12 weeks to Memorial Day 2015 (Mar 2 - May 25th) Weight Loss Thread

[stingray72]

Yeah, you pretty much done the right thing without thinking about it..

To lose weight, a calorie deficit is required.

To retain muscle mass, protein & a resistance training program is required.

To maintain proper hormone levels, dietary fats are required.

Carbohydrates are less important, so is Cardio, it's only needed to maintain or increase a deficit if you can't manage enough of a calorie restriction to lose your desired amount. Cardio obviously has good health benefits though, but for actual weight loss, sticking less in the pie hole in the first place is best.

For me, I train fasted in the AM, carbs have absolutely no impact on my performance, infact I probably feel worse. I hit my protein requirement first, then fats, and I'd rather restrict my carbs & not rely on cardio to create my deficit while cutting.

When eating at maintenance or above, I'll increase carbs, basically not because I need them but I like them, don't believe in restricting certain foods while maintaining weight, it's not the food that causes gain but the quantiny of calories consumed, still loads don't understand that !!

Someone earlier posted how do you not put the weight back on after a cut, well what you do when cutting is not just temporary thing while dieting, it's a lifestyle change, you'll always be required to train & manage calories, you just don't need to be so anal & strict & rigid with diet, you'll get a grasp of how much food you can eat, if your gaining weight & you had no intention too then you know your eating too much, so react to it & say if you've gained 4 lb in a 4 week period, then take 2 weeks to manage your calories to drop those 4 lbs, rather than leave it escalate into 40 lbs & you end up worse off than when you originally started.

You can use this same principle with your vitamin intake. If you make it a lifestyle to mix the good with the bad food then you will balance out the bodies system long term and give it the vitamin content it needs to use that food more effectively.

There is also a balance in terms of alkalinity and acidity in the body which will also make the body more effective at processing that food intake. The alkaline foods are mostly fruits and vegetables which are also the most nutrient and enzyme dense as well as being low in calories.

The general guideline for alkaline intake daily is 80% and acid foods is 20% of your total caloric intake. I find it interesting that alkaline batteries last longer with this being optimal for the human body as well. (intelligent design by a supreme being? I think so.)

[costahobo]

I had a family member say they are worrying about my weight loss. As if losing weight is inherently unhealthy. I am not overweight anymore but I am definitely not so skinny that I look unhealthy. I think that really shows how being overweight is considered normal now. At least in the states. Most of my family is unhealthy and obese sadly. I have tried to give my sister and mother advice but I think they succumb to pressure too easily.

This reminds me of my 4 year old son's pediatrician saying that he was underweight. You look at my boy and you see a normal kid. Skinny, healthy, full of life, loves his Hot Wheels and running. So I looked at the doc with my eyebrow raised and waited a little bit. The nurse interjected and said that the reason he was underweight is that because being overweight is now normal, so being skinny isn't normal now. I just had to laugh at that one.

[DystopianConan]

Hey.

I remember some of your names from the last couple of times I've tried and failed to sort my health out - great to see you're doing well.

My life is broadly in a much better place than it was the previous few times (good job etc.) and I have found myself picking up the ol' weights a few times recently so I'm back here again having just tested myself a little to see where my strength and fitness are. The former hasn't degraded too much (but wasn't particularly great anyway) but the the latter is much poorer.

I'm currently at my highest ever weight according to my scales. I do live in a very hilly area so they may be somewhat inaccurate but the way my clothing fits supports that conclusion.

I'm going to buy myself something new to add to my collection - probably a heavy dumbbell - as having new things tends to galvanise me for a while.

As for as goals go: I wouldn't mind one day not being the fattest person in one of these threads. Nobody I know believes me at all when I say how much I weight so at least I don't look quite as far gone as I am but I really do feel like I can do it now as the other stresses that I had are mostly gone, or at least reduced. The very first time I used this site a few years ago I was struggling for money and living on noodles and someone who I had barely even spoken to, and who lived in another country, messaged me and offered me money for decent food. I've always remembered that and had a positive opinion of the community here for that reason (and plenty of others).

