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SPXJ - Half The Man I Used To Be

6K views 17 replies 13 participants last post by  4giv3n1 
#1 ·
I'm starting this because I need some folks to be accountable to...

5'10"
328 lb
26/M

Since I was 9 years old, I have been overweight. I started eating waaaayyyy too much as a coping mechanism (lots of stress in my life). Its been a part of me. When I was a junior in high school, I weighed 245 lb. I decided to lose the weight, and dropped to 197 lb at my lowest. I started working out and playing football senior year, and was a fairly solid 220 lb.

This was when I should've kept at it.

I didn't though. I let life get busy, and I made excuse after excuse for why I could not work out, why I didn't have time to eat healthy.

Eventually, I got married my junior year of college (285 lb) and graduated college (340 lb). My current high water mark for weight is 343 lb.

My son was born at the end of January last year. It seems cliche, but it didn't matter to me until he was here. When he was born, I weighed 340 lb. I've made progress, but I'm kind of drifting, and its high time I got serious.

My goal is simple: to be half the man I used to be (171 lb). That's the long term goal...

Why do I want to be so skinny? Actually, for my height, it's just about average... I haven't weighed 171 lb since I was in 12.

Short term goals (so far) are the following:
1. Weigh in at or below 315 lb by my son's birthday party (24 Jan) (-13 lb from current)

2. Weigh in at or below 305 lb by 24 Feb (-23 lb)

3. Weigh in at or below my wedding weight (285 lb) by 24 Apr (-43 lb)

I'm going to reevaluate where I am and how I'm doing at that point...

How do I plan on doing it?

Diet - Paleo. I had success with this in the past, but budgetary constraints got in the way. I don't have that problem any more.

Workout - Still kind of up in the air. For now, I'm planning on doing a push-up/crunches/squat without weight/plank workout circuit that my wife found. It will be plenty challenging for me to start with, and it doesn't take too long to do the routine. Since I work full time and still go to school (until May), I'm going to be short on time if I still want a family life. Weekends will be more active around the house and yard and a bit more hiking (I miss hiking).

Big obstacle - I have a work trip the first week of January. I have (in the past) gained weight quickly on work trips. The goal will be to come out of the week without gaining any weight week-to-week.

I'm open to advice, suggestions, and encouragement. I'm going to need it... This is not the first time I've tried to lose weight, and I usually get discouraged quickly.
 
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#2 ·
A famous actress was asked how she traveled without gaining weight. You KNOW how vital it is for them to stay slim!!!!!

She replied that it was very simple: she ordered what she wanted but she only ate HALF of everything on her plate! The portion sizes were not right for her and so she dealt with it by not finishing her meal

Now, you are not a female of medium height so you probably will need to eat a bit more than she did: 2/3, perhaps?

Do NOT be afraid to throw out food! If you eat it all you will only have to diet it off later! Give yourself a break and remember that the portion sizes at restaurants are simply too large for most of us!
 
#5 ·
Now here is something stupid simple that I simply didn't consider. Thank you!

I can offer encouragement, I make a great cheerleader!

But putting your goal down in print so not only you but the world knows, makes you accountable if you are truly meeting your goal.
I appreciate the cheerleading! Putting it out there is something I haven't done before, so we'll see how well this keeps me on track.
 
#4 ·
1. Medical tests - thyroid hormones Ft3, FT4, TSH - Probably you have been poisoned by fluoride during childhood which gave the effect of hypothyroidism, or your thyroid is bad
2.glucose and insulin curve - it also would give us the answer what is going on - adipose tissue produces excess insulin and lives its own life – hight lower of insuline makes you fat
3. The analysis of the diet – you can have a serious hunger of body cells - the body does not get the right amount of vitamins and salt , it makes you hungry even after eating, the hunger signal in head never stops - reasons see point 1 and 2
4. diet - 1200 calories - not less! - 5 balanced meals a day - 4 day based on a gluten-free diet + hot supper
5. supplementation Se selenium, Omega3, green tea capsule, cinamone if you like

Make medical tests then back to me, i will give you the sample of diet.
 
