Losing weight

[southeastlittle]

I went from 220lbs to 145 in about a year and a half by riding my bike a LOT and keto dieting. Basically cut out most carbs and almost all sugar out, and the weight flew off, and stayed off for several years now. I've learned a lot about dieting and how to do it without burning yourself out right away. I know not everyone can do what I did due to medical issues/physical limitations, but a good diet is by far the most important piece in my opinion and I think most people can do that by chipping away at the biggest bad habits first.

 

[Sealander]

I went from 220lbs to 145 in about a year and a half by riding my bike a LOT and keto dieting. Basically cut out most carbs and almost all sugar out, and the weight flew off, and stayed off for several years now. I've learned a lot about dieting and how to do it without burning yourself out right away. I know not everyone can do what I did due to medical issues/physical limitations, but a good diet is by far the most important piece in my opinion and I think most people can do that by chipping away at the biggest bad habits first.

That's inspiring! Congratulations. Glad to hear it worked out.

Finding something I can stick to is definitely the trick.

 

[southeastlittle]

That's inspiring! Congratulations. Glad to hear it worked out.

Finding something I can stick to is definitely the trick.

I was lucky that I love to ride bikes (road and mountain) but the diet was much more important. The trick is being honest about which foods/drinks you consume that have the most empty calories, sugar and carbs, and find alternatives that you can enjoy. For me it was beer, so I started drinking the hard seltzers instead, or even wine (cabernet sauvignon is a good low cal wine). Then I looked at the other foods I eat regularly and just started min/maxing the macros, prioritizing protein above all, and minimizing sugar and carbs.

 

[foxkits]

This isn't what I want to hear... but I'm pretty sure it's what I need to hear.

Read labels try cutting down on sugar. Potatoes turn to suger rice turns into sugar chips sugar.
Pop is really bad suger wise.
Most canned soups way to much sugar oh bread turns into sugar.
Stur Fry is ok no sauce's.
But spice's 0k now when you eat carbs it makes you more hungry.
Slow down when you eat give your body to a chance to feel full.
Putting on weight is the road to type 2 diabetic. I'm type 2. Lots of great videos on YouTube on proper blood sugar. Just to help talk to Dr for advice.

 

[LePew]

Have you been using that exercise bike since?

 

[LePew]

My favorite way to burn calories is to use an under-desk exercise bike at work. My chair clips onto it so it doesn’t slide away and I just pedal away while I’m working.

You don’t have to go hard or fast, just maintain a sustainable pace over the day. 4 hours pedaling burns 800 calories for me so I can usually burn 400-800 calories a day! And yes, my legs have gotten so much stronger since I’ve started doing this and I’ve increased the resistance several times already.

It has a fitness app that it connects to with Bluetooth so you can track your progress and caloric burn

 

[Sealander]

Have you been using that exercise bike since?

I have! Not everyday, but probably about half.

The exercise bike has a desk attached to it so it's similar to yours that goes under the desk. I used to be pretty good about working while sitting on it, sometimes several hours a day. The year I got it I think I did about 1200 miles. Then I stopped and got out of shape.

 

[messydiaper]

I have been a whale in my lifetime. (A friendly, positive whale who loves people.)

I am down a hundred pounds from when I started. I used to struggle to get into large diapers and now I'm down to small/medium depending on the brand. I'm under 240 lbs and I'm hoping for 200 eventually.

Last July I stopped eating ultra processed foods. No fast food. If the item from the grocery store has more than three ingredients, I avoid it.

I started making my own whole wheat baked goods.

My appetite has completely changed. I am also type-2 and my A1C is SO much better.

I see people at the gym who look just like me and they are working out furiously on treadmills and bikes. And I want to hug them and tell them to investigate ultra processed foods and the role they play in making some of us fat. I will go out on a limb and say that the food supply in our country was literally poisoning me and that I feel like for the first time in my adult life, I have my weight moving in the right direction.

Just me. My experience. If you're struggling with weight, I encourage you to look into the role of ultra processed foods.

 

[southeastlittle]

Read labels try cutting down on sugar. Potatoes turn to suger rice turns into sugar chips sugar.
Pop is really bad suger wise.
Most canned soups way to much sugar oh bread turns into sugar.
Stur Fry is ok no sauce's.
But spice's 0k now when you eat carbs it makes you more hungry.
Slow down when you eat give your body to a chance to feel full.
Putting on weight is the road to type 2 diabetic. I'm type 2. Lots of great videos on YouTube on proper blood sugar. Just to help talk to Dr for advice.

Good advice, 1000%!

 

[kronikmod]

I lost 25lbs a few summers ago. Got down past my goal. Managed to find them all again and I'm up 37lbs from that summer.

I tell myself a lot of it is muscle, which is largely denial with a little truth sprinkled in. If it wasn't for my physically demanding job, that 37lbs gain could have easily been 74lbs.

I cut out energy drinks this year, and have cut back on sugary drinks quite a bit. I've noticed those changes alone make a huge difference.

