Starting at 300lbs/136kgs at 5'8/170cm tall - Tykes weight loss diary

[Tyke]

Hi all

I reached 300lbs/21 stone 6 pounds/136kgs 21st April 2022, since 2017 i've gained more and more weight, where would it stop? 350lbs? 400lbs.

I bought new jeans and needed a 50+inch waist. So i had enough and started a diet 21st April. Here is my pics taken just over 3 weeks ago, 21st April 2021.

My ultimate goal is ambitious, I wanna get down to 11-12 stone, so almost half my starting weight, but 14 stone is a mini-goal. I want to fit into 34inch waist jeans and fit my old biker jacket. I don't want to be skinny or muscley etc, just a nice healthy build in my recommended weight range.

My reward on reaching my mini-goal or ultimate goal will be to treat myself to a nice sports motorcycle.

Btw i've got a diary on another weight loss forum under the name Cosworth but have just came across this forum and it looks good, it looks busier than the other one, so thought i'd post here too.

I will update this thread with weight loss amount and new photos each month, so new photos in 5 days time (1 month since starting diet).

Thanks for reading.

 

[alligatorob]

Hey Tyke, Welcome!

Do you have a diet and/or exercise plan? Telling us may make support easier.

I believe this is a good day to be starting your diary! I started mine exactly 3 years ago today, and had a very similar story to yours. I am now down close to a goal weight, went from 50+ pants to 34/36 depending on brand.

My post from May 16, 2019 is below. I am no genius or great dieter or anything; I know that if I can do this so can you!

I am just getting started, yesterday was my first day.

I weighed in at 320 lbs, I am thinking my ideal weight is 160, so I have about 160 lbs to lose. I know that is a real long term goal, my immediate goal is to do well today.

I am a 66 year old man who has been overweight all my life. I have lost weight at times, but could never keep it off. Any advice or comments would be welcome.

 

[Llama]

Welcome to the forum, Tyke! I love the watermark on your picture Sensible precaution given how many sharks are out to get us.

 

[Cate]

Hi, Tyke & welcome to the forum. I'm glad you found this forum. It's a very friendly & supportive space & I hope you like it. How often will you weigh yourself do you think? Once a month?

 

[Tyke]

Hey Tyke, Welcome!

Do you have a diet and/or exercise plan? Telling us may make support easier.

I believe this is a good day to be starting your diary! I started mine exactly 3 years ago today, and had a very similar story to yours. I am now down close to a goal weight, went from 50+ pants to 34/36 depending on brand.

My post from May 16, 2019 is below. I am no genius or great dieter or anything; I know that if I can do this so can you!

Hello there thanks for the welcome! My diet plan is low calories and low'ish carbs. I didn't really have a specific plan when i started dieting just over 3 weeks ago but its working out i'm eating 800 cals per day, 50 grams per day carbs maximum.

Yeh your starting stats and goals are similar to mine, good to hear you're getting so close , it adds to the belief that I can do it too.

 

[Tyke]

Welcome to the forum, Tyke! I love the watermark on your picture Sensible precaution given how many sharks are out to get us.

Hey there thanks for the welcome! Yeh I thought i'd put a watermark on the images after reading on here about other unscrupulous people using existing images. plus all the fraud like identity theft and romance scams that seem so prevalent in my country (UK) right now.

 

[Tyke]

Hi, Tyke & welcome to the forum. I'm glad you found this forum. It's a very friendly & supportive space & I hope you like it. How often will you weigh yourself do you think? Once a month?

Hello and thanks for the welcome. Yes this forum is definitely a good active 1, glad I found it too.

I've actually been weighing myself daily, maybe this is not the best thing to do (?) as i appreciate our weight can fluctuate between days but i am seeing results on the scales, i will post pics and weight loss totals on 21st may (so in a few days - exactly 1 month since the start of my diet), and will do this each month. hopefully a gradual change will be able to be seen when comparing months etc.

 

[Llama]

Weighing every day is fine as long as you don't get obsessed with the numbers or freak out when they don't go your way for a couple of days.
800 kcal/day is very low. It's possible to do if you're very dedicated (Rob has proven that, among other people) but it makes it hard to get in the protein/vitamins/minerals you need and it may make maintenance harder than necessary. It's your choice though, and I get that for the start you just want to get the weight off.

