The TYM Weight-Loss and Nutrition Thread

[Deleted member 5032]

Happy New Year, TYM!!! Like a lot of people around this time of year, I'm looking to get back into shape. I have a number of medical issues that prevent me from adequately exercising, so my weight tends to fluctuate pretty wildly depending on my eating habits. My issues include asthma, an extra vertebrae in my spine, deformed bone structures in both of my feet, and just an unearthly level of general laziness.

So, I had to start learning a lot about nutrition, and one thing I learned is it's not nearly as difficult as it's made out to be; there is just a lot of noise out there causing confusion. Once you learn the basics, it's pretty easy to lose weight without any exercise. My most recent record was losing 30lbs over 4 months without exercising (I work from home, so literally sitting on my ass day-in and day-out). If you can squeeze in some exercise then your results should skyrocket.

I want to preface this post with a warning that I am NOT a nutritionist. I am just some random guy on the internet who has found some info and methods that work for me. As with anything you read on the internet, please think critically about the information you read here and use your best judgement if you decide to apply any of it to your own life. If you disagree with anything I post, please respond, because the last thing I want to do here is post any incorrect or harmful information.

So, with that introduction and warning out of the way, let's go!

Step 1: Calories in, Calories Out

You can make nutrition as complicated as you like, and I'm sure there will be comments below about "macros" and "carbs" and all kinds of other stuff. In reality, losing weight just comes down to your calorie deficit. You still need to ensure you're getting proper nutrition from your foods, and we'll look into that in a bit, but as far as weight loss is concerned, nothing really matters except calories in and calories out. Your body doesn't care if those calories come from a piece of chocolate cake or a piece of baked salmon, except that you'll be able to eat a lot more of the salmon for a lot fewer calories while also getting better overall nutrition. So, at least when starting out, don't overcomplicate things by getting too deep into the different types of nutrients and fitness buzzwords, just focus on calories in and calories out.

Step 2: Tracking and measuring

There's no way around it, you need to be tracking your calories in and calories out and you need to be weighing yourself daily. Just mentally, this can help provide the motivation to keep you on track. You can use whatever apps or services you like, but my favorite is this free site/app called Cronometer. Whenever you eat something, you just log it in the app and it keeps track of everything you need. You tell it your current weight and your goal and it will help you meet those needs. Thanks to Cronometer, I've managed to find a lot of foods that get me my necessary nutrients without adding too many calories. I'll talk more about these later. It can be fun to look up foods and see how healthy or unhealthy they actually are.

One big roadblock for me was how to measure some foods. For example, 4oz of baked salmon is approximately 206 calories, but wtf does 4oz of salmon look like? Well, apparently, 4oz is about the size of a deck of playing cards. So, when you're logging your steak, salmon, tofu, or other foods, you can make a pretty good estimate based on that.

Step 3: Finding foods you like

I fucking hate kale. I hate it. Any diet that involves kale will not work for me. If you try to force yourself to eat a lot of foods you don't like, I believe you're setting yourself up for failure. The key is to find foods you like that can keep you under your calories maximums and also provide substantial nutrition. That's one reason I love that Cronometer app, because it's helped me discover foods that I like that are not only low-calorie but also high in other nutrients.

Step 4: Your environment

If you love potato chips and have them in your house, you're probably going to eat them. If you're feeling snacky and you go to the fridge and there's something unhealthy but delicious and easy to make in there, you're probably going to eat it. So, take willpower out of the equation and just don't have those things in your house. We'll talk about "cheat days" in a bit, but overall try to avoid having easy, constant access to foods that will set you back.

Step 5: Portion Control

I was raised with the idea that you should "finish your plate". Even when I'm full, if there is food left on my plate I will try to finish it. I hate the idea of throwing away food. My wife calls me the garbage disposal because I'll finish her plate too if there's anything left. Food does not go into the garbage in our house. Whether or not you're of a similar mindset, portion control is exceptionally important. It's better to make too small of a portion, still be hungry, and have to make another meal than it is to make too large of a portion and eat it too quickly. Your body actually takes a bit of time to feel fulfilled from the food that you eat, so you'd be surprised at how small of a portion you need to not be hungry anymore.

To help with portion control, use the smallest dishes you have available. 4oz of food looks much smaller on a giant dinner plate than it does on a small plate. Your eyes will deceive you, so using measuring cups can also be helpful. Get used to making portions that look too small. You may still be hungry when you finish eating, but give it 20 or 30 minutes and you may be surprised how full you are. If you're still hungry, you can always have another helping. Try to eat before you get too hungry, because the hungrier you are when you make your meal, the larger the portion you're going to make.

