patrick.net

BayArea, you got this, and getting back into the 180 range is a very achievable goal. Please keep us posted on your progress - especially if you need accountability.

For starters, Clambo is 100% correct about surfing being one of the best activities you can do. It's not only great for your entire body physically, but the water does wonders for your mental health as well. If you have access to the ocean, go for it. Shoot, you can even just go play in the water or boogie board for an hour a day.

I'm about 5'8" and in high school weighed/wrestled 130lbs. Got married in my early 20's, and quickly ballooned to almost 200 lbs.

We moved to California 13 years ago, and I took up surfing/cycling (because I enjoyed it, not to lose weight), and the weight came off quickly. All the cardio and I was pretty much back to my high school weight.

Five years ago, we moved to Georgia, I weighed about 140 or so, and I started packing pounds on again - into the 180-200 range (all fat, belly weight). I started back in the gym 4 mornings a week doing strength training. I dropped to 160, gained a bit of muscle, but had a bunch of excess fat around my midsection. Since then, I started intermittent fasting and have eliminated grains/heavy starches from my diet. Fat intake has been increased, and I now maintain a weight between 145-150 now, and all the excess fat is gone. It's all muscle mass. I'm 39 years old and almost have a 6 pack again.

We never eat out, don't count calories and only eat high quality food. Here's a sample of what I eat:

Post workout (10am):

Smoothie: 1/2 can coconut milk, 1/2 avocado, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1 scoop protein powder, 1 scoop collagen, 1 Tbsp beet root powder

Lunch/Dinner: 6-8 oz of protein (chicken, beef, fish), 2-3 cups of raw or cooked vegetables.

Dinner is eaten around 6pm every night

LCHF, keto, Atkins.... dietdoctor.com all lower weight and blood sugar even to the point of reversing type 2 diabetes go to the website and read all about it

Put less food in your mouth. You will lose a little each day. I believe hunger is a natural occurrence telling our brains our body is hungry. Unfortunately I rarely feel hunger cause I eat all day before that natural occurrence even occurs. Losing weight is pain (hunger) and sacrifice (can’t eat as much and whatever you want). There is no magic pill.

Robert Sproul says

I have seen a lot of people have good results from Time Restricted Eating. Basically skipping one meal, but you get some of the metabolic benefits of fasting.

This.

I have been doing Intermittent Fasting for nearly 2 years and lost (and kept off) over 30 pounds. I'm 6'2" and went from 220 down to 185.

I have always done a fair amount of exercise (surf and running) but have never dieted. Too many IPA's started packing on the pounds. I have found that intermittent fasting is the easiest thing in the world to do. All I do is skip breakfast and nurse a thermos of black coffee in the morning and am not hungry until 1 or 2 in the afternoon. So I only eat between 1-9PM.....basically anything I can fit in my pie-hole in my feeding window. I generally eat sensibly, but I don't deny myself any tasty stuff like pizza, carbs and beer when I want them. I have an ice cream bar every night.

It is so much easier surfing and running in the morning on an empty stomach instead of having 500-1,000 calories of cereal, milk, OJ and a piece of fruit sloshing around my gut first thing in the morning........where I would be famished again by 11:00AM. I still eat big breakfasts on Sundays with eggs and bacon, I just cut out the other 6 days.

In addition to weight loss, intermittent fasting provides loads of health benefits from increasing human growth hormone (which builds muscle/bone density and even hair), decreasing insulin production, reducing inflammation and triggering cell autophagy with longer fasts.

got covid, dropped 10 lbs - simply did not have any appetite for 10 days. Best weight loss program!

It's mostly about taking the time to exercise. Even if you just walk a mile you burn around 100 calories give or take, so walk 5-10 miles per day and you're looking good. Americans don't walk much, Europeans often go on walks for hours with the family, and I'm not talking about competitive "hikes" where you can post a selfie on Mt Diablo or wherever - nothing against hikes, great exercise too - just regular walking and spending quality time with family and friends at the same time. 30 minute rule is good too - if you have to go somewhere and it's 30 minute or less away by foot => walk! You can up that to 45 minutes or 1 hour after a while. The less you use the car, the more weight you lose.

https://qz.com/993954/fidgeting-can-actually-help-you-burn-up-to-800-calories-each-day/

BayArea says

How much weight did u gain in lockdown

20 pounds

Now I'm really enjoying a moderately strenuous bike ride each morning. That's been only for the last two weeks. The weights have been the whole year, and I'm happy with the muscle gains from that, but it's not so great for weight loss.

