geekhack
geekhack Community => Off Topic => Topic started by: dante on Wed, 11 May 2016, 17:49:16
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The most "successful" diet I've been on has been Medifast. I went from mid 300's to 250. However after a few months of consuming avg 850 cals a day - mostly in the form of soy isolate protein bars/shakes I started developing cavities for the first time in my life; so out that went.
I've been struggling to keep the weight off but I'm already up to 280 back on my way slowly but surely. In some respects I think I deserve a pat on the back for keeping it off this long but mostly at the cost of starving myself after binging.
If I had to pick two foods that have had the most negative impact on my weight it would be pizza (regardless of how healthy I made it) and pastries (damn you eclair soabs!)
I've been fat my entire life and thus I've probably already worn down a significant amount of cartilage in my knees so please don't tell me to go run a marathon as I want to preserve what I've got.
Any tips?
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Exercise.
Delete refined carbohydrates.
Minimize complex carbohydrates.
/end of conversation.
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I'm not fat nor did I ever need to lose weight, but it's quite simple science; refine diet and exercise more.
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High school wrestling.
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Exercise.
Delete refined carbohydrates.
Minimize complex carbohydrates.
/end of conversation.
My dad basically did this and lost 40 lbs (or more, I am not sure). He had been overweight pretty much his whole life. And the exercise doesn't have to be super intensive, just in some more walking and such. I cut out most carbs and beer, and lost 5 lbs within a month.
Pizza and pastries are carb bombs. I have a tough time resisting these as well, but I basically have to, because my cholesterol levels are literally off the charts (despite being a completely healthy weight).
Now the hard part is maintaining the healthy habits and resisting the bad food and drinks. I try to focus on the positive things about what I eat rather than succomb to the sugar/carb/salt/alcohol addiction. Foods like pastries feel good when you first eat them, but I think how bad I feel soon after and the long term effects on my body. When you start eating healthy, your body responds, and you get inspired to eat healthy all the time.
But it's hard, I won't lie.
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*visits thread while eating a danish* :-[
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You are psychologically bound by food.
At this point, you're not hoping to date any super-models..
Are there truly any reasons to get fit ?
Even if you're aware of the acceleration of imminent doom brought on by your current lifestyle, that problem is still 10-15 years into the future.
I recommend seeing a psychiatrist to work towards building a MOTIVATION to change your lifestyle..
Clearly, you are a person who knows all the right solutions, but live without a purpose to enact those procedures.
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My wife lost over 50 lbs in less than 5 months, doing simple exercise and reducing caloric intake. I've lost about 10 in the same time (jealous!) The key as I've found is consistency, and not treating it as an event, but rather a lifestyle change.
http://lifehacker.com/if-you-want-to-lose-weight-you-have-to-like-your-new-l-1775971922
I didn't see that article until today, but I found myself nodding along with it.
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Exercise.
Delete refined carbohydrates.
Minimize complex carbohydrates.
/end of conversation.
Agreed. There's no such thing as the "best" diet. At the end of the day it's two things: exercise and eating clean.
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Thanks for the advice.
Can anyone here vouch for weight watchers?
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Thanks for the advice.
Can anyone here vouch for weight watchers?
You need a life coach// psychologist..
who's actually watching your weight on weight watchers.. ??
Clearly you yourself can-not be trusted ... (http://emoticoner.com/files/emoticons/onion-head/ahaaah-onion-head-emoticon.gif?1292862489)
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You need a life coach// psychologist..
Yeah ... I think the days of me running around without a leash are over.
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Can anyone here vouch for weight watchers?
Sure, they are great, but you have to eat 3-4 of them to feel satisfied.
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Just bagged up all my crappy food and am going to leave it on a table at work tomorrow...
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Regular walks in the park + increase more greens and fruits in your diet would help.
I started to get fat when I started working 2 years ago, but now I try to motivate myself to get fit by going to gym + eating green apples, kiwi fruits (I don't know why, but I kind of like green fruits more) or sometimes grapes or watermelons.
They help to balance out your diet and also since they contains many water content and fibre, they help to fend off some of the cravings for suppers...
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Still a fatty here. I'm on a see food diet, I see it, I eat it.
