Let the games begin! ... 295 > 200

[295to200]

Hi,

today I have decided to get a grip of myself and finally commit to losing the weight that I have been carrying my whole adult life!

How much weight do you want to lose? - 95lbs
What is the timeframe for reaching your target weight? - 1 year
How do you want to accomplish your goal (what methods do you want to use)? - The old fashioned way, healthy diet & exercise
Who or what can support you in reaching your goal? - My family and friends - and hopefully all you great folk on here!
How realistic is your goal? - I honestly feel its achievable, or else I wouldnt be doing it.
When will you start? - 29 December 2010 (tomorrow morning!)

That pretty much explains what I want to do. As I said, I am 31 years of age, and have been overweight since I can remember (probably about age 12/13). I have always struggled, but have now hit 295lbs - and I really gotta do something about it - NOW!

The heaviest I have ever been was 306lbs - that was when I came back to the UK from a holiday I had in Texas visiting my sister. I quickly dropped a few stones and this is now the heaviest I have been since that time.

The pics above were taken in Oct 2008 (275lbs) - Sep 2009 (265lbs) - Jun 2010 (285lbs)

As you can see I'm a big lump (6' 1") and am sick of being the "big man". My aim is to get down to 200lbs by the end of 2011 - but by my birthday at the end of June 2010 I want to be around the 240lbs mark.

I will post daily (not the most interesting reading, but good for helping me stay focused), with my food log and exercise I have done. I have a stationary bike in my house and plan to use that for the first few months, before starting to incorporate resistance training.

I am going to try to eat around 1500 - 2000 cals a day, eating mainly whole foods and as little alcohol / junk food as possible.

Thanks for stopping bye, and I would really appreciate any feedback from you guys.

 

[fatguy23]

Welcome to the forum, lots of good people here, look forward to your posts, good luck!

 

[295to200]

Well then ... Day 1!

Breakfast
Bowl of porridge oats w/semi skimmed milk (300 cals)

Lunch
Chicken Tikka w/ salad (cucumber, lettuce, sweetcorn, coleslaw and tomato) (400)

Dinner
Chicken stirfry w/brown rice and veg (900)

Snacks
Few handfuls of peanuts (200)

Overall calorie intake: 1800
Exercise: 2 mile walk

Today was quite tough at times. I was back at work (today and tomorrow) before stopping again until the 5th January and I was tempted a few times to buy something unhealthy - I was thinking "oh well, it would only be half a day wasted - I can start again in a few days!"

Man I have told myself that same thing SO many times in the past and just keep treading water. The thing that stopped me was this diary - it made me feel like I have a responsability not to make myself look stupid by giving up already!

One day at a time ... one day at a time!!!

And thanks fatguy23 - Im sure that I am gonna need words of encouragement on the road ahead!

 

[fatguy23]

some advice on calories.

Well then ... Day 1!

Breakfast
Bowl of porridge oats w/semi skimmed milk (300 cals)

Lunch
Chicken Tikka w/ salad (cucumber, lettuce, sweetcorn, coleslaw and tomato) (400)

Dinner
Chicken stirfry w/brown rice and veg (900)

Snacks
Few handfuls of peanuts (200)

Overall calorie intake: 1800
Exercise: 2 mile walk

Today was quite tough at times. I was back at work (today and tomorrow) before stopping again until the 5th January and I was tempted a few times to buy something unhealthy - I was thinking "oh well, it would only be half a day wasted - I can start again in a few days!"

Man I have told myself that same thing SO many times in the past and just keep treading water. The thing that stopped me was this diary - it made me feel like I have a responsability not to make myself look stupid by giving up already!

One day at a time ... one day at a time!!!

And thanks fatguy23 - Im sure that I am gonna need words of encouragement on the road ahead!

For your build you might be getting too few calories, 1800 sounds a bit low though i may be mistaken, what you're going to want to do is find a BMR calculator, you can google it, enter in your information and it will come up with a number, whatever that number is, is the amount of calories that you require to stay the same weight, basically what your body needs to maintain your current weight. So say your BMR is 2800, meaning you need 2800 calories to stay your current weight, what you're going to want to do, since you'd like to lose weight, is shave off calories from your BMR, they say that a 500 calorie deficit per day will make you lose 1 lb per week..so in the example above, if you had a 2800 calorie BMR, you would need to take in 2300 calories per day to lose 1 lb per week...simple right? Another thing that will take away from your net calories per day is physical activity, say you walk 2 miles per hour (I don't do the metric system sorry if that's what you use) for one hour, and that burns 200 calories (example, I don't know if that's accurate) then you would take the 200 calories that you burned away from your BMR number to get your net calories...So if you took in 2500 calories in a day, then burned 200 walking, you would still get to your -500 mark of 2300...hope this makes sense...

