The mushy mountain - GameTheory84

[GameTheory84]

I'm over 100lbs overweight. I don't know exactly how much because I can't bring myself to stand on a scale and face reality. I'm guessing I'm about 325lbs (23 stone, 147kg) but I could be off by 25 lbs in either direction.

My weight loss journey is going to be tricky. If I was a typical working stiff who is really overweight, I could join a gym to go to after work and buy whatever food I need. Unfortunately I'm broke and don't have a car anymore. I live with a family member who supports me as best he can but we are barely squeaking by. Thankfully we've worked it out to where we can afford a gym membership for both of us at Planet Fitness 'cause it's only 10 bucks a month. My challenges now are going to be planning healthy meals on a low grocery budget, and finding ways to stay active all day while I wait for my roommate to get home at 7pm and take us to the gym.

Here's the plan so far:

My roommate is going to take down my information without telling me what it is (since I don't want to know). I will stand on a scale without looking at the number, then he'll measure my waist, gut, arms, etc, and write everything down. I'll do the same for him, though he'll know his numbers 'cause he doesn't mind. We well weigh and measure again on the 1st and 15th of each month. The idea is, he'll record everything, and even though I won't know the actual numbers, he will tell me how many pounds and inches I've lost, if any, each time. That way I can see if I need to tweak my diet and/or change up the workout routine, and also make weight loss projections for the coming months. He's also going to put my information into a couple different calorie calculators and tell me what my daily caloric needs are. I'll subtract 500 from that, and plan my meals accordingly. That's something I have a good deal of experience with since up until a couple years ago, I was actually quite the fitness nut and was all about nutrition.

My workout plan for now is very basic, because it's going to take me a few weeks of going to the gym regularly before I can really hone in on what my capabilities and needs are.

Weights 3 times per week, which is a 10-15 minute cardio warmup, then 5 (hopefully) weight stations.
Cardio 3 times per week, which at my weight can only be power walking (incline treadmill), or easy pace elliptical/stairs.

Monday: Weights - pushing movements (chest, triceps, legs)
Tuesday: Cardio day
Wednesday: Weights - pulling movements (back, biceps, shoulders)
Thursday: Cardio day
Friday: Weights - light day - pushing movements (shoulders, calves, legs-bodyweight)
Saturday: cardio day - light day

My sleep schedule is a bit screwed up, so I have to stay up for a really long time to get to bed at a decent time tonight, 'cause IT ALL STARTS TOMORROW!

Wish me luck.

[anandagirl]

In! I know you can do it even with your limitations.

Eating healthy with limited funds - first of all, I believe in flexible dieting. I make sure I get enough protein and fat, and then eat to my calorie goal. Protein should be approximately 0.8g per pound of LBM, but I would shoot for about 150-180g per day since you don't know that number. Protein is filling too! I also believe being slightly over one day and slightly under the next is fine too. Obviously, healthy food is more filling, but you can eat whatever you want/have.

To get ready to eat protein, I buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts on sale, season them with salt, pepper, garlic, chile flakes, etc. and the cook them all up, cool and portion them out. I read in another journal on here that you can freeze them after they are cooked and portioned out, and then let them thaw in the fridge right before you're ready to eat. I also eat a lot of greek yogurt and cottage cheese to get to my protein goals. Eggs are fairly cheap and protein powder can be pricier but is a quick and relatively inexpensive way to get protein without a lot of carbs and calories.

Fruits and vegetables can be expensive, but I look for sales whenever I can. Sometimes frozen veggies can be cheaper too.

Do you have/can you get a food scale? They are usually pretty cheap at Target or Walmart and maybe your roommate will go in on it with you since you are both heading down this healthy path. Weighing your food is so important.

Again, you can do this. Where there is a will, there is a way. I will be following!!!

[GameTheory84]

Do you have/can you get a food scale? They are usually pretty cheap at Target or Walmart and maybe your roommate will go in on it with you since you are both heading down this healthy path. Weighing your food is so important.

Again, you can do this. Where there is a will, there is a way. I will be following!!!

I do have a digital food scale, I just need a new battery for it. It's a pretty nice one, despite being a relic from my days as a fitness nut.

