An introductive and weight loss thread

[JamieinNH]

Hello from New Hampshire!!

Let me start by saying I am glad I found this site! I have been looking for a place to gather information and gain support for my new lifestyle and this already feels like home!

I am 41yo male, 5'8" 201# As you can see from my profile pics which were taken on yesterday, I am over weight.

I started this change three weeks ago just by cutting out candy, sweets, ice cream, soda etc.. that was an easy cut. I have started to watch what I eat just for portion control, no seconds, thirds or more! I have only kind of half ass kept up with calorie count, trying to keep it around 1400-1500. Base on some other sites, this is the correct number to lose about 1-2 pounds per week.

When I started this three weeks ago I was at 209 and now I am at 201, as I have lost 8 pounds just cutting the sweets and seconds out.

Now, it's time to move on to a the next stage. I have four goals for now:

• Life Long goal: Weight unknown because after I have removed the fat, I would like to add some muscle, which will add some weight.
• Long term goal: get down to 160#
• Mid term goal: get down to 180#
• Short term goal: attempt to lose about 8-10 pounds per month

I have been combing through this site and writing up some notes, in the next day or so I want to post what I have and see if it makes sense.

I want to add some Cardio and some weight training to my schedule, and it will be convenient as there is a Plant Fitness two doors down from my apartment!

I work in a hospital, so I will be able to monitor my blood sugar, weight, blood pressure, etc from there easy enough.

I know this will be tough to start with, when I was a teenager I worked out regularly and loved it, but now I am fat and lazy and old... at least I feel old. But having a site like this for support and suggestions I am hoping it will keep me on task!

Thanks again for such a great site and I look forward to meet/chatting with you all and hope so show you some great results in the future!

Jamie

[kingof_queens]

Congratulations on taking a step in the right direction Jaimie. We are all here for the same reason.

Keep up the good work and post any progress you WILL have.

[JamieinNH]

ok, as I have combed through this site, I have gathered some things I am doing that I need to stop. I also have a bunch of questions.

No eating complex carbs after 6pm and no eating 2-3 hours before bed. I also need to look into getting a multi vitamin and a protein shake. I see a lot of people drinking Whey shakes, is this a generic thing I can get from anywhere, or should I be looking for anything in particular?

My work hours are strange. I work at a hospital, and work Noon-9pm M-F I generally wake up at 9am and go to bed around 2am. So given that I am guess (if I read it right, one should eat about every 2-3 hours) that my schedule of eating should be something like this:

9am
11am
2pm
5pm
8pm

I see some people having a scale like 40/60/40 or whatever the numbers are, I take that to be Protein/Carbs/Calories? If now, what does it mean and how do I go about figuring out what mine are?

I also have read that your calorie count for maintenance is 12 times body weight is this true? How far can or should one go below their maintenance level to lose weight?

Since I am not looking to work with weights to start with, and want to do Cardio, does it really matter what I do? I do like the treadmill, but can do other machines and a combination if it would be better for me.

Since I work at a hospital we can purchase supplies, and one of the supplies we can buy is Ensure. Is this a good food supplement or does it have too much fat/sugar to do any good?

I am also looking over these products, any advice on if any of them would be good for a beginner like myself?

bodybuilding.com/store/bioq/betastax.html
bodybuilding.com/store/bsn/cheat.html
bodybuilding.com/store/univ/cutsfree.html

This week I have started running on the treadmill for 40 minutes and then briskly walking for the last 20 minutes. Right now I am doing this after work, but hope to add another run in the morning before work to get in 2 hours per day. Combine that with eating right, cutting down on portions and no sweets or sodas. Now I just feel like I need to take the next step to being fit and getting into shape I just don't know what that step is.

Thanks for any help with the questions and direction!

Jamie

[luv2pump]

YOu need to LIFT TOO. NOW.

Everyone here seems to love Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey. I finally caved and ordered some myself.

Those numbers you talk about will vary for everyone as all bodies are different. I try to do 50/40/20 myself. That's protein/carbs/fat. Only when I am cutting fat though otherwise it would be different.

The calories for maintenance will largely be achived though trial and error as again, we are all diff. I can give you a link to get you started-

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

BUT it's just a guideline. You will need to log all you eat at Fitday.com (t's free) or another place but tracking calories in is KEY as most of your success here will come through diet. KEEP the diet TIGHT and eat clean always.