Another thing to consider is that people sometimes go crazy with their calorie deficits, I know I've had days where I'm like -1500 or so, this is not a good thing because it can send your body into a sort of "preservation" mode that will not be beneficial to losing weight...so I use the -500 mark to keep me honest, plus it keeps me fed

 

[AnnaGail]

Welcome to the forum, just stick with it and you will meet your goal. How many calories a day were you eating before you started your diet? Sounds like you are eating healthy enough. Maybe add another healthy snack: berries, apple, banana, an orange..etc.

GOOD LUCK!!

 

[295to200]

Day 2

Meal #1 (240 cals)
Can of Tuna (150)
Mayo (50)
Mixed salad (50)

Meal #2 (430)
Spicy chicken sandwich (430)

Meal #3 (750)
Baked Potato (300)
Can Tuna (150)
Mayo (50)
Cheese (200)
Mixed salad (50)

Meal #4 (200)
140g Chicken Tikka chunks (180)
Spicy Salsa (20)

Snacks (300)
50g peanuts (300)

Overall calorie intake: 1920
Exercise: 4 miles walked (6.5 kms)

PS. I try and consume around 1 gallon of water per day - and have had one small glass of Irn Bru (Scotland's version of Coca Cola) in the two days.

I calculated my BMR fatguy23 and it says I need approx 3100 calories a day. So I will be shooting for around 2000 - 2500 cals from now on. Making sure that I feel satisfied and full will be the key to me not bingeing out on junk food!

Overall I am looking to limit the amount of carbs I am having. With the sandwich and baked potato today I have probably taken in around 100-120g of carbs - a little more than I would like! - but have got plenty of protein and fats from the other foods.

I have been so used to wolfing down massive amount of carbs on a daily basis that it is hard to find meals that dont contain any! - I love breads, pasta, rice etc. - but know that I will really need to be careful with how much of these I consume!

I still feel quite bloated in my stomach - but I know that this will take a week or two to go away. I have eat so much rubbish over the last few weeks, it really makes me sad to think how little care I have taken about myself.

I have always had problems with discipline in life. From getting out of bed in time to have breakfast before going to work, to getting to work before 8.59am, to eating right, to looking after my finances etc etc etc

At my age I feel that I have let much of my life slip by, but am determined to start clawing it all back one bit at a time. Controlling the amount of food I eat is something that I completely control - and is the first step to me getting my life back on track!

Thanks for the comment AnnaGail. I was probably eating in the region of 3000 - 4000 calories a day, but over weekends / holidays I could probably have been eating up to 5000 calories a day! (and we are talking all high carbs, sugar and fat!) - a recipie for disaster.

I think I have actually been a bit depressed recently. I find myself getting further and further from my friends. I tend to avoid nights out with them these days, and I prefer just to sit around most nights / weekends. I am really embarressed when I bump into someone I havent seen for a while - they must think "christ, he's put the beef on!"

OMG, Im sounding all doom and gloom! - - Day 2 is in the books - onwards and upwards!!!

 

[Kramer1]

Good for you making a start is a huge deal and you've done it. Looking forward to following your progress

 

[295to200]

Good for you making a start is a huge deal and you've done it. Looking forward to following your progress

Thanks Kramer - I appreciate the kind words of support

 

[Daybehavior]

I bump into someone I havent seen for a while - they must think "christ, he's put the beef on!"

LOL yeah I feel you on that one. But since I've been losing I've gotten the opposite. Once it starts happening for you, you'll feel fantastic and more motivated than ever. Much luck in 2011.

 

[aussiegal]

Hi 295to200, welcome! You seem to have made a really good start Well done! We're very similar in weight - I'm so jealous that you get to have so many calories a day lol coz I'm a female my BMR is 2500, so I'm down to about 1900 cals per day. Personally I prefer to have 13300 per week, so some days I can eat a little more if other days I eat a little less. And I wouldn't worry too much about the carb calories, just try to switch to unrefined carbs like brown rice and pasta, and rye or multigrain bread. I would seriously die without getting a few doses of carb satisfaction every day.

