Got my DEXA scan, need a sane approach to weight loss.

[SOLARIS]

Got my DEXA scan and it is not pretty I am 5'7" and 290 lbs and my lean mass is only 139 pounds. DEXA scan says my RMR is 1701 calories a day.
Would lifting heavy 4 days a week and eating roughly 1600 calories a day be reasonable for good weight loss ?

[SuffolkPunch]

Yes if you can sustain it.

That's pretty low for most people but at your weight the most healthy thing is to lose weight rapidly. Make sure you fit lots of vegetables and good fats into that calorie allowance as well as protein.

[SOLARIS]

Yes if you can sustain it.

That's pretty low for most people but at your weight the most healthy thing is to lose weight rapidly. Make sure you fit lots of vegetables and good fats into that calorie allowance as well as protein.

Yeah my plan is for most of my calories to come from protein followed by carbs followed by fat.
Trying to lose 8 pounds a month but Im assuming that will have to be adjusted as I get closer to around 220?

[SuffolkPunch]

Yeah my plan is for most of my calories to come from protein followed by carbs followed by fat.
Trying to lose 8 pounds a month but Im assuming that will have to be adjusted as I get closer to around 220?

Probably. The key thing is to monitor your gym performance so that you can tell when it starts to take a toll on your strength.

[xsquid99]

Have a read OP: https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showt...hp?t=173439001

Keep in mind TDEE calculators can be pretty far off, best to just start with a moderate calorie deficit like 2200 a day and see how that works for you.

[AdamWW]

Just a suggestion: don't waste your money on DEXA scans for trying to estimate calories...

[TheResistance]

Yes if you can sustain it.

That's pretty low for most people but at your weight the most healthy thing is to lose weight rapidly. Make sure you fit lots of vegetables and good fats into that calorie allowance as well as protein.

You don't need try to lose weight fast or eat lots of vegetables and good fats.

Just lose weight any way you can.

[SuffolkPunch]

You don't need try to lose weight fast or eat lots of vegetables and good fats.

Just lose weight any way you can.

It's recommended if your weight is likely to affect your health.

But you don't have to be healthy. Is that what you are recommending troll?

[TheResistance]

It's recommended if your weight is likely to affect your health.

But you don't have to be healthy. Is that what you are recommending troll?

I don't know what your referring to by 'its' recommended'. What is it? Who recommended 'it'?

What I am recommending is that OP find a way to lose weight. I'm suggesting that imposing additional restraints over and above the aforementioned goal may make the task unnecessarily difficult.

If have any further queries please try to be more articulate so that I can better assist you with your comprehension difficulties.

Why do you imagine I'm a troll?

[SuffolkPunch]

I don't know what your referring to by 'its' recommended'. What is it? Who recommended 'it'?

What I am recommending is that OP find a way to lose weight. I'm suggesting that imposing additional restraints over and above the aforementioned goal may make the task unnecessarily difficult.

If have any further queries please try to be more articulate so that I can better assist you with your comprehension difficulties.

Why do you imagine I'm a troll?

Ask any medical practitioner if they would recommend rapid weight loss at around 2lbs a week for someone who is later 30s 290lbs. Do you really even need to ask?

Fortunately OP seems on the right path and doesn't need the waters muddied by someone with questionable intent.

[TheResistance]

Ask any medical practitioner if they would recommend rapid weight loss at around 2lbs a week for someone who is later 30s 290lbs. Do you really even need to ask?

Fortunately OP seems on the right path and doesn't need the waters muddied by someone with questionable intent.

Sorry, I was unaware of what all medical practitioners think. Thanks for the clarification.

What do all my medical practitioners think about the need for 'eating lots of veggies and good fats' in the present circumstances?

[SuffolkPunch]

Sorry, I was unaware of what all medical practitioners think. Thanks for the clarification.

What do all my medical practitioners think about the need for 'eating lots of veggies and good fats' in the present circumstances?

5 portions of fruit and veg is widely recommended - to everyone. I recommended this to OP because high fibre foods not only provide micro nutrition but help fill the stomach with low calorie dense material.

And essential fats are, well, essential to life. If your calorie intake is low, it becomes harder to fit adequate levels of omega 3/6/9 in.

[SOLARIS]

I need to lose weight rapidly, when I was skinny I would just roll over and go to bed. I have gained so much weight that my fat is literally choking me to death, I need a CPAP machine to keep me breathing.
You don't realized how boned you are until you are really boned. I depend on a machine to be able to sleep. Thats on top of all the other "fun" things that come with being morbidly obese.
Having to depend on a machine that I need to plug into a wall to be able to breathe and sleep really sucks especially knowing that I can fix it and the only reason I have to use it is because I kept eating like an idiot.

