I would love to pin an exact reason (excuse?) down but can't. I'm not any more hungry. In part it might be because I'm no longer very fat so the will to diet is less, my will power to resist carb rich junk seems less than it was. I have a health check up by a nurse at my doctors surgery on 24 th July, by then I would like to be 200 lbs or as near as possible to it, i've set myself this goal.
*** Big Fat Weight Loss Thread ***
- Thread starter AndyCr15
- Start date
Soldato
I went from 250lbs to 165lbs in 11 months without dieting at all, i still eat the same junk i always did, what worked for me was 1-2 hours of cardio pretty much daily.
Buying a bike in February was the best investment i ever made.
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If you can manage them at present, prunes and prune juice also will help, as does a good quality flaxseed.
Being laid up in bed for 10 days at the start of May and hardly eating saw me drop from 84kg down to 80kg. Just spent a week in Cozumel, Mexico and was expecting to pile some weight back on but still sitting around the 80kg mark despite having some whopping breakfasts and lunches. However the portions over there are quite significant and we often skipped dinner after mid afternoon lunches and just had something small in the evenings. Was drinking a fair amount of light beer daily but hasn't done much for the weight gain so feeling good.
Also previously mentioned that put my weight training on hold due to recurrent back issues over the last 12/18 months - have an MRI due in 2 weeks. However it's become fairly evident it's due to being desk based now. After my 10 days stint in bed, had no hint of back pain, nothing whatsoever. Back at work 4days, pain crept back. Week in Mexico with a 10 hour flight over, 8.5 hour flight back, again, no back pain. Back at work for my 3rd day now and the pain is creeping back in.
As such, going to be back to doing resistance/weighted work in a major way from the weekend, i've always achieved the best fat loss (not necessarily weight loss) from doing weights versus cardio over the last 15 years, so hope to get some good results in the next few months.
Also previously mentioned that put my weight training on hold due to recurrent back issues over the last 12/18 months - have an MRI due in 2 weeks. However it's become fairly evident it's due to being desk based now. After my 10 days stint in bed, had no hint of back pain, nothing whatsoever. Back at work 4days, pain crept back. Week in Mexico with a 10 hour flight over, 8.5 hour flight back, again, no back pain. Back at work for my 3rd day now and the pain is creeping back in.
As such, going to be back to doing resistance/weighted work in a major way from the weekend, i've always achieved the best fat loss (not necessarily weight loss) from doing weights versus cardio over the last 15 years, so hope to get some good results in the next few months.
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Soldato
All the Turkish food from last week appears to have worn off and I’m back to 89kg this morning. Got a weekend on call so that might help to kickstart a final push towards 88kg as an average rather than a low point. As long as I don’t get frustrated with work and eat ALL THE CAKE.
Just cut the cake in half then you can eat twice as much
Great stuff, but i couldn't do that, i just don't enjoy cardio and i'm not much good at it even when i stick at it for a bit.
Soldato
You can't out train a bad diet!
I would have said that myself 5 years ago. I guess you just need to find something cardio that you can enjoy.
The other point of view is, you're not doing it because it's fun I guess...
Soldato
I have.
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So we're coming up to year three since I started this process, in a weird way sharing here helps me remember where I was, where I am now and hopefully it helps other members, I don't post on any other forums so in a way this if more for me than anyone else.
So as my original posts stated I was around 114 (if not higher) kgs and 6'2, I was smoking, I felt terrible around 3 years ago, I did little exercise and generally I was on a bad path. In the first year I dropped a lot of weight (probably too much too quickly) and went from about 114 to about 72. The next year I levelled out eased my diet a little and went down to a low of 69 kgs with a really low body weight close to 9% (which to be honest was really low and I looked like I needed a few pies). In the last year it's been more about building strength but not at the cost of putting on lots of weight. I have lots of fitbit data I can help show my journey through this.
I've shared before that when I lost the weight it was about having a super consistent and low calorie diet (I ate the same thing pretty much for 8-9 months), cutting out bad stuff and increasing exercise. All three in combination had a pretty dramatic effect.
Where am I now? Well at 74KG, I've still not touched a cigarette, and physically much stronger with a more dynamic diet but still with a lot of control over what I eat and the biggest challenge is balancing strength with weight a fitness. I'll comment more on that later.
The interesting thing was what happened around this, I met someone who I love and we've been together now for a long while, I changed jobs and do really well now. Maybe they are unrelated but I honestly think it's a combination of feeling better about myself increasing my confidence and looking better and being appealing to the opposite sex. Why am I even mentioning this - because if you need the motivation to start out on this then it's really true that it can be properly life changing and it was and continues to be for me.
Returning to strength and diet. This is a really complex area, and I suspect it differs dramatically based on body type, fitness level and many other factors so this will be my own view. It's really really hard to operate a calorie controlled diet and gain muscle. No matter how hard I would train, consistent increase in (very healthy) protein focused foods would add both visible fat and muscle.
If you're reading this and in a similar position to where I was when I started, I just say don't underestimate what you can do to change things. I looked at my original advice I quoted and I still believe it's correct. But the one that has continued to this day is routine, form a habit to go to the gym or a habit to always select the healthiest option on a menu.
Best of luck with your weight loss goals.
UL
Well done!
There's definitely a form of cardio out there we all enjoy - sadly since having a child, it's seems to be very sporadic
Caporegime
I have to say, Peloton app has been great at introducing me to the world of strength training. Really getting in to it now, have ordered some 10kg and 15kg dumbbells (flippin' expensive aren't they?!) to continue the journey. Been at it six weeks so it's turning into a habit now, running one day and weights the next x3 with one rest day.
Shame the bloody diet is still ruinous. Just scoffed half a tray of bakewell tart from Asda.
Shame the bloody diet is still ruinous. Just scoffed half a tray of bakewell tart from Asda.
Soldato
That’s where adjustable ones come into their own!
Caporegime
Yeah, I was after them but they're not in stock at Argos (had some Nectar points to use up!). I'll see how I get on with these and when 15kg gets too easy, flog them and buy something else. My local town gym is total barebones and rubbish so that's not an option.
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Where might I find these adjustable bakewell tarts, might help with my portion control
Soldato
Where might I find these adjustable bakewell tarts, might help with my portion control
That wouldn't work. We'd all just set them to maximum tart
Caporegime
Jeezus, it's nearly killed me just lifting one 15kg dumbbell up stairs. It'll be a while before I can even hold that in one hand.
Soldato
Jeezus, it's nearly killed me just lifting one 15kg dumbbell up stairs. It'll be a while before I can even hold that in one hand.
I had to go back and re-read your message, i'd thought you'd progressed past the 10kg, yet were struggling to even hold the 15!
The issue i find with fixed dumbells is that you kind of need all the middle sizes, as jumping from 10kg to 15kg is a fairly big progression. Obviously too late now, but the Mirafit adjustable ones are great and can go up in tiny sizes.