Hello all, I'm Brian, and I just registered to this forum. I'm 5'7, 235lbs, I eat right and I exercise. I can't lose weight for the life of me! I've tried so many diets (I'm sure no one has heard this before ) and none of them seem to work. I'm now on my "own" diet that comprises of one packet of oatmeal (made with water) and a piece of fruit for breakfast, another meal 3 hours later, usually a sandwhich (wheat bread and turkey, no cheese or condiments), then another meal 3 hours later (all fruits and veggies with no dressing) then my final meal 4 hours later, usually a baked chicken breast with a salad (no dressing) and a glass of milk. I take multivitamins everyday. I walk twice daily, 30 min. each time, and work upper and lower body everyday with with my home gym. I don't do too much weight because I'm just trying to lose fat around the muscle I already have. I've been on THIS regime for around 4 months so far and I've only lost 3lbs! I know I'm not losing because I'm building muscle, because I'm not lifting enough to gain a large amount of muscle. Now for the other part.... Sorry, this is a lifelong story, lol. Anyway, I was born with severe aortic stenosis. This is pretty much the narrowing of the aortic valve. This prevented me from doing any kind of exercise or even just playing when I was a child, because my narrow aorta couldn't pump enough oxygenated blood through my body fast enough. I underwent 4 balloon cathetorizations by the time I was 14. At 16, my cardiologist finally decided that it was time to remove the valve, or I would die. I had a Ross Procedure that is doing its job I guess. I can breath a lot easier, exercise a lot easier, but I just can't lose this damn wait. I've really never been able to get a girl, even though I have a lot of "girl friends". My personallity is awesome, but I am deeply depressed on the inside. I've been exercising and eating right ever since the surgery, yet I can't lose weight. Even though I'm eating right, I just gain more and more, I'm tired of it damnit! I guess I'm using this as a last resort before I go spend big bucks on a licensed dietition/nutritionalist. I don't even know if I would be eligible for lipo. Anyone have any ideas I could try? I've considered the idea that I might have low metabolism/bad thyroid but I can't afford to get tested for that. Any help would be very appreciated. Thanks everyone and God bless.
Desperate for advice.
- Thread starter gtrmansully
- Start date
Dude, no offence, but if you really are doing everything right, then what good is coming to a forum. You should see a doctor to see if its ok for you to run, swim lift weight, etc... then see a personal trainer.
Afetr reading that, apart from give you a few small tips there is nothing I can really say, And if you have a medical problem I wouldnt advise any exercise untill you have seen a doc.
Afetr reading that, apart from give you a few small tips there is nothing I can really say, And if you have a medical problem I wouldnt advise any exercise untill you have seen a doc.
id definately get checked out by a doctor or someone who knows what hes talking about,it could be something to do wit your thyroid u never know.and for the girlfriend problem im sure u will meet the right one when the time is right,u sound a lovely bloke so im sure it will happen
take care
take care
theleip
2
I do think you should try to get to a doctor as well, however in the meantime you aren't eating enough food and being you seem to have a difficult body to start with, you might be pissing it off so to speak.
one packet of oatmeal (made with water) and a piece of fruit for breakfast
At most 300 calories
sandwhich (wheat bread and turkey, no cheese or condiments)
at most 300 calores
all fruits and veggies with no dressing
At most 300 calories unless you are binging out on fruit
baked chicken breast with a salad (no dressing) and a glass of milk.
at most 400-500 calories
You aren't getting nearly enough protein.
These are high guesses as well but in a day from this you get 1400 calories.
Just Sitting there in a day with your stats your body burns Roughly 3000 calories. Thats a 1600 calorie deficit, not to mention you are trying to workout some as well. Your body doesn't want to lose that fat, it wants to keep it. You aren't giving yourself enough food for your body type right now.
If you can go to the doc, then try this for a month.
Build back up to 2500 calories a day.
Eat 5-6 times a day each meal 1 protein (lean meats, egg whites, fish shakes,) and 1 carb (early in day get simple/starch carbs like fruit and wheat breads and later in day do veggies for carbs) also don't forget some good fats like almonds, flax seed
Each meal try to get the same amount of calories and nutrients. So split 6 meal for 2500 cal and you should have lil above 400 calories a meal.
Drink a massive massive amount of water, i think a gallon a day would be good for you, flush you out. I just fill up a jug and carry it around, looks funny but works.
