24 y/o male's quest from 270 to 190

sillywilly221

sillywilly221

New member
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Woo! Good job on avoiding the temptation of the rest of the bad foods... I can't honestly say that I would have been able to do it!
 
Hi there Steven,

welcome to the WLF. :D Just wanted to drop in and say hello... Have you figured out an eating/ workout plan? As for the cookie... heck, don't frett it. A single cookie won't kill you... now downing a whole box full? Ummm yah.. that's a COMPLETELY different story. HA! It's all about making small changes, then tweaking things here and there for a lifestyle. Anyways.. good luck and congrats to you for deciding to take charge while you're still young.

-Sheryl
 
MsGhettoBooty said:
Hi there Steven,

welcome to the WLF. :D Just wanted to drop in and say hello... Have you figured out an eating/ workout plan? As for the cookie... heck, don't frett it. A single cookie won't kill you... now downing a whole box full? Ummm yah.. that's a COMPLETELY different story. HA! It's all about making small changes, then tweaking things here and there for a lifestyle. Anyways.. good luck and congrats to you for deciding to take charge while you're still young.

-Sheryl
Click to expand...

Thank you, Ms. Ghetto Booty -- is that French?

My plan is to adopt a high fiber, good protein diet. I won't lie, it is pretty drastic. I found the times I eat the most are weekends and nights. If I can control those two key times, I can do it. I've been eating salads, grilled chicken, select cheeses for snacks, tons of water -- at least a gallon a day, whey protein supplements, fiber supplements, a multivitamin, and other good meats, like turkey.

As far as working out, I'm debating how I want to go about it. If I focus on cardio, I will lose fat. If I lift, I'll tone. I am trying to find the right balance.
 
Today!

Today was good!

I stuck to my diet plan. I am enjoying turkey with hot sauce and mustard -- very yummy, low fat, tons of protein, and no carbs :).

I did drink two diet sodas though. I'll have to work on that!
 
Well,

I'm glad to meet you. You are much like me 20 years ago. Now that I am on the road to recovery from a lifetime of obesity I wish I could go back in time to when I was your age and beat some sense into me.

Of course I can't do that, but I can talk to you! Let me describe what your your life may be like in 20 years if you don't take this seriously now.

You will be over 300 lbs. by the time you are 35.

Your blood pressure may become a constant problem, possibly limiting your ability to get life insurance and force you to take medication to keep it under control.

Your varicosity will get worse and worse until your legs are disfigured to the point that you won't wear shorts any more. You will be at increased risk for deep vein thrombosis if you lake long plane flights, you will have to wear compression stockings and your legs will become ulcerated. Ick.

Your self esteem will erode over time. Your constant inability to control the weight, even though everything else in your life is in order will gnaw at your self confidence. It will always be in the back of your mind. When you stumble, as everybody inevitably does at one time or another (work, relationships, etc) you will wonder if your weight had anything to do with it.

As you get older, losing the weight will become harder. What awaits you is diabetes and an early death.

But none of this need happen, because you have forseen all of this and vowed to make a change. Just like I did at 24, and 30 and 36 and 42 and now again at 46.

You have suffered a personal tragedy and it has led to coping mechanisms that resulted in weight gain. So you know that when the chips are down, you pick them up and eat them!! Lol, it's good to know.

Understanding why you overeat is as important as stopping. If you want to avoid a lifetime of Yo-yo dieting to need to fix what's broke first. The way you think about eating and health. That's what's different with me and why I will succeed now after failing so many times in the past.

I'm sure I am coming on too strong, but don't be put off. You have the right attitude. With your aggresiveness, you will have no problem losing the weight now that you've put your mind to it.

But the trick is keeping it off forever, through challenging times, through marriages and divorces, babies and job problems. Through the betrayal of friends and the deaths of your parents and all of the shit life will throw your way.

The only way to stay fit and healthy through all of this is to accept and understand that you run to food when you shouldn't. Fix that one thing and the rest is easy.

Sorry if I come on too strong. Your post is nearly word for word like one I wrote in my own journal in 1984.

If you need help, let me know!

David C
 
DCarr10760 said:
Well,

I'm glad to meet you. You are much like me 20 years ago. Now that I am on the road to recovery from a lifetime of obesity I wish I could go back in time to when I was your age and beat some sense into me.

Of course I can't do that, but I can talk to you! Let me describe what your your life may be like in 20 years if you don't take this seriously now.

You will be over 300 lbs. by the time you are 35.

Your blood pressure may become a constant problem, possibly limiting your ability to get life insurance and force you to take medication to keep it under control.