Weigh in every week. If no loss after a month, reduce calories down a few hundred, particularly carbs. Always eat 1-1.5 grams of protein.
This is just a few basic things off the top of my head.

Start lifting. Heavy and regularly. You're not a skinny female cardio bunny, for God's sake! You are a man so lift like one. If you have significant fat to lose, do 45-60 mins of cardio 4-5 times a week AFTER you lift.

You need muscle to burn fast faster and if you don't lift, you can't gain any and therefore you will find fat loss harder and when it occurs, you will have s.hitty muscle definition- ewwwwww.

Lift- that's all I can say. It is a bodybuilding site, after all.



Best of luck in your journey.

[mayerthegreat]

I agree with just about all of what luv2pump said.

One point I strongly disagree with (as it pertains to this case): the OP does NOT need to do 45-60mins of cardio 4-5 days a week. That is absolutely unnecessary, especially for someone just getting back into a training program. It will burn him out, physically. Again, this isn't a guy that has been hitting the gym 4-5 days a week for years in a row.

For example, I started lifting 4 days a week for the first two months of my weight loss, then slowly added in some cardio 1-2 days a week for 20mins, etc etc. Add things in gradually. I did the same thing for my dad (he started eight weeks ago). I have lost 98 pounds, so far he has lost 16 pounds.

To the OP: lift weights, eat less, be patient. Add in some cardio in a month or two when you feel physically up to it.

[phal]

Okay, first off

Meal timing/frequency means jack sh*t, eating every 2 - 3 hours can help SOME people curb appetite, it has no effect on one's metabolism. You can eat 6, 10, 2, 3, 4, 5 any amount of meals you want per day as long as it fits within your caloric goal/limit.

Secondly, no carbs after 6 pm? That's also stupid and a false statement that's thrown around a LOT. You can eat any macronutrient at any time during the day, it will not have any effect on your body composition (if it fits within your caloric goal/limit) - see the trend?

Lastly, bodyweight x any number or any calculator that tells you what your maintenance is, it's a guideline. Use it as such and trial and error for 2 - 3 weeks and adjust accordingly.

Whey is used as convenience, it's not magical, isn't necessary - but it is cheap compared to other protein sources.

Lift heavy and eat at a deficit (get protein/EFA's) and fat will melt off.

And - not too often I see someone from NH here, so best of luck.

[luv2pump]

I agree with just about all of what luv2pump said.

One point I strongly disagree with (as it pertains to this case): the OP does NOT need to do 45-60mins of cardio 4-5 days a week. That is absolutely unnecessary, especially for someone just getting back into a training program. It will burn him out, physically. Again, this isn't a guy that has been hitting the gym 4-5 days a week for years in a row.

.

Good point. I have just always done at least some for years now and I forget others have not. However, I still think he could do it multiple days a week but start with walking.

[JamieinNH]

Thanks for the feedback guys!

I did plug in everything I ate starting yesterday and was amazed to see some of the numbers! Working at a hospital, we have access at a nice salad bar so I thought eating a nice salad for lunch would be good, it turns out lunch was my worse meal of the day!

I am tracking things though a site called Fat Secert I picked that one because they also have a Blackberry App where I can key in anything I eat during the day, at that time and if I do any Cardio or lifting or weigh in, then it can all be recorded as I go.

I will go an join the gym this weekend, it's right across the street from where I live. The only reason I didn't think I wanted or should lift to start with is I didn't want to turn my 'size' into bulk. I have seen some people that lose the weight, but replace it with muscle and they look the same size. I want to be a little smaller, but more cut and defined. I will read up more on the site, but I am guessing that by lifting and cutting what I eat my body will burn off this fat "size"?

With you suggestions, I will cut Cardio down to 3 days a week. I do love the treadmill, so it's not something I will grow tired of. Plus, we do have a small Life Center gym at the hospital for us to use. There isn't much in there, couple of treadmills, couple of bikes, and couple of Oliptical machines but it's quick and easy to get in 30-40 minutes there.

