Weight Loss tips and techniques

[titansNvolsR#1]

Been home for 3.5 weeks and the southern fried foods, biscuits and gravy, portion sizes, and craft beers caught up quick. Didn't join a gym because I am only here for the four weeks and it's insane how quickly I put on weight. I can see why people fall into a rut so easily. 

Gonna have to get back to the grind when I get to Korea. 

[MWil23]

50 minutes ago, Tugboat said:

I don't think you really have to explain cravings.  They are what they are.  But still...Animal Crackers...gross.

 

I have also suddenly re-entered that hot wing craving stage.  That's weird.  I wonder why.

 

But really, good for you.  It also sounds like you've got that real good aesthetic body shape where you can cut down and start to see ribs and stuff.  I get the benefit of no love handles...but all of everything just goes to my belly.  Which isn't great.  All of the fat in my body goes to my belly.  I don't love it.

 

But i've been seriously slacking the last month.  I was getting back into it and then i fell off again and ehhh...fitness is a rocky journey.  I'm jealous you get abs out of it.

I have a super weird body type. I’m a former catcher, so a bit more of a V shape upper body with short and squatty legs. I’m 170-175 but could pass for 160 or 190, mostly broad back and shoulders as opposed to being cut.

[Tugboat]

6 minutes ago, MWil23 said:

I have a super weird body type. I’m a former catcher, so a bit more of a V shape upper body with short and squatty legs. I’m 170-175 but could pass for 160 or 190, mostly broad back and shoulders as opposed to being cut.

Yeah.  That sounds about right.  That V shape is super rare.  Use it as you see fit.

 

 

I'm a ******* **** Brickhouse Shape.

 

I'll use it accordingly.

 

I can pass for 175 whether i'm in shape or not a lot of the time.  It's also just a default number.  But it's fair.  When i'm really fit...i push a little bit above that.  When i'm really not fit...i push a little bit above that.

 

I don't have that V-Taper at all.  I've got big, heavy hips.  Works for hockey, worked for football as far as i took it.  But it's not a build that makes sense.  Maybe a nickel back. idk.

Edited July 16, 2023 by Tugboat

[Sugashane]

On 7/16/2023 at 8:31 AM, Tugboat said:

Yeah.  That sounds about right.  That V shape is super rare.  Use it as you see fit.

 

 

I'm a ******* **** Brickhouse Shape.

 

I'll use it accordingly.

 

I can pass for 175 whether i'm in shape or not a lot of the time.  It's also just a default number.  But it's fair.  When i'm really fit...i push a little bit above that.  When i'm really not fit...i push a little bit above that.

 

I don't have that V-Taper at all.  I've got big, heavy hips.  Works for hockey, worked for football as far as i took it.  But it's not a build that makes sense.  Maybe a nickel back. idk.

I immediately thought of Kingpin. 

"I didn't want to be the one to tell him, but with those narrow hips, that girl couldn't have more than 6 or 7 children!"

On 7/16/2023 at 8:25 AM, MWil23 said:

I have a super weird body type. I’m a former catcher, so a bit more of a V shape upper body with short and squatty legs. I’m 170-175 but could pass for 160 or 190, mostly broad back and shoulders as opposed to being cut.

I have really long legs but played catcher. Coach called me Frogger after the old game because of how I looked when I was behind the plate. All legs.

As for shape/appearance now. Got told I look like Fat Thor and Aquaman had a baby. 

[NeptunePenguins]

On 5/8/2023 at 2:04 PM, MKnight82 said:

For me these are the things that work best: 

- You have to exercise every day.  Even if that's just getting 10k steps or whatever, you can't sit at the keyboard all day every day. I try to alternate leg vs. upper days. 

- Intermittent fasting.  Cut out breakfast and don't snack at night.  Your body will burn body fat faster this way. This has always been super easy for me because I'm never hungry in the morning and just never eat breakfast.  Hardest part for me is not snacking at night.

- I'm not big on eliminating whole food groups like carbs or whatever, but I am a big proponent of portion control. If I have food on my plate I'm going to clean the plate.  Portion out the appropriate amount of food for your plate and lean heavier on veggies than anything else. 

- Cut back on alcohol significantly.  This is super boring, but its a ton of extra calories your body doesn't need, and I tend to eat worse when I'm drunk/hungover.  