Keep up the good work hun

 

[295to200]

Day 3 - Hogmanay ...

Meal #1 - (490 cals, 21g (Pro) - 15g (Carb) - 38g (Fat)
3 x eggs (210)
Tblspn Olive Oil (125)
Slice W/meal bread (85)
10g Butter (70)

Meal #2 - (420 cals, 41g (Pro) - 37g (Carb) - 8g (Fat)
50g W/wheat Pasta (175)
140g Chicken Tikka (180)
Tblspn Light Mayo (40)
Mixed Salad (25)

Meal #3 - (590 cals, 47g (Pro) - 41g (Carb) - 16g (Fat)
Baked Potato (250)
Can Tuna (150)
Tblspn Light Mayo (40)
30g Cheese (125)
Mixed Salad (25)


Meal #4 - (545 cals, 66g (Pro) - 19g (Carb) - 24g (Fat)
50g Smoked Salmon (190)
Slice W/meal bread (85)
10g Butter (70)
50g Whey Protein (200)

Overall calorie intake: 2045
Exercise: Rest


I've paid a bit more attention to the micronutrient breakdown of my intake today and noticed that overall I had a 36%(P) / 23%(C) / 40%(F) breakdown. I am a little concerned with 40% of my food coming from fat - although upon closer inspection, a fair amount of the fat is not saturated and comes from stuff like salmon and olive oil.

I have felt that I have eat quite healthy again (i.e no crisps, chocolate, freid foods, cakes etc) and seeing that I have 40% fat makes me wonder just how much fat I was eating before!!!

The fact that I am 21 stone, means that I must have been eating a LOT of that stuff and thus, a LOT of saturated fats and sugars! Do you guys think it is OK to eat this amount of fat, or should I be cutting it to nearer 20%?

Tonight I am just in the house with close family - which means that I will stay honest and not eat rubbish. Tomorrow however, my whole family will be at the house (17/18 people) and there will be lots of "bad" foods and alcohol on offer! - although I am focused in my mind and will try and stick to my normal diet.

Thanks for the comments Daybehavior and aussiegal. I really am looking forward to shocking a few people and getting positive comments from people when I bump into them. I want to lose weight or health reasons above all, but like most folk I want to look better and improve my confidence at the same time

Happy New Year aussiegal (you guys are one of the first to hit 2011) and to everyone else on the boards when it comes! - heres to a great and healthy 2011 for us all

 

[295to200]

Day 4 - New Years Day !!!

Happy new year again everyone - I hope you all spent time with family / friends for some part of today - and have had a relaxing and enjoyable time!

Today my food was ...

Meal #1 - (265 cals, 13g (Pro) - 41g (Carb) - 10g (Fat)
50g Porridge Oats (185)
200ml skimmed milk (80)

Meal #2 - (265 cals, 7g (Pro) - 26g (Carb) - 15g (Fat)
Tin of Chicken Soup (205)
3 x mini oatcakes (60)

Meal #3 & 4 - (Plenty of lean protein and veg, with a little carb and decent amount of fat!)
A large helping of diced rump steak in gravy (???)
Small amount of mashed potatoes (???)
A large helping of carrots and turnip (???)
Cheddar Cheese (250)

Overall calorie intake: ??? - approx 1500, maybe less. One of those days where tracking my food intake was very difficult, so decided to make sure I under eat rather than over done it!
Exercise: Rest

Me ... with Santa

Some of the "bad" foods on offer today as all my family where at our house to celebrate New Years. I only chose the steak meat from the pie with no pastry etc, and didnt bother having any crisps or chocolates at all - proud of my self control

Roll on tomorrow and the real start to 2011 for me

 

[aussiegal]

Congrats on resisting the unhealthy foods hun - be proud of yourself!! It's the little achievements like that that build up to the final goal

 

[295to200]

Day 5

Meal #1 - (590 cals, 55g (Pro) - 20g (Carb) - 35g (Fat)
100g Smoked Salmon (190)
2 large scrambled eggs (210)
Slice W/grain bread (120)
10g butter (70)

