HELP - Finally Serious

J

jashton88

New member
Finally serious is right, after being sick and tired of being fat I finally honestly lost it.

I started smart for the first time ever on my dieting plan instead of trying to drop all bad things at once.

I first dropped soda down to 1 or 2 a day, then finally to 0 which i'm at now. I eat around 1000-2000 calories daily and don't eat past 9pm.

I have dropped from 213lbs down to 187. I am 5'6 and am a male, my goal is to reach 154 but i'm trying to make my eating habits more consistent and become more knowledgable on what to eat. Currently I mainly eat out, but will get a salad or eat a very little portion. Also almost daily I will exercise after each meal and if I miss exercise after lunch I will always make up for it by doing my routine running which is about 1 mile every night. I am EXTREMELY motivated right now and have made a life changing decision that i'm not going to waste the good years of my life being fat. It sounds brutal I know but i'm almost 20 years old now and need to do this now and the good thing is I know it.

I mainly would like to know what you all have done to get down from your higher weights. I plan to revert to 6 meals a day, but have had bad luck making a meal plan which has stopped me from doing this.

Thanks in advance,

Jeff A.

Updated w/ pictures at 210 pounds and 180 pounds, my sister is in the pictures with me.
Finally some pictures:
me1.jpg

me2.jpg
 
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pretty much same thing as you ... congrats on doing so well though :)
 
don't eat past 9pm.
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plan to revert to 6 meals a day
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Both of those are myths in that they do not aid in fat loss... It's total calories consumed in the day that's the biggest factor, not when they are consumed or at what intervals...

COnsistent behavior is what got me down from a higher weight and working with a realistic plan... not thinkig diet diet diet - ican't have that - this is bad - carbs are evil... Just using common sense and keeping track of what was going in my mouth...
 
Congrats on your success so far!

jashton88 said:
I eat around 1000-2000 calories daily...
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This is a HUGE range of calories to eat in a day. 1000 is by far too few, 2000 is probably a better target for you (young, male etc). You may want use a BMR calculator (there are several links to various calculators around here) and get a rough idea of what's a good target for you based on your size and activity level.
 
at 187lbs id stick at eating closer to 2000cal day 1000cal is too low for your weight and will send your body into starvation mode, which in turn will hold onto fat .

make sure your eating enough protein per day around 1g per lb of body weight is a good start = 180g roughly, this will help you maintain your lean mass while burning the fat

count calories, work out your bmr and calories burned through exercise do the math and create a calorie deficit which you can monitor from week to week all info is on the net read and progress
 
I'm with Mal on this one. Do NOT deprive yourself of anything you want. If you look at a sugary sweet confection and think "Never again" you're not going to keep that weight off. Treat yourself if you must have it, just don't do it often. Or, if you have to have a donut every morning, figure it into your 2,000 cals a day food plan. Honestly, depriving yourself of foods you love is the most popular diet mistake ever. Don't do it.

Personally for me, I got the weight down by watching my consummed calories and becoming more active. I started running and eating only 1,500-2,000 cals a day. At first I was like you and could only run 1 mile at a time. Actually when I first started out, I could only run .75's of a mile before feeling as if I was going to pass out. It's been quite a few months and now I can run 6 miles a night. What's great about this, is if you really want to give cardio exercise a try, you can burn up to 700+ calories every workout. It's what I do. I'm pretty sure I'll reach my goal in no time if I keep this up.

My advice to you would be to stick with a form of exercise that you enjoy and keep sticking to the foods you enjoy but in moderation. It's always best at first, to calculate what you're putting into your mouth until you get used to how many calories are in what. Good luck with this!
 
Thanks a lot guys,

how are you guys calculating your calories for example if you go to a restaurant? Do you go online and check their website before or ask for a health sheet in the restaurant?

I have cut all sweets out of my diet and feel I can survive them like never before just because how my mind has changed. I do plan to start eating a dessert like once a week eventually though.

