Weight Loss Thread
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Gravel
Mr. Poopybutthole
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Quit doing single side exercises? I guarantee if you back squat with a barbell for 4-6 weeks (2-3 times a week) that you'll even out.
Bench press is the area where you can always tell someone who just started lifting. They'llalwayshave a lopsided bench. But in a few weeks it evens out.
Unless you've got an injury or you've been lifting for a while, there's absolutely no reason to be doing single sided exercises.
Itlan
Blackwing Lair Raider
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Gravel
Mr. Poopybutthole
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Fair enough. How long have you been squatting? It shouldn't take all that long to balance out (essentially you should just be countering body weight + a little extra).
You should look into bulgarian split squats. They're probably a better choice than single leg press. I do them to finish my leg days and they're absolutely brutal. They're really good for your glutes too.
Guvnah
Lord Nagafen Raider
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I could use some help getting a plan into place to lose weight.
I'm 6', 255lbs, 40" waist. I've been dieting on and off for years most recently and successfully using a combination of MyFitnessPal (Guvnah) and exercise (Weightlifting).
I have limited time to work out, but do so fairly routinely over the lunch break. My standard workout is 60 mins of weightlifting followed by a small amount of jogging. I use a heart rate monitor (Polar FT7) during my workout and routinely burn 500 calories per session. The monitor uses a chest strap and knows my weight and age . so I feel fairly confident it is accurate.
As for food . I eat ok. Most mornings I rock the Clif bar. Lunch is normally turkey or grilled chicken sandwich from the student center at our University. Dinner I cook and make something reasonable. Problem areas with food are beer, 4pm-6pm snacking, portion size. I have a fairly serious disconnect with feeling full and eating appropriate portions.
Diet plans: I've been eating less, moving more for ~2 years now and have really plateaued. I feel like I need to change things up a bit . lose some weight . then switch back to the sustainable model I'm on now. I've been considering a low carb or paleo diet as a short term tool to lose weight, then go back into my maintenance mode of eat less, move more.
Thoughts/Ideas?
I'm 6', 255lbs, 40" waist. I've been dieting on and off for years most recently and successfully using a combination of MyFitnessPal (Guvnah) and exercise (Weightlifting).
I have limited time to work out, but do so fairly routinely over the lunch break. My standard workout is 60 mins of weightlifting followed by a small amount of jogging. I use a heart rate monitor (Polar FT7) during my workout and routinely burn 500 calories per session. The monitor uses a chest strap and knows my weight and age . so I feel fairly confident it is accurate.
As for food . I eat ok. Most mornings I rock the Clif bar. Lunch is normally turkey or grilled chicken sandwich from the student center at our University. Dinner I cook and make something reasonable. Problem areas with food are beer, 4pm-6pm snacking, portion size. I have a fairly serious disconnect with feeling full and eating appropriate portions.
Diet plans: I've been eating less, moving more for ~2 years now and have really plateaued. I feel like I need to change things up a bit . lose some weight . then switch back to the sustainable model I'm on now. I've been considering a low carb or paleo diet as a short term tool to lose weight, then go back into my maintenance mode of eat less, move more.
Thoughts/Ideas?
Gravel
Mr. Poopybutthole
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Get this figured out first. Ok isn't going to cut it. I also recommend you stay far away from any type of bars. Clif bars are specifically meant to be calorie dense for people who need something small they can take with them for hiking or other strenuous activity. They're not meant to be a meal replacement.
You apparently have identified your problem areas, it's just a matter of getting the self control to address them.
Personally, I feel like counting calories for at least a month is one of the most important things you can do. It allows you to figure out how many calories you'reactuallyeating, as well as figuring out where your actual daily calorie expenditure is based on tracking your weight during that time period. But a lot of people say that's ridiculous and just causes people to get frustrated. So that's up to you.
I wouldn't recommend going with paleo, but low carb definitely works. The reason I like counting calories for a while is that it allows you to work in cheat meals while keeping calories within your daily/weekly goals. Without that, you're just guessing. But I think cheat meals are very important for not getting frustrated by eating foods you don't necessarily like. It's a lot easier to stick with it when you can allow yourself pizza or ice cream every once in a while.
Calculate the portion sizes and stick to it. Also drink half a liter of water or more prior to eating meals.(helps with overeating, and making you feel full).
