Soldato
Mens Health 
*** Big Fat Weight Loss Thread ***
- Thread starter AndyCr15
- Start date
Caporegime
Mens Health
What do you recommend? I quite like the idea of some kind of virtual YouTube "course" where someone will tell you what to do each day/week and you do it in realtime with them. I think there is a 4-week thing like this on the Peloton app but I haven't looked into it properly.
Soldato
If you can only train at home with no equipment then something like the r/bodyweightfitness recommended routine. You’ll still need some non-negotiable things though like a pull-up bar though. With just a pair of what are probably vinyl/plastic dumbbells there’s not much scope for physique changes or progressive overload.
Bodyweight stuff can be great, gym's or own equipment aren't necessarily essentially - one thing you could consider if you have literally no stuff at home is your local park... lots of them have outdoor exercise equipment you can just go and use for free.
There is one about 100 meters behind my development that has a load of stuff like pull-up bars, monkey bars, parallel bars you can use for dips, a series of rings to swing from, an inclined bench for sit-ups etc.. and thankfully, most of the stuff is duplicated in a few different locations around the park so there is almost always stuff that is free to use.
There is one about 100 meters behind my development that has a load of stuff like pull-up bars, monkey bars, parallel bars you can use for dips, a series of rings to swing from, an inclined bench for sit-ups etc.. and thankfully, most of the stuff is duplicated in a few different locations around the park so there is almost always stuff that is free to use.
I'm one week into my weightloss program. Mon 02/08 I was 116.7 kg, today I'm 114.1kg. Trying to eat sensibly, swim most days and walk a lot more.
The first couple of weeks are easy as the weight loss is rapid, let's see how hard it is in a month's time.
The first couple of weeks are easy as the weight loss is rapid, let's see how hard it is in a month's time.
Soldato
Nearly 6kg down now, averaging about 400g loss a week with zero impact on gym performance so far, even though things like reduced bust measurements mean greater ROM on bench and stuff like that - although reducing the amount of sets has helped a lot there it seems.
Impatient for gainz though, might start doing lower calorie rest days to increase the overall deficit and get it over with quicker.
Impatient for gainz though, might start doing lower calorie rest days to increase the overall deficit and get it over with quicker.
Soldato
I lost nearly 2 stone over 5 months and was 1lb away from the 13 stone mark and then relapsed I plateaued, I was losing ounces per week, if that, and when I stepped up my exercise and ate more, I stopped counting calories and ate more food even when I wasn't exercising.
Now back at 13 stone 6lb.
I plateaued, I was losing ounces per week, if that, and when I stepped up my exercise and ate more, I stopped counting calories and ate more food even when I wasn't exercising.Now back at 13 stone 6lb.
Soldato
No idea what I'm weighing in at the moment, I'm only really checking monthly but been in the alps solo this week. Less cardio (bike trainer at home makes it super easy to just jump on and burn 500kcals!) but more general moving, got my dumbells and have been doing basic stuff outside on the terrace each day. Some bike rides, some walking. All good.
Sometimes you have to look back, not to dwell, but to see how far you've come.
This is Jan 2020 to today. I only properly started making an effort on this stuff in Feb where I wanted to get some more routines, weights etc. but I'm still not counting cals. Just eyeballing it
I could have shed a ton of fat faster, but want to keep this going, so....
It's **** looking back sometimes though as you realise how bad you let it get. I'm far stronger now than I've been in, god, probably forever. My body for some reason likes to store it's fat on my back and round my love handles! ha looking forward to getting back home and on the bike to get some more cardio in my routine again!
Finally starting to build a bit more upper body strength and core. Give me another year and I'll hopefully be even better. No rush for me. Still want to be able to have a pizza without beating myself up or anything!
Sometimes you have to look back, not to dwell, but to see how far you've come.
This is Jan 2020 to today. I only properly started making an effort on this stuff in Feb where I wanted to get some more routines, weights etc. but I'm still not counting cals. Just eyeballing it
I could have shed a ton of fat faster, but want to keep this going, so....
It's **** looking back sometimes though as you realise how bad you let it get. I'm far stronger now than I've been in, god, probably forever. My body for some reason likes to store it's fat on my back and round my love handles! ha looking forward to getting back home and on the bike to get some more cardio in my routine again!
Finally starting to build a bit more upper body strength and core. Give me another year and I'll hopefully be even better. No rush for me. Still want to be able to have a pizza without beating myself up or anything!