I honestly did all of that, not intentionally tbh it just sort of happened I guess. I came out of a low moment in my life and started to just walk a lot more, and felt better so I was more active. Then my appetite sort of crashed due to some change in medication so I ate less, but I still eat almost all the same foods as before. Also I am a little more broke now, so my alcohol intake has been reduced to a few times a month rather than several days a week. All of that and I managed to go from near 240 lbs (2021) to a little above 170 lbs now which I measured today which is the lowest I've been since like September 2017. I did do some small strength training to start 2023, but I kind of slacked on it the last two months due to being quite busy and in a low mood. I have still maintain most of it as I am still stronger now than Dec 2022. 

 

 

 

[Tugboat]

On 7/19/2023 at 10:48 AM, Sugashane said:

I immediately thought of Kingpin. 

"I didn't want to be the one to tell him, but with those narrow hips, that girl couldn't have more than 6 or 7 children!"

I have really long legs but played catcher. Coach called me Frogger after the old game because of how I looked when I was behind the plate. All legs.

As for shape/appearance now. Got told I look like Fat Thor and Aquaman had a baby. 

 

lmao.  I could bear so many children i bet.  If i had ovaries and stuff.

 

lol Frogger.  That's such a weird niche reference for a nickname, but paints a really vivid picture.

 

I actually have weirdly long limbs for my height.  I've got the ATK (goalie pad measurement) and Wingspan of a typical 6' dude.  So i don't have that RB build either.  I've just also got them real wide child berthing hips and basically just a torso shaped like a rectangle.  lol.  Just a really weird build.  Not much i can do about it though.

 

As a kid, i was generally kind of "skinny" and "light".  But as an adult, i actually tend to tip the scales as "heavy" for my height, regardless of whether i'm in shape or not.  I've also managed to play violent contact sports my whole life without breaking a bone.  So maybe i do just have big bones or something.  😆

[7DnBrnc53]

On 6/29/2023 at 7:56 AM, MacReady said:

I disagree with the whole do not snack after this time principle.

Thats just going to cause overeating before then. Doesn’t really matter if you’re snacking on healthy snacks at midnight or at 6 AM.

Step one: Drink a gallon of water a day. Until you get to that point, work on getting to that point and ignore the rest. This will boost your metabolism, get you hydrated, help you stop confusing thirst with hunger, keep you feeling full longer and it will keep you from drinking other liquids that are absolutely pointless. This works literally every single time someone takes me up on my offer to help them. They just don’t keep up with it and then they give up completely. It’s literally the easiest step in any plan to change your health. Anyone and everyone considering a weight loss journey needs to start here and forget all the stupid fad diets you aren’t going to stay on that don’t do a single thing for you long term.

I wonder if it depends on how close to bedtime you snack. That's why this "no eating after 5" didn't make sense unless you were going to bed at eight or nine. I think that if you eat fairly significantly right before bed, I heard something about how you burn sugar rather than fat, which isn't good. 

Also, I agree with the water drinking (although I don't know if you need a gallon). 

[JohnChimpo]

Was there a moment that pushed you guys over the edge from hoping to lose weight to doing whatever it took to make it happen? Here is mine:

 

I was a very heavy kid. I didn’t want to be fat, but I didn’t know what to do about it. I remember being a freshman in college fantasizing about waking up and being in shape so I could be more attractive to girls. Finally, the following year, after wearing size 38 (waist) jeans since around the time I was a freshman in high school, I got to a point where they were getting tight. I did not want to buy size 40, so I finally began to focus on losing weight for real. I eventually got down to size 32. I’ve gained some weight since then, but I’m in a 33-34 at around 190 lbs, which is a far cry from my heaviest weight of 254 lbs.

[Sugashane]

On 9/16/2023 at 5:37 PM, JohnChimpo said:

Was there a moment that pushed you guys over the edge from hoping to lose weight to doing whatever it took to make it happen? Here is mine:

 

I was a very heavy kid. I didn’t want to be fat, but I didn’t know what to do about it. I remember being a freshman in college fantasizing about waking up and being in shape so I could be more attractive to girls. Finally, the following year, after wearing size 38 (waist) jeans since around the time I was a freshman in high school, I got to a point where they were getting tight. I did not want to buy size 40, so I finally began to focus on losing weight for real. I eventually got down to size 32. I’ve gained some weight since then, but I’m in a 33-34 at around 190 lbs, which is a far cry from my heaviest weight of 254 lbs.

