Losing Weight, down 81 pounds so far

[Skippy722]

Dude that’s awesome!

I need to get back on this. Started the year at 305, same age and height… I was doing good up until my wife got pregnant AGAIN (I apparently need to learn what causes that), got down to 285 in a month. I was doing basically the same thing, cut out sugary drinks (I don’t go heavy on it and it would be the only sugary thing I had all day)… But thank you for the motivation I needed to get back on track!

 

[bbhero]

Those charts are worthless. They don't take into account for bmi from weight training and other things. I'm 5'7 and weight is 225-230lbs.

This is EXACTLY right in my strongest opinion....

I worked at a gym for 7 plus years and I knew many, many guys who would be " overweight" and they were far from that.

My friend Kevin was 6 ft 5 and 270 pounds and he was just a big big built guy. That was not fat... Some guys hit the lottery with their genetics.

I was 6 ft 2 and 157 pounds.. I could dunk a basketball easy with 2 hands and could jump 43 inches off the floor. That was where my light weight helped and my speed and quickness were quite darn good too.

Even after lifting weights for 3+ years when I was 25 years old I only got to 174. I looked a fair amount better but that's all I could do. Even though I had more than doubled my strength and tripled it in some areas.

 

[bbhero]

Congrats Nick! Great to hear!

Right on has usual Overkill.

Nick...

Get a real body fat percentage done with calipers... And someone who is very good with doing that measurement.

That will be far more accurate in terms of body fat percentage.

You can also do a water body fat percentage test too that is possibly even more accurate than caliper measurements. But may find it harder to find people who do them routinely.

 

[bbhero]

Those charts are worthless. They don't take into account for bmi from weight training and other things. I'm 5'7 and weight is 225-230lbs.

Man you must be built like a fire hydrant...

Short and darn stout... Ain't nothing wrong with that.

 

[CleanSump]

Great for you guys. It's always satisfying to meet success.
On the other conversation, At work I had a Marine F/A-18 test pilot who had to have a waiver to fly; overweight because he was a body builder. Not an ounce of fat, couldn't float in the dip tank. Everyone is different, charts don't account for that.

 

[Warlord]

Thats good unless you start getting dizzy etc. Sometimes if I'm out mowing in the heat (think 10 acres) I have to stop get a water and a mini snack even if im not hungry or I feel awful.

Yeah I have to drink tons of water and force myself to peck at a power bar or something during the day. I know I‘m going too hard when I start to get a headache. When I used to work in an air conditioned office/vehicle I would happily snack all day.

 

[HemiBenny]

Good job! I think that it’s very easy to control one’s weight without denying yourself simple pleasures here and there. As you stated, portions in this country are out of control. When we were in Estes Park, we ate at a distillery and the plate had enough food for three meals on it! Unfortunately, I had to waste a lot of food when I tossed out what was left over. It would have been nice to have the option of a smaller portion for a little less cost, but unfortunately, that’s not the way most restaurants work. Also, the option of sharing a plate is not always ideal, I may not want what she wants. This scenario plays out at most places we go to when we eat out, which, thankfully, isn’t often.
People have become accustomed to cleaning their plate instead of eating until their full and stopping. I really believe that when people see food left over, they mentally believe that they’re not full and continue eating or they just sit and continue picking at it until they leave, which leads to a habit of overeating. Just my opinion, not scientific by any means.
Avoiding a lot of sugary sodas is a big plus! I remember reading somewhere that fruits don’t taste sweet to people because the foods and drinks we consume daily are so loaded with sugar, that the natural sweetness of healthy fruits is pale in comparison. I can see that.
Water, drink plenty of water. Living in the valley, you probably do that anyway.
I’m in pretty good shape for 51 and I don’t deny myself a cookie from time to time, a Reese’s PB cup from time to time, and I sure as hell will not deny myself my favorite beverage, beer. Other things that help me is the fact that I’m also active and I don’t care at all for deep fried foods, that makes me an oddity here in the south. The thing is, I do what works for me and doesn’t make me feel starved or deprived. That’s what everyone should do IMO.
Restricting your diet too much and denying yourself the simple pleasures here and there will make you overindulge later. It’s all about balance and it seems like you have a good plan that works for you. You have to stick with what works for you and keeps you satisfied with your nutritional needs. Everyone is different, that’s why these one size fits all diets do not work long term.
Keep it up! Being down 81 pounds is a big deal!
Like you, I am not a nutrition expert and I also believe that diets do not work long term.

