Weight Loss Thread

I think I have managed to reach a middle ground with my OCD and weight loss goals. So far I seem to be at my most sane when entering food / weighing myself daily and only analyzing that data weekly. The daily weighing has helped more than the suspense / sense of dread of weekly or longer. Not popping in and out of my spreadsheets to report 10s of calorie differences has helped to relax the compulsive checking and forecasting. All in all, good stuff so far.

It also helps to be back on the loss bandwagon after kind of hovering for 3 - 4 weeks. I should be able to maintain this rate and hopefully hit my goal of 150 - 155 lbs. (8-10% BF) this year slightly before the holidays. Just in time to gain it all back. The good news is I am starting to see horizontal separation in the upper ab area that has never manifested before. While I may never get a six pack, knowing that I can probably get four is pretty cool. I am trying random loose skin remedies (dermaroller / gotu kola) because 'why not, the price is right', but I am not expecting much to change. However, if it does, I'll take it.

Just to keep up with some variety I have changed the way I eat to be a 16/8 fast, only eating between 12p and 8p. I still eat the same content more or less, just in a condensed time period. The main reason for this is wanting to feel 'full' without slipping off the diet or exceeding my calories. Eating the usual of 1800 - 2000 calories can actually be rather difficult in this shorter window, especially work out days. So far I like it, I am not sure it will make it into my usual routine past the month or so I am trying it. I am a little over 3 weeks into it so far and it hasn't been too challenging, it is mostly mental initially. The other added benefit is it has helped with the 'only thinking about my next meal' problem when eating smaller more frequent meals.

You have got to be like 5'6" or so (my height!) if 150-155 is anything resembling a goal. And that is super thin for that height. If you don't see a 6pack at 10% bodyfat, you are not at 10% bodyfat hah. Even genetics has to pay a serious toll to standard bodyfat makeup, and unless you are made of air and the dreams of small children, your weight loss goal will put you into visible abs without question. Really that stuff should be starting to become visible at 15% without looking airbrushed. At 10% it will be obvious.

Don't drop below 800 calories a day more than once a week, btw. You will trigger (well, most likely you will trigger) starvation mode in which you won't be burning fat nearly as effectively. Fasting one day a week is pretty effective overall, but still not something I would say you should do long-term. Your body uses a lot of fast acting sugars doing random stuff, and depriving it of that and telling it to "use backups!" will only get a certain % of results. My apologies if you weren't talking that type of fasting.

I am not doing alternate day or multiple day fasting at all. I am not sure I am ready for not eating food for that length of time. I still enjoy eating too much. This is just some plans fancy way of saying 'I skip breakfast'. I still eat normally, for me (targeted ketogenic diet), on a day to day basis.

I am approximately 5'9" for height. I have no baseline for my body image / appearance. It would seem as long as I have this extra weight around my midsection I will consider myself fat. For me, the plan has been to get skinny / low body fat, maintain for 6 - 12 months, evaluate, choose next direction. The 6 - 12 months in the middle will be used to realign myself mentally and hopefully reclaim some loose skin. The mental part is an ongoing process just getting comfortable with weight fluctuation around a central point and developing a better body image. I am slowly getting there, just takes some time.

I was thinking the same thing..150-155 is pretty light unless you're a fairly short guy.

What's your weightlifting routine consist of?

So I got a bit heavy over the last few years. Went back and forth between overweight and heavy through the birth of two kids and lack of exercise. For reference nice I was in damn good shape 3 years ago at like 205 (I'm 6'2 with a big frame).

Running around with my kid really winded me so I had to get back into health mode. I don't have time to go to the gym so I have to do at home stuff. I've been doing that T25 program. Been almost two months and I'm down to 220. Feels good man. A healthy weight for me is probably another 10 pounds I think.

edit:
I think I would happy with another 10 pounds drop, but I'd love to get down to 200 again. I always used to bulk and lift heavy, but I'm trying for lean now that I'm older (35). I'm starting a new job in a few weeks with more travel and I'm not sure if I can maintain my 5x a week workout. I'd love to get out of this T25 program and hit up Insanity or P90x.

I don't do any weight training currently, just bench pressing other dudes off me via Jiu Jitsu. BJJ basically resembles an HIIT workout that primarily works my core with nearly every other muscle engaged at some point during a roll. It doesn't do much for building muscle but it has definitely increased my strength and stability overall. The eventual goal will be to supplement BJJ with a 5x5 routine of some sort to add some mass. I just don't like 'working out' so I procrastinate / find reasons not to do it which I am definitely great at.