All the best and good luck everyone with your goals.

[kmac1196]

Good Morning everyone!

We've made it to the weekend. I didn't think I was going to. I have 2 days of no work. I'm off for lifting too. I may squeeze in some LISS on the treadmill this morning though.

Weigh in and measurements coming tomorrow. I can say that it doesn't matter what the scale says for me. I see changes in my body in the last 2 weeks that I haven't seen in months. I don't know why....It goes against everything I've thought for years about deficits. But I'm riding this out. I have pictures but I'm going to be better about taking them at more regular intervals. This experiment is fun.

Also, with higher calories, it should be obvious but it wasn't to me.....I have a ton of energy. Workouts are awesome...way better then they have been for months and months and months. I'm not falling asleep at 3pm anymore...in fact...I'm not even sitting down anymore at 3pm.

Anyway....wearing the same jeans as I did at 175 even though I'm 185 (size 12 Levis and size 10 Old Navy).

So today is NO PLANS. I think I'll walk. I'd like to take a nice walk outside, down the waterfront but it's 14 degrees out and 2 feet of snow still on the ground so.....treadmill it is while watching Nikita.

More later!!!!

Kristen

[cerigitts]

I'm currently at my highest ever weight according to my scales. I do live in a very hilly area so they may be somewhat inaccurate but the way my clothing fits supports that conclusion.

This statement baffles me..... what has living in a hilly area have to do with weight on scales ?

[DystopianConan]

This statement baffles me..... what has living in a hilly area have to do with weight on scales ?

The house has few, if any, even floors. There is consistently a slope in non-carpeted areas and this makes it hard(er) to get an accurate reading.

[lolruxlol]

Ended yesterday with 2 hours of basketball. Entire body is kind of stiff from it. Luckily no lifting today. Diet's been good, feeling good, feeling motivated

[stingray72]

The house has few, if any, even floors. There is consistently a slope in non-carpeted areas and this makes it hard(er) to get an accurate reading.

yeah my bathroom flexes a little and it throws off my digital scale. And when I use my food scale on the counter top just pressing on the counter top a little throws off my measurement in grams.

[Bluedawgs4]

Starting out the morning right....scrambled eggs and wild hog meat. Hit deadlifts, shoulders, and biceps last night. Non lifting day today but I will do some cardio and shoot some archery. Great work everyone....stay focused!!

[buildbodyup]

Today I thought I should have my leg Day and rest tomorrow, but my legs were too sore, so I ended up doing 30 mins of cardio and Will take my leg Day tomorrow instead :b

[DystopianConan]

yeah my bathroom flexes a little and it throws off my digital scale. And when I use my food scale on the counter top just pressing on the counter top a little throws off my measurement in grams.

Precisely - so I am going to measure progress in belt buckles. I know when I go down two of them I am back to where I was a few months ago and I know when I fit into X pair of jeans I am where I was a year ago.

I will weigh myself too but will need to accept that for now my readings may be off. I don't trust the poor flooring enough to even be confident in tracking an accurate trend.

[kmac1196]

So a little excited that a squat rack that will fit in my basement's low ceilings, just became available at Amazon with free shipping and the price is not bad.....And I had some points to use so it was even better.

Did not even wait for my husband to tell me to just get it (since I know he would) so I just ordered it. I'm excited to be able to increase weight for squat and bench now that I'll have safety pins.

So....yay!

[stingray72]

So a little excited that a squat rack that will fit in my basement's low ceilings, just became available at Amazon with free shipping and the price is not bad.....And I had some points to use so it was even better.

Did not even wait for my husband to tell me to just get it (since I know he would) so I just ordered it. I'm excited to be able to increase weight for squat and bench now that I'll have safety pins.



So....yay!

Cool. I want to get a set up here to workout with at home also.