After trying to lose weight since my Holiday to Florida in October 2019 and putting a subsequent 10kgs throughout lockdown. I'm down 3kg this month which has been a mixture of my partner being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and eating much better and joining the gym and following a PHUL (Power, Hypertrophy, Upper, Lower) weights routine. I'd like to think I've gained a bit of muscle whilst dropping fat (however, I know this is difficult to achieve).
Soldato
Who said this?
Read in multiple places over the years including here. Perhaps that is someone who is already low bf and has been lifting awhile.
it must be true that I’ve done both because me at 115.3 kg is now fitting into 36 waisted jeans which didn’t happen last time I was this weight.
Soldato
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- 29 Dec 2009
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It's not as difficult as it's made out to be, it's just more difficult than if you were in a calorie surplus.
When you're in a deficit you're going to have (quite literally) less energy naturally causing less effective workouts and being less active in general result in lower NEAT.
Not only that but you do have slightly less rate of muscle recovery resulting in slightly less "gains" and slightly increased soreness, again less effective workouts.
Of course it depends how much of a deficit, some people go ridiculously low and then plateau because their NEAT suffers as a result, they're not as active as they were or lifting as much as they could.
5-10% is really where you want to be and ensure you're consuming sufficient protein to give muscle the best chance to recover in a deficit as possible. There's varying levels of information available, like 1.6 to 2.2g per lean KG of bodyweight. For me that could be anywhere between 108g and 149g which is 2 extra shakes or 1 meal a day.
Gradual increases or decreases in calories are certainly the way to go. Cycles rarely work (unless it's in the form of a needle) and most people that enter a bulk never leave it.
When you're in a deficit you're going to have (quite literally) less energy naturally causing less effective workouts and being less active in general result in lower NEAT.
Not only that but you do have slightly less rate of muscle recovery resulting in slightly less "gains" and slightly increased soreness, again less effective workouts.
Of course it depends how much of a deficit, some people go ridiculously low and then plateau because their NEAT suffers as a result, they're not as active as they were or lifting as much as they could.
5-10% is really where you want to be and ensure you're consuming sufficient protein to give muscle the best chance to recover in a deficit as possible. There's varying levels of information available, like 1.6 to 2.2g per lean KG of bodyweight. For me that could be anywhere between 108g and 149g which is 2 extra shakes or 1 meal a day.
Gradual increases or decreases in calories are certainly the way to go. Cycles rarely work (unless it's in the form of a needle) and most people that enter a bulk never leave it.
Soldato
Yes if you have a decent amount of fat to lose still and aren’t in a huge deficit and are able to keep training at a sufficient intensity and volume, muscle gain should be occurring as you still have a decent amount of accessible energy available to compensate for the lack of energy from food.
Realistically nobody ever recomps into infinity though - otherwise you’d see people getting stage lean and growing whilst eating at maintenance.
The whole point of dieting is to get to a bf level you’re happy with, then either you sit at maintenance forever eking out efficiency gains with what muscle you have and get a bit stronger over time - which is fine and what many people do - or if your goal is to try and aim towards whatever natural limit of fat-free mass you can carry is, you have to be in some form of surplus long enough (and training intelligently enough to progress in your lifts cos linear progression stops working pretty quickly) to grow the new tissue required, some of which will always be fat.
What happens to many people - me included in the past - with that latter goal is they diet down, look all beach body and happy but want to be bigger, but then are scared to gain weight again and consequently their lifts plateau (easier to train harder when there’s plenty of food), and they don’t fill out their frame to the extent they could. When you’re more advanced in your lifting age then the rates of muscle gain are so minuscule that sitting around maintenance is more of a viable strategy but when you’re still capable of growing kgs of muscle it just hinders your progress.
You don’t actually need that much of a surplus to maximise muscle growth rates, but since you never really know exactly what your maint. calories are each day or if you’re actually eating that much, it’s easy to never end up being in a minor surplus at all and consequently you spin your wheels and get nowhere.
Anyway keep up the good work!
Soldato
Ok 10 weeks of dieting and overall bodyweight is down 9.1%. My goal was to keep within the 0.5-1% loss a week range so that’s about right. Measurement wise, I’ve lost…
• bust = 6cm
• 2” above navel = 8cm
• navel = 9cm
• 2” below navel = 7cm
• widest part of hips = 5cm
Visually things starting to show detail in downlighting but I’m still a little way off goal bf%. Training started to suck last week/fatigue lingering so this week’s going to be a diet break at a roughly estimated maintenance combined with a deload at the gym (drop working sets to 80% of what I was doing last week) then I’ll do another stint and get the old veins out again.