Your varicosity will get worse and worse until your legs are disfigured to the point that you won't wear shorts any more. You will be at increased risk for deep vein thrombosis if you lake long plane flights, you will have to wear compression stockings and your legs will become ulcerated. Ick.

Your self esteem will erode over time. Your constant inability to control the weight, even though everything else in your life is in order will gnaw at your self confidence. It will always be in the back of your mind. When you stumble, as everybody inevitably does at one time or another (work, relationships, etc) you will wonder if your weight had anything to do with it.

As you get older, losing the weight will become harder. What awaits you is diabetes and an early death.

But none of this need happen, because you have forseen all of this and vowed to make a change. Just like I did at 24, and 30 and 36 and 42 and now again at 46.

You have suffered a personal tragedy and it has led to coping mechanisms that resulted in weight gain. So you know that when the chips are down, you pick them up and eat them!! Lol, it's good to know.

Understanding why you overeat is as important as stopping. If you want to avoid a lifetime of Yo-yo dieting to need to fix what's broke first. The way you think about eating and health. That's what's different with me and why I will succeed now after failing so many times in the past.

I'm sure I am coming on too strong, but don't be put off. You have the right attitude. With your aggresiveness, you will have no problem losing the weight now that you've put your mind to it.

But the trick is keeping it off forever, through challenging times, through marriages and divorces, babies and job problems. Through the betrayal of friends and the deaths of your parents and all of the shit life will throw your way.

The only way to stay fit and healthy through all of this is to accept and understand that you run to food when you shouldn't. Fix that one thing and the rest is easy.

Sorry if I come on too strong. Your post is nearly word for word like one I wrote in my own journal in 1984.

If you need help, let me know!

David C
Click to expand...

Sounds like I struck a chord! But thank you!

You are dead on and you have only reinforced my own thoughts. THANK YOU!

I am sorry you were not able to succeed when you needed to, and hindsight is 20/20, but your words will have helped at least one person -- me.
 
Today was good.

I find myself drinking several diet sodas...will this get in the in the way of my weight loss?

What did I eat? Kept with my plans, but I overate a bit at lunch. I had 6 sushi roles and a chicken salad (no dressing -- I hate dressing) along with a 10 calorie Rock Star!

To compensate, I had a salad tonight for dinner along with my gallon of water, instead of the turkey breast I was planning on. Instead that will be dinner for tomorrow!!!

My new coworker's wife is making chicken noodle soup! I plan on enjoying that greatly! Is soup one of those misleading foods? Or can I enjoy a healthy portion with confidence?

Saturday morning at 10am PT is my first "one week" weigh in...I can't wait!!!
 
Hey there Samwilly, I am kinda new here, and I want to commend you for your progress thus far. Weight loss is not an easy journey, but with the right amount of grit you will prevail.

Chicken Noodle Soup can be deceptive, try to eat more broth and meat in place of starchy simple carb noodles.

A nice thing to do is to keep things out of sight so they are out of mind. When you shop try to avoid snack food and liquor aisles as they can really affect your mindset. In place of water drink teas as they are low calorie drinks with many varieties and thus you replace simple flavorless water with something pleasureable!

I drank too much soda in the past 4 years and I have lost all the top enamel on 4 molars 2 top 2 bottom. Try to lay off energy drinks and anything high in acids :)

I wish you luck!
 
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Guar said:
Hey there Samwilly, I am kinda new here, and I want to commend you for your progress thus far. Weight loss is not an easy journey, but with the right amount of grit you will prevail.

Chicken Noodle Soup can be deceptive, try to eat more broth and meat in place of starchy simple carb noodles.

A nice thing to do is to keep things out of sight so they are out of mind. When you shop try to avoid snack food and liquor aisles as they can really affect your mindset. In place of water drink teas as they are low calorie drinks with many varieties and thus you replace simple flavorless water with something pleasureable!

I drank too much soda in the past 4 years and I have lost all the top enamel on 4 molars 2 top 2 bottom. Try to lay off energy drinks and anything high in acids :)

I wish you luck!
Click to expand...

Great advice! Thank you!

I actually got two bad cavities as a result of drinking too much soda. Use ACT or a flouride rinse after brushing ($4 bottle will last you months, you don't have to use much) and that'll reduce cavities exponentially and rebuild your enamel -- according to my dentist.
 
Hi Steve,

I'm glad you weren't too put off by my post to you.

Yep, I'm sorry too that I didn't figure my weight problem out when I was younger. I ran in cycles. I'd hit a new high weight, or something would trigger the decision to lose weight. So I would essentially make it my business to learn about health and weight, like a project and apply what I'd learned to myself, and I was always successful! Every time I lost a bunch of weight.

I estimate I've lost nearly a thousand pounds since I was a fat kid on a 1000 calorie diet in 1972. Tragic.

