Aim to lose 145 lbs 325 to 180! Don't know where to start

[hihohiho]

Hi, this is my first post on here. I previously have read lots on here years ago but never made an account and now i guess with the time of year, people telling me to and my health getting worse i have realised i need to do something about my weight as i think i will probably die younger than i should if i don't.

I am 28 years old. I am 5'10'' and 325lbs. About 6 years ago i was 180lbs (dieted down from 250lb) so i have put on a massive amount of weight. I know this might be the wrong place considering it is a bodybuilding website but at the weight i am i really don't care about adding muscle, i would just like to get lighter. I did it before and it took me about 8 months to lose the 70lbs and in the end i was going to the gym 5 days a week and using an exercise bike 10 times a week. I lost the weight following a very strict ketogenic diet, which all worked but ultimately when i stopped the diet i held my lower weight for a few months then it crept back on, till i got to about 225lb and at that point i think i just gave up and my weight rocketed to about 300lb which slowly over last few years has gone up to 325lb it is today. I have tried dieting again in the past - i tend to lose about 15lb and then the weightloss stalls for weeks and then i give up.

My ultimate goal as the thread title suggests is to get back to 180lb however it is so far away from becoming reality and my situation has changed that my goal is simply to lose 50lb in 2016. The reason for this is i have a very sedentary job with long hours, 6 days a week so i don't think i can go to the gym as much as i previously did. I also have very high blood pressure, pre diabetic due to weight and work stress i think so although i am going to do weights i think i need to go carefully as i don't want to have a stroke, heart attack.

My question really is for someone of my weight and body fat percentage - most likely about 45-50% how many calories etc should i be eating?
I would like to do something which is lower carb but i don't think the super strict way lasts long term and i really don't think i could handle it for 1-2 years which i think i will need to lose all the weight as i found 8 months very hard going by the end.

A Food list i have compiled is here:
Meat and Fish
Eggs
Chicken
Turkey
Pork
Ham slices
Bacon
Sausage
Steak
Burgers
Salmon
White Fish
Prawns
Crab or Crab Sticks
Mussels
Tinned tuna, mackerel, cod roe

Sugar Free Jelly

Vegetables
Broccoli
Cabbage
Spinach
Kale
Lettuce
Brussel Sprouts
Cucumber
Turnip
Cauliflower
Carrots
Asparagus
Mushrooms
Roasted Veg

Fruits
Honeydew Melon
Watermelon
Cantaloupe Melon
Avocado
Kiwi
Strawberries 50g
Peach

Treat fruit
Banana (half each time)
Any in small quantities

Dairy
Fat free yoghurt
Cheese - preferably low fat
Cheese string
Baby bel
Grated Cheddar
Parmesan
Cream Cheese
Cottage Cheese
Mozzarella
Butter

Nuts
Almond best
Any nut
Nut Butters such as peanut butter, almond butter

Oils
Cold Pressed Olive Oil
Organic Virgin Coconut Oil


Protein Pancakes
Protein Shakes
Multi Vitamin and Mineral Tablets
Omega 3 Tablets


I think the food list is a generally healthy and low carb diet - so long as fruits and nuts are kept as snacks/treats.

Previous diet i had macro ratios of 30g carb a day (irrespective of my weight), then 1g per lb of my lean body mass then the rest as fats. I estimated my lbm was around 160lb. From using BMI calculators, at the time i think it came out with 2500 cals or more but i found i didn't lose weight with what it said so i lowered it to 2200 at 250lb and eventually down to 1800 cal at 180lb.

This gave for 250lb:
Carb - 30g - 120cals
Pro - 160g - 640cals
Fat - 160g - 1440cals

For 180lbs - 1800cals i just lowered the amounts of fats - 1040cals - 115g.

With this diet i also had a cheat day every other Friday where i ate whatever i wanted in whatever quantity. I basically pigged out.


I would like to eat more carbohydrates during this diet in the form of some fruits and vegetables whilst still keeping it low carb in general.

As i am now heavier should i start my diet with more calories - obviously i want to start with max i can lose weight on so i have room to adjust downwards as the months go on. I see people on here dieting on 3000 cals and i wish that was me, haha.

Any help would be appreciated with knowing what i should do for amount of calories and what percentages from each macro - i am fine weighing things out like last time. Thank you.

[caublet]

You should start your diet off at 100 or so calories below your current maintenance...then every week or so lower it by another 100 calories. You don't want to cut your diet in half suddenly or cut out too much at once because you'll probably start storing more fat since your body thinks food sources are low...