Step 6: Cheat Days

If you keep yourself at a calorie deficit for too long, your body can actually adapt to the changes and you will start to see reduced results. This is why "cheat days" are so important and you definitely shouldn't skip them! The Cronometer site has some good information about the different ways you can handle your cheat days. For me, I like to exceed my calories limits twice per week, usually Wednesday and Saturday, though I keep it flexible. If I go out with friends, maybe I'll make that my cheat day and then not cheat on one of my standard days.

Cheat day is the day to handle all of your cravings. Throughout the week, if you get a craving for something you really shouldn't have, just write it down. This can actually trick your brain into reducing the craving. Then, on cheat day, if you're still craving any of those items, go for it! You still need to watch your nutrition and try to hit those targets, but you no longer need to worry about staying under your calorie limit.

Cheat days are also fun because they're guilt-free. You can eat all your favorite treats without worrying about hurting your weight-loss plan. When it comes to Step 4: Your Environment, I try not to have "bad" foods in my home on normal days. If I'm craving something, I'll wait until Cheat Day to go buy it from the store. You can also have the ingredients to make good foods so you can make them on Cheat Day. I love spinache and artichoke dip, and my wife has the world's best recipe, so I spend a lot of Cheat Days just gorging on it.

Just remember, you still want to try to hit your nutrition requirements. "Cheat Day" doesn't mean "just eat whatever you want, day", it just means you want to exceed your normal calorie limit. If you love donuts, great, have some donuts, but also be sure to get enough protein, fiber, and other nutrients.

Step 7: Water, water, and more water

Don't drink your calories! Repeat: DO NOT DRINK YOUR CALORIES!!! Soda is just liquid candy. Even most "healthy" juices, like apple juice and orange juice, are loaded up with so much sugar that it's just as bad as eating candy. Zero-calorie drinks like Diet Coke are even worse, as the artificial sweeteners they use can cause your body to become less efficient at burning calories, leading to increased weight gain. Find a brand of water you enjoy and stick with it. Believe it or not, the different brands do taste different. I hate Deer Park and I don't support Nestle, but I can drink generic Target brand or Aquafina all day long.

Staying hydrated is insanely important for weight loss. Dehydration can feel very similar to hunger, so many times when you think you're hungry and go for a snack, you actually just need to drink some water.

If bottled water isn't your thing, try some of the brands of sparkling water. I'm totally addicted to Bubly sparkling water. I don't know why, because it tastes like drinking a blueberry-flavored battery, but for some reason I can't get enough of the stuff.

The only other drink I can recommend is unsweetened almond milk. It's surprisingly good-tasting (it just tastes like almonds) and is insanely nutritious for how few calories it contains. It's a great way to meet your calcium requirements without all the calories you get from standard dairy products.

If you really just hate water, you can try making tea with either no sugar or a tiny bit of sugar. You can also add nonsweet lemon or lime juice to your bottled water to give it some flavor.

One thing I want to point out is to avoid alcohol. Alcohol is not only high-calorie, but will negatively affect almost every aspect of your weight-loss plan. It will make you snacky, it will make you feel like shit. So avoid it as much as possible.

Step 8: Read nutrition labels

Most "health foods" are just candy in disguise. A snickers bar has 29g of sugar. Next time you're at the store, look at the different breakfast bars and protein bars and compare their sugar content. It's candy. A "breakfast muffin" is just cake. Try to avoid processed foods as much as possible. Processed foods that are low in sugar content and still taste good are usually crazy high in sodium, which is how they maintain their good taste. Sodium is one of the most difficult nutrients to control, so you want to avoid high-sodium foods when possible. This means you also need to avoid eating out, especially at fast food restaurants. Sure, a Double Stack at Wendy's may only be 410 calories, but all the other shit they put in it will have a negative affect on your overall health.

Step 9: Don't be too hard on yourself

Don't think of this as a "diet", some temporary thing you're doing to lose weight quickly. Think of it as lifestyle choices that you'll need to maintain for the rest of your life. You can vary the severity of your calorie restrictions, but you'll always need to keep these steps in mind to avoid regaining the weight you lose. That's why it's so important to find foods you like and not just foods you can tolerate. Healthy weight loss is a long process, and anyone who tells you otherwise is trying to sell you something.

