From >450 to <160 lb by 2022
- Thread starter Err2
- Start date
Err2
New member
Back home. I stuck to the plan during my vacation, though the numbers didn't reflect it during the week. But with the scale in my own bathroom I got a string of new lows today.
I expected running to be a struggle, but I have been surprised & a little disappointed at how hard swimming (and cycling) are at the moment. At the beginning of the week I felt rusty and my motions were herky-jerky while swimming. It did get better towards the end, but I'm still a very long way from what I could do in my teens as a casual lake swimmer. Likewise I recently started riding my road bike and I'm nowhere near as fast as I used to be when I was competing. Granted, I'm still 50+ lbs heavier than I was then, but I can't even maintain 20mph on flat ground (top speed on flat ground having very little to do with body weight).
I will see how road cycling progresses after another month, but I won't be doing any more swimming until I get a vaccine and can go to a pool (the nearby open waters are all pretty polluted).
I expected running to be a struggle, but I have been surprised & a little disappointed at how hard swimming (and cycling) are at the moment. At the beginning of the week I felt rusty and my motions were herky-jerky while swimming. It did get better towards the end, but I'm still a very long way from what I could do in my teens as a casual lake swimmer. Likewise I recently started riding my road bike and I'm nowhere near as fast as I used to be when I was competing. Granted, I'm still 50+ lbs heavier than I was then, but I can't even maintain 20mph on flat ground (top speed on flat ground having very little to do with body weight).
I will see how road cycling progresses after another month, but I won't be doing any more swimming until I get a vaccine and can go to a pool (the nearby open waters are all pretty polluted).
Err2
New member
5K time:
Jan 23: 32.29
Jan 28: 31:20
Feb 16: 35:08
Feb 21: 31:52 (part of a 4.3 mile run)
Feb 28: 32:31 (part of a 5.1 mile run)
Mar 15: 29:06
Signed up to get my first dose of the Pfizer vaccine tomorrow. My BMI @ my last check-up let me qualify (good thing I've been putting off my annual physical until after getting the vaccine).
Jan 23: 32.29
Jan 28: 31:20
Feb 16: 35:08
Feb 21: 31:52 (part of a 4.3 mile run)
Feb 28: 32:31 (part of a 5.1 mile run)
Mar 15: 29:06
Signed up to get my first dose of the Pfizer vaccine tomorrow. My BMI @ my last check-up let me qualify (good thing I've been putting off my annual physical until after getting the vaccine).
Err2
New member
-- JAN 06 Dexa scan: 28.6% body fat --
Week___Weight_highBIA_lowBIA_NavyBF_Lean_Fat_Calories
JAN 01-07: 244.5__31.9%__N/A____30.9%__167.8_76.8__1811
JAN 08-14: 239.9__32.6%__27.4%__28.8%__169.3_70.6__2190
JAN 15-21: 236.3__31.9%__27.3%__27.4%__169.0_67.3__1834
JAN 22-28: 234.4__30.6%__26.0%__26.4%__170.3_64.1__1884
JAN 29-F4: 231.4__30.3%__25.9%__25.5%__169.5_61.9__2103
FEB 05-11: 229.1__29.1%__24.7%__25.3%__169.3_59.8__2268
FEB 12-18: 226.8__27.9%__24.0%__25.4%__168.6_58.2__2488
FEB 19-25: 225.3__27.4%__23.4%__24.9%__168.7_56.6__2704
FEB 26-M4: 221.1__27.6%__22.9%__24.0%__166.7_54.5__2376
MAR 05-11: 220.0__26.9%__23.9%__23.0%__166.9_53.1__2713
MAR 12-18: 216.9__26.3%__23.1%__22.6%__165.6_51.3__3087
I've been losing too much lean mass lately, probably in large part due to not eating enough for the exercise, so I'm going to attempt a maintenance week. I don't generally believe in maintenance weeks - I've seen no data show that faster weight loss plus intermittent maintenance breaks is superior to sustained slower weight loss - but since I've already lost weight too rapidly it might make sense.
