From FAT to FIT [In 16 weeks]

W

weightloss_sv

New member
This is my first time writing about weight loss in a forum. But since I am having difficulty losing the extra weight i have piled up over last few yrs. I thought it would be a good idea to write so that I am accountable.

About Me:
I am a 30-year-old female, who is an IT professional. Super lazy, hates to workout or run (walking is still fine).

Background:
I use to be a very slim girl growing up and most of my 20s. So slim that people use to worry that I have not been eating properly, but my close friends and family knew that I eat more than enough. I had a huge appetite, especially when it came to home cooked food ;)

But after I left home for higher studies, food habits changed, lifestyle changed, priorities changed. I did not eat as much as I should, be it for the reason that I was busy with studies with not much time left for cooking or out of sheer laziness of not cooking. As I started working things went from bad to worse, work was so busy that I hardly had lunch. Which meant I was eating larger portions for dinner and of course absolutely no activity throughout the day. This went on from a temporary thing to permanent as I continued working away from home (Mumbai).

The high metabolism that I had once, disappeared. I started piling on kgs, and before I knew I weighed 60 KGS, which is a lot for me since I never weighed beyond 49 kgs. So the extra 11 kgs was a shock to me. So I decided to take immediate action joined gym, but my work + my laziness + my hatred towards working out all added up to me going to the gym 5 times in total of 3 months.

Months went by and before I knew I hit 64 KGS :( which again resulted in me joining gym and getting a personal trainer & dieting. But this time I was determined and lost about 6.5 kgs. I was very happy with the results, but unfortunately I had to move for personal reasons to a cold place. Where I didn’t have gym membership. I still managed to keep the diet and lost 1 more kg on just dieting and no activity (since I was taking a break from work).

Then resumed working and eating (no dieting), again due to my erratic eating timings I managed to gain back 2.5 kgs. And hence I have decided I need to lose a few kilos. So now below is where I stand...

Stats:
Height=163 cm
Current Weight = 60.4 kgs (on 17th Dec)
Target Weight = 50 kgs (in 16 weeks)

Weight Loss Plan:
I have 16-week plan, in summary:
- No dieting
- Eating 3 times a day (breakfast, lunch & dinner)
- Workout (at least 3 times a week, to be adjusted as per weight loss progress)
- Sleep for 9 hours everyday
- Light dinner on the days I don't workout.

How am I planning to achieve it?
- Daily weigh in (in the morning)
- Weekly measurements
- Log Food/water intake (via an app)
- Share my weekly progress in this forum
- Go to gym (tracked via an app)
- Use a fitness tracker to monitor my level of activity & sleep


Here’s hoping I will be able to achieve my goal :)

*I have not mentioned the name of the apps or device, as I was not sure if it is allowed
 
First: you should know you are in the healthy BMI range for your height/weight. Healthy is 18.5-24.9 and currently at 163cm and 60.4Kg you are at 22.7 which is pretty darn good! But I know everyone is different and your goal of 50Kgs still puts you at 18.8 which is still in the healthy range. Personally I think 50Kgs might be a bit low for you, even though that's where you used to be years ago, but that is your personal preference and goal and that is just fine, just my 2 cents.

Your goal of 16 weeks does seem achievable though, it's within the 1-2lbs/wk that is recommend. I think your plan is fairly good, except for the "no dieting" part. Now for me I hate the word "diet" and do not go on "diets" but I do change my eating habits and try to eat less sweets without feeling completely deprived or forced to eat only certain foods because I know once I lose the weight I would likely not stick to those plans and gain it all back. But with that said hopefully you are trying to eat healthy, even with your busy schedule because that will make a huge difference as well. Exercise alone generally does not work.

Also, with your daily weigh ins, I know it's hard, but try not to focus on it too much if you gain a little one or two days, we all have those fluctuations and could be a result of too much salt for example the day before. Try to have an "official" weigh day every week, weather it be Monday or Saturday, or whatever. Mine is Saturday (we have a monthly challenge where we keep track of our weight on the "club challenges" section where I log my weekly weight, my daily is done in my diary and on a spreadsheet and myfitnesspal and with my fitbit LOL. Way too many things but meh). It is perfectly fine to list the apps and devices you are using, others may have questions about what you are using, or have tips to help you out.

You are very motivated by the sound of it, and you have a good solid plan which is a great start. If you haven't, I recommend taking your measurements as well because sometimes the scale will "lie" saying you aren't losing weight but at the same time your clothes are fitting better because you are losing inches due to fat becoming muscle.

GOOD LUCK! :)
 
Thank you so much icychic, for taking the time out for giving me feedback.

I know how it might seem, that even when I am in a healthy BMI range I want to loose weight. But since my body frame is very small the extra weight is all fat which looks really unproportionate. Also the first place I put on weight is hips, thighs and face, which makes me look very bottom heavy. My current fat % is 33 which is the starting point of Overfat. Also due to all this fat my stamina is really bad. So its not just a weight loss but to the goal is to be FIT.

I agree that some kind of diet control is required, but the reason I did not want to do that is because from last 1 year I have been on diets on and off and the weight always comes back. But prior to putting on weight my metabolism was very good, so I want to kick start my metabolism which will help me in keeping the weight off in the long run. So I am going to have 3 meals a day and see if my body is burning it. If not I will adjust my diet accordingly.

My body has been in starvation mode for at least 2 years now, so its basically storing everything I eat. So one of my main goal is to take it out of that so that it burns enough calories.

I am also measuring myself and checking my fat-water-muscle % weekly.

Seems like we are using the same things to track our progress (spreadsheet, MFP and FitBit) :) And dont worry I use at least 2-3 other apps so that I go to the gym & track my progress.
 