I'd use IIFYM to figure out how many calories you should be eating. A lot of people don't like it, but many have also had good results from it and it will tell you percentages of macros to work with too.

I recommend you cut out the fatty meats you have in there - burgers (unless you do a lower fat patty), bacon, sausage, because it'll be easy to go over your recommended fat intake on a daily basis if you include those.


Edit: Carbs are good for you. Don't think that cutting out all carbs is the key. Decreasing them will help with fat loss, but at your weight you'll be decreasing everything overall enough to where you won't need to just cut carbs. Sweet potatoes, oats, brown rice, slow digesting carbs are all good for you. Avoid anything white

[dipatel13]

Read the stickies
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=156380403

[JZientz]

I honestly think you have a pretty good idea on what to do as far as nutrition , what you should be eating & training, so I'm not going to be much help to you there. But really, at 320 lbs I bet you could cut on over 3k cals, don't hold me to that, I just think you could. Even more if you're exercising a lot. If you start cutting at 2,000 cals, you're going to lose weight a lot quicker in the beginning, but then it'll slow down compared to starting at 3,000 and taking 1-200 off every other week. Personally , I like to cut weight aggressively, because after reading enough, there's a lot of studies that prove metabolic damage isn't a serious concern. I guarantee a lot of people are going to tell you that your metabolism will go to hell if you cut too much at first, but it's extremely minimal. I'll try and find the link to some of the studies, it's a good read.
A lot of times when people plateau after a few weeks, the weight stops coming off, and everybody starts saying things like you cut too fast, your metabolism is ruined, & similar things. But a lot of times its your hormones working trying to hold onto water, and possibly even fat cells being filled with water before you have a "whoosh." - where your weight stalls for a little while, then one day you lose about 3-4 lbs of water and look a lot better. Pretty interesting concept, some people doubt it, but I've gone through it first hand.

Since you're attempting to lose a great deal of weight, I'd suggest entering the Bodybuilding.com $100,000 contest since it's free, and you're capable of making a huge change in your appearance over 12 weeks. If you have any questions, feel free to message me or get in contact with me, I don't know as much as some of the people on here, but I'm definitely willing to help and share what I know! Good luck !

[MrM27]

It looks like you have at least made the attempt to put some thought into what you want to do and coming up with a reasonable approach, well done.

I think that going down to 1800 calories isn't at all necessary. You can lose weight and still eat a bunch of additional calories. You might find that having a higher caloric intake makes the road a bit easier since it allows you to diversify a bit more and probably control hunger levels better. I would probably go up to the 2200-2400 range. You might even be able to have more but that's a personal choice.

Wanting to get a grip on your carb intake is wise since diabetes is stating you in the face but going into Keto isn't necessary. There are plenty of people that have found it extremely beneficial to go Keto and there are also others that found it unsustainable. As you saw already, you fell into the 2nd group. The first thing you need to do is speak to your Endo to know exactly what position you're in. Understand what you BGL is doing throughout the day and pay attention to understand what it takes for you to control it. Please be mindful of taking random advice when it comes to diabetics. It's not about "avoid white", there is more to the game that that. Understand that at the end of the day carbs are sugar and labeling something as good and bad does you know favors. You need to understand what food is and how it's metabolized.

Be more active. That's it. Just go do more. Yes you should start lifting but most importantly is to be more active.

If you have any specific questions feel free to ask.

[hihohiho]

Thanks i have used that now and from using the Katch-McArdle formula and combining with sedentary 1.2 - gives total requirement of 2553 cals per day - tbh was hoping for more at 325lb!. Thats fine but when i read further it suggests i should eat minimum of 1.6g of protein per kg of total body weight - that equates to 947cals/236.8g from protein - thats a lot of protein - is your body able to process that amount safely?

It gave an estimate of 175lbs of LBM. For fat, 1g per lb of LBM = 175g = 1575

So Fat + Protein = 1575+947 = 2522 - so i have 31 cals of carb left or 7.75g carbs? Seems a little low as ketogenic diets are less than 30g of carb per day and it is hard to keep to that but less than 8g?
Maybe i should take some calories from protein and fat but then how much etc?

[JZientz]

Not sure how I missed this the first time around ...

"With this diet i also had a cheat day every other Friday where i ate whatever i wanted in whatever quantity. I basically pigged out."