If you screw up or go over your calorie limit, that's totally fine. Don't let it derail your whole week. Think of it like quarters in a sports game. Even if you mess up in the first quarter, you can still come back later in the game and score a victory. So, don't beat yourself up and don't make it too difficult on yourself. Take your time, ease into your new dietary restrictions, and don't worry if you have to backtrack a bit.

***

And really, that's about all there is to it. I'll post below more info about specific foods and products that are amazing. With the foods that I eat, I am able to set my Cronometer goal to the maximum 2lbs-per-week weight loss plan and still come up about 400-800 calories short every day. I am never hungry and always meet all of my nutrition requirements. That's a pretty extreme calorie defecit, and if I wasn't hitting my nutrition goals I would force myself to take in more calories, so please don't expect to reduce your calorie intake by the same amount, as it can be extremely unhealthy. Use your best judgement and talk to a doctor or nutritionist if you have any questions.

Here is a snapshot of one of my days where I came closest to hitting my calorie threshhold. I went a little nuts on the black bean burgers because I had an odd amount left, which also led to me exceeding my sodium levels for the day (click the image for a better view). I was even able to enjoy 150 calries of my favorite candybar.

I stopped following my weight-loss regimen in early November, due to the impending holiday season, and ended up gaining back almost all of the weight I had previously lost. I had managed to drop from 240lbs down to 200lbs, and am currently back up to 230lbs. This is my first week back on this weight-loss plan.

 

[Deleted member 5032]

Awesome Foods

I have a very weird diet. I'm pescatarian, which basically just means I'm a vegetarian who also eats seafood. I love meat, especially bacon, but I also love animals and just don't like the idea of eating them. I have no problem with other people choosing to eat meat, it's just a personal choice. So, if you enjoy meat, you'll just need to figure out your own guidelines.

Eggs

Let's start with eggs. Eggs are one of the best low-calorie sources of protein you can eat, but they can be a little complicated. Almost all of the calories and nutrition of an egg is located in the yolk. A standard large egg is about 72 calories, with about 55 of those calories located in the yolk and only 17 calories in the egg white. More than half of the protein is located in the egg white (3.6g out of the total 6g), meaning egg white is almost the purest source of protein you can find. If you're trying to build muscle mass, cooked egg whites are one of the best foods you can eat.

However, here's where things get complicated. To get the benefits of the egg white, you need to cook it. This "activates" the proteins and allows your body to better absorb and use them. Raw egg whites don't really do anything for you. However, the opposite is true for the yolk. The yolk is very nutritious, but cooking it will drastically reduce its nutritional value, so it's better to eat the yolk raw. Is raw yolk safe? Long story short: yes. Salmonella has more to do with the egg shells than the contents of the egg, and you can buy a pasteurized brand, like Egglands Best, to reduce the chance of sickness to almost 0 percentage. You can gulp the yolk down like eating a raw oyster or you can mix it with your favorite protein powder drink.

To extract the yolk from the egg white, I just grab it and pull it out (after washing my hands, of course). You know those "claw machines" at arcades that use a claw to crab stuffed animals? Just treat your hand like the claw, scoop up the yolk with your fingers, and give it a little shake until the white falls off. Sometimes you may need to give the white a little pinch before it falls off. If the yolk breaks, just try to minimize the amount that gets mixed in with the white.

One of my favorite ways to eat egg whites is to make a spinach omelette. Just get some cooked spinach (I'll usually cook a lot and keep it in tupperware) and 4-6 egg whites. Spray a pan with non-stick spray and cook the egg whites until they're mostly firm, like a white pancake. Add the spinach to one half of the cooked eggs and then fold the other half of the eggs over, like an egg taco. Use a spatula to press on the omelette so the spinach juice and any uncooked egg whites ooze out. After a minute or two, flip it and continue to press until it's done cooking. Pour on a little hot sauce and you've got an amazing, tasty, filling, nutritious 100ish calorie meal.

Salmon

Salmon is one of my favorite staples. It can be a little pricey at $9 per pound, but it's easy to stretch by mixing it with rice or eating small portions with less expensive sides. Seafood is complicated because of mercury content and sustainability. Tuna and many other types of fish are dangerously high in mercury, so you need to severely limit your intake of such fish. Salmon does not have either of these issues. 4oz of salmon is only around 200 calories and is very high in protein and other nutrients.

My grocery store sells these giant frozen slabs of salmon for $9 per pound, usually around $30 total. I'll preheat the oven to 450 and cook the thawed salmon for 20-30 minutes. To season, I just sprinkle it with a little salt, garlic poweder or garlic salt, pepper, and lemon juice before baking. Check the thickest section to ensure it's fully cooked. You can then cut it into roughly 4oz chunks and save them in tupperware.