As you lose weight and time goes on then knock down some calories, just do it slowly. You have to restart you metobolism right now so keep it simple.
I think this might help you, but still go to the doctor when you can and get some tests done.
one packet of oatmeal (made with water) and a piece of fruit for breakfast
At most 300 calories
sandwhich (wheat bread and turkey, no cheese or condiments)
at most 300 calores
all fruits and veggies with no dressing
At most 300 calories unless you are binging out on fruit
baked chicken breast with a salad (no dressing) and a glass of milk.
at most 400-500 calories
You aren't getting nearly enough protein.
These are high guesses as well but in a day from this you get 1400 calories.
Just Sitting there in a day with your stats your body burns Roughly 3000 calories. Thats a 1600 calorie deficit, not to mention you are trying to workout some as well. Your body doesn't want to lose that fat, it wants to keep it. You aren't giving yourself enough food for your body type right now.
If you can go to the doc, then try this for a month.
Build back up to 2500 calories a day.
Eat 5-6 times a day each meal 1 protein (lean meats, egg whites, fish shakes,) and 1 carb (early in day get simple/starch carbs like fruit and wheat breads and later in day do veggies for carbs) also don't forget some good fats like almonds, flax seed
Each meal try to get the same amount of calories and nutrients. So split 6 meal for 2500 cal and you should have lil above 400 calories a meal.
Drink a massive massive amount of water, i think a gallon a day would be good for you, flush you out. I just fill up a jug and carry it around, looks funny but works.
As you lose weight and time goes on then knock down some calories, just do it slowly. You have to restart you metobolism right now so keep it simple.
I think this might help you, but still go to the doctor when you can and get some tests done.
Exactly, leip. When I started reading your diet, it was good eat three hours eat three hours eat four hours nothing (confused). You need to eat more. You cant lose weight if you dont eat.
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Thanks a lot everyone for your advice. Theleip, I've also done the "normal" diets which I do eat fully balanced meals... I've been doing so many different diets since I was 16. That's 6 years of doing all these different diets. I usually stick with them for about 8 months, and if I don't see good enough results, I switch the diet. But my exercise regime never changes. I wish I could jog, but my body just won't allow for it. Weird thing is, I can jump rope a lot easier than I can walk/jog, but everyone tells me walking is better. Anyway, thanks for everything. Maybe I'll check into having my thyroid looked at. Have a great day.
Thanks a lot everyone for your advice. Theleip, I've also done the "normal" diets which I do eat fully balanced meals... I've been doing so many different diets since I was 16. That's 6 years of doing all these different diets. I usually stick with them for about 8 months, and if I don't see good enough results, I switch the diet. But my exercise regime never changes. I wish I could jog, but my body just won't allow for it. Weird thing is, I can jump rope a lot easier than I can walk/jog, but everyone tells me walking is better. Anyway, thanks for everything. Maybe I'll check into having my thyroid looked at. Have a great day.
Try 6 small meals per day. Load up on fiber and whole grains, stay away from simple carbs, only drink water, eat more protein, and get active.
Eating 3 small meals per day is a problem you are getting the basic idea of consuming less calories, but in the wrong way. the body gets the message that its going into a starving state and it is going to muscle instead of fat for energy and the more muscle you burn the lower your metabolism gets. you need to build up some muscle and stay active run jog bike play basketball take the dog for a walk anything.
the body is like a muscle car
The more engine(muscle) you have the more fuel(calories) you consume
It also works in the fact that the harder you press the pedal down(how much you work out) it also needs to throw more fuel(calories) in for that. so build the biggest engine you can and run that baby full bore all the time!!!!! lol (my best anology)
Eating 3 small meals per day is a problem you are getting the basic idea of consuming less calories, but in the wrong way. the body gets the message that its going into a starving state and it is going to muscle instead of fat for energy and the more muscle you burn the lower your metabolism gets. you need to build up some muscle and stay active run jog bike play basketball take the dog for a walk anything.
the body is like a muscle car
The more engine(muscle) you have the more fuel(calories) you consume
It also works in the fact that the harder you press the pedal down(how much you work out) it also needs to throw more fuel(calories) in for that. so build the biggest engine you can and run that baby full bore all the time!!!!! lol (my best anology)
I think I will put in my two cents worth and remember this is from an untrained novice. I am only speaking from my own experience!!! Before you try anyone's advice or set off on any exercise regimen ask your cardiac specialist about what you are thinking of doing first and make sure it is OKAY!!! It won't do you any good to try and get fit if it is going to kill you.