Although I ate healthy all day yesterday, the chart in the end didn't show it as being divided correctly. Too much Fat to Protein/Carb ratio I believe, so after a few weeks of tracking, I will need to adjust that.

I don't know if it will allow me to cut and paste my food from yesterday in here, but I am going to try:

My Food Diary, 04 November 2009

Total Calories: 1071

Fat(g) Carbs(g) Prot(g) KCals
58.68 85.53 55.51 1071


Breakfast 12.54 36.87 7.80 286

4 servings 0 Calorie Sweetener - - - -
4 cups Coffee (Brewed From Grounds) 0.19 - 1.14 9
6 individual containers Half and Half Cream 10.35 3.87 2.66 117
1 serving Instant Oatmeal - Maple and Brown Sugar 2.00 33.00 4.00 160


Lunch 33.04 9.15 16.73 396

2 tbsps Caesar Salad Dressing 16.96 0.91 0.35 155
1/2 cup Chicken or Turkey Salad 15.75 1.27 14.74 208
3 cups Lettuce Salad with Assorted Vegetables 0.33 6.97 1.64 33


Dinner 13.10 39.51 30.98 389

1/2 cup chopped Broccoli (with Salt, Drained, Cooked, Boiled) 0.27 3.95 2.32 22
1 serving Chow Mein Noodles 5.00 19.00 3.00 130
1 cup sliced Cooked Carrots 3.74 12.07 1.12 82
4 oz Pork Loin (Tenderloin, Lean Only) 3.87 - 23.80 136
1/2 cup chopped Sweet Red Peppers 0.22 4.49 0.74 19

Day Summary: 54% of RDI*
(1071 calories)

* Based on a RDI of 2000 calories


Calorie Breakdown:

Carbohydrate (32%)
Fat (49%)
Protein (19%)


Thanks again for all the great suggestions and help! It's a lot easier getting back into shape with help from people and sites like this!

Jamie

[Nutshell20]

Hello from New Hampshire!!

Let me start by saying I am glad I found this site! I have been looking for a place to gather information and gain support for my new lifestyle and this already feels like home!

I am 41yo male, 5'8" 201# As you can see from my profile pics which were taken on yesterday, I am over weight.

I started this change three weeks ago just by cutting out candy, sweets, ice cream, soda etc.. that was an easy cut. I have started to watch what I eat just for portion control, no seconds, thirds or more! I have only kind of half ass kept up with calorie count, trying to keep it around 1400-1500. Base on some other sites, this is the correct number to lose about 1-2 pounds per week.

When I started this three weeks ago I was at 209 and now I am at 201, as I have lost 8 pounds just cutting the sweets and seconds out.

Now, it's time to move on to a the next stage. I have four goals for now:

• Life Long goal: Weight unknown because after I have removed the fat, I would like to add some muscle, which will add some weight.
• Long term goal: get down to 160#
• Mid term goal: get down to 180#
• Short term goal: attempt to lose about 8-10 pounds per month

I have been combing through this site and writing up some notes, in the next day or so I want to post what I have and see if it makes sense.

I want to add some Cardio and some weight training to my schedule, and it will be convenient as there is a Plant Fitness two doors down from my apartment!

I work in a hospital, so I will be able to monitor my blood sugar, weight, blood pressure, etc from there easy enough.

I know this will be tough to start with, when I was a teenager I worked out regularly and loved it, but now I am fat and lazy and old... at least I feel old. But having a site like this for support and suggestions I am hoping it will keep me on task!

Thanks again for such a great site and I look forward to meet/chatting with you all and hope so show you some great results in the future!

Jamie

Try bodyweight x 10 or 12 as a starting point. 1400 calories is too low for a 200lb man. It's about trial and error to find what works for you...no one here can tell you that. My advice to you is:

Start around 2000 calories per day...adjust as needed
Track your macros and food amount...don't guess
Lift heavy and hard...cardio as needed
Drink plenty of water

Best of luck to you.

[Nutshell20]

Thanks for the feedback guys!

I did plug in everything I ate starting yesterday and was amazed to see some of the numbers! Working at a hospital, we have access at a nice salad bar so I thought eating a nice salad for lunch would be good, it turns out lunch was my worse meal of the day!

