I Want To Lose Weight But I'm Having A Bad Time At It

[ResidentEvil7]

I had a wake up call from my health last night because I noticed my weight has been greatly gone up, especially in the belly area. I want to lose weight badly (I'm 280 pounds) and it seems like no matter what adjustments I need to do, I just can't get my weight to go down. When I lift my belly up with my hands, it feels like lifting weights, it's so heavy. I want my 41 year old body to look like it did when I was in high school where I took strength training in my senior year and got in better shape.

I eat right for the most part:
Fish - tilapia, salmon, cod and sushi
Grilled chicken breast with avocado oil on top with Mrs. Dash and lemon pepper
Vegetables: mushrooms, white onions, broccoli, spinach, kale, green onions, salads, celery
Fruits: blueberries, strawberries, grapes, apples
Drinks: Homemade Japanese matcha latte with milk, milk, 0 sugar/0 calorie Pepsi, tea with some sugar for extra flavor, I wake up with Amino Energy, ISO-100 protein shake
Other: whole wheat bread, white rice, eggs

My mom thinks it's not the food I'm eating that is keeping my weight on, but the portion sizes and lack of activity. I will admit I do eat a lot per meal and I barely workout. I did do a resistance band workout for a half hour this afternoon, but I didn't sweat, which is funny because I sweat easily.

Does anyone on this board have any suggestions of workout stories you want to share? Maybe I can learn from your guy's experiences.

[BornAgain]

Sounds hard but intermittent fasting might help. You mentally adjust to it and no longer get hungry in the morning. Coffee can help suppress appetite.

Just a suggestion. Won’t work for everyone. Even when I did this I had to learn that I still can’t pig out at the end of the day if I want to lose weight.

[joe-eyeball]

Weight loss is really only about one thing and that is thermodynamics. If you burn more calories than you consume you cannot gain weight in fat. All the cardio, weight training, or any exercise will not do a damn thing if you are pouring more calories in than going out. You may be able to run farther or even gain significant muscle mass but you will not burn fat.

There are only three things anyone needs to lose weight and get on the road to becoming healthier. The hard thing is these three things are the biggest challenges for most people.

1. Do something!

What I mean by do something is find an exercise or exercises that you are able to do and do well. In the beginning especially do not torture yourself by doing things you are not comfortable doing yet or absolutely hate. You need to establish good habits so do what you do best and work your way up to other things. This can be simple as short distance jogs, to hiking, weight trading, or even a fair amount of walking. I would suggest that you focus on any exercise that you can do and not completely hate or be miserable doing. Don’t be in a hurry. Start slow and increase the duration and intensity of the exercise over time.

2. Do it often!

This is pretty self explanatory. Whatever it is you’ve chosen as your exercise you must commit to do it regularly. Again try it 3 times a week and then increase as you become accustomed to it. If you choose weights I would recommend each major muscle group two to three times a week. Honestly most would be fine with upper body training 2–3 times a week and lower body and core just twice. It’s different for everybody. Cardio is totally fine to do everyday as long as you listen to your body and take a rest day if needed.

3. Calories in vs. calories out!

It’s difficult but controlling how much you eat is the absolute most important thing for weight loss. Without it, it doesn’t matter how much you work out. You won’t burn the fat. You can’t out exercise your fork if you constantly over eat. I tell people to make a list of all the things you eat on a regular basis. Then put the stuff that is truly healthy on one side and look at what is left on the unhealthy side. Then see if there is a healthier alternative to these items that you can allow into your diet every now and then. Also eat more of the stuff on the healthy side of the list and limit the stuff on the alternative side.

So eat more of the things on the left and sprinkle in some fun stuff occasionally. High protein is also a good idea because protein keeps you fuller longer and even burns more calories to digest. Carbohydrates especially in the form of fruit is also great as opposed to grains and pasta. Although those items are fine as well as long as portions are under control. Also as you start out it’s perfectly fine and even necessary for some to track Calories and protein until you get an understanding of your diet.

