Ugh, a fat man in his pants

[u38cg]

Be warned, what has been seen cannot be unseen.

Spoiler:

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Spoiler:

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You can probably understand why the head was artfully cut off, in best French Revolutionary style. Now that you've thrown up your breakfast, some whiny emo-ness follows :p

I'm now 28, standing 5'9" (1.75m). I left school (in the UK, btw) almost exactly ten years ago, having been an extremely active teenager - horse-riding, running, and swimming, plus bits and pieces of various other things. I ate like a horse, literally. While I wasn't uber-skinny, I was healthy enough, though I don't know what my weight was. Over the next few years, as I discovered alcohol and fast food (I didn't set foot in a burger king till I was 18), I ballooned; at one point I was 19 stones, which is 266 pounds, or 120.7kg. This was awful; I felt like shit, I couldn't move, and I was depressing myself. I went on the self-control-and-hating-yourself plan for about a year, with surprisingly good results. I dropped roughly five stones (70 pounds). Sadly, self-control-with-hating doesn't really work long term. Since then, I've fluctuated quite a bit (if you can bear to look, you can see some quite fetching stretch marks in the pics), but today I'm standing at 96kg, about 212 pounds. I would like to get down to a BMI of 20, which works out at 62kg, or 137 pounds.

I had the most consistent success with the the Hacker Diet, but I find it difficult to count calories consistently, and Mrs. u38cg (you can just about see her glowering on the noticeboard behind me) thinks counting calories is for wimps or people with no self-control. I also tend to fall off the program once I've seen a meaningful return; at my weight, losing a few kilos makes a substantial difference to how healthy I feel and in turn it makes it that much easier to drop off.

The plan from here? Review my diet, though I suspect not much will change. Start exercising regularly. I intend to buy a cross-trainer/elliptical machine for the initial stages. I would like to go running but at my current weight I know from previous experience I'll just knacker my knees, so leave that for later. Other than that, suggestion and/or abuse are more than welcome.

[Mighty Jalapeno]

If it makes you feel any better, you're clearly less overweight than I am.

[u38cg]

Thanks man, though I know from your thread you've achieved a hell of a lot more than I have, too. And I did indeed justify wandering around with 50-odd kilos of fat on the basis that there were much fatter people than me in the world; which is a ridiculous argument

[Mighty Jalapeno]

I just mean, I weigh the same as a late-model American automobile, and I've had good success with zero time and very little money, so chin up!

Chins up? I dunno which fat jokes are safe. Like black people using the "N" word.

[BiancaBlack]

I also tend to fall off the program once I've seen a meaningful return; at my weight, losing a few kilos makes a substantial difference to how healthy I feel and in turn it makes it that much easier to drop off.

I tend to self sabotage after a losing a few kilos too. I find (am finding? I'm still in the middle of this, and don't want to give the impression that I have more experience than I do) that it's easier to stick with it if I put the main focus on exercising and not on diet. For me it's somehow easier to force myself to go work out than the less abstract "eat better". And exercising in turn motivates me to eat better (I mean, I just worked out and it was hella tough, I'm not about to undermine all that hard work by eating crap!).

Good luck to you, you can do this! And this forum seems to be an excellent tool, if you ask me

[u38cg]

Chins up? I dunno which fat jokes are safe. Like black people using the "N" word.

It's always a problem, made worse by the fact not everyone has an awesome sense of humour like us.

I also tend to fall off the program once I've seen a meaningful return; at my weight, losing a few kilos makes a substantial difference to how healthy I feel and in turn it makes it that much easier to drop off.

I tend to self sabotage after a losing a few kilos too. I find (am finding? I'm still in the middle of this, and don't want to give the impression that I have more experience than I do) that it's easier to stick with it if I put the main focus on exercising and not on diet. For me it's somehow easier to force myself to go work out than the less abstract "eat better". And exercising in turn motivates me to eat better (I mean, I just worked out and it was hella tough, I'm not about to undermine all that hard work by eating crap!).

Wise words, I think. It's very easy to fall off a virtuous diet, and I verge towards eating disorder territory when I do: the pizza monster goes online and orders from Dominos some stupid size of thing that would feed several hungry people, stuffs it all down my throat, than laughs and runs off leaving me wanting to go stick fingers down my throat. I only don't because I'm stubborn about stuff like that.

Good luck to you, you can do this! And this forum seems to be an excellent tool, if you ask me

Yeah, I got that impression reading through everyone's threads...I hadn't joined the forums because I am quite capable of using them as a massive time sink, but what the hell...anything that gets me down and keeps me down there will be worth it.

[mobikwa]

The thing about diets and why they fail is because of the mentality of, "I'm going on this diet to lose x pounds and/or look better. Once I achieve my desired results Ill quit the diet and keep the results." People go back to eating and living how they were before the diet and the weight comes right back.

Don't go on a "diet", change your lifestyle permanently. Change the foods you eat, the amounts you eat, how much exercise you do, whatever you change make it forever.

Ive never gone on a diet, I only started eating foods that were better for me. I never changed how much I exercised, I changed my LIFE and exercising regularly was a part of my new life so I had to start doing it.

