams of protein and 7 servings of fruit and vegetables a day

[pooty]

88 kg right now, gonna drop 17 kg and get shredded by spring break for all the baaaaabes maaaan

[Cookie Monster]

I’m officially down 0.2 pounds for 2019, so mission accomplished.

I’d like to gain ~15 pounds in 2020 while maintaining single digit body fat, but I don’t think I’ll be able to pull that off.

Mr. Jones be jacking the steel. Damn.

I would be interested in the program/math working towards that goal. Weight loss has been pretty straight forward to me and last winter/spring was really successful. But when adding higher volume/intensity exercise man it is hard to figure out volume of food/protein for recovery and GAINS while maintaining.

48 hour fasts have been no issues but throw 20 minutes with the 60 lb sandbag, an hour running the Stihl 461, or a few mile weighted ruck and I will tear your throat out for a protein cookie or some peanut butter on 88% dark chocolate.

[OlongJohnson]

Ima keep doing what I've been doing and see how it goes. Down about 30 lb in the past year and a half without really trying. My body's enforced some dietary changes on me that have had OK side effects. Don't know how much of the improvement is eliminating stuff that my body reacts to as toxic. My older sister lost "a person" when she started to get her hands around the food allergies that had been slowly killing her for years. Jordan Peterson lost 50 lb immediately. I have lost 30 so far and am damn close to where is probably ideal for health. It kinda makes me wonder how much of the obesity problem is promoted by low-level chemical toxins in the food supply rather than mere quantity.

Normal weight oscillation is +/-1.5-2 lb day to day, hour to hour depending on how much I've eaten and how full of piss and shit I am.

It has been an unsteady progression, with plateaus along the way. I've honestly been more worried about it being a problem in periods where the weight suddenly drops significantly, because that's happened without really making conscious changes.

Basically, I've stopped eating at restaurants except for a salad bar. And the simplistic and hopefully accurate way of looking at it is my body has gone back to the equilibrium it had 20+ years ago before I started eating at restaurants regularly. I have to avoid anything with citric acid or sulfites in the ingredients, which is about 90 percent of the grocery store. I can do citrus fruit juice OK, so I suspect the problem is actually sulfite contamination from how citric acid is produced industrially. I've had a known sulfite reaction for years; it seems to have kicked into high gear. For the most part, I eat only food I prep from basic ingredients. It's boring, and I don't like doing the prep (it's not bad, but I'd rather do other stuff with the time), so I only eat as much as I need. And I don't dump in a lot of sugar and excess fat. At least it tastes good.

For example, I picked up a head cold (so far) from my brother in law at Christmas. Both kinds of cough syrup I have in the house list citric acid as the first "inactive" ingredient. A dose of either would make me sicker than being sick. A year ago, no problem. Not sure where to go now.

Looking forward to back and hernia (surgeries on both aren't the worst of it the past year) getting to where I can do some serious exercise. It's been old-person gentle walks for too long.

[ragnar_d]

235.1 and 30.5% body fat (per the scale in the bathroom) . . . . Goal is 195-200 by June.

Yeah, eating like an asshole got me at the end of the year, I put on about 5 pounds in the last two weeks of the year. On the plus side, going to OTF has changed things for me in a very good way. Looking at my workout statistics my running pace has increased about 1-1.5mph in 5 months and the floor workouts have gotten easier. I've gone from 2 days a week to being there 5-6 days a week. One of the best things I've done. I signed up for the "Transformation Challenge" at my gym to see what I could accomplish in 8 weeks, this year they're basing it on how much body fat you drop in 8 weeks. We'll see how everything shakes out.

My only enemies this year are myself and the Taco Bell menu.

[jeep45238]

05JAN2020
200.0 lbs - 23.1% bf

Did decent on the calorie counting, threw it in the towel Saturday knowingly by working the mini-fridge empty. Work resumes tomorrow.
------
01JAN2020
201.2lb
23.3% body fat

[Guerrero]

Starting the year at 179, and that's after two weeks of vacation, being sick, and not exercising. Goal is to make and maintain 175.

[spinmove_]

I’m actually hopping onboard with vigor on this one. So far I’m down from 241.8lbs to 238.2lbs. For the month of January I’m completely cutting out processed sugar, bread, and alcohol. For the first 3 days I did nothing but baked potatoes to kick myself off. Now I’m to 2-3 reasonable meals per day with no seconds. I also just got back from my first gym session of the year. 25 minutes on the treadmill of which it calculated I burned 235 calories.

My overall goal for the year is to get myself down to 200lbs or less and keep it there. I don’t plan on entering in any big races, but I definitely plan on continuing to get better in USPSA. My goal there is to from my current ranking of 54.0229% (C Class) to at least 75% (A class).

I’m 5’8” ish with definitely an endomorphic build and would just generally like to be a healthier and overall more useful human being. Given my overall goals, how much should I be concentrating on cardio and how much should I be hitting the weights?

[GyroF-16]

Only because you asked (and I don’t at all mean to come across as discouraging, because I’m certain you can do this)... at 5’8” and ~240 pounds you are pretty seriously overweight. If I were you, I wouldn’t do any exercise beyond brisk walks (as many and as often and for as long as your situation will allow). Your problem isn’t a lack of exercise, it’s too much food. I don’t know how old you are, but I’ll just assume mid-thirties and say you need to eat less than 1800 a day (preferably less than 1500, or better yet less than 1200). Many, but certainly not all, overweight people get very hungry when they attempt to exercise to lose weight and as a result, and bolstered by the completely bullshit numbers reported by the treadmills at the gym or their choice of fitness tracker, they feel they can reasonably justify eating more. They can’t. Caloric intake is the problem and you are going to fix this in the kitchen, not the gym.

Don’t eat snacks (ever) or drink anything caloric (water is best). Grilled/baked chicken and steamed broccoli (or similar) is your secret weapon and fasting (measured in days, not hours) is your super power. A quarter pound of chicken and a pound of broccoli is an almost impossible quantity of food and only 350 calories (add in a reasonable amount of your favorite condiment and it’s still less than 500 calories).

Once you get back to a reasonable weight (which in my opinion, and based upon your height, would be a LOT less than 200), then you can go nuts with whatever exercise you like/prefer and adjust caloric input as necessary to maintain. But right now, I’d focus on the food issue and spend many months establishing a new normal with regard to what, and how much, you eat.

Just my opinion and probably worth less than you paid for it. :)


Excellent advice, and aligns with my own (slightly less extreme) experience losing 30 lbs in the first 3 months of 2019. And establishing new eating habits to sustain that weight.
It’s hard. And doable. And worth it.

[spinmove_]

Only because you asked (and I don’t at all mean to come across as discouraging, because I’m certain you can do this)... at 5’8” and ~240 pounds you are pretty seriously overweight. If I were you, I wouldn’t do any exercise beyond brisk walks (as many and as often and for as long as your situation will allow). Your problem isn’t a lack of exercise, it’s too much food. I don’t know how old you are, but I’ll just assume mid-thirties and say you need to eat less than 1800 a day (preferably less than 1500, or better yet less than 1200). Many, but certainly not all, overweight people get very hungry when they attempt to exercise to lose weight and as a result, and bolstered by the completely bullshit numbers reported by the treadmills at the gym or their choice of fitness tracker, they feel they can reasonably justify eating more. They can’t. Caloric intake is the problem and you are going to fix this in the kitchen, not the gym.

Don’t eat snacks (ever) or drink anything caloric (water is best). Grilled/baked chicken and steamed broccoli (or similar) is your secret weapon and fasting (measured in days, not hours) is your super power. A quarter pound of chicken and a pound of broccoli is an almost impossible quantity of food and only 350 calories (add in a reasonable amount of your favorite condiment and it’s still less than 500 calories).

Once you get back to a reasonable weight (which in my opinion, and based upon your height, would be a LOT less than 200), then you can go nuts with whatever exercise you like/prefer and adjust caloric input as necessary to maintain. But right now, I’d focus on the food issue and spend many months establishing a new normal with regard to what, and how much, you eat.

Just my opinion and probably worth less than you paid for it. :)

And I totally appreciate every word. A few more factoids however to give you a bit more accurate perspective. Not to say that you’re wrong in any way.

I’m 36, so you hit the nail on the head as far as my age. I’m definitely obese, that goes without saying, but this isn’t my first weight loss rodeo. Back in 2006 I topped out at 300lbs and was wearing 42x30 jeans and XXL shirts. I resolved myself to losing weight and by 2010 I was down to 199lbs and in 34x30 jeans and L shirts. So I know I can do this. The last time I did it with a combination of eating ridiculously healthy and working out a ridiculous amount. Unfortunately given my current life schedule I can’t commit the same workout schedule at this point, but I can do something to help get myself in better shape which only serves to help me reach my goals.

I know in a perfect world I should be counting calories, but if I’m being completely honest it’s a huge pain in the ass. What’s a lot easier is what I’m doing now, which is keeping it simple, yet very healthy. For example, breakfast is essentially a banana or an apple and water. Lunch would be something like a salad of essentially all veggies, maybe a little turkey deli meat, minimum dressing if any at all. Dinner would be akin to a small pork chop or chicken thigh baked, with some fresh vegetables like broccoli, corn, or peas, maybe a little plain white rice or a plain baked potato. Lunch and dinner is whatever fits on the inside circle of the plate and no more. Pretty much just water to drink for everything and that’s about it. No snacking.

For what it’s worth I think the BMI charts aren’t exactly accurate. When I was 200lbs, I reached a point where I had to start buying jeans a size bigger because my legs literally wouldn’t fit with the looser fit cuts. According to the charts I was classified as obese still. With how I’m physically built, if I got down to 165lbs I would be fairly emaciated.

[jeep45238]

And I totally appreciate every word. A few more factoids however to give you a bit more accurate perspective. Not to say that you’re wrong in any way.

I’m 36, so you hit the nail on the head as far as my age. I’m definitely obese, that goes without saying, but this isn’t my first weight loss rodeo. Back in 2006 I topped out at 300lbs and was wearing 42x30 jeans and XXL shirts. I resolved myself to losing weight and by 2010 I was down to 199lbs and in 34x30 jeans and L shirts. So I know I can do this. The last time I did it with a combination of eating ridiculously healthy and working out a ridiculous amount. Unfortunately given my current life schedule I can’t commit the same workout schedule at this point, but I can do something to help get myself in better shape which only serves to help me reach my goals.

I know in a perfect world I should be counting calories, but if I’m being completely honest it’s a huge pain in the ass. What’s a lot easier is what I’m doing now, which is keeping it simple, yet very healthy. For example, breakfast is essentially a banana or an apple and water. Lunch would be something like a salad of essentially all veggies, maybe a little turkey deli meat, minimum dressing if any at all. Dinner would be akin to a small pork chop or chicken thigh baked, with some fresh vegetables like broccoli, corn, or peas, maybe a little plain white rice or a plain baked potato. Lunch and dinner is whatever fits on the inside circle of the plate and no more. Pretty much just water to drink for everything and that’s about it. No snacking.

For what it’s worth I think the BMI charts aren’t exactly accurate. When I was 200lbs, I reached a point where I had to start buying jeans a size bigger because my legs literally wouldn’t fit with the looser fit cuts. According to the charts I was classified as obese still. With how I’m physically built, if I got down to 165lbs I would be fairly emaciated.

BMI's are notoriously inaccurate - the ex was a licensed dietitian and she damned the things to hell (and it was the last chance to pass the body composition in the .mil when I was in - says something when it's not the 1st option).

I thought counting calories was going to be a pain in the ass too. I downloaded myfitnesspal, recommended earlier in here for the counting purposes to stare me in the face and give a reality check. It scans freaking barcodes man - my beer and bourbon was listed. Pop a barcode, it shows the basics (calories, serving size, and a slider option to adjust how many servings you've had). A basic link to the phone's accelerometer for the steps/miles is put in as well to adjust the daily net calories as well. The recent foods makes common things easy peasy to put in (tap, tap, tap, breakfast done for example).