Invariant, I started playing basketball to get back into shape which I still do just about every day after lunch and will get a few sprints in here and there and some cardio. I do enjoy running every night which is something I used to hate doing but now find energizing and somewhat fun.

I'm going to try and update my eating habits and will let you all know what I come up with. I just need to figure out how to successfully count my calories now.

-J
 
how are you guys calculating your calories for example if you go to a restaurant? Do you go online and check their website before or ask for a health sheet in the restaurant?
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if you know where you're going ahead of time, it'snot a bad idea to check - just to see -but at some point you kind of just know what are the better choices... and if you want a big ole plate of chicken wings - knock yourself out - this shouldn't be a diet of deprivation... Just don't let one less than healthy choice turn into 3 days of unhealthy choices -just get right back to where you were the very next meal...

Eat what you enjoy
 
jashton88 said:
Thanks a lot guys,

how are you guys calculating your calories for example if you go to a restaurant? Do you go online and check their website before or ask for a health sheet in the restaurant?

I have cut all sweets out of my diet and feel I can survive them like never before just because how my mind has changed. I do plan to start eating a dessert like once a week eventually though.

Invariant, I started playing basketball to get back into shape which I still do just about every day after lunch and will get a few sprints in here and there and some cardio. I do enjoy running every night which is something I used to hate doing but now find energizing and somewhat fun.

I'm going to try and update my eating habits and will let you all know what I come up with. I just need to figure out how to successfully count my calories now.

-J
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Usually, if I'm aware of what resturant I'm going to, I'll check their nutrition contents online. Applebees, for instance, is a great choice for "dieters". They have a garlic chicken pasta dish that's only 560 cals. I haven't yet tried it, but I'm excited to eventually. If I'm unaware of the nutrition content, I usually use my knowledge of caloric value and order what I percieve to be the healthiest thing on the menu. Baked Chicken and broccoli, for instance, is sure to have less calories then Chicken Alfredo. I don't know for certain how many cals is in it, but if one chicken breast is 120, a potato 110, and broccoli 80, I can easily guesstimate that I've eaten at least 350 cals. You see? This gets easier as you get more knowlegable of the caloric intake in food.

Like you, I used basketball to get myself into shape. Soccer, actually, is how I got started. I've lost 30 pounds between both soccer and basketball seasons. Given b-ball season is over, I no longer play everyday as I used to and it's why I've taken up running so vigorously. It truly does make your body feel amazing to get such a great workout.
 
Invariant said:
Usually, if I'm aware of what resturant I'm going to, I'll check their nutrition contents online. Applebees, for instance, is a great choice for "dieters". They have a garlic chicken pasta dish that's only 560 cals. I haven't yet tried it, but I'm excited to eventually. If I'm unaware of the nutrition content, I usually use my knowledge of caloric value and order what I percieve to be the healthiest thing on the menu. Baked Chicken and broccoli, for instance, is sure to have less calories then Chicken Alfredo. I don't know for certain how many cals is in it, but if one chicken breast is 120, a potato 110, and broccoli 80, I can easily guesstimate that I've eaten at least 350 cals. You see? This gets easier as you get more knowlegable of the caloric intake in food.

Like you, I used basketball to get myself into shape. Soccer, actually, is how I got started. I've lost 30 pounds between both soccer and basketball seasons. Given b-ball season is over, I no longer play everyday as I used to and it's why I've taken up running so vigorously. It truly does make your body feel amazing to get such a great workout.
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Yeah, once I got into better shape running became MUCH more enjoyable and gets you pumped up.

Are you cooking any meals at home that I could copy off? I'm eating out mostly just due to the fact i'm not to aquainted with cooking other than like scrambled eggs and spaghetti.

This forum has already been much help and I know this time I will reach my goal weight.

Invariant, I read your journal and it was very inspiring.
 