 

[blufeb95]

If you want something that's good to replace sugary drinks, I really like the Kroger,Walmart, and Meijer generic water enhancers, I'm sure the name brand Mio are just as good but I won't pay that price for them, they're a little flavor and don't have the overwhelming awful after taste like diet or "zero sugar" sodas, except the Energy flavors and the Tea flavors, but the regular flavors and the electrolyte flavors are all decent, the energy ones are best added sparingly to a similar regular flavor to mask the bitterness from all the caffeine and to limit the amount of caffeine you're adding because I drank one full strength one day and there's no precise metering of how much you squirt in your water and it felt like the one time I took caffeine pills and learned that you should never take caffeine pills.

 

[dlundblad]

Congrats.

 

[supton]

Way to go!

 

[jstert]

i took up jogging again after 30+ year hiatus when the flu lockup hysteria hit in 2020. now i jog 4 mi in 55 min carrying two 6 lb hand weights, almost daily, regardless of weather extremes, hot or cold. i haven’t lost much weight, which the charts tell me to do, but i’ve redistributed it. i’m not winning any races but i don’t care.

my key points, ymmv:
1. start your regimen slowly with a brisk walk. fairly soon i became impatient and sped up for part, then all, of my route.
2. get a properly complete daily vitamin and nutrient intake, i.e. 100% (read the back label) of all rda plus a joint supplement.
3. buy the absolute best footwear. i got fitted by experts at a runners shoe store and didn’t cheap out with something off the rack.
4. cut the cable tv cord. how much time do we waste flopped immobile in front of the one-eyed monster with a snack in hand fouling our brain and body?

 

[#18FAN]

Great Job!!
Remember
It is a lifestyle lifetime Change seen so many fall back to old ways 2 4 5 years down the road and it's all back on.

 

[vtec260]

Congrats on such a huge weight management and personal life change.

I, also, do intermittent fasting where only water/coffee is consumed between 16 or 18 hours and no solid food. I wish I started this twenty-five years ago. I am at year 3 of doing this and at 22 lb weight loss since starting and holding. Usually eat two meals a day in small portions and some snacking with nuts and fruits.
This year I got Apple Watch for my birthday and it's motivating me to close the rings daily and have been active where I am exercising 30 to 60 minutes every day.

 

[Dave Hess]

I drink coffee in at 5:30 in morning to wake up, then water all day.

I only eat twice a day and do lots of walking daily.

 

[wpod]

Try a Zevia for your soda substitute...all natural and better than any Coke product.

Club soda.

 

[wpod]

Carbs are the enemy. Low carb diet. Get the FDA food pyramid and turn it upside down.

 

[atikovi]

Carbs are the enemy. Low carb diet.

But they taste so good. Why can't they invent a carb substitute like they do for fat in fat free products?

 

[Astro14]

But they taste so good. Why can't they invent a carb substitute like they do for fat in fat free products?

Ironically, the fat substitutes in fat free products are, yep, carbs.

So, fat free products will, in the end, make you fat.

Fat free products are often, manufactured, heavily processed grange with loads of additives that do you no good.

E.G. do not fool yourself into thinking that “Fat Free Ranch“ is good for you. Oil and vinegar on your salad are good for you. Fat Free Ranch on your salad just makes you fat with empty carbs.

 

[blufeb95]

But they taste so good. Why can't they invent a carb substitute like they do for fat in fat free products?

They do have good substitutes for sugar that taste pretty much the same, they just have the little problem of giving you the runs if you indulge.

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

Awesome post. Be proud of yourself. I had done a simple weight watchers program years ago. Very simple and it dropped 40+ pounds off of me in a short 3 month period. I have heard of the "fasting technique." That sounds like a good / easy system. A while back one of my sons found and gave me a book on nutrition based on a person's blood type. I am O+ blood type and it has done wonders for me and made me feel much better.
That book is neat in that it lists foods in 3 ways. #1 Beneficial / #2 Neutral / #3 Negative-no benefit. Congrats and keep it up. Happy for you.