*** Big Fat Weight Loss Thread ***

Doing a lot of swimming at the mo which is the kindest exercise on the body I think!

Sadly my back has flared up again (historic slipped disc) so weights are on hold for now until it calms down.
Swimming is a good one, I just hate swimming pools and I'm very short sighted. I went for a Concept 2 rower, again no impact but hard work! Might not be the best for you though as it works your back a bit.
 
It's the same reason that generally weighing every day is better than once a week because then you can see the actual trend rather than a single point each week which might happen to be the day you wake up 2lbs heavier due to consuming more salt/carbs/whatever the night before and therefore holding a little more fluid but in reality the trend would show you're for example 1lb down compared to last week rather than 2lb up.
This is something I’m trialling. I used to weigh myself very infrequently but would mean I was making decisions based on very limited data points. It would be easy to weigh yourself one day, be really light due to dehydration or another factor and decide to up cals a bit to compensate. I’m going to weigh myself daily for a period of time while I’m logging meals and see where it leaves me.
 
This is something I’m trialling. I used to weigh myself very infrequently but would mean I was making decisions based on very limited data points. It would be easy to weigh yourself one day, be really light due to dehydration or another factor and decide to up cals a bit to compensate. I’m going to weigh myself daily for a period of time while I’m logging meals and see where it leaves me.

It’ll probably leave you weighing less if you’re sticking to your plan and logging everything religiously!
 
Well, it's now a year since I decided I needed to do something about my weight. Then I was 93.2kg (14st 9lb), today I'm 88.6kg (13st 13lb). Somewhat up from the 84.6kg I achieved at my lowest point in February but still 4.6kg down. I'm going to make another push to lose weight before the end of this year, with a target of 82kg before Christmas which I'll then doubtless need to re-achieve in January.
 
Well, it's now a year since I decided I needed to do something about my weight. Then I was 93.2kg (14st 9lb), today I'm 88.6kg (13st 13lb). Somewhat up from the 84.6kg I achieved at my lowest point in February but still 4.6kg down. I'm going to make another push to lose weight before the end of this year, with a target of 82kg before Christmas which I'll then doubtless need to re-achieve in January.
The hard part is it's a lifestyle change to maintain it. That conscious decision to change the way you eat and drink is not easy.
 
have hit 222.4 lbs after bike yesterday, and 234lbs is here for last 2 days.

just around the corner from my lowest since my wedding back in 15 LOL

as 220 is so close..i will set myself new target of 215lbs now
 
Huberman doesn't like this comment :D The more time goes one, the more stupidity seems to be creeping into his podcasts.

I read/watch/listen to a fair bit of the research from all sources and as you said later in your post, it always comes down to the same foundation, eat less than you burn, lose weight.

Now, intermittent fasting can help with this as you say by having a hard cut off if you have willpower issues. I've inadvertently done IF for most of my life as i've generally skipped breakfast and don't eaten until about midday.

Personally, I maintain a 10% deficit a day based on sedentary calories and mildly adjust for activity, if I have a day I overeat, compensate the day after or for a few days with slight reductions each day. If i want a snack, I eat it, if I want alcohol, I drink, I don't reduce any enjoyment from food and drink - it all evens out over the weeks/months.

I've been IF this week. 2 days completed successfully hah.

For me, breakfast is normally around 400 cals but then I also snack quite a bit when I get home and/or (let's be honest, and) after dinner, which is what tipped me over my calories normally. Now I'm not having the 400 cals at breakfast, and at 8 PM I stop eating, so I can't really gorge myself after 8.

I think that's probably all it'll be for me - maybe 900 cals I'd normally eat just off the radar. OK I'll probably eat a bigger dinner so maybe 4-500 cals gone. I think that's great though!
 
i find 500cal dinner is pretty small. I like to eat a large meal though so i sometimes do OMAD to loose weight. Currently working on my goal to get to 14 Stone 2.3lb to go then i will have a few days sensible treat.
 
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I'm down to 85.4kg this morning. Likely due to swimming yesterday and dehydration! I'm still trying to push more exercise and am eating at the top of my calorie allowance on Noom currently (with some occasional overspend) which is allowing a slow weight drop. Ideally I don't want to push much lower than this, but without being able to commit to very regular exercise I think switching to "maintenance" calorie intake might cause a bit too much of a rebound.
 
Another two weeks later, down to 78.7kg across last few days - slower loss than before but had a few weekends of drinking to it's progress i'll happily take.
Always the way, get harder the more you lose. I probably need to lose a couple of Kg of fat but at 50+ and with a sit down job it's not easy to get rid of unless you go hardcore on the diet. Tbh most people would say I was fine now but I'd like to get back to 10% or so body fat.
 
I have decided to sign up with Noom after my wife was (and continues to be) very successful with it. Thought I would go big and aim for a stone weight loss.

This morning I was 99.4 kg and I’m aiming for 93kg. I wouldn’t have been this weight since before starting university.

The aim for me is to lose visceral fat and hopefully live longer. Whilst I really enjoy strength training and historically rugby, I think as I approach 40 I need to shift my expectations as to what is going to keep me active and enjoy life for the longest. Dropping mass shouldn’t keep me off the rugby field or stop me weight training, but it will help reduce stress on joints, make cycling up hills easier and hopefully reduce long term risks of diabetes and coronary artery disease. I can see few benefits of carrying a bit of extra padding at this point (as a former loose head prop there were definite benefits of extra mass!).

My target weight will not take me into the normal BMI range, this would need to be <88kg. We’ll see how things look and feel at 93kg and plan from there.