I was the opposite. I was a scrawny beanpole and the biggest part of my arm was my elbow. I always wanted to be Arnold or Ferrigno so I went into lifting and found I actually really enjoyed it. Then saw the benefits in sports and was hooked. 

Come COVID I am still trying to load up muscle, but the gyms shut down. After a LONG break and never really changing my eating I decided to weigh myself - 313 lbs. I've brought back a lot of the muscle and lost a lot of fat but man, I looked back at pictures and the soft 290 prior to COVID looked way better than what I was at that point. 

[LETSGOBROWNIES]

On 9/16/2023 at 6:37 PM, JohnChimpo said:

Was there a moment that pushed you guys over the edge from hoping to lose weight to doing whatever it took to make it happen? Here is mine:

 

I was a very heavy kid. I didn’t want to be fat, but I didn’t know what to do about it. I remember being a freshman in college fantasizing about waking up and being in shape so I could be more attractive to girls. Finally, the following year, after wearing size 38 (waist) jeans since around the time I was a freshman in high school, I got to a point where they were getting tight. I did not want to buy size 40, so I finally began to focus on losing weight for real. I eventually got down to size 32. I’ve gained some weight since then, but I’m in a 33-34 at around 190 lbs, which is a far cry from my heaviest weight of 254 lbs.

Feeling like ***.

Covid hit and things closed and work was busy as hell.  Recreational stuff was limited, the world was crazy so I got my dopamine hits from food and booze.  Obv tacked on a ton of weight.

Got to a point I started to feel it.  Always sorta tired, never had a spring in my step.  Felt fat, felt weak.  Sleep was terrible. 
 

At the same time I realized I’m not 20 anymore and eating and drinking like a college kid isn’t sustainable.  
 

I feel like I hit 40 and this was my midlife crisis.  It became pretty clear that my time to go do certain things physically, like play basketball with my boys (competitively, not just shooting around), hike for hours, etc is finite.  I’d always been fairly athletic/physically capable and I was starting to lose that a bit due by lifestyle choices.  
 

So I stopped the BS.

Weight’s come off, back to being active and energetic.  Sleep is better.  I love the feeling of being tired at the end of the day and waking up feeling ready to get after it. I don’t mind the ache in my 40 year old knees after playing 2 hours of basketball with son and his friends and busting their arses a bit. I want that to last as long as possible.

 

[CBears019]

One of my biggest issues is I can either dedicate myself to working out 5+ days a week consistently, or I can dedicate myself to eating healthy.  But rarely can I dedicate myself to both.  And when I do dedicate myself to both, some twisted and demented form of karma causes something bad to happen at work (detective) and all of a sudden I'm working around the clock for the next week and eating all sorts of greasy crap and not working out at all.  Also, my normal schedule changes every 4 weeks - I'm either working 8am-4pm, or 1pm-9pm.  The 1-9 schedule always leads to me staying up late at night since I just need some alone time to decompress after work.  Staying up late leads to an extra drink or two (bourbon) and then some late night snacks.  So, extra empty calories and less sleep - no bueno.  And in addition to all that, I take in waaaaaaaay too much caffeine.  Coffee in the morning and energy drinks in the afternoon/evening.  Even though the energy drinks say they're low calorie and "zero sugar," I'm sure there's more in those ingredients that act as sugar.  Energy drinks are the next thing on my list to cut from my routine/diet.

It's like I know what I need to do, but it's hard for me to put it all together and actually do it.  And its not necessarily a will power thing - I used tobacco pouches (snus) regularly since 2011 or 2012, and "regularly" is an understatement.  But I quit cold turkey (after several attempts) in June and have been clean for the longest period of time since I started using tobacco.  So I know that I can quit something that is highly addictive.

And whoever mentioned having a kid is spot on - the amount of chicken nuggets, Mac n cheese, and PB+Js that come through my kitchen these days is insane.  You're fooling yourself if I'm not taking a cut for myself every time.  Having a pregnant wife doesn't help either with the cravings and whatnot.

I'm not way overweight or anything (5'11". probably ~ 200lb), but I'm heavier than Ive ever been and I can feel it.  Since I got into my 30s I can feel that the weight is gaining easier an losing it is harder.   A couple years ago I used the noom app, worked out like 2x a day strictly cardio, cut out alcohol completely, and I lost like 20+ lbs in 2-3 months (that was before having a kid).  A few years before that I did an abbreviated form of keto for a few months and brought myself from roughly 190 to 170.  Both of those times were pretty restrictive and I had all the time in the world to dedicate myself to those.  These days are different.