I finished Week 1 out of the 16 planned weeks. I am satisfied with the results, since its after a long long time I have started having 3 proper meals a day and frankly I was anticipating that either my weight will increase or stay the same, since I am eating good portions. So overall every happy.

Week 1 update:
Starting weight = 60.4 kgs
Ending weight = 59.9 kgs

I was able to go to the gym 4 times this week, hope to keep this up next week. I have signed up with the GymPact App, so that I go to the gym atleast 3 times a week.

I am also planning to run 5k in Feb mid, so my cardio will also involve jogging. The C25K Free App is a great way to track my progress.

Will post my Week 2 plan soon.
 
I just want to point out that the BMI is an almost worthless mathematical calculation.
It does not take body composition into account.
I also feel scales are of only limited use.
The best means of "measuring" proper body weight for yourself as an individual ?
The Mirror ....

I likewise went thru a 16 week fat loss change as the original post here indicates ..... I lost 30 lbs
In the final photo, my weight was 220 and my BMI was 30.68 (Class 1 Obese)

I don't think it is accurate to say my AFTER condition is Obese.

I only mention this because you would not want to lead yourself to a wrong opinion about your weight or health based on some flawed measuring tools.

Scales have some use to ballpark your desired weight range, BMI is almost worthless and flawed ...... again, the MIRROR is your best tool.

P.S. The only reason I had taken these photos was because I used them to enter one of those Before/After contests in a magazine .... and I ended up winning a years supply of supplements and other stuff.

Hope this small tip helps you some.

lose-weight-fast.gif
 
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I absolutely agree with Mike, BMI and all others are just to give an idea of where you are. You are best judge of yourself. Every person is different, what is ideal for one may not be for other.

Looking at myself now and 5 years back, I do feel I have let myself go, not just in terms of weight but also eating habits and stamina. So this weight loss is get myself to what I was previously.

Thank you for sharing Mike! And congrats on your weight loss!
 
Below is my workout schedule for Week 2

Day 1: Cardio
Day 2: Abs
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Legs & Butt
Day 5: Weights
Day 6: Rest
Day 7: Rest

I am planning to go for a jog on one of my rest days, everything else remains the same, 3 meals a day.
 
As you probably know, there are benefits to eating 5-6 small meals per day spaced every 3-4 hours as compared to 3 meals.

If your listed routine does not work for you, you might try a routine that involves both weights and cardio 3 times per week. with abs worked each of those days .......... then a 4th day of cardio only if you feel it is needed

Then 3 days of rest

Of course scattered thru the week
 
Week 2 Day1, workout completed. Ran for 4 km on treadmill, was super tired but not satisfied with my performance. Next week I am going to run the same but also include cycling and cross trainer.

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Thanks - I am a lot smaller than my max weight - but I must admit that it is "that time of year" and I have stopped weighing until 2nd Jan (I find that the gains are depressing and can cause me to over-eat). I'll alter my ticker to show things are on hold again...

Yes - the link (with both well-recognised expert opinion and citing studies) effectively demonstrates that any benefits to eating 6 meals a day is a diet myth and that total calories for the day is all that counts... We are all different - and if "eating 6 meals a day" helps you stick to your calorie limit - then it works for you... Some people will find that they tend to go a little over and when you multiply that by 6 meals you could be getting much higher calories than they had intended.
 
No change in the workout plan from last week, so Week 3 is going to be same

Day 1: Cardio
Day 2: Abs
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Legs & Butt
Day 5: Weights
Day 6: Rest
Day 7: Rest
 
Week 2 Review

Very bad week for me, only went to the gym once and went for a run. So overall only 2 days of workout target was met :(

Lost a weight in middle of the week but gained it back fast, since I was not working out but my meal plan did not change.

Lost 1 kg in first two weeks, im disappointed with my progress but still hopeful of meeting my goal of 50 kgs in next 14 weeks.

For me most challenging part is to go to the gym. I have signed up with this app called GymPact, losing the money does make me try harder to go to the gym.

Hopefully will try to make up this week to be on track for my weight loss. Any suggestions on how to keep going are welcome.

Also is there anyone who gained back the weight due to not working out, if so how did you overcome it?
 
2 things to remember....

Consistency is key.
Motivation comes from inside ... not from external pressures.

Now with those 2 popular slogans out of the way, let's really take a close look here ...

I see much focus on the gym activity in your concerns, but we should really examine the diet details.

Diet is always #1 when it comes to weight loss
Gym activity is important too in terms of muscle tone and BMR, but is secondary to diet.
(you don't want to become a "skinny fat person" ..)
Cardio is also important, but the idea of "burning off the fat" is a popular misconception.

Consider these mathematics ......

A small plate of 6 popular snack crackers can contain 220-250 calories
Not much right ?

Well compare this to typical calorie expenditures ..

Activity Calories Expended Per Hour
Climbing 400-900
Cycling 250-700
Dancing 200-400
Golf 300
Hi-Intensity Cardio 600-1100
Running 800-1000 (depending on speed)
Sawing Wood Logs 420
Skating 300-700
Skiing 600-700
Soccer 550
Swimming 300-700 (depending on stroke)
Walking (slowly) 115
Walking (briskly) 565
Walking (treadmill) 700-800 (with incline and brisk pace)
Weight Training 600

I always ask the question ... is it easier to cut 500 calories each day -OR- saw logs for an hour ?

After age 30, people need to seriously consider embracing the idea of Diet + Weight Training + Cardio as a 3 part combination to achieve real fitness and weight control.

And remember .... Trust the MIRROR ........ not the scales.

So with all this in mind
What is your daily diet routine ?

Michael Spitzer
Author
FITNESS at 40,50,60 and BEYOND
 
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