#6 ·
I posted this link up recently, it seems to me a 45 min workout, 3 times a week, is just what you're looking for.
Plus there are a number of professional/semi-pro powerlifters/weightlifters on this forum who can answer any question you have about the routines and form in the link below.

http://stronglifts.com/5x5/

Stronglifts 5×5 is a simple workout to get stronger. Thousands of guys worldwide have used this routine to gain strength, build muscle or lose weight while training only three times a week. Stronglifts 5×5 uses five free weight compound exercises: the Squat, Bench Press, Deadlift, Overhead Press and Barbell Row. You do three of these exercises each workout, three times a week, for about 45 minutes per workout. You Squat every workout, three times a week.

You will lose weight faster and more easily lifting iron than doing body weight only exercises.
 
#7 ·
All diets are fad diets.

Eat less/move more.

I get asked about this kind of thing about every week or so. My advice is always the same. For 3 months do two things. First get a calorie app of some kind and use it. Write or log everything that you eat or drink. Every last bite of everything. It is a giant pain in the butt to do but it is vital. Second track all workouts and do a minimum of 30 minutes of cardio every day. Gradually increase the weekly cardio.

You must run a calorie deficit to lose weight. Changing diet can do that but changing diet and working out is the best. It is even better when the diet is coupled with smart eating, eating less each time but more often.

As far as weight lifting I use a program I stole from the net called Hypertrophy cluster 12 but it is just a full body strength building program. Any of the programs should do well from crossfit to any of the gym programs offered all over.

I can't stress how important a diet log is and how important any kind of cardio is to weight loss. Once the pounds start coming off the cardio gets easier and everything else becomes easier and faster.

Stay with it.
 
#8 ·
I can second generalpie's advice about logging food and exercise. Myfitnesspal is a very popular one that I've considered starting to use myself. Also Weight Watchers online I can personally vouch for. Yeah, it costs about $20.00 a month but it works, and if you add a bit of exercise to the dietary regimen you'll easily meet your monthly weight goals. What I liked about it is that it is t a diet as much as it is teaching you how to eat better. Remember always that if you want to lose weight and keep it off you have to make a lifestyle change. You can lose all the weight you want, but if you go back to old habits when you reach your goal you'll simply pick it all back up again.

You can do this, and we're all here to cheer you on.
 
#9 ·
I highly suggest trying out your blender for snacks. Ice, skim milk a banana and an apple make a great health snack instead of carbs or sugar. There are tons of others, like tomato juice, celery, ice, tobasco. Taste like a bloody mary.

You are a prepper right? So for breakfast, try 1 cup of oatmeal and fruit (frozen or dehydrated berries work great).

After dinner make a rule: no snacks after 8:00 pm.

Good luck!
 
#10 ·
First I want to say, YOU CAN DO THIS. You really can, it just takes time and effort to change.

Second I want to look at realities...the not so nice/positive parts.

You have a long battle to fight. (its the entire rest of your life...not a number on the scale)
You have a lifetime of bad habits to drop/or re-work into new "good" habits.

Third, understand habits got you into this mess, and habits are the only thing that will keep you out of it in the future....getting out of it can be done many many ways.
But staying out can only be done by living your life with new habits.

A sad part of this is sometimes new habits don't fit in with parts of our current lives, you may lose friends by changing habits. It could cost you a job? Things you can't even imagine...its sort of the underlying concept of the old "be careful what you wish for" saying. basically, choices will have to be made and they will have consequences.

You need a plan, this is the easy part, and the fun part. However, your plans will be tested by both inner and outer forces, and your plans will fail.

When you mess up, and you will, just get back to it. Your overall success or failure is not based on one good or bad day.

Success will be dependent on several things, calories in and out is a simple way to look at it but its also IMO a sh*t way to look at it as well...because it doesn't matter if you won't do the most simple thing...and that's get back up when you get knocked down. Keep going, everyone's Plan A fails!

IF you keep this up, you will find you start to have new habits, and when these new habits are tended to they grow.

You need to eat more healthy foods than junk foods.
You need to get basic exercise.
You need to strength train.
You need to start to have fun by doing something physically challenging.
You need to do these things Regularly!

To wrap this up I'd like to wish you luck, but luck has little to do with this.
 
#11 ·
When you mess up, and you will, just get back to it. Your overall success or failure is not based on one good or bad day.
Very true!