I am 40 and not did not have too much excess fat but I wanted a harder body like I had in my 20s. I went the eat healthy and diet way and did not lose a darn thing and I even started exercising to pretty much no avail. Now I eat whenever I am hungry which is getting lesser all the time. I avoid empty calories, i.e. candybars, ice cream, fast food, etc. but if I want some or I am in a hurry I will eat it. I work out a lot now, strength in the morning with 2 sets doing exercises for the upper or lower body on alt. days and take a day off when I need it. I took up inline skating outdoors for cardio and do it almost every day because I want to not because I have to. The BF% is dropping and I am even starting to see my abs again. Now I have the confidence I will make it. I think the over restriction of calories is a bad thing. Your body does not have what it needs and thinks it is starving so it immediately starts conserving calories any way it can and keeps demanding more food so you are hungry all of the time. Most people are not competition body builders and cannot live by their diet cycles.
1st I don't know if something like this will work for you but if you can find active things you love to do just to be doing them then the fat will come off by itself because you will be doing so much of it. 2nd forget about total weight and think only in terms of lean mass and body fat % which cannot be measured with scales alone. 3rd your legs have the largest muscles in your body, build and work them the most because they will burn most calories.
And remember before you try anyone's advice or set off on any exercise regimen ask your cardiac specialist about what you are thinking of doing first and make sure it is OKAY!!! It won't do you any good to try and get fit if it is going to kill you.
I am 40 and not did not have too much excess fat but I wanted a harder body like I had in my 20s. I went the eat healthy and diet way and did not lose a darn thing and I even started exercising to pretty much no avail. Now I eat whenever I am hungry which is getting lesser all the time. I avoid empty calories, i.e. candybars, ice cream, fast food, etc. but if I want some or I am in a hurry I will eat it. I work out a lot now, strength in the morning with 2 sets doing exercises for the upper or lower body on alt. days and take a day off when I need it. I took up inline skating outdoors for cardio and do it almost every day because I want to not because I have to. The BF% is dropping and I am even starting to see my abs again. Now I have the confidence I will make it. I think the over restriction of calories is a bad thing. Your body does not have what it needs and thinks it is starving so it immediately starts conserving calories any way it can and keeps demanding more food so you are hungry all of the time. Most people are not competition body builders and cannot live by their diet cycles.
1st I don't know if something like this will work for you but if you can find active things you love to do just to be doing them then the fat will come off by itself because you will be doing so much of it. 2nd forget about total weight and think only in terms of lean mass and body fat % which cannot be measured with scales alone. 3rd your legs have the largest muscles in your body, build and work them the most because they will burn most calories.
And remember before you try anyone's advice or set off on any exercise regimen ask your cardiac specialist about what you are thinking of doing first and make sure it is OKAY!!! It won't do you any good to try and get fit if it is going to kill you.
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Thank you for your advice Gen and Greene. I greatly appreciate and will take it to heart. My cardiologist pretty much told me that I can walk, jog, and do light lifting. Heavy lifting will be pretty easy on my lower body, but upper, no. I'm not the weakest guy, but I'm not the strongest either. I've gone against his "orders" before and did heavy lifting for about 8 months. Gained about 10lbs in muscle but I'm sure most of it is gone now, lol. I also forgot to mention in my opening post that I have an I.C.D. pacemaker/defibrillator. It will let me know if I'm pushing too hard
. I would love to jog, but I can't do it for long at all. Not because I get out of breath, but because I get sharp pains in my stomach. Any clue as to what that is? Thank you again for your advice and have a nice evening.