I will eat mine like salmon steaks with a side, or put them in a spinach salad, or mix them with rice and soy sauce or teriyaki sauce.

Squid

This is probably the most unusual item you'll see my list, but squid is a legit superfood. I hate to even use the term "superfood", but for real, squid is nuts. It's insanely high in protein and many beneficial vitamins and minerals while being relatively low-calorie. Like egg whites, it's almost a pure source of protein. Other types of seafood, like scallops and shrimp, have drawbacks, like too much mercury or sodium, but squid has no such drawback. It is fairly high in copper, but I haven't found any drawback to excessive copper intake.

It's insanely easy to prepare. Just bring some water to a roiling boil, add in some salt and bay leaves (optional) and then add in the squid. Cook for only around 4 minutes and then drain. You can eat immediately, add it to soup or salad, mix with rice, whatever; it's a very versatile protein.

My grocery store sells little packs of frozen squid for about $6 per pound.

"Mukimame" (Soybeans)

My diet is "accidentally Japanese". I love Japanese food, and it just turns out a lot of it is very nutritious. My number one staple is Mukimame, which is just the Japanese term for soybeans without the shell. If you've been to a Japanese restaurant, you've surely seen "Edemame" on the menu. That's the same as Mukimame, the only difference is Mukimame has no shell. It's typically much less expensive than Edemame, which is weird because it's so much easier to eat. My grocery store sells "steam in bag" mukimame, so I just toss a bag in the microwave for 6 minutes and I've got all the mukimame I can eat for the next day or two.

It's insanely nutritious, low-calorie, filling, and goes great with everything. I'll eat it as a side with my salmon, put it in soup, or put it in salad. You can salt it, add soy sauce, or just eat it plain. It's literally just soybeans.

Miso Paste

Miso is supposedly great for your digestive system and overall health. I don't know how true that is, but I do know it's delicious and low-calorie. Amazon sells this low-sodium Miso paste that I fucking adore. I just boil some water, add a tablespoon of miso paste, some wakame, silken tofu, and mukimame (and sometimes some squid) and I've got an insanely nutritious and delicious low-calorie meal. I sometimes even just make the miso broth and drink it like tea. It's sooooooo good.

Silken Tofu

I've tried to get into regular tofu and I'm just not a fan. It can be good when prepared properly, but I've yet to master that skill. Luckily, Silken Tofu is delicious and easy to use; just chop it up and add it to my miso soup! It's another highly nutritious low-calorie item you can splurge on guilt-free.

Morningstar Farms Black Bean Burgers

So, here's the thing about "meat substitute" items: they don't taste like meat. If you go in with the idea that it will replace meat, you're going to have a rough time. Luckily, most of the items don't need to replace meat, as they taste good on their own merit. These black bean burgers are one such item. Even before I was pescatarian I enjoyed eating these delicious patties. I usually cook 2 at a time, stack them on top of each other, put on some hot sauce and ketchup, and just eat them with a knife and fork. You can also just eat them like a standard burger with a bun, spinach, tomato, and condiment. They're really, really good.

Ortega Taco Sauce

This shit is a miracle food. For real, most sauces that are low-calorie are crazy high in sodium. This sauce is somehow low-calorie, low-sodium, and will still blow your wig back with how delicious it is. Don't let the "taco sauce" moniker fool you, this shit goes great on everything. Put it on rice, burgers, seafood, tacos, anything. It comes in mild, medium, and hot, and you will thank me after you've tried it.

Spinach

Get your vitamins K and A with spinach! Almost no calories and insanely healthy. I love to make spinach salads with 1 cup of spinach, half a cup of mukimame, and then a little bit of miso dressing.

Brussel Sprouts

Another borderline "superfood", you can eat these in place of spinach. Brussel sprouts are almost too nutritious. They're pretty stinky, so I don't eat them as much as I should, but they can be delicious when prepared correctly. Toss them in an air-fryer or oven to roast them, or buy the "steam in bag" version to easily cook them in the microwave. They make a great side dish for salmon.

Almond Milk

It can be difficult to hit your potassium and calcium targets with a low-calorie diet, but that's where unsweetened almond milk comes into play! I was reluctant to try it, as the name "unsweetened almond milk" just sounds kind of gross, but I was very pleasantly surprised by how good it is! It legit just tastes like drinking almonds. It's very low calorie and contains a ton of valuable vitamins and minerals. Without it, I don't think I could hit some of my nutrition goals.