I am tracking things though a site called Fat Secert I picked that one because they also have a Blackberry App where I can key in anything I eat during the day, at that time and if I do any Cardio or lifting or weigh in, then it can all be recorded as I go.

I will go an join the gym this weekend, it's right across the street from where I live. The only reason I didn't think I wanted or should lift to start with is I didn't want to turn my 'size' into bulk. I have seen some people that lose the weight, but replace it with muscle and they look the same size. I want to be a little smaller, but more cut and defined. I will read up more on the site, but I am guessing that by lifting and cutting what I eat my body will burn off this fat "size"?

With you suggestions, I will cut Cardio down to 3 days a week. I do love the treadmill, so it's not something I will grow tired of. Plus, we do have a small Life Center gym at the hospital for us to use. There isn't much in there, couple of treadmills, couple of bikes, and couple of Oliptical machines but it's quick and easy to get in 30-40 minutes there.

Although I ate healthy all day yesterday, the chart in the end didn't show it as being divided correctly. Too much Fat to Protein/Carb ratio I believe, so after a few weeks of tracking, I will need to adjust that.

I don't know if it will allow me to cut and paste my food from yesterday in here, but I am going to try:

My Food Diary, 04 November 2009

Total Calories: 1071

Fat(g) Carbs(g) Prot(g) KCals
58.68 85.53 55.51 1071


Breakfast 12.54 36.87 7.80 286

4 servings 0 Calorie Sweetener - - - -
4 cups Coffee (Brewed From Grounds) 0.19 - 1.14 9
6 individual containers Half and Half Cream 10.35 3.87 2.66 117
1 serving Instant Oatmeal - Maple and Brown Sugar 2.00 33.00 4.00 160


Lunch 33.04 9.15 16.73 396

2 tbsps Caesar Salad Dressing 16.96 0.91 0.35 155
1/2 cup Chicken or Turkey Salad 15.75 1.27 14.74 208
3 cups Lettuce Salad with Assorted Vegetables 0.33 6.97 1.64 33


Dinner 13.10 39.51 30.98 389

1/2 cup chopped Broccoli (with Salt, Drained, Cooked, Boiled) 0.27 3.95 2.32 22
1 serving Chow Mein Noodles 5.00 19.00 3.00 130
1 cup sliced Cooked Carrots 3.74 12.07 1.12 82
4 oz Pork Loin (Tenderloin, Lean Only) 3.87 - 23.80 136
1/2 cup chopped Sweet Red Peppers 0.22 4.49 0.74 19

Day Summary: 54% of RDI*
(1071 calories)

* Based on a RDI of 2000 calories


Calorie Breakdown:

Carbohydrate (32%)
Fat (49%)
Protein (19%)


Thanks again for all the great suggestions and help! It's a lot easier getting back into shape with help from people and sites like this!

Jamie

Try this;

Breakfast
Real oats...not instant oatmeal
Egg whites...whole eggs are fine too
Whole wheat toast

Snack
Banana or apple
Low fat cheese stick or cottage cheese

Lunch
Turkey or tuna
Spinach salad...not iceberg lettuce
veggies or good fats
almonds or peanut butter

Snack
Fruit or veggie
Whey shake

Dinner
Lean meat with veggies
Starchy carb

This is just a vey broad example. Do a search to see some different meal plans. Don't limit yourself to 1000 calories a day...no need to starve yourself.

[ejthomp]

.............. I didn't want to turn my 'size' into bulk. I have seen some people that lose the weight, but replace it with muscle and they look the same size........

That is the biggest load of crap.... Those that say they have lost weight and remained the same size are fooling themselves and unfortunately some of those around them.... The people that say that crap are almost always fat and making excuses.... It just NEVER happens that way. Here is my example of one year body changes....November 1st, 2008 to November 2nd, 2009. I lifted weights HARD (I mean really HARD) and ate CLEAN for one year.

252 pounds down to 192
Fat lost.... 63 lbs
Muscle gain... 3 lbs (proving again you can't lose weight AND gain much muscle)
Chest measurement... 46" down to 42"
Waist 44.5" to 33.5"
Thigh 26" to 22"
Bicep 15.5"(fat) to 14.5"
Blood pressure: 160/95 to 120/70
Resting heart rate: 70 to 50
Bench press: from 160 to 260
Mile run: from 12 min to 6 mins
Wide grip pullups: 0 to 20

EAT CLEAN!!!!!! First and foremost it is about the diet. HIT THE WEIGHTS HARD!!!!! Try and turn yourself into an animal.