Cheat meal - good idea. Keeps you sane. & you could probably afford to go pretty hard on the cheat meal, but once you describe it as pigging out its not the best idea. If you're going low carb, a good cheat meal would be something carb heavy. Go for a lot of pancakes, lot of spaghetti, lot of something that might not be the healthiest, but is primarily carbs. That way even if you eat a 2,000 cal cheat meal, & you have like 350g carbs, that should give you enough for your glycogen stores to recover, & it's actually beneficial. When a cheat meal isn't good is when you go for the all you can eat cookies and brownies .. I'm not saying you did that, but assuming by you saying you "pigged out," it sounds more like the latter. Now , I mean .. Cutting out the really good food like cookies and brownies isn't necessary, but as someone above me said, IIFYM. Good way to go with the flexible dieting, and if you can hit your macros & even get some of the treats into your macros, you might not even feel the need for your macros. Flexible dieting and Keto don't go hand in hand though. Just pick what works for you and adjust as you see fit

[hihohiho]

Thank you both JZientz and MrM27 for taking the time to reply i appreciate that. I didn't know there was a contest to enter - will have to think about that - from last time i remember i looked essentially the same but smaller until about 190lb when i started leaning out much more - i carry weight all over my body as opposed to just round my gut for example so harder to notice the difference of it going on or off. 3000cal would be great though!

MrM27 - i think i will try at first for around 3000cal for 2 weeks - if i don't lose weight at that i will go with what the formulas say of 2550 and roughly follow what they say - though like i posted in reply to dipatel13 i think my excess weight throws the formulas off as it allows for just 8g carb per day! I live close to a river so i think i will be getting to know it quite well from now on getting more active and as i get fitter attempt more at the gym. But you are right i need to talk to my doctor more as i was so shocked with my BP readings i kinda didn't hear what he was saying about my pre diabetes.

Thanks again everyone

[JZientz]

Thanks i have used that now and from using the Katch-McArdle formula and combining with sedentary 1.2 - gives total requirement of 2553 cals per day - tbh was hoping for more at 325lb!. Thats fine but when i read further it suggests i should eat minimum of 1.6g of protein per kg of total body weight - that equates to 947cals/236.8g from protein - thats a lot of protein - is your body able to process that amount safely?

It gave an estimate of 175lbs of LBM. For fat, 1g per lb of LBM = 175g = 1575

So Fat + Protein = 1575+947 = 2522 - so i have 31 cals of carb left or 7.75g carbs? Seems a little low as ketogenic diets are less than 30g of carb per day and it is hard to keep to that but less than 8g?
Maybe i should take some calories from protein and fat but then how much etc?

It's good to try and go with the proportions like that, but as you can see, sometimes it's just unreasonable. 237 g of protein isn't necessary at all. You could be fine with 130 on a moderate cut, and 160ish if aggressive. BCAA's help while cutting too. The fat requirement doesn't need to be that high either. Fats are important, but that seems a little unreasonable to leave yourself with room for 8g of carbs.

[JZientz]

Sorry to keep posting, not trying to run this thread. But the contest officially starts like Jan 11th I think and runs for 2 weeks. Not that I think I would ever win.. I just think ill do it as a way to stay accountable .

[MrM27]

Thank you both JZientz and MrM27 for taking the time to reply i appreciate that. I didn't know there was a contest to enter - will have to think about that - from last time i remember i looked essentially the same but smaller until about 190lb when i started leaning out much more - i carry weight all over my body as opposed to just round my gut for example so harder to notice the difference of it going on or off. 3000cal would be great though!

MrM27 - i think i will try at first for around 3000cal for 2 weeks - if i don't lose weight at that i will go with what the formulas say of 2550 and roughly follow what they say - though like i posted in reply to dipatel13 i think my excess weight throws the formulas off as it allows for just 8g carb per day! I live close to a river so i think i will be getting to know it quite well from now on getting more active and as i get fitter attempt more at the gym. But you are right i need to talk to my doctor more as i was so shocked with my BP readings i kinda didn't hear what he was saying about my pre diabetes.

Thanks again everyone

You might be able to lose weight on 3000 a day, it's possible but I'm not going to say you will for sure. I personally wouldn't take it that high. You jumped from 1800 to 3000 in 2 posts, there are middle grounds to this whole thing.

I'm not sure where you got the number for that much dietary fat but it's not necessary. For protein there is a simple way to do it when you're at such a high weight, pick your target weight and eat that in protein. You want to be 180 lbs, then set protein at 180g, it makes things much easier. Trying to guess how much fat you carry to base it of lbm is tough at such a high weight.

You should re-work those numbers because the ones you have are off.

[hihohiho]

Sorry to keep posting, not trying to run this thread. But the contest officially starts like Jan 11th I think and runs for 2 weeks. Not that I think I would ever win.. I just think ill do it as a way to stay accountable .