But on the upside (there is always an upside) To compensate for this one very obvious failing I developed in other areas. I was funny, creative, smart, intelligent, impassioned and analytical. All good skills that took me a long way. I always wonder what might've been different had I not had the albatross around my waist.

The good news is I am fixing it now and I have the rest of my life to enjoy it. So don't feel too bad for me, some people never fix it and are fat until they're crated up and shipped off.

I would try to lose the diet soda habit completely for a couple of reasons. First, it's a non-food, it does nothing for you except make water more palatable. Take a look at the label, way too many chemicals! Why would you willingly put that into your body?

But mostly, it is substitution therapy. You are denying yourself foods you like to eat, but substituting diet soda because it has no calories. So you replace these missing foods (experiences) with this "safe" beverage.

Now what happens when you are no longer so focused on health, or some bad things happen? You haven't really changed your outlook on food, just substituted an over reliance on one set of foods with another. So when you change back the weight comes back on.

It also sounds to me like you are eating too little. For your size you should be eating +/- 2500 calories a day aiming for a calorie deficit allowing a 2 pound a week fat loss. There are lots of calculators online.

2 pounds a week seems very slow, but Hey, if it takes you 20 years to lose the weight, you'll still be ahead of me, right? ;)

What you should do, what everybody should do, is to study the habits of thin, fit people and emulate them. I've known many, they're generally hearty eaters, they stay away from crap foods, and exercise is their fun, their therapy and their stress release. They stay thin and fit, because they could not be otherwise, due to their healthy attitudes on eating and their love of activity. Adopt their lifestyle and you will be thin and fit.

Don't look at the habits of young men though, they are the beneficiaries of healthy upbringing and organized sports giving them big, lean muscle masses to bolster their metabolisms. Most of these guys will be fat by the time they're 35. No, look for guys in their thirties and forties who have always been fit.

You've lost some weight already! You are off to a good start!

David C.
 
DCarr10760 said:
Hi Steve,

I'm glad you weren't too put off by my post to you.

Yep, I'm sorry too that I didn't figure my weight problem out when I was younger. I ran in cycles. I'd hit a new high weight, or something would trigger the decision to lose weight. So I would essentially make it my business to learn about health and weight, like a project and apply what I'd learned to myself, and I was always successful! Every time I lost a bunch of weight.

I estimate I've lost nearly a thousand pounds since I was a fat kid on a 1000 calorie diet in 1972. Tragic.

But on the upside (there is always an upside) To compensate for this one very obvious failing I developed in other areas. I was funny, creative, smart, intelligent, impassioned and analytical. All good skills that took me a long way. I always wonder what might've been different had I not had the albatross around my waist.

The good news is I am fixing it now and I have the rest of my life to enjoy it. So don't feel too bad for me, some people never fix it and are fat until they're crated up and shipped off.

I would try to lose the diet soda habit completely for a couple of reasons. First, it's a non-food, it does nothing for you except make water more palatable. Take a look at the label, way too many chemicals! Why would you willingly put that into your body?

But mostly, it is substitution therapy. You are denying yourself foods you like to eat, but substituting diet soda because it has no calories. So you replace these missing foods (experiences) with this "safe" beverage.

Now what happens when you are no longer so focused on health, or some bad things happen? You haven't really changed your outlook on food, just substituted an over reliance on one set of foods with another. So when you change back the weight comes back on.

It also sounds to me like you are eating too little. For your size you should be eating +/- 2500 calories a day aiming for a calorie deficit allowing a 2 pound a week fat loss. There are lots of calculators online.

2 pounds a week seems very slow, but Hey, if it takes you 20 years to lose the weight, you'll still be ahead of me, right? ;)

What you should do, what everybody should do, is to study the habits of thin, fit people and emulate them. I've known many, they're generally hearty eaters, they stay away from crap foods, and exercise is their fun, their therapy and their stress release. They stay thin and fit, because they could not be otherwise, due to their healthy attitudes on eating and their love of activity. Adopt their lifestyle and you will be thin and fit.

Don't look at the habits of young men though, they are the beneficiaries of healthy upbringing and organized sports giving them big, lean muscle masses to bolster their metabolisms. Most of these guys will be fat by the time they're 35. No, look for guys in their thirties and forties who have always been fit.

You've lost some weight already! You are off to a good start!

David C.
Click to expand...

My natural body type is big though. Even at my lowest weight of 190, I had tree trunk legs (all muscle), and a fairly muscular frame. I didn't lift and I could outlift some of my friends who did. This isn't a bragging session, just the lead in to a question ... My bodytype is big, but I find I overeat when I reach calorie levels of 2,500. I'm not sure why. But, when I keep my calories controlled and make wise choices, I lose fat, but for the most part maintain my good bulk. Am I misguided? 2500 seems like a lot of calories to me... I'll admit I don't know the science behind that number.
 