I really suggest you give it a try, especially if you have one of those cheapish bluetooth scales that do the body fat as you're standing on it. The body fat is done via electrical resistance, so it's heavily dependent upon your hydration level; if you just weigh yourself in the mornings though, the trends are accurate enough.

Next thing you know, that app's automatically updating your weight, minimal effort for calorie counting, pie charts for protien/fat/calories, all sorts of stuff if you want more than just calories.



Give it a try.

[spinmove_]

BMI (and the associated ranges for underweight, normal, overweight, obese, etc.) may not be best measure of body composition, but it’s probably better than current societal norms.

Way back when I was in the military, I thought BMI was bullshit too. Then I started noticing the height/weight stats for various athletes that were the same/similar to mine and there was a pretty big difference in our appearances. They were built like the proverbial brick shit houses, and I was lanky and soft. It was pretty easy to dismiss that since they were professional athletes getting paid big bucks and I was just a squid living barely above the poverty line.

As the years went on, I noticed other things, like how all the soldiers/sailors in WW2 (and even Vietnam) photos, back when there was the large scale military conscription (and therefore was probably a pretty decent cross section of the population), were a lot leaner and more “fit looking” than myself and all the “regular” people I knew. But I still clung to the belief that a man 6’ or taller should weigh, at a minimum, 200 pounds or 190ish if he was super fit — both of which are overweight according to the BMI scales.

Anyway, I now think that the BMI ranges are probably a lot more relevant than I’d always thought due to the fattening of the populace and the ever increasing acceptance of overweight/obesity. Currently over 70% of all American adults are overweight or obese (according to BMI). Fat is the new normal.


46784

I used to think 185 would be an almost unobtainable weight for me. I now think if I weigh 185, I better look like an NFL tight end or cornerback. :)

FWIW, 5’8” and 200 pounds would be about the size of a small NFL running back capable of rushing for 1000+ yards a season (like Justin Forsett in 2014 for the Ravens). :cool:

I’m not the body comp police. People can, and should, have the body they desire (but usually end up with the one they deserve) and be however they want to be — especially if it benefits them professionally or in whatever area they may choose to compete. I’m just explaining my thoughts on BMI over the past several decades and how they’ve changed. And don’t get me started on vanity sizing in clothing... it’s totally insane that with a waist that measures 33.25” that I can buy size 30 pants and they still fall off my ass if I dare do something as crazy as move while wearing them. :)

Yeah, the sizing in clothing really is ridiculously crazy which is why it’s insane to me how people are starting to buy clothes from the internet at all when you have no idea what it’s real size actually is.

I might eventually get back to the same muscle mass that I had previously, but I’m not going to get after it that hard this year. That’s not my goal. My goal truly is to quit Team Fat Guy. With my body composition as it is now, I don’t think a weight of 180lbs would be all that unreasonable at all. But this is why we set goals though, right? Pick a target, hit it, re-evaluate, set a new target, rinse and repeat. Chopping roughly 40lbs off is a decent start. I’ll see where I am once I get there and I’ll go from there. I may very well be able to comfortably shave off another 20lbs or more. But I’m far from being a lanky dude in any sense of the term. I’m basically a solid rectangular torso on top of a pair of tree trunks for legs.

Edit:

And for the record, at 5’8” and 200lbs, I was by far in the best shape of my life. Not saying I could’ve been an NFL running back, but I was definitely a far cry from looking like your average couch potato IT guy.

[BehindBlueI's]

First weigh-in of the year: 229.8 Despite my holiday shenanigans I was able to maintain/lose 1 lb over two weeks.

[Chance]

I know in a perfect world I should be counting calories, but if I’m being completely honest it’s a huge pain in the ass.

Other folks have already chimed in, but once you get MyFitnessPal going with the foods you eat on a regular basis, it's really pretty easy. It can be a bit of a pain getting it setup with the foods you usually eat, but since most folks tend to eat the same meals with a fair degree of consistency, once it's setup you're good to go.

When you want to add something you've eaten, MFP will automatically prompt you with a list of foods you've eaten recently. Just scroll and tap and that's it. Usually takes me about 20 seconds to record something.

[Guerrero]

BMI (and the associated ranges for underweight, normal, overweight, obese, etc.) may not be best measure of body composition, but it’s probably better than current societal norms...

(Snip)

I used to think 185 would be an almost unobtainable weight for me. I now think if I weigh 185, I better look like an NFL tight end or cornerback. :)


At almost 6', I thought that at 185 I would look "thin." Then I blew through that. My current goal of 175 is kinda-sorta based off the BMI charts; at that weight. I won't be "overweight." My mother-in-law already says I look too thin, but I don't see why I can't reasonably go lower and still be healthy.

ETA: like LL, I also used to think the BMI charts were bullshit. The thinner I get, the more reasonable they seem.

[JDB]

Only because you asked (and I don’t at all mean to come across as discouraging, because I’m certain you can do this)... at 5’8” and ~240 pounds you are pretty seriously overweight. If I were you, I wouldn’t do any exercise beyond brisk walks (as many and as often and for as long as your situation will allow). Your problem isn’t a lack of exercise, it’s too much food. I don’t know how old you are, but I’ll just assume mid-thirties and say you need to eat less than 1800 a day (preferably less than 1500, or better yet less than 1200). Many, but certainly not all, overweight people get very hungry when they attempt to exercise to lose weight and as a result, and bolstered by the completely bullshit numbers reported by the treadmills at the gym or their choice of fitness tracker, they feel they can reasonably justify eating more. They can’t. Caloric intake is the problem and you are going to fix this in the kitchen, not the gym.

Don’t eat snacks (ever) or drink anything caloric (water is best). Grilled/baked chicken and steamed broccoli (or similar) is your secret weapon and fasting (measured in days, not hours) is your super power. A quarter pound of chicken and a pound of broccoli is an almost impossible quantity of food and only 350 calories (add in a reasonable amount of your favorite condiment and it’s still less than 500 calories).

Once you get back to a reasonable weight (which in my opinion, and based upon your height, would be a LOT less than 200), then you can go nuts with whatever exercise you like/prefer and adjust caloric input as necessary to maintain. But right now, I’d focus on the food issue and spend many months establishing a new normal with regard to what, and how much, you eat.

Just my opinion and probably worth less than you paid for it. :)

There's a lot of gold here. I agree with almost every individual point, but not the overall strategy.

Agree:
- your right, you can't outrun your fork. Exercise is great, but trying to eat past your appetite to lose weight is a losing strategy.
- don't snack, and don't drink calories


However, I submit that the primary problem its not the quantity of food, and its not the calories. Those are factors, but the much bigger factor is what we're eating, and what the hormone response is. I get it, the first law of thermodynamics holds...but we aren't perfectly efficient machines.

In short, most of our modern western dietary guidelines are impossible and absurd on multiple levels.

The constant loading up on carbohydrates and spiking insulin (hence putting your body into the fat storage mode), the prevalence and damage of industrial seed and vegetable oils, the sugars that are everywhere and in everything, and the highly refined carbohydrates....all of it damn near guarantees that we'll be miserable, sugar craving addicts with insulin resistance and metabolic dis-function.

The strategy of trying to maintain a caloric deficit, and hence going hungry is a long term losing battle. Your metabolism goes to hell.

The avoidance of meat and animal fats leaves us malnourished, yet overfed from calorie rich but nutrient poor foods.

I'd struggled with excess fat since I was a child. I did all the right things...exercised like crazy (wrestling, cross country, then 20 years of combat arms in the Army), ate low fat everything, would be really strict as long as I could take it. The end result...yo-yo weight, never lean, cravings, and being 40 pounds overweight.

Until I said F it, and ignored all the dietary guidelines. I starting eating steak until I was full. Than maybe I'd have some whole food carbs (like an apple, maybe a little veg, or some rice, but no bread, no processed anything)...and only if I'd earned them. Or maybe I'd ignore them altogether. Turns out I didn't need ANY carbohydrates in my diet, ZERO.

Sounds crazy to modern ears. But its not. I eat like an Apache or Comanche, or Inuit from 150 years ago. Its works well. No portion control, no counting calories, no snacking, no worries.
I don't crave anything, ever.

I got leaner and leaner the lower carb/higher protein I ate. Finally went 95-100% carnivore since Sep 2018.
End result, 45 yrs old in Mar, I'm leaner, faster and far stronger than ever, squat 2.3x bodyweight and do 30 hanging pull ups. I don't get hurt. I don't get sick anymore. I wake up with an erection. I'm never hungry, have no digestion problems, no gas, no bloating, sleep well, dental health is perfect, and my gums don't bleed anymore.
I'm free of the burden of watching what I eat...I just don't care anymore about all the junk out there that I used to be addicted to. It doesn't register as food anymore.

My advice:
Eat meat, fish, eggs, etc to taste until you're full. Eat the fat and add salt as you like. When you're full, stop. Drink water.
Eat again, but only when you're hungry. Don't be surprised if its less often. Don't worry is its 2 or 4 lbs of fatty beef you put away in a day.
Go easy or avoid cheese and cream.


This isn't meant to be an anti carbohydrate screed. There are certainly ways to eat carbs and stay lean and healthy. But I don't think that's an option for most of us in the west anymore. Most of are already insulin resistant from years of abuse, and suffering from metabolic dysfunction.

The problem is the crap we call food, the human body just isn't adapted for it.

anyway, best of luck out there.

[AKDoug]

There's a lot of gold here. I agree with almost every individual point, but not the overall strategy.

Agree:
- your right, you can't outrun your fork. Exercise is great, but trying to eat past your appetite to lose weight is a losing strategy.
- don't snack, and don't drink calories


However, I submit that the primary problem its not the quantity of food, and its not the calories. Those are factors, but the much bigger factor is what we're eating, and what the hormone response is. I get it, the first law of thermodynamics holds...but we aren't perfectly efficient machines.

In short, most of our modern western dietary guidelines are impossible and absurd on multiple levels.

The constant loading up on carbohydrates and spiking insulin (hence putting your body into the fat storage mode), the prevalence and damage of industrial seed and vegetable oils, the sugars that are everywhere and in everything, and the highly refined carbohydrates....all of it damn near guarantees that we'll be miserable, sugar craving addicts with insulin resistance and metabolic dis-function.

The strategy of trying to maintain a caloric deficit, and hence going hungry is a long term losing battle. Your metabolism goes to hell.

The avoidance of meat and animal fats leaves us malnourished, yet overfed from calorie rich but nutrient poor foods.

I'd struggled with excess fat since I was a child. I did all the right things...exercised like crazy (wrestling, cross country, then 20 years of combat arms in the Army), ate low fat everything, would be really strict as long as I could take it. The end result...yo-yo weight, never lean, cravings, and being 40 pounds overweight.

Until I said F it, and ignored all the dietary guidelines. I starting eating steak until I was full. Than maybe I'd have some whole food carbs (like an apple, maybe a little veg, or some rice, but no bread, no processed anything)...and only if I'd earned them. Or maybe I'd ignore them altogether. Turns out I didn't need ANY carbohydrates in my diet, ZERO.

Sounds crazy to modern ears. But its not. I eat like an Apache or Comanche, or Inuit from 150 years ago. Its works well. No portion control, no counting calories, no snacking, no worries.
I don't crave anything, ever.

I got leaner and leaner the lower carb/higher protein I ate. Finally went 95-100% carnivore since Sep 2018.
End result, 45 yrs old in Mar, I'm leaner, faster and far stronger than ever, squat 2.3x bodyweight and do 30 hanging pull ups. I don't get hurt. I don't get sick anymore. I wake up with an erection. I'm never hungry, have no digestion problems, no gas, no bloating, sleep well, dental health is perfect, and my gums don't bleed anymore.
I'm free of the burden of watching what I eat...I just don't care anymore about all the junk out there that I used to be addicted to. It doesn't register as food anymore.