Not sure how juicy those sandwiches are, but consider replacing it with homecooked chicken, tuna or similar with plenty of salad. Frying an extra piece of meat for the day after when you are making dinner anyways takes 2 minutes, and making salad is a breeze - just make it a habbit.
Eat a banana / drink water for the 4-6 pm snacks, or a slice of rye bread with something low carb on it.
Cut out soda and softdrinks entirely and replace it with plenty of water(if you havent already) - Life shouldnt suck entirely, but if you can, cut down on the beers - I wouldnt call em poison, but beers alone can fuck up a good diet.
Im not sure what kind og weightlifting you do - but crossfit type training mixed in with heavy weights probably aint bad or just keep the tempo high doing your regular workout. Also - it might be worth it to replace some of the weight days with cardio as primary.
Jogging is important. Weights are nice, but the core of loosing weight comes from running imo. Replace half the normal jogging days with a short warmup followed by high intensity Interval training and a regular chillout run to finish it off. Running sucks ass in my eyes. but if you really wanna loose weight its key.
If you can afford the time - do some ruck marching at a descent tempo once or twice a week. Like a 10-15km march(7-10 miles or so) - start out slow if you havent done it before, and add miles.
Not sure how juicy those sandwiches are, but consider replacing it with homecooked chicken, tuna or similar with plenty of salad. Frying an extra piece of meat for the day after when you are making dinner anyways takes 2 minutes, and making salad is a breeze - just make it a habbit.
Eat a banana / drink water for the 4-6 pm snacks, or a slice of rye bread with something low carb on it.
Cut out soda and softdrinks entirely and replace it with plenty of water(if you havent already) - Life shouldnt suck entirely, but if you can, cut down on the beers - I wouldnt call em poison, but beers alone can fuck up a good diet.
Im not sure what kind og weightlifting you do - but crossfit type training mixed in with heavy weights probably aint bad or just keep the tempo high doing your regular workout. Also - it might be worth it to replace some of the weight days with cardio as primary.
Jogging is important. Weights are nice, but the core of loosing weight comes from running imo. Replace half the normal jogging days with a short warmup followed by high intensity Interval training and a regular chillout run to finish it off. Running sucks ass in my eyes. but if you really wanna loose weight its key.
If you can afford the time - do some ruck marching at a descent tempo once or twice a week. Like a 10-15km march(7-10 miles or so) - start out slow if you havent done it before, and add miles.
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One way to cut out a ton of calories is just not eat lunch, or just have a protein (low carb) bar. Or one of them meal replacement drinks.
Going out with the guys at lunch killed me. Indian, Thai, Chinese, Mediterranean, Burgers, Mexican... Shit im thinking about all this now and its making me hungry lol. Plus its saving me a ton of money.
Going out with the guys at lunch killed me. Indian, Thai, Chinese, Mediterranean, Burgers, Mexican... Shit im thinking about all this now and its making me hungry lol. Plus its saving me a ton of money.
Fifey
Trakanon Raider
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For elurin, only been lifting for 3ish months now but only being serious(3x a week) for the last month or so, so yeah im I'm rather new to it. My lower back is the weak point for my squats but I'm not doing too bad imo, max 5x rep is 185 at 165 body weight.
Also, I agree with the guy above me. Cutting out sodais going to be a big one and lots of cardio.
Also, I agree with the guy above me. Cutting out sodais going to be a big one and lots of cardio.
Guvnah
Lord Nagafen Raider
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Using MyFitnessPal ? I have counted calories a lot over the past few years and understand the calorie levels of the food I am eating and was the main reason I was able to drop 30 lbs and keep it off. It helped me quite a bit to understand what to eat but is hard to stay diligent entering the same thing all day every day. With MyFitnessPal and calorie counting, I dropped the 30 fairly easily but then really plateaued and have had a hard time moving past it ? thus my desire to switch things up.
I mostly said I eat OK because it is really hard and wordy to get into food habits on a forum. Here?s some of my go to?s:
Breakfast:
Pretty much anything I eat is going to be ~300 calories ? does it matter that it is a Clif Bar? I have done Panera Power Sandwiches and Subway Ham+Egg+Cheese too ? Clif bars are just cheap and I?m not starving by lunch.