Sorry to bump but I just wanted to say this is inspiring. I sound a lot like you in practically all of your starting circumstances, and I hope one day I'll be able to say that I've lost that much weight. Congratulations for your weight loss, great work! I really hope you get down to your goal!
 
jashton88 said:
Are you cooking any meals at home that I could copy off? I'm eating out mostly just due to the fact i'm not to aquainted with cooking other than like scrambled eggs and spaghetti.
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if you have a grill or even an indoor (foreman) grill, there are tons of things you can cook in minutes. I have been loving chicken burgers lately. Buy some lean ground chicken, make patties and throw them on the grill with a little salt pepper and garlic powder. My wife will microwave a small sweet potato, and make a salad from the pre-bagged mix. A little oil and balsamic vinegar on top and you have a meal.
 
I figured I would give an update. I am now down to 181!!! Lost 6 more pounds. 27lbs away from my goal weight and a total loss of 32 pounds. I really have steady eating habits now and dieting has never been this easy for me. It's amazing what looking online before you go to a restaurant can do. I basically order grilled chicken a lot now and very very rarely will have anything fried. I also am not eating red meat currently.

-Jeff
 
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Trainer4Newbies said:
if you have a grill or even an indoor (foreman) grill, there are tons of things you can cook in minutes. I have been loving chicken burgers lately. Buy some lean ground chicken, make patties and throw them on the grill with a little salt pepper and garlic powder. My wife will microwave a small sweet potato, and make a salad from the pre-bagged mix. A little oil and balsamic vinegar on top and you have a meal.
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Thanks, that sounds like a great idea and will probably try this out tonight!

-Jeff
 
I never got to try it yet, but are you using bread? Just normal buns or what?

Update: Down to 179.5!!! First time i've seen the 170's in over four years!!!

-Jeff
 
maleficent said:
Both of those are myths in that they do not aid in fat loss... It's total calories consumed in the day that's the biggest factor, not when they are consumed or at what intervals...

COnsistent behavior is what got me down from a higher weight and working with a realistic plan... not thinkig diet diet diet - ican't have that - this is bad - carbs are evil... Just using common sense and keeping track of what was going in my mouth...
Click to expand...



Given the portions are right, and it is the right kind of food I would have to disagree. It isnt ALL about the over all count in the whole day. It is about delievering it to your body when it needs it. I dont know your background, and know that mine isnt in the medical feild. But I would say that when you turn the lights off, JUST hitting the right number for the day isnt what the whole "game" is about. The idea with eating 6 small meals a day is to keep your body in a good place blood sugar wise, matabolism, and fueled up at the same place all day. Without the dips of going a longer amount of time between eating. While 6 meals a day isnt the be all of weight loss, I think it is far fetched to tell anybody that it doesnt matter when they take in the cal. but how much. Would you say not eating all day was ok if I was saving it up for ONE meal that consisted of 1800 calories? I still got my magic number - but no, that isnt healthy.
 
congrats on your weight loss so far! I know you can continue on the path! I myself didnt want to waste my best years being "fat". Having gone from grossly morbidly obese -to "normal" I would have to say it seem that you are doing the right things so far. But I would say 1000 calories a day is to little for most any adult. If you expect your body to be able to run (for workouts) you must put the *right* fuel in it! As you get down smaller you will find you have to step up your efforts in the workout department! I have seen that myself! lol Good luck! Stay strong!
 
CantWasteTime said:
congrats on your weight loss so far! I know you can continue on the path! I myself didnt want to waste my best years being "fat". Having gone from grossly morbidly obese -to "normal" I would have to say it seem that you are doing the right things so far. But I would say 1000 calories a day is to little for most any adult. If you expect your body to be able to run (for workouts) you must put the *right* fuel in it! As you get down smaller you will find you have to step up your efforts in the workout department! I have seen that myself! lol Good luck! Stay strong!
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I was between 1000-2000 at first which was a bad idea, now i'm consistantly eating 1600-1800 depending on if i'm running that night or not. One thing I have been focusing on is paying attention to how much fat is in anything I eat and have stayed away from trans fat.

-Jeff
 
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