Plus I hope it helps me psychologically deal with accepting that it is okay to eat more calories. Additionally, I'm going to start eating more simple carbs - both to take in more calories and to hopefully allow the calories I am taking in get absorbed more rapidly. Frankly, the thought of eating 4000-5000 calories is scary because eating this much -and then stopping exercise- is how I gained so much weight in the first place. But as long as I match calories in to calories out I should be good. Easier said than done...
Week___Weight_highBIA_lowBIA_NavyBF_Lean_Fat_Calories
JAN 01-07: 244.5__31.9%__N/A____30.9%__167.8_76.8__1811
JAN 08-14: 239.9__32.6%__27.4%__28.8%__169.3_70.6__2190
JAN 15-21: 236.3__31.9%__27.3%__27.4%__169.0_67.3__1834
JAN 22-28: 234.4__30.6%__26.0%__26.4%__170.3_64.1__1884
JAN 29-F4: 231.4__30.3%__25.9%__25.5%__169.5_61.9__2103
FEB 05-11: 229.1__29.1%__24.7%__25.3%__169.3_59.8__2268
FEB 12-18: 226.8__27.9%__24.0%__25.4%__168.6_58.2__2488
FEB 19-25: 225.3__27.4%__23.4%__24.9%__168.7_56.6__2704
FEB 26-M4: 221.1__27.6%__22.9%__24.0%__166.7_54.5__2376
MAR 05-11: 220.0__26.9%__23.9%__23.0%__166.9_53.1__2713
MAR 12-18: 216.9__26.3%__23.1%__22.6%__165.6_51.3__3087
I've been losing too much lean mass lately, probably in large part due to not eating enough for the exercise, so I'm going to attempt a maintenance week. I don't generally believe in maintenance weeks - I've seen no data show that faster weight loss plus intermittent maintenance breaks is superior to sustained slower weight loss - but since I've already lost weight too rapidly it might make sense.
Plus I hope it helps me psychologically deal with accepting that it is okay to eat more calories. Additionally, I'm going to start eating more simple carbs - both to take in more calories and to hopefully allow the calories I am taking in get absorbed more rapidly. Frankly, the thought of eating 4000-5000 calories is scary because eating this much -and then stopping exercise- is how I gained so much weight in the first place. But as long as I match calories in to calories out I should be good. Easier said than done...
Feefi
New member
Amazing!! I read the first posts about trying to lose hundreds of pounds then clicked 'jump to new' and I see you talking about 1+ runs bike rides and strength training... Awesome!! You did it well done and for continuing to keep your body in shape and strong.. Such inspiration!! I will be back later to go back in your diary and read more about your most incredible journey...
Err2
New member
I came up quite a bit short on calories on my first day of attempted maintenance (3996 consumed vs 4750 burned including the 50 min run & 100 min bike). But I just felt absolutely stuffed. Looking at tomorrow's triathlon training schedule (45 min run + 150 min bike ride) I'll need to eat even more - about 5250 calories - to maintain. Ugh (first world problems, I know).
On the plus side, today's ~750 calorie deficit was below my estimated fat loss limit of ~975-1575 calories/day. I've exceeded the lower limit 47 times since Jan 1 and the upper limit 6 times so believe it or not this is progress...
On the plus side, today's ~750 calorie deficit was below my estimated fat loss limit of ~975-1575 calories/day. I've exceeded the lower limit 47 times since Jan 1 and the upper limit 6 times so believe it or not this is progress...
Just because they're not most people's problems doesn't mean they're not annoying. Basically you're dealing with the challenges and anxiety of maintenance, only earlier and in a more extreme form than others.
Err2
New member
I did better on day 2 of maintenance week, in large part because I had to travel out of town and didn't have as much time to devote to exercise. 4501 consumed vs estimated 4650 burned (including 100 minute bike ride, 45 minute run, 15 minute walk).
I gained 3 lbs over last night, yet had some of the lowest body fat readings ever. Obviously a lot of water weight, but attached to that water is likely quite a bit of glycogen which I'm thinking the BIA scale interprets as lean mass. I wonder (read: hope) if some of my accelerated lean mass loss of late was just me depleting my glycogen stores faster than I was replenishing them?