Switched out Coke for Bubly sparkling water (no sugar replacements, just water/carbonation/natural flavoring) so I can still enjoy carbonated drinks. If you have an affinity for carbonated beverages, they are a great alternative.

As mentioned, intermittent fasting helps to. Even if it's mostly eliminating snacking for 16 hours a day. Snacking is a sneaky weight-loss goal destroyer.

Good luck, I hope you reach your 30lbs weight-loss goal. When you do, keep up whatever healthy habits got you there. Weight isn't all their is to life, but feeling healthy and physically capable is a privilege not attainable by everyone. It is also taken for granted by many of us that can maintain a healthy physique but don't put in the effort. I want to be grumpy, healthy old man that can chase kids off my lawn instead of helplessly shaking my fist at them from the front porch

 

[LittleAndAlone]

The biggest hurdle is not understanding that it took 10 20 30 years to get heavy. You aren't going to suddenly lose it all in a month. And if you try you'll have health complications, hair loss, etc.

Start with just being in a calorie deficit but still eat whatever you want up to that limit. I do 1600 cal on sedentary days and 2100 cal on gym days (1 hr cycling and 30 mins rowing back to back). Though CAPcon has temporarily derailed me.

Then as you adjust to lower calories you'll often feel hungry and go long periods without eating because you blew your intake limit already. Youll soon start making better choices that allow you to eat more. Going without breads, sugars, sodas, etc. Do you you want that 300 cal tortilla breakfast burrito that dissolves into dust or do you you want two more servings of eggs and sausage later on in the day and feel stuffed?

Then start cutting back portions and substituting things. 2 eggs instead of 3. Turkey sausage instead of pork. Etc.

Then finally if you are still dead serious pick a diet like keto and get into macro tracking.

Take an incremental approach and stick too it long term and don't even look at a scale for the next year.

 

[Sealander]

The biggest hurdle is not understanding that it took 10 20 30 years to get heavy. You aren't going to suddenly lose it all in a month. And if you try you'll have health complications, hair loss, etc.

This is important to hear. I'm definitely impatient about it.

I'm 29 now. I swam competitively until I was 18 and had essentially no body fat when I started college. I think when I graduated I was 155 lbs. I've gradually filled out since then, which I don't mind. But the last year I've gained a lot of weight, went from probably 185 to 220. My eating and drinking habits have worsened, and it may also have something to do with the medication I'm on. For the first time my clothes don't fit. It feels like I've been on a bad trajectory and I'd very much regret not doing something about it.

 

[denimchicken]

Yup, it seems that the weight just shows up.

If you want to do something about it, there is no time like the present

I was about 210 lbs around mid 2019. When I left highschool I was about 170. It wasn't until I started working and time got away from me. Next thing I knew I had put on all this weight. I didn't like that clothes that should otherwise fit just didn't anymore. Bending over to tie my shoes was uncomfortable. It made me mad so I had to do something about it. I got on a super strict keto diet. I used an app to track my carbs and managed to keep it under 20 per day. I started losing a couple lbs per week. Ultimately lost 40 lbs in 6 months. It was kinda fun in a weird sort of way, but I think it was really hard on my body so I'm not sure it was worth it.

I'm just under 190 right now so I have put some back on. I know I have the discipline to lose weight. Now in order to keep it off. I think that most difficult part is keeping from snacking out of boredom. Helps to just not buy junk food.
The other part is learning to not eat unless you are hungry.

I learned my favorite healthy meal is grilled chicken with steamed broccoli, with a little bit of cheese on it. I even put hot sauce on it to keep from getting bored, lol.

 

[Sealander]

Bending over to tie my shoes was uncomfortable.

Man, I know how that is, unfortunately.

It made me mad so I had to do something about it.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I feel the same way at this point. I'm ignoring like 80% of my wardrobe because I bought all these tailored-fit shirts, and now it looks like the buttons are going to pop when I wear them. The only thing I can wear are the classic fit shirts that were passed on to me. Which are nice but I only have so many of them.

It's time for a change!

 

[paddedgrasshopper]

Keep in mind that you're trying to lose fat, not just any weight. With diet alone, you'll most likely lose 50% fat and 50% muscle. That is not ideal. Muscle require more calories to keep the lights on, as well as promote many other health benefits, including boosting your immune system. The best strategy to lose weight, and keep it off, is to focus on cleaning up your diet, and focusing on resistance training. That could be body weight exercises, resistance bands, or lifting free weights, with the intent to get stronger. Breaking a sweat and punishing yourself are not how you should be judging your workouts, but rather if you are able to lift more ( more weight or more repetitions ) the next time. If you could do this just twice a week for thirty minute sessions, you will see drastic improvements. As for diet, focus on cutting out process food, think anything that comes in a box or bag prepackaged and ready to eat, and just make protein intake a priority. Little changes make a big difference. And most importantly, this takes TIME. A LONG TIME. Estimate to lose one pound a week at best.

I did that above, and I eat more now than I did when I was 40 pounds heavier and struggle to gain weight.