-Brian
Thank you for your advice Gen and Greene. I greatly appreciate and will take it to heart. My cardiologist pretty much told me that I can walk, jog, and do light lifting. Heavy lifting will be pretty easy on my lower body, but upper, no. I'm not the weakest guy, but I'm not the strongest either. I've gone against his "orders" before and did heavy lifting for about 8 months. Gained about 10lbs in muscle but I'm sure most of it is gone now, lol. I also forgot to mention in my opening post that I have an I.C.D. pacemaker/defibrillator. It will let me know if I'm pushing too hard
. I would love to jog, but I can't do it for long at all. Not because I get out of breath, but because I get sharp pains in my stomach. Any clue as to what that is? Thank you again for your advice and have a nice evening.-Brian
I too get a stitch in my side if I run or jog over a 1/2 mile and usually I don't make it that far. Take a look at bicycling and inline skating . Especially at your size they will be easier on your knees than jogging and they work the leg muscles harder without jarring your guts out. If your heart is set on jogging then do a jog & walk combination. Jog 1 block, walk 1 block, jog 2 blocks, walk 2 blocks, whatever suits you best and if your stomach starts to hurt walk slower for awhile and let it go away. I will bet if you do this every day you will find you are jogging several blocks and walking fewer.
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Awesome, thanks again guys. Yeah, I might just continue doing my walk 30min. 2x daily, and throw in jump roping before my jumping jacks after my walking. Then continue with my crunches, side crunches, no-weight squats and calf raises. I've heard of drinking pickle juice to clean the system out but not really for anything else. I really need to get a gym membership but I'm too embarassed lol. Most of my friends say that I really don't look THAT big. But out of my 50 or so guy friends, I'd say 30 of them are body builders so I can't really get much advice from them, but they said they'd gym it up with me for some cardio. Anyway, thanks again and I'll repost if anything comes up.
-Brian
Awesome, thanks again guys. Yeah, I might just continue doing my walk 30min. 2x daily, and throw in jump roping before my jumping jacks after my walking. Then continue with my crunches, side crunches, no-weight squats and calf raises. I've heard of drinking pickle juice to clean the system out but not really for anything else. I really need to get a gym membership but I'm too embarassed lol. Most of my friends say that I really don't look THAT big. But out of my 50 or so guy friends, I'd say 30 of them are body builders so I can't really get much advice from them, but they said they'd gym it up with me for some cardio. Anyway, thanks again and I'll repost if anything comes up.
-Brian
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I'm not sure how educated you all are with nutrition/diet plans, but is the Zone diet that bad? I know its a less extreme version of the Atkins pretty much, but for my situation? I just wanna lose fat, not really gain muscle, right now anyway. I know gaining muscle will make me lose fat, but I don't wanna bodybuild ya know? Should I just stick with a balanced diet thats say around 2000 calories? Know of anyone that could make one for me? Thanks.
-Brian
I'm not sure how educated you all are with nutrition/diet plans, but is the Zone diet that bad? I know its a less extreme version of the Atkins pretty much, but for my situation? I just wanna lose fat, not really gain muscle, right now anyway. I know gaining muscle will make me lose fat, but I don't wanna bodybuild ya know? Should I just stick with a balanced diet thats say around 2000 calories? Know of anyone that could make one for me? Thanks.
-Brian
i wanted to add here that yes, you do seem to be doing the right stuff to lose the weight. my advice would be to see a nutritionist and have them help you, if nothing else than to have someone monitoring your food intake and exercise. as long as your doctor says the exercise is ok, and you keep up what you've been doing you should see results. look at this as a life change if possible. also, make sure you drink lot's of water, a 10 ounce glass with each meal in addition to whatever you're normally drinking. and NO fast food of any kind. keep us updated and hang in there, ALL the things you want will come to you, if you stick with it.
theleip
2
gtrmansully said:
You dont need any "diet" to loss weight. You need a healthy diet and lifestyle. Its really that simple. 2000 calories isn't enough for you at your weight. At some point it will be, but not yet, with working out and just being you are burning 1000 more than that. You are starving your body and need to build it back up to 2400-2500 calories. You said in the other thread you don't think you are getting over 2500, which is misleading because you with that diet posted aren't even reaching 2000. If you are not 100% honest and straightforward and know everything you need, you are going to get alot of different advice (just like is happening) Not trying to sound harsh or anything but its a fact that if you cut your calories to low then you will lose what muscle you do have and save the fat you don't want. There isn't a quick fix here, just take it slow, as you lose weight decrease calories with that loss as needed.
As far as working out goes if you can jump rope and life weights then you can induce a stronger cardio workout. Get a good heart rate monitor, and keep it check in a good range. That is the only way to burn fat, so hop on board to all that, take your time and keep positive.