After reading through this thread (mostly the last few pages), I'm going to try to make some incremental changes along the way:

- Drink more water throughout the day.  Im nowhere near a gallon a day, but I easily could be.

- Cut back/eliminate alcohol.  Even if I have a drink or two after work, that's easily 200-400 calories a day that can be eliminated (on the low end).

- Eliminate energy drinks, cut back on caffeine.  Energy drinks to be gone.  If I NEEED caffeine, I'll drink coffee.

All of the above will lead to more/better sleep.  If I can do that for, say a month, then I Can start getting more nitpicky about what I do eat throughout the day and other changes that need to be made.  

 

I think what I need is someone to hold me accountable.  Anyone in a similar situation that would want to create some sort of chat group to track our progress and check in with each other on a regular basis?

[Ty21]

7 hours ago, CBears019 said:

Eliminate energy drinks, cut back on caffeine.  Energy drinks to be gone.  If I NEEED caffeine, I'll drink coffee

In my experience, caffeine is only a need until you get used to not having it. When I kicked energy drinks years ago the first week or so was rough but I don’t need coffee or anything now to get right. 
 

Also, I’ve failed diet after diet but what worked best for me was calorie counting. It keeps you honest and still allows you to eat this and that, but just make sure you have a daily caloric goal and don’t exceed it. Biggest part of it might’ve been doing only water instead of alcohol (which I can’t even drink at all anymore anyhow) or sugary drinks. Calorie counting and modest workouts got me pretty far. I’ll probably look to get back into that soon and will have more success w it once I’m off steroids 

[ramssuperbowl99]

11 hours ago, CBears019 said:

One of my biggest issues is I can either dedicate myself to working out 5+ days a week consistently, or I can dedicate myself to eating healthy.  But rarely can I dedicate myself to both.  And when I do dedicate myself to both, some twisted and demented form of karma causes something bad to happen at work (detective) and all of a sudden I'm working around the clock for the next week and eating all sorts of greasy crap and not working out at all.  Also, my normal schedule changes every 4 weeks - I'm either working 8am-4pm, or 1pm-9pm.  The 1-9 schedule always leads to me staying up late at night since I just need some alone time to decompress after work.  Staying up late leads to an extra drink or two (bourbon) and then some late night snacks.  So, extra empty calories and less sleep - no bueno.  And in addition to all that, I take in waaaaaaaay too much caffeine.  Coffee in the morning and energy drinks in the afternoon/evening.  Even though the energy drinks say they're low calorie and "zero sugar," I'm sure there's more in those ingredients that act as sugar.  Energy drinks are the next thing on my list to cut from my routine/diet.

It's like I know what I need to do, but it's hard for me to put it all together and actually do it.  And its not necessarily a will power thing - I used tobacco pouches (snus) regularly since 2011 or 2012, and "regularly" is an understatement.  But I quit cold turkey (after several attempts) in June and have been clean for the longest period of time since I started using tobacco.  So I know that I can quit something that is highly addictive.

And whoever mentioned having a kid is spot on - the amount of chicken nuggets, Mac n cheese, and PB+Js that come through my kitchen these days is insane.  You're fooling yourself if I'm not taking a cut for myself every time.  Having a pregnant wife doesn't help either with the cravings and whatnot.

I'm not way overweight or anything (5'11". probably ~ 200lb), but I'm heavier than Ive ever been and I can feel it.  Since I got into my 30s I can feel that the weight is gaining easier an losing it is harder.   A couple years ago I used the noom app, worked out like 2x a day strictly cardio, cut out alcohol completely, and I lost like 20+ lbs in 2-3 months (that was before having a kid).  A few years before that I did an abbreviated form of keto for a few months and brought myself from roughly 190 to 170.  Both of those times were pretty restrictive and I had all the time in the world to dedicate myself to those.  These days are different.

After reading through this thread (mostly the last few pages), I'm going to try to make some incremental changes along the way:

- Drink more water throughout the day.  Im nowhere near a gallon a day, but I easily could be.

- Cut back/eliminate alcohol.  Even if I have a drink or two after work, that's easily 200-400 calories a day that can be eliminated (on the low end).

- Eliminate energy drinks, cut back on caffeine.  Energy drinks to be gone.  If I NEEED caffeine, I'll drink coffee.

All of the above will lead to more/better sleep.  If I can do that for, say a month, then I Can start getting more nitpicky about what I do eat throughout the day and other changes that need to be made.  