Standard lunch:
Item+serving -- Calories -- Carbs -- Fat -- Protein -- Sodium -- Sugar
Mizzou Domundo's - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, 113 g -- 129 -- 37 -- 8 -- 24 -- 1020 -- 13
Kc Masterpiece - Hot 'n Spicy Bbq Sauce, 4 tbs -- 90 -- 22 -- 0 -- 0 -- 620 -- 18
Mizzou Domundo's - Turkey (No Bun), 4 oz -- 152 -- 5 -- 6 -- 19 -- 630 -- 3
Nature's Own - 100% Whole Wheat Hamburger Bun, 1 bun -- 130 -- 24 -- 2 -- 6 -- 190 -- 2
Mizzou Domundo's - Green Beans, 142 g -- 62 -- 8 -- 2 -- 0 -- 142 -- 0
Dinner:
Normally some chicken or turkey with a couple bags of Green Giant or Birds Eye frozen veggie steam bags.
Soda:
I drink diet soda with some regularity ? does it matter if I drink it or water? I drink a lot more water than I used to ? but still like the caffeine and taste of soda.
Weightlifting:
My weightlifting is moderately serious/heavy weightlifting ~4 times a week (Arms/Chest/Shoulders/Back/Legs). I don?t feel like I need to get bigger than I am, but it seems to be a good way to burn calories and have a decent time doing it. I have a very hard time keeping at cardio activities. Do I need to do cardio if my weightlifting keeps my heart rate up and is burning ~500 calories per day? With my frame and size, I worry about the long term effects of jogging on my knees.
Cardio:
On the effectiveness of jogging ... my understanding of dieting and exercise is that if I go jog, I need to eat those calories back to get to my BMR-deficit. So MFP tells me my BMR is ~2650 calories and to lose 2lbs per week I should be eating 1650 calories per day. If I burn 300 calories while jogging, I need to eat 1950 calories or I start losing muscle. So, in my mind, the effectiveness of jogging is that I get more padding each day to eat things I want and don't have to be as strict. Does it matter if I burn those calories through jogging, walking, or weightlifting?
I mostly said I eat OK because it is really hard and wordy to get into food habits on a forum. Here?s some of my go to?s:
Breakfast:
Pretty much anything I eat is going to be ~300 calories ? does it matter that it is a Clif Bar? I have done Panera Power Sandwiches and Subway Ham+Egg+Cheese too ? Clif bars are just cheap and I?m not starving by lunch.
Standard lunch:
Item+serving -- Calories -- Carbs -- Fat -- Protein -- Sodium -- Sugar
Mizzou Domundo's - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, 113 g -- 129 -- 37 -- 8 -- 24 -- 1020 -- 13
Kc Masterpiece - Hot 'n Spicy Bbq Sauce, 4 tbs -- 90 -- 22 -- 0 -- 0 -- 620 -- 18
Mizzou Domundo's - Turkey (No Bun), 4 oz -- 152 -- 5 -- 6 -- 19 -- 630 -- 3
Nature's Own - 100% Whole Wheat Hamburger Bun, 1 bun -- 130 -- 24 -- 2 -- 6 -- 190 -- 2
Mizzou Domundo's - Green Beans, 142 g -- 62 -- 8 -- 2 -- 0 -- 142 -- 0
Dinner:
Normally some chicken or turkey with a couple bags of Green Giant or Birds Eye frozen veggie steam bags.
Soda:
I drink diet soda with some regularity ? does it matter if I drink it or water? I drink a lot more water than I used to ? but still like the caffeine and taste of soda.
Weightlifting:
My weightlifting is moderately serious/heavy weightlifting ~4 times a week (Arms/Chest/Shoulders/Back/Legs). I don?t feel like I need to get bigger than I am, but it seems to be a good way to burn calories and have a decent time doing it. I have a very hard time keeping at cardio activities. Do I need to do cardio if my weightlifting keeps my heart rate up and is burning ~500 calories per day? With my frame and size, I worry about the long term effects of jogging on my knees.