My advice:
Eat meat, fish, eggs, etc to taste until you're full. Eat the fat and add salt as you like. When you're full, stop. Drink water.
Eat again, but only when you're hungry. Don't be surprised if its less often. Don't worry is its 2 or 4 lbs of fatty beef you put away in a day.
Go easy or avoid cheese and cream.


This isn't meant to be an anti carbohydrate screed. There are certainly ways to eat carbs and stay lean and healthy. But I don't think that's an option for most of us in the west anymore. Most of are already insulin resistant from years of abuse, and suffering from metabolic dysfunction.

The problem is the crap we call food, the human body just isn't adapted for it.

anyway, best of luck out there.

That actually works fine as long as you consume FAT.. if you try and go lean meat and no carbs you will have issues. It's been explained to me that you either get your energy from carbs or fat. By eating lower carbs and calories, we are forcing our bodies to consume our fat reserves to lose weight.

In Alaska it was pretty common for people that had access to lots of lean meat.. moose, caribou, rabbits.. and starve to death. Just not enough energy in their diet. All the Alaskan tribes traditionally ate fatty meats, fish is the one constant among all the tribes, then bears, seals, whales, walruses, etc.. were added. Caribou was a hugely important food source for many inland tribes, but they traditionally harvested them when they were the fattest and preserved that fat. They knew you couldn't survive on late winter killed omnivores. There were tribes in more southern regions of the U.S. that had corn and other root crops high in carbs. They got their energy from that since high fat foods weren't as accessible to them. That's my problem with the one size fits all carnivore or paleo diet, history just doesn't back it up.

This comes back around to what has worked for my family as well. Tons of meat, lots of vegetables. All fresh as they can be. I take advantage of the bounty that Alaska brings me and supplement my diet with wild fish, birds, and game meat.

[Baldanders]

I'm 20 lbs. lighter than my post from the 2019 thread, which is especially nice since I gained 20 lbs. last Christmas season. It's amazing what drinking 10 bottles of Egg Nog in a few weeks will do compared to 2 bottles. All with plenty of liquor added.

I have been doing 10-14 hours of fasting most days and consuming plenty of caffeine in the form of cold brew coffee with cream/half-and-half.

Post-fast, I eat plenty of high-fat food and drink plenty of beer, wine, and liquor, especially rum. Lots and lots of rum, often in the form of painkillers.

YMMV on a similar regimen. My bloodwork looks good, and my liver is fine.

Last year I said I would be "happy at 200 lbs." Now, I care more about packing on more muscle (very sedentary of late) than dropping pounds.

This may seem like insane advice, but I try to make sure any consumption of simple sugars is combined with a decent amount of fat. It seems to stop the blood sugar crash/consume more sugar cycle for me.

ETA: 225 lbs. at the moment. My goal: same weight or less and significantly more muscle. And getting my damn wind back.

[Baldanders]

I apologize to PF specifically, and the internet in general, for turning this into a dietary/weight loss advice thread.

Good luck to everyone, I hope everyone reaches their goals (and then some). You all are almost certainly more capable than you routinely give yourself credit for. Find what works for you, or what you are willing to do everyday pretty much forever, and then do it. Get it done. You’ll be glad you did. :)

My reoccurring motivational phrase came from P-F last year (in the weight loss thread last year, I think):

"Don't eat like an asshole."

Whoever that was, thanks. It helps more than anything else I have found in terms of motivation.

So don't get too down on yourself, Tom.

[BehindBlueI's]

My reoccurring motivational phrase came from P-F last year (in the weight loss thread last year, I think):

"Don't eat like an asshole."

Whoever that was, thanks. It helps more than anything else I have found in terms of motivation.


I think the first sighting of the phrase in the wild was:

01-20-2019, 12:53 PM




Hold the line and don’t eat like an asshole.

I have also stolen the phrase.

[Baldanders]

I like the full quote even better! Thanks BBI and CM.

[JAD]

I think the first sighting of the phrase in the wild was:

01-20-2019, 12:53 PM



I have also stolen the phrase.

I think I got it from lindeman.

[JDB]

That actually works fine as long as you consume FAT.. if you try and go lean meat and no carbs you will have issues. It's been explained to me that you either get your energy from carbs or fat. By eating lower carbs and calories, we are forcing our bodies to consume our fat reserves to lose weight.

In Alaska it was pretty common for people that had access to lots of lean meat.. moose, caribou, rabbits.. and starve to death. Just not enough energy in their diet. All the Alaskan tribes traditionally ate fatty meats, fish is the one constant among all the tribes, then bears, seals, whales, walruses, etc.. were added. Caribou was a hugely important food source for many inland tribes, but they traditionally harvested them when they were the fattest and preserved that fat. They knew you couldn't survive on late winter killed omnivores. There were tribes in more southern regions of the U.S. that had corn and other root crops high in carbs. They got their energy from that since high fat foods weren't as accessible to them. That's my problem with the one size fits all carnivore or paleo diet, history just doesn't back it up.

This comes back around to what has worked for my family as well. Tons of meat, lots of vegetables. All fresh as they can be. I take advantage of the bounty that Alaska brings me and supplement my diet with wild fish, birds, and game meat.

concur. I should have said eat fatty meat to taste. It kills me watching people trim away the fat on game animals...such a waste. Taste is actually a pretty good guide (except when it comes to sugar!). There's a reason we gravitate to ribeye, nice fat oily King salmon, etc. I'm in AK also, good stuff up here.

The only trouble I've seen getting lean was when I'd add excessive fat...like too much cheese, or adding too much cream to my coffee. If stuck with meat that's too lean (like chicken breast), then sure, add some butter. But in general if a meat is too lean to be palatable, some fat is in order. Granted, we're not talking competitive bodybuilder lean, don't want those problems.

Good points. And no I don't think carnivory is the only way. However, given the option of lots plenty of fatty meat, it seems to work the best for getting lean, muscular, and for dental health.

[0ddl0t]

That actually works fine as long as you consume FAT.. if you try and go lean meat and no carbs you will have issues.
It used to be called rabbit starvation, but nowadays most know it as protein poisoning.

[pangloss]

This afternoon I weighed for the first time since a December 16. I gained less than half a pound, so I guess I handled the holidays pretty well. I'm 5'8" tall, and my starting weight last year was 190 lbs. I didn't try to lose weight until April at which point my weight was still 190-192 lbs. Today I weighed 162.2. Goal weight is 155 or maybe 150 lbs. Regarding BMI, mine is currently at the top end of the healthy range, but I'd like to get closer to mid range. I was near the upper end of the overweight range when I finally addressed the problem, so I'm generally pleased with my progress.

I haven't accomplished anything as dramatic as Tom, but just eating a bunch less has made the difference for me. (Increased exercise has certainly helped too.) I have a small apple for breakfast, often a little bit of yogurt for lunch, and a small supper. Tonight was a small salad with some rotisserie chicken mixed in and a piece of my wife's homemade bread. I was hungry when I went to bed last night and really hungry when I woke up this morning. I'm still hungry right now. I'll weigh a little less tomorrow though.

[spinmove_]

Weighed in this morning at an even 237lbs.

[luckyman]

Weighed in at 191.2; down 1.8 lbs for the week. Been fighting off a bad bug I picked up during the Christmas holidays, so not much activity this past week.

[spinmove_]

Weighed in this morning at an even 237lbs.

I guess I should be referencing my starting weight and progress too. Down to 237lbs from 241.8lbs for a loss of 4.8lbs.

[Joe in PNG]

First official weigh in of the year, and after a Christmas break with lots of cheating, I'm pretty much where I ended 2019: 202 lbs.

It's a great start, as I'm only 2 off of my goal.

[Chance]

Body fat percentage up 0.9% to 23.5%. Shows you what a few days worth of "I'll be back on the straight and narrow next week!" gets you. :rolleyes:

I'm going to aim for a solid 500 calorie deficit the rest of the month. Will hopefully be easier when the semester starts up and I have something to distract me when I'm fasting.

[AKDoug]

Something happened to me post holidays that I can't put my finger on. I shot up to 242 and my notes, confirmed with the wife, say I didn't consume any extra calories beyond my BMR on any day from Dec 25 to Jan 5. It has been extremely cold, -30F, for the last week and I'm wondering if my metabolism is doing something funky. I've been pounding the water due to the dryness, but I can't see gaining almost 10 pounds in just water. The human machine is a weird deal. Anyhow, it's seem to have arrested and I'm sitting at 234 this morning. My official weigh in is on Sundays, so we'll see what Sunday brings me.

I'll admit that a gain like that is demoralizing when you think you've been doing a good job. I keep telling myself that it's o.k. and I'll get back on top of it. I really haven't seen much of a loss since August, so I'm going to have to really start fine tuning things. I've been resistant to paying attention to micro nutrients, protein intake, etc., but maybe I've reached a point that cutting calories isn't enough.

Off to do more research.

[Chance]

Off to do more research.

A few things off the top of my head:

I'd definitely recommend picking up a scale that measures body fat. Your actual body weight can fluctuate all over the place for a variety reasons - simple things like fluid retention, constipation, et cetera. When virtually everyone says, "lose weight" they mean "lose fat", so measuring fat will give you a much better idea of the progress you're making.

Weight loss plateaus are definitely real. As you lose fat, your BMR decreases for reasons I'm not really qualified to explain, but part of it has to do with your body having less tissue to support, so it uses less energy. If you're losing a lot of fat, it's helpful to recalculate your BMR every so often just to make sure you're hitting the calorie deficit you want.

And, like Tom has repeatedly mentioned, fasting is the stupid-simple way of losing fat. Check out The Complete Guide to Fasting (https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Fasting-Intermittent-Alternate-Day/dp/1628600012/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1MIV787BG2W6L&keywords=complete+guide+to+fasting+jason+fung&qid=1578695559&sprefix=complete+guide+to+%2Caps%2C186&sr=8-3) if you want the science of why it works and why it's far safer than we've all been led to be believe. I've linked to that book about... eight times at this point, but it really is a great strategy and it's no where near as miserable as you'd think.

Don't worry about getting frustrated - happens to everyone.

[Chance]

Is that a book that won’t suck on Kindle (not too many charts/graphs/images), or is dead tree the way to go?

I read it with the Kindle app on my mid-sized tablet and it looked fine. I wouldn't try to read it on a straight Kindle device though.

[AKDoug]

A few things off the top of my head:

I'd definitely recommend picking up a scale that measures body fat. Your actual body weight can fluctuate all over the place for a variety reasons - simple things like fluid retention, constipation, et cetera. When virtually everyone says, "lose weight" they mean "lose fat", so measuring fat will give you a much better idea of the progress you're making.

Weight loss plateaus are definitely real. As you lose fat, your BMR decreases for reasons I'm not really qualified to explain, but part of it has to do with your body having less tissue to support, so it uses less energy. If you're losing a lot of fat, it's helpful to recalculate your BMR every so often just to make sure you're hitting the calorie deficit you want.

And, like Tom has repeatedly mentioned, fasting is the stupid-simple way of losing fat. Check out The Complete Guide to Fasting (https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Fasting-Intermittent-Alternate-Day/dp/1628600012/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1MIV787BG2W6L&keywords=complete+guide+to+fasting+jason+fung&qid=1578695559&sprefix=complete+guide+to+%2Caps%2C186&sr=8-3) if you want the science of why it works and why it's far safer than we've all been led to be believe. I've linked to that book about... eight times at this point, but it really is a great strategy and it's no where near as miserable as you'd think.

Don't worry about getting frustrated - happens to everyone. Those scales actually work? I always looked at them as a gimmick. I will give them a second look. I use the BMR of my target weight, not my actual weight as a basis for my intake planning. As far as fasting.. I skip breakfast for now and I took Duke's suggestion of no cream in my coffee while still on my 16 hour fast. I might have to look into longer fasts. Thanks for the info.

