*** Big Fat Weight Loss Thread ***

[Bryan Smyth]

I tried a few fad diets, but none of them stuck. Instead, I just thought "I'll just count calories" and reduced what I ate.

I used the equation (here) for working out my basal metabolic rate (I'd seen it everywhere) and how many calories I need and I find it much easier to manage than I thought.

Now, I just follow the boring method of restricting the amount of calories I eat and avoiding sugar. I walk 6 miles daily and run on the weekends, so that helps too.

 

[AndyCr15]

Exactly. That's all is needed How are you getting on? Have you just started, or been doing it for some time?

 

[Bryan Smyth]

Exactly. That's all is needed How are you getting on? Have you just started, or been doing it for some time?

I started just before Christmas and I've been doing OK with it. I think if I was more active, I'd see results faster. The hardest part is finding the motivation to run.

 

[Andybtsn]

Well I'm back on the cal counting as of this morning. I've had two months of 'free eating' and it's led to massively over eating, unfortunately I have such a sweet tooth and can eat a bag of malteasers/minstrels etc like they're a bad of crisps. Needs to stop!

I'm still doing 10k steps a day. 169/171 days completed for this since starting, (still annoys me the two days I couldn't complete as I was ill!).

It's funny seeing people setting up gofundme pages to sponsor them for walking 10k steps a day for a month, it is quite an achievement for someone like me who sits at a desk for 8 hours day mind.

 

[Martynt74]

It's funny seeing people setting up gofundme pages to sponsor them for walking 10k steps a day for a month, it is quite an achievement for someone like me who sits at a desk for 8 hours day mind.

Yeah massively. My daily step count is around 2500/day on rest days when i'm not consciously getting out and walking/running.

Seems like my increase in Amsterdam was just water weight or some kind of weird anomoly as weighed myself this morning and i'm back down to where i'd expect to be (and then some) at 101.5 kg

 

[AndyCr15]

Seems like my increase in Amsterdam was just water weight or some kind of weird anomoly as weighed myself this morning and i'm back down to where i'd expect to be (and then some) at 101.5 kg

Sunday night is my cheat night. I eat a huge kebab, popcorn chicken, sometimes halloumi cheese and then often follow up with various desserts and cakes. I know to not bother weighing myself for a couple of days as it's a pretty false reading. By Wednesday I'm usually back to where I was before the 'pig out'. A couple of times over Xmas and January I've had a few consecutive days of eating plenty in the evening. Again, give it a few days and it comes back to the norm.

Mind you, it's odd, I was at my lowest (15st 2.6) on Friday and had two really good days of low calories and good exercise (I'm even cycling in to work now. It's only 2 miles, but it all helps, right?) and I was excited to weigh in on Saturday and Sunday morning, expecting to push into new territory for weight... but came in at 15st 2.9 and then 15st 2.6 again... I was half tempted to have a good day on Sunday too, as I expect I would weight in down a couple more pounds at some point. Still, no rush. I'll wait until Wednesday again now. I do have to keep reminding myself I can afford that extra biscuit now and then. I set 15st as my target this year as I started at 16st on Jan 1st... I'm almost already there!

I'm still doing 10k steps a day. 169/171 days completed for this since starting, (still annoys me the two days I couldn't complete as I was ill!).

Ha ha, yeah, those two days would annoy me too! How long is the streak now though? Maybe quote that instead? 10k steps is such a simple yet effective target, but I think so good for those that might not be very active generally.

 

[Andybtsn]

Sunday night is my cheat night. I eat a huge kebab, popcorn chicken, sometimes halloumi cheese and then often follow up with various desserts and cakes. I know to not bother weighing myself for a couple of days as it's a pretty false reading. By Wednesday I'm usually back to where I was before the 'pig out'. A couple of times over Xmas and January I've had a few consecutive days of eating plenty in the evening. Again, give it a few days and it comes back to the norm.

Mind you, it's odd, I was at my lowest (15st 2.6) on Friday and had two really good days of low calories and good exercise (I'm even cycling in to work now. It's only 2 miles, but it all helps, right?) and I was excited to weigh in on Saturday and Sunday morning, expecting to push into new territory for weight... but came in at 15st 2.9 and then 15st 2.6 again... I was half tempted to have a good day on Sunday too, as I expect I would weight in down a couple more pounds at some point. Still, no rush. I'll wait until Wednesday again now. I do have to keep reminding myself I can afford that extra biscuit now and then. I set 15st as my target this year as I started at 16st on Jan 1st... I'm almost already there!



Ha ha, yeah, those two days would annoy me too! How long is the streak now though? Maybe quote that instead? 10k steps is such a simple yet effective target, but I think so good for those that might not be very active generally.

Better still, it was my bloody birthday I got ill and it wasn't drink related! My current streak is 65 days, it was 126 days before that. I don't really see this as a fad and just my life now, I suspect there could be some lapses but I don't see it. We're off to Spain for 10 days in May, maybe then it might be more difficult to complete.