Apparently the body can store a maximum of 15g of glycogen per kg of body mass, which for my 215 lb / 97.5 kg equates to 1463g. Each g of glycogen binds to 3-4g of water, so if my glycogen stores are topped off I'd gain about 6.6kg (14.5 lb)! compared to if I've bonked and am on empty. That 1463g (again theoretical maximum) of glycogen would yield 5852 calories.
I'm a little skeptical of the above, since glycogen mainly binds to muscle so any maximum should be tied to lean body mass or muscle mass rather than total body mass. That and everyone seems to say 500-1000g of glycogen is the maximum (though I assume that is for people with normal BMIs). @Trusylver have you come across this in your studies?
I gained 3 lbs over last night, yet had some of the lowest body fat readings ever. Obviously a lot of water weight, but attached to that water is likely quite a bit of glycogen which I'm thinking the BIA scale interprets as lean mass. I wonder (read: hope) if some of my accelerated lean mass loss of late was just me depleting my glycogen stores faster than I was replenishing them?
Apparently the body can store a maximum of 15g of glycogen per kg of body mass, which for my 215 lb / 97.5 kg equates to 1463g. Each g of glycogen binds to 3-4g of water, so if my glycogen stores are topped off I'd gain about 6.6kg (14.5 lb)! compared to if I've bonked and am on empty. That 1463g (again theoretical maximum) of glycogen would yield 5852 calories.
I'm a little skeptical of the above, since glycogen mainly binds to muscle so any maximum should be tied to lean body mass or muscle mass rather than total body mass. That and everyone seems to say 500-1000g of glycogen is the maximum (though I assume that is for people with normal BMIs). @Trusylver have you come across this in your studies?
alligatorob
Respected Member
Err, I am impressed by you exercise regime, burning a lot of calories. Hard for me to imagine eating 4,000+ calories a day without gaining weight. However, you seem to be able to do it.
Can you maintain that level of exercise more or less for life? It is something I think about for myself, a lot. I think I can keep up with at least some exercise long-term, but it is a bit less than I was doing when loosing weight. You put more analytical thought into this than I, I am sure you will make something work.
Can you maintain that level of exercise more or less for life? It is something I think about for myself, a lot. I think I can keep up with at least some exercise long-term, but it is a bit less than I was doing when loosing weight. You put more analytical thought into this than I, I am sure you will make something work.
Err2
New member
We'll see - it is definitely an experiment at this point and I've gained over 7 lb in 4 days, but I am certain much of that is glycogen & glycogen-bound water. But despite the number on the scale and looking a bit puffy in the mirror, I feel a lot better (I can once again do a pull up and can do sets of 10 push-ups instead of sets of 7 - previously I was getting alarmed that I was losing weight AND strength).
Definitely not. These crazy calories burnt are in preparation for an Ironman-distance triathlon which I kind of see as the capstone to the weight loss portion of this journey. After that (hopefully late fall/early winter) I'll still want to be active, but won't have the time or inclination to devote 3-5 hours/day to training. Maybe 30-60 minutes...
Err2
New member
Day 3 of maintenance: 3157 consumed vs 3129 burned (first calorie surplus)
Day 4: 4979 consumed vs 4995 burned (100+ min bike, 60+ min run, 10 min walk, 30 min Yoga)
Not sure about Yoga... There is decent evidence that it lessens injury rates, but it feels kind of woo woo and unproductive. I'll probably try it again on a "rest" day.
Day 4: 4979 consumed vs 4995 burned (100+ min bike, 60+ min run, 10 min walk, 30 min Yoga)
Not sure about Yoga... There is decent evidence that it lessens injury rates, but it feels kind of woo woo and unproductive. I'll probably try it again on a "rest" day.
If you don´t like the idea of yoga do 20 minutes of stretching, 5 minutes of balance exercises, and 5 minutes of breathing exercises instead for the exact same benefits. To be sure to keep the slow pace though as you can absolutely hurt yourself stretching (or doing yoga) if you´re too gung-ho about it.
alligatorob
Respected Member
Hey Err, I have been following you since you started here and a few questions occur to me.