[vansnxtweek489]

Alright, I typed a pretty long response to this and it didn't go through so I will try my best to replicate it.

I have been at rock bottom, many others here have. I can tell that you are feeling the same way and know at this point that you have got to make a change. You can do this. Its up to you. No one else can fix this for you, no one else can make it happen but you. It is our instinct to look at all of this as a tough punishment but it doesn't have to be. Make weight loss, your lifestyle eating habits, and your exercise your interest. Immerse yourself in it. Read about it, watch youtube videos about it. Stay on forums like this one. You will find the more that you push on with this it will become more and more enjoyable and you will really begin to enjoy your time that you set aside for your workouts. This is YOUR time of each day to work on yourself.

I don't know much about DEXA scans but I myself used the Mifflin St. Jeor calculator online to find my original BMR at 241lbs with a sedentary lifestyle. That put my BMR at something around 2200 calories or so. I put my calories at 1730 and have stuck with that for a good while now. I'm now down to 198 and have a very long way to go still but already I feel much better and you will too. Use this calculator, find your BMR, subtract 500 calories from that and get to work. Input everything into my fitness pal. You've got to be honest on this. The more you do it the more you will see how much you are truly consuming and were you need to make changes. Its not easy at first and you will also be hungry at first but its because we enjoy eating when were bored or upset or just for pleasure. This will change and you can begin to view your food as fuel. Everytime you want to binge or make bad food choices think about that sleep machine and know how much better life will be with a lot of this weight gone.

Lift and do cardio.

Both of these are super important. Look up fierce 5 and get to it. Do 10-15 min of cardio to get warmed up, lift, then if time permits do some cardio afterward. Anything helps but shoot for at least 30 min. Listen to music, watch a show, listen to podcasts. Whatever you need to do. Enjoy this time. You will feel better after, I promise.

Anyway I can help from my own personal experience, I will. Do this man, you can do it.

[TolerantLactose]

I need to lose weight rapidly, when I was skinny I would just roll over and go to bed. I have gained so much weight that my fat is literally choking me to death, I need a CPAP machine to keep me breathing.
You don't realized how boned you are until you are really boned. I depend on a machine to be able to sleep. Thats on top of all the other "fun" things that come with being morbidly obese.
Having to depend on a machine that I need to plug into a wall to be able to breathe and sleep really sucks especially knowing that I can fix it and the only reason I have to use it is because I kept eating like an idiot.

Yeah, you can afford to be a little aggressive with the cut as long as you can tolerate it. Keep lifting.

[Tommy W.]

Rule of thumb is diet down on the fewest calories that you can realistically maintain on a consistent weekly basis provided you get in the necessary nutrients. Food choice will be paramount with few if any processed carbs and no alcohol.

And be sure you’re on a proper training program

[vansnxtweek489]

Rule of thumb is diet down on the fewest calories that you can realistically maintain on a consistent weekly basis provided you get in the necessary nutrients. Food choice will be paramount with few if any processed carbs and no alcohol.

And be sure you’re on a proper training program

Couldn't agree more. OP this is all you need to know vs. my novel approach hahahh

[SOLARIS]

Its been 5 days, I am doing 1400 calories a day. I go to bed hungry but its not too bad and more of an inconvenience. Been lifting weights charted out my weight loss goals on a calendar.
Currently researching on what I can do about loose skin as it starts to form down the road.

[vansnxtweek489]

Its been 5 days, I am doing 1400 calories a day. I go to bed hungry but its not too bad and more of an inconvenience. Been lifting weights charted out my weight loss goals on a calendar.
Currently researching on what I can do about loose skin as it starts to form down the road.

I was/am concerned about loose skin as well but its got to be pretty low on the priority list. The weight of how much better your heart will perform will far outweight some loose skin.

Keep pushing man, you're doing well. Just don't go so low that you crash and give it all up. I'd really consider a few extra calories in your diet, 1400 is pretty low and some would agree, this is crash diet territory. Just tread carefully, its about the long haul. You didn't gain it in a day and it ain't gonna go away in a day. Do what works for you to maintain and sustain the work.

[Tommy W.]

Its been 5 days, I am doing 1400 calories a day. I go to bed hungry but its not too bad and more of an inconvenience. Been lifting weights charted out my weight loss goals on a calendar.
Currently researching on what I can do about loose skin as it starts to form down the road.

give that calorie amount 3 weeks in order to see how it’s working. You may be taking in more than you think on a weekly basis.

[SOLARIS]

Hey folks, thank you for the warning I will keep an eye on it and adjust my daily intake as needed as time passes by.

