Sick of being fat - want to reclaim my body before it's too late

N

nahfree

New member
Hello everyone,

I am a 31 year old from London, England. I have been overweight for about 7 years, and miserable about it the whole time. Recently, I had a diabetic scare (sugar was higher than normal in Fasting Glucose test) and doctor is still monitoring. This was the final kick in the butt for me.

I am 5'8" and I started my weight loss program on 30th Sept 2009 while weighing 100.8kg/222.2 lbs, with a hip size of 48.5 inches.

Today is 1st Nov 2009. I weigh 98.1 kg/216.2 lbs and have a hip size of 47 inches.

I've been trying to control my food (smaller portions, less fatty/sugary foods) and I've been going to the gym 1-2 times a week. I do 12-20 min of cardio and then some weights and crunches on the swiss ball.

In one month, I have lost about 2.7kgs.

From what I have read on this forum, you guys are losing that kind of weight each WEEK, rather than each month like me.

What do I do? I know I could control my food more and go to the gym more. Any other advice?
 
You've said it. You really need to take control of your food.

I recently put a posting on another diet forum where I am more active which pretty much describes what I do - and that is in maintenance - I am done with losing weight - although I will admit that I had to work pretty hard for my weight loss and have to work hard to maintain. I worked harder in the weight loss phase.....



That should give you an idea of the areas of your food control that you should be looking at tightening up.

Get a free account from and log your food and exercise. Ensure that the calorie balance indicates that you deserve a weight loss. Study the nutrition section and hone the nutrients towards the targets which you set for yourself as a result of the study. They tend to depend on current weight - so dont be tempted to just copy mine. :)

Good luck with your project.
 
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What types of things are you eating? Smaller portions and less sugar/fat is vague.

1-2x a week is good, but not enough. You should be doing at least 30 min for 5 days of cardio. After awhile with the cardio then transition into adding some weight lifting.
 
From what I have read on this forum, you guys are losing that kind of weight each WEEK, rather than each month like me.
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Where are you reading that?

An average and healthy rate of loss is about 1% of your current bodyweight per week. For you, that means between .5 and 1kg per week is healthy and reasonable. It looks like you're right on that track, so stick with it. :)

Losing faster can be bad for you. Also in general, people who lose weight very quickly tend to gain it back later - simply because losing very fast tends to be a result of unhealthy and unsustainable practices.

However, if you'd like some of us to look at your program and let you know what we think of it, we will. You'll have to give us a lot more information, though. What do you eat, how often do you eat, how much exercise do you get and what kind, etc.
 
Hey,

I don't think everyone here is losing 2.7 kg a week- thats 6 pounds a week. A lot of people are in pounds. But checking on the food is good.
 
Hey - just to let you know, I merged your two threads to make it esier to get your answers in one place.

For future reference, it's not necessary to post the same thread in multiple places. :) It just causes confusion when people don't know where to respond. Just post and I promise people will come answer.
 
Thanks everyone for your replies and for merging my threads! :)

I'm feeling really motivated today - went to the gym this morning at the hotel I am staying at while away for work. I did 18 min (inc. 3 min cooldown) on the exercise bike and 17 min (inc 5 min cooldown) on the eliptical trainer. Man do I feel proud of what I did. I don't think I have ever managed this before, mainly cos' I get bored and a little tired. But today I paced myself, while ensuring my heart rate is up and managed to reach my goals. Woo hoo!

I am posting from my phone so can't type as much info as I'd like to give you now abt my food habits, but here is some:
Breakfast
Bowl of plain oat porridge with milk, no sweetener or dried fruit usually but sometimes agave nectar
OR
One egg fried in a tsp of evoo and two slices of wholemeal-seeded toast with butter or Benecol spread

And with the above I usually have a glass of fresh juice (carrots, apple and beetroot)

Lunch:
It varies. Sometimes veg, lentil and lamb stew OR Chinese takeaway (hee hee) or a sandwich with cream cheese and smoked salmon.