A calorie deficit of 300-500 calories a day is doable for most and very safe. If you are consistent with a 500 calorie deficit each day that will equal 1 pound of body fat burned per week. Remember to go slow and do yourself a favor and do not constantly step on the scale several times a day or even every day because it can derail your efforts. You will know within a few weeks of having established good habits that it’s all working as planned and executed.

There is a lot more I could say but take from this what you will. A fitness journey is difficult but definitely rewarding. I do something everyday to strengthen my body and believe me most days I do not want to do it but there is no other way to keep yourself stronger longer as you age. For me, exercising daily keeps me down the right path. I have very often dreaded starting a run or a weight training session but I have never regretted it and how I felt after that session was done. I hope you find some of this useful and I apologize for being so long winded! Good luck and take care!

[ResidentEvil7]

I noticed in the past when I worked out in my old basement in the last house I lived in that when I was done, I kept pooping more and it came out darker than normal. Is this normal, or is it something that my body is releasing something that was stuck in my digestive system? Also another thing I hate about working out is that I sometimes feel like throwing up, but that's after I eat. When I decide to workout, I now do it without eating until I'm done. Take today, for example; I did 30 or so minutes of resistance band arm work and then after I was finished, I ate 4 toast with guacamole and an egg on top.

[Andrew NDB]

Sounds like you're on the way. Just lose the bread and rice and eggs. Stick with egg whites. Drink lots of water. Snack on cucumber (put cucumber pieces in vinegar with white onion slices to make cucumber salad for a treat).

[ResidentEvil7]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Sounds like you're on the way.

On my way? I'm 280 pounds and my weight won't move either up nor down. I eat the healthy foods about 90% of the time. The thing is, I eat everything on my plate until I'm full, even if it means eating a whole Red Baron pizza in one sitting. Those pizzas are good, but I like Papa John's better.

I'm starting to think, based on what has been told here and by my mom that I just need to eat smaller portions and be more active. I used to be more active in school, but was a junk food junkie back then. But I wasn't overweight and I did weight training in my high school PE class in my senior year. Back then I was still learning the different muscle groups and how to lift weights.

I like to look like the guy in the image below. It comes from a 1990 BowFlex commercial I uploaded on YouTube.

[FredWolfLeonardo]

How many meals a day do you eat?

I eat 2 large meals a day and went from 113kg to 83kg and have kept it off for years.

The human body, when you account for our history and living conditions, is accustomed to feasting followed by long periods of going without food. Going for periods without food will also increase youe general mobility, allowing you to exercise more without worrying about disturbing your digestion.

I do agree that calories in vs calories out is right, but its important to know how to maintain that caloric deficit in a way that keeps you happy. I can tell from personal experiences, two meals a day (strictly no snacks) will keep you much fuller than the health advice to constantly snack throughout the day which has failed to address obesity.

[Roseangelo]

Eating less is going to be the key for you.

Exercise is important to gain general fitness, but don't count on getting much of a calorie advantage from it.

[ResidentEvil7]

Originally Posted by FredWolfLeonardo

How many meals a day do you eat?

Mostly just 1 large meal at 5:30 PM. Sometimes I'll have a second meal. Occasionally I'll have a small snack which is usually fruit, celery with reduced fat Jiff peanut butter. Once a month or two, I go to the sushi bar and enjoy myself some all-you-can eat sushi and Chinese food. On the weekends for the past 14 or so months my mom and stepdad and me go out to lunch and get the chicken/shrimp cob salad over at Miller Ale restaurant and bar. But because the salads and Coors Light beers are filling enough that I don't eat a second meal on that day. Every once in a blue moon, I'll go to the nearby bar to have all-you-can eat fish fry and 1 beer and the last time I went to my local bar was the Friday before Christmas.

Tonight I regret having 2 cups of Kukitcha Japanese twig tea, no sugar of course, because it's almost 1 AM and I'm still wide awake. I tend to drink a lot of tea with a little sugar in it for pleasure flavoring and for sometimes health reasons. I heard Japanese teas like Matcha, kukitcha, oolong, sencha, and green teas are good for health and weight management.

[Mayhem]

Small snacking meals is generally better than fewer larger ones for losing weight. Calories in vs calories out isn't the be all end all, but it's a good start, it's way more complex than that. Everyone is different which is why no set of advice will work for everyone. If it did, that person would be the only rich diet advice person out there.