 

[Tyke]

Weighing every day is fine as long as you don't get obsessed with the numbers or freak out when they don't go your way for a couple of days.
800 kcal/day is very low. It's possible to do if you're very dedicated (Rob has proven that, among other people) but it makes it hard to get in the protein/vitamins/minerals you need and it may make maintenance harder than necessary. It's your choice though, and I get that for the start you just want to get the weight off.

Yeh i appreciate 800 cals is low. It's just how its working out, i'm having 2 low carbs meals per day and when i worked it out i was consuming 800 max daily. I'm supplementing with multi-vit/mineral tablets. I haven't really felt that hungry up to now, if i do i have a nibble on some low carb foods like nuts, cheese, chicken.

The variation in my diet is a bit boring, i seem to be consuming eggs at most meal times. I'm not sure if i'll keep this up right to the end of my journey. But even if i change my current diet it will only be for a less drastic diet, i'm determined to stick this out. I've yet to add some gentle exercising yet, i will do when ive lost some more weight (i'm over my treadmills max user weight at present).

 

[Llama]

The advantage of starting this low is that you have some wiggle room for more variation. Exercise is great for a lot of reasons but it's not the most important part of weightloss. You can do this!

 

[alligatorob]

Hey Tykes, a low carb diet is often a good place for folks to start. However I agree with Llama, 800 calories a day is very very low.

I stayed under 1,000 calories a day for almost a year and a half and lost a whole lot of weight pretty quickly. However I have struggled with making it sustainable. I think the low calorie thing created some metabolic problems for me, and I have had a lot of trouble adjusting to maintenance. However I am very happy to have lost the weight, and am not sure I would do it differently. It is tempting to say I would eat a few more calories and lose the weight more slowly. I do think that would have made some things easier, however without the positive reinforcement of seeing the weight loss I am not sure I would have stayed on the diet. Who knows...

I do suggest you discuss it with your doctor, 800 calories a day is not safe for everyone. True of anything under about 1,200 a day for men. I did and my doctor gave me the ok.

I've actually been weighing myself daily, maybe this is not the best thing to do (?) as i appreciate our weight can fluctuate between days but i am seeing results on the scales

I weighed most every day from the beginning of my diet, and as you say it does help you better understand short term fluctuations. You should consider posting your weight daily to the weigh yourself everyday thread. https://www.fitness.com/en/forum/threads/weigh-yourself-everyday-club.297534/page-433#post-9664745 I have found recording it everyday makes me a bit more accountable.

 

[Cate]

I stayed under 1,000 calories a day for almost a year and a half and lost a whole lot of weight pretty quickly. However I have struggled with making it sustainable. I think the low calorie thing created some metabolic problems for me, and I have had a lot of trouble adjusting to maintenance.

I did something similar back in 2007 & lost 36 kg in 6 months. I think it stuffed my metabolism & really struggle to stay within 10 kg of maintenance. I think seeing a doctor would be a smart idea, but slowing it down might be a smart move anyway.

 

[Trusylver]

I think everybody else has covered the 800 cals a day points and I agree.you need to be very diligent about meeting your nutritional needs. At 800 calories you risk loss of bone density and you will loose muscle. I know you said you do not want to be "muscley" but muscle is very important for your health, maintaining quality of life as you age and keeping your metabolism up.

 

[Tyke]

Hey Tykes, a low carb diet is often a good place for folks to start. However I agree with Llama, 800 calories a day is very very low.

I stayed under 1,000 calories a day for almost a year and a half and lost a whole lot of weight pretty quickly. However I have struggled with making it sustainable. I think the low calorie thing created some metabolic problems for me, and I have had a lot of trouble adjusting to maintenance. However I am very happy to have lost the weight, and am not sure I would do it differently. It is tempting to say I would eat a few more calories and lose the weight more slowly. I do think that would have made some things easier, however without the positive reinforcement of seeing the weight loss I am not sure I would have stayed on the diet. Who knows...

I do suggest you discuss it with your doctor, 800 calories a day is not safe for everyone. True of anything under about 1,200 a day for men. I did and my doctor gave me the ok.