Multivitamin

I like to take a daily Centrum multivitamin just to help me hit all of my nutrient targets.

Foods to Avoid

Sugary coffee drinks, like Frappuccinos, are terrible for you and contain massive amounts of calories. Black coffee (just coffee without any cream or sugar) contains almost no calories, so you can really drink as much of it as you like.

Breakfast bars, granola bars, protein bars. Always read the nutrition labels. I'm not going to say all protein bars are bad, but most of them are just candy disguised as health food. The same goes for "breakfast muffins" and other desserts disguised as breakfast food. Use common sense. If it looks like a dessert or pastry, that's really all it is.

Fast food. Just don't. I won't go into more detail. Just Google it if you want to know how terrible fast food is for you.

Sugar-free cola. More info here.

 

[Deleted member 5032]

Awesome Products

A Rice Maker is one of the best items you can buy. Not only will it make perfect rice every time, but you can also throw in additional incredients to create easy, delicious, healthy meals. Because rice is so cheap, a rice maker usually pays for itself very quickly with how much money you save on your meals.

An Air Fryer is a little pricier but much more versatile. It's not just used for "frying" foods. You can toss in brussel sprouts to perfectly roast them, or meat to perfectly cook it. Toss in some chicken wings and you've got an amazing meal ready to go. These things are legit amazing.

An Electric Kettle is great for making tea and soup. Every morning, my wife fills ours up and it's enough to make us each a cup of tea and me to make my miso soup.

 

[Deleted member 5032]

Exercise Tips

I hate aerobic exercise. Thanks to my asthma, I can never catch my breath, and due to my deformed feet bones, I can't run. Luckily for me, aerobic exercise is actually pretty inefficient. Trying to actively burn calories via physical activity is hard. The average person will only burn 80-140 calories per mile that they run. That's less than 15 Ruffles potato chips. Fuck that.

Your body passively burns calories as you go about your day. Fat and muscle both passively burn calories for you. 10lbs of fat will burn roughly 20 calories per day, while 10lbs of muscle will burn roughly 50 calories. This means muscle is more than twice as efficient at passively burning off your calories than fat is.

This means that by building up muscle mass, your body will passively burn more calories as you go about your day. So, by doing resistance training, not only will you actively burn calories during your workout, but the muscle you build will continue to passively burn calories for you. This is why I prefer resistance training over aerobic exercise.

My favorite form of exercise is Muay Thai kickboxing. If you can find a good class, it's a fun and effective way to burn a massive amount of calories in a short period of time. A good kickboxing class will contain a solid mix of aerobic and resistance exercises to maximize your calorie burn. Due to my conditions, I am not able to participate in all aspects of a kickboxing class, and I have to do pushups on my knees to my embarassment since my toes don't bend correctly, but I still love every second of it.

For resistance training, weight machines are typically more efficient than free weights. Even resistance bands can be better than free weights, as they more evenly distribute the resistance throughout the full range of motion.

My apartment has a small gym where I can get in a nice simple workout. I use a combination of free weights and machines. For each exercise, I do a set of 8, rest, set of 10, rest, and a set of 12. For rest, I just walk around the gym for 30 seconds.

If you Google "beginner weight training", you can find a ton of good info and easy exercises to do. Pick a few that sound good, go to the gym, and do them! Keep it simple and add on more exercises as you get comfortable. Just going to the gym that first time will be the most difficult step for most people. Even if you just go in, look around, and leave, that's a great first step, as long as you eventually return and get in some exercise.

After a resistance workout, you will want to consume a large amount of protein to boost your muscle growth. I prefer cooked egg whites, salmon, or a whey protein shake. You will typically want to consume your protein within 30 minutes of finishing your workout.

And remember, if you properly limit your calorie intake, any exercise you want to do is totally optional. A calorie you don't eat is one less calorie you have to burn. When I lost my most recent 30lbs, I didn't set foot in the gym or my kickboxing class, it was all just through limiting my calorie intake and logging everything in Cronometer.

 

[Marlow]

My biggest problem right now is eating snack foods after dinner, and going to the vending machine at work. I have poor impulse control.

 

[JGillette]

welp i can surely say that the pandemic has been beneficial for me in terms of weight loss.
for a very long time i was overweight and lastly i was weighing around 120 kgs till early 2020, but i've managed to lose 40 kgs in a year. (sorry i'm lazy to convert the values into the american equivalent) now i am about to start my bodybuilding process.
due to my academical responsibilities and many other stuff i couldn't control my body weight adequately. now that i graduated and things which used to occupy me on a daily basis were significantly reduced because of the pandemic, i've made a huge progress regarding this. sometimes i think i still tend to eat a little bit much because of emotional distress but i'm able to get back on track instantly.

