Trying to keep going, but need some advice.

K

kwest

0
Well I'm not sure if this is the correct place to post this, but I am really in need of some advice to further my weight loss "journey". I am 22 years old and have more or less been "big" my entire life.

Let me start by explaining my body build. I am currently about 295 pounds, Im 6'4. When I 'started' 8 months ago, I weighed 390 pounds. I have a very big body build, but I still think I could lose about 30-40 more pounds. 260 or 250 would be my ultimate goal.... but, I have been running into problems.

I have been stuck at around 300 for about a month now, after dropping at least 10+ pounds per month before. Its very frusterating because for the most part I havent gotten off track except for a few food slip ups.

On the average day I drink only water, will eat cereal or oatmeal or something for breakfast. Then I usually eat a sandwhich (turkey, peanut butter and jelly, or roast beef) for lunch with some kind of fruit. Dinner is usually something simple again like a sandwhich or some tuna and beans. I dont eat very many vegetables at all because Im on a very low income being a college student.

I teach Taekwondo for about 2-3 hours a day. That is what started me off on the path towards fitness. For the first couple months I didnt change anything else, but still lost weight by just doing Taekwondo. When it started to slow down, I changed my diet a little bit. Then when it still slowed down I changed to walking/jogging. Now I do at least an hour on an elyptical machine at high resistance everyday... sometimes more. I try and work in some crunches and things but I dont really have a good workout plan.

I feel like my muscles have gotten used to the elyptical machine and even though it says I burn like 1400 calories on the machine Im not sure if its accurate.

My main questions are this:

Do I need to change the type of workout? Has my body gotten to used to doing Taekwondo and using the elyptical machine? I have heard a lot about muscle confusion, but dont know what to do.

I take centrum multivitamins. I cant really afford anything else. Are these doing good for me, or are they a waste of time?

What can I do to counter the fact that I have a high sodium intake? Since I eat out of cans and packages, I take in like 150-200% of the sodium that is recommended for a 2000 calorie a day diet. What should I do about this, or is it insignificant?

Is it dangerous for a guy my size to only eat 1000-1500 calories a day and work out like I do? A lot of the times thats about all I get.

What are some specific excersies other than crunches/push-ups that a guy my size can do to lose fat around my stomach/pec areas. I am really pleased with my progress but I still have a really big belly and "man boobs."

Thanks in advance for any advice. I look forward to seeing where I am 6 months from now. I will try my best to continue, hopefully it will work out!
 
congratulations on the weight loss man, that really is amazing. But I'm sure you know LBs drop really quick in the first couple of months and the smaller you get the slower the weightloss becomes, that's just the way it is.

I would prob up my calorie intake if I were you, Keep it clean and healthy but try to eat more.

Also do a full body workout routine to throw your body off. 3 times a week should do the trick.

that's just my 2 cents.

either way keep it up. it's a journey!
 
I’m 6’2” and went from about 305lbs to 260lbs with a combination of Taekwondo, running and weightlifting, so your situation caught my attention. This was all about 10 years ago for me. I’m now 288lbs and only lifting heavy.

Like you I find that I’m always working out but have a real tough time losing weight. For me, my major problem is my diet. I’ll eat correctly for days only to blow it with poor willpower once I’m out at a restaurant. I just ate a full plate of nacho’s last night, loaded with cheese, chicken, and chili. Probably a 5000cal plate. That’s after at least 2000cals already for the day and some candy corn.

You have done a wonderful job to get this far but I’m curious if you still have these binges like me?

You are not eating enough calories if all you are eating is 1500 a day. That in itself will cause a binge.
 
I have had a couple binges, not as many as I would expect though. Once I ate a large pizza and some wings and like half a 2 liter of Dr Pepper (the first time i had drank dr pepper in months, I used to drink a TON).

I actually recalculated my average calorie intake. Im happy to say its actually more like 2000. People always seem to underestimate how much they take in.

What can I add for some cheap good calories though? I was thinking like egg whites maybe.

Also one of the questions I want to know about most: are these Centrum one-a-day vitamins actually doing me any good?
 
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You need a variety of foods. I know you say you are on a low income, but healthy foods are not expensive. They keep you fuller for longer.

Cheap = food may be made from crap and won't keep you full for long. There are also lots of preservatives
More pricey = quality and feeling better

That time you had the pizza and coke (I'm from Australia so no Dr Pepper here!) That would have been around $15-$20. You could have bought veggies with that. If you sotre them correctly, they will last a while
 
I understand the plateau thing. I have the same problem. What I have found is that I am not eating enough so I'm not burning enough. My body is still storing, say for "hard times". I agree you should probably up the anti and make sure you're not eating meat late at night.
 
Switch from the elliptical to a stationary bike (or real bike) or running/jogging. Or swimming. You are a big guy, but I seriously doubt you are burning 1400 kcals/hour - probably 1/2 of that.
 
awesome job so far! I do think you are eating too little though which can def affect your results. Eating every 2-3 hrs is best for keeping your metabolism on high. So you end up with 4-6 little meals throughout the day. Because you're working so hard and eating so little your body is trying to hold on to everything it has.
As for workouts I think you might want to add some intensity to change it up. Think of weight training because with the more muscle you have the higher your metabolism will be!
 
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