Meal #2 - (475 cals, 46g (Pro) - 35g (Carb) - 12g (Fat)
30g Cheddar Cheese (125)
Can Tuna (150)
50g W/wheat Pasta (175)
Mixed Salad (25)

Meal #3 - (270 cals, 7g (Pro) - 44g (Carb) - 8g (Fat)
Can Potato & Leak soup (190)
4 x mini oatcakes (80)

Meal #4 - (630 cals, 80g (Pro) - 45g (Carb) - 6g (Fat)
250g Boiled Chicken (380)
Vegetable Rice (250)

Meal #5 - (100 cals, 20g (Pro) - 2g (Carb) - 2g (Fat)
25g Whey Protein (100)

Overall calorie intake: 2065
Exercise: 340 cals burned!!! - 15kms on stationary bike - Lvl 2, 26:00 mins, avg 35kms p/hr

Happy with my food intake today, except maybe a little high with carbs again. But at the same time, it is mostly 'good' carbs and not any from junk foods!

The biggest achievement today for me was that I got back on my stationary bike and got my a*s moving

I am planning to build up my stamina again in a slow manner. I done 15 kms today in 26 mins flat. I felt pretty good after it. I will add a km each day for the next 10 days until I do 25kms.

After I achieve this I will alternate between 25kms cycling and 20mins of Interval cycling. Basically this is going all out for 30 secs, followed by 60 secs on normal pace, with a few mins warm up and cool down. You do it x 10 - and it is really good for getting a sweat on and getting the heart pumping!

So after the next 10 days - my exercise routine will be looking like this:
Monday - 25kms cycling
Tuesday - 20mins Intervals
Wednesday - 25kms cycling
Thursday - 20 mins Intervals
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 25kms cycling
Sunday - 20mins Intervals

When I have been dieting in the past I tended to 'burn out' from doing to much exercise and eating to little food. This time I am keeping my intake to around the 2000 (but can go up to 2500) and will be doing cardio only.

Once I lose around 40lbs I will start hitting the weights to help sustain my lean muscle and hopefully help my metabolism speed up.

Day 5 already ... and my cravings for chocolate / crisps is honestly gone. I seem to have re-programmed my brain to look upon these foods as being really bad for my body, and am chosing not to damage myself any further.

 

[AshleyM1]

First of all Congratz on making the commitment to yourself. Im kinda in a similar boat except i lose weight have a bad patch and put on like 3/4 stone in space of like 3 months. I use food focus to put all my food stuff in plus it has alot more uk food already logged in with details.

 

[healthyjess]

Hi mate! Nice to meet you, and well done on making this change
I'm 32 and know what you mean about it's got to be now. I decided I didn't want to live the second half of my life like that. I was so over being lazy and feeling ashamed.

It's been about 3 months for me now, and my life used to revolve around food. Nowadays I even have to set my alarm to remind me to eat some days if I'm busy ha ha. Funny how things change...

You're doing so well so far and you should be proud of yourself!

I look forward to reading your updates, and keep up the awesome work

 

[295to200]

Day 6

Meal #1 - (525 cals, 22g (Pro) - 19g (Carb) - 38g (Fat)
2 x large eggs (210)
Tblspn Olive Oil (125)
Slice W/grain bread (120)
10g Butter (70)

Meal #2 - (365 cals, 30g (Pro) - 15g (Carb) - 18g (Fat)
2 x Quorn Peppered Steaks (215)
30g Cheddar Cheese (125)
Mixed Salad (25)

Meal #3 - (510 cals, 63g (Pro) - 37g (Carb) - 3g (Fat)
190g Chicken (290)
50g W/wheat Pasta (175)
Spicy Salsa (20)
Mixed Salad (25)

Meal #4 - (335 cals, 60g (Pro) - 3g (Carb) - 8g (Fat)
280g Prawns (250)
1/2 Tblspn Olive Oil (65)
Spicy Salsa (20)

Meal #5 - (200 cals, 40g (Pro) - 3g (Carb) - 3g (Fat)
50g Whey Protein (200)

Overall Calorie Intake: 1935
Exercise: 365 cals burned - 16kms on stationary bike - Lvl 2, 27:35 mins

Felt really good today. Felt content all day, and cant believe the amount fo food I could eat for less than 2000 cals!