 

[Marlow]

i was weighing around 120 kgs till early 2020, but i've managed to lose 40 kgs in a year.

That'd be about 264 pounds, lost 88 pounds in a year. Congrats, that's awesome and very healthy!

 

[Marlow]

I currently weigh about 184 pounds (83 Kg). I'm hoping to get down to about 170 pounds.

 

[Dankster Morgan]

This is all awesome information @RoboCop
Sorry to hear about your health issues, which makes your efforts and successes in bettering yourself even cooler! Obesity kills and costs America a shit ton of money that is needless to spend ideally. I started out at a skinny fat 190 (at 5’11”), cut all the way down to 155, then got back to 185 (the right way). I did almost no cardio but found out I liked weight lifting. A lot. I have a very very big appetite, so to help counter that building bigger muscles helps to increase my caloric maintenence level, aka, I get to eat more food. If it’s possible and you have an 1-1.5 hours for 3-4 hours per week I (you probably do, let’s be serious), I can give some info for a basic lifting split if you want. Im not a pro, but I do hold state records in my weight class / age group in the squat and the deadlift, and have a well above average bench press for my weight, (dumb thing to lie about, don’t care to reveal more and dox myself), so I do understand building muscle. If you’re like me and have a very hard to control appetite, I would highly recommend building muscle. It’s still far less important than being in a caloric deficit to lose fat, but it makes it easier and far more rewarding once you shave the fat off. I can also add a list of popular fitness YouTubers who you should and shouldn’t listen to if it’s wanted.

 

[Dankster Morgan]

welp i can surely say that the pandemic has been beneficial for me in terms of weight loss.
for a very long time i was overweight and lastly i was weighing around 120 kgs till early 2020, but i've managed to lose 40 kgs in a year. (sorry i'm lazy to convert the values into the american equivalent) now i am about to start my bodybuilding process.
due to my academical responsibilities and many other stuff i couldn't control my body weight adequately. now that i graduated and things which used to occupy me on a daily basis were significantly reduced because of the pandemic, i've made a huge progress regarding this. sometimes i think i still tend to eat a little bit much because of emotional distress but i'm able to get back on track instantly.

That is incredible progress, keep it up man

 

[Wigy]

Got up to my strongest and heaviest ive been but shoulder/knee injured so just taking opportunity to work on wellness and fitness. Real hard dragging around 128kg a field for 80 mins.

Im doing keto since i cant do proper heavy weights so glycogen reserves from carbs arent a biggy anyway.

Going for about a 65/30/5 f/p/c split at 2400kcal so about a 400 deficit on my BMR. Doing 5k every second day and 2 hour walk each day.

Despite loving weight training and hating cardio its undeniable there are great benefits you just cant get weight training. Been enjoying it. Aiming to hit 115 then clean bulk back to 120

If anyone hasnt tried keto its great for dieting- i have a horrible insulin response to carbohydrates i think. Make me want to snack and i crash horribly. Found since switching my concenration levels and mood improved and i have way less food cravings. Eggs and bacon for breakfast every day and loosing weight like crazy- you always drop a significant amount from water retention but since then ive been loosing 1.5 kg a week and enjoying it

 

[Wigy]

My best advice to loose weight

1: Cook mostly everything you eat and make a routine of it.

2: let yourself have treats and breaks but be honest about it and take self inventory when you do.

 

[Marlow]

My biggest problem right now: getting triggered by stress. I was doing well all day, eating healthy and even doing a workout at home, but then last night at dinner got really stressed (just typical life stuff when you're married and raising a 2 year old, nothing serious), and to make myself feel better I ate a dozen cookies and 1 string cheese.

 

[Suntory]

Yea I struggle with late night snacking to chill and relax. Not to mention my fried chicken addiction

 

[Marlow]

My biggest problem right now: getting triggered by stress. I was doing well all day, eating healthy and even doing a workout at home, but then last night at dinner got really stressed (just typical life stuff when you're married and raising a 2 year old, nothing serious), and to make myself feel better I ate a dozen cookies and 1 string cheese.

2 Years and 1 more kid later, not much has changed.

 

[Mikemetroid]

I was 285 lbs in 2018 when I was in college. Graduated (with dat 2.0 GPA), went to therapy, and I was finally mentally ready to to tackle my weight.




