The road to a healthier me.....

[robsanders]

Hello all, and welcome to my thread on the road to weight loss and a healthier life.

Age	42
Height	182cm
Starting	133kg
Current	128kg
Goal	100kg

Wanting to see my girls grow up and achieve all they can, i have realised that i need to do something about working on a healthier me and losing the weight I have carried for so long now. I have tried the "lose weight quick" ideas in the past, but after reading the countless threads, now realise there is only one guaranteed constant to change all this >>> ME.

3 weeks ago i used a site to track my current intake (along with the minimal exercise that happens rarely) to get a gauge on what sort of numbers i had previously been consuming and after cross checking what i should be taking, was mortified. It was quite the eye opener.

I punched in some numbers on what my goals were and it gave me my new daily targets (hideously less than what i was taking).

View attachment 21205

As i am not a workout freak, I have made a promise to at least stick to these numbers and then focus on integrating the physical activity along the way.

So far so good since starting 3 weeks ago, as i have shed 5kgs already but are what i call the "easy kilos"

Will update when necessary, as i don't want to let the emotions completely take over on the ups and downs that i will encounter on this journey. Also look forward to reading some of the success stories and use them as inspiration to help me along the way.

Good luck to all.

Rob

 

[Sunflower2]

5kgs already! That's great. Welcome to the forum

 

[AthalaRanger]

Hi Rob, I'm glad you decided to start a journal, I look forward to hearing your progress.

Also, as Sunflower said, congratulations on losing the first 5 Kgs.

Good luck.

 

[-Cory-]

Rob, welcome! Congrats on your first 5kg.

 

[robsanders]

5kgs already! That's great. Welcome to the forum

Rob, welcome! Congrats on your first 5kg.

Hi Rob, I'm glad you decided to start a journal, I look forward to hearing your progress.

Also, as Sunflower said, congratulations on losing the first 5 Kgs.

Good luck.

Thank you Sunflower, Cory and AthalaRanger.

I am glad i came across this site as i was looking for a community that really gets behind each other.

Very happy with the first few kilos, but realise its all about getting some consistency and not falling to the dark side and undo all the hard work. I have played yo-yo with my weight levels in the past but really feel that i can commit this time which is another reason i am posting here. Turning up here and posting gives me encouragement to keep at it.

A couple of things that are still bugging me are:

• I am not 100% i am on the correct calorie intake based on my goal of losing 1kg per week. I have followed a couple calculators available but have come up with 3 different results. I am currently working towards 1760 per day but would love to hear some feedback from others in the know.

• I also read somewhere that food intake weight measurements is very important. Short of guestimating, I was hoping some had some suggestions here.

Appreciate the support and look forward to reading as many threads as possible to keep me motivated.

Regards
Rob

 

[robsanders]

Week #1 starting 05/08/2013


Have decided to post meals as often as i can (I also add them on MFP but this will make me look more at what am taking in) to get ideas from those knowledgeable on where i can start to adjust certain things. My biggest vice at the moment is the coffee and the soft drink. I don't think i could possibly give the coffee away but would have no problems giving up the soft drinks (sugar free). I keep reading that the soft drink should be one to scratch off the list but would like to hear feedback from others.

Exercise wise is also the other factor that i need to work on. About the closest i get to it is a bit of boxing on the Wii. I suppose the fact that i am on here typing all this in suggests i should turn off the computer and motivate myself to do more

Weigh-ins will be every Sunday regardless of the peaks and troughs

Below represents a typical day meal wise (although i usually have mandarin/banana combo for lunch as well). According to MFP this accounts for 1145 calories for the day. Doesn't seem quite right and maybe i am missing something.


Breakfast

2 slices of wholemeal bread
1 hard boiled egg
1 mug instant coffee w/skim milk

Lunch

1 Small chicken schnitzel in a white roll
1 Pepsi Max
1 mug instant coffee w/full milk

Dinner

1 200gm Beef marinated BBQ steak
2 cup serves of steamed vegetables

Extras

1 Pepsi Max

 

[Sunflower2]

I'm assuming from your name that you're male? 1700ish sounds about right to me--182cm makes you about 5'10 and 282lbs. On my calculator it comes up as 1850 to loose 1.5lbs a week. I would tweak as you go on..Like you said, it's easy to slip up and you don't want or need to feel hungry whilst loosing weight. It's got to be a lifestyle choice as opposed to a diet

I would stick between 1600-2000 calories and see what sort of results you get. It's going to be a learning process

As for exercise.. Do you work? I hate sport and exercise. Don't enjoy walking for the sake of walking at all and hate the gym. But I found that by not taking the bus to work anymore I'm walking 4 miles a day just as part of my daily routine. Could you do something like that maybe?