From what you listed above, I'd drop the lattes and diet drinks - the former has more calories than you think, and diet drinks are generally worse for your metabolism than proper soda because it screws with your body's response to detecting a sweet taste versus actual calorie intake. If you body thinks oh its sweet but there's no calories for everything, you can either end up with higher blood sugar levels or it gets processed into fat and stored to take it away from your circulatory system.

Also as everyone else has noted, watch your portion sizes and you need to exercise to raise your metabolic level and start burning some of the stored fat.

[IMJ]

Fasting doesn't make you lose weight. I'll say it again for everyone who just gasped and laughed at that - fasting doesn't make you lose weight.
Fasting does help your body clear out senescent and ravenous cells. But when you fast your body learns to store fat longer and more quickly to get through the fasts. The weight comes back immediately after a fast because your body goes into "storage mode".

What you need to do is very simple -
1. Create a caloric deficit, but not by 'dieting' and eating yuppie **** like "1 half piece of toast and 2 egg whites". That's all bull $@!(. Instead you need to create a caloric deficit through activity by making your body chew threw what you eat.

2. Eat until you are FULL. Don't listen to the standard person who has never been in great shape who tells you to shrink portion sizes and all of that cliche nonsense. When I was jacked AF in the past I followed my cravings because your body needs specific things for fuel. Eat until you are full, but eat the right stuff. High protein filler tends to be the best - quinoa as a base for things like "chicken and quinoa". Don't shrink your portions, instead use food as "fuel" rather than as psychological gratification.

If you don't know how to get started on your own, then go to Costco, buy their Quinoa "salad" (which has very few greens in it actually), buy one of their roteisserie chickens and put it all together with an avocado in it and eat that. Then you'll understand immediately what you should be eating.

If you can actually bring yourself to work out, do it until you are fatigued (not 'sore' -- I was a personal trainer and I can't tell you how many people think a good work out means walking out going "Oh he made me so sore, it was great!" That's more clown show nonsense). Workout until you are fatigued and drink a protein shake immediately after you are done working out. Try Isopure if you think you want the sugars, or Carnivore Mass if you want the muscle bulk. When I was in tactical I used Carnivore Mass and after maybe two weeks the muscle just starts banding on to your frame.

That's it. That's the only answer. Eat until you are full and create a caloric deficit not by limiting what you eat, but by making your body burn through the food. Anything else is yuppie bull $#!(. The yuppie bull $#!( is why so many people stay fat and then create more yuppie bull $#!( to solve the problem.

Lastly, if you have some kind of real health problem then go to your doctor and get on Ozempic. Drink protein shakes only if you workout. If you workout the shakes convert to muscle, if you drink them and don't work out then they are nothing more than cancer fuel.

[Cowabung-Gal]

I’ve been told often, you don’t have to give up the fatty foods that you love, but you could just cut the amount you eat by half and also walk at least 4 times a day for 30 minutes to an hour.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by ResidentEvil7

On my way? I'm 280 pounds and my weight won't move either up nor down. I eat the healthy foods about 90% of the time. The thing is, I eat everything on my plate until I'm full, even if it means eating a whole Red Baron pizza in one sitting. Those pizzas are good, but I like Papa John's better.

Oh, I didn't catch anything about wolfing down whole pizzas there in the OP. That speaks to a "control issue."

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Oh, I didn't catch anything about wolfing down whole pizzas there in the OP. That speaks to a "control issue."

Exactly. Bringing us back to - eat until you are full, always. Make your body chew through the food because that requires work. But eat good foods until you are full. Lots of base proteins and things that make bulk underneath the actual food.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by IMJ

Make your body chew through the food because that requires work.

This is why I despise foods like octopus and squid. Chew chew chew and you get nowhere.

[Roseangelo]

Dude needs to eat a whole lot less, bottom line.

[IndigoErth]

Originally Posted by ResidentEvil7

Mostly just 1 large meal at 5:30 PM. Sometimes I'll have a second meal.

Is that second then even later in the evening? Alongside watching the quantities, you might be careful how late you're eating as well. Since digestion slows and might lead to storing those late calories instead of burning them.