What I'm saying is you'll have better luck if you change your diet rather than go on a diet for x months.

[spudtheimpaler]

The thing about diets and why they fail is because of the mentality of, "I'm going on this diet to lose x pounds and/or look better. Once I achieve my desired results Ill quit the diet and keep the results." People go back to eating and living how they were before the diet and the weight comes right back.

Don't go on a "diet", change your lifestyle permanently. Change the foods you eat, the amounts you eat, how much exercise you do, whatever you change make it forever.

Ive never gone on a diet, I only started eating foods that were better for me. I never changed how much I exercised, I changed my LIFE and exercising regularly was a part of my new life so I had to start doing it.

What I'm saying is you'll have better luck if you change your diet rather than go on a diet for x months.

Sounds quite tony robbins (or whoever that guy is) but I have to agree. I went from 96kg down to low 80's and it was by eating as well as wasn't a hindrance, and exercise/sport. The only thing I changed about my diet really was eating smaller and more often (which is empirical, no one knows for sure if it helps or not, but it helped me not be hungry all the time if nothing else) and that I tried to save drinking for special occassions (and tried to drink vodka diet coke instead of gloriously tasty cider). Mostly though I exercised, and not slogging in the gym. I found something I enjoyed, something suitable for my build and something I could improve on. (Bouldering if you want to know, but I've evangelised it enough in other threads so search or message me if you want details).

One thing to remember though, if you are going to do enough of something energetic for you to gain results you can't add it onto whatever you're doing now, your life is already pretty full. Work out what you don't need and get rid, and find yourself 5-10 hours a week to spend doing something you love. It is amazing how quickly you can drop shit tv, and stick with jsut the good shows

Being proactive, let me ask this. How much time do you think you could,

a) easily
b) be quite happy willing to
c) if you had to

give up, timewise, a week for this goal. It's no small goal, and it will take time from your week. How much time can you give it? Make the decision now, do it properly, and the virtuous circle will kick in. I reckon it only didn't before because, as mobikwa said, it was a diet and not a forever choice.

I would spend 5 minutes trying to make that more legible/coherent, but it's hometime. Good luck

[mobikwa]

which is empirical, no one knows for sure if it helps or not, but it helped me not be hungry all the time if nothing else

It does help.

The main benefit of eating 5-6 small meals per day is that they keep your energy levels up, your blood sugar levels even and your metabolism ticking.
I try and live by the motto, "never hungry, never full" when it comes to eating but its hard to do.

The best way that I found to switch from 3 meals to 5-6 is by making each of your 3 meals smaller, calorie wise, you can load up on veggies for the full feeling, then add in some snacks between meals. A handful of almonds will end up being about 250 calories with plenty of the macro nutrients, maybe an apple dipped in peanut butter, or a cup of yogurt with some blueberries mixed in. Some oatmeal mixed with some fruit or nuts is a good one too.

[spudtheimpaler]

which is empirical, no one knows for sure if it helps or not, but it helped me not be hungry all the time if nothing else

It does help.

Ha... I agree, but our opinions aside, I think it has come up a couple of times in the forum and no one has yet, IIRC, come up with any scientific evidence or studies, so for now I'm sticking with my statement.

To bridge the gap as it were, after breaky I eat a piece of fruit about 11, have my lunch around 13, another piece of fruit or nuts just as i leave work so I'm not immediately hungry when I get home (as that often leads to oversized portions) and I will try with lunch and dinner to stop half way through, just wait 10-15 mins, then eat the rest. Big glass of fresh bitty orange juice helps with the post-lunch sugar cravings about 1500. As ever, YMMV.

[mobikwa]

Ha... I agree, but our opinions aside, I think it has come up a couple of times in the forum and no one has yet, IIRC, come up with any scientific evidence or studies, so for now I'm sticking with my statement.

Huh, just did some research and discovered that meal frequency doesn't make any difference on your metabolic rate. It just makes controlling cravings easier which helps when you're trying to lose weight... And its the damn supplement companies and muscle magazines that push the 6 meals a day because they want your money... Since I learned something new today I get to leave work, right?

[Nith Azra]

Actually, while it's true that it doesn't alter metabolic rates, eating protein every three hours will allow you to gain the maximum amount of muscle mass while training.

[Solt]

I have to reiterate what has been said- healthy living is a lifestyle, not a stage. Find an exercise that you can make a part of your life and stick with it. Buy the equipment, watch the pros on tv, read the magazines, whatever. It wouldn't hurt if it's something you can do with other people so they can keep you motivated.

I seem to recall a recent study that found eating breakfast reduces your cravings for the rest of your meals, and thus helps you keep your weight down.

[Hobgoblin]

For people starting to shed some serious poundage, the most important thing you can do is look at your diet. If you eat well and get no exercise, you won't be too much overweight, so you're definitely not eating right. It's fairly obvious what you're doing wrong once you look. Look for things that are being prepared in a way that would make them bad for you. If it's dipped in hot fat, it's not good for you. Simple.