So don't be like me.
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http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/weight-loss-guide/Pages/losing-weight-getting-started.aspx
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Still a fatty here. I'm on a see food diet, I see it, I eat it.
So don't be like me.
Keep posting those things that you cook with recipes that include ingredients "and a stick of butter"
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Still a fatty here. I'm on a see food diet, I see it, I eat it.
So don't be like me.
Keep posting those things that you cook with recipes that include ingredients "and a stick of butter"
(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160512/d87648a37b55003e232a92effdd9007f.jpg)
Bacon and butter make most vegetables better. :D
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1500 kcal diet.
Breakfast: Coffee
Lunch: One vegetarian sandwich
Dinner:
One 400gr pizza or 4 hot dogs
a bowl of salad with vinagrette or a bowl of sauerkraut
Desert:
24 grams of chocolate (roughly 3 blocks of chocolate)
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I was around 120kg and went down to 85 and now I'm back up at 92 (from lifting weights).
I just had a bad lifestyle that had to change (it started with parents accusing me of being ungrateful when I didn't eat my whole plate of food).
Kept eating more and more.. just to not be "hungry" in the end.
Tried all kinds of diets but in the end I rebounded back to old habits.
I agree with a lot what was said above.
It basically comes to:
eat less.
Watch your caloric intake in the beginning, myfitness pall helped me with that a lot.
And be brutally honest with what you eat, even that little bit of butter/oil you use eventually adds up.
Do you lose weight? Good.
You don't lose weight? Eat less.
You can even get skinny eating pizza and drinking mountain dew.
As long you consume less than your body needs you will lose weight.
Went from 120 to 85 without even going to the gym, I just ate less.
Might be hard at the beginning, but that is all psychological.
Your stomach will get used to it within a few days.
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I lost about 35lbs but managed to gain it all back :)) :'( - I had a different lifestyle, then reverted back to my old ways of binging on weekends...probably upwards of 8-9000 calories over the course of three days.
A problem of mine has always been portion control. It's very easy to overeat, especially with all of the processed foods available today. I'm using myfitnesspal to track my portions and stay within ~1800-1900 calories. Most days I come pretty close, but I'm also eating pretty much whatever I want but in smaller portions.
That said...I have a couple of suggestions when it comes to food...abs are made in the kitchen after all!
If you are getting more active and incorporate weight training into your routine, I love the steak and eggs diet (https://boldanddetermined.com/the-old-school-steak-and-eggs-diet-for-fat-loss-balanced-energy-and-increased-testosterone/). Never felt better...ever.
Here's also a super simple lunch that's under 400 calories (w/croutons) and takes a minute to make! It is a salad...but with bacon D: :
- About 2 cups (or 1/3 of a prepacked bag) of Romaine or other green lettuce
- 1.5 tbsp caesar salad dressing (can be regular or lite, your choice, light drizzle for about 3-4 seconds)
- 1/4 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese (a very generous pinch)
- 2-3 tbsp bacon pieces (a couple of pinches)
Toss everything up, and if desired, add some croutons (I use a lot, about 1/3 of the bag). I've been eating that almost every day for lunch at work for the past few weeks, and it's great, I'm usually full until dinner.
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It's very easy to overeat, especially with all of the processed foods available today.
Tell me about it. I bought a bag of chili cheese Frito's thinking I'd snack on them over the course of the week at work and I ate the entire bag the day I opened them. That's the large 9oz bag with ~1440 calories per bag.
I did really good for a while not eating any carbs and eating more salads but it's hard to keep it up.
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It's very easy to overeat, especially with all of the processed foods available today.
Tell me about it. I bought a bag of chili cheese Frito's thinking I'd snack on them over the course of the week at work and I ate the entire bag the day I opened them. That's the large 9oz bag with ~1440 calories per bag.
I did really good for a while not eating any carbs and eating more salads but it's hard to keep it up.
For me, if I cut out ramen, I would be subtracting 1400 calories per day.
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It's very easy to overeat, especially with all of the processed foods available today.
Tell me about it. I bought a bag of chili cheese Frito's thinking I'd snack on them over the course of the week at work and I ate the entire bag the day I opened them. That's the large 9oz bag with ~1440 calories per bag.