[kmac1196]

Cool. I want to get a set up here to workout with at home also.

http://www.amazon.com/Titan-Power-Sh...ustomerReviews

[BAEngineer]

I'm had a good breakfast. Now I'm headed to the store to pick up some good food for the week then I'm going to the gym! Staying focused on the weekend.

[stingray72]

http://www.amazon.com/Titan-Power-Sh...ustomerReviews

Thanks but I live in a small apartment so that isnt an option. I do however think that if I got a bench I could workout with some do it yourself ideas. I dont train with heavy weights anymore. Plus the other day I thought about the fact that theoretically you can make any exercise harder to do which is essentially the same as using heavier weights. Its most important to do the exercise with the proper form. I find that this is how you really cause a muscle to grow.

[caprica6]

yay! new toys.



...

i can only report on my aesthetics right now. i'm used to having a full gym with a leg press and whatnot... here i basically have one cable weight station - i don't like their leg curl machine, and apart from those two stations there's an ab machine, a lat pull down, a chest press, two 15 lb dbs, treadmills, some cybex steppers and a recumbent bike. edit: the cable machine has a number of attachments so i can do a variety of leg exercises with it but i don't feel like i'm getting anything out of some movements. when i try to do squats, for example, i have to go lighter than i'd like to because the movement is awkward and unsteady.

i miss my fuller thighs. if i continue on this path i'll have ballerina legs. nothing wrong with ballerina legs but i prefer my usual/sturdier look.


...


i added these people to the spreadsheet a few days ago:

ACSZZ1988
BackwoodsGa
Warbuxx


and added these people today:
BAEngineer
DontWantBeTiny
DystopianConan


BackwoodsGa, i couldn’t send you the link to the weekly weigh-in/check-in form because you have private messaging turned off.

also, i removed the sign-up link from the spreadsheet. latecomers are invited to join the conversation in here and i’ll add them to the spreadsheet whenever i can for now. Sammy will do the same.


stats:
120 people have posted at least once in this thread.
86 have filled out the form and all 86 have submitted a starting weight.

(133 people are listed in the spreadsheet b/c i carried a few over from a previous challenge.)

[Judgelex]

Excellent week on my end. Did 35MINS of fasted morning cardio x 5, HIIT and some moderate intensity. Late afternoon is lift time. Eating clean and not feeling overly exhausted quite yet. I've done this a few times in the past so am quite well versed at what my body can and cannot handle.

As Winston Churchill put it, "It's simply not enough to do your best, you must do what is required." I think this bodes well for me over the next 12 weeks.

[rimduglep]

So a little excited that a squat rack that will fit in my basement's low ceilings, just became available at Amazon with free shipping and the price is not bad.....And I had some points to use so it was even better.

Did not even wait for my husband to tell me to just get it (since I know he would) so I just ordered it. I'm excited to be able to increase weight for squat and bench now that I'll have safety pins.

So....yay!

That's great to hear.

I set my new bench and squat rack up last night and today was my first workout with it... It's really nice not to have to clean the bar into squat position. That means I can increase weight when I need to do that. And as for bench... It's nice not to have it falling apart underneath me between reps.

[10Percent]

Three games of touch and circa 1800 calories.

Today was a good day. I needed as this last week has essently held steady on scales.

[AwakeningDragon]

Ended yesterday with 2 hours of basketball. Entire body is kind of stiff from it. Luckily no lifting today. Diet's been good, feeling good, feeling motivated

good work man! 2 hours of ball usually does me in too. Basketball soreness always so much better to me then doing cardio equipment, like i've worked all the micro-mini muscles lol. I'll be hitting up a couple hours of ball after legs today(going for 315x15 in the rack), ready to bang out this workout, Good job everyone.

[pippen336]

Ive decided Ive got ~30 lbs to go. Thats about half a year. Lets get this done!

[kmac1196]

So yeah...yesterday's cals were...

Burned 2983 and ate 2698 Stepped on the scale...down 2 lbs. LOL.

Tomorrow is official weigh and measure and pics. So I will post avg cals burned and avg cals eaten per this experiment.