You food looks good but the calories are low. If you're going to do calorie counting down to the last calorie then weighing things like rice/pasta/meat etc is a good idea. I usually just guesstimate

 

[AthalaRanger]

Hello!

I apologize beforehand for the wall of text I'm about to write, but I'm rarely able to provide useful information/advice, and when i do i like to provide as much information as possible.

As always, the following text is from the information i have gathered and that i believe is true.

In regards of caloric needs, there seem to be 3 approaches;
a)the one i described on your introduction post, calculating maintenance calories and cutting a set number according to how much you want to lose.
b)calculating your maintenance calories and reduce it for a %. (20 or 30 %, for example)
c)eat 10-12 calories per pound of body weight (I believe its pounds, not Kg)

I would suggest cutting soda and sweet beverages (anything with sugar or other sweeteners)
I don't think that cutting coffee is necessary, but my recomendation would be:
a)don't overdo it.
b)If you can, drink it without sweeteners(sugar, also).

About weighing food, this is why i wanted to empathize on that; http://weight-loss.fitness.com/threads/16780-Easiest-Fat-Loss-Tip-Ever
(*Note* I also posted this on your Introductory post)

I believe the most important thing right now, is to make changes, but changes that you are comfortable with, or at least willing to give them a try.
For example, instead of trying to ban all the not-so-healthy food, my recommendation would be that you focus on eating at the calories you decide to eat, and then, slowly start replacing them with more "healthy" food(at the right calories).

For exercise, my first recommendation would be trying to walk more and doing some activity that you enjoy doing. You can also do something in-doors, dancing or climbing stairs(if you have stairs), for example. If nothing of these sound appealing to you, you can do what i did and look in the web or Youtube for some workout routines.

Now, i would advice against anything that includes running or jumping, since those activities will put a lot of stress on your joints.
Swimming comes to mind, that would be a good idea. If you decide to go for the workout routine, I highly suggest looking for low impact exercises, since;
a) some of them are considerably easier than a regular cardio workout. And most important;
b) they will not put too much stress on your joints.
I personally use the workouts on Youtube from Hasfit and FitnessBlender channels.
I also highly suggest looking information on how to breath properly for exercise.

Finally, and you must remember this, is that your goal when starting to exercise, your SHOULDN'T do it to burn as much calories as possible, this approach will only get you frustrated and make you depressed if you can't keep the pace. You do this to improve your resistance and health. There will be time for more advanced exercises that are more effective at burning calories, but first you need to have a good base.

Having said that, push yourself but don't overdo it, a SLIGHT soreness or "burn" is OK, but if it hurts you should stop.
Don't push yourself too hard that you can't do it again the next day, and remember that is OK to take a break.

To finish, I'm gonna quote -Cory- here, since he said it pretty well:

Athala, don't get depressed or stressed out if you slip up and make mistakes. This is a life-long process, you know? You can't be perfect all the time and I think it's important for everyone to be able to say, "Ok, I made mistakes this passed day/week/month/year, but now I can move beyond them."

I hope that helps.

 

[robsanders]

I'm assuming from your name that you're male? 1700ish sounds about right to me--182cm makes you about 5'10 and 282lbs. On my calculator it comes up as 1850 to loose 1.5lbs a week. I would tweak as you go on..Like you said, it's easy to slip up and you don't want or need to feel hungry whilst loosing weight. It's got to be a lifestyle choice as opposed to a diet

Thanks Sunflower and yes i am of the male species . My goal is to change my lifestyle, where in the past it was binge or starve with no happy in between. I don't care for those get slim quick programs, shakes etc. and my first hurdle I overcame was that to understand that this will be a long process.

I would stick between 1600-2000 calories and see what sort of results you get. It's going to be a learning process

That was the plan to hover around this figure and assume that it will even itself all out in the end. The main object is not to fall into the trap of "cheating a little" and undoing all the hard work. I think they call it discipline.

As for exercise.. Do you work? I hate sport and exercise. Don't enjoy walking for the sake of walking at all and hate the gym. But I found that by not taking the bus to work anymore I'm walking 4 miles a day just as part of my daily routine. Could you do something like that maybe?