My roommate and I eat boneless skinless chicken more than any other food type, let alone protein type. I don't like greek yogurt at all 'cause of the texture but I found some plain greek yogurt in one of those large tubs for pretty cheap and I plan to use it in my protein smoothies. Since I haven't gotten my calorie calculation yet, I haven't made any recipes yet. I do have a few ideas from some old favorites. Costco has these huge bags of frozen mixed berries for a really good price, so I know I can make my vanilla berry protein smoothies. It's just lean whey, mixed berries, yogurt, vanilla extract, and water. Fits the macros and tastes like heaven. Those will be consumed sparingly though, 'cause even though it's all good healthy stuff, the berries and yogurt make the sugar content pretty high. Normally I'd drink one about an hour before working out so I'd utilize those healthy sugars as soon as they are available to my body, but since I won't be getting to the gym 'till around 7:30pm, I'm not sure I want to be consuming a bunch of sugar that late in the day, even if it is before a workout. Most likely my pre-workout shakes are just going to be whey, ice, and water blended with maaaybe a couple of those fiber infused splenda packets.

Most of what I eat are salads and those steamer bags of frozen veggies. The problem is, the salads I eat are massive and with them and the veggies I always add things to make them taste good, which are high calorie dressings, lots of cheese, and something for crunch like rice noodles or crushed corn chips (which are only there for a satisfying texture, as they are nothing but chunks of salty carbs). I've never dared count the calories in one of my salads or veggie bowls but I can pretty much guarantee after all the bad stuff I put on top of the good stuff, they top 1,000 cals easy.

Since the meals I eat are already healthy before I ruin them by adding bad stuff, I am going to start by tweaking what I add. Cutting out the crunchy carbs is an obvious one, but then also switching to a low cal low sugar dressing (and using much less than I currently do), adding little to no cheese, if any, and it will be a type that is lower calorie than what I currently use. Hopefully I can find a low sodium cheese to use as well. I would buy feta but the cheapest feta I've found is this tiny little tub that would be enough for maybe 3 salads, and it's $4 plus tax, it's way too costly for the amount I'd be getting. I used to get my crunch by adding sliced almonds, so I think I'll go back to that, depending on how much a bag of them costs these days.

More importantly than the what though, is how much. I will be weighing and measuring out everything, and logging it on a small pad that I can keep with me so that I make sure that regardless of what I eat, I'm not going over my target calorie intake for the day. Once I have the calories down pat, I can start shifting and tweaking my macros, finding new recipes that fit my budget, and so on.

This should be fun. Thanks for reply

[anandagirl]

Most of what I eat are salads and those steamer bags of frozen veggies. The problem is, the salads I eat are massive and with them and the veggies I always add things to make them taste good, which are high calorie dressings, lots of cheese, and something for crunch like rice noodles or crushed corn chips (which are only there for a satisfying texture, as they are nothing but chunks of salty carbs). I've never dared count the calories in one of my salads or veggie bowls but I can pretty much guarantee after all the bad stuff I put on top of the good stuff, they top 1,000 cals easy.

Since the meals I eat are already healthy before I ruin them by adding bad stuff, I am going to start by tweaking what I add. Cutting out the crunchy carbs is an obvious one, but then also switching to a low cal low sugar dressing (and using much less than I currently do), adding little to no cheese, if any, and it will be a type that is lower calorie than what I currently use. Hopefully I can find a low sodium cheese to use as well. I would buy feta but the cheapest feta I've found is this tiny little tub that would be enough for maybe 3 salads, and it's $4 plus tax, it's way too costly for the amount I'd be getting. I used to get my crunch by adding sliced almonds, so I think I'll go back to that, depending on how much a bag of them costs these days.

More importantly than the what though, is how much. I will be weighing and measuring out everything, and logging it on a small pad that I can keep with me so that I make sure that regardless of what I eat, I'm not going over my target calorie intake for the day. Once I have the calories down pat, I can start shifting and tweaking my macros, finding new recipes that fit my budget, and so on.

This should be fun. Thanks for reply

I love the sliced almond idea for crunch! Do you like vinaigrettes at all for salad dressing? They are really easy to make for cheap and you don't have to put sugar in them! A secret tip I have is to put a shallot in it - makes it amazing. I use a variety of vinegars and citrus juice too, and often I make them spicy. Add a little salsa or hot sauce - so good!

I think you have a great foundation and I know you will find success if you keep it up In for the journey!

[NoCarbsNoSugar]

Here you are!
Nice start of a log.

It is not impossible for you to get in shape, even though it may seem that way right now.
It's good you are getting started. Now you have to keep going, no matter what.
Small, consistent changes will result in a large, long-term difference.

I would prioritize things in the following order, but this is just me.
You can do whatever works for you.

1. Nutrition: eat at a caloric deficit. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less. If you can eat at a 15%-20% caloric deficit 6 days out of seven, you will get results. On days when you want to eat a bit more, stay close to maintenance.