I am a type 2 diabetic, and I messed up some during the holidays.

So, today I went to the store and got a lot of lean hamburger patties and other good things: tomorrow is another day!

My bloodwork is excellent, because every time I mess up I simply go and get back on my diet! :cool:
 
#13 ·
I feel your pain.

First off, YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!! GO YOU!!!!!

I'm getting my weight off too.

I was always healthy as a kid, and in highschool wore size 7 pants. So I wasn't fat, but I wasn't bony.
Then as an adult, I drank some water in SC that was tainted with something, idk what. It messed up my thyroid, and at first it was only little things that happened to me. I gained a little weight on top of my freshman 25, but that was no big deal I thought. Then my face broke out like a peperoni pizza.
Then my hair began to fall out. I started feeling lethargic. Then the weight PACKED on. People assumed that I was just fat and lazy. That broke my heart. So I began binge eating to cope. I couldn't get out of bed and began to avoid people, and started hating myself. I got up to 304 pounds.
Then it got serious. I won't give you the nasty details, but I was slowly dying, and no one around me cared, because they thought I was just a fat lazy you-know-what. I tried going to the doctor, because I knew that there was something wrong with me. It took 8 years before I found a doc to listen.
He's a holistic doctor, and that means he looks at your whole body, not just your sympotoms. It's not mumbojumbo or fake medicine or hippydippy stuff. It's science. All the other doctors couldn't figure out what I was telling them, even calling me a lier when I said that I thought it was thyroid related. They all thought I wanted an excuse to be fat.
The first thing I did was stop drinking sodas. Period. None. That hurt me, because I was kinda addicted to them. I still crave an orange soda or a Dr Pepper every now and again. And I do have one like every 3 months now. In the beginning it was VERY HARD, but I knew I had to do it. Cold Turkey too.
But the first week after I quit drinking sodas, I lost 10 pounds immediately. That lit a fire under my butt. So I drink more water, from a known pure source, and walk at least a mile a day. Taking my suppliments, eating right, thinking positive, and getting my butt off the chair for a year now, and I've lost a total of 70 pounds.
I know I need to add strength training to my workouts, but not sure how to proceed. I've reached a plateau in my weight loss, so the next paycheck I get I'll probably get a workout video or something.

Things I'm still addicted to -
coffee
chocolate cake
chips
starchy and carby things

I'm human, so I allow myself the things I love every now and again, because I know that I can't quit everything cold turkey. I'd feel like I was denying myself pleasure, so I know that I'd relapse if i took everything away. I'm only human afterall.

FIGHT FIGHT RA RA RA! WE CAN DO IT!!!! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!
<3
 
#14 ·
I am in about the same boat as you.

6ft
300lbs
20/M

diabetic on top of it (pill not needle) I am not married nor do I have kids so theirs that. I started seeing a dietitian back in December and have simply been easing myself in to there suggestions. My goal personally is to get to 220lbs and do 100lbs on any machine at the gym as well as get off the pill. As of right now I am eating 3 meals a day with a snack at 4 hour intervals and have just started exercising every other day this week for 5 minutes on an elliptical. The biggest part of losing wight from what I am being told is time management. My meals are quite consistent at about 2700 calories and I have still lost a few pounds so my advice to you is get up and go to bed at the same time every day and eat every 4 hours also exercise when possible. Good luck to us both.
 
#15 ·
I like the avatar.

I would add that the biggest part is pushing yourself adequately without over pushing. Cutting calories far enough without too much. Losing fast enough to make progress but not so fast it won't stay. Not losing so slow it seems a lost cause.

Fact is it takes dedication and hard work.

I think you are on the high side of the calories per day with that amount of exercise. Did that number come from a dietician or doctor? Even dropping a few hundred per day will make a difference. I bet within a month you will be doing a half hour per day minimum on that elliptical.
 
#16 ·
Added note: Helps if you have a routine to follow each day, performed at about the same time.
Then, if you don't adhere to your getting out of bed, going for a brisk walk, meal/workout at the prescribed time, you feel guilty.
When you've reached that stage you're on track.
And a big breakfast is way better than a big meal at any other time throughout the day.
 
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