You will lose inches in all the right places IF you LIFT HARD!

[JamieinNH]

Ok guys, progress report. I weighed in last night and I am down to 198 lbs! I couldn't believe it, but it seems watching my diet, paying attention to portions and the cardio is paying off! It's so worth it to be a little hungry and have to manage my food to see the number off off the scale.

From some reason, my Blood Sugar went up a little. It went from low 80's to 99. Nothing really too much to worry about they said, but I have to keep a close eye on it. I will get one of the nurses to test it weekly while I am on this to make sure everything stays a'ok.

I will be joining the gym tomorrow. Today is a workout in and of itself. I have to go help a friend clean out inside and outside his parents house. They both passed and he needs to sell the house, so I am sure I will get some calorie burning in today.


I am excited about the weight loss and am ready to kick it up a knotch with the lifting. I can't really see any different in my size, but I do feel a lot better. I live on the third floor and used to get winded when I walked up the stairs, now I can do it and I am not out of breathe. I will take some pictures later today or tomorrow just so I can have a weekly reflection down the road..

Thanks again for all your help and motivation! It's been great and I am looking forward to more and better results!

Jamie

[ejthomp]

Nice job! It is always good to see immediate results..... Don't be discouraged if things don't go your way on the scale next week... We are looking for results next year, not tomorrow or next week.

Dialing in your diet to the proper calorie range WITH the proper protein/carb/fat ratio is critical. As a starting weight loss diet you are looking for a total of about 1500-2000 calories per day with 200 grams of protein.... It takes some work to find the best foods to meet your requirements so don't think your diet has to be set in stone. Personally I don't like supplements when you can meet all of your nutritional needs with good, natural food.

After diet, I can't stress enough how important HEAVY weight training is if you are serious about looking good after you've lost the fat. You are not going to gain much muscle while you are losing weight, but you will save and tone the muscle you have. That is critical! You don't want to lose weight with a bunch of that weight loss being muscle..... we call that skinny-fat and a lot of cardio with no weight training will do that to you. If you look around, you see people like this all the time. People that have lost a lot of weight but have absolutely no muscle tone to them at all. Consequently they have no strength and no energy to get out and be active. They are doomed to being a couch potato and falling back into old habits.

That being said, if you are getting your heavy lifting in, don't shy away from cardio at this point either. If you can get in 40 minutes of good cardio at your workplace, that is awesome. That cardio will burn a lot of calories and give you a little more leeway in your diet. Always keep in mind though that you can do cardio for 40 minutes and then drink a gatorade and be EVEN calorie wise. You won't lose weight without strict calorie control all day.

GOOD LUCK! Sounds like you are off to a good start and you are on the right website to learn everything that you need to know to be successful long term.

[luv2pump]

That is the biggest load of crap.... Those that say they have lost weight and remained the same size are fooling themselves and unfortunately some of those around them.... The people that say that crap are almost always fat and making excuses.... It just NEVER happens that way. Here is my example of one year body changes....November 1st, 2008 to November 2nd, 2009. I lifted weights HARD (I mean really HARD) and ate CLEAN for one year.

252 pounds down to 192
Fat lost.... 63 lbs
Muscle gain... 3 lbs (proving again you can't lose weight AND gain much muscle)
Chest measurement... 46" down to 42"
Waist 44.5" to 33.5"
Thigh 26" to 22"
Bicep 15.5"(fat) to 14.5"
Blood pressure: 160/95 to 120/70
Resting heart rate: 70 to 50
Bench press: from 160 to 260
Mile run: from 12 min to 6 mins
Wide grip pullups: 0 to 20

EAT CLEAN!!!!!! First and foremost it is about the diet. HIT THE WEIGHTS HARD!!!!! Try and turn yourself into an animal.

You will lose inches in all the right places IF you LIFT HARD!

LISTEN to this man. For God's sake LIFT!!!!!

[luv2pump]

YOu need to LIFT TOO. NOW.