[vansnxtweek489]

Hey folks, thank you for the warning I will keep an eye on it and adjust my daily intake as needed as time passes by.

Keep checking in.

[RedSoxfan1978]

I've lost weight twice in my life. Once following a surgery. This last time was a loss of 212lbs and I'm still losing.

I simply kept my calories mostly clean and cut out all soda and junk foods completely. For example I was 400lbs. So I ate 3500 calories a day. Lifted three times a week all compound lifts. Walked at a moderate pace on off days around my neighborhood.

I adjusted downward as I lost weight. Get a body fat scale. I have the Renpro off Amazon. Best money I've ever spent.

I did 40/40/20 % ratios for carbs and proteins and fats. Take measurements of your entire body. Take pics from all angles. Use the body fat scale and those measurements to plot your progress. Fat loss and weight loss are two very different things. Remember that. It's a journey. Pace yourself. If you fall off the wagon get right back on.

You must choose to do this for YOU. You can suffer the pain of sacrifice or the pain of regret. You can do this.

[faithbrah]

I've lost weight twice in my life. Once following a surgery. This last time was a loss of 212lbs and I'm still losing.

I simply kept my calories mostly clean and cut out all soda and junk foods completely. For example I was 400lbs. So I ate 3500 calories a day. Lifted three times a week all compound lifts. Walked at a moderate pace on off days around my neighborhood.

I adjusted downward as I lost weight. Get a body fat scale. I have the Renpro off Amazon. Best money I've ever spent.

I did 40/40/20 % ratios for carbs and proteins and fats. Take measurements of your entire body. Take pics from all angles. Use the body fat scale and those measurements to plot your progress. Fat loss and weight loss are two very different things. Remember that. It's a journey. Pace yourself. If you fall off the wagon get right back on.

You must choose to do this for YOU. You can suffer the pain of sacrifice or the pain of regret. You can do this.

strong join date but so much info from 2004 too...

body fat scales are terribly inaccurate and shouldn't be trusted. macro splits don't do anything special and mostly just overcomplicate things. just hit a minimum 0.7g of protein & 0.4g of fat per lb of bodyweight, then fill the rest with whatever, easy

[SOLARIS]

Its been 13 days. I lost 9 pounds.
Eating 1400 calories a day sucks, I go to bed hungry, lifting weights 6 days a week.
It is going to be a long and miserable road. I will probably raise my calories to 1800 once I hit 230 pounds.

[AdamWW]

Its been 13 days. I lost 9 pounds.
Eating 1400 calories a day sucks, I go to bed hungry, lifting weights 6 days a week.
It is going to be a long and miserable road. I will probably raise my calories to 1800 once I hit 230 pounds.

This makes zero sense... you're doing everything backward...

[Tommy W.]

Its been 13 days. I lost 9 pounds.
Eating 1400 calories a day sucks, I go to bed hungry, lifting weights 6 days a week.
It is going to be a long and miserable road. I will probably raise my calories to 1800 once I hit 230 pounds.

Wait another 2 weeks. The loss will slow way down as the bulk of your loss is from the initial water drop. If you actually ARE at a true 1,400 every day consistently then you'll crash and burn. See how the next 2 weeks go, that will be the actual amount of fat you're losing on a weekly basis. Adjust from there. If you're losing more than 2-3 lbs per week after the water stabilizes the up the calories. If you're losing less than that then your counting is off and you're higher than 1,400

[SOLARIS]

I weight everything on scales to the gram and not snacking or meals outside my meal prep. I think you are right about crash and burn, Ill give it another couple of weeks.

[xsquid99]

Wait another 2 weeks. The loss will slow way down as the bulk of your loss is from the initial water drop. If you actually ARE at a true 1,400 every day consistently then you'll crash and burn. See how the next 2 weeks go, that will be the actual amount of fat you're losing on a weekly basis. Adjust from there. If you're losing more than 2-3 lbs per week after the water stabilizes the up the calories. If you're losing less than that then your counting is off and you're higher than 1,400

Please listen to this. If in 2 weeks you're losing more than 2-3 lbs a week you definitely need to increase your calories, because anything more than that isn't going to be sustainable long term.

[SOLARIS]

Just a little update, bumped my calories to 1450 and I am 273.6 pounds as of today. So I lost over 16 pounds so far, but the first month is easy. Greek yogurt, lots of beef and REAL German farmers bread straight from Germany.
I throw in veggies instead of bread once in a while or do chilli.
Also last two weeks my eight loss slowed down to 2.2 pounds a week. I think the first couple of weeks was also partially water weight?