Biggest challenge yet. I am going to a fry party. A buddy of mine bought a deep fryer and people are bringing foods to fry and try. Of course there will be drinking. I want to avoid this situation, but I don't want to be anti-social. This will test my willpower.
 
It also sounds to me like you are eating too little. For your size you should be eating +/- 2500 calories a day aiming for a calorie deficit allowing a 2 pound a week fat loss. There are lots of calculators online.

2 pounds a week seems very slow, but Hey, if it takes you 20 years to lose the weight, you'll still be ahead of me, right?

What you should do, what everybody should do, is to study the habits of thin, fit people and emulate them. I've known many, they're generally hearty eaters, they stay away from crap foods, and exercise is their fun, their therapy and their stress release. They stay thin and fit, because they could not be otherwise, due to their healthy attitudes on eating and their love of activity. Adopt their lifestyle and you will be thin and fit.
Click to expand...

Here is a good way to estimate your caloric daily value

12 x bodyweight = dv

I do not seek to discredit the previous poster, but emulating what other people do does not always work. We all share different genetics, body types, metabolisms etc.

I know this from personal experience too :)

A pound of body fat is roughly 3000 calories, if your daily value is 2500, and you go on a 1000 calorie diet, that is 1500 a day of calories taken from your fat supply. So in 2 days on this diet you can lose 1 pound. That is regardless of what you eat from candy bars to lard (though those are not healthy lol) as long as you stick with the calories you will lose... unless you have a thyroid disorder or some other medical issue.

The issue becomes that as you lose weight, your daily value will go down as well. So weight loss will not be constant, and you may plateau at a certain level.

I highly recommend you do not go to this fry party. If the fear of being anti social is getting in the way, which is more important: your health, or your social life.

Try to find a balance, you can always go out with friends to do other things than frying food. Try hosting a cookout with healthy foods like stuffed peppers, lean chicken and fish, shish-kabobs etc. When you control your own life, weight loss is much easier to manage.
 
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Guar said:
Here is a good way to estimate your caloric daily value

12 x bodyweight = dv

I do not seek to discredit the previous poster, but emulating what other people do does not always work. We all share different genetics, body types, metabolisms etc.

I know this from personal experience too :)

A pound of body fat is roughly 3000 calories, if your daily value is 2500, and you go on a 1000 calorie diet, that is 1500 a day of calories taken from your fat supply. So in 2 days on this diet you can lose 1 pound. That is regardless of what you eat from candy bars to lard (though those are not healthy lol) as long as you stick with the calories you will lose... unless you have a thyroid disorder or some other medical issue.

The issue becomes that as you lose weight, your daily value will go down as well. So weight loss will not be constant, and you may plateau at a certain level.

I highly recommend you do not go to this fry party. If the fear of being anti social is getting in the way, which is more important: your health, or your social life.

Try to find a balance, you can always go out with friends to do other things than frying food. Try hosting a cookout with healthy foods like stuffed peppers, lean chicken and fish, shish-kabobs etc. When you control your own life, weight loss is much easier to manage.
Click to expand...

Good information on the daily caloric intake. Thank you! Mine would be 3,000+ per day. Knowing me, if I eat that much per day, I wouldn't maintain, I would gain.

Haha, I wish altering one's social life was that easy. I agree, your suggestions are great, but one step at a time.

I WENT to the fry party. I DID NOT eat any fried food, BUT I did drink and play beer pong. AND I had a few slices of pizza, a few oreos, and a pancake. It was a random evening. I am not entirely happy with the eating and drinking, but I had a great time.

One theme I have been seeing throughout these boards is this:

Weight loss is a long-term goal. You should NOT feel victim to the pursuit. If you feel that way, you are bound to fail.

Did I slip last night? Sure, but it isn't going to ruin my long-term outcome. Plus, I met a pretty girl and made some new friends. Not to mention my partner and I ran the table. It was ridiculous.

Well, I'm rambling. Today is my second week. I LOST THREE MORE POUNDS :) EIGHT TOTAL! Over 10% to my goal in two weeks!

So slipping last night didn't help me last night, but it was worth it :)
 
Weight loss is a long-term goal. You should NOT feel victim to the pursuit. If you feel that way, you are bound to fail.
Click to expand...

You make a good point :) Good to hear you are still losing, and it sounds like you had fun ;)

btw, how do I make my ticker display right? Lol, I feel a little clueless, by the time I figure out how to fix it myself I wouldn't need it anymore haha.
 
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