2. Exercise: fat-burning exercise and lifting heavy weights are your friends. Walking for one hour is much better than running for 10 minutes, if your focus in weight loss. I don't want to suggest that fast Cardio is not important. It is. But for someone who is trying to burn a lot of extra fat, slow-burn exercise is more effective.

3. Supplements: don't go crazy on this one; just get the basics. Get a multi-vitamin, and make sure you meet your daily protein needs: minimum is .8g of your total weight. The best source of protein is your food: chicken, beef, turkey, fish, dairy. If you cannot get sufficient protein in your food, supplement with a good protein powder.

Some may disagree with some things I wrote - some may suggest you try to run instead of walk. Your decision. I would suggest walking for 30-45 minutes, 2-3 times a week, combined with your lifting routines.

You can do this.
Lots of help in here.
Lots of people who care, and know a lot more than I do.

Welcome.
Best of luck to you!

[tombaron]

Here you are!
Nice start of a log.

It is not impossible for you to get in shape, even though it may seem that way right now.
It's good you are getting started. Now you have to keep going, no matter what.
Small, consistent changes will result in a large, long-term difference.

I would prioritize things in the following order, but this is just me.
You can do whatever works for you.

1. Nutrition: eat at a caloric deficit. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less. If you can eat at a 15%-20% caloric deficit 6 days out of seven, you will get results. On days when you want to eat a bit more, stay close to maintenance.

2. Exercise: fat-burning exercise and lifting heavy weights are your friends. Walking for one hour is much better than running for 10 minutes, if your focus in weight loss. I don't want to suggest that fast Cardio is not important. It is. But for someone who is trying to burn a lot of extra fat, slow-burn exercise is more effective.

3. Supplements: don't go crazy on this one; just get the basics. Get a multi-vitamin, and make sure you meet your daily protein needs: minimum is .8g of your total weight. The best source of protein is your food: chicken, beef, turkey, fish, dairy. If you cannot get sufficient protein in your food, supplement with a good protein powder.

Some may disagree with some things I wrote - some may suggest you try to run instead of walk. Your decision. I would suggest walking for 30-45 minutes, 2-3 times a week, combined with your lifting routines.

You can do this.
Lots of help in here.
Lots of people who care, and know a lot more than I do.

Welcome.
Best of luck to you!

Nocarbs knows the score, nutrition is king. Heavy weights will tax your muscles and get you sweating. Walking is great for well-being and destressing, supplements are largely unimportant.

Best of luck dude.

[cherrygarcia80]

There's many of us walking the same journey, so know that you're not alone in this, there's lots of support and encouragement in here too. Wishing you all the best OP!

[the15thdoctor]

Hi there, welcome to the logs We are all here to cheer you on in your journey! I've found that this section has a lot of kind folks with great advice, so don't hesitate to ask questions.

I think it's great that you have a buddy to work with. You can really encourage and hold each other accountable. It helps to be around people who know what you're going through
A lot of the process will be trial and error. Experiment a bit to see what works for you. Sustainability is a crucial part of every diet/exercise plan.

Sounds like you are headed in the right direction. Best of luck!!

[GameTheory84]

Thank you all so much for you awesome replies full of help and encouragement. I haven't felt this motivated in a really long time. This all starts first thing tomorrow morning, so I'll keep you posted!

Again, thank you all.

[GameTheory84]

So my roommate and I had one last blowout last night before starting our journey today and I feel uh... fine :P Had some liquor left over and that went down the drain this morning. I threw out my cheese and high calorie dressings, sandwich bread, chips, and rice noodles. Basically anything that was remotely unhealthy is now in the dumpster on the curb.

Breakfast was a black cup of some dark french roast coffee I picked up yesterday, very good stuff.

Food wise though:
1c egg beaters
8.6oz chicken breast
pepper and hot sauce to taste (0 cal)
--------------------------------------------
kcal: 405
C/P/F: 4/72/0

[plateau_max]

Unless you're doing PSMF you might want to up the fats a bit. Congrats on committing to the point of actually throwing out your unhealthy food and actually taking it all the way to your outdoor trashcan, never to be seen again. That's a good first step. Dark roast coffee sounds good.

Stick with it man. You'll blink twice and all of a sudden it will be winter time and you'll be 80lbs lighter, with some muscle to fill out some of those big shirts instead.

[NoCarbsNoSugar]

Ah, dark coffee. Nothing like it.

Was the 405 calories it for the day?
Don't go too low now...
You don't want to go too much below a 20% deficit for two long.

[GameTheory84]

I wrote down what I ate for the rest of the day but I don't have it with me at the moment.

After the breakfast I worked on cleaning my big stupid house all day which was a lot of work, so I'm happy that I managed to be active for a good 10 hours today.

