From >450 to <160 lb by 2022

[Err2]

Today I talked to an acquaintance I hadn't seen in a year. Despite having texted beforehand, it still took her about 2 minutes of chatting in person before she realized it was me.

I also noticed I now have visible obliques, which is strange because the rest of my abs are obscured by a good sized pouch of loose skin filled with ~10lb of excess fat.

why is that? I have more some days. Never heard that before, not that you are not right, just something new to me.

It may be mostly 'bro science' but whole foods tend to be much more nutritious for the same protein content and much more filling for the same calorie content. The protein entire supplement industry is also notorious for selling products that exceed heavy metal contamination thresholds.

 

[Llama]

I also noticed I now have visible obliques, which is strange because the rest of my abs are obscured by a good sized pouch of loose skin filled with ~10lb of excess fat.

Yay for more muscle! Loose skin must be annoying but so much better than having that skin filled with excess fat.

 

[Err2]

I posted this in the weigh yourself everyday club, but it probably belongs in my diary instead:

I took a mini road trip the last 4 days to scout out potential areas to move with lower housing prices and lower population densities. While I did well exercising (I ran 10K+ each day), I overate twice - once quite excessively. Part of it was late night stress eating and part of it was eating out one meal a day at "fine dining" establishments which were typically higher calorie but not very filling. I packed plenty of fruit and "healthy" snacks, but my veggie consumption plummeted and I found myself very hungry despite these higher calorie counts.

Anyway, I'm glad to be back home where I have more control over my food, but I'm disappointed I'm not magically cured and ready to handle anything. And while I like visiting the places I went, I love my home area and am just so frustrated by many of the changes over the last decade.

In hindsight, the overeating wasn't *that* bad. For the 4 days I had a deficit of ~300, surplus of ~500, surplus of ~1000, and deficit of ~700 for a net surplus of only 500 calories (1/7 of 1 lb). Of course I gained 4 lbs, but it is mostly water in my legs from all the running (which had the fun effect of making my BIA body fat percentages plummet).

I also recently had my annual physical and just got the lab results back. My AST & ALT liver enzymes are still elevated, but not as bad as a year ago. Probably from a fatty liver, but it can also happen with too much protein. My BUN is high, but that too can happen with a high protein diet. My hs-CRP was very high, but the silver lining is it is now 20% of what it was last year. Steady improvement, but weight loss & exercise was not a magic wand that fixed everything right away.

Also of note: my testosterone went from low (~170) to normal (~500) which means I won't be traveling back in time anytime soon. I jest, but bizarrely I am somewhat bummed by this - I was starting to hope a simple treatment could make me recover like a teenager again...

 

[Llama]

Some punches from reality. Never fun, but now you know it's still there. I'm sure you'll use the experience AND the blood work to your advantage.

 

[alligatorob]

I was starting to hope a simple treatment could make me recover like a teenager again...

LOL! I get that feeling sometimes also, being as I am now less fat now I kind of expect things to go back in time. But they don't, of course. How long has it been since your body fat percentage was as low as it is now? Long time I'd guess...

You sure get a lot more testing done with your annual physicals than I do, maybe I should follow your example. What tests do you ask for and get? Some like the "AST & ALT liver enzymes" I have never even heard of. And I don't really know what a fatty liver is...

I am learning to live with the loose skin thing, you are younger than I and have a better chance of some tightening over time. Hope you do anyway...

 

[Err2]

Week 17, average daily caloric deficit of 391:


-- 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__2722
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)
MAR 26-A1: 217.5__25.6%__21.6%__22.1%__167.9_49.6__3080
-- APR 02 Dexa scan: 21.0% body fat --
Week___Weight_highBIA_lowBIA_NavyBF_Lean_Fat_Calories
APR 02-08: 215.6__25.7%__21.7%__21.0%__167.4_48.2__3086
APR 09-15: 214.7__25.4%__21.4%__20.5%__167.5_47.2__3363
APR 16-22: 212.6__24.8%__21.3%__19.5%__167.3_45.2__3430
APR 23-29: 212.4__24.1%__20.9%__19.4%__167.8_44.6__3761

How long has it been since your body fat percentage was as low as it is now? Long time I'd guess...