[BehindBlueI's]

Those scales actually work?

Everything I've ever read says they are not accurate.

Example: https://www.consumerreports.org/body-fat-scales/body-fat-scale-review/

[Chance]

Everything I've ever read says they are not accurate.

Example: https://www.consumerreports.org/body-fat-scales/body-fat-scale-review/

I'm less concerned about accuracy and more concerned with whether the device is precise relative to itself. That way you can still track changes. The article you linked to mentions the consistency of measurements:


At least they were consistent, though, so you can use the scales that scored better at body-fat repeatability to track relative gains and losses over time.

[Cookie Monster]

I'm less concerned about accuracy and more concerned with whether the device is precise relative to itself. That way you can still track changes. The article you linked to mentions the consistency of measurements:

I really like my FitBit scale, it automatically throws the weight into the app for tracking. Somehow eliminating that little bit of friction is so good

I doubt mine is right in terms of absolute body fat percentage but it seems to track changes well enough I find it useful and motivating.

[BehindBlueI's]

I'm less concerned about accuracy and more concerned with whether the device is precise relative to itself. That way you can still track changes. The article you linked to mentions the consistency of measurements:

They are, over time, consistent with themselves as long as your legs aren't changing at a different rate than the rest of your body. The machines have no way of knowing if you packed muscle on to your chest and arms or lost more belly fat than hip fat. Personally, I think a tape measure is more valuable.

Anywho:

1/6/20:

First weigh-in of the year: 229.8

1/11/20:

227.6

[Chance]

They are, over time, consistent with themselves as long as your legs aren't changing at a different rate than the rest of your body. The machines have no way of knowing if you packed muscle on to your chest and arms or lost more belly fat than hip fat.

A scale that measures from hand to foot can help mitigate that issue to some extent. They're still only a ballpark estimate though.

[jeep45238]

I'm less concerned about accuracy and more concerned with whether the device is precise relative to itself. That way you can still track changes. The article you linked to mentions the consistency of measurements:

It's far from clinically accurate. If you want really accurate body fat % numbers you'll need to go to a bod-pod.

The scales are relatively accurate for trends when compared to the same scale, and measured at about the same time of your day. They do have a switch button to change your generic composition from average to athlete, etc.. The biggest factor in these things is your hydration level, so if you develop the habit of weighing in first thing when you wake up you'll have a repeatable trend over the long term.

Ignore the features that state your bone density and stuff, they can't measure that.




Treat the body fat % on home devices the same way you should look at weight itself - a trend, versus what the number itself is saying at the moment.

[jeep45238]

12JAN2020
194.8lbs
22.3% body fat


05JAN2020
200.0 lbs - 23.1% bf

Did decent on the calorie counting, threw it in the towel Saturday knowingly by working the mini-fridge empty. Work resumes tomorrow.
------
01JAN2020
201.2lb
23.3% body fat

[Trukinjp13]

1-12-20

263lbs. Managed to gain 25lbs in 2019, broken bones and laziness equals failure. Have been working out quite a bit and gaining lost strength back. But diet has been terrible up til now.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[0ddl0t]

200 -> 198

Formerly bland & boring fruits almost taste like candy 12 days after giving up everything artificially sweetened.

[luckyman]

Weighed in at 191.2; down 1.8 lbs for the week. Been fighting off a bad bug I picked up during the Christmas holidays, so not much activity this past week.

This week is 189.6, down 1.6 lbs for the week. Pretty pleased since I went out to eat twice this week.

Next 10 days will be tough. First my daughter is visiting, and historically we've bonded a lot by going out to eat. Then I go on a business trip to Nashville, to a conference where all food and drink is paid for; I don't even have to do an expense report for most of it.

For both cases I'll need to be pretty careful about what I'm ordering, and limit myself to a max of 1 alcoholic drink a day. I find when I have 2 drinks, my self-control goes out the window on food and I end up eating way too much. I'll figure out some good dinner I can cook for my daughter one night that is super-healthy. And in general I'll probably need to go really minimal on the calories before dinner, just to give myself some wiggle-room on the dinners.

[GyroF-16]

This week is 189.6, down 1.6 lbs for the week. Pretty pleased since I went out to eat twice this week.

Next 10 days will be tough. First my daughter is visiting, and historically we've bonded a lot by going out to eat. Then I go on a business trip to Nashville, to a conference where all food and drink is paid for; I don't even have to do an expense report for most of it.

For both cases I'll need to be pretty careful about what I'm ordering, and limit myself to a max of 1 alcoholic drink a day. I find when I have 2 drinks, my self-control goes out the window on food and I end up eating way too much. I'll figure out some good dinner I can cook for my daughter one night that is super-healthy. And in general I'll probably need to go really minimal on the calories before dinner, just to give myself some wiggle-room on the dinners.

Sounds like you’re making good progress.

I eat dinner out 2-3 nights a week due to work schedule. I was able to consistently keep my weight loss goals with either a 5-mi run (or walk) or an hour on the treadmill before dinner. Then ordering a high-protein (often Cobb) salad with grilled chicken or salmon on it, and some form of vinaigrette dressing. I consumed over half my calories for the day at dinner (roughly 1000), and was able to go to bed with a full belly (salads are filling).

[luckyman]

Sounds like you’re making good progress.

I eat dinner out 2-3 nights a week due to work schedule. I was able to consistently keep my weight loss goals with either a 5-mi run (or walk) or an hour on the treadmill before dinner. Then ordering a high-protein (often Cobb) salad with grilled chicken or salmon on it, and some form of vinaigrette dressing. I consumed over half my calories for the day at dinner (roughly 1000), and was able to go to bed with a full belly (salads are filling).

I've got the exercise part of things pretty well down. Doing salads for dinner especially on business trips is a great idea. My wife fixes me a big salad with grilled chicken for lunch every day when we are both at home, but that tends to go out the window when I am travelling. And its pretty easy for me to behave at lunch when I'm travelling, moving the salad to dinner should help more.

[spinmove_]

1/1/2020: 241.8lbs.

Today: 234.4lbs.

[pangloss]

Something happened to me post holidays that I can't put my finger on. I shot up to 242 and my notes, confirmed with the wife, say I didn't consume any extra calories beyond my BMR on any day from Dec 25 to Jan 5. It has been extremely cold, -30F, for the last week and I'm wondering if my metabolism is doing something funky. I've been pounding the water due to the dryness, but I can't see gaining almost 10 pounds in just water. The human machine is a weird deal. Anyhow, it's seem to have arrested and I'm sitting at 234 this morning. My official weigh in is on Sundays, so we'll see what Sunday brings me.

I'll admit that a gain like that is demoralizing when you think you've been doing a good job. I keep telling myself that it's o.k. and I'll get back on top of it. I really haven't seen much of a loss since August, so I'm going to have to really start fine tuning things. I've been resistant to paying attention to micro nutrients, protein intake, etc., but maybe I've reached a point that cutting calories isn't enough.

Off to do more research.

Did your sodium intake increase just before you got those surprise 10 lbs? Every time I go to the Mexican restaurant it results in a weight gain well beyond the number of calories I consume there. It's the salt in the salsa (and probably everything else) that causes fluid retention. (I love salsa to the extent that I would live off of it if that was possible.) Usually the weight goes away by itself after a couple or three days days. At home sometimes I have meals that are considerably higher in sodium relative to what we normally eat and those seem to correlate with weight gain also. A couple of days ago I was up 4 lbs from two days previously, and there's simply no way I could have gained that through calories. Hitting the treadmill hard enough to break into a heavy sweat seems to help get get back on track, I presume through losing salt via sweating more than through burning calories.

[Crawls]

I was down 5 to 6 lbs through a combination 14/10 intermittent fasting, hard work on my new Peloton, and no beer.
Spending the week in Albuquerque with my family for my parents 50th. I'm sure I'm going to be back at square one when I get home to Maryland.

[Chance]

Weight down 1.8 lbs and body fat down 0.8% to 172.4 and 21.4% respectively. PITA to try and fast when you've got nothing to do but lounge around the house. Glad the semester starts back up next week.

[Joe in PNG]

First official weigh in of the year, and after a Christmas break with lots of cheating, I'm pretty much where I ended 2019: 202 lbs.

It's a great start, as I'm only 2 off of my goal.

202.6 today. I blame the office social palacsintas (Hungarian crepes) on Wednesday.

[Trukinjp13]

260 today. Weighing myself every weekend. Down 3.5 from last. Getting diet dialed in and lifting 3-4 times a week.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jeep45238]

19JAN2020
193
21% body fat

Weight loss has stabilized into a very shallow slope for the last week. I'm happy with the progress, considering I was knocking on 210 around Christmas and didn't count a calorie until 01JAN2020



01JAN2020
201.2lb
23.3% body fat

[0ddl0t]

200 -> 198

Formerly bland & boring fruits almost taste like candy 12 days after giving up everything artificially sweetened.

195

The third week was the hardest so far - I'm starting to feel hungry a lot more often and, aside from the digits on the scale, I'm not really seeing/feeling results. I mean after 3 weeks I expected to tighten the belt at least one notch, but no...

[spinmove_]

1/1/2020: 241.8 lbs.

Today: 233.8 lbs.

[BehindBlueI's]

1/11/20:

227.6

01/21/20:

226.2

Not walking has slown my progress, but it's still moving in the right direction. I'll take minor injury leads to slowed progress vs minor injury leads to reversal of progress any time.

[Chance]

Numbers are all over the place this morning. I had six lectures yesterday and I can't remember drinking water for the sake of hydrating once - I'm really going to have to keep an eye on that this semester. I'll see if I can get decent numbers tomorrow or something.

[Guerrero]

Did your sodium intake increase just before you got those surprise 10 lbs? Every time I go to the Mexican restaurant it results in a weight gain well beyond the number of calories I consume there. It's the salt in the salsa (and probably everything else) that causes fluid retention. (I love salsa to the extent that I would live off of it if that was possible.) Usually the weight goes away by itself after a couple or three days days. At home sometimes I have meals that are considerably higher in sodium relative to what we normally eat and those seem to correlate with weight gain also. A couple of days ago I was up 4 lbs from two days previously, and there's simply no way I could have gained that through calories. Hitting the treadmill hard enough to break into a heavy sweat seems to help get get back on track, I presume through losing salt via sweating more than through burning calories.

There's something to this. I've had bouts the last couple weekends with... er... NFC playoffs and really salty food. My weight went up a lot more than the calories might indicate, and some light fasting isn't bringing it down.

[Joe in PNG]

202.6 today. I blame the office social palacsintas (Hungarian crepes) on Wednesday.

201.3. The crepes finally wore off.

[0ddl0t]

200 -> 198 -> 195 -> 192

Probably a little dehydrated, but I'll take it.

[spinmove_]

1/1/2020: 241.8 lbs.

Today: 232.8 lbs.

[BehindBlueI's]

225 this morning, so still losing despite being sedentary. My foot feels quite a bit better, I plan to resume walking on Monday.

[jeep45238]

26JAN2020
190.4lb
21.3% body fat

Went over on the calorie count last weekend big time, and 4/5 days this week a little. Didn't help it wasn't healthy stuff, but man those fried pickles and frozen Reece cups were a treat.



19JAN2020
193
21% body fat

01JAN2020
201.2lb
23.3% body fat

[luckyman]

This week is 189.6, down 1.6 lbs for the week. Pretty pleased since I went out to eat twice this week.

Next 10 days will be tough. First my daughter is visiting, and historically we've bonded a lot by going out to eat. Then I go on a business trip to Nashville . . . .

Stayed pretty much even, now at 189.2

Idea of having salads for dinner at the conference didn’t pan out; dinners were all preselected / plated and brought to you. Only choice was a vegetarian option. All in all, thinking of it as a mild success that I didn’t gain weight. Should have a good 8 weeks coming up with no excuses, before a short Hawaii vacation.