I did really good for a while not eating any carbs and eating more salads but it's hard to keep it up.
For me, if I cut out ramen, I would be subtracting 1400 calories per day.
What about the salt? That's why I quit any kind of instant noodles.
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For me, if I cut out ramen, I would be subtracting 1400 calories per day.
What about the salt? That's why I quit any kind of instant noodles.
You don't have to use the whole seasoning packet..
(http://emoticoner.com/files/emoticons/onion-head/hehe-onion-head-emoticon.gif?1292862507)
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https://www.reddit.com/r/keto
Works well for some. Super easy for some, more difficult for others.
I'm down from 95 to 85kg, easily. Not hungry. Feel great.
(kinda stalled on 85 for a while tho :( )
Like others said, MFP (MyFitnessPal) is great.
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read bodybuilding.com , that's a very very good website
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I'm still decent size, but I stated ate 320 and am currently 212 .. I watch how much I eat and put in a lot of gym time
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As mentioned briefly above, I lost most of my weight through high school wrestling, but that was over a decade ago. Used be overweight before that, but now I've been around the same weight since.
During my last year of high school I picked up cross country, and I've been running ever since. I prefer running outside, so I do it only from May through October. My work has a gym in the building, so I'm blessed to have a free and convenient place to lift 2-3 times a week.
I'm 5'9" and 165lbs, with a 34" waist; not the thinnest, but okay considering my weekly habits. I eat what I want, but what helps me most (something I picked up during wrestling, needless to say) is portion control. I cannot stress portion control enough. I never get seconds, don't really snack, drink lots of water throughout the day, all the while not really counting calories or watching fat intake, etc. I probably should, but considering what I eat and the weight at which I am, I'd like to think my portions are about as good as they can be. Also, I never eat the last bite of whatever's on my plate.
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Regarding portion control: What do you think about intermittent fasting and more specifically one meal a day?
I mean... 1,600-1,800 cals of steamed/raw vegetables and a protein in a meal - is that too much on the body?
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just start moving man....get a bike ,rollerblades ,..... get off the computer...for me personally when someone says i can't do something that motivates me...when someone questions the fortitude of my character and will that would motivate me....CRUSH THEM...
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Regarding portion control: What do you think about intermittent fasting and more specifically one meal a day?
I mean... 1,600-1,800 cals of steamed/raw vegetables and a protein in a meal - is that too much on the body?
I do intermittent fasting at the moment, seated job makes it easy.
mo-fr I eat from 12:00-16:00.
ever 2 hours 1 meal, so 3 meals a day.
Nearly no carbs (sometimes beans when I eat chilli)
rest of the day only drinking coffee/water/tea.
Pretty nice.
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Regarding portion control: What do you think about intermittent fasting and more specifically one meal a day?
I mean... 1,600-1,800 cals of steamed/raw vegetables and a protein in a meal - is that too much on the body?
This will not work..
You need energy to maintain, -Willpower-
The very thing that is consumed everytime you're stressed.
For example, you h8 doing spreadsheets, but you fight through it..
Or, you h8 spreadsheets so you want to eat cupcake, but you Resist cupcake..
You can not bet against yourself on an empty stomach and hope to win.
Large swings in energy level like that is also problematic because it causes emotional turbulence..
Making one large meal IS binge-eating, binging is a fundamental aspect of the addiction cycle..
(http://emoticoner.com/files/emoticons/onion-head/cool-onion-head-emoticon.gif?1292862496)
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245lbs-190lbs over the course of 7 or 8 months. 85% diet, 15% exercise (lose weight in the kitchen, get fit in the gym). I have no one to blame but myself for getting fat, but I really wish someone would have stressed just how important diet is. Unless you are young or an athlete, you are never going to out-exercise a bad diet. In retrospect I feel like I could have lost all of the weight with diet alone, the exercise was just to allow me to eat more calories. I have kept it off for over a year and am currently back to losing weight with a goal of 180lbs. Here is what I did that worked:
1: Set a long term & short term goal. Short term = 1-2lbs lost/week. Long term: 50lbs lost, be able to do 10 consecutive pullups, 35 consecutive pushups, run a sub 9 minute mile.