Probably high school.

You sure get a lot more testing done with your annual physicals than I do, maybe I should follow your example. What tests do you ask for and get? Some like the "AST & ALT liver enzymes" I have never even heard of. And I don't really know what a fatty liver is...

It is part of a comprehensive metabolic panel - something my GP orders at every annual.

Fatty livers are increasingly common in the west, tending to go hand in hand with obesity. It can cause damage similar to alcohol abuse (but doesn't always).

I am learning to live with the loose skin thing, you are younger than I and have a better chance of some tightening over time. Hope you do anyway...

I have a ton of it and haven't noticed it getting tighter (nor do I expect it to at this point). It does get less obnoxious the leaner I get, but I still have (increasingly) empty scrotum-like sacks of skin everywhere...

 

[Err2]

Another week in the books (week 18, average deficit of ~675):

-- 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__2722
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)
MAR 26-A1: 217.5__25.6%__21.6%__22.1%__167.9_49.6__3080
-- APR 02 Dexa scan: 21.0% body fat --
Week___Weight_highBIA_lowBIA_NavyBF_Lean_Fat_Calories
APR 02-08: 215.6__25.7%__21.7%__21.0%__167.4_48.2__3086
APR 09-15: 214.7__25.4%__21.4%__20.5%__167.5_47.2__3363
APR 16-22: 212.6__24.8%__21.3%__19.5%__167.3_45.2__3430
APR 23-29: 212.4__24.1%__20.9%__19.4%__167.8_44.6__3761
APR 30-M6: 210.3__24.1%__20.6%__18.8%__167.0_43.3__3750ish

 

[Err2]

Taking this conversation from the weigh yourself everyday thread because most people don't want to see nearly naked semi fat guys...

I suspect some of what you perceive as fat on your belly is loose skin, it is for me. We both will probably carry several pounds of extra skin that can only come off surgically. Hopefully you less than me.

I definitely have lots (and lots) of loose skin, but there is plenty of fat remaining too. At first glance, my torso still looks like a "before" shot and I'd be tempted to put my body fat percentage at 25% or even 30%. But if you look closely, you can start to see my obliques so I'm a bit leaner than I appear:


The oblique line stays despite moving the skin (and the fat attached to it):



Much of this is due to legit loose skin:


My saggy tits are why I pretty much always wear compression clothing when exercising in these positions (the chicken wings under my arms don't bother me, but they do get noticed by my friends):


My thighs got the worst of the loose skin:



But that skin, especially around my midsection, still has a lot of fat I can lose:


Actual loose skin is very very thin and weighs almost nothing (think of how little chicken skin weighs). I have this nearly empty loose skin on my face, neck, and inner elbows - it looks more like old age wrinkles:



Thankfully, most of this is covered by clothing although you can still tell my breasts have migrated to the bottom of my rib cage:



That is a size Medium Dickies shirt and a size Large Champion shorts. My chest measures ~42" and my waist 35" (I'm 5'7"-5'8")

 

[Err2]

And since I'm baring all today...

Lots of loose skin on my butt, but you can see some muscle definition in my leg and from this position see that my torso is not nearly as fat as it appears head on:


From the side relaxed:


Flexing abs helps tighten things up a little:


Some muscle definition starting to show in my upper back, but lots of fat remaining in the saddlebags (inside loose skin):



Calves are still the leanest part of me visually:



My weight first thing this morning:


My weight 2nd thing in the morning (this is what I record as the high since it is more consistent):


I then lost another 7 lbs after a 10 mile run & 24 mile bike ride (despite drinking 2.5L of water and 1 protein shake and eating 40g of oatmeal, 20g of craisins, 3 bananas, and 3 protein bars in those ~4 hours). Note that my feet swell a little when running, but they also get a lot more vascular:



That's a loss of nearly 9 lbs in half a day just by pooping and doing 4 hours of cardio.

