Newbie, how/where do I begin?

[Llama]

It´s absolutely possible that it´s just natural fluctuation due to salt intake, hormonal variation, exercise, having eat more volume yesterday and not had a proper bowel movement... No real way to tell after two days. At the same time: if you don´t accurately track your calories it´s also impossible to know if you´re regaining fat. What I can say is that you´d have to have overeaten by almost 4000 kcal in two days for it to be pure fat gain.

 

[Err2]

It is very normal to have weight fluctuations in the short term. In the last 10 days I've lost, gained, and lost again the same 4 lbs for no good reason.

 

[Sammyshine503]

Hello, I’m new here, my name is Al, I’m 40 years old and it’s has been over a decade since I’ve been in healthy shape. My job had a moderate physical demand and that’s my only form of exercise. My reason for joining this group is weight loss. I also plan to begin exercising, starting slowly, and hoping to receive help with that as well, but weight loss is my goal. I’m 5’10” and 200lbs and about 23% body fat according to an online website calculation. My goal is to lose 20lbs in 2 months, is that too drastic? I’d like to continue with weight loss from there. My main problem is large meals and number of meals, I don’t eat much junk food but do consume alcohol on the weekends, which id rather not give up. I drink a moderate amount of water daily and consume tea not coffee nor soda. Where can I learn ways to eat foods that help me feel more full and satisfied so I might be able to reduce my portion sizes and reduce total calories per day? Can anyone help me begin this journey and point me in the right direction?
Thanks - Al

You've already made the most important decision to start eating healthier. I think 20 in two months is a good goal but it won't be easy. Good luck!!

 

[Here2learn]

It is very normal to have weight fluctuations in the short term. In the last 10 days I've lost, gained, and lost again the same 4 lbs for no good reason.

thank you. I assumed this to be true. The confirmation is helpful. How your weight loss journey going?

 

[Here2learn]

What I can say is that you´d have to have overeaten by almost 4000 kcal in two days for it to be pure fat gain.

Wow really? I’ve never seen this put into numbers before. Thank you for this info

 

[Here2learn]

T

You've already made the most important decision to start eating healthier. I think 20 in two months is a good goal but it won't be easy. Good luck!!

Thank you.

 

[Here2learn]

Welcome Al, you've come to the right place!


20 lbs in 2 months is a bit extreme of a goal - I'd put 15 lbs of body fat as a difficult/maximum goal for you in 60 days. Here is my math/reasoning:

Err2, you were extremely helpful for my first goal which I just achieved. I lost 15lbs in 51 days!

i’m now 185lbs and could use your help setting the next goal. At my new weight I suspect I might not be able to lose weight as the same rate I did when I started at 200, is there true to that?

most of my weight loss has come as a result of decreasing intake calories, along with a slight increase in exercise. In the past two weeks I’ve increased my exercise to a more moderate level of intensity. I’m hoping this helps with my next goal. My decreased caloric intake will remain roughly where it has been almost this whole time.

would 15 more pounds of weight loss in the next 60 days be another reasonable goal or is that becoming more difficult at my current weight? And if there is any math you can share, that would be helpful again.

thanks to everyone here who made a post to help me the past 50 days!

 

[Here2learn]

Wow, Al. Err has definitely given you a very informative answer to your introduction. You have come to the right place. No-one here is trying to sell you anything. We try to get rid of spammers quickly. If someone is "senior" or a "well-known member" (such as Err) you can usually trust any links they share. Great job, Err! I'll be a part of your cheer squad
I use the My Fitness Pal app on my phone & Trusylver uses Cronometer.

thank you for the cheering squad. I reached my first goal

 

[Here2learn]

Hummus is great but beware of the calories: most store-bought hummus is very heavy on the oil. Making it yourself could solve that, of course, and you could add as much spice as you like!
Here are some suggestions for low-cal savory sauces:

If you aren´t too tied to tradition breakfast isn´t harder than any other meal. My breakfast is usually either wraps with mashed beans and veggies, pitabread with baked falafel, or whatever else I´d also have for lunch or dinner. A stir-fry with chicken breast is quick and simple, even in the morning, especially when you use a frozen veggie mix. Protein pancakes (made with protein powder) are fine as well if you have a sweet tooth.