Currently .8 lbs up from pre cruise weight and smaller size and eating a **** ton of food (can I say ****?). Happy and well fed and weights have gone up considerably.

[lolruxlol]

Dropping my calories from 2700 to 2600, maybe 2500. Also, if anyone's interested, follow me on MyFitnessPal. Username: lolruxlol
Weight update on Monday morning ofc since I'm weighing myself only once a week. I really want to know how those two bad eating days affected my overall progress.

[kmac1196]

Dropping my calories from 2700 to 2600, maybe 2500. Also, if anyone's interested, follow me on MyFitnessPal. Username: lolruxlol
Weight update on Monday morning ofc since I'm weighing myself only once a week. I really want to know how those two bad eating days affected my overall progress.

Hmmmm It can't really. Your weight will fluctuate from one day to the next...food, liquid, salt, glycogen stores, etc.....The scale is just 1 measurement of what's happening...and not a good one either. Pick a day to weigh and weigh that day and record results. Scale weight loss is not linear.

Also, take measurements (monthly) and pics to see progress that may be missed by the scale.

I wouldn't drop your cals yet.

What's your workouts look like? The rest of your days?

[Nottoway]

Morning everyone... finished my cardio, 1 hr. on the treadmill, before work. LOL, about 30 minutes in, Thur. leg day showed up, sore as .... Food, well.... just ate my second meal of the day and I'm stuffed.. Packed 1600 cals. (total 2100) for tonight, not sure how much Ill eat. Need to lift tomorrow, chest / tri / shoulder day, busy next week and need to move the workout forward one day, to fit everything in.

[Nottoway]

http://www.amazon.com/titan-power-sh...ustomerreviews

sweet!!!!!!!

[lolruxlol]

Hmmmm It can't really. Your weight will fluctuate from one day to the next...food, liquid, salt, glycogen stores, etc.....The scale is just 1 measurement of what's happening...and not a good one either. Pick a day to weigh and weigh that day and record results. Scale weight loss is not linear.

Also, take measurements (monthly) and pics to see progress that may be missed by the scale.

I wouldn't drop your cals yet.

What's your workouts look like? The rest of your days?

Lifting every other day with fairly high intensity and I end my workouts with 10-20 minutes of HIIT on a rowing machine. Also play at least 1,5h of pick up basketball every Friday. On off days I walk about 45 minutes for LISS cardio. Otherwise I'm quite sedentary at this point of my life.
And yeah, you're probably right. I should take a more patient approach. But I have college try-outs on the second week of July and I want to build up some strength before that so I'd like to be done with my cut as quick as possible.
I know that scale doesn't show accurate process but I guess it's really easy to start following a number.

[becomingflu]

so a little excited that a squat rack that will fit in my basement's low ceilings, just became available at amazon with free shipping and the price is not bad.....and i had some points to use so it was even better.

Did not even wait for my husband to tell me to just get it (since i know he would) so i just ordered it. I'm excited to be able to increase weight for squat and bench now that i'll have safety pins.

So....yay!

sweeeeeeeet!!!!

[kmac1196]

Lifting every other day with fairly high intensity and I end my workouts with 10-20 minutes of HIIT on a rowing machine. Also play at least 1,5h of pick up basketball every Friday. On off days I walk about 45 minutes for LISS cardio. Otherwise I'm quite sedentary at this point of my life.
And yeah, you're probably right. I should take a more patient approach. But I have college try-outs on the second week of July and I want to build up some strength before that so I'd like to be done with my cut as quick as possible.
I know that scale doesn't show accurate process but I guess it's really easy to start following a number.

Ha. That's not sedentary! Definitely don't eat less.

Your body is under stress. Lots if activity.

If you are looking to build strength drop some cardio (esp HiTT) and find a written strength program (ICF 5x5, starting strength, All Pro). 3 Xs a week.

Are college tryouts for basketball? If so maybe add sprint training 1 day a week. ??