2: Changed my relationship with food. Pizza & wings (and pastries) are treats, they are not an everyday dinner. Stopped eating out & drinking alcohol entirely (maybe a beer once in awhile IF I had a surplus of calories). Cooked all my own meals. Did a large food prep on the weekends so I couldn't make excuses to eat out). Shop only the perimeter of the grocery store (meat & produce). Substituted: popcorn for chips, Fruit or 35 calorie popsicles for ice cream, edamame for tv dinners, diet stuff/mio/crystal light for soda/beer/juice, etc. To this day I have an awful sweet tooth so I have to make a conscious effort to not even walk down the cookie aisle.
This is a pretty tough process at the beginning, but once you lose those first few pounds you realize really ****ing quick that it's not that hard and that you can do it.
These subreddits helped tremendously in terms of learning about healthy food & eating low calorie food period:
https://www.reddit.com/r/1200isplenty/
https://www.reddit.com/r/fitmeals
https://www.reddit.com/r/MealPrepSunday/
https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/
3: Myfitnesspal.com. The real brains behind the operation. I plugged in my measurements, lifestyle (sedentary), told it how much I wanted to lose per week.The site told me if I ate 1640 calories per day that I would lose 1.5 pounds by the end of the week. If I burned 200 calories exercising I could eat those calories back. I logged all of my meals which is about a 20-30 minute process at the very beginning, it now takes me about 5 minutes a day maximum. I lost 0 pounds the first week because I didn't log in my meals strictly & lied about the portions. The second week I logged everything strictly and weighed my food. I lost 5 pounds. Nowadays it's like balancing a checkbook - I prelog my meals at the beginning of the day and if someone brings donuts in to work, I can easily say no because that would put me over my calorie budget.
MFP is free, has an app and can be an excellent support system because you can add friends and build a network of people that can teach & motivate you. I'd be sincerely happy to be your friend on MFP. Add me (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/profile/drewba13), that goes for anyone on GH.
4. Exercise! Again, not absolutely necessary to lose weight but I'd recommend at least a little bit for overall health, so you can eat more food or to lose weight a bit faster. At the time I didn't have access to a gym so I did a bodyweight routine at home called simplefit (http://www.simplefit.org/workout.html) which is 20 minutes of pullups, pushups, squats every other day. I can understand when people say they don't have time to go to the gym, but I literally couldn't talk myself out of 20 minutes of exercise that I could do at home. I threw in a long walk once a week and eventually transitioned that in to a run. Walking itself is seriously underrated, don't feel the pressure to run. It's bad for your knees anyways when you're big.
I hope I don't sound vain but I just turned 30 and am in the best shape of my life since high school. I love talking about weight loss so if you have any specific questions about my process/experience, just ask.
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Dante, I think you've done all the homework possible on the Physical ACT of losing weight.
You need to work on the psychological portion.
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Exercise.
Delete refined carbohydrates.
Minimize complex carbohydrates.
/end of conversation.
So, fats are fine? Brb, buying all of Tesco's takeaway!
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I'm going to be prepping meals this weekend for next. I won't be caught off guard.
I won't even look at Pizza / Pastries anymore - not even as a treat. Not because I'm trying to deprive myself but because the stuff acts like a glue that takes forever to get off the scale.
More vegetables, etc...
I suppose a stumbling block is when I was on Medifast I was losing 4-6 lbs a week doing nothing ... and so when I hear 1-2 pounds a week I'm like WTF this is going to take forever. At 4-6 pounds the number was big enough that it was easier to stick to. If I didn't get cavities I probably would have stuck with it.
I've been looking at recipes on Youtube today; someone making tortillas out of cauliflower looked interesting...
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I suppose a stumbling block is when I was on Medifast I was losing 4-6 lbs a week doing nothing ... and so when I hear 1-2 pounds a week I'm like WTF this is going to take forever. At 4-6 pounds the number was big enough that it was easier to stick to. If I didn't get cavities I probably would have stuck with it.
If that really worked for you..
You can fix the cavities problem..