• bust = 6cm
• 2” above navel = 8cm
• navel = 9cm
• 2” below navel = 7cm
• widest part of hips = 5cm
Visually things starting to show detail in downlighting but I’m still a little way off goal bf%. Training started to suck last week/fatigue lingering so this week’s going to be a diet break at a roughly estimated maintenance combined with a deload at the gym (drop working sets to 80% of what I was doing last week) then I’ll do another stint and get the old veins out again.
Soldato
I'm ready to set myself a new goal. Having bounced between 100kg and 104kg depending on what day it is for the last few months.
I'm off to Spain on Friday and when i get back my plan is to get down to 85kg and see how i look. I don't think i've been under 94kg for as long as i can remember and that was when i was slightly more muscular from going to the gym and doing weights. So the plan is to drop to 85kg and if i look too skinny then consider weights/increase food to get to a level i'm happy with. Being 6'3 i'm conscious of the beanpole look and i wouldn't particularly say i looked too fat now which does add some of that concern.
My main incentive is for running/cycling. I was to really nail some big events and with those type of events usually comes a lot of hills/ascent and being heavy has a huge impact on that. I've certainly noticed it from going from ~95kg last year to 105kg this year.
I'm off to Spain on Friday and when i get back my plan is to get down to 85kg and see how i look. I don't think i've been under 94kg for as long as i can remember and that was when i was slightly more muscular from going to the gym and doing weights. So the plan is to drop to 85kg and if i look too skinny then consider weights/increase food to get to a level i'm happy with. Being 6'3 i'm conscious of the beanpole look and i wouldn't particularly say i looked too fat now which does add some of that concern.
My main incentive is for running/cycling. I was to really nail some big events and with those type of events usually comes a lot of hills/ascent and being heavy has a huge impact on that. I've certainly noticed it from going from ~95kg last year to 105kg this year.
I've crept up to around 218lbs / 99kg myself, considering I was down at 205 / 93kg at one point. I'm reasonably happy with my weight though, so happy to keep eating as I am and monitoring it. I'd always said 15½ stone (218lbs) was the marker I'd set myself, if I went over I would do something to get it back down. I was briefly 221 a couple of weeks back, but stripped off the few extra lbs to come back within limits. I'm enjoying food a bit more again at this weight, allowing myself more treats, but managing to maintain the weight with the cycling. This could get tricky as the weather gets worse into winter and long 5 or 6 hour rides will become much less likely.
It took me 10 weeks to go from 12.23 stone to 10.56 stone. Then in the last 8 weeks I’ve been purposely hanging around the 10.59 stone mark which is 67.19kg
I’m 5 feet 9.5 inches tall and weigh myself on my digital weighing scales every morning, if I’m around 10.59 stone I’ll just have the one meal at lunchtime then the next day I’ll usually drop down to around 10.50 stone or less and then I allow myself two meals.
I feel hungry somedays but it ain’t going to kill me and I’m nowhere near underweight, today I was 10.50 stone with a BMI of 21.5 I’m having a Chinese tonight.
I’m 5 feet 9.5 inches tall and weigh myself on my digital weighing scales every morning, if I’m around 10.59 stone I’ll just have the one meal at lunchtime then the next day I’ll usually drop down to around 10.50 stone or less and then I allow myself two meals.
I feel hungry somedays but it ain’t going to kill me and I’m nowhere near underweight, today I was 10.50 stone with a BMI of 21.5 I’m having a Chinese tonight.
Soldato
Sounds very similar to my stats to be honest. I hover around 100 when overweight. Bad times hitting 107 for me. I'm about 90 now and hovering about there. I'm losing cms still, so not too hung up on the weight, but 85 should be where I'm sitting I think too. At the same time as I am doing more weights, it's probably the reason the weight balance has stopped dropping as fast, but I really wanted to rebalance my body. I'm so undefined up top and a block, so working on that while cardio'ing my way down to shred some stubborn back fat! You got this dude!!
Soldato
Yeah. It’s n out so much size I’m bothered about as much as physical weight to help with hills and running.
I may be making the challenge even tougher though if you’d seen the size of my sandwich I’ve just eaten!
I may be making the challenge even tougher though if you’d seen the size of my sandwich I’ve just eaten!