I did not calorie count, I did not weigh myself endlessly, and I recognize that I might just be lucky with it but regardless after May 2018...

I swam in the community pool, 30-60 minutes, jump in, climb out, swim across without breaks acouple of times.... about 3x a week. Only for the Summer months....

The rest of my weight loss was all about that diet. I would get omega high and just down 2 subway subs or like a whole papa johns pizza. Gotta stop that shit, its the hardest part about it all. I started with getting rid of carbs in my diet, down to only having a heavy carb meal one day a week. Stuck to lots of greens, grilled chicken, eggs, chickpeas, and fruit. When I had the late night hunger, I would try to have some fruit or yogurt. Soooo much yogurt lol...

The other excess, well extreme was a complete cutoff of soda and OD sugary drinks. No teas or lemonades. Absolutely NO sodie pops. I would have a coke zero with my lunch, a Monster Zero Ultra for energy, annd the rest was SELTZER WATER. I DRINK SO MUCH SELTZER WATER LMAOOOO

But hey, I'm about 185-195 now, have been since 2020. The journey was but a blip but my habits are forever changed because of it. Stop drinking soda, stop eating insane proportions, and find the answer to your stress ( if possible, I am incredibly lucky to have found it). Oh and always take the stairs...

 

[Dankster Morgan]

I was 285 lbs in 2018 when I was in college. Graduated (with dat 2.0 GPA), went to therapy, and I was finally mentally ready to to tackle my weight.

View attachment 21718View attachment 21721View attachment 21722


I did not calorie count, I did not weigh myself endlessly, and I recognize that I might just be lucky with it but regardless after May 2018...

I swam in the community pool, 30-60 minutes, jump in, climb out, swim across without breaks acouple of times.... about 3x a week. Only for the Summer months....

The rest of my weight loss was all about that diet. I would get omega high and just down 2 subway subs or like a whole papa johns pizza. Gotta stop that shit, its the hardest part about it all. I started with getting rid of carbs in my diet, down to only having a heavy carb meal one day a week. Stuck to lots of greens, grilled chicken, eggs, chickpeas, and fruit. When I had the late night hunger, I would try to have some fruit or yogurt. Soooo much yogurt lol...

The other excess, well extreme was a complete cutoff of soda and OD sugary drinks. No teas or lemonades. Absolutely NO sodie pops. I would have a coke zero with my lunch, a Monster Zero Ultra for energy, annd the rest was SELTZER WATER. I DRINK SO MUCH SELTZER WATER LMAOOOO

But hey, I'm about 185-195 now, have been since 2020. The journey was but a blip but my habits are forever changed because of it. Stop drinking soda, stop eating insane proportions, and find the answer to your stress ( if possible, I am incredibly lucky to have found it). Oh and always take the stairs...

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Dude, you didn’t just “get lucky”, you made smart and permanent changes and will now live longer and have a much higher quality of life.

also good choice for monster zero ultra, my wife pointed out that I buy one literally every time I see one

 

[Wigy]

Theres little things i have done over the year which help with diet for others struggling on here.

A huge part of diet is instilling behaviours that make good choices easier. Everything feeds into each other.

For people with really bad eating habits, it can be really helpful to just get a lot of tangential planning and routines down.

Bulk buying my proteins and carbs helps me. That way when i decide which of meal i can just go to the shop and grab whichever vegetables/accessories go with it. I’m less likely to go buy crap or go off menu

Spend a week or two learning 4-5 meals that are healthyish, you actually enjoy and that dont take longer than 20mins to throw together and cook in bulk.

Getting less disastrous snacks from the shops so you dont binge on nonsense.
I always have oats eggs milk and protein powder so i can whip up protein pancakes, definitely not super healthy but fills a craving big time. Greek yogurt and fruit etc.

All the better if you have something with long shelf life you can just have in the cupbord and forget about til the

Keep your kitchen tidy! Nothing sends me off to uber eats more than having my dishes and pots all dirty.

It genuinely feels insurmountable to overcome the cravings if you don’t sort out the underlying behaviours.

I have found logging your food intake on my fitness pal for just 1 week will help make your food choices more deliberate, and let you know what you’re taking in. Its a pain but sets you up mentally.

Diet control is extremely difficult for people who have bad learned behaviours on top of stressful lives- but getting healthy is worth it. If you can fight through the first few weeks it will come more naturally.

Im not an expert on gym/nutrition but have a lot of years under my belt so if anyone starting out wants any advice just DM me.

 

[Wigy]

I was 285 lbs in 2018 when I was in college. Graduated (with dat 2.0 GPA), went to therapy, and I was finally mentally ready to to tackle my weight.