Cardio:
On the effectiveness of jogging ... my understanding of dieting and exercise is that if I go jog, I need to eat those calories back to get to my BMR-deficit. So MFP tells me my BMR is ~2650 calories and to lose 2lbs per week I should be eating 1650 calories per day. If I burn 300 calories while jogging, I need to eat 1950 calories or I start losing muscle. So, in my mind, the effectiveness of jogging is that I get more padding each day to eat things I want and don't have to be as strict. Does it matter if I burn those calories through jogging, walking, or weightlifting?
Chris
Potato del Grande
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My rules have worked for me:
No alcohol.
No bonus sugar (candy/coke), carbs (chips/cake) or fat (takeaways). Basically things only made out of or injected with those things.
No filler carbs (pasta/bread/rice/potato). Basically things made to stop peasants dying from starvation, though I hear rice and sweet potato could be ok.
Have a plastic container ready after cooking to put extra into for lunch the next day, so you have a routine of not eating everything (not doing this is half of why I got fat). Unless you can buy single portions.
So in my totally amateur and probally wrong opinion, drop the mashed potato and bread bun.
No alcohol.
No bonus sugar (candy/coke), carbs (chips/cake) or fat (takeaways). Basically things only made out of or injected with those things.
No filler carbs (pasta/bread/rice/potato). Basically things made to stop peasants dying from starvation, though I hear rice and sweet potato could be ok.
Have a plastic container ready after cooking to put extra into for lunch the next day, so you have a routine of not eating everything (not doing this is half of why I got fat). Unless you can buy single portions.
So in my totally amateur and probally wrong opinion, drop the mashed potato and bread bun.
McCheese
SW: Sean, CW: Crone, GW: Wizardhawk
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Do whatever kind of physical exercise you enjoy. It really doesn't matter. Diet is the only thing that matters in the long run.
Gravel
Mr. Poopybutthole
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Honestly, that's where most Americans (westerners?) screw up. Liquid calories are by far the worst. They're not filling and they accumulate fast. Oh, and they're pretty devoid of micronutrients. Soda and beer are essentially just adding calories for the sake of adding them.
If anything, the BBQ sauce is the easiest thing to cut. The other carbs are much higher glycemic index, whereas BBQ sauce is just sugar. You don't necessarily have to cut it all out either, but 4 Tsp's is a shit load of sauce.
Honestly though, that lunch isn't bad. 563 calories, although the carb content is high. I have no idea how you found turkey that has carbs in it. I'm assuming that must be like deli meat with added sugar.
Your diet doesn't add up, however. If you're always eating 300 calories for breakfast, about 600 for lunch, and what looks like 3-400 calories for dinner, we're missing something.
Listen to Elurin..start with what you're eating now. Log it, and keep logging it. This will teach you quite a bit and will play the largest role in getting you to your goal.
My two cents;
Stop eating processed foods. Learn to cook. Stop saying "dieting". You aren't trying to go on a diet. You're trying to change your diet. Going on a diet implies its temporary. If you want sustained results, you dont half ass it and go on a temporary diet. You figure out a diet that you can stick to and gets you to your current goal.
Do you have an approximation of your current bodyfat %? Why do you need to lose 2lbs a week? Define serious/heavy weightlifting. How long have you been lifting? Cardio is fine for cutting weight, but why jogging and not some other form of cardio? One that isnt so bad on your joints perhaps? Are you currently training for something that involves running or do you just like it over other forms of cardio?
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I changed up my diet and lost 35lbs in the past 7 weeks. The weigh in is tomorrow so we will see. But yeah willpower, its all about willpower. What helps me at night is actually video games. If im playing , say Battlefield 4, I dont watch TV and want to snack. Its tough, especially on the weekends when im up for longer and I want to snack on some shit. when i really cant stand it, I have some nuts. I bought a huge sack of assorted nuts in a shell and I snack on those. Or on the weekend I have an air popper and pop some popcorn which I eat plain with a bit of salt.
I know its boring, but Im still not sick of it. I make a huge batch of chicken fajitas, I fry up, in a bit of oil, some marinated chicken breast (4-5 large breasts cut up into strips with garlic salt, fajita seasoning, chili powder) in little batches and then throw them into a aluminum container in the oven which is at 350. Then when the chicken is all fried up, I then fry up some onions and peppers sliced up jalapenos quickly with seasoning and salt. Then I throw that into the container in the oven as well, stir it all up, throw like a 1/2-1 cup mexican cheese on it, squeeze a 1/2 lemon on top, and then bake it all for 1/2 hour. Then I have fajitas for the week.
