At a road block

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dhawthorne15

New member
I started a program for myself about a month ago and getting a little frustrated. I am 6'2 and weight 260lbs and want to lose about 40 to 50lbs. The trainers at the gym suggested I take Muscle Milk and a multi vitamin which I took for a while til I learned that the Muscle Milk would ultimately put weight on me to which I stopped with that and continued with the multi vitamin and started taking a fat burner. I also started doing a group exercise class at the gym on the weekends but the only problem is I was so worn out from it I lost motivation to work out for 3 days after that cause I was so tired and sore. Now I do have some days where I will see my weight fluctuate about 2 to 3 pounds down but then it frustrates the hell out of me when it goes right back up. What am I doing wrong?
 
Well, the primary question is: what are you eating?

The largest part of weight loss is diet. Get your diet in order and the weight will come off.

Whatever a fat burner is - don't bother.

Figure out what your maintenance level of calories is, then eat about 20% less than that. Get your macronutrients in balance - many people around here strive for a protein/carbs/fat balance of 30/40/30 %. Eat whole grains, lean protein, and plenty of fruits and vegetables. Carefully record your caloric intake, and measure everything - most people greatly underestimate how much they really eat.

Exercise is important for fitness, but by itself it won't lose the weight for you. Diet is what makes you lose weight, primarily.
 
Well I know I havent been tracking calories cause I really dont know where to start or how to do that. I know my breakfast is kind of light cause it consists of oatmeal and toast, my lunch is normally always a lean cuisine meal and some fruit and dinner is basically what everyone else is eating. I have tried to increase my fruit and vegetable intake and cut out soda 100%. One thing I keep asking people but never really get an answer is if I start to cut back on my dinner portions is what nutrition bar or what can I snack on as I have always been a big "snacker" throughout the day.
 
It sounds like you are basically headed in the right direction.

I suggest using a free online tracker like FitDay.com - you can find your maintenance calories, and input everything you eat (and you need to record everything you eat) to see your progress. It also will show your nutrient balance, which is very helpful.

If you carefully record your caloric intake you will probably be surprised. I can almost guarantee you are taking in too many calories, and that is why you aren't losing weight regularly.

Cutting out soda is one of the best things you can do - good job.

I don;t eat any kind of meal replacement or nutrition bars, so I can't advise you there. I just eat real food, but less of it than I used to.

One thing that may help - protein is good at helping you feel full and satisfied - get enough lean protein and you tend not to be as hungry throughout the day, compared to snacking on refined carbs like we usually tend to.
 
I can echo what Cord says...I've been keeping an eye on my caloric intake for around six months, but got a little lazy recently and stopped tracking as well as I was before.

When I went to track again, I was surprised at the difference between what I thought was consuming vs reality...writing it all down was a big eye opener!

(also, stay away from those simple carbs found in most breads/pasta...keep it up with your fruits and veggies and you'll see good results!)

Good luck!!
 
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