I've been fortunate to not deal with weight issues through life, so I'm not much help as far as experience goes, though I've still noticed that things change a bit after 40 -- speaking as a woman, since some of that is prob hormonal, but I know men aren't exactly spared from it either -- and have put on some I didn't used to have, so I'm trying to get smarter about it before I regret my lifelong eating habits.

One of my main struggles is cutting out the bedtime snacks and trying not to eat too late. I've always loved a bedtime snack, and chips any time of day, but trying to wean myself off them for the most part seemed to help. Fell off that wagon around/after the holidays and put 5 lbs on, so I'm trying to get back to it. (I blame the chocolate and cheese-related gifts, but that stuff was good.)

I'm also trying to choose snacks with little or no saturated fat and somewhat try to limit it with meals. I check the nutrition label on stuff in stores now and if something has bunch of it I usually pass on it or keep it a rare purchase. And if I'm gonna eat something that has a bunch of it -- such as something full of cheese or the bowl of chili I just had for lunch -- I try to remember to take a glass of the (store brand) Metamucil fiber powder just before eating because it supposedly helps trap and reduce the amount of fat and cholesterol that is absorbed by the digestive tract.

IF I really feel the need for a snack at or soon before bed, I'm trying to pick stuff with no saturated fat, such as a pack of flavored tuna (esp love the lemon pepper one) and a few crackers. (Some snack crackers, such as Triscuits, also don't have any and my fave Balsamic Vinegar flavor helps hit those particular flavor cravings.)


As far as needing to use the bathroom more after doing workouts, it's probably just because physical activity does help the digestive tract function better and move things through faster.

[ResidentEvil7]

Originally Posted by IMJ

Costco, buy their rotisserie chickens

If you can actually bring yourself to work out, do it until you are fatigued (not 'sore' -- I was a personal trainer and I can't tell you how many people think a good work out means walking out going "Oh he made me so sore, it was great!" That's more clown show nonsense). Workout until you are fatigued and drink a protein shake immediately after you are done working out. Try Isopure

I love those Costco chickens; they're big, juicy, flavorful and cheap.

As far as protein shakes go, how good is Dymatize ISO-100? That's what I drink and in milk. I saw a video on YouTube and it said that ISO-100 is the second best protein powder shake right behind Optimum Nutrition Whey. I found a store site on the Net where I can get this supplement for $84 for 5 pounds, where it would of costed $120 on eBay for the same flavor and size.

[DarkFell]

Refrain from eating sugary and processed foods in large quantities and limit the soda (yes, diet sodas too) and other sugary drinks. That might help you win part of the battle since they're usually the main villains to weight gain.

Also, people can put on the pounds as they age, have babies, deal with stress, etc. That's completely normal.

Try out different physical activities that you can do at home and with other people. It can be a great serotonin and dopamine boost. Walking (if you have a dog, it'll want to go too), skating, cycling, and running are good ways to start. Some public parks even have their own exercise equipment if you look around.

There's nothing wrong with doing a few crunches, lifting weights, push-ups, or owning an exercise bike at home.

Good luck.

[ResidentEvil7]

I think I found a more economical alternative to soda and that is sparkling flavored water from Meijer. My mom let me have 2 this evening and I found it enjoyable. I just sure hope Meijer takes SNAP food stamps.

I have a GT Aggressor mountain bike that's been sitting in the basement for the past year and when the weather gets better on a normal basis, I'll do some basic maintenance on it to get it going and then I'll go out. Back in my old neighborhood, before my dad passed, I used to bike ride every good weather day for like 2 - 3 hours down the bike trail in Kane County, IL, listening to my Conan The Barbarian soundtrack on my iPod. I stopped at some point because sitting on the bike seat, which is a replacement, felt like sitting on sharp razor blades on my rear end. I had a great time and I would bike ride like a spring/summer routine. I even rode my bike on some days where it poured and lightening crashing down. I remember one time I was 6 or so miles away from home coming back from Best Buy and my rear tire got flat and I had to walk the whole way back in pouring cold rain.

I do want to thank all of you guys for the support, because it means a lot to me.