 

[Err2]

first thing this morning:
View attachment 43706

My weight 2nd thing in the morning (this is what I record as the high since it is more consistent):
View attachment 43708

I then lost another 7 lbs after a 10 mile run & 24 mile bike ride (despite drinking 2.5L of water and 1 protein shake and eating 40g of oatmeal, 20g of craisins, 3 bananas, and 3 protein bars in those ~4 hours). Note that my feet swell a little when running, but they also get a lot more vascular:
View attachment 43710

And for posterity, right before bed:


All told I drank about 5 liters of water & consumed 4,874 calories (burning ~3401 in exercise on top of my normal TDEE of ~2700)

 

[Llama]

I agree that there´s still a little fat left in that loose skin but you look NOTHING like a "before" picture. It´s 100% clear how far you´ve come.

 

[alligatorob]

You are a braver man than I, posting these pictures. I do appreciate it though, thanks, and I can see a lot of similarity to my skin. You are however younger, so yours only looks like "old age wrinkles", whereas a lot of mine actually is...

You have some impressive muscle mass, we are of similar height, but you have a lot more muscle. I can see that you will not need to get down to the same weight as I. For most of my life I saw myself as "big boned", what my grandmother always told me, and assumed my body was bigger than most, even without the fat. Now I know I am not, more average. You however do appear actually "big boned".

I agree with LaMa, as annoying as the skin is it is a whole lot better than fat. And it doesn't take a lot of clothes to cover up, most people have things they don't like about their bodies and cover with clothes, not just us formerly fat folks. The fat on the other hand could not be so easily concealed, but its really about health not aesthetics and you are clearly getting pretty healthy!

 

[Err2]

Week 19: average caloric deficit of ~475

-- 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__2722
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)
MAR 26-A1: 217.5__25.6%__21.6%__22.1%__167.9_49.6__3080
-- APR 02 Dexa scan: 21.0% body fat --
Week___Weight_highBIA_lowBIA_NavyBF_Lean_Fat_Calories
APR 02-08: 215.6__25.7%__21.7%__21.0%__167.4_48.2__3086
APR 09-15: 214.7__25.4%__21.4%__20.5%__167.5_47.2__3363
APR 16-22: 212.6__24.8%__21.3%__19.5%__167.3_45.2__3430
APR 23-29: 212.4__24.1%__20.9%__19.4%__167.8_44.6__3761
APR 30-M6: 210.3__24.1%__20.6%__18.8%__167.0_43.3__3835
MAY 07-13: 209.5__24.0%__20.4%__18.2%__167.2_42.3__3700ish

 

[Llama]

7 months left for the last 50 pounds (or more, if it doesn't have to be January 1st). You're on the home stretch!

 

[Err2]

Week 20: average caloric deficit of -32 (32 calorie surplus)

-- 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__2722
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)
MAR 26-A1: 217.5__25.6%__21.6%__22.1%__167.9_49.6__3080
-- APR 02 Dexa scan: 21.0% body fat --
Week___Weight_highBIA_lowBIA_NavyBF_Lean_Fat_Calories
APR 02-08: 215.6__25.7%__21.7%__21.0%__167.4_48.2__3086
APR 09-15: 214.7__25.4%__21.4%__20.5%__167.5_47.2__3363
APR 16-22: 212.6__24.8%__21.3%__19.5%__167.3_45.2__3430
APR 23-29: 212.4__24.1%__20.9%__19.4%__167.8_44.6__3761
APR 30-M6: 210.3__24.1%__20.6%__18.8%__167.0_43.3__3835
MAY 07-13: 209.5__24.0%__20.4%__18.2%__167.2_42.3__3776
MAY 14-20: 206.9__23.9%__20.6%__18.1%__165.2_41.7__4261

Despite the apparent lost pounds it was not a good week. I ate a bit more than planned on one day and had a late night ~2500 calorie blow up binge on another - the combined effect ruined the rest of the week's diligence. I didn't feel like I made any progress physically/athletically either - I've been feeling pretty tired and run down.