Thank you for helping me reach my first goal

 

[Here2learn]

hi H2L... funny how much your story is similar to mine. i lost a bunch of weight when i hit 40, too. unfortunately i didn't know then what i do know now and within 5-6 years i was back to over 200 lbs and headed for even worse.

up to now i've been inserting a plug for intermittent fasting here, but frankly i'm getting a little tired of stating the same things over and over again. look up my diary and read through at least to the point i talk about the Jason Fung video. in a nutshell, try to learn all you can about nutrition. you will see why just about everyone on earth eats too much. you should pick up on why "eat less-move more" diets (like what i did 25 years ago) will fail EVERY TIME.

so good luck and if you want my opinion 10lbs/ month is what i achieved in the first 4 months (about 2-2½ lbs/ week). it took me a few more months to get to where i am now, but the best part is that i've stayed here for nearly 2 years now. intermittent fasting isn't easy 24 hours a day because it takes a bit of discipline. i have hunger episodes, but i have learned to live with them. hunger won't kill you... fasting won't kill you... your body will try to trick you into eating every chance it gets. you just have to be smarter.

I came close to your achievement of 10lbs per month for two months, but ended up a bit shy of that number. Would you share your starting weight to put the 40lb loss in 4 months into context for me? I’m wondering if 15lbs in the next two months is a realistic goal. Unfortunately I was replying to too many posts when you wrote this and I became so distracted that I didn’t look up Jason Fung nor read your journal. I’ll be doing both soon. Thanks for your help

 

[Here2learn]

You've already made the most important decision to start eating healthier. I think 20 in two months is a good goal but it won't be easy. Good luck!!

thank you for your support. I achieved 15lbs loss in under two months. And it’s time to plan my next weight loss goal

 

[Cate]

Hi, Here2learn. Don't worry too much about addressing everyone individually. If you just start by saying something, like "Thanks everyone for your support" at the start, I don't think anyone will take offence. It's hard to keep up.
Well done on 15 lbs lost already. Good for you

 

[Err2]

Great job Al!

Err2, you were extremely helpful for my first goal which I just achieved. I lost 15lbs in 51 days!

i’m now 185lbs and could use your help setting the next goal. At my new weight I suspect I might not be able to lose weight as the same rate I did when I started at 200, is there true to that?

most of my weight loss has come as a result of decreasing intake calories, along with a slight increase in exercise. In the past two weeks I’ve increased my exercise to a more moderate level of intensity. I’m hoping this helps with my next goal. My decreased caloric intake will remain roughly where it has been almost this whole time.

would 15 more pounds of weight loss in the next 60 days be another reasonable goal or is that becoming more difficult at my current weight? And if there is any math you can share, that would be helpful again.

I'm assuming you went from 23% body fat to 19% which, if true, would mean you're now in the healthy range of 11-21% body fat for men over 40. You'd still be considered overweight based on BMI (but BMI does not factor in muscle mass). The "normal" BMI for 5'10" would start around 175 lbs.

Incidentally, 10 lbs is about what I'd set as the maximum weight loss for your next 60 days. If all of that weight loss came from fat, you'd be sitting at 14.4% body fat on May 22. If you wanted to keep going after that, it should take over a month to lose the next 5 lbs, putting you around 170 @ 12% body fat around July 1:



Following this (again, very aggressive) plan you would start off with a 700 calorie deficit that gradually tapers to a 600 calorie deficit by April 21, a 500 calorie deficit by May 22, and a 400 calorie deficit by June 30. By losing weight at this pace - or slower - you should ideally maintain all of your muscle mass (with consistent resistance exercise and consuming 75-150g of protein per day).

 

[overlandflyer]

.... Would you share your starting weight to put the 40lb loss in 4 months into context for me? I’m wondering if 15lbs in the next two months is a realistic goal. Unfortunately I was replying to too many posts when you wrote this and I became so distracted that I didn’t look up Jason Fung nor read your journal. I’ll be doing both soon. Thanks for your help

i was a bit over 6' when i was in college, but now at 67 i'm a bit over 5'11". my highest weight was about 135. my average weight (before i started the IF diet) was about 220. it took me about 2 weeks to really adapt to a minimum 18/6 IF. by that time i was probably around 210-212.

i would say 2-2½ lb/ week was my average for the first 4 months. i started slowing down when i started to see weights in the 170's. it probably took another 2-3 months to see a weight in the 160's. this put me well within a healthy BMI. since then i have spent some time in the low 160's (i got to 158 for a few days), but over time i felt the mid to high 160's was easier to maintain which i did for well over a year.

recently i have been getting pretty depressed thinking about the year i just lost. i have been skipping some IF days. i'm about 170 now. i'm not disappointed. even if i hit 178 i would still be in a healthy BMI and i haven't even seen anywhere near 175. i used to be very active every other weekend with a club i belong to and i will be starting that activity up again this weekend. looking forward to it more than you can imagine.

good luck.