I used to run a lot, like 4 times per week and up to 15 miles on the weekend, but I'm pretty sure this has damaged my knees. So it's biking for me now.

To start with diets don't work. Your story is great proof of why. You have to make a permanent lifestyle change. That doesn't mean vegetables and water for the rest of your life, but you have to start cutting things out that give you zero nutrition, and replacing them with things that do. And by cutting out I don't mean cold turkey, but less. Start with obvious stuff like soda and juice, it's all sugar. From there start trying to make 1/3 of lunch and dinner vegetables. Look for keto desserts, or eat fruit. Start moving all your food to organic, and local.

Start taking supplements. At least a multi-vitamin(thorne), fish oil(nordic naturals), and probiotic(pb8), to start. And it DOES matter if you buy cheap supplements, just like cheap food.

Exercise is relatively easy. Most of us are fine with just 20 minutes a day. Could just be walking. But if every day is hard, try at least three days a week, walking 30 minutes. If you have an activity you enjoy, do that.

On the food you may have the urge to complain about prices. Just remember how much health insurance, doctors, prescriptions and surgeries cost. You are trading quality in food, for less of all of the aforementioned. You will spend the money either way, at least spend it for prevention. You'll increase your quality of life to boot.

The changes will be overwhelming, but as you adjust, you'll lose weight, feel better, and be healthy for possibly the first time in your life. Most of us have no idea the toxic burden we carry every day until we start to unload it.

Real health is a journey, a long slow journey. There are no short-cuts, no temporary solutions. But it does get better, and you will never want to go back.

If you'd like additional advise outside this forum @patrick can give you my email.

I'll second the "sleep well" comment. I find that poor sleep leaves me with a lack of drive the next day and I am more likely to skip any sort of exercise.

That said, I don't exercise all that much. Maybe 15-20min per day of basic push-ups, sit-ups and some free weights. In the summer I'll go for a 30min bike ride every second day or so. I usually try to get out for a walk every day, sometimes a jog. Nothing excessive or extreme.

Since significantly cutting down carbs (avoid bread, rice, cereals, sugars, beer(!), potatoes, and foods deep fried in vegetable oil) in my diet and getting this little bit of exercise daily, I lost 30lbs in maybe 3 months, and kept it off (started about 2 years ago). When eating a diet high in proteins and fats, you don't feel hungry soon after like you do with carbs. This, combined with eating more slowly, helped me reduced the amount I ate. I was eating half a meal only twice a day and it got to a point where I wouldn't even get hungry any more, and I had to schedule my meals at specific times. If I didn't, I'd work through my lunch and notice that I'd start feeling weak by mid-afternoon. It became very easy to not overeat.

It's counter intuitive but walking (at least a couple of miles 5 days a week) is probably your best bet to lose lbs. Not lazy but at a decent pace without stopping. Either just before or just after swimming. (in order of what works, not what you have to do)

I've recently taken up a relatively low carb diet high in saturated fats and medium in protein. I'm not getting fatter but I'm not losing weight (and need to). But I feel better and am never really all that hungry so I don't over do it.

I need to get off my ass but I'm fighting sciatic nerve pain.

Studies: People generally gain 1-2 lbs per year on average their entire adult life. Even if they lose it. This was back in the 90s. I suspect it's higher now.

225lbs -> 242lbs 10 years later is just about on track.

Here's the factors that has contributed to me losing weight when I have successfully lost weight.

Listed inmost effective order

1)Excitement over a change in my life. Motivation Change of pace, new path in life.
2)No carbs cut out Rice, Bread, Potato
3)Not drinking, which only seems to happen when I don't have beer drinking buddies.
4)Not smoking pot
5)Should be number one, my brother and I used to call the "Involuntary Diet" due to financial circumstances.