Around lunch time I had a protein shake using some newly bought whey isolate. I wanna say the 2 scoops was 240kcal with 60g protein, 0g fat and 4g carbs. I could be off on the fat and carbs but I'm positive on the protein.

For some reason my appetite has been non existent all day. This is the first day of my dieting so I know it's not related to that. Anyway I ended up completing my protein intake for the day by cooking up some 99% lean ground turkey with some low cal salsa and hot sauce. It was really delicious but still took me over an hour to eat because of the appetite thing. It was 50g of protein for 8oz and I'm pretty sure that was 240kcal too.

So here's the whole day (I'll fix this later if I find out I am remembering this stuff wrong):

-Breakfast-
405kcal
0g fat
72g protein
4g carbs

-Lunch-
240kcal
0g fat
60g protein
4g carbs

^the 60g protein should equal 240kcals but I am 95% sure it said 2g carbs on the nutrition info.

-dinner-
250kcal
2g fat
50g protein
4g carbs

--TOTAL--
895kcals
2g fat
182g protein
16g carbs


I realize that's a really really low kcal count for the day but like I said, my appetite was just nowhere to be found. I'm just super glad that everything I did eat was healthy and I met my protein goal for the day. I haven't done the weigh-in so I'm currently ballparking that my protein requirement based on 325lbs at 45% bodyfat, putting my LBM at about 180.

Oh and look at that. it's 3am, I have been awake for 20 hours.

Do you guys know of any good sleep aids that won't interfere with my metabolism? That over the counter stuff always leaves me with too much residual grogginess, so I refuse to take it for fear that it will jack up my food intake/energy output balance the following day.

[anandagirl]

I have heard great things about melatonin! Hopefully today you can get in more calories, don't want to go too low right out of the gate

[the15thdoctor]

I have heard great things about melatonin! Hopefully today you can get in more calories, don't want to go too low right out of the gate

I second the melatonin..you can usually get it on sale, too. Fall asleep much more easily on the nights that I take it.
I can't say if it works medically, but even if it's just a placebo effect, good enough for me!

Technically, the "correct" approach would be to try behavioral strategies first before sleep aids..like improving your sleep hygiene by keeping your phone/computer out of the bedroom, turning the lights off, no caffeine in the PM. Not sure if these are feasible for you, but they do help

[GameTheory84]

Not feeling good today, still no appetite. I'm starting to think my lack of appetite is because I picked up a bug when I was running around doing errands all day on Sunday. Gonna see how I feel after my coffee and protein shake.

[the15thdoctor]

Sorry to hear you're unwell
Hope you get better soon. Stay hydrated and try to eat if you can!

[anandagirl]

Sorry to hear you're unwell
Hope you get better soon. Stay hydrated and try to eat if you can!

All of this! Feel better soon!

[GameTheory84]

Feeling a little bit better today. I slept for about 13 hours last night and it took me almost 3 hours before I was finally feeling normal enough to start getting things done around the house. I did still write everything down that I ate yesterday and today though.

-Yesterday-
kcal: 1,140
fat: 9g
carb: 24g
protein: 221g

-today-
kcal: 730
fat: 5.3g
carb: 16.67g
protein: 137.6

I'm gonna have one more protein shake today to bring my totals up.

[GameTheory84]

Day 5
-------

kcal 797
fat 4g
carb 27.5
protein 140g

[the15thdoctor]

Hey man, glad to hear you are feeling a little better. Hope you continue to improve
I know it's not pleasant, but try to eat/drink while you're sick. 700kcals is really very low, even though you might not feel very hungry. Do what you can tolerate..depends what works for you also. If you're not hungry enough to add in a whole meal, maybe try adding a little more kcals to each meal you eat? You can definitely up the fats.

[GameTheory84]

Finally back. Turns out my roommate brought home a bad bug from work, we were both out for several days with flu like symptoms. Anyway I just woke up at 6am and I feel great. Time to get back on that damn horse. Can't lose sight of my goals for the 50th time in the last 2 years.

[anandagirl]

Finally back. Turns out my roommate brought home a bad bug from work, we were both out for several days with flu like symptoms. Anyway I just woke up at 6am and I feel great. Time to get back on that damn horse. Can't lose sight of my goals for the 50th time in the last 2 years.

Sorry you were sick, but yay for feeling better! You got this!

[cherrygarcia80]

Finally back. Turns out my roommate brought home a bad bug from work, we were both out for several days with flu like symptoms. Anyway I just woke up at 6am and I feel great. Time to get back on that damn horse. Can't lose sight of my goals for the 50th time in the last 2 years.

I was sick this week too! only got back to it today, glad to hear your better