Portion sizes are really the key for me. Before I would defo have had at least 2 x slices of toast with my eggs, and then probably another two just after my breakfast aswell.

With the pasta I am finding that 50g is plenty to eat. Before I wouldnt have counted what I was eating, but can assure you it would have been at least 300g! - thinking of how many calories I was having and not even realising is really highlighting my problem.

The same thing with the cheese. It is really calorific, but as I measure out 30g I know that it adds a lot of taste to the meal. Again, before I would have had at least x3 x4 more than that

Done 16kms on the bike tonight. My butt cheeks and legs were a bit sore for the first 2 or 3 kms, but the muscles soon eased and I felt great when I completed the 16kms.

All in all I am feeling really positive ... but have been here before, and have crashed and burned ...

... but I am so determined this time, that I know that I get to my goal

 

[295to200]

First of all Congratz on making the commitment to yourself. Im kinda in a similar boat except i lose weight have a bad patch and put on like 3/4 stone in space of like 3 months. I use food focus to put all my food stuff in plus it has alot more uk food already logged in with details.

Hi Ashley,

thanks for the encouragement - I too know the feeling of doing well and then pigging out for a few months and putting the weight + more back on. It is depressing to say the least.

My problem in the past was that outside influences always seemed to sway me away after 3 or 4 weeks of doing well. I was concentrated, but in my mind I never really committed properly. This time I am making this weight loss journey the #1 priority in my life - everything else will come second

If I dont adopt this mindset then the same old thing will happen, and I will have wasted another 6 months and be even worse off than I was before. This time I WILL change my life for the better. Nothing can stop me! ... and as the old saying goes - if I can do it, anyone can!!!

Good luck with your journey - I will defo be following your progress.

Hi mate! Nice to meet you, and well done on making this change
I'm 32 and know what you mean about it's got to be now. I decided I didn't want to live the second half of my life like that. I was so over being lazy and feeling ashamed.

It's been about 3 months for me now, and my life used to revolve around food. Nowadays I even have to set my alarm to remind me to eat some days if I'm busy ha ha. Funny how things change...

You're doing so well so far and you should be proud of yourself!

I look forward to reading your updates, and keep up the awesome work

Thanks hj,

as I have mentioned in my most recent post, I cant believe how much food I eat today for less than 2000 cals .... I wasnt even near hungry at one point, but made sure I eat my next scheduled meal. Long may it continue

I will defo keep this going. My first week is almost over and I am really anxious to see what my weight is. I always feel the first week is the toughest. If you can get past the initial change to your lifestyle / eating habits without going back of the tracks, then this is a massive step.

GL also with your weight loss ... we can all do this!!! - C'mon!!!

 

[295to200]

Day 7

Meal #1 - (455 cals, 22g (Pro) - 19g (Carb) - 30g (Fat)
2 x large eggs (210)
Tblspn Olive Oil (125)
Slice W/grain bread (120)

Meal #2 - (626 cals, 47g (Pro) - 38g (Carb) - 32g (Fat)
2 x Slices W/grain bread (240)
170g Smoked Salmon (316)
10g Butter (70)

Meal #3 - (560 cals, 49g (Pro) - 37g (Carb) - 20g (Fat)
115g Chicken (175)
50g W/wheat Pasta (175)
30g Cheddar Cheese (125)
1.5 Tblspn Light Mayo (60)
Mixed Salad (25)

Meal #4 - (385 cals, 18g (Pro) - 38g (Carb) - 19g (Fat)
2 x Slices W/grain bread (240)
30g Cheddar Cheese (125)
Spicy Salsa (20)

Overall Calorie Intake: 2026
Exercise: 390 cals burned - 17kms on stationary bike - Lvl 2

A bit annoyed at myself today for eating far too much bread. It was due to being out and about and not being fully organised. Could have been worse I suppose ... I could have stuffed my face with chocolate and crisps

Im back to work tomorrow - the holidays are over! - but the upside is that I will be back into a routine, which should help me stay on track!

My one week weigh in tomorrow morning. Overall I am looking for a steady 2lbs loss per week, but I know that the first few weeks normally see's more than this lost. Hoping that the case with me!

 

[eerika]

Heyy, we have a pretty much same starting day!
Youre doing great I think, wishing you all the best! I will keep following your journal!