[spinmove_]

1/1/2020: 241.8 lbs.

Today: 236.0 lbs.

Came up 3.2lbs due to an extended weekend in FL celebrating my step-mom’s 60th and my youngest brother’s 21st. It was a hell of a weekend. Back on the train as of yesterday and re-hydrated and this is what I get. Oh well, nothing more to do except to get back on the horse and continue.

[Crawls]

1/1/2020: 222 lbs.

Today, 1/29/2020: 211 lbs.

[pangloss]

5' 8" tall
1/19 - 190.0 lbs
4/19 - 190.0 lbs
1/07/20 - 162.2 lbs
1/29/20 - 160.0 lbs

I've sort of stalled out since the holidays. I'm eating a lot more very small lunches (90 calories of yogurt), but I've had too much dessert lately. (I didn't discover that I love bread pudding until quite recently.) Anyway, 10 more pounds and I'm done. I should be able to lose that by April, which would be one year from when I really started making an effort.

Sent from my moto e5 cruise using Tapatalk

[Joe in PNG]

201.3. The crepes finally wore off.

199.7! First time under 200 since the mid 90's, and only about 5 from my actual final weight goal.

[Chance]

The scale reports 165.6 this morning, which I believe is a nonsense number. However, it is lower than last week's nonsense number, so I am even more dehydrated than this time last week, or I have lost weight and am also dehydrated....

Whatever. It's lower two weeks in a row, so I'm counting it.

[Guerrero]

Starting the year at 179, and that's after two weeks of vacation, being sick, and not exercising. Goal is to make and maintain 175.

177 and change today. Had some ups and downs, but ended up down a couple.

*Pro tip: don't eat half a pizza the night before weigh-in

[0ddl0t]

200 -> 198 -> 195 -> 192

Probably a little dehydrated, but I'll take it.

Finishing the month at 191

Slow going, but I did survive 2 celebratory dinners this week without eating like too much of an asshole.

[RJ]

206.2.

2/1/20: 202.6.

[Danjojo]

Head's up....

This company makes the dietary supplements for a large number of companies whose brand names you actually see online or on shelves.

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/abh-natures-products-inc-abh-pharma-inc-and-stocknutracom-inc-issues-nationwide-recall-all-lots#recall-announcement

Just seeing names involved in the company would keep me from purchasing but doubly so with them having several violations involving GMP.

I was notified about this having got RSP AminoLean and some similar product through Amazon for weeks where I'm cutting down. I've always been careful for vitamins and herbs but not as concerned with rarely taken supplements...time to find some good brands...

[BehindBlueI's]

225 this morning, so still losing despite being sedentary. My foot feels quite a bit better, I plan to resume walking on Monday.

Weight has held steady this week, 225.8 this morning. I'm down .75" off the waistline in the last two weeks, though so I'm not complaining just yet.

[jeep45238]

Discovered that eating a full bag of beef jerky in one sitting waiting at the bank sets me back about 3 days. It's a weak spot for me.

02FEB2020
188.9lb
20.8% body fat



01JAN2020
201.2lb
23.3% body fat

[BehindBlueI's]

Weight has held steady this week, 225.8 this morning. I'm down .75" off the waistline in the last two weeks, though so I'm not complaining just yet.

223.6 this morning. I'm walking again, but not nearly as much as I was. 8k to 10k steps a day. My foot is *mostly* healed. I'm still not going to try running yet. At this point it's almost like an occasional cramp in the foot more than a steady pain, so I think I'm going to be good for March.

[0ddl0t]

Finishing the month at 191
189 & now down a shirt size since New Year's. The upcoming weather is supposed to be nice so I should be able to log some miles on my bike and hopefully boost my progress.

[BehindBlueI's]

220.0 this morning, so down 9.8 for the year so far.

My foot isn't perfect yet but it's a hell of a lot better. Still limiting my time on it, trying to remember to stretch occasionally.

[luckyman]

Stayed pretty much even [during the travel], now at 189.2
......

Scale read 187.0 today.

[Chance]

Weight rebounded to 169.1 according to yesterday's weigh in. I haven't been feeling well and my diet has been lax, so I'm not shocked. This week is scheduled as a maintenance week, so hopefully I hold ground with a reduction in exercise.

[0ddl0t]

188. Would have been more progress if not for misreading a nutrition label and overshooting calories a couple days (who the hell eats only 3 tablespoons of trail mix?!)

[BehindBlueI's]

188. Would have been more progress if not for misreading a nutrition label and overshooting calories a couple days (who the hell eats only 3 tablespoons of trail mix?!)

Hamsters?

[Joe in PNG]

Back up to 202 after a couple of weeks of slacking off- it's cheap choco week, after all.
Will resume strict observance of my dietary rules today.

[Crawls]

1/1/2020: 222 lbs.
1/29/2020: 211 lbs.

Today, 2/15/2020 208 lbs.

[pangloss]

April, 2019: 190 lbs
01/07/2020: 162.2 lbs
02/16/2020: 159.0 lbs
current BMI: 24.2

I've stalled out, but since I'm still slowly moving in the right direction, I'm not too worried about it. I had too many big meals late last week courtesy of social activities. I know social drinking is a thing. Social eating must be too. Late last month I bought a few new clothes. Waist size on the pants I bought was 32" and the shirts were size small. Contrast with 38" pants and size large shirts last April. Four to nine pounds left to go...

[Joe in PNG]

Back up to 202 after a couple of weeks of slacking off- it's cheap choco week, after all.
Will resume strict observance of my dietary rules today.

Down to 201. Not bad considering all the sweets I had on Saturday & Sunday.

[0ddl0t]

181

Very dehydrated from battling the flu for a week so I won't be surprised if this jumps up next week...

[0ddl0t]

182. I ate well, I was just that dehydrated last week...

[luckyman]

Scale read 187.0 today.

(From 2/24)

185.0 today

[BehindBlueI's]

First weigh-in of the year: 229.8 Despite my holiday shenanigans I was able to maintain/lose 1 lb over two weeks.

219.0 today.

I bounced around 220-221 for a week and a half and then tried Tom_Jones idea of eating a pound of broccoli and then a small protein. I've been substituting cabbage, turnip greens, kale, etc as the mood strikes and some radishes, but the results are breaking through the plateau and down a pound in three days.

[jeep45238]

Eating on the road and being sedentary for a bit hasn't helped, but still forward progress.

01MAR2020
185.2lbs
20.3% body fat



01JAN2020
201.2lb
23.3% body fat

[Guerrero]

177 and change today. Had some ups and downs, but ended up down a couple.

*Pro tip: don't eat half a pizza the night before weigh-in

I was a legit 176.0 yesterday (yay!). Up a bit today after a larger(-er) dinner and breakfast.

[Chance]

Weighed in at 163.6 on Thursday. After hemorrhaging strength these past six weeks, I have reformulated diet with the help of someone who actually know what he's doing. Weight loss after the adjustment will be much more gradual, but I should (hopefully...) retain more strength in the mean time. We'll see.

[JAD]

A relatively recent NYT article said that protein quantity was much more important to middle aged men than younger men. So I’m back to gonzo protein goals. I rarely hit them but I try to be conscious of it particularly in Lent.


https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/07/well/move/lift-weights-eat-more-protein-especially-if-youre-over-40.html

[BehindBlueI's]

I upped my protein intake to a minimum of 140 grams per day last January. I didn't simultaneously increase fiber intake. That was a mistake. Last February, I added a fiber goal of 42+ grams per day. Life became much better. I'd strongly suggest increasing protein and fiber in tandem.

Probably where "shit a brick" comes from.

Savory oatmeal dishes made the fiber intake easy.

[0ddl0t]

How are you guys getting so much fiber? I'm struggling to get 20g within my 1500 calorie/100g Protein goal. A good day:

bowl of regular oatmeal (2g)
+ 1 box of raisins (1g)
1 banana (3g)
(300 calories, 6g fiber)

Lettuce wrap chicken sandwich (1g)
Orange (3g)
(460 calories, 4g fiber)

1/2 lb celery sticks (3g)
2 cups 2% cottage cheese (0g)
(240 calories, 2.5g fiber)

broccoli beef (4g)
steamed rice (1g)
(500 calories, 5g fiber)

----------------------------------

1500 calories, 100g protein, 18g fiber

[BehindBlueI's]

How are you guys getting so much fiber? I'm struggling to get 20g within my 1500 calorie/100g Protein goal.


Add two cups of leafy greens to two meals and you'll add about 10g of fiber for very minimal calories.

Sweet potato is about 4g per 100 calories.

Various kinds of beans are about 6g per 100 calories.

[Trukinjp13]

Down to 250. Have been putting in work strength training and getting my shit back in order after all the broken and torn stuff last year. Lost around 15lbs since January. Was on a low carb low calorie diet, that was garbage for me. Have switched my diet up in the past month and that has produced the most gains in the gym and weight loss.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BehindBlueI's]

217.6 today. I feel like maybe I've got a real productive movement due soon, though, so further updates as events warrant.

[Newportl]

How are you guys getting so much fiber? I'm struggling to get 20g within my 1500 calorie/100g Protein goal.

I hit 40+ daily. A few things help:

1. I have a large serving (100-120g ~10g fiber) of raspberries or blackberries daily along with fat-free greek yogurt.
2. I eat bread (Dave's Killer, 5g slice x2) on my daily turkey sandwich.
3. Yerba Prima whole psyllium husk (5g), daily as a supplement. Mix it in cold water and down it.

So just with this, I have about a 20g intake. My other normal food choices take care of the rest.

That said, getting a 40g fiber goal when you are in the low end of carb macros is difficult. I eat 200g of carbs a day, and up to 300g on very active days (4-5 hour bike rides).

So on those low carb days, then I have to be conscious about veggie and fruit types. Pears, raspberries, blackberries, maybe some beans.

[BehindBlueI's]

First weigh-in of the year: 229.8

214.8 this morning. I've hit my goal of between 210-215 for Bataan with a week to spare.

[Joe in PNG]

Down to 201. Not bad considering all the sweets I had on Saturday & Sunday.

200. Getting my momentum back.

[0ddl0t]

183 -- inexplicablely up 1 from last week, though still down 17 for the year.

[Crawls]

1/1/2020: 222 lbs.
1/29/2020: 211 lbs.
2/15/2020: 208 lbs.

Today, 3/8/2020 205 lbs.

[BehindBlueI's]

183 -- inexplicablely up 1 from last week, though still down 17 for the year.

Don't let it bother you unless it becomes a trend. Bouncing around a few pounds is pretty normal so you could have still lost fat and just have a bigger colon load or more water weight on the day you weighed in. I'm sure you already know that, but it's sometimes easy to get discouraged if you don't remind yourself. I'm down almost two pounds today vs yesterday and there's no way that's all calorie deficit, it's just a bigger than usual poo and I know it'll bounce back. Just watch the trend.

[BehindBlueI's]

212.8 this morning. I'm averaging -0.6 lb/day sticking to Tom_Jones' idea, although I've used cabbage many days instead of broccoli. I weigh about what I did in the Army, although with a 3" larger waist so still not nearly the same body composition. I'm now merely "overweight" instead of "obese" per the BMI charts, so that's something I suppose.

[0ddl0t]

Don't let it bother you unless it becomes a trend. Bouncing around a few pounds is pretty normal so you could have still lost fat and just have a bigger colon load or more water weight on the day you weighed in. I'm sure you already know that, but it's sometimes easy to get discouraged if you don't remind yourself. I'm down almost two pounds today vs yesterday and there's no way that's all calorie deficit, it's just a bigger than usual poo and I know it'll bounce back. Just watch the trend.

That must have been it - I was down 1.4 this morning. It is just frustrating to be flat or up after a week of diet & exercise running a calorie deficit that *should* be dropping about 2/week. Maybe my metabolism is getting more efficient? I don't think I'm building muscle...

