My weight loss diary (STM)
- Thread starter SamTheMan
- Start date
Okay just a brief intro.
I'm 24.
Struggled my whole life basically with weight. As a kid I used to gain about 10 kg which is about 20 lbs. a year.
Then I decided to take my weight into hands. I lost some kg's and together with growth in height I was doing much better, but I was far from being skinny. Since then I've stayed at that point more or less with ups and downs.
That means overweight and close to being obese.
How much weight am I talking about?
I am more or less 1m 85. I weigh 97.5 kilos.
That means that I could lose about 15 kilos and that's my goal.
I've tried quiet a few times to lose those extra kilos but whenever I would lose some it wouldn't be long before I gained them back.
It's what they call the 'yoyo-effect'.
So what's the plan?
I don't believe in extreme diets, for sure not on a long term basis.
So what do I believe in? Building healthy habits that are sustainable and balanced.
These habits might take longer to build and the weight loss will comes slower, but it will ultimately be healthier and it will prevent the previously mentioned 'yoyo-effect'.
Do I know what that means in practical terms?
No, not exactly.
Yes, I know about exercise, about eating fruit, ...
But with all of that, I still gain weight, I still eat way too much and I still make way too many exceptions that ultimately make up the unhealthy lifestyle.
So here I am. Trying to piece together some coherent strategy through writing about my eating habits, observing them and ultimately changing them.
I'm 24.
Struggled my whole life basically with weight. As a kid I used to gain about 10 kg which is about 20 lbs. a year.
Then I decided to take my weight into hands. I lost some kg's and together with growth in height I was doing much better, but I was far from being skinny. Since then I've stayed at that point more or less with ups and downs.
That means overweight and close to being obese.
How much weight am I talking about?
I am more or less 1m 85. I weigh 97.5 kilos.
That means that I could lose about 15 kilos and that's my goal.
I've tried quiet a few times to lose those extra kilos but whenever I would lose some it wouldn't be long before I gained them back.
It's what they call the 'yoyo-effect'.
So what's the plan?
I don't believe in extreme diets, for sure not on a long term basis.
So what do I believe in? Building healthy habits that are sustainable and balanced.
These habits might take longer to build and the weight loss will comes slower, but it will ultimately be healthier and it will prevent the previously mentioned 'yoyo-effect'.
Do I know what that means in practical terms?
No, not exactly.
Yes, I know about exercise, about eating fruit, ...
But with all of that, I still gain weight, I still eat way too much and I still make way too many exceptions that ultimately make up the unhealthy lifestyle.
So here I am. Trying to piece together some coherent strategy through writing about my eating habits, observing them and ultimately changing them.
alligatorob
Respected Member
Hey Sam, welcome!
It would help if you could tell us a bit about yourself and your goals.
I am looking forward to following your progress!
It would help if you could tell us a bit about yourself and your goals.
I am looking forward to following your progress!
alligatorob
Respected Member
Looks like we posted at the same time!
I think your goals are quite achievable. I suggest you try logging your food and exercise carefully every day. That can help with the "too many exceptions" problem. I have found that writing it down and quantifying it can really help get things under control.
Best of luck to you!
I think your goals are quite achievable. I suggest you try logging your food and exercise carefully every day. That can help with the "too many exceptions" problem. I have found that writing it down and quantifying it can really help get things under control.
Best of luck to you!
Err2
New member
Welcome Sam, I'm looking forward to following your progress! I'm sure you'll get lots of advice, so here is my $0.02:
I see you mentioned exercise & eating fruit, but for me vegetables have really been the key to my weight loss and fruit has now become my sweet snack to be consumed in moderation. The thing is, I used to hate vegetables and think fruit was bland until I cut out everything that was artificially sweetened. In my opinion, consuming a lot of sweet candies and drinks really skewed my sense of what actually tasted "sweet."
So cutting out refined & artificial sugar led to me eating more vegetables which led to me feeling a lot more full for the same number of calories. I'd recommend it, but I do realize everyone's path is different and you'll have to find what works for you...
I see you mentioned exercise & eating fruit, but for me vegetables have really been the key to my weight loss and fruit has now become my sweet snack to be consumed in moderation. The thing is, I used to hate vegetables and think fruit was bland until I cut out everything that was artificially sweetened. In my opinion, consuming a lot of sweet candies and drinks really skewed my sense of what actually tasted "sweet."
So cutting out refined & artificial sugar led to me eating more vegetables which led to me feeling a lot more full for the same number of calories. I'd recommend it, but I do realize everyone's path is different and you'll have to find what works for you...
Okay, so the first thing that I wanted to accomplish is to define how much to eat.
Cause you see, I can talk about all the healthy foods, but if end up overeating on them, it will do me no good.