Dinner:
Used to have plain whie rice with curry, etc. But now trying not have any carbs for dinner. If we cheat, then we eat new potatoes (boiled) or cous cous. Have it with some roast chicken (with skin) or slice of fish cooked in evoo and some salt/pepper or some lamb roast. Usually have greens steamed or flash-boiled.

I don't drink enough water (maybe 3 glasses a day) and although I love fruit and veg, I probably get up to 2 portions a day.

Don't drink soda, coffee or tea habitually. Sometimes store bought juice. Like sweet things (like tsp of nutella!)and sometimes have that stuff but trying to cut down to bare minimum.

My weight is mostly around the middle, typical of a sedentary lifestyle so my only real exercise is when I go to the gym or for a walk.

Phew... What have I left out?
 
3 glasses of water a day is not enough.

Drinking more water helps to increase your metabolism rate and it keeps your muscles moist and supple, making it more efficient in burning fats when you work out!

You can try to eat more meals a day, but make a conscious effort to eat half of what you're eating per meal. Take your time and eat slowly, this will make sure that you don't over eat and eating more meals will keep your body working and increase your metabolism rate.
 
Drinking more water helps to increase your metabolism rate
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Nope. :)

The rest of it is fine - drinking water helps keep you hydrated, keeps your electrolytes in balance,keeps your skin and muscles nourished, etc. But it doesn't increase your metabolism.
 
Advice for water consumption is 1 fluid ounce for every 2 pounds of weight - so drink more water.

Chinese takeaway is a no no...

Leave the skin off the chicken.

Eat more fruit and veg - especially veg. It provides all sorts of vitamins and helps to protect you against a lot of nasty ailments. It also fills you up so you do not want to snack on bad things. Everyone should be having at least 5 portions a day. It really helps you to hit the 25g fibre target too.

Cream cheese can be fatty...

Use wholemeal bread.

If you opt for rice again - go for brown or wild rice. Portion size - no more than the shape of your fist.

Fruit juice does not fill you up the way that the associated whole fruit does but has the same amount of calories.

Fresh fruit is more filling than dried fruit for the same amount of calories.
 
Great job on getting in a workout! Make a habit of it and you'll see a difference in no time at all.

Here are my suggestions to help you out:

- Keep a hardcore food log, tracking every little bit of nutrition. I use TheDailyPlate: This will help you figure out what kind of nutritional limits you need to hit, exactly how many calories you're taking in, your basal metabolic rate, etc...so you know how many calories you need to take in versus how many you're putting out. It lets you track your exercise too.

- Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. Make yourself do it. It will help in SO many ways, I promise. You'll eat less, your skin will be radiantly clear, you'll be well hydrated so your workouts will be more efficient, and it will keep your kidneys in good working order.

- Try replacing animal proteins (like lamb or chicken) with vegetable proteins like beans, legumes, or veggie burgers. They typically have around the same amount of protein for less calories/fat. Also, soy (like tofu) is an appetite suppressant.

- Eat more (preferably fresh) fruits and vegetables. Seriously, they should compose the majority of your diet. They will regulate your blood sugar MUCH better than complex starches (like rice, potatoes, etc...) or refined sugars will. The fiber is good for you too.

- Try to get more exercise, at least 30 minutes of cardio 3x a week to start out. Start tiny - park further away from the building at work, take several short walks throughout the day (smoke break?), do stretches and lunges/crunches/etc... at the office, you get the drill.
 
Commute for weight loss

Yea I'm a big fan of walking or biking instead of using the car.

In an average day I burn more calories just getting around town than most people burn in a week of workouts.

Ditch the car as much as possible and watch the calories melt off!
 
hey guys, thanks for all your responses! I startet blogging about trying to lose weight. I've decided to write about my journey so people can push me, hold me up to the promises I make myself! :)
 
Yeah I thought so too.

You guys are really good at giving great advice too!

thanks - have a great day everyone
 
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