[BehindBlueI's]

That must have been it - I was down 1.4 this morning. It is just frustrating to be flat or up after a week of diet & exercise running a calorie deficit that *should* be dropping about 2/week. Maybe my metabolism is getting more efficient? I don't think I'm building muscle...

Even the best home scales are seldom more accurate than +/-1% so some of the swing is likely just error of the machine. Don't move the scale, weigh yourself at the same time every day wearing the same thing and just track the trend. I routinely bounce 2 lbs up or down day to day.

[Cookie Monster]

That must have been it - I was down 1.4 this morning. It is just frustrating to be flat or up after a week of diet & exercise running a calorie deficit that *should* be dropping about 2/week. Maybe my metabolism is getting more efficient? I don't think I'm building muscle...

To mirror BBI, yea it is frustrating to have the daily numbers fuck with your mind and your motivation but you gotta step back and look at trends. Have faith to know that when you are hitting it things will happen and tighten up when the trend is up.

My family has been hammered this winter with illness as my boys are just starting school. I am sick once or twice a month and up 10 pounds since November. Anyway, this last week during this fucking awful cold I weighed myself before going to bed one night at 162 and brushed my teeth in the morning at 155.5. Nothing but having to urinate five times throughout the night or my scale was jacked. Both weights were naked so it wasn’t clothing.

You might be better off going to weight every week or bi-weekly. Pick the same time of day.

[0ddl0t]

You might be better off going to weight every week or bi-weekly. Pick the same time of day.

Yeah for the weigh-ins here I'm generally doing weekly in the morning post constitutional pre breakfast.

Out of curiousity, I checked the specs on my scale and BBI is right that it is only accurate to +/- 1%. For me that's +/- 1.8 which is also my weekly weight loss goal so that alone could make some weeks show 0 and others -3.6...

[BehindBlueI's]

Yeah for the weigh-ins here I'm generally doing weekly in the morning post constitutional pre breakfast.

Out of curiousity, I checked the specs on my scale and BBI is right that it is only accurate to +/- 1%. For me that's +/- 1.8 which is also my weekly weight loss goal so that alone could make some weeks show 0 and others -3.6...

I'm up 1.9 lb today over yesterday, 212.6 to 214.5. I ate less than 1k calories yesterday. I know I didn't gain fat. It's not as much fun as seeing it drop or hit a new milestone, but it's just part of it. As Marcus Lemonis would say, "trust the process" and just watch the trends. I weigh myself daily and as long as the numbers move the right direction, on average, over a given 10 day stretch I don't sweat it.

[luckyman]

185.0 today (2/28)

Now down to 181.5

Having to do earllllyyyyyy morning conference calls. Have managed to replace my 10:30am “2nd Breakfast” stress eating with a walk through my downtown and a simple black coffee. Man between Covid and the rain driving away all the homeless people (where do they go?) downtown is a serenely empty and kinda beautiful place in the morning, even in the rain.

[Joe in PNG]

200. Getting my momentum back.

199! 4 lbs more to go before summer feast time.

[0ddl0t]

179 this morning - finally heading back in the right direction. The flu 2-3 weeks ago really skewed the numbers around, but the overall trend is pretty linear I suppose:

49904

[Trukinjp13]

Down to 246. Weight is dropping nicely since the diet change and keep getting strength up.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Gadfly]

First post in this thread, though I have been following it with interest.

I got TDY'ed to FLETC back on Oct 1 of 2019. When you are TDY, you typically eat and drink WAY too much, because per Diem. I decided I was going to work out instead. Its hard to stand in front of the class and talk about being ready to do X,Y,Z if you look like a fat tub (which I did).

Down just @ 50lbs since my arrival. My goal was 10lbs a month, which I have been able to do. Started at 258 (most I have ever weighted in my life). Was 207 this morning. Hoping to break 200 before I go home, back to Texas.

Lots of treadmill time. LOTS. And I cut back on calories to around 1200-1500 a day. I skip breakfast, Typically a protein shake and a banana or Jerky for lunch, then a decent dinner.

Very happy with the progress... but Depressing to see i have gone from "obese" to "overweight" on the charts.

COVID-19 may be cancelling my rotation home and keeping me stuck at FLETC (still up in the air). If it does, I will try and take off more. My goal was 200, but 180 would be awesome.

Anyway, Just wanted to share, and thank you all for some inspiration.

[Chance]

Waiting for another online meeting to start, so I have a little time to kill. Figured I'd share what's been recommended by the diet guru, as it's been working very well for me. Here's my intake and measurements for the last three weeks.

50266

I was told to keep my calories around 1500 and keep my protein around 1.2g/lb. For me, that's 190-ish grams a day (18-Mar's a fat-finger, only 193 grams that day). The other macros aren't relevant while I'm in the fat loss stage.

Cardio has been kept to ten minute walks after meals, and I eat three times a day. So basically ten minutes of walking three times a day. I've been substituting the airdyne for walking (keeping my heart rate around 100bpm), as walking exposes me to the sun and my neighbors, both of which are recognized carcinogens.

I've been doing a four-day Texas method with some accessory stuff for arms; I'd say the lifting burns 350-ish calories per session, so definitely nothing insane. I've slowly started putting weight back on the bar, which suggests I'm no longer hemorrhaging strength.

It certainly appears to be working, and I haven't been miserable. I was encouraged to add some baby carrots to every meal to help with hunger, and that's worked very well. Getting that much protein a day is a bit of a PITA, especially since diet guru doesn't like protein shakes, but it's doable if you crunch the numbers. Lots of canned salmon and Greek yogurt. Not inexpensive, but as it was so eloquently put to me, "Do you think you're getting $9 worth of steak in a $9 steak burrito?"

I'm happy to link to videos or articles or whatever other knowledge source I can find if anyone wants to try something similar. I'm really fortunate to have found someone who really knows his stuff.

[0ddl0t]

^^ Impressive protein intake on 1500 calories!


I'm making good progress and am now down to 176, but the new statewide quarantine will probably limit opportunities for exercise and slow my progress.

[Guerrero]

Working from home makes it difficult to avoid boredom/stress eating.

[Yung]

I first met Hyrum last fall during his hosting of Mr. Herron's class last year at Ben Avery. We met again at Mr. Johnston's and Mrs. Lauer's classes not long after in December, and the meal him and his wife prepared was delicious.

Here are some pictures of him.
https://www.instagram.com/fat_boy_no_more/

Yesterday he was featured on a podcast run by one of our local trainers, Glen Stilson. Please listen to it.
https://thearmsroomvom.podbean.com/e/the-importance-of-fitness-and-health-with-our-friend-hyrum/

[Crawls]

1/1/2020: 222 lbs.
1/29/2020: 211 lbs.
2/15/2020: 208 lbs.
3/8/2020 205 lbs.

Today 3/25/202: 199 lbs
Need to order new jeans

[0ddl0t]

chipping away: 175...

[luckyman]

Now down to 181.5 (3/12)
.

Now at 178.5. Getting close! Waist is at about 33 1/4. Figure I will stop somewhere between 170 and 175.

[BehindBlueI's]

I bounced back up to 216-217 after vacation and some "quarantine carb loading" but plan to get back with the program. Not going to the grocery as routinely for fresh veggies and a bored spouse trying online recipes has not been helpful. The trade off was she learned to make a truly excellent pizza crust...

[0ddl0t]

172 and falling...
51198

I spent the last 2 weeks of quarantine weighing & measuring every ingredient for every meal (because I've obviously got the time) to get precise calorie numbers and used that data, along with weight lost, to calculate my basal metabolic rate. Turns out that online estimator was accurate within 50 calories...

[Crawls]

172 and falling...
51198

I spent the last 2 weeks of quarantine weighing & measuring every ingredient for every meal (because I've obviously got the time) to get precise calorie numbers and used that data, along with weight lost, to calculate my basal metabolic rate. Turns out that online estimator was accurate within 50 calories...

Strong work. Good job.

[pangloss]

I bounced back up to 216-217 after vacation and some "quarantine carb loading" but plan to get back with the program. Not going to the grocery as routinely for fresh veggies and a bored spouse trying online recipes has not been helpful. The trade off was she learned to make a truly excellent pizza crust...

Mind sharing the recipe? It took us a couple of years to find our pizza crust recipe, but I'm always open to potential improvement.

I was 157.6 yesterday. Eventually I'll get to 150, but I'm taking a break from that effort right now. Work has been brutal lately. Today I finally accepted that I have to start eating lunch again.

[BehindBlueI's]

Mind sharing the recipe? It took us a couple of years to find our pizza crust recipe, but I'm always open to potential improvement.

I was 157.6 yesterday. Eventually I'll get to 150, but I'm taking a break from that effort right now. Work has been brutal lately. Today I finally accepted that I have to start eating lunch again.

https://basicswithbabish.co/basicsepisodes/2017/10/23/sauces-9w5tm-2njph-5ahwj-hsl7s-fh6cr-dfapr

[Guerrero]

I was a legit 176.0 yesterday (yay!). Up a bit today after a larger(-er) dinner and breakfast.

175.0 today (although I was down to 172.2 a couple days ago). So, a couple things:

1) according to the BMI charts, I am no longer "overweight"

2) consequently, I have reached my weightloss goal

However, the fact that I hit 172 puts me in "The Limbo Song" territory, i.e. "how low can you go?"

New goal: 170. Wish me luck

[0ddl0t]

171 - still chipping away

[Joe in PNG]

199! 4 lbs more to go before summer feast time.

After a couple of weeks of not being weighed, not to mention Easter feasting, I'm now at 196.

[AKDoug]

I've got the Covid 19 pounds.. not quite that much, but I'm going the wrong way. I'm working on my mental game again. Stress eating is a reality.

[Cookie Monster]

I've got the Covid 19 pounds.. not quite that much, but I'm going the wrong way. I'm working on my mental game again. Stress eating is a reality.


I was on a downward track but with teleworking and more access to food, my weight is moving up despite more movement. And my excuses of "eating for more recovery" and ending up staying up two extra hours mindlessly scroll COVID19 news.

I got chainsaw work and firewood in my future, hopefully that helps to get ready for fire season which is going be crazy.

[AKDoug]

I was on a downward track but with teleworking and more access to food, my weight is moving up despite more movement. And my excuses of "eating for more recovery" and ending up staying up two extra hours mindlessly scroll COVID19 news.

I got chainsaw work and firewood in my future, hopefully that helps to get ready for fire season which is going be crazy.
Firewood is my workout plan as well. Just have to wait for the 3 feet of snow we still have left to melt.

[Simong]

I lost about 15 and change pounds in 2 weeks.

What a shitty way of losing weight...

Simong.

[Trukinjp13]

I gave up on the scale. It fluctuates too much for my liking. But I’m down a shirt size and two pants size so the fat is coming off for sure. Still working two jobs through this bullshit and lifting like a mo fo. I may crawl on the scale in another month. Until then I’ll be happy with needing new clothes and easily concealing a g45 iwb. Stacking more plates and having actual energy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[0ddl0t]

169 - down 2 for the week.

I started doing burpees this week and they have been kicking my ass. I actually had to google wtf a burpee was only to discover it is what my football coach called monkey fuckers...

[Guerrero]

169 - down 2 for the week.

I started doing burpees this week and they have been kicking my ass. I actually had to google wtf a burpee was only to discover it is what my football coach called monkey fuckers...

Burpees, pull-ups, and mountain climbers are my standard workout (thanks Duke)

[Duke]

Burpees, pull-ups, and mountain climbers are my standard workout (thanks Duke)

You’re a hard ass for keeping those as staple.

I love them all. But they are what I call “beat down” exercises

I love Getting them done, not doing them lol

[luckyman]

Now at 178.5. (4/1)Getting close! Waist is at about 33 1/4. Figure I will stop somewhere between 170 and 175.

Down to 175; waist at 32.5”.