Don't be sorry, i am grateful for your help.

I also think 8g carb is way too low and unrealistic. From what you are saying around 150g of protein should be fine. If i also drop my fats down to 150g, this means i can have 150g of carbs and get exactly to 2550 which is what i should be at (i think) and i like the fact they are all 150g as it makes it easy to remember! Is 150g of carbs considered a lot or not much? I remember from doing the keto diet, the first two weeks i felt kinda groggy/sluggish and after that my energy levels improved and remained stable - this is from getting into ketosis as far as i understand. However at 150g of carb i won't be in ketosis but would that level of carb make one feel sluggish/lethargic or is that more than enough for energy?

Also my cheat day was not great! I did eat what i wanted and it lasted for the day not just a meal, so i would have: cereal for breakfast, crisps for snacks (I'm from the UK, but chips to you ) cookies, brownies, doughnuts, pasta, take out pizza for rest of day - not all in the one day but a variation on that, surprised i lost any weight really! Was very good for keeping me sane though.

I do love the idea of IIFYM but i am by nature greedy when it comes to food and IIFYM i feel requires maybe more discipline as i can have anything really so long as i keep it within my macros - but I'm someone who if they buy some pringles say, i will eat them all rather than eat some and save them for later, i know i shouldn't be like that but ultimately i think i will always be that way out. So the Ketogenic diet appealed to me as although hard to stick to from a craving point of view, i had boundaries which were easy to follow. However if 150g of carbs is essentially IIFYM then i guess i am doing that. Sorry for rambling, still trying to figure out my plan of action!

[JZientz]

Don't be sorry, i am grateful for your help.

I also think 8g carb is way too low and unrealistic. From what you are saying around 150g of protein should be fine. If i also drop my fats down to 150g, this means i can have 150g of carbs and get exactly to 2550 which is what i should be at (i think) and i like the fact they are all 150g as it makes it easy to remember! Is 150g of carbs considered a lot or not much? I remember from doing the keto diet, the first two weeks i felt kinda groggy/sluggish and after that my energy levels improved and remained stable - this is from getting into ketosis as far as i understand. However at 150g of carb i won't be in ketosis but would that level of carb make one feel sluggish/lethargic or is that more than enough for energy?

Also my cheat day was not great! I did eat what i wanted and it lasted for the day not just a meal, so i would have: cereal for breakfast, crisps for snacks (I'm from the UK, but chips to you ) cookies, brownies, doughnuts, pasta, take out pizza for rest of day - not all in the one day but a variation on that, surprised i lost any weight really! Was very good for keeping me sane though.

I do love the idea of IIFYM but i am by nature greedy when it comes to food and IIFYM i feel requires maybe more discipline as i can have anything really so long as i keep it within my macros - but I'm someone who if they buy some pringles say, i will eat them all rather than eat some and save them for later, i know i shouldn't be like that but ultimately i think i will always be that way out. So the Ketogenic diet appealed to me as although hard to stick to from a craving point of view, i had boundaries which were easy to follow. However if 150g of carbs is essentially IIFYM then i guess i am doing that. Sorry for rambling, still trying to figure out my plan of action!

I can relate to the strict diet aspect. If I decide I can have 1 cookie, turns into 2, then 4 and so on & gets out of control. That's why I said earlier I tend to diet aggressively, keeps me pretty strict, weight comes off quicker, & it keeps me from having the 1 cookie into 20 cookies happen. PSMF was pretty crazy, if you have the willpower for it. No shame if you don't, most people quit after 4 days or so.

& as far as 150 g carbs, I don't think you'll feel groggy. One thing that people overlook a lot of times is the timing of your carbs. Morning is good. Before workout, and post workout too. And maybe even some mid day. Depends on how many you eat at a time.

If Keto worked for you, give it a try. Eating 2500 calories on Keto is harder than it sounds! So it's easier to keep your calories low, and once you adjust again after probably a week, you kind of get used to not eating carbs , & eating that much fat serves pretty good for energy. I don't refeed as much as some people, I feel like I'm taking a step back sometimes so I don't do them too often. But definitely the best way to keep you sane under one condition, you gotta keep it under control and not go on an all you can eat diet like me!

[Illuminati666]

Hi, I am pretty much the same 322, want to lose as much as possible and I'm going to start on 1st Jan.

I'll join that motivation thread too.

We gonna make it

[iAnnihilate]

Hi, I am pretty much the same 322, want to lose as much as possible and I'm going to start on 1st Jan.