A great starting exercise for those who wish to get fit but don't want to grind their knees into bone-powder is swimming. Since you're floating, you're doing virtually no damage to any bones of yours except the normal moving of joints and stuff. Great exercise. It uses all muscle groups, and is VERY good in the calorie/fat burning area.

[u38cg]

Agreed, absolutely. My diet at the moment is basically:

Brekkie: two slices of wholemeal toast, some low fat spread, a banana, and a yoghurt. And coffee.
Lunch: A sandwich, sometimes toasted, generally containing cheese and ham unless we've run out. Usually another piece of fruit which is usually a banana, again. More coffee. Occasionally a bucket o' milk style latte from Starbucks during the work day.
Dinner varies from nothing to something like baked potato, pasta, or similar. It varies as Mrs u38cg works very random hours and I tend to be a hunter/gatherer when she's not around. My main aim at the moment is just to learn to eat what I need and not swallow a whole plate and come back for more.

My diet has over the last six months or so kept me at a steady weight, and that's including the occasional shark-fest at Dominos. I was until recently eating poached eggs and four slices of toast for breakfast, so hopefully it should start trending down naturally over the next wee while anyway.

The main issue with swimming is time; the only pool near me is a 25 yard Victorian pool and as I'm a fairly good swimmer I get narked off doing nothing but turning round all the time (and the council has just closed the only decent 50m pool in the city). In about a months time I'll start cycling to uni regularly (c. 5 miles each way) and I'm also planning to follow the zero to 5k plan at wherever-it-is once I get down to about 90kg, which I reckon is where I won't be damaging my knees on the road.

Oh, and folks, thanks for all the advice and common sense you've thrown at me; it really is appreciated

[u38cg]

Roughly a month later, so I guess it's time to weigh in. I climbed on the scales this morning and was rewarded with a reading of 92kg (203lb). That's 4kg (9lb) I've lost in a month, although I think that this morning's reading is well below trend, but still I'm not arguing

I know that decline is in excess of what is sensible for long term weight loss, but I suspect it's just down to start-of-diet losing the easy stuff and shedding the junk I was carrying around in my guts. I don't believe I'm carrying such a large calorie deficit.

After discussion with Mrs u38cg, we canned the cross-trainer on grounds of space (why does "stuff" expand to fill the space available?), but I'm feeling good enough now to go out and start doing the 0-5k plan. Woohoo!

[Angel on the Steps]

A random idea if you find it difficulty to stay focused on a healthy diet long-term: how about not looking at the scale yourself, but instead ask someone else to weigh you just to make sure you are going in the right direction? That might help you get into the mindset of "I'm into this for life", though of course it might make you less motivated to keep going...

And congrats too!

[u38cg]

Haha, it's a good idea, but I just couldn't do it. I'm a data junkie.

[u38cg]

On a totally unrelated note, I'm thinking about one of these body fat monitor machines (specifically this one.). Any thoughts around their utility?

[mobikwa]

On a totally unrelated note, I'm thinking about one of these body fat monitor machines (specifically this one.). Any thoughts around their utility?

Those are horribly inaccurate. You can measure yourself, get a number, drink a glass of water, measure yourself again and lose 5% body fat.

Go for the body fat calipers, they are cheaper and if used correctly are very accurate.

Even if you're unsure if you are using them correctly as long as you stay consistent with how you use them you can get good trend information, see how much fat you are losing week to week and month to month.

[spudtheimpaler]

On a totally unrelated note, I'm thinking about one of these body fat monitor machines (specifically this one.). Any thoughts around their utility?

Those are horribly inaccurate. You can measure yourself, get a number, drink a glass of water, measure yourself again and lose 5% body fat.

Agreed. My best gauge of fat loss was a set of scales and belt-buckles. If you have accurate access to fat monitoring equipment then you definitely should, but the cheapo things on scales or handhelds are a waste of money. (I've used the Lloyds pharmacy handheld and the weight watchers scales and found both to vary wildly. Of the two, however, the lloyds was more consistent).

[u38cg]

So, since I stopped doing real work and went back to being a lazy student, I haven't had any spare time for forum-philandering, but at the three month mark, it's time for an update, I guess. I'm now down to 89kg, or 196lbs, so over a three month period I've lost 7kg which is pretty much what I was aiming for.

The exercise has made a massive difference: I've just finished week 6 of the couch to 5k program and have been cycling daily for a month and a half, and I'm feeling physically healthier than I have since I was a teenager, and better than I would if I'd just stuck with the diet. So yay!

[Mauersegler]

Congratulations! Keep up the good work

[spudtheimpaler]

So, since I stopped doing real work and went back to being a lazy student, I haven't had any spare time for forum-philandering, but at the three month mark, it's time for an update, I guess. I'm now down to 89kg, or 196lbs, so over a three month period I've lost 7kg which is pretty much what I was aiming for.

The exercise has made a massive difference: I've just finished week 6 of the couch to 5k program and have been cycling daily for a month and a half, and I'm feeling physically healthier than I have since I was a teenager, and better than I would if I'd just stuck with the diet. So yay!

Agreed buddy, awesome progress!