Cavities are caused by sugar + microbes acidifying your oral PH level
So if you Thoroughly Rinsed your teeth after every CAN of medifast..
There shouldn't be any cavities unless you have other --Sticky-- sweet intakes.
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So, fats are fine?
Of course, anything in moderation is fine and anything out of moderation is not. And each metabolism creates its own definition of "moderation"
However, yes, eating fat generally helps you burn fat. Look at grazing animals - there is absolutely no fat in their (natural) diets whatsoever yet they fabricate fat in their bodies. A diet of roughly 1/3 protein, 1/3 fat, and 1/3 carbohydrates is entirely acceptable if, that is * IF * they are in their natural states and not "refined" or "enhanced" by human meddling.
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I suppose a stumbling block is when I was on Medifast I was losing 4-6 lbs a week doing nothing ... and so when I hear 1-2 pounds a week I'm like WTF this is going to take forever. At 4-6 pounds the number was big enough that it was easier to stick to. If I didn't get cavities I probably would have stuck with it.
If that really worked for you..
You can fix the cavities problem..
Cavities are caused by sugar + microbes acidifying your oral PH level
So if you Thoroughly Rinsed your teeth after every CAN of medifast..
There shouldn't be any cavities unless you have other --Sticky-- sweet intakes.
The food I got from MF was in the forms of bars and shakes. The bars were a bit sticky so maybe some of that could have stuck around. I always attributed it to being on less than 1,000 calories per day.
Also the MF was expensive .. around $350USD per month which is kind of expensive - especially when trying to maintain a keyboard budget :)
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There was a very popular diet/self-help book a few years ago called "The Zone" which is excellent.
One of the early chapters is called something like "The Hormonal Effects of Food"
Even if you don't want to buy it, go to the public library and read that chapter at least.
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The food I got from MF was in the forms of bars and shakes. The bars were a bit sticky so maybe some of that could have stuck around. I always attributed it to being on less than 1,000 calories per day.
Also the MF was expensive .. around $350USD per month which is kind of expensive - especially when trying to maintain a keyboard budget :)
Well, I guess you can get into making your own shakes and food bars..
But, yea, if those energy bars were Geled together using sticky sugar.. They're probably the biggest culprit to causing cavities..
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245lbs-190lbs over the course of 7 or 8 months. 85% diet, 15% exercise (lose weight in the kitchen, get fit in the gym). I have no one to blame but myself for getting fat, but I really wish someone would have stressed just how important diet is. Unless you are young or an athlete, you are never going to out-exercise a bad diet. In retrospect I feel like I could have lost all of the weight with diet alone, the exercise was just to allow me to eat more calories. I have kept it off for over a year and am currently back to losing weight with a goal of 180lbs. Here is what I did that worked:
1: Set a long term & short term goal. Short term = 1-2lbs lost/week. Long term: 50lbs lost, be able to do 10 consecutive pullups, 35 consecutive pushups, run a sub 9 minute mile.
2: Changed my relationship with food. Pizza & wings (and pastries) are treats, they are not an everyday dinner. Stopped eating out & drinking alcohol entirely (maybe a beer once in awhile IF I had a surplus of calories). Cooked all my own meals. Did a large food prep on the weekends so I couldn't make excuses to eat out). Shop only the perimeter of the grocery store (meat & produce). Substituted: popcorn for chips, Fruit or 35 calorie popsicles for ice cream, edamame for tv dinners, diet stuff/mio/crystal light for soda/beer/juice, etc. To this day I have an awful sweet tooth so I have to make a conscious effort to not even walk down the cookie aisle.
This is a pretty tough process at the beginning, but once you lose those first few pounds you realize really ****ing quick that it's not that hard and that you can do it.
These subreddits helped tremendously in terms of learning about healthy food & eating low calorie food period:
https://www.reddit.com/r/1200isplenty/
https://www.reddit.com/r/fitmeals
https://www.reddit.com/r/MealPrepSunday/
https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/
3: Myfitnesspal.com. The real brains behind the operation. I plugged in my measurements, lifestyle (sedentary), told it how much I wanted to lose per week.The site told me if I ate 1640 calories per day that I would lose 1.5 pounds by the end of the week. If I burned 200 calories exercising I could eat those calories back. I logged all of my meals which is about a 20-30 minute process at the very beginning, it now takes me about 5 minutes a day maximum. I lost 0 pounds the first week because I didn't log in my meals strictly & lied about the portions. The second week I logged everything strictly and weighed my food. I lost 5 pounds. Nowadays it's like balancing a checkbook - I prelog my meals at the beginning of the day and if someone brings donuts in to work, I can easily say no because that would put me over my calorie budget.