We used to say, if you wanna look good, do without any income for a couple of months. The most fit I've ever been is when I was young and struggling.
Old people tell kids "enjoy every sandwich" I say "Take advantage of every hunger pang." Besides the health benefit, it is a great motivator as well.

Fasting is awesome if you can do it. Your body starts attacking (potential or young) cancers among other nasties it can recycle for energy. You can eat cruciferous vegetables and it doesn't count against a fast - and they contain Sulforaphane which also attacks cancers.

If not fasting do some pineapple binges and literally digest the plaques in your arteries (and your tongue; if you eat enough you'll feel the tingle) due to the bromelain.

NuttBoxer says

On the food you may have the urge to complain about prices.

@NuttBoxer OK at least you've convinced me that I should buy better quality food.

just_passing_through says

Fasting is awesome if you can do it.

A Fever or other ailments where you forgo eating your normal diet for a prolonged period of time, is also beneficial.
That's part of the involuntary diet. I should write a book on the benefits of taking advantage of unforeseen circumstances.

Patrick says

BayArea says

How much weight did u gain in lockdown

20 pounds

Now I'm really enjoying a moderately strenuous bike ride each morning. That's been only for the last two weeks. The weights have been the whole year, and I'm happy with the muscle gains from that, but it's not so great for weight loss.

I used to run a lot, like 4 times per week and up to 15 miles on the weekend, but I'm pretty sure this has damaged my knees. So it's biking for me now.

Thanks for sharing.

I have always incorporated running into my routines. I’m 40 now and a bit concerned that 2 decades of running will take its toll, especially when over 200lbs

I think I will focus on other means of cardio... walk, bike, swim... and resume running once my weight starts with a “1”

By the way, great information shared, thank you to everyone contributing.

I’d like to add that losing significant amount of weight (I.e. 15% of you disappearing) is a bit of a spiritual journey. It’s challenging and extremely rewarding. The mental and physical health benefits cannot be overstated.

I should add that I’ve experienced a range growing in adulthood. I’ve had points in my life where I was body building and could have been on the cover of Men’s Health. And I’ve had points in my life (now) where I’ve allowed a poor lifestyle to creep in resulting in 30 or 40lbs of excess weight to settle in...

For me it’s a lot about stress management and time management.

In any case, it’s 5:48am and I’m off to the iron horse trail for day 2

just_passing_through says

pineapple binges

We all know what those are for if the lady is into.... welI I think you know what I’m talking out.

BayArea says

I’d like to add that losing significant amount of weight (I.e. 15% of you disappearing) is a bit of a spiritual journey.

It's definitely ethereal. The majority of weight loss (~80% if I recall) is from exhaled carbon dioxide. Imagine breathing out n-lbs of carbon dioxide. Crazy.

Does not mean running will make you lose weight faster than walking. If you're burning fat (maybe after a long brisk walk) you can be sitting there watching TV but you'll be exhaling more CO2 than normal.

BayArea says

I should add that I’ve experienced a range growing in adulthood. I’ve had points in my life where I was body building and could have been on the cover of Men’s Health. And I’ve had points in my life (now) where I’ve allowed a poor lifestyle to creep in resulting in 30 or 40lbs of excess weight to settle in...

Right with ya brother.

For me, it all has to gel. I gotta diet, then exercise. If I can't do one, I can't do the other for very long. The DOMS act as a constant reminder I'm working and not to fuck it up by shit eating. Got up to 240lb during the COVID cooties and living up in the mountains and never really adjusted to the high alt, from about 190 and jacked. Ecuador was locked down as or harder than Cali.

Already started the diet earlier this week, gonna start the gym on the 1st.

I can relate. Part of its age, part of its lack of physical activity, part of its the crap they put in the food these days. I'm not 20 anymore and my body keeps reminding me!

socal2 says

Robert Sproul says

I have seen a lot of people have good results from Time Restricted Eating. Basically skipping one meal, but you get some of the metabolic benefits of fasting.

This.

I have been doing Intermittent Fasting for nearly 2 years and lost (and kept off) over 30 pounds. I'm 6'2" and went from 220 down to 185.