Are you counting cals, Andy? You do a lot more burning of cals than me, are you still sticking to 2700 odd? Myfitnesspal recommends that but has no real understanding of the exercise I do. I'm sticking to 2500 currently.

The holiday is a real target for me to do do well. I really want to shift another stone at least.

 

[AndyCr15]

Streaks and that kind of thing (Zwift challenges etc) are really good motivators to me, I guess as I'm so competitive.

Yeah, still counting cals... MyFitnessPal streak is 293 days logging in Target right now is 2,740 and most days I'm coming in under that. Again, I keep reminding myself it's fine to go up to 3,000 or so. Almost every day I'm burning 400 to 1,100 calories, with the occasional 1,500 if I go to the gym in the morning and then ride in the afternoon (last Thursday for example. Maybe today, but I think rain is forecast...in fact I see some spots on my window now! ) The commute is good as this adds an extra 300 calories burnt everyday for doing almost nothing.

 

[Martynt74]

Better still, it was my bloody birthday I got ill and it wasn't drink related! My current streak is 65 days, it was 126 days before that. I don't really see this as a fad and just my life now, I suspect there could be some lapses but I don't see it. We're off to Spain for 10 days in May, maybe then it might be more difficult to complete.

Nah, holidays are the best time for me to get steps in.

Head off for a walk along the beach to a nice bar or something and sit out overlooking the sea.

Heaven!

 

[Andybtsn]

Nah, holidays are the best time for me to get steps in.

Head off for a walk along the beach to a nice bar or something and sit out overlooking the sea.

Heaven!

I have three snotty little kids You're right though, even fully inclusive we tend to walk out a lot but its difficult with youngsters unless I do it on my own.

The amount I'll eat I will make sure I do it.

 

[b00merang69]

I do 7000 step in my 35min walk at lunchtime and do 2200 steps per day (rest are not counted as I do not have my phone on me all the time around the home etc and my FitBit is well in the bin).

That nets me 700 Cals on my phone over and above what I burn the rest of the time inc resting (I know these figures due to wearing the FitBit 23hrs per day outside of showering/charging it esp in the first few weeks when it works you out).

I found my phone App and Fitbit were near the same (margin or error).

I have been up to 50000+ step per day when I was fat (then did the above exercises on top of this so a lot of of my later day was taken up by this), this was all done between midday and midnight but TBH though the Fitbit gave me the encouragement to do this to loose weight I could not maintain with it as it drove me near crazy.

Anyone normal could walk 10000 steps in an hour easily, even someone fat walking their dog along a straight tarred path will do that if they are not stopping and talking to others and turning back and heading home.

I eat 2400-2500ish Cals most days and can overindulge at weekends and I stay the same weight now as I did before.

 

[Martynt74]

I have three snotty little kids You're right though, even fully inclusive we tend to walk out a lot but its difficult with youngsters unless I do it on my own.

The amount I'll eat I will make sure I do it.

Ah yeah that's the difference. My daughter is old enough to just want to lie in the sun with the wife so i take the opportunity to wander off around 3-4pm.

 

[Andybtsn]

Ah yeah that's the difference. My daughter is old enough to just want to lie in the sun with the wife so i take the opportunity to wander off around 3-4pm.

Yeah I'm guessing you have ten years on me so I will be in the same boat come then!

 

[AndyCr15]

That nets me 700 Cals on my phone over and above what I burn the rest of the time inc resting (I know these figures due to wearing the FitBit 23hrs per day outside of showering/charging it esp in the first few weeks when it works you out).

Bear in mind, I assume most calculators take this into account when they ask how active you are. If I tell MyFitnessPal I'm very inactive it tells me to eat 2,250 cals a day. As I increase my activity it moves up over 3,000 cals. Obviously I shouldn't tell it I'm active, it tells me eat 3,000 and then I take credit for walking about at work for 7,000 steps as they are already in that calculation... if that makes sense?

 

[b00merang69]

That is physical CAL'S burned on the move while I have my phone on me, over and above that I know my BMR due to the FitBit and some homework on my height/weight and activity (websites have these tools and normally 4 choices for activity level).

The FitBit did that for me using my Heartrate to make it even more accurate.

 

[MM-Seat]

I was officially two stone heavier than my lightest from nearly two years ago. I know what I have to do and making great strides with my running now to help.

 

[Psymonkee]

Following on from my earlier post: (now that I'm drunk and my inhibitions are lower! )

First up I'm a massive keto way of eating fanboi! I get to eat fatty cuts of meat, loads of veg, salads and the like AND lose weight!? Winning! Is it entirely healthy? Who knows but it's better than how I used to eat! Why do I do this? Because if carbs are on the table I simply can't control myself: I can haz potatoes? Sure but I'm also scarfing all that chocolate and polishing off the cheesecake too. I lose control. Eliminating carbs somehow mentally gives me control. I eat awesome food and feel great. Like really. Eating carbs = farting like a boss and feeling bloated and lethargic. Low carb? Feel light on my feet and tons of energy!