I usually eat 3 flour wraps filled with chicken and peppers and onions topped with some taco sauce for dinner.
I know its boring, but Im still not sick of it. I make a huge batch of chicken fajitas, I fry up, in a bit of oil, some marinated chicken breast (4-5 large breasts cut up into strips with garlic salt, fajita seasoning, chili powder) in little batches and then throw them into a aluminum container in the oven which is at 350. Then when the chicken is all fried up, I then fry up some onions and peppers sliced up jalapenos quickly with seasoning and salt. Then I throw that into the container in the oven as well, stir it all up, throw like a 1/2-1 cup mexican cheese on it, squeeze a 1/2 lemon on top, and then bake it all for 1/2 hour. Then I have fajitas for the week.
I usually eat 3 flour wraps filled with chicken and peppers and onions topped with some taco sauce for dinner.
Guvnah
Lord Nagafen Raider
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When I work out, I don?t find that I have to try very hard to eat under my calorie deficit+calories burned in workout. I have some fairly good habits and options when I eat at the student center. I get into trouble when I skip the workout and go to lunch with someone?which is the missing variable that Elurin points out (IMO). Though my dinners are normally another 700+ calories ? not a big deal when I work out (1650 base + 500 burned = 2150 calorie allowance for a day).
As for ?dieting?, I get the idea of a life style change but I really am dieting in that I am eating a calorie deficit. When I can get into maintenance mode to maintain weight ? still eating relatively healthy or eating within that lifestyle?that would no longer be dieting and I would be eating quite a few more calories than I am while trying to drop weight. I get what you are saying though ? I feel like I have some decent habits (though I?m also 250lbs),
From looking at the matrix pictures of male body fat ? I would put myself into the 25% range. I have a legitimate gut, but have a good deal of muscle mass too. 40? waist, 48? chest, 44? stomach (guess).
I?ve been lifting on/off for 5 or 7 years and would describe myself as a *moderately* serious/heavy (Bench ~300, I haven?t historically done squats/DL?s, so I?m a bit behind the curve on them due to form ? but ~300). I enjoy lifting some but don?t go crazy about it like some folks do.
As for 2lbs per week ? I?d like to set a reasonably aggressive goal and that was a choice on MFP. It is negotiable.
I don?t particularly like jogging but there is an indoor track where I lift and it is decently padded. I?ve gotten into the habit of not heel striking and the track is padded so I don?t really feel any joint pain from jogging ? yet. I?m not training for anything. I want to lose weight to be a good role model for my kids, to be healthy for my family, and to look better for my wife.
As for ?dieting?, I get the idea of a life style change but I really am dieting in that I am eating a calorie deficit. When I can get into maintenance mode to maintain weight ? still eating relatively healthy or eating within that lifestyle?that would no longer be dieting and I would be eating quite a few more calories than I am while trying to drop weight. I get what you are saying though ? I feel like I have some decent habits (though I?m also 250lbs),
From looking at the matrix pictures of male body fat ? I would put myself into the 25% range. I have a legitimate gut, but have a good deal of muscle mass too. 40? waist, 48? chest, 44? stomach (guess).
I?ve been lifting on/off for 5 or 7 years and would describe myself as a *moderately* serious/heavy (Bench ~300, I haven?t historically done squats/DL?s, so I?m a bit behind the curve on them due to form ? but ~300). I enjoy lifting some but don?t go crazy about it like some folks do.
As for 2lbs per week ? I?d like to set a reasonably aggressive goal and that was a choice on MFP. It is negotiable.
I don?t particularly like jogging but there is an indoor track where I lift and it is decently padded. I?ve gotten into the habit of not heel striking and the track is padded so I don?t really feel any joint pain from jogging ? yet. I?m not training for anything. I want to lose weight to be a good role model for my kids, to be healthy for my family, and to look better for my wife.
Khane
Got something right about marriage
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Just so you know, eating habits are 95% of the battle. Lifting just helps shape your body into a more aesthetically pleasing figure (though lean mass does have the added benefit of burning more calories).
Also, your stomach is your waist, men just tend to wear their pants around their hips, so your "waist" measurement is actually your hip measurement and your "stomach" measurement is your actual waist.