MFP is free, has an app and can be an excellent support system because you can add friends and build a network of people that can teach & motivate you. I'd be sincerely happy to be your friend on MFP. Add me (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/profile/drewba13), that goes for anyone on GH.
4. Exercise! Again, not absolutely necessary to lose weight but I'd recommend at least a little bit for overall health, so you can eat more food or to lose weight a bit faster. At the time I didn't have access to a gym so I did a bodyweight routine at home called simplefit (http://www.simplefit.org/workout.html) which is 20 minutes of pullups, pushups, squats every other day. I can understand when people say they don't have time to go to the gym, but I literally couldn't talk myself out of 20 minutes of exercise that I could do at home. I threw in a long walk once a week and eventually transitioned that in to a run. Walking itself is seriously underrated, don't feel the pressure to run. It's bad for your knees anyways when you're big.
I hope I don't sound vain but I just turned 30 and am in the best shape of my life since high school. I love talking about weight loss so if you have any specific questions about my process/experience, just ask.
Thanks so much for sharing all of this.
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I was getting pretty chubby during junior high.
Then I got braces when I was a freshman. I played tennis year round (I did in junior high too, but no braces). By the time I was a senior I was 6'1" and down to 140lbs. Didn't have to change my eating habits or anything, I just couldn't eat as much because my teeth hurt.
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The reason we ought to exercise ontop of diet is to lose-weight faster..
Because there is a Limited Window of opportunity to lose weight..
It's never too late to start.. but youth is a resource that does not wait..
So beyond a certain point, some one could just say, screw it, diabetus, bring it on.. Hello Obama-Care..
Of course I'm not suggesting anyone take that approach.. I'm merely trying to emphasize that there is an URGENCY to the matter.. You have to do it RIGHT NOW, because a person has already taken the tumble in becoming Big in the first place.
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removed.
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What do you guys think about a few items on this menu?
http://tanakasushi.com/kitchen-menu.html
KimChi Jigae - hot and spicy kimchi soup with pork, tofu and vegetables. served with a bowl of rice.
also
SABA SHIOYAKI (MACKEREL) salted grilled mackerel served with salad, soup & rice.
Thoughts?
edit: BTW tonight for dinner I made steamed broccoli and then dumped a can of sardines in olive oil over the top of it, along with 4oz of skim milk to drink.
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What do you guys think about a few items on this menu?
http://tanakasushi.com/kitchen-menu.html
KimChi Jigae - hot and spicy kimchi soup with pork, tofu and vegetables. served with a bowl of rice.
also
SABA SHIOYAKI (MACKEREL) salted grilled mackerel served with salad, soup & rice.
Thoughts?
edit: BTW tonight for dinner I made steamed broccoli and then dumped a can of sardines in olive oil over the top of it, along with 4oz of skim milk to drink.
How is ordering from that place cheaper than weight watchers.. (http://emoticoner.com/files/emoticons/onion-head/lol1-onion-head-emoticon.gif?1292862512)
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If pizza makes you fat, then how come Italians are so skinny? :philosoraptor:
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steamed broccoli and then dumped a can of sardines in olive oil over the top of it, along with 4oz of skim milk to drink.
I like those things but for me oily fish and milk do not make a good combination in my stomach.
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I went from 367lbs down to 168lbs in about 2 years. Now I hover around 220.
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I suppose a stumbling block is when I was on Medifast I was losing 4-6 lbs a week doing nothing ... and so when I hear 1-2 pounds a week I'm like WTF this is going to take forever. At 4-6 pounds the number was big enough that it was easier to stick to. If I didn't get cavities I probably would have stuck with it.