I have always done a fair amount of exercise (surf and running) but have never dieted. Too many IPA's started packing on the pounds. I have found that intermittent fasting is the easiest thing in the world to do. All I do is skip breakfast and nurse a thermos of black coffee in the morning and am not hungry until 1 or 2 in the afternoon. So I only eat between 1-9PM.....basically anything I can fit in my pie-hole in my feeding window. I generally eat sensibly, but I don't deny myself any tasty stuff like pizza, carbs and beer when I want them. I have an ice cr...

This. Same experience here. Exercise as early as possible on an empty stomach and skip breakfast, 16 hour fast is enough. That being said, with the move, new kid and martial arts gym closing I went back from 220 to 225, always been between 180-240 at almost 6 ft 7. Work or hobbies or family keeping you busy are also excellent to make you skip meals. Take advantage of every busy streak and don't think you need to eat at certain time. Coffee with cream (no sugar) curbs appetite. Fasting is very beneficial for immune system or longevity.

BayArea says

Hi guys, has anyone here gone on any weight loss journeys? Would love to hear what routine you followed and what worked for you.

Eat a salads a day.

Bigass Salad (circa 700 calories):
Two Massive Handfuls of Spring Mix/Lettuce/Whatever
One Good Handful of Spinach
8 Slices of Tomato or a dozen Cherry Tomatoes.
Three Hardboiled eggs, chopped roughly
12 Pepperoni Slices, cut them in half for 24 semi-circle bits - about as much as you'd find on a couple of slices of Pizza
One Regular Size Cheese Slice cut into strips and sprinkled over salad.
Two Pickle Spears (two quarters of a large pickle)
Balsamic Vinegar or some other minimal/no sugar salad dressing

Put in a container and shake the shit out of it so all the cheese/pepperoni/whatever isn't all on the top and when you get to the bottom there's no protein left.

Then eat for dinner (~700-800 calories depending on Cheese/Sausage Type)
400g Chicken
OR
3-4 Large Italian Sausages
You can spinkle two tiny pinches of moz cheese and a tablespoon or two of Newman's Italian to make it nice on a cold night or more hearty

Eat this 6 days a week. Only Day 7, you may have a single solid large meal (ie Restaurant Meal) with fries or whatever on desert within a 4 hour window. If you are hungry otherwise on this day, you are confined to meal #2 being a Bigass Salad.

I prefer to do 9 on, 10th day off.

I combine this with at least a 12 hour fast. For myself, I can go about 14 hours no problem and stretch to 16 if I have to.

Got up to 260 in a mix between being back in the US, and doing my usual busy 60 hour month (but this time virtually and not walking endless miles in big Convention Centers due to COVID) and then moving, studying, and starting a new job

I'm down to 240 from 260 in 5 weeks, but with only 2-3 light full body workouts a week. This is a good diet for when you're (mostly) sedentary like I am in my new job.

Balanced Diets with too much variety are too hard to track Macros and Calories for me. This diet makes filling the fridge and packing lunch easy, and you don't have to constantly fuss with scales or look up calories/macros and track them.

By the time 7 days on this diet have rolled by, I have a definite urge for Chinese/Pizza/Indian whatever and simply fulfill it guilt free. If I've fucked up somehow, I go another 3 days before Cheating.

The first 3-4 days sucks, then you get used to it. For me, it gives me good solid energy. My only caveat would be to watch the coffee intake and try to space coffee out about 4 hours, and avoid coffee 4 hours before bedtime. Drinking too much coffee on this diet can give you a paranoia/heartburn/nervous energy bummer

BayArea says

Would be interested in hearing any weight loss stories, what worked for you, etc.

If you can't get yourself to eat healthy and control portions, get taller or hang out with morbidly obese people...Seriously though, whats the deal with "eating for pleasure"? Your body needs food for fuel...like your car needs fuel. You dont fuel your car for pleasure...why eat for pleasure?










/

MisdemeanorRebellionNoCoupForYou says

3-4 Large Italian Sausages
3 or 4? Damn......how about 1?

komputodo says

MisdemeanorRebellionNoCoupForYou says

3-4 Large Italian Sausages

3 or 4? Damn......how about 1?

komputodo says

komputodo says

MisdemeanorRebellionNoCoupForYou says

3-4 Large Italian Sausages

3 or 4? Damn......how about 1?