I weighed most every day from the beginning of my diet, and as you say it does help you better understand short term fluctuations. You should consider posting your weight daily to the weigh yourself everyday thread. https://www.fitness.com/en/forum/threads/weigh-yourself-everyday-club.297534/page-433#post-9664745 I have found recording it everyday makes me a bit more accountable.

Hi alligatorob, i think my daily cals are more like in the 800-1000 range as i didnt count my nibbles when i worked it out earlier. i understand what you're saying, i am going to be very careful and i 100% know cals this low is not a solution long term. i'm due to see a nurse for an annual health check on 9th june and i will mention my diet to her to get her opinion.

thanks for the link to the weigh yourself everyday thread, i will post my daily weight on there.

 

[Tyke]

I did something similar back in 2007 & lost 36 kg in 6 months. I think it stuffed my metabolism & really struggle to stay within 10 kg of maintenance. I think seeing a doctor would be a smart idea, but slowing it down might be a smart move anyway.

yeh i am gonna be careful and i can well see my cals intake going up a bit in x amount of time after ive shifted a decent amount of weight. maybe when i start doing gentle exercise.

 

[Tyke]

i do get everyones points (thank u) about the 800 cal being too low and its a great point about maintaining muscle mass (i hope within the coming months to start a little resistance weight training), i think i am in the 800-1000 range when counting my nibbles on nuts and cheese and chicken.

i guess i'm a little impatient, i get bored with things if they go too slow, i don't have the attention span and attention to detail of some others unfortunately. i want to hit my mini goal of 14st and hopefully my main goal (but that would be tough) of 11-12st within 1 year.

today i weighed 19'11 / 277lbs so ive lost 23lbs in 1 month exactly. i am pleased with that but i appreciate we lose faster at the start of a diet, i know this will probably not continue. here are my pics taken today 21st may 2022.

 

[Llama]

You're looking smaller already! I understand the impatience and I'm glad you'll be talking to a nurse.

 

[Skurgeon]

I have breakfasts some days that are more than 800 calories.

I’m 5’10 and started at over 400 pounds and have lost almost 200 pounds while keeping and putting on significant amounts of muscle. I’m 48 years old and currently eat 2700 to 3000 calories per day.

Its nice to see big weight loss numbers but you risk a portion of that weight loss coming from muscle loss. We’re all different but I was losing 2 pounds a week at 2250 calories. I did this for over a year. I also did it while eating lots of carbs. I’m not against low carb, just giving you another perspective.

Try not to lose more than 1% of your body weight per week. At 277 pounds that’s 2.77. It’s easy math and if you’re eating enough protein while getting some resistance training it may help in muscle retention.

 

[alligatorob]

At 800 calories you risk loss of bone density and you will loose muscle.

I am pretty sure I lost muscle as I lost my weight. Been trying to lift weights to build some back, but that is a slow process. I think if I had lost more slowly I would have lost less muscle. Listen to Trusylver, she is an expert on this, I am not.

i guess i'm a little impatient, i get bored with things if they go too slow, i don't have the attention span and attention to detail of some others unfortunately.

Now being impatient is something I have real expertise with. All of us feel this way about losing weight and getting into shape, so don't feel along in this one. They way I try to manage it is just to set a goal of doing well today and not think too much about the longer term. If you can do well today the weight will come off.

Oh, and congrats on the great weight loss!

 

[Tyke]

I have breakfasts some days that are more than 800 calories.

I’m 5’10 and started at over 400 pounds and have lost almost 200 pounds while keeping and putting on significant amounts of muscle. I’m 48 years old and currently eat 2700 to 3000 calories per day.

Its nice to see big weight loss numbers but you risk a portion of that weight loss coming from muscle loss. We’re all different but I was losing 2 pounds a week at 2250 calories. I did this for over a year. I also did it while eating lots of carbs. I’m not against low carb, just giving you another perspective.

Try not to lose more than 1% of your body weight per week. At 277 pounds that’s 2.77. It’s easy math and if you’re eating enough protein while getting some resistance training it may help in muscle retention.

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You've got some great solid mass there! It's obvious you've put in some effort and it sounds like you've had quite the transformation, well done . I will deffo within a few months buy a weights bench and a couple of light dumbells to do some exercises in my yard. I have been into weight training some years ago so know the basics.