Similar story here as i always have the best intention to do some sort of exercise but by the time i get home (30 min drive) the last thing on my mind is to go for a walk. Something that i will need to assess as time goes by and figure i don't have to implement everything all at once.

You food looks good but the calories are low. If you're going to do calorie counting down to the last calorie then weighing things like rice/pasta/meat etc is a good idea. I usually just guesstimate

Wasn't a standard day as far as meals go, just how it panned out. Over the 3 weeks using MyFitnessPal i have maintained a solid level of 1600-1800 per day. Next part is to look at what the intake should consist of.

 

[robsanders]

Hello!

I apologize beforehand for the wall of text I'm about to write, but I'm rarely able to provide useful information/advice, and when i do i like to provide as much information as possible.

No need to apologise as i appreciate any and all feedback and suggestions

As always, the following text is from the information i have gathered and that i believe is true.

In regards of caloric needs, there seem to be 3 approaches;
a)the one i described on your introduction post, calculating maintenance calories and cutting a set number according to how much you want to lose.
b)calculating your maintenance calories and reduce it for a %. (20 or 30 %, for example)
c)eat 10-12 calories per pound of body weight (I believe its pounds, not Kg)

I would suggest cutting soda and sweet beverages (anything with sugar or other sweeteners)
I don't think that cutting coffee is necessary, but my recomendation would be:
a)don't overdo it.
b)If you can, drink it without sweeteners(sugar, also).

Have made the change to drop all sweet beverages but hang on to my beloved coffee without the sweetener. Another small change i can adjust to as it was almost robotic to come home and pull out a can before and after dinner.

About weighing food, this is why i wanted to empathize on that; http://weight-loss.fitness.com/threads/16780-Easiest-Fat-Loss-Tip-Ever
(*Note* I also posted this on your Introductory post)

I believe the most important thing right now, is to make changes, but changes that you are comfortable with, or at least willing to give them a try.
For example, instead of trying to ban all the not-so-healthy food, my recommendation would be that you focus on eating at the calories you decide to eat, and then, slowly start replacing them with more "healthy" food(at the right calories).

I think over time i should be able to get a good handle on this and allowing tolerances across the board should again even itself out.

For exercise, my first recommendation would be trying to walk more and doing some activity that you enjoy doing. You can also do something in-doors, dancing or climbing stairs(if you have stairs), for example. If nothing of these sound appealing to you, you can do what i did and look in the web or Youtube for some workout routines.

This is one area i will need to seriously consider as i move forward with this for sure

Now, i would advice against anything that includes running or jumping, since those activities will put a lot of stress on your joints.
Swimming comes to mind, that would be a good idea. If you decide to go for the workout routine, I highly suggest looking for low impact exercises, since;
a) some of them are considerably easier than a regular cardio workout. And most important;
b) they will not put too much stress on your joints.
I personally use the workouts on Youtube from Hasfit and FitnessBlender channels.
I also highly suggest looking information on how to breath properly for exercise.

I was actually looking at one of those fitness programs for the Wii and try to convince myself its actually a game

Finally, and you must remember this, is that your goal when starting to exercise, your SHOULDN'T do it to burn as much calories as possible, this approach will only get you frustrated and make you depressed if you can't keep the pace. You do this to improve your resistance and health. There will be time for more advanced exercises that are more effective at burning calories, but first you need to have a good base.

Having said that, push yourself but don't overdo it, a SLIGHT soreness or "burn" is OK, but if it hurts you should stop.
Don't push yourself too hard that you can't do it again the next day, and remember that is OK to take a break.

To finish, I'm gonna quote -Cory- here, since he said it pretty well:



I hope that helps.

Thanks for all the input AthalaRanger, much appreciated !!

 

[Sunflower2]

Sounds like you know what you need to do! I lost 50lb the year before last and lost the first 20 doing no exercise at all. Wouldn't necessarily recommend no exercise but I found that when I started to loose weight I felt more motivated to exercise naturally. Getting my diet under control was certainly the first step for me

 

[robsanders]

Sounds like you know what you need to do! I lost 50lb the year before last and lost the first 20 doing no exercise at all. Wouldn't necessarily recommend no exercise but I found that when I started to loose weight I felt more motivated to exercise naturally. Getting my diet under control was certainly the first step for me

I think it is almost critical to get a solid diet in place and something that you can be comfortable with. I accept that i wont shed the pounds as consistently without exercise but feel that i can gradually work it into the regime to give it that extra push along. I agree with you along the lines that when you do lose the weight and know that the extra exercise will go a long way is where i think i can really motivate myself.