I know you have mentioned bingeing, do you think you have a binge eating disorder? If so what are you doing about it?
Do you often struggle with binge urges? If so how do you manage them.
I also recall you saying something about being food addicted, are you a food addict? If so how are you addressing it?
I ask because I think we have some things in common and I do have a binge eating disorder, struggle with urges, and am probably a food addict. Just curious where you fall on all this, and if I can learn something from your experiences. These issues have become more apparent to me since I have gotten to maintenance. When losing weight I was able to kind of put them aside a bit and feed off of the positive reinforcement of seeing the weight go down.
I know you have mentioned bingeing, do you think you have a binge eating disorder? If so what are you doing about it?
Do you often struggle with binge urges? If so how do you manage them.
I also recall you saying something about being food addicted, are you a food addict? If so how are you addressing it?
I ask because I think we have some things in common and I do have a binge eating disorder, struggle with urges, and am probably a food addict. Just curious where you fall on all this, and if I can learn something from your experiences. These issues have become more apparent to me since I have gotten to maintenance. When losing weight I was able to kind of put them aside a bit and feed off of the positive reinforcement of seeing the weight go down.
Err2
New member
I'm not sure any one disorder fits, but I recognize a lot of the traits of BED (emotional eating, eating alone, feeling my eating was out of control, etc). But I didn't often eat excessively just within a short period of time or really past the point of being full (and when I did it was more special occasions like thanksgiving or with food that tasted really really good like candy or chips).
Compared to my friends, I actually ate a little lower volume of food but I always had higher calorie dense junky type food and, after getting my driver's license at 16, did nearly no activity. I think it was more a combination of nutritional ignorance (willfully so - I didn't want to know) and channeling any emotional setback or uncertainty into dopamine-dispensing foods over prolonged periods of time. That and lots of bad habits: growing up when going on a road trip, I'd always have a soda and a candy bar. As an adult, I had that treat every time I drove out of town - even when my job required that from me daily. And when I offered 2 for the price of 1 (or 3 for the price of 2) at a convenience store, who was I to pass up a "deal?" (but of course I couldn't leave the surplus for later - one of the BED-like traits).
So mainly eating too much junk food was more my addiction, so I treat it like any other addiction and abstain from the true "junk." Junk, for me, is food that has no nutritional/fueling purpose. Which foods that definition includes can be a little murky and is one of my current struggles. For instance I'd normally consider it junk, regular coca cola is a very popular drink for athletes nearing the end of endurance events because it provides needed salt & carbs - along with useful caffeine - in an easy to digest form. In that circumstance it is clearly fuel, but that's not the case when sitting down watching a movie...
The controlling/obsessiveness issues aren't as easy to deal with so I've been mainly channeling them into diet and exercise. So one of my big fears is what comes after achieving my weight loss and fitness goals. But at least now I know how to eat and feel sated at pretty much any reasonable calorie level.
Compared to my friends, I actually ate a little lower volume of food but I always had higher calorie dense junky type food and, after getting my driver's license at 16, did nearly no activity. I think it was more a combination of nutritional ignorance (willfully so - I didn't want to know) and channeling any emotional setback or uncertainty into dopamine-dispensing foods over prolonged periods of time. That and lots of bad habits: growing up when going on a road trip, I'd always have a soda and a candy bar. As an adult, I had that treat every time I drove out of town - even when my job required that from me daily. And when I offered 2 for the price of 1 (or 3 for the price of 2) at a convenience store, who was I to pass up a "deal?" (but of course I couldn't leave the surplus for later - one of the BED-like traits).
So mainly eating too much junk food was more my addiction, so I treat it like any other addiction and abstain from the true "junk." Junk, for me, is food that has no nutritional/fueling purpose. Which foods that definition includes can be a little murky and is one of my current struggles. For instance I'd normally consider it junk, regular coca cola is a very popular drink for athletes nearing the end of endurance events because it provides needed salt & carbs - along with useful caffeine - in an easy to digest form. In that circumstance it is clearly fuel, but that's not the case when sitting down watching a movie...