Not enough calories. My diet should give around 1600 calories a day.

And when you're not eating bread, pasta, fries, rice, or potatoes... it's surprising how much of the stomach fill comes from the starches.

When you eat veggies and meat, with no grains or starcches, you need to eat more meat than a "Balanced" Diet.

The reason my diet works is it's not for pleasure, but eliminates the carb/macro count workload, or the obsession with "Variety". There is very little variety in traditional Hunter-Gatherer diets, or Pre-Industrial Diets, at least seasonally. Medieval Peasants in China or Europe, or Bushmen or Nomadic Mongols couldn't get Fresh Apples on demand all year round, or Avocados at all. Wide variety of food isn't what we spent eating over the past Million Yeas.

Spending 15 minutes calculating how much Carbs/Fats/Proteins you eat after every meal, esp. if you're cycling over 12 different meals in the name of "Variety" is a drag. Heaven forbid you forget to do it while your doing it, and then forget exactly how much of anything you had. "Shit, did I eat 500 calories or 1000 calories"

Just eat the same 2-3 things all week so you can eyeball the portions and blow out once a week eating whatever the hell you want, and you will lose weight.

Booger says

Bwahahaha

Blue says

First make sure you sleep enough if you can afford.

That sounds like a pretty messed up life to have chosen if you can't afford to sleep.

BayArea says

Hi guys, has anyone here gone on any weight loss journeys? Would love to hear what routine you followed and what worked for you.

I think everyone knows what they should do but they just don't want to do it. Quit eating crap at restaurants and at home and quit stuffing yourself until you are full. And quit eating snack foods and other processed crap...when the doc says you need to eat cereals and nuts, he doesn't mean cocoa puffs and canned smokehouse almonds by the handful. You don't need an app to count calories. Its not about dieting, it's about looking at food a different way. Its not about pleasure, it's fuel for your body.

MisdemeanorRebellionNoCoupForYou says

Eat a salads a day.

Bigass Salad (circa 700 calories):
Two Massive Handfuls of Spring Mix/Lettuce/Whatever
One Good Handful of Spinach
8 Slices of Tomato or a dozen Cherry Tomatoes.
Three Hardboiled eggs, chopped roughly
12 Pepperoni Slices, cut them in half for 24 semi-circle bits - about as much as you'd find on a couple of slices of Pizza
One Regular Size Cheese Slice cut into strips and sprinkled over salad.
Two Pickle Spears (two quarters of a large pickle)
Balsamic Vinegar or some other minimal/no sugar salad dressing

Put in a container and shake the shit out of it so all the cheese/pepperoni/whatever isn't all on the top and when you get to the bottom there's no protein left.

Then eat for dinner (~700-800 calories depending on Cheese/Sausage Type)
400g Chicken
OR
3-4 Large Italian Sausages
You can spinkle two tiny pinches of moz cheese and a tablespoon or two of Newman's Italian to make it nice on a cold night or more he...

That just seems like too much work and sacrifice to me.

I stick to the fasting and I can pretty much throw anything I want into my pie hole in my feeding window. I eat pretty sensibly, but I love my carbs....chips, pizza, beer, bread.

That said, I do a 16 hour fast at minimum each day, and usually stretch them to 18 or even 20 during the work week.

mell says

Exercise as early as possible on an empty stomach and skip breakfast, 16 hour fast is enough.

Running and surfing on an empty stomach has been a huge benefit to me. I have tons of energy and am usually burning fat by then getting the most out of the exercise. I am getting ready to do my long weekly run this Sunday morning and will reward myself with a big eggy, bacon and bagel breakfast around 12:30.

I used to think I needed to carb up before exercise. Then I wondered why I sometimes felt like shit surfing and couldn't breath paddling with a gallon of milk, OJ and cereal squeezing against the board and my diaphragm/lungs. I just need a couple cups of coffee and I am good to go!

socal2 says

That just seems like too much work and sacrifice to me.

I stick to the fasting and I can pretty much throw anything I want into my pie hole in my feeding window. I eat pretty sensibly, but I love my carbs....chips, pizza, beer, bread.

That said, I do a 16 hour fast at minimum each day, and usually stretch them to 18 or even 20 during the work week.