As for my weight!? Still not comfortable (or drunk enough) to post freely online about it (although I have elsewhere, go look - it's not hard to find!) but it's not good. Working on losing as much as I can mostly through diet. Exercising (stronglifts is my choice of self mutilation) makes me gain weight. Probably noob gains since I'm effectively untrained.

Heck here's a pretty graph:



The numbers have been eliminated since I'm still shy/nervous or whatever. The top and bottom of the graph represent upper limit and I'd say about the halfway to the goal marker - not quite there yet with a bit of a gain post christmas/nephew/dad's/nieces birthdays. Cake is like crack. Overall trend is down though so winning? Winning.

For the record: I don't calorie count, I don't measure macros and keto-wise while I don't hit the <20g carbs for maximum effect I generally keep to ~50g carbs for decent loss but still retaining my sanity by getting to eat things like sprouts and carrots.

I'm gonna lose more weight than you this year but I'll still weigh more than you so don't worry!

Before you know it I'll be aweseme though!

 

[Brok]

Great thread, here's my story!

I was always very skinny as a teenager, I'm 5' 7 and at 18 weighed about 8 1/2 stone. As I went into the world of work I gradually put weight on, didn't do any regular exercise and continued to smoke until last year at 42 I decided enough was enough and took a 2 step approach. From May-September I focused purely on giving up smoking which I'm glad to say is sticking. In the process I ate and drank whatever I wanted and by the start of September 2019 was up to a shade under 14 stone, with a resting heart rate around the 75bpm mark. At this point I started to make a series of changes.

September - 30 minute walk every morning before work, reduction in snacks. No regular weighins.
October - Continued with walks, cut out alcohol completely due to a bet with my wife. By 24th October I weighed in at 12st 9lb
November - Continued on reduced alcohol consumption (still had the odd drink), started gym mid-November with pure cardio workout. Also started to actively watch what I was eating, but did not count calories. 29th November weighin - 12st dead
December - Started to ramp up the gym with increasing resistance and duration, still pure cardio. It being December I had a number of parties and events to attend which made my weight yo-yo a bit, dipping below 12st but ending the year at 12st 2lb.
January - Started to introduce resistance training into workout regime, 2-3 times a week on top of 3-4 cardio sessions. I also switched to actively counting calories, aiming for 1450 per day without accounting for any exercise. I also did dry January so 0 alcohol. Weighed in at the end of Jan 11st 6lb. My resting heart rate has also now dropped nearly 20bpm to 56, mainly due to the improvements in my cardio health. My BF percentage is around 20.
February - A combination of a neck strain and family/birthday celebrations has made it a tough month for progress so far, however I am still trending downwards and a month's worth of daily weighins has helped me to understand the natural fluctuations in weight and not to get discouraged by short term blips. I am aiming for 11st 3lb by the end of Feb.

My future plans are

1) Take some professional advice on introducing more strength training into my routine. I have reached the point where most of the easy fat loss is done and recognise the potential for lean mass loss if I continue with such a high percentage of cardio. I have no clue how to use any of the free weights and being honest am slightly intimidated by that area of the gym.

2) Aim to dip under 11st. I suspect I will hit a plateau at around 11st/18%BF if I continue without any significant change in routine. Physcologically it would be nice to be a shade under 11st by the time the summer rolls around. I will then decide how much further if any I want to push or whether to just maintain at that level.

3) Get into actual running rather than being pegged to a gym machine. Hopefully the warmer weather will tempt me back outside, I have struggled historically with foot pain which makes high impact exercise difficult but I am working on improving that slowly.

Main things I have learned through this period has been

- If you want to lose weight, take control of what you eat/drink first. You can make significant gains (or losses) without any real exercise
- You do not burn anywhere near as many calories doing cardio as you think. Do this for its health benefits first.
- Take a long term view and don't read too much into short term fluctuations. Its a phsycological war that you need to understand you are in for the long haul.
- Don't try and cut calories too hard. It just makes you super hungry/miserable and does not make any significant difference to the speed of weight loss.

Just remembered, there was a question further up about how people fit their routines in around kids/family. I have 2 kids aged 8 and 11, I also run an IT software consultancy so I'm pretty busy. I just get up early and do my exercise right at the start of the day. I also make sure I go to bed early and get good quality sleep in for at least 7, ideally 8 hours. Weekends are rest days where I will go out with the kids and try to get some NEAT activities in to keep myself ticking over.

 

[Rids]

My turn to join.

Up at 220lbs again, last year work was hell and I've gone from gymming 5 times a week to going weeks without making it to the gym, and unfortunately my diet and gym are linked, if I'm training I eat well, if I'm not I eat crap. Need to drop 3 stone, shouldn't be too difficult now I've found the drive again and work life balance has stabilised.

Back training again, don't appear to have to lost much strength as can still move similar amounts of weight but I have lost stamina. Hopefully won't take me long to get back to where I was lifts wise.

Diet is simple, 2k calories, high protein, low carb. I go on holiday in 203 days, looking to hit the gym 120 times in that window and run once a week to get the cardio up a bit.

Did a chest session earlier, I can already feel the pre-DOMS, I'll be in a corner wimpering by this time tomorrow.