The controlling/obsessiveness issues aren't as easy to deal with so I've been mainly channeling them into diet and exercise. So one of my big fears is what comes after achieving my weight loss and fitness goals. But at least now I know how to eat and feel sated at pretty much any reasonable calorie level.
Err2
New member
-- JAN 06 Dexa scan: 28.6% body fat --
Week___Weight_highBIA_lowBIA_NavyBF_Lean_Fat_Calories
JAN 01-07: 244.5__31.9%__N/A____30.9%__167.8_76.8__1811
JAN 08-14: 239.9__32.6%__27.4%__28.8%__169.3_70.6__2190
JAN 15-21: 236.3__31.9%__27.3%__27.4%__169.0_67.3__1834
JAN 22-28: 234.4__30.6%__26.0%__26.4%__170.3_64.1__1884
JAN 29-F4: 231.4__30.3%__25.9%__25.5%__169.5_61.9__2103
FEB 05-11: 229.1__29.1%__24.7%__25.3%__169.3_59.8__2268
FEB 12-18: 226.8__27.9%__24.0%__25.4%__168.6_58.2__2488
FEB 19-25: 225.3__27.4%__23.4%__24.9%__168.7_56.6__2704
FEB 26-M4: 221.1__27.6%__22.9%__24.0%__166.7_54.5__2376
MAR 05-11: 220.0__26.9%__23.9%__23.0%__166.9_53.1__2713
MAR 12-18: 216.9__26.3%__23.1%__22.6%__165.6_51.3__3086
MAR 19-25: 220.2__25.6%__21.9%__22.9%__168.8_51.4__3880
Maintenance week is over and I'd call it a success from a lean mass perspective. I gained 7 lbs the first 3 days - obviously mostly water - and then held steady at a ~5lb gain from my low. For next week I'll be targeting a smaller ~750 calorie deficit (down from ~1000 2 weeks ago).
Week___Weight_highBIA_lowBIA_NavyBF_Lean_Fat_Calories
JAN 01-07: 244.5__31.9%__N/A____30.9%__167.8_76.8__1811
JAN 08-14: 239.9__32.6%__27.4%__28.8%__169.3_70.6__2190
JAN 15-21: 236.3__31.9%__27.3%__27.4%__169.0_67.3__1834
JAN 22-28: 234.4__30.6%__26.0%__26.4%__170.3_64.1__1884
JAN 29-F4: 231.4__30.3%__25.9%__25.5%__169.5_61.9__2103
FEB 05-11: 229.1__29.1%__24.7%__25.3%__169.3_59.8__2268
FEB 12-18: 226.8__27.9%__24.0%__25.4%__168.6_58.2__2488
FEB 19-25: 225.3__27.4%__23.4%__24.9%__168.7_56.6__2704
FEB 26-M4: 221.1__27.6%__22.9%__24.0%__166.7_54.5__2376
MAR 05-11: 220.0__26.9%__23.9%__23.0%__166.9_53.1__2713
MAR 12-18: 216.9__26.3%__23.1%__22.6%__165.6_51.3__3086
MAR 19-25: 220.2__25.6%__21.9%__22.9%__168.8_51.4__3880
Maintenance week is over and I'd call it a success from a lean mass perspective. I gained 7 lbs the first 3 days - obviously mostly water - and then held steady at a ~5lb gain from my low. For next week I'll be targeting a smaller ~750 calorie deficit (down from ~1000 2 weeks ago).