I know man it's hard when your baseline is lots of weight dropped fast. I talked with my doctor before I started losing and he told me losing more than 2 pounds/week (consistently) or eating any less than 1400 calories a day would absolutely be unhealthy. I was 6', 245lbs for reference. Your minimum amount of calories that you should be consuming is based on your height/weight/daily lifestyle. 850 calories a day seems real scary to me. The other issue you're going to run in to by losing 4-6 pounds a week consistently is loose skin. Google it, it's not pretty. I'd recommend you talk to a doc before doing anything. Sorry if this is blunt, but you need a lifestyle change, not another crash diet. Most people gain the weight right back because they never deal with the problem which is a bad relationship with food.
Your plans so far are solid - I'm rooting for you!
More
245lbs-190lbs over the course of 7 or 8 months. 85% diet, 15% exercise (lose weight in the kitchen, get fit in the gym). I have no one to blame but myself for getting fat, but I really wish someone would have stressed just how important diet is. Unless you are young or an athlete, you are never going to out-exercise a bad diet. In retrospect I feel like I could have lost all of the weight with diet alone, the exercise was just to allow me to eat more calories. I have kept it off for over a year and am currently back to losing weight with a goal of 180lbs. Here is what I did that worked:
1: Set a long term & short term goal. Short term = 1-2lbs lost/week. Long term: 50lbs lost, be able to do 10 consecutive pullups, 35 consecutive pushups, run a sub 9 minute mile.
2: Changed my relationship with food. Pizza & wings (and pastries) are treats, they are not an everyday dinner. Stopped eating out & drinking alcohol entirely (maybe a beer once in awhile IF I had a surplus of calories). Cooked all my own meals. Did a large food prep on the weekends so I couldn't make excuses to eat out). Shop only the perimeter of the grocery store (meat & produce). Substituted: popcorn for chips, Fruit or 35 calorie popsicles for ice cream, edamame for tv dinners, diet stuff/mio/crystal light for soda/beer/juice, etc. To this day I have an awful sweet tooth so I have to make a conscious effort to not even walk down the cookie aisle.
This is a pretty tough process at the beginning, but once you lose those first few pounds you realize really ****ing quick that it's not that hard and that you can do it.
These subreddits helped tremendously in terms of learning about healthy food & eating low calorie food period:
https://www.reddit.com/r/1200isplenty/
https://www.reddit.com/r/fitmeals
https://www.reddit.com/r/MealPrepSunday/
https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/
3: Myfitnesspal.com. The real brains behind the operation. I plugged in my measurements, lifestyle (sedentary), told it how much I wanted to lose per week.The site told me if I ate 1640 calories per day that I would lose 1.5 pounds by the end of the week. If I burned 200 calories exercising I could eat those calories back. I logged all of my meals which is about a 20-30 minute process at the very beginning, it now takes me about 5 minutes a day maximum. I lost 0 pounds the first week because I didn't log in my meals strictly & lied about the portions. The second week I logged everything strictly and weighed my food. I lost 5 pounds. Nowadays it's like balancing a checkbook - I prelog my meals at the beginning of the day and if someone brings donuts in to work, I can easily say no because that would put me over my calorie budget.
MFP is free, has an app and can be an excellent support system because you can add friends and build a network of people that can teach & motivate you. I'd be sincerely happy to be your friend on MFP. Add me (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/profile/drewba13), that goes for anyone on GH.
4. Exercise! Again, not absolutely necessary to lose weight but I'd recommend at least a little bit for overall health, so you can eat more food or to lose weight a bit faster. At the time I didn't have access to a gym so I did a bodyweight routine at home called simplefit (http://www.simplefit.org/workout.html) which is 20 minutes of pullups, pushups, squats every other day. I can understand when people say they don't have time to go to the gym, but I literally couldn't talk myself out of 20 minutes of exercise that I could do at home. I threw in a long walk once a week and eventually transitioned that in to a run. Walking itself is seriously underrated, don't feel the pressure to run. It's bad for your knees anyways when you're big.
I hope I don't sound vain but I just turned 30 and am in the best shape of my life since high school. I love talking about weight loss so if you have any specific questions about my process/experience, just ask.
Thanks so much for sharing all of this.
Hope it helps! :thumb: