Average Fat Log. From 237 6"4 to under 200.

[cakesandcream]

I feel like logging will help me get some of my thoughts out there - somewhere. I've been trying to lose weight but I've been failing for the past four years.

The many cycles of failures have taught me a lot; I have lost 22 pounds, but it's been a difficult journey. It's not as if I've constantly been trying to lose weight but I've been getting phases. Up until the beginning of this year. I've been trying to change my lifestyle and despite the pounds not coming off the way I want them to, I feel like I'm setting up a solid base in terms of lifestyle changes.

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I am right now beginning my 3rd week of Insanity without seeing any results on the scale. I have before pictures and I'll take "after" ones after I finish my fourth week. In all honesty, my motivation to finishing insanity is very low. For the past three weeks I realize I was counting my calories totally wrong. I thought I was eating around 1800 but I was actually somewhere in the 3000 range. It's depressing. A month of being foolish. I could've been under 230 by now.

I guess the bright side is I haven't really gained much weight. No matter what, I wont give up on this. All I have to do now is think if Insanity is worth it.

[NoCarbsNoSugar]

How are you counting your calories?

[cakesandcream]

How are you counting your calories?

Before three weeks I was using Myfitness pal. Then I stopped losing weight for one week (which I guess is fine. Sometimes you don't lose) I've experienced.

For the past month I've been observing religious fasts (Ramadan); I've been living with my parents for this month so it's cooking meals with them and it's really difficult to count calories. I've been estimating my calories, trying to eat around 1800 but I did a calculation of some of the foods today and it comes out to around 2800-3000!

It's just very disappointing. All those days of being hungry... and I wasn't even in a deficit.

[NoCarbsNoSugar]

Just because you use MFP it does not mean you are getting the right numbers.
Do you weigh your food?

Here are a couple of threads you can start reading:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=119482931

and this

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

Estimating calories, as you've mentioned above, is an almost certain recipe for getting the wrong numbers.

You don't have a lot of lbs to lose. Not compared to many in here, myself included
If you measure your calorie intake properly, you can lose this weight in a relatively short time, even without exercising.

Do you know your TDEE and your BMR?

Also, you were talking about getting hungry during Ramadan fasting.
Aside from your religious obligations which I do respect, I would tell you that losing weight and going hungry don't really go together. Not if you are in it for the long haul.

Best of luck to you.

[cakesandcream]

Just because you use MFP it does not mean you are getting the right numbers.
Do you weigh your food?

Here are a couple of threads you can start reading:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=119482931

and this

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

Estimating calories, as you've mentioned above, is an almost certain recipe for getting the wrong numbers.

You don't have a lot of lbs to lose. Not compared to many in here, myself included
If you measure your calorie intake properly, you can lose this weight in a relatively short time, even without exercising.

Do you know your TDEE and your BMR?

Also, you were talking about getting hungry during Ramadan fasting.
Aside from your religious obligations which I do respect, I would tell you that losing weight and going hungry don't really go together. Not if you are in it for the long haul.

Best of luck to you.

Well firstly, thank you for your response. Means a lot for someone to show support on here and provide feedback.

I'm definitely going to check out those links. I do weigh my food. I didn't do this in the past - it's something that's given me much better results.

Websites show my BMR at around 2300 but I am going to guess mine is lower. I think this is the case because I feel that my LBM is very low. If you look at my pictures at 237 and some others on here you'll see I look much more "curvy". I can also feel my ribs at 237. Due to my low muscle mass I feel my BMR must be quite low.

I understand that losing weight and staying hungry don't go together. I have just one more day of fasting and then I'll be back to my routine. It's much easier to stay full with coffee at your disposal.

Do you think I should continue with my Insanity work out? On the one hand I feel it's needless cardio, too much of a hassle, and not worth the effort. On the other I feel like it is exercise and to live a healthy lifestyle I need to get into the habit of working out be it any form for exercise. I also think the cardio will benefit me in the long run in life and what not. Besides, I started something and I'm in week two... I should end things I begin.

[NoCarbsNoSugar]

I am no expert in the field of weight loss.
Others in here know a lot more than me.

I do know, however, that - assuming you have no medical condition that would prevent this from happening - if you eat 15% ~ 20% below your TDEE, you will lose weight in the long run. And this, even without any exercise.

Take one week, maybe two, and measure your food to the gram, and eat at 20% below your TDEE.
Look at the results and go from there.

Going at this rate, you should expect to lose around 2 lbs a week, sometimes less and sometimes more.
That may seem like too little, but if you think about 56 weeks in the year, that adds up to a lot in the long run.

[cakesandcream]

Eid holiday after Ramadan tomorrow! I don't think I'm going to be working out and will most likely go over my Kcal. Hope I have a good time eating some sweets

[cakesandcream]

Suffering from insomnia for the past day or two. I hate it when my sleep pattern becomes irregular. I have missed two insanity workouts because of being outside the whole day. Today I'm invited to a dinner but I'll try my best to not go. I'd rather stay home and play video games!

[shaneinga]

Good luck man.

Do you have access to a gym?

I would suggest if you do, drop that insanity and get on a good beginners weight lifting routine. Allpro or Fierce 5 would help you maintain your LBM while you are cutting and since you are a new lifter you might even be able to gain some LBM while doing it.

Full body routine 3 days a week, do some cardio and abs on your off days. Stick with it, and you will see results.

Your macros, Protein, Fats, and Carbs will be important as well. Protein run at 1 gram per LBM, fats at .4 grams per LBM, and fill the rest with carbs. I would shoot for a pound a week weight loss for the first 10 to 15 pounds and then try for a .5 pound a week for the rest. Slow and steady wins the race here and you have plenty of time to get it done.

Stick with it!

[whyohwhyohwhy]

delete

[cakesandcream]

Good luck man.

Do you have access to a gym?

I would suggest if you do, drop that insanity and get on a good beginners weight lifting routine. Allpro or Fierce 5 would help you maintain your LBM while you are cutting and since you are a new lifter you might even be able to gain some LBM while doing it.

Full body routine 3 days a week, do some cardio and abs on your off days. Stick with it, and you will see results.

Your macros, Protein, Fats, and Carbs will be important as well. Protein run at 1 gram per LBM, fats at .4 grams per LBM, and fill the rest with carbs. I would shoot for a pound a week weight loss for the first 10 to 15 pounds and then try for a .5 pound a week for the rest. Slow and steady wins the race here and you have plenty of time to get it done.

Stick with it!

Thanks for the advice. I do not have access to a gym for 3 weeks. After that, I'll be starting a lifting program. I'm going to look into the ones you've suggested (and I hope they don't have stuff like dead lifts because I suck.. my form and everything just suck at those).

I haven't done insanity for 3-4 days now because of holidays and being out of home. Diet has been on track apart from the two days of festivities.

As for macros, because I'm really overweight (and honestly I barely have muscle mass) I'm not being too strict with getting the right amount of protein. I'd say that's okay until I get to a more normal weight. For now, just losing the fat with lower calories and moderate protein should be enough I'm guessing?

Time: college starts in a few weeks and I wished I looked fit. I did the best I could this summer and still have three weeks to go but oh well, there's no way around it. Of course, slow and steady wins the race. I really want to be cutting for the foreseeable future.

[cakesandcream]

Well it's 2:29 AM as I right this and I am starving. Being 50 or so Calories under my goal, there is nothing I can have. I'll have to stay hungry it seems for the night.

I messed up with a subway sandwhich. I added a bunch of stuff to my chicken teriyaki thinking it would be around 350-400 Kcal. When I logged the ingredients at home it came to almost 700! The mayo and southwest chipotle sauce damaged my Caloric resources for sure.

I'm really not sure where to go with exercise. Still have 3 weeks till gym access and I haven't been able to get back into Insanity after my holidays. I wonder if it's still worth finishing up Insanity. I definitely need to work out in some form or another. The HIIT really made me feel much, much better physically.

Tomorrow I might restart week 3 (which I had left midway) and then go on to finish it with week four. This would leave me with one week left until access to a gym. I'll go one some hikes maybe that week and then start with All pro's program.

This Friday I'm going to weight myself, but honestly I don't care about the digits anymore. I took pictures a few weeks back and I'm looking forward to comparing them with my newer pictures...


... but I have to shave my chest again

[cakesandcream]

Well - it seems like there will be no insanity this week. Kind of concerned because I don't want to lose all those gains I was making (in terms of my cardio). I should have gone for a long walk today or something. My sedentary lifestyle (during summer holidays) is just terrible.

Today I ate some chicken smothered in BBQ sauce. Boy was it good (and there is still leftovers which I must not eat!). Unfortunately, it finished all my calories for the day. I'm left with a grand total of 100 calories to enjoy the remaining 4 hours I'll be awake!

But the good news is, I'm down 1.7 pounds I'm kind of concerned it's muscle since I haven't been working out - surely some of it is fat? In any case, I'm getting closer and closer to my goal. Being in the 220's will be massive really. Already, I'm the lowest I've ever been in four years.

If I can just get a bit aggressive this week and go below 230 I'll be really happy with myself! Now I have myself questioning: slow and steady wins the race, don't go aggressive! vs Hey... you're overweight. You can lose 3 pounds a week easily!

[Sarumyan]

Heh, subbed. We are exactly the same stats atm.

[cakesandcream]

Heh, subbed. We are exactly the same stats atm.

Thanks! And yes, the same weight but I can tell a considerable difference in BF %!

[cakesandcream]

I want to make Lasagne tonight with 1116 Calories left. Is it possible? I'll have to figure out. It's been so long since I've had some pasta. The cheese is too many calories though. Maybe a simple bolognese is the only way I can fit it in a thousand Calories.

[cakesandcream]

I just made the Lasagna! One serving for me is something like 1319 Calories. That's...200 calories over. I think I'm going to eat it anyway because it's going to taste heavenly!

[nosirrahx]

I just made the Lasagna! One serving for me is something like 1319 Calories. That's...200 calories over. I think I'm going to eat it anyway because it's going to taste heavenly!

Being a little bad like that is no problem because making up 200 calories (if you even want to get that strict) is simple the next day. Lasagna kicks some serious ass, one of my favorites.

[cakesandcream]

Being a little bad like that is no problem because making up 200 calories (if you even want to get that strict) is simple the next day. Lasagna kicks some serious ass, one of my favorites.

Tasted really good. There's a lot of leftovers. I went all out, added tonnes of cheese and what not so my serving was really small.

[cakesandcream]

Well it's a terrible conclusion to the day. I was snacking on some little things throughout the day not thinking they'd add up. Sat down to log and I have gone almost 500 Kcal over!! Had no idea 4 oz yogurt was like 100 and those three little fruit candy thingies were 150!

I actually log as I go. I had logged in some food and had Calories for a nice dinner left. Then after I ate I realized something: I had miscalculated my earlier food (it was a weird calculation. Like solving an 8th grade math problem). Long story short, I had forgotten about the weight of the container.

But I wont lose heart. A problem with me back in the day was that if I went over a bit I'd just be like "**** it" and eat till my hearts content. It does not matter if I go 500 Kcal over (even though it does since it's a wasted day!). I'm still doing better than before. Still around 23 pounds lower than when I started.

[cakesandcream]

Rough day today. So far so good. Due to my two days of going over, I've adjusted my Calories for the coming week.

Basically, I have to eat at around 1400 for the next 7 days to even out what was lost. This is achievable if I cut out carbs and sugars I think. Going back to 1700 after this week also will be a treat so I'm looking forward to it.

[cakesandcream]

Not sure what to make of the past 2 days. I've been eating outside. I really think I've been under my Calories but really there's no way to tell when you don't have information about it and you just have to go for the healthiest option.

More often than not, 'eyeballing' and 'estimating' days leads to no weight loss for that week. Nothing I can do about those days. Today was again a day I ate outside but even if I'm really overestimating my Calories it can't be more than a hundred or so extra.

It's 4:21 am right now and I'm awake because of a murder story I read a few weeks ago. Yes. I'm 22. Afraid there's a scary man under my bed!

Also starving but must not eat and control this hunger. There is no reason to eat right now as I'd usually be sleeping.

[Sarumyan]

Don't worry about muscle loss. You are not under 15% and you are still not packing a lot of LBM, so any muscle loss is unlikely in your case, unless you start eating lettuce only for like 20 days.

[cakesandcream]

Spent a few days outside. Had to make a long trip. I wasn't counting Calories but being as smart as I could be with my choices. I didn't lose much the previous week. I've lost maybe 0.5 pounds now in a week and a half which is quite bad but the way I was eating, I'm surprised I didn't gain weight.

Anyway, today was good. Feeling really satisfied and I've almost fixed my sleep pattern as well. By the end of August I want to be under 225 pounds. It really shouldn't be difficult if I don't go off track.

[cakesandcream]

I went to a concert tonight. A bunch of underground emo bands were playing. I mainly went to see this one emo band who used to be more post punk. Their songs were pretty good and I left satisfied (didn't care to stay for the main band). The opening band however, sucked really bad. They were too loud... the crash.. hi hats.. snare.. lead guitar. Even as someone who goes to really loud punk shows, the music gave me a headache. It didn't help that I went without ear plugs... but it was still a bit too much for me.

Long story short, I was driving home with a headache and really wanted to just eat whatever I could to get rid of it. I was in my "should I, or should I not" moments. I was about to turn towards Mcdonalds when I just changed 3 lanes in the last minute to go home. Went home, had a pear and now I'm writing this.

I still have my headache but I'm really happy I did not eat anything bad that would make me go over for the day. The night is still young, but there's not a lot at home that can destroy my diet.

Dragging along, another day under my goal. I hope it stops getting so difficult and it becomes a habit.

[cakesandcream]

Today was weigh in day and I'm quite happy! I got two weights though:231.8 and 230.8. I'm going to go with the lower one just because! I know it's still a bit poor considering I'd have lost around 7-8 pounds in one month. Considering my weight, I should have lose at least 10 pounds but I'm not complaining; it's better than staying at the same weight and gaining!

After eating really clean for the week I decided to eat some nutritional garbage! Went to burger king first and then Mcdonalds! Still making sure I'm under my Calories but I'm not going to care about fat content for the day.