Err2
New member
-- JAN 06 Dexa scan: 28.6% body fat --
Week___Weight_highBIA_lowBIA_NavyBF_Lean_Fat_Calories
JAN 01-07: 244.5__31.9%__N/A____30.9%__167.8_76.8__1811
JAN 08-14: 239.9__32.6%__27.4%__28.8%__169.3_70.6__2190
JAN 15-21: 236.3__31.9%__27.3%__27.4%__169.0_67.3__1834
JAN 22-28: 234.4__30.6%__26.0%__26.4%__170.3_64.1__1884
JAN 29-F4: 231.4__30.3%__25.9%__25.5%__169.5_61.9__2103
FEB 05-11: 229.1__29.1%__24.7%__25.3%__169.3_59.8__2268
FEB 12-18: 226.8__27.9%__24.0%__25.4%__168.6_58.2__2488
FEB 19-25: 225.3__27.4%__23.4%__24.9%__168.7_56.6__2704
FEB 26-M4: 221.1__27.6%__22.9%__24.0%__166.7_54.5__2376
MAR 05-11: 220.0__26.9%__23.9%__23.0%__166.9_53.1__2713
MAR 12-18: 216.9__26.3%__23.1%__22.6%__165.6_51.3__3086
MAR 19-25: 220.2__25.6%__21.9%__22.9%__168.8_51.4__3880
MAR 26-A1: 217.5__25.6%__21.6%__22.1%__167.9_49.6__3061
Happy to report I had no issues returning to a calorie deficit after that maintenance week. I'll be getting another DXA scan tomorrow to check against my at home body fat estimates (and to compare against the January & October scans). I do expect to see some loss in lean mass this time (a category that includes blood volume, water weight, etc), but I'm really hoping to see zero loss in skeletal muscle mass (which was 84.8 lb in October and 84.7 lb in January).
I'm also getting another -cycling- VO2max test and hoping to see at least 4.25 L/min (vs 3.93 in January and 3.33 in October). A 4.25 absolute VO2 works out to about 43 ml/kg/m which is in line with Fitbit's current -running- estimate of 42-46 and Garmin's 45. Cycling and running VO2s are usually pretty close, but it isn't unusual for running to be a little higher since it uses more muscle groups (which is why cross country skiers and rowers have the highest VO2s). But I'm also looking to verify my heart rate training zones since I've noticed my max heart rate has gone done (normal when your heart increases stroke volume after weeks/months of endurance exercise)
Week___Weight_highBIA_lowBIA_NavyBF_Lean_Fat_Calories
JAN 01-07: 244.5__31.9%__N/A____30.9%__167.8_76.8__1811
JAN 08-14: 239.9__32.6%__27.4%__28.8%__169.3_70.6__2190
JAN 15-21: 236.3__31.9%__27.3%__27.4%__169.0_67.3__1834
JAN 22-28: 234.4__30.6%__26.0%__26.4%__170.3_64.1__1884
JAN 29-F4: 231.4__30.3%__25.9%__25.5%__169.5_61.9__2103
FEB 05-11: 229.1__29.1%__24.7%__25.3%__169.3_59.8__2268
FEB 12-18: 226.8__27.9%__24.0%__25.4%__168.6_58.2__2488
FEB 19-25: 225.3__27.4%__23.4%__24.9%__168.7_56.6__2704
FEB 26-M4: 221.1__27.6%__22.9%__24.0%__166.7_54.5__2376
MAR 05-11: 220.0__26.9%__23.9%__23.0%__166.9_53.1__2713
MAR 12-18: 216.9__26.3%__23.1%__22.6%__165.6_51.3__3086
MAR 19-25: 220.2__25.6%__21.9%__22.9%__168.8_51.4__3880
MAR 26-A1: 217.5__25.6%__21.6%__22.1%__167.9_49.6__3061
Happy to report I had no issues returning to a calorie deficit after that maintenance week. I'll be getting another DXA scan tomorrow to check against my at home body fat estimates (and to compare against the January & October scans). I do expect to see some loss in lean mass this time (a category that includes blood volume, water weight, etc), but I'm really hoping to see zero loss in skeletal muscle mass (which was 84.8 lb in October and 84.7 lb in January).
I'm also getting another -cycling- VO2max test and hoping to see at least 4.25 L/min (vs 3.93 in January and 3.33 in October). A 4.25 absolute VO2 works out to about 43 ml/kg/m which is in line with Fitbit's current -running- estimate of 42-46 and Garmin's 45. Cycling and running VO2s are usually pretty close, but it isn't unusual for running to be a little higher since it uses more muscle groups (which is why cross country skiers and rowers have the highest VO2s). But I'm also looking to verify my heart rate training zones since I've noticed my max heart rate has gone done (normal when your heart increases stroke volume after weeks/months of endurance exercise)