This was my original ultimate goal. I’m pretty happy with where I’m at, but Think I will go for another 3 lbs.

[0ddl0t]

166 - down 3 for the week.

*doing* burpees is getting a lot easier, but I'm still having difficulty starting that 1st one...

[Guerrero]

175.0 today (although I was down to 172.2 a couple days ago). So, a couple things:

1) according to the BMI charts, I am no longer "overweight"

2) consequently, I have reached my weightloss goal

However, the fact that I hit 172 puts me in "The Limbo Song" territory, i.e. "how low can you go?"

New goal: 170. Wish me luck

176.6 today

I fully admit to slipping some; being around food all day makes things difficult. I also haven't been keeping up with my daily workout. Need to buckle down.

[0ddl0t]

165... down 1 for the week, 8 for April, and 39 for the year

53258

[0ddl0t]

165 - not the kind of "down zero" I'm shooting for...

[0ddl0t]

162 - cycled 100 miles this week to help break through the 2 week plateau. Hopefully it won't be too long before I'm once again able to do 100 miles in a day...

[rca90gsx]

Down 17, today is one month.. would be down more, had a few cheat meals that were massive, that slowed me down...keep working at it.

[0ddl0t]

160 - down 2 and the lowest I've weighed in a decade. Another positive sign: my resting heart rate has dropped from 77 to 55.

[Guerrero]

0ddl0t, you're killing it!

[Crawls]

1/1/2020: 222 lbs.
1/29/2020: 211 lbs.
2/15/2020: 208 lbs.
3/8/2020 205 lbs.
3/25/202: 199 lbs
Today 5/23: 194 lbs

[GyroF-16]

1/1/2020: 222 lbs.
1/29/2020: 211 lbs.
2/15/2020: 208 lbs.
3/8/2020 205 lbs.
3/25/202: 199 lbs
Today 5/23: 194 lbs

That’s some good work!

[Crawls]

That’s some good work!

Thanks! 1,700 miles on the bike; 16:8 intermittent fasting, and almost entirely given up beer. My goal was 200 lbs, but I got there quicker than I expected and the mirror said I had more to lose, so I'm now going for 190.

[0ddl0t]

159 - down 1 for the week, 6 for May, and 45 for the year:

55137

[Cookie Monster]

159 - down 1 for the week, 6 for May, and 45 for the year:

55137

You must feel like a new person. Nice work.

[0ddl0t]

Thanks! It is amazing how much more energy and fewer aches & pains I have - I'm much more likely to say "yeah, a hike/bike/swim sounds nice!" rather than "no thanks, I think I'll stay at home and catch up on netflix." Who knew "synergy" existed outside of board room pitches?

[Guerrero]

176.6 today

I fully admit to slipping some; being around food all day makes things difficult. I also haven't been keeping up with my daily workout. Need to buckle down.

175.8 today, still maintaining, which isn't bad. Boredom eating still a thing.

[0ddl0t]

156 - down 3 for the week.

I've posted before about my difficulty getting adequate fiber within my low calorie moderate protein goal, but I've recently rediscovered a tasty food that is full of fiber without adding many calories: blackberries. Bonus: there happens to be a fruit stand selling them about 7 miles from my house so it also makes for a nice pit stop on bike rides.

https://www.verywellfit.com/thmb/dfAfghO2uQXwyjD2P1Q_I-rj7qQ=/768x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc() :format(webp)/blackberries_annotated2-49b80925ff3f40c4bcc9b353a31e1493.jpg

vs the standard "high fiber" food, prunes:

https://www.verywellfit.com/thmb/y9IQBFgvVN6tUpUHvDqjcrkmilU=/768x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc() :format(webp)/prunes_annotated-519962bc39934f2c9bbb1b6df724356e.jpg

[Shotgun]

At the risk of sounding like an ass (because, you know, I probably am one), and directed at no one in particular, if you find yourself posting in the now third annual PF weight loss challenge thread and you aren’t losing weight or achieving/maintaining your goals, it’s time to stop dicking around and get it done. Just do it.

You’re going to be hungry and/or tired and/or stressed and/or overwhelmed. So what, that’s just life and not an excuse to eat too damned much — and almost all of us are probably routinely eating too damned much and have been doing so for too damned long. Doing something wrong for a long time doesn’t make it "normal" or "right” no matter how used to it you are. And make no mistake, the problem isn’t a lack of exercise, it’s too much "food". You aren’t going to out exercise shitty eating habits. In 15-20 minutes you can easily eat more calories than you can burn the rest of the day no matter how much/hard you exercise.

Let the unfucking commence.

I do not check in on PF near as much as I used to. I found myself checking back in this morning to see what this group is thinking of coronavirus and all the recent protests. Don't know why this thread caught my eye, but looked in and just had to laugh at Tom's post. Doctors should adopt this method of advice. My father was a doctor, and he used to say "you can't out exercise your fork."

[Grey]

More power to all you folks that are doing well. I probably gained weight, thanks COVID-19...

[Crawls]

1/1/2020: 222 lbs.
1/29/2020: 211 lbs.
2/15/2020: 208 lbs.
3/8/2020: 205 lbs.
3/25/2020: 199 lbs.
5/23/2020: 194 lbs.

Today, 6/10: 189 lbs

[0ddl0t]

156 - down zero

[0ddl0t]

153 - down 3

[BehindBlueI's]

While I'm still down 10 lbs for the year, and am at my original goal, I haven't made any progress for awhile. I've at least maintained the 215-220 goal I'd set, but I know I can do better. I got my tendons in my foot/leg healthy again, and cycling instead of running (for now) and have set my new goal of under 200 by 09/01/20. Not Bataan taught me the value of concrete goals for myself vs nebulous intentions.

220.3 today.

[LittleLebowski]

29lbs down in about 3 months, probably less time than that. Carnivore/keto diet change, that's it. No calorie counting.

[Grey]

29lbs down in about 3 months, probably less time than that. Carnivore/keto diet change, that's it. No calorie counting.

I need to do keto again... I hate doing keto cause the food options are super boring unless I just eat eggs and meat all day...

I'm up 10lbs thanks to COVID.

[0ddl0t]

151 - down 2. Starting to train for my first triathlon in 2 1/2 months, but it may end up canceled due to covid...

[Le Français]

151 - down 2. Starting to train for my first triathlon in 2 1/2 months, but it may end up canceled due to covid...

May I ask how tall you are?

[0ddl0t]

May I ask how tall you are?

Around 5'7"

[Cookie Monster]

Slowly clawing my way back to 150 after teleworking for months upped my access to food and stress eating. 5 more pounds and looking like 1/2 lb a week so September if I can hold the lifestyle changes.

Got some D3 supplements and Krill Oil on the way to see if that can help manger my lower moods and joint pain.

Only hitting the sandbag workouts once a week but work has me running chainsaw and walking it through the woods a bunch. Two weeks ago I did 150,000 step week and was crushed.

56497

56498

Things I find in the woods.

Focusing on eating clean and not over eating. At 44, I feel like I only need two meals a day when at 25 I was at 4 meals and hungry all the time.

[pangloss]

I stalled out and my weight crept back up to 163. A couple of days ago, I was back to just under 160. My goal remains 150, but I'm not on any kind of schedule. Over the past couple of weeks I've been ravenously hungry a few times, which usually means I'm losing weight on those days. I should set a goal of 155 for my July 31 weight.

Sent from my moto e5 cruise using Tapatalk

[Guerrero]

175.8 today, still maintaining, which isn't bad. Boredom eating still a thing.

Up to 176.8

*sigh*

Got to try harder.

[BehindBlueI's]

While I'm still down 10 lbs for the year, and am at my original goal, I haven't made any progress for awhile. I've at least maintained the 215-220 goal I'd set, but I know I can do better. I got my tendons in my foot/leg healthy again, and cycling instead of running (for now) and have set my new goal of under 200 by 09/01/20. Not Bataan taught me the value of concrete goals for myself vs nebulous intentions.

220.3 today.

10 days later:

215.8 with 60 days left to my goal deadline.

[0ddl0t]

10 days later:

215.8 with 60 days left to my goal deadline.

Nice work BBI!

[BehindBlueI's]

Nice work BBI!

Thanks. Adding some weight training has really helped. I've been under 1k calories a day, often -200 or so once activity calories are taken off, and haven't been hungry. No fasting for longer then 24 hours for the past week, though.

[0ddl0t]

150 - down 1 for the week and 8 for June.


my resting heart rate has dropped from 77 to 55.

6 weeks later and my resting heart rate is now down to 50.

[BehindBlueI's]

215.8 with 60 days left to my goal deadline.

211.4 with 53 days left to my goal deadline.

-18.4 for the year. This is the lightest I've been for at least 21 years. I just did the BMI calculator thing and am now "overweight" instead of "obese", so that's progress. :D

[0ddl0t]

Way to go BBI! That's a huge accomplishment.

[BehindBlueI's]

Way to go BBI! That's a huge accomplishment.

Thanks.

It's been a process. I started this year at 230, 2019 at 257, and in 2018 was somewhere close to 280, so in total I'm down roughly 70 lbs.

I still have no idea what my end goal is other than "less fat, then regain some muscle mass".

[UNM1136]

211.4 with 53 days left to my goal deadline.

-18.4 for the year. This is the lightest I've been for at least 21 years. I just did the BMI calculator thing and am now "overweight" instead of "obese", so that's progress. :D

Congratulations, not-fatass...😝😜

Down 5 since the state "reopened" 7/1. Down 13 for the year..but you are still lighter than I am, with a bit of a larger frame. And you are younger....uckfe oyay, brother.

pat

[BehindBlueI's]

Congratulations, not-fatass...😝😜

Down 5 since the state "reopened" 7/1. Down 13 for the year..but you are still lighter than I am, with a bit of a larger frame. And you are younger....uckfe oyay, brother.

pat

*Somebody* tried to sabotage me with stuffed sopapillas, but I won't say who...

[UNM1136]

*Somebody* tried to sabotage me with stuffed sopapillas, but I won't say who...

I'll own it...the joint providing the stuffed sopapillas has been a factor in my family since the 40s...I still feel bad about the chicharones. They were a very bad representation... If you are going haram/halal, then my anguish is lessened, since you willingly participated.... Good chicharones are good chicharones...wait till Chistmas, you...Even if you don't celebrate, I do, and you is important to me...

pat

[UNM1136]

*Somebody* tried to sabotage me with stuffed sopapillas, but I won't say who...

Shouldn't you be studying for an exam???

pat

[Guerrero]

I'll own it...the joint providing the stuffed sopapillas has been a factor in my family since the 40s...I still feel bad about the chicharones. They were a very bad representation... If you are going haram/halal, then my anguish is lessened, since you willingly participated.... Good chicharones are good chicharones...wait till Chistmas, you...Even if you don't celebrate, I do, and you is important to me...

pat

See, now you've done it. My wife's family in Mexico introduced me to (good, meaty) chicharones.

Now I have "the wants"

[LittleLebowski]

Still hanging in there. Went from 209 to 181 at 5’11”. This is easy to stick with, mainly because I don’t have to do shit but avoid carbs and sugars, eating mainly meat. I cheat a little every day, a little rice here and there, sometimes corn tortillas, today I sweated out several gallons so I had a Mr Pibb.

[JAD]

, today I sweated out several gallons so I had a Mr Pibb.

Since you had the soda way back machine fired up you could have saved the calories and just had a Tabb.

[JAD]

Wasn’t that funny the first time

[UNM1136]

Since you had the soda way back machine fired up you could have saved the calories and just had a Tabb.

Fresca...

[Palmguy]

Something finally clicked in my brain to actually get my ass in gear and not just continue to bitch and do nothing. WFH has been a big opportunity in making it easier to establish new/better habits; not having to worry about the morning commute has made it easier to commit to exercising every morning. Waiting until the work day is over has never worked well, it's too easy to make excuses and not do anything. Also, two weeks in to IF, and I'm pretty much used to it now. I used to drink an insane amount of Coke/Pepsi every day, and have eliminated it during the work week completely and am currently just allowing myself a single drink on the weekends. In general trying to eat like less of an asshole, but not currently tracking calories.