 

I think what I need is someone to hold me accountable.  Anyone in a similar situation that would want to create some sort of chat group to track our progress and check in with each other on a regular basis?

What's your plan for coping with stress or outlet to replace the stress relief from bourbon/chew/caffeine? And what happens if the other person who keeps you accountable isn't around?

My concern reading this plan is that you're addressing all of the stress behaviors - nice work quitting chew that's a beast right there. But, you've got a pregnant wife and a kid and a full time job that's emotionally draining with hours all over the place.

Maybe I've got the wrong read here, so feel free to tell me I'm off base, but this feels like a recipe for burnout.

Edited September 21, 2023 by ramssuperbowl99

[Forge]

On 9/16/2023 at 3:37 PM, JohnChimpo said:

Was there a moment that pushed you guys over the edge from hoping to lose weight to doing whatever it took to make it happen? Here is mine:

 

I was a very heavy kid. I didn’t want to be fat, but I didn’t know what to do about it. I remember being a freshman in college fantasizing about waking up and being in shape so I could be more attractive to girls. Finally, the following year, after wearing size 38 (waist) jeans since around the time I was a freshman in high school, I got to a point where they were getting tight. I did not want to buy size 40, so I finally began to focus on losing weight for real. I eventually got down to size 32. I’ve gained some weight since then, but I’m in a 33-34 at around 190 lbs, which is a far cry from my heaviest weight of 254 lbs.

I was always big growing up. I was 11 pounds at birth and then it just kept going from there lol. 

About 2 years before I moved to Vegas, I was 30 years old. Sunday. I was on the couch, football was about to start. I ordered a pizza from Larosas which was pretty much my sunday tradition. Just for me. I was eating a slice, and for the first and only time of my life, I'm reasonably sure I had a panic attack. Completely out of nowhere. Heart started racing a mile a minute, was suddenly very sweaty....scared the living **** out of me. Right then and there decided that I was going to give weight loss a shot. I never had before. I had been as big as 330 (I'm only 5'9). 

2 years later, I was 160. Unfortunately, my lifestyle was probably not sustainable. At the time I had no children (let alone one that has major developmental issues), every part of my day was regimented, I still worked in an office, etc. I think the actual diet was pretty good and perfectly sustainable...but the lifestyle just wasn't. 

I was pretty locked in for about 4-5 years after and since then it's been a cycle of yo-yoing which can be very frustrating. And we are talking big swings. One day you see me, I may be a "fit 185-190"....a year later, I may be in the 260's...the following year, back down under 185.  Now I'm entering mid 40s and every time I cycle back up to the bad, my doctors ask if I ever thought about getting a gastric sleeve (its covered by my insurance). They don't think I'll be able to work it back off when I put the weight back on eventually. Maybe that point will come, I don't know. But so far I've been able to do it every time and it kind of feels like cheating if I were to do that, I dunno lol. 

[MWil23]

Perhaps this will be helpful and if not, feel free to ignore me, but:

I saw my father die of a massive heart attack. I watched peramedics do CPR on him, I saw my mom and sisters freak out, I had to call my brother and let him know what was going on. I was at the hospital when they pronounced him dead, I witnessed the personal/emotional/family fallout.

For me, seeing him die at 52, while being overweight (and other genetic factors of course) while never smoking or drinking or anything else (lack of sleep was a big one for him too), but having stress related things in his job/life and being overweight was enough for me to dedicate myself and continually rededicate myself to having lifestyle and exercise changes all the way up through my age. Most of you can at least guess where I am, but if not, I'm mid to upper thirties.

Did I in the past feel guilty for working out or spending extra money on some "good food" instead of snacky junk? Sure!

Do I still have to fight the inner struggle to leave my kids for an hour or so to work out? Absolutely!

Do you think my wife and kids would rather have me around long term as opposed to missing me in hour chunks of time 3-5 days a week? I can say firsthand as a son, without question I would, even to this day.

I'm not saying "Oh, grocery budget's don't exist and yeah, kill it in the gym and get those 6 pack abs to look like that beach body coach", but I am saying invest in your own health and well being. You have one body and one life, use it well.

I might die in 5 minutes or I might die in 65 years, but I do know that so much as it is within my power, I'm not leaving my wife and kids behind because I didn't prioritize my own health and well being, most of which is for their sake. In this instance, putting my health as that priority is actually loving them and putting them first, which is a weird paradox.