If I want to lose weight, then the simple formula is:
Weight loss = burnt calories > calories consumed
Simple formula, and yet so hard to get right.
So, how much is the right amount to eat?
I'm open to ideas.
You could say, 100 grams of this and another 200 grams of that. But is that really practical?
I'm looking for a way to make this intuitive.
There are (at least) two aspects to quantity that needs considering:
1) Overall quantity throughout the day.
2) Quantity by each meal.
So nailing the quantity aspect would be knowing how much to eat overall throughout the day so that we'll have consumed less than the amount of calories we burnt.
Also we'll have to know how much to eat by each meal and how full we should feel. I once read that optimally we should fill ourselves up to 3/4 of our capacity. That's great advice because it's something personal to not just the individual, but also to the circumstance. But again, what does that mean in practical terms? How do I know that I've reached that level? What is the litmus test?
Then, there is the aspect of foods that are more filling than others. For example high fiber foods are much more filling than low fiber foods (try eating 3 apples in a row). So how can we bank on that?
I also liked the idea that alligatorob presented which was to keep a food log. So we'll see how I'll do that.
Questions, questions.
Now we only need to figure out some answers.
Cause you see, I can talk about all the healthy foods, but if end up overeating on them, it will do me no good.
If I want to lose weight, then the simple formula is:
Weight loss = burnt calories > calories consumed
Simple formula, and yet so hard to get right.
So, how much is the right amount to eat?
I'm open to ideas.
You could say, 100 grams of this and another 200 grams of that. But is that really practical?
I'm looking for a way to make this intuitive.
There are (at least) two aspects to quantity that needs considering:
1) Overall quantity throughout the day.
2) Quantity by each meal.
So nailing the quantity aspect would be knowing how much to eat overall throughout the day so that we'll have consumed less than the amount of calories we burnt.
Also we'll have to know how much to eat by each meal and how full we should feel. I once read that optimally we should fill ourselves up to 3/4 of our capacity. That's great advice because it's something personal to not just the individual, but also to the circumstance. But again, what does that mean in practical terms? How do I know that I've reached that level? What is the litmus test?
Then, there is the aspect of foods that are more filling than others. For example high fiber foods are much more filling than low fiber foods (try eating 3 apples in a row). So how can we bank on that?
I also liked the idea that alligatorob presented which was to keep a food log. So we'll see how I'll do that.
Questions, questions.
Now we only need to figure out some answers.
Err2
New member
Rough/generic ballpark is eating 1900-2400 calories per day (plus however much you burn exercising)
I am unable to eat intuitively so I can't help you there. Counting calories gets easier with time and is much easier these days with smartphone apps (with barcode scanners). I still have to estimate when eating unknown foods, but it helps me.
As far as when you eat, I prefer the old school way of eating small meals & snacks throughout the day to keep me digesting at all times - and therefore less hungry. Others prefer to eat during limited hours (intermittent fasting) or even one meal a day - neither of which worked for me.
Here is a short meal log for today.
Breakfast: bowl of fruit and fiber cereal with some milk + coffee with milk no sugar
Snack: fruit, nuts and water.
Lunch: 4 slices of whole grain bread with tomato and canned tuna + some mini mozzarella balls + coffee
Supper: 2 plates vegetable soup + salad (these fill up nicely) + brocoli + chicken meatballs with orzo pasta
Exercise: went for a 20 min walk around the park.
Overall, I tried to eat less today but not stint.
Err2 mentioned that I should log on my smartphone. I might sound old fashioned, but I don't have one. So this is where I will log when I do.
Breakfast: bowl of fruit and fiber cereal with some milk + coffee with milk no sugar
Snack: fruit, nuts and water.
Lunch: 4 slices of whole grain bread with tomato and canned tuna + some mini mozzarella balls + coffee
Supper: 2 plates vegetable soup + salad (these fill up nicely) + brocoli + chicken meatballs with orzo pasta
Exercise: went for a 20 min walk around the park.
Overall, I tried to eat less today but not stint.
Err2 mentioned that I should log on my smartphone. I might sound old fashioned, but I don't have one. So this is where I will log when I do.
Sounds like you eat well! Hard to judge the quantity, of course, but the quality seems fine.
The same apps you'd use on a smartphone will work on any computer so you can still log your calories if you want to (or you can look them up and calculate them yourself). I do think that would be a helpful thing to do at first to get a better feel for how much you're eating - but of course doing what you do now and adjust depending on what the scale says would work as well.
The same apps you'd use on a smartphone will work on any computer so you can still log your calories if you want to (or you can look them up and calculate them yourself). I do think that would be a helpful thing to do at first to get a better feel for how much you're eating - but of course doing what you do now and adjust depending on what the scale says would work as well.