I've been in the low 250s since December...
June 16th: 254 pounds
Today: 242 pounds

Goal weight is 175.

[holmes168]

Got my first physical in 5 years on 2/29 and weighed 186 pounds.

Got on scale yesterday and was at 164.5.

Big secret- diet, exercise, and no drinking. :cool:

[0ddl0t]

148 - down 2 for the week.

[Duke]

Sledgehammer. Sprints. Water. Repeat


57438

[BehindBlueI's]

210.8 today. Was backpacking yesterday so didn't do my normal Friday weigh in.

45 days left until goal deadline.

-20 lb for the year.

[0ddl0t]

148 - down 0.

A few days ago I hiked up Lassen Peak, a 5 mile round trip going from 8,500 to 10,500 feet, and I'm still feeling it every time I walk down my gently-sloped driveway. This seems pretty wimpy considering I first hiked it at age 8 (albeit without a 25lb backpack) and unfortunately it seems the ensuing ravenous hunger didn't help my weight any.

[BehindBlueI's]

206.8 today.

42 days left until goal deadline.

-24 lb for the year.

[rca90gsx]

Back on this train, have to keep with it this time! Down 8 so far, first week and a few days, mainly water I am sure.

[Grey]

Sledgehammer. Sprints. Water. Repeat


57438

I think Duke needs to start posting his workout of the day...

[Duke]

I think Duke needs to start posting his workout of the day...

Regular farm work can keep one pretty fit.

Purposeful calories can keep one from eating away the hard work


Last week was daily pick axe, wheelbarrow, concrete mixing/pouring.

[Grey]

Regular farm work can keep one pretty fit.

Purposeful calories can keep one from eating away the hard work


Last week was daily pick axe, wheelbarrow, concrete mixing/pouring.

This week I have wheelbarrow, shovel, and 10 cubic yards of mulch to move... and its been raining for two days so that mulch probably gained a lot of excess weight...

[Crawls]

1/1/2020: 222 lbs.
1/29/2020: 211 lbs.
2/15/2020: 208 lbs.
3/8/2020: 205 lbs.
3/25/2020: 199 lbs.
5/23/2020: 194 lbs.
6/10/2020: 189 lbs

Today, 7/21/: 183 lbs.
Down 41 pounds since Christmas.

[UNM1136]

I think Duke needs to start posting his workout of the day...

I think Duke posts this stuff to flex on us high BMI types... His WOD would kill those same high BM I types, but I guess I could learn to listen...

pat

[Grey]

I think Duke posts this stuff to flex on us high BMI types... His WOD would kill those same high BM I types, but I guess I could learn to listen...

pat

Take what Duke does and then do like 1/4 of what he says lol, then you won't die.

[UNM1136]

Take what Duke does and then do like 1/4 of what he says lol, then you won't die.

I could learn to do that. 'Cause dying is something I have spent far too long, and far too much money trying to avoid...but apparently not to the same level of success as others have.

Too much of a pussy to attatch some .sig stuff.

pat

[Duke]

Take what Duke does and then do like 1/4 of what he says lol, then you won't die.


I could learn to do that. 'Cause dying is something I have spent far too long, and far too much money trying to avoid...but apparently not to the same level of success as others have.

Too much of a pussy to attatch some .sig stuff.

pat



You all are being too kind. I’m not tougher than any of you. I’m just not smart enough to take it easy most the time

[knownothing]

I'm new to PF and learning a lot, but this is one thread I think I can contribute in and hopefully give encouragement to folks. My weight three years ago usually stayed in the 260-270 pound range (6'4" tall). Most people wouldn't describe me as fat (by American standards) but still chubby. My activity level was not optimal by any stretch. I made the decision to get healthy for two reasons: out of vanity, because I was moving into size 40 pants and my ego would not let myself do that. The other reason was to be able to comfortably carry in the appendix position.

I started tracking calories and started going to a strength-centric crossfit gym. Within the course of a year I got down to about 212, which was some work to maintain, and 1.5 years later I currently sit between 215-225 (depending on the holiday season). I am in a size 36 pant and my ego is still intact because of it. And I carry appendix quite often now.

My biggest learnings were that consistency is key to success and the enjoyment of one excessive meal does not equal the disappointment in missing a weight loss benchmark. I am still tracking calories, allowing myself to overshoot my daily calorie limit once, maybe twice a week for a normal week. I exercise 4 times a week normally, 3 times minimum no matter what excuses are put in my way. And I plan to have a larger calorie burning event on the weekend (Match, hiking, etc.). During my weight loss year I was not overshooting my daily calorie limit but once every two weeks and exercising 5 times a week minimum. Ultimately I am accountable to myself for the shape I am in, and taking ownership of my condition is what motivates me to stay healthy.

Hopefully this can help someone.

57785

57786

[0ddl0t]

148 - down 0.
^ I still worked hard for that down zero, but I guess that's what I get for eating a lot of pickles and jerky in the days before last week's weigh-in.

This week? 144 - down 4...

https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/281750/file-1406186904-png/img/blog/office-space-milton-vacation.png

[0ddl0t]

140, down 4 for the week, 10 for July, and 64 for the year.

This is the 2nd week in a row that I'm down a surprise/unhealthy 4 despite consuming the same # of calories and doing the same amount of exercise for basically the last 2 months (typically down 0-2 per week) so either I've suddenly turbocharged my metabolism or I'm beginning to rapidly lose lean mass. Either way it is clearly time to add more calories back, but the plan is now to make nearly all of the additional calories come from protein to help retain and maybe even build muscle.

Essentially my 1200 cal/ 100g protein goal will now increase to 1400 cal/140g protein with future adjustments likely. I'll also start replacing some of the longer cardio exercise with shorter durations of resistance training because apparently cardio lasting longer than 1 hour starts to rapidly consume muscle when running a calorie deficit.

I have been getting my protein primarily from lean meats & beans, but to help going forward I've ordered some unflavored whey protein isolate from Amazon Essentials. I was a bit surprised to learn that nearly the same protein per calorie ratio is available from skinless chicken breast (the later actually being a less expensive protein source when buying the bulk frozen bags). Protein concentrates are cheaper than isolates, but all the studies I've read have used the fat & sugar-free isolates so that's what I'll try...

[Guerrero]

Up to 176.8

*sigh*

Got to try harder.

175.0

A little progress.

[BehindBlueI's]

I have no idea what I weigh now as my scale has gone nuts. Unless I'm actually swinging 9-15 lbs just by stepping off and stepping back on. I don't know if it needs a battery or got damaged by being packed up and moved during the home repairs or just died.

But, I took my gun belt in again and I'm in a medium shirt for the first time in I have no idea how long.

[0ddl0t]

141 - up 1 but with a slightly slimmer waist

[Palmguy]

Just crossed the 20 pound threshold today; 236.1 this morning, down from a high of 256.4.

[Duke]

Coming up on 11 months of carb cycling.

Not a low calorie diet. I’m eating a metric shit ton....

The method seems to work though

58610

[0ddl0t]

139 - down 2

[Guerrero]

Added benefit: "Guerrera" and I were talking the other night, and she mentioned that my once very bad snoring (I even had consults a sleep centers) has almost completely gone away.

[Guerrero]

Added benefit: "Guerrera" and I were talking the other night, and she mentioned that my once very bad snoring (I even had consults a sleep centers) has almost completely gone away.

Evidentially grammar is hard for me today.

[Grey]

Carb cycling... need to look into this.

Started running again and not eating shit. Down 6 lbs in about a week and a half...

[BrassSlapper]

I've recently lost 30 pounds. Thanks diabetes!

[0ddl0t]

137 - down 2

[Duke]

Carb cycling continues....

150lbs. Not trying to get lighter - just stay lean while getting stronger



59516

[Guerrero]

Duke, how tall are you?

[Duke]

Duke, how tall are you?

5’ 08”

30” waist

[0ddl0t]

135 - down 2.

Since I have now passed the half-way mark and dipped into a new century, I reckon it is time to switch my weekly weigh-ins from kg to pounds: 135 kg = 298.0 lb (down from 301.6 last week & ~450 on Jan 1). Still too fat for appendix carry, but no longer too fat to buy a Big Dawg T-shirt from Walmart!

In other news, the upcoming "tinman" half-Olympic triathlon for which I have been training was canceled due to covid. I'll still swim, ride, & run walk (I won't start running until under 250 lb) the distances on my own anyway in preparation for a full Olympic distance triathlon next summer and an Ironman in summer 2022.

[Crawls]

135 - down 2.

Since I have now passed the half-way mark and dipped into a new century, I reckon it is time to switch my weekly weigh-ins from kg to pounds: 135 kg = 298.0 lb (down from 301.6 last week & ~450 on Jan 1). Still too fat for appendix carry, but no longer too fat to buy a Big Dawg T-shirt from Walmart!

In other news, the upcoming "tinman" half-Olympic triathlon for which I have been training was canceled due to covid. I'll still swim, ride, & run walk (I won't start running until under 250 lb) the distances on my own anyway in preparation for a full Olympic distance triathlon next summer and an Ironman in summer 2022.

That’s pretty fucking impressive. Strong work.

[Guerrero]

175.0

A little progress.

173.8 today. Down a little more.

[Chance]

February 26 - 162.3 lbs, waist roughly 36.0", body fat just under 20%.
September 1 - 136.0 lbs, waist roughly 30.5", body fat just under 6%.

59818

Guru signed off on the cut yesterday evening. Now off to a hypertrophy program so that I will hopefully look less like an animate stick figure.

[0ddl0t]

293.8 - down 4.2

[0ddl0t]

290.4 - down 3.4

[Archer1440]

File in the FWIW folder:

In a normal year I’m in Japan and other parts of Asia up to 6 times/year, and France and Switzerland twice a year on average. So, lots of travel and a lot of sitting in planes, and a lot of eating out.

In the past two decades doing this, with 28 countries visited, I put on a lot of weight. In 2004 I was 190 lbs. 6’0”. In 2018 I topped out at 265# with a 44” waist. Something like AIWB was out of the question. And I knew something had to change.

I dropped 75# from February of 2019 to December 2020, and after an additional 10# lost since then, have been consistently 180#. Chest was 48 and waist 44, now I’m 44/32. Resting heart rate was in the 60’s and is now in the mid 40’s. BP was 130/90 and is now 116/75. No meds.

I did not spend one day hungry losing those 85#.

I simply changed eating habits and specifically, dropped fast foods and junk foods. Almonds or an orange instead of chips, Japanese rice instead of potatoes or bread, more chicken and fish, fresh vegetables, eggs, olives and bacon... lots of bacon ;). Until the pandemic started I was still traveling just as much and eating out just as much, but making better choices. I got back from Korea on March 15 and stepped into the new world we all know about, so a lot less travel since then, but didn’t add any “pandemic pounds”.

Seriously, it’s not that difficult. I’m 58 with a serious back injury sustained in 2014, but doing this has kept me mobile and able to, if not keep up, at least participate in shooting at a reasonable level. I still enjoy the occasional steak or even a cheeseburger, with no consequences to my weight. I can have a beer or a bourbon and there’s no impact.

AIWB is easy, I can drive 10 hours with an AIWB rig in perfect comfort. Climbing stairs is easy, and the back is less of a problem. I did have to buy a completely new wardrobe, including new motorcycle leathers, but that was almost a reward.

I will say, however, this has to be a self-motivational thing. In my experience, no one can tell you to do it, it has to be a personal decision. But once you start it can be very rewarding.

[Duke]

Most the time - telling me not to be a bitch is pretty helpful



60457

[0ddl0t]

286.8 - down 3.6