Yeah, Fasting works really well. When I lose some of this gut I'll probably just do your 4-6 hour eating window thing.

I used to get such a sour stomach after eating breakfast within an hour or so of waking up. Whether it was an Egg and Cheese, o just a piece of plain toast. Now I simply don't eat it - And I feel much better.

"Three Meals a Day" is one of those "Nutritional Wisdoms" that nobody can point to the study/origin justification for it.

For ME, my diet works, I eat the same shit 6 days a week on autopilot, right up to remembering all the ingredients when shopping. I actually feel good on it. And after about a week I have one or two cavings for something specific, and devote one meal to satisfying them without worry.

And quit wearing stretch pants. They make it easy to avoid noticing how fat you are getting. Look at all the fat women in yoga pants.

MisdemeanorRebellionNoCoupForYou says

"Three Meals a Day" is one of those "Nutritional Wisdoms" that nobody can point to the study/origin justification for it.

It comes from Zee Germanz!

Couple of days per week I go with 2 larger meals by skipping breakfast aka intermittent fasting (16 hours). I also try to exercise 300+ calories more each day than recommended, which at my build puts me around 3000 calories daily to keep the weight balanced. Can eat well for 3k calories ;)

I find it's easier to fast when you're exercising or doing hard physical labor. During the latest Northeastern Blizzard, I spend 15 hours over 2 days just shoveling and blowing snow. My appetite was pretty subdued. Normally in the winter, when I'm relatively inactive, I tend to get hungry more than in the summer.

If I had to guess, physical activity greatly increases blood flow to the brain and the rest of the body, and as long as the work doesn't become essentially aerobic activity (oxygen deficit requiring energy to mop up lactic acid buildup), that the body taps fat/glycogen stores to nourish the brain and body.

Although I appeared to be 'fit' on the outside, about 15 years ago, I developed a serious, life-threatening *heart condition. Thankfully, instead of following the traditional path of conventional medicine, I was determined to find out the root CAUSE of my problem. My search eventually led me to Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, who served as the director of the Heart Disease Reversal Program at the Cleveland Clinic. He is also the author of Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease (2007). Esselstyn believes that most of our illnesses and disease is directly related to lifestyle, along with unhealthy eating habits. He is a strong advocate of committing to a high nutrition, plant based, non-processed food eating habit, while eliminating meat, poultry, fish and dairy products. It sounds radical, but it really works.

The long and short of it is this: FAD DIETS do not work for the long term. And, something most people do not consider: our food supply has been tainted with hormones and chemicals designed to bring the meat, poultry, farmed fish to market as soon as possible. These hormones and chemicals are being digested by humans, causing them to
'fatten' up as well. Virtually all processed food, including restaurant food, uses an excessive amount of fat, salt and sugar that provides, LITERALLY, an addiction.

If you REALLY want to lose weight permanently, and be much more healthy, look into plant based, high nutritional lifestyle diets. It dramatically changed our lives for the better!

I also wanted to state that I purchased a soft-bounce Needak rebounder. I do aerobics just about every day for at least 15 minutes, along with light weights and resistance
bands, also some light stationary bike work. My total workout time is about 30 minutes per day.

*The survival time for patients with my heart condition is between 1-3 years after the point of diagnosis. Due to following this lifestyle change, I'm on my 15th. year and counting. Thankfully, I never had an operation, nor did I take any prescription drugs. I have ZERO weight problem (my wife is on this as well, same results). My blood pressure is in the "athlete" range.

stereotomy says

I find it's easier to fast when you're exercising or doing hard physical labor. During the latest Northeastern Blizzard, I spend 15 hours over 2 days just shoveling and blowing snow. My appetite was pretty subdued. Normally in the winter, when I'm relatively inactive, I tend to get hungry more than in the summer.

If I had to guess, physical activity greatly increases blood flow to the brain and the rest of the body, and as long as the work doesn't become essentially aerobic activity (oxygen deficit requiring energy to mop up lactic acid buildup), that the body taps fat/glycogen stores to nourish the brain and body.

Agreed. It's counter-intuitive, but exercise lowers appetite. I notice this when I'm exercising regularly vs. when I'm not.