I'm looking forward to next week's relaxed training - my ironman training plan basically does a 3 week progression followed by 1 recovery week, then another 3 week progression... Hopefully it won't be hard to adjust my calories back down to more normal activity levels.

Other things that may help: my TSH was high again so the doctor increased my thyroid dosage 25%. I also noticed my hemoglobin & ferritin levels were borderline so I've started taking iron supplements. I have never, ever, had a problem with iron, but it is apparently common with endurance athletes and with the price of beef lately I haven't been eating nearly as much red meat.

 

[Llama]

Sorry to hear you're feeling run down. Clearly the writers of that triathlon program know something about how the body works and I hope the iron supplements help, too.

 

[alligatorob]

Hey Err, are you ok? I see a number of pretty high calorie days of late, is that by design?

 

[Err2]

Week 21: average caloric deficit of -343 (343 calorie surplus)

-- 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__2722
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)
MAR 26-A1: 217.5__25.6%__21.6%__22.1%__167.9_49.6__3080
-- APR 02 Dexa scan: 21.0% body fat --
Week___Weight_highBIA_lowBIA_NavyBF_Lean_Fat_Calories
APR 02-08: 215.6__25.7%__21.7%__21.0%__167.4_48.2__3086
APR 09-15: 214.7__25.4%__21.4%__20.5%__167.5_47.2__3363
APR 16-22: 212.6__24.8%__21.3%__19.5%__167.3_45.2__3430
APR 23-29: 212.4__24.1%__20.9%__19.4%__167.8_44.6__3761
APR 30-M6: 210.3__24.1%__20.6%__18.8%__167.0_43.3__3835
MAY 07-13: 209.5__24.0%__20.4%__18.2%__167.2_42.3__3776
MAY 14-20: 206.9__23.9%__20.6%__18.1%__165.2_41.7__4261
MAY 21-27: 210.3__23.6%__20.1%__18.6%__167.7_42.5__3857

Despite the gained pounds it was a better week. Unfortunately I still ate quite a bit more than planned, especially considering my reduced exercise during this recovery week, but I felt 10x better and observed my performance metrics rebounding (e.g. my running VO2 max went up from 44 to its prior peak of 46). Now that I'm feeling close to normal physically, it's time to buckle back down on the diet side of things...

In other news, I joined a gym and have started swimming semi-regularly. I was a strong lake swimmer as a kid and in my first day in the pool I was able to swim the 2.4 mile ironman distance well inside the 2.5 hour cut-off - and felt fine afterward. But that was more a reflection of my fitness level - a good friend and competitive swimmer was kind enough to give me some coaching and I have a lot of bad habits to unlearn. Once I get my breathing and arm stroke techniques ironed out, I expect to be a lot more efficient which will save time & energy for the other events. Learning something new is also fun & it'll be nice to spread my cardio training load across more muscle groups.

It'll also be nice to be able to lift weights rather than relying on body weight and improvised dumbbells. Plus exercising with other people should help keep things interesting.

Hey Err, are you ok? I see a number of pretty high calorie days of late, is that by design?

I am feeling pretty decent now, but over the last 2 weeks I've been feeling very run down and had quite a bit of external stresses going on as well. During that time I kept my calorie goals in mind, but I didn't try to hold myself to it. Doing so I wound up with 3 days with large calorie surpluses (~2500, 2600, and 1,100) but was otherwise at or below maintenance:

Net calories:
-292
-300
11
-423
2512
-543
-742
-448
-6
2579
-164
24
1074
-659

That works out to a net surplus of 2625 calories which is, at worst, 3/4 lb of fat. According to my various measurements I gained 1/2 lb of lean mass (probably glycogen & water) and 1/4 lb of fat.

Of course I'd rather lose steadily, but when I don't get things quite right and lose ~2lb of lean mass in a week chances are high that I'll need/want a refeed the following week.

 

[Llama]

Looks like you really needed that week off.

 

[liza]

Loving the sound of that swimming. I've never been a strong swimmer at all but do love the feel of being in the water. I haven't actually been swimming in a long time now. Hope to maybe get some in this year. Not in any serious way like you are doing, but just for some fun.