I think too many times we get caught up thinking eating less for a short period of time and throwing in some exercise will do the trick, but then easily stack it on when we "fall off the wagon". From what i have read on these forums it is so much about changing the way we do things and that in itself is half the battle.

Part of the reason i joined and want to actively post is that it will drive me to better myself and get knowledgeable guidance along the way to help me achieve what i am setting out to do. I am already finding myself learning more about what i eat rather than how much of it i eat.

Look forward to seeing how this pans out and what i get out of it.

 

[-Cory-]

I think it is almost critical to get a solid diet in place and something that you can be comfortable with. I accept that i wont shed the pounds as consistently without exercise but feel that i can gradually work it into the regime to give it that extra push along. I agree with you along the lines that when you do lose the weight and know that the extra exercise will go a long way is where i think i can really motivate myself.

I think too many times we get caught up thinking eating less for a short period of time and throwing in some exercise will do the trick, but then easily stack it on when we "fall off the wagon". From what i have read on these forums it is so much about changing the way we do things and that in itself is half the battle.

This is very true. A lot of people make these GIANT sweeping changes to their lifestyles and then can maintain it because the shock is too much. If you can make small sustainable changes that eventually get you to your goal, I think it's fine if you don't exercise right now.

 

[robsanders]

Quite an interesting mix of foods today and treated myself after dinner. Still working on getting weight/serving measurements as close as i can and at around 1500 calories for the day, I think i have done pretty good. Sugars were a little higher than normal with the muesli surprisingly high in sugar content. Something i will need to look at.



Breakfast

1 cup low fat muesli with skim milk
1 mug instant coffee w/skim milk

Lunch

150g Savoury mince
12 Carrot sticks
1 cappucino

Dinner

150g Pork with fat cut
2 cup serves of steamed vegetables

Extras

1 Ice cream in cone (my treat)
1 Coffee pod

 

[AthalaRanger]

Good job on the 1500 calories, that leaves a nice 300 calories error margin.

Don't worry about the treats, just focus on the calories for now. You'll have plenty of time to replace your current food with more healthy options.

 

[robsanders]

Another day, another 1500 calory intake achieved.

About the only thing i am not liking is my sugar intake is higher than i have set. To be honest i am not really sure what is a good intake for sugar (might help me to look it up) but i have been told that i must keep it under control or become full blown type 2 diabetic.

Will need to get back into the habit of checking my sugar levels to keep on top of it as well.

Cheated a little by checking the scales and can report a total of 6.7kg dropped and that is without exercise. Not that i am endorsing to not exercise, but i can see how controlling the intake can make a huge difference.

My next project will be to put together some food groups i can choose from for my meals next week. I dont think i will go as far to make up some exotic meals but at least have them at the ready that i can quickly throw it all together.

Anyways, until the next update, wish you all well with your goals.

Rob

 

[AthalaRanger]

I suggest trying to avoid as much sugar as possible. To my understanding, the carbohydrates we eat are converted into it, so if you eat carbohydrates and another source of sugar (Soda or sweetened tea, for example), you are consuming a considerably amount of it. I once read that cinnamon can help regulate blood sugar levels, you may want to look into that.

Congratulations on the 1.7 Kg loss!

You are making good progress, stick with the plan and make changes as you feel comfortable with them.

 

[robsanders]

Was having a read through a few posts and came across the one for the Cohen's Lifestyle Clinic Program and was quite intrigued with it. Unfortunately there are only 2 centres in Victoria and they are "miles" away. Does anyone else have more information on this system or guidance on something similar. Not looking for the quick fix but appreciated the fact that it is a lifestyle program.

Anyways, finished up another day of 1500 calories and really feeling good about how i feel. Will deliberately stay away from the scales until Sunday (will try not to sneak a peek) and hopefully get a pleasant surprise with some more weight loss (whether its 0.2 or 2kg).

After reading through a few of the Cohens thread, i have thought about creating some meals as a daily planner for myself. I was hoping some could offer some threads that are worth reading over for this type of thing. Not being lazy, its just that there is so much to get through on this forum.

Well, until the next update, wish you all well with your goals.

Rob

 

[Omega]

Chat to Cate about Cohens...

She is really helpful - and she always springs to mind as a person with a lot of Cohens experience...

 

[robsanders]

Thanks for the heads up Omega, much appreciated.

So glad i have joined this forum as the support is pretty amazing. I now feel like i need to keep pushing myself so as not to let anyone down, including myself.

Rob