Wow, I hadn't realised that it's been a year!

So I guess today is a good day to reflect on the journey as I have reached my lowest ever weight of 85.4kg. That's a loss of 14kg in a year, or 2 stone 3 lb. I have been within the normal BMI range for 5 months according to Apple Health and I'm now comfortably wearing 34" waist trousers which I'm really proud of. The weight loss is really pleasing, but I need to be careful to not restrict my intake too harshly and I want to try to focus more on exercise and maintaining weight. I will still need to be quite careful of what I'm eating and I want to aim for the top of the "weight loss zone" in Noom which is usually about 2200-2400 kcal depending on activity levels. This will allow a degree of flexibility with eating out and actually enjoying life, as even if I have an overspend, I should comfortably be in the right zone. I don't think I want to push up my intake too much until I can either commit to more regular exercise or get some signs in the mirror that I'm really lean - visible abs by the age of 40?! Manageable goals and small increments, but it seems crazy that I'd even be considering such a target considering where I was a year ago.

Some reflections - Being brutally honest with my calorie intake and logging everything was a game changer and I started seeing results. Weighing out portions has completely reset what I consider to be normal now - I don't have to do it every time, but I think this was probably the most useful step. I couldn't out train a bad diet, no matter how many times I tried! I have been able to enjoy myself, eat what I enjoy and drink alcohol (beer is a nightmare, wine is much more efficient!), but being careful to log everything (especially at first). I have had good weeks and bad weeks, it's the overall progress and trends that matter. There's no point in quitting after going on holiday or having a big weekend, this is a long game. Decent snacks and looking at nutritional information is super important. I have been able to find winning combinations for meals that are filling and don't break the budget - preparing roast chicken breast with rice and broccoli for lunch for the week is boring until you add home made habanero hot sauce! Being able to cook has really helped, I do a lot of batch cooking as we're quite time poor in the week, and to be able to ping a home made curry out the freezer is a life saver on a weekday.

The journey continues, it's required commitment and some real thought and effort to change things, but it's never been miserable. Good luck to all with their ongoing progress!

N2176rj
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Always the way, get harder the more you lose. I probably need to lose a couple of Kg of fat but at 50+ and with a sit down job it's not easy to get rid of unless you go hardcore on the diet. Tbh most people would say I was fine now but I'd like to get back to 10% or so body fat.
I was expecting less loss this fortnight as I mentioned i'd had a few drinks, I didn't mention 2 kebabs, a chippy and an indian meal out with the missus. That's more takeout than I generally have across three months. :D
 
Wow, I hadn't realised that it's been a year!

So I guess today is a good day to reflect on the journey as I have reached my lowest ever weight of 85.4kg. That's a loss of 14kg in a year, or 2 stone 3 lb. I have been within the normal BMI range for 5 months according to Apple Health and I'm now comfortably wearing 34" waist trousers which I'm really proud of. The weight loss is really pleasing, but I need to be careful to not restrict my intake too harshly and I want to try to focus more on exercise and maintaining weight. I will still need to be quite careful of what I'm eating and I want to aim for the top of the "weight loss zone" in Noom which is usually about 2200-2400 kcal depending on activity levels. This will allow a degree of flexibility with eating out and actually enjoying life, as even if I have an overspend, I should comfortably be in the right zone. I don't think I want to push up my intake too much until I can either commit to more regular exercise or get some signs in the mirror that I'm really lean - visible abs by the age of 40?! Manageable goals and small increments, but it seems crazy that I'd even be considering such a target considering where I was a year ago.

Some reflections - Being brutally honest with my calorie intake and logging everything was a game changer and I started seeing results. Weighing out portions has completely reset what I consider to be normal now - I don't have to do it every time, but I think this was probably the most useful step. I couldn't out train a bad diet, no matter how many times I tried! I have been able to enjoy myself, eat what I enjoy and drink alcohol (beer is a nightmare, wine is much more efficient!), but being careful to log everything (especially at first). I have had good weeks and bad weeks, it's the overall progress and trends that matter. There's no point in quitting after going on holiday or having a big weekend, this is a long game. Decent snacks and looking at nutritional information is super important. I have been able to find winning combinations for meals that are filling and don't break the budget - preparing roast chicken breast with rice and broccoli for lunch for the week is boring until you add home made habanero hot sauce! Being able to cook has really helped, I do a lot of batch cooking as we're quite time poor in the week, and to be able to ping a home made curry out the freezer is a life saver on a weekday.

The journey continues, it's required commitment and some real thought and effort to change things, but it's never been miserable. Good luck to all with their ongoing progress!

N2176rj
That really is the only way, log it and be honest with yourself. I'd also add, don't fill your cupboards with high calorie, low nutrient snack foods. If it's not there it's much harder to be tempted. I look at my dog, very fit and healthy, but that's because we only feed him the good stuff and don't give him more than he needs. It's a good lesson to apply to yourself ;) Given the choice he'd eat all sorts but only if it smells or tastes of meat :cry:
 
I was expecting less loss this fortnight as I mentioned i'd had a few drinks, I didn't mention 2 kebabs, a chippy and an indian meal out with the missus. That's more takeout than I generally have across three months. :D
Did you enjoy the food though? I have found when i have a day off i wwantt to have something i really enjoy now.
 
Did you enjoy the food though? I have found when i have a day off i wwantt to have something i really enjoy now.
Always the same problem with a kebab, the thought of it is better than what you get - unless you're steaming. The chippy & indian were both superb.
 
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