Weight Loss Thread

Fellow fapstronauts,

I am a 36 year old male and I need to lose 20 lbs. I've been in this position for 5 years, I've lost a few pounds here and there, put them back on, calorie counted, had fast days, exercise regimes have come and gone. And I still need to lose 20 lbs.

I'm a 'naturally skinny' guy - slim built in my 20s, anyway - so I don't weight much more than my 'BMI' says I should, but I have a big pot belly that stubbornly won't go. It would be nice to be stronger and fitter, and I'm working on this to some extent, but the priority for me is weightloss and the loss of belly fat.

My goal is to lose 20 lbs before my 37th birthday (end of August). That's 18 weeks, a little over a pound a week. A perfectly safe and doable rate of weight loss, so long as I am consistent.

Statistically, quite a few of you are likely to be overweight, and looking to shed some pounds. So let's share our goals and support each other, and get that weight shifted. What dietary changes are you making to reach your goals? What exercise will you be taking? Any other lifestyle changes that will help you? Why will your weight loss work this time when previous attempts have failed?

 

I'm going to record my progress/thoughts here. Feel free to join in later if you like

Bad news first - I weighed myself this morning and I am 2 lbs heavier than I thought starting out, so I actually have 22 pounds to lose by my 37th birthday. Which will be a little harder. But still a perfectly safe and reasonable rate of weight loss.

To answer my questions I posed above:

What dietary changes are you making to reach your goals?
I am recording my food/drink intake every day in a tracker, in my phone, which also records the steps I take each day, sleep, etc. I have been tracking my food for a couple of weeks to prepare, and I typically eat approx 2500 kcals a day, varies enormously, but somewhere between 2000 and 3000 is typical. Surprisingly, I am actually eating my largest chunk of these calories for breakfast. I usually eat fruit, yogurt, nuts and (my big downfall) toast, washed down with coffee. But I am figuring out that I don't actually feel that satisfied after this breakfast, I even feel hungry again before lunchtime.
So I am going to experiment with doing without - or rather, just having the coffee, then getting on with my work and (attempting) to power through until lunch. Depending how I feel I will either have the coffee on waiting or mid morning as a snack when/if my mind starts to wander. It's nice to have a bit of flexibility built in - with a child under 1, my sleep quality can vary massively, and it isn't something I can control right now.

What exercise will you be taking?
I will continue with my hugely enjoyable morning yoga ritual, which I have been doing for a couple of years, am still not particularly good at it but it's a lovely way to wake up.
I will go for my designated lockdown walk allowance every day, bar exam days, with my increasingly heavy baby strapped to my chest
In addition to this, I intend to do sets of body weight exercises three days a week (Mon, Weds & Fri - again adjusted to avoid exam days).

Any other lifestyle changes that will help you?
Two of my big vices have taken care of themselves - I tend to buy snacks and junk food while I walk around town or I'm out and about. I am stuck at home all the time so that is not an issue.
Also - my weekly takeaway and meal out has a tendency to turn into two, three, four meals out ... not a problem at the moment, as they are all shut. So I am cooking for myself like it or not!

Why will your weight loss work this time when previous attempts have failed?
I am hoping that posting here will give me accountability that I have previously lacked. Also cutting out a complete meal, rather than cutting down what I eat in general, seems a simpler and more achievable method of cutting down food. I can still eat to satisfaction at lunch and dinner, in fact I can eat more than I do now at lunch and dinner and still fall comfortably within my calorie goals. I am also reading with interest the posts on this forum about IF, which this is a form of - I have tried the 5:2 diet in the past and it didn't suit me at all, I was utterly miserable for those 2 'fast' days a week, and it took enormous willpower.
Looking forward to tucking into some birthday cake at the end of August might help too...

 

Good luck. Yes weekly weigh-in measurements sounds sensible. FYI my US navy body fat is 24%, although my BMI works out as 23.1%. This is what I meant by 'naturally' skinny, but nevertheless, fat

 

Sat 02/05 weekly weigh in: 175 lbs
Weight lost so far: 1 lb

A mixed week. Some healthy meals and I have been pretty good with logging/tracking my meals. But still creeping over my calorie limit most days, even if only by a bit. I've had some difficult times emotionally too, including a bit argument with my wife, which was tough. And relapsed twice, which certainly doesn't help any.

But enough of my excuses it's not a spectacular start, but I am down on last week at least.

 

Sat 9th May weekly weigh in: 174 lbs
Weight lost so far: 2 lbs

A happier week for me overall. Most meals have been healthy although I could use some self-control when it comes to portion control - I frequently feel uncomfortably full after a meal. I'm going to try serving myself less food then take a rest after eating, to see how full I feel.

I'm back on breakfast, for the time being. I have two more weeks of exams, then I will be considerably less stressed overall and more keen to experiment.

 

Strategy - see above, really. I am tracking my food and trying to 'balance' my fat/protein/carbs intake, as well as reduce overall calories over each day. I am vegetarian (for moral/cultural reasons, and wish to remain so), and I take supplements (general vitamin/minerals and extra vitamin D as I live in grey old England). A 'high fat' diet is inappropriate for me as I have gallstones and (non-alcoholic) fatty liver disease, so I need to be careful of my fat intake. I am also not interested in the silly fads that crop up on here occasionally (eg all meat diet, all raw diet, etc.)
I am generally catering for a weaning baby (11mo) and a breastfeeding wife with a voracious appetite, and I try and avoid cooking 2/3 separate meals if I can help it!
Missed last week's weighing due to exams, they finish on Saturday. After that I will have a lot more time and energy to research this, and be more willing to experiment too!

 

Thank you, that's interesting. My liver could certainly use some love, that's for sure. I'll replace my morning coffee (I'm down to one a day) with lemon water starting this weekend. I'll also be quitting alcohol for a while, after one celebratory drink - I drink very little, 1-2 per week, but it's not something that someone with a damaged liver should be doing at all.

I could certainly cut down on my dairy intake. Milky coffees, cheese and buttered toast. I actually lost a fair bit of weight a few years ago by not buying bread, and not changing anything else. Eggs are pretty occasional for me anyway. I have a few plant based/vegan cookery books, some delicious healthy recipes I'd like to try. I figure my wife can always add a bit of cheese if she wants it!

 

Sat 29th May weekly weigh in: 174 lbs
Weight lost so far: 2 lbs

ok, I am back on it after exams! I did have a celebratory drink last weekend (half a bottle of Prosecco, if you're interested), and trying a lot of vegan recipes this week.

 

Sat 6th June weekly weigh in: 173 lbs
Weight lost so far: 3 lbs

Baby is being so difficult this week, refusing food and raging all day. Not sleeping at night and back on breast feeding every hour or so. At 11 1/2 months old! Hoping this passes soon.... Sleep deprivation has a MAJoR effect on my exercise regime and diet as well. Not much I can do about that right now, just trying to avoid having junk food in the house really.

 

Sat 13th June weekly weigh in: 172
Weight lost so far: 4 lbs

Slow and steady wins the race! Baby is doing better, and so am I.

 

Thanks Angus, I am going to try IM (basically skipping breakfast).

It's great that you have found a diet that works for you - my Great Uncle ate only one meal a day his whole life, (basically a roast dinner), and he lived to a grand old age, fighting fit to the end.

Personally though, I have gallstones and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, making a high fat diet (esp saturated fat) out of the question - at least until I have reduced or alleviated these conditions.

 

Sat 18 July weekly weigh in: 173 lbs
Weight lost so far: 3 lbs

Well my timescale will have to be adjusted, but my goal remains the same.