Hypertension/pre diabetic. it's time for a healthy change

[anashine]

You should be really happy with your progress and with where you are now.

I'd be shifting focus now, increase calories slightly, start lifting more, start building more muscle mass and transforming. You have a great base now.

[Manila209]

You should be really happy with your progress and with where you are now.

I'd be shifting focus now, increase calories slightly, start lifting more, start building more muscle mass and transforming. You have a great base now.

my BF is around the 20% mark, so it's too high to start going on a bulking+lifting program. I'm 159 lbs and i want to get to around at least 140 lbs before i start builking.

[Manila209]

may 1st 2018

current weight 159.1 lbs (that's a 2.4 lb weight increase from 157.6 lbsfrom last month april 1st)

April was a really bad month for me. I got back in my drinking binge on top of huge gambling losses so that didn't motivate me at all to stay on my strict diet. Although i reached a plateau , i blame it because of my diet and that i'm over eating. There were days where 4-5 days in a row, i would eat whatever I wanted w/o keeping track of calories. Basically, my food, alcohol, and gambling addiction crept back up on april.

however, this is a NEW MONTH! may 1st 2018 and i' back on track by restricting my calories and doing more cardio. Basically, moving more and eating less. I expect to drop from 159 lbs to 146 lbs by the end of may.

My goal is to get to at least 140 lbs before my 31st birthday on July 14, and 135 lbs to end up cut at the end of July.

This month, i need to be more strict on days where i over eat and manage my calories better. Losing weight is 95% diet after all and i havn't really been strict with myself on diet. I realized that drinking alcohol made me binge, so i will have to find a way to restrict alcohol or make sure that on the days where I binge eat, i limit my calories the day before and the day after to stay on my cut.

[Manila209]

It's may 7th 2018, had two cheat days so that will hinder my progress for this week(alcohol+gambling)

I had a talk with my friend and i realized i have a self destructive behavior of gambling and binge drinking while doing it. And yes, it's pretty severe to the point where i'm going to pawn shops and pawning my ps4 and jewelry just to i can have my gambling fix. After speaking to him, i will challenge myself to quit gambling and limit drinking to only bars/clubs. Because whenever I drink and gamble, i also binge eat after that because i would feel depressed after losing money. So i will try my very best within my willpower to stop gambling at all costs because it's a very self destructive habit of mine. I feel embarrassed sharing this to a public forum but i will have to get this stuff out there.

Currently, my weight is flunctuating from 156 to 159 so i have in fact reached a pleateau for the past month. It's 100% because i'm consuming too many calories(gambling also triggers my food addiction because i would feel depressed). So what i plan to do is cut out the source that motivate me to binge eat (gambling) and i will be more strict with my diet.

I should've been in the 140s by now but i'm still in the high 150s. After may 6th, 2018, i will never gamble again and i will stick to my calorie restriction diet. Once I reach my goal, i will start bulking again.

My willpower will be tested this time.

[Manila209]

in the early 150s now, even reached late 140s (But that's when i was glycogen depleted so i wasn't carrying much water weight)

none of my clothes fit me, everything is extremely loose or extremely baggy now.

I will go clothes shopping once i hit 140 lbs which is about 11-13 lbs away

[CommitmentRulz]

Great progress. Get that gambling/drinking binge under control! ;-)

Are you lifting at all? If so, what program?

[Manila209]

Great progress. Get that gambling/drinking binge under control! ;-)

Are you lifting at all? If so, what program?

i do a bro split every other week. For the most part though, on a caloric deficit, (and relative to my fitness level since i'm very fit right now) it's difficult to build muscle(unless i eat at a surplus).

I'm more focused on doing cardio and large deficits. If I overeat one day, the next day i don't eat as much.

i plan to go on a bulk once i reach my goal of 135 (or 130 if i really want to see my abs). once i start bulking, i will probably try the novice fierce 5 lifting program. But as of right now, i'm more focused on getting as lean as possible.

[Manila209]

May 15 2018

I'm at around the 148-149 lb mark(high 40s) and there's still a layer of fat over my abs. I could've sworn by the time i reached in the 140s that my abs would be visible.

I lowered my weight goal from 135 lbs to 130 lbs because i really do want to get lean enough to see my abs. Which means i have 20 more lbs to go until my cut ends.

No big deal, i just have to remain patient. Sadly, eating 1500 calories is only a -400 deficit to me, so i will have to cut down my calories from 1500 to 1200 so i can get to 130 lbs by august.

that's the downside of being 5'5 (5'4.5 is my barefoot height), my BMR is low unfortunately and abs won't show unless you reach the 130s...

i didn't know how fat i really was when i started (205 lbs), because at 149 lbs, although i'm not fat. I'm still far from seeing my abs.

[Manila209]

may 20, 2018

had a string of semi cheat days (3.5k-5k calories) however i'm doing a lot of cardio and fasting to try to off set it. I've also relapsed with my gambling addiction(if i gamble, i also drink alcohol to enhance the experience). If I lose, i binge eat my sorrows.

Thank to water weight of the carbs i've been eating, i now weigh 154.6 lbs (although i will probably lose 4-5 lbs in the ensuing days since my water weight bloat will be gone once i'm back on my deficit)

I really do have a bad gambling addiction, and from here on out, it's the main catalyst that is hindering my goals of losing weight. Not to mention, i always end up being broke after a few gambling binges. It's finally time to start quitting and may 19th will be my last day gambling for a very long time. May 20th is day 1 of my gambling abstinence.

Wish me luck guys. My willpower will be tested this time.

[Manila209]

may 23rd 2018

relapsed again with my gambling and alcohol, and thus i binge eat afterwards.

Due to my fast food addiction, my weight really does fluctuate a lot and after binge eating on junk food, i can gain a good 5-6 lbs(some of that is fat, most of it is water weight). Says on the scale i'm 154 lbs(although most of it is water weight).

Going on a 48 or a 72 hour zero calorie fast to off set the few bad days of eating. I've done it before, so wish me luck.

[Manila209]

June 6th 2018

Current weight 149 lbs (that's a -10.1 decrease from early may). I should've been 142 by now but i had multiple semi cheat days(5k calories of eating pizza, icecream, etc) to end the month of may.

I will have to take my diet more seriously since i'm going to a pool party in vegas on July 20th and July 21st. At 149 lbs, I still have a small pouch of fat to lose on my mid to lower abdomen. I'm guessing at 136 lbs and below, my abs will be revealed and I should be lean enough to go to the vegas pool party without feeling insecure.

i'm also going to restrict my calories to 1200 a day(though i'm 164 cm or 5'4.5") so that shouldn't be hard since that's only 500 calories below my BMR

[Etherlife]

I would suggest trying strategic intermittent fasting. Youtube kinobody he teaches how to do it.. It will really strengthen your mental willpower so you can fight hunger and cravings + binging. Also if you stick to whole foods and lots of water and herbal tea and soups you will be very full.

Intermittent