Ubiquitrips_sl said:

I don't do any weight training currently, just bench pressing other dudes off me via Jiu Jitsu. BJJ basically resembles an HIIT workout that primarily works my core with nearly every other muscle engaged at some point during a roll. It doesn't do much for building muscle but it has definitely increased my strength and stability overall. The eventual goal will be to supplement BJJ with a 5x5 routine of some sort to add some mass. I just don't like 'working out' so I procrastinate / find reasons not to do it which I am definitely great at.

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Don't like it or aren't confident in what you're doing? When you were lifting, what were you doing? Do you think if you tailored a routine geared more towards bjj and not just something like 5x5 it would get you to lift more? Nothing against 5x5, its a good place to start for general lifting/strength, but if you're into bjj, your training routine should reflect that.

I like where your head is at. I never really had an active hobby before this one so, when I tried to do weight training, whatever I did was largely unfocused. The only reason for 5x5 is it is because that is basically what the internet says to do as a starter routine on both the fitness and BJJ side of the communities. May have to do some additional research and see if tying certain things to specific goals in BJJ would help motivation.

Amusingly enough, someone basically posted this question on /r/fitness today and 'Westside for Skinny Bastards' was posted as a resource. Looks like I have more to review.

Westside for Skinny Bastards, Part III - Official Website of Joe DeFranco DeFranco's Gym!

Rezz_sl said:

You have got to be like 5'6" or so (my height!) if 150-155 is anything resembling a goal. And that is super thin for that height. I.

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I don't know if I misinterpreted this...but, 150-155 for 5'6 is not super thin. I know because I'm also 5'6 and 150lbs, haha.

Ubiquitrips_sl said:

I like where your head is at. I never really had an active hobby before this one so, when I tried to do weight training, whatever I did was largely unfocused. The only reason for 5x5 is it is because that is basically what the internet says to do as a starter routine on both the fitness and BJJ side of the communities. May have to do some additional research and see if tying certain things to specific goals in BJJ would help motivation.

Amusingly enough, someone basically posted this question on /r/fitness today and 'Westside for Skinny Bastards' was posted as a resource. Looks like I have more to review.

Westside for Skinny Bastards, Part III - Official Website of Joe DeFranco DeFranco??Ts Gym!

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I've tried 5x5, Starting Strength and a few others.

For the last year, I've stuck with GSLP, and I think it's great. I do Krav Maga as well, and GSLP + arms plugin works out well.

Alright, super thin was definitely a mildly alcoholically empowered statement and not really accurate. But, if you have muscle mass on you, 5'6" and 150 would generally look pretty ripped. Aside from that being a dumbish statement (though I would say that if you were anything above 5'6" and weighed that much, you should look pretty shredded most of the time) the rest of the concept was pretty accurate. If you are sub 15% bodyfat, you know where your abs are from a glance. Sub 10% and they are definitely visible, genetics or not.

Cad_sl said:

Skinny shaming is a real thing now. I got asked if I had an eating disorder because I'm "emaciated" at a family gathering and I'm 183-185lbs. Fucking retards walking around these days think everyone should be huge.

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Yea... I'm at 180 at 5'8" and I think if I dropped 20lbs, even accounting for muscle loss, I'd be pretty ripped. I'm guessing I'm around 15ish% bodyfat right now, maybe the lowest I've ever been in my life... but I still have a huge ass gut.

Ubiquitrips_sl said:

I like where your head is at. I never really had an active hobby before this one so, when I tried to do weight training, whatever I did was largely unfocused. The only reason for 5x5 is it is because that is basically what the internet says to do as a starter routine on both the fitness and BJJ side of the communities. May have to do some additional research and see if tying certain things to specific goals in BJJ would help motivation.

Amusingly enough, someone basically posted this question on /r/fitness today and 'Westside for Skinny Bastards' was posted as a resource. Looks like I have more to review.

Westside for Skinny Bastards, Part III - Official Website of Joe DeFranco DeFranco??Ts Gym!

Click to expand...

5x5 is a good starting program if you've never weight lifted before.... If you have any other goals other than "learn to weight lift" you should probably try something else.

5x5 becomes garbage after like 3 months. Jump on a real program, or learn how to build one yourself.

I currently run GZCL, but I'm most likely going to begin the Bulgarian Method for squatting once I come back from vacation and use GZCL's template for bench and deadlift.

Ever not have carbs for a day? I become foggy and irritated. No way I could fast for 2 days.