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I did not calorie count, I did not weigh myself endlessly, and I recognize that I might just be lucky with it but regardless after May 2018...

I swam in the community pool, 30-60 minutes, jump in, climb out, swim across without breaks acouple of times.... about 3x a week. Only for the Summer months....

The rest of my weight loss was all about that diet. I would get omega high and just down 2 subway subs or like a whole papa johns pizza. Gotta stop that shit, its the hardest part about it all. I started with getting rid of carbs in my diet, down to only having a heavy carb meal one day a week. Stuck to lots of greens, grilled chicken, eggs, chickpeas, and fruit. When I had the late night hunger, I would try to have some fruit or yogurt. Soooo much yogurt lol...

The other excess, well extreme was a complete cutoff of soda and OD sugary drinks. No teas or lemonades. Absolutely NO sodie pops. I would have a coke zero with my lunch, a Monster Zero Ultra for energy, annd the rest was SELTZER WATER. I DRINK SO MUCH SELTZER WATER LMAOOOO

But hey, I'm about 185-195 now, have been since 2020. The journey was but a blip but my habits are forever changed because of it. Stop drinking soda, stop eating insane proportions, and find the answer to your stress ( if possible, I am incredibly lucky to have found it). Oh and always take the stairs...

View attachment 21719View attachment 21720

Sick progress man!

 

[chrisisnice]

For what is to worth, I lost about 15kgs years ago easily by completing 12WBT. It was freaking amazing and a lot of the food is really great and substantial. I was drinking wine, beer and also going for dinners a couple of nights a week and lost weight. I still cook a lot of the food and have kept off the weight since 2016.

 

[wsj515]

I have found logging your food intake on my fitness pal for just 1 week will help make your food choices more deliberate, and let you know what you’re taking in. Its a pain but sets you up mentally.

Some people talk about logging / calorie counting as if its some boogieman - I know everyone is different, but for me, knowing exactly what I'm eating it gives me a sense of control and security related to my choices throughout the day. Eating deliberately and then having that clearly reflected in tangible data is its own little serotonin boost and can even allow me to eat some more fun stuff / have other snacks when it works out with my desired macros.

I think everyone should try tracking their food / macros for a week, they might find they actually really like it.

 

[Juggs]

Gained a lot of weight since the pandemic. The main issue other than lack of exercise is soda consumption. Started drinking “zero” sodas instead past couple of weeks. Also just been looking at the calories of pretty much everything I eat. Haven’t been feeling good recently but idk if it’s the lack of calories or something else. Main reason I’m drinking zero cal sodas is for the caffeine, so might try caffeine pills instead. Only issue is I’ve taken them in the past and they work differently than caffeine you consume via drinks. It’s like they don’t last as long or something, but I’ll figure it out.

Anyway, I know the main thing is to be at a calorie deficit in order to lose weight. And most of mine came from sodas, hence the switch.

I’ve heard there’s benefits to both the OMAD (one meal a day) method, as well as eating a bunch of small meals throughout the day. I think my goal will be to eat 2 mid sized meals a day, then have some snacks in between.

 

[Dankster Morgan]

I’ve officially surpassed my old weight before my weight loss. Over the last 6 ish years now I’ve gone form 195 fat, to 155 skinny, back up to 205 now. Heavier than at my pre weight loss weight, but my face still looks thin, don’t have the gut or man boobs, and am pretty happy with my gym progress.

I can’t stress enough how valuable lifting weights is. Even when you put on fat, you will start storing intramuscular fat instead of it all just going to your gut or face or man boobs. Your body will store the fat to protect your muscles. If you’re like me and always have issues with big appetite, being muscular allows you to eat more food without becoming fat as well. Having muscle saves you from having to be so dang precise with your calories every single day.

I’ve been shredded and don’t care to get there, I can eat 3K calories a day, sometimes a little more or less and stay at 205 around 17-18% body fat.


You don’t need to spend near as much time in the gym as you might imagine either. I used to do like 2 hours a day, 5 days a week, but now with the baby coming and more demanding college / work responsibilities, I’m doing four 60-90 min sessions and making better progress. I only do 8-12 sets per week per muscle group and am progressing on every lift and over time become noticeably bigger.

 

[Marlow]

Is there any benefit to Intermittent Fasting?

 

[Marlow]

Tonight I'm going to try doing a simple Kettle Bell workout. Some Swings, Farmer's Carries, and then some squats using the kettle bell for extra weight.