You need muscle to burn fast faster and if you don't lift, you can't gain any and therefore you will find fat loss harder and when it occurs, you will have s.hitty muscle definition- ewwwwww.

And read this again.

[JamieinNH]

I do plan on joining the gym tomorrow. I am combining the threads/forum now to find a good starting routine.

I am trying to gather what I should be doing, how often, how much weight/reps etc.

As I put together things, I will post what I have and see if you guys agree.

[thiussat]

ok, as I have combed through this site, I have gathered some things I am doing that I need to stop. I also have a bunch of questions.

No eating complex carbs after 6pm and no eating 2-3 hours before bed. I also need to look into getting a multi vitamin and a protein shake. I see a lot of people drinking Whey shakes, is this a generic thing I can get from anywhere, or should I be looking for anything in particular?

I wouldn't worry all that much about whey shakes until you start bulking. The shakes are mainly used for muscle building (that's what protein does). For cutting, you can get all the protein you need by just eating well portioned pieces of lean beef and fish as well as beans, nuts, etc..

My work hours are strange. I work at a hospital, and work Noon-9pm M-F I generally wake up at 9am and go to bed around 2am. So given that I am guess (if I read it right, one should eat about every 2-3 hours) that my schedule of eating should be something like this:

9am
11am
2pm
5pm
8pm

Yeah that seems fine.

I see some people having a scale like 40/60/40 or whatever the numbers are, I take that to be Protein/Carbs/Calories? If now, what does it mean and how do I go about figuring out what mine are?

Protein/Carbs/Fats, though I am not sure in which order most people list them. Calories should be obtained by calculating your BMR and then adding how much you burn on top of BMR.

I also have read that your calorie count for maintenance is 12 times body weight is this true? How far can or should one go below their maintenance level to lose weight?

The problem with all of this is that it is not an exact science due to all the variables like hormones, metabolic rate, age, sex, general health, etc.. There is no hard and fast rule for how many calories everyone needs to lose/gain/maintain. You can take 2 people of identical height, age and sex and one of them will gain on 2500 calories while the other loses. Therefore, all you can really do is simply calculate your BMR and use it as a general guideline. If you aren't losing, then drop your intake by 200 calories and try again. Also go to livestrong.com and use their "dailyplate" feature. It has a huge food database and allows you to quickly track all the calories and macros in everything you eat. And it's free.

Since I am not looking to work with weights to start with, and want to do Cardio, does it really matter what I do? I do like the treadmill, but can do other machines and a combination if it would be better for me.

Doesn't matter what you do as long as you're moving and you get your heart rate up. Your max heart rate will be 220 minus age (179 in your case). When you do cardio try to keep your HR around 60-80% of your max. As you do cardio you will notice that over time it takes less energy to do the routine you were doing. Just increase the intensity accordingly. You can, for instance, increase the speed of the treadmill, put it on incline or both.

Since I work at a hospital we can purchase supplies, and one of the supplies we can buy is Ensure. Is this a good food supplement or does it have too much fat/sugar to do any good?

I wouldn't worry about it. However, if you can get some deals on protein powder, I might go for that. I know sometimes doctors will "prescribe" protein for certain types of patients (like bariatric patients). Usually the protein used is of better grade than can be found in a lot of typical supplements.

I am also looking over these products, any advice on if any of them would be good for a beginner like myself?

bodybuilding.com/store/bioq/betastax.html
bodybuilding.com/store/bsn/cheat.html
bodybuilding.com/store/univ/cutsfree.html

I wouldn't use those cutting supplements, but that's just me. All weight loss consists of is burning more calories than you eat. It's that simple. (Yeah you can carb cycle to speed up the process but it ultimately boils down to calories in < calories out).

This week I have started running on the treadmill for 40 minutes and then briskly walking for the last 20 minutes. Right now I am doing this after work, but hope to add another run in the morning before work to get in 2 hours per day. Combine that with eating right, cutting down on portions and no sweets or sodas. Now I just feel like I need to take the next step to being fit and getting into shape I just don't know what that step is.

Don't burn yourself out. 2 hours is probably a bit much at first. Today I did one hour of cardio and burned 500 calories, which is equivalent to burning a full meal. Usually I do about half that. But then again, maybe I am not as hardcore as some here.