I'll join that motivation thread too.

We gonna make it

Why not start this year, this month, this day, right now?

[ExpatAussie]

I do love the idea of IIFYM but i am by nature greedy when it comes to food and IIFYM i feel requires maybe more discipline as i can have anything really so long as i keep it within my macros - but I'm someone who if they buy some pringles say, i will eat them all rather than eat some and save them for later, i know i shouldn't be like that but ultimately i think i will always be that way out.

I'm the same. You can definitely control your cravings and appetite through food choices. Protein is much better for satiety, as is lower/more complex carbs.

IIFYM is a way of people regaining some balance from the other side, when they have good control and end up eating to an ideal that isn't really necessary. I don't think it works for the naturally fat that are trying to get nutrition under control.

[Fatmanp]

I started out at 365lbs back at the very beginning of October 2015. As of this morning I am sitting at 300lbs. My daily calorie intake is 2000 which most people would say is too low for somebody of my size (6foot). My meal plans are very bland but that is because I am a very fussy eater. My basic day consists of the same breakfast and lunch with a rotating dinner every three days. Looks like this.

Breakfast
-Two Slices of Toast (Wholemeal)
-Two Scrambled Eggs
-1 x Protein Shake with 350ml of Semi-Skimmed Milk

Lunch
-Two Slices of Wholemeal Bread
-4 Chicken Slices
-1 Large Apple
-1 x 0% Fat Greek Yogurt (***e)

Pre Workout
-My Protein Chocolate Orange Cookie

Dinner
-Either New Potatoes or Sweet Potatoes
-Broccoli
-Peas
-Rotation of Turkey Breast, Chicken Breast or Cod Slice

I drink 4.5 Litres of Still Water everyday

I go to the Gym everyday and do one hours Cardio and will be starting my weights routine next week 2x per week and each week will be increasing to get to 4 x per week.

I am very lucky that I do not ever feel tired or out of energy. I seem to average about 5lbs per week loss on the scales. I have been told that not everybody is able to do it how i do it because of the amount of I eat. The thing is that I was never a binge eater I would just eat very high calorie foods i.e Pizza and Quarter Pounders along with junk foods and the weight slowly piled on over the course of 15 years. I did this for comfort not because I ever felt hungry. Good luck in your journey. From my experience there is nothing quite like changing your image as it has the potential to change your entire outlook on life.

[JZientz]

I started out at 365lbs back at the very beginning of October 2015. As of this morning I am sitting at 300lbs. My daily calorie intake is 2000 which most people would say is too low for somebody of my size (6foot). My meal plans are very bland but that is because I am a very fussy eater. My basic day consists of the same breakfast and lunch with a rotating dinner every three days. Looks like this.

Breakfast
-Two Slices of Toast (Wholemeal)
-Two Scrambled Eggs
-1 x Protein Shake with 350ml of Semi-Skimmed Milk

Lunch
-Two Slices of Wholemeal Bread
-4 Chicken Slices
-1 Large Apple
-1 x 0% Fat Greek Yogurt (***e)

Pre Workout
-My Protein Chocolate Orange Cookie

Dinner
-Either New Potatoes or Sweet Potatoes
-Broccoli
-Peas
-Rotation of Turkey Breast, Chicken Breast or Cod Slice

I drink 4.5 Litres of Still Water everyday

I go to the Gym everyday and do one hours Cardio and will be starting my weights routine next week 2x per week and each week will be increasing to get to 4 x per week.

I am very lucky that I do not ever feel tired or out of energy. I seem to average about 5lbs per week loss on the scales. I have been told that not everybody is able to do it how i do it because of the amount of I eat. The thing is that I was never a binge eater I would just eat very high calorie foods i.e Pizza and Quarter Pounders along with junk foods and the weight slowly piled on over the course of 15 years. I did this for comfort not because I ever felt hungry. Good luck in your journey. From my experience there is nothing quite like changing your image as it has the potential to change your entire outlook on life.

Good for you on losing the weight and hope it all comes off as easy as it has so far , just wondering if that's actually even 2,000 calories that you're eating. I could be way off, just seems like less . & the fact that you can do an hour of cardio everyday on top of it is awesome!

[Fatmanp]

Good for you on losing the weight and hope it all comes off as easy as it has so far , just wondering if that's actually even 2,000 calories that you're eating. I could be way off, just seems like less . & the fact that you can do an hour of cardio everyday on top of it is awesome!

All food apart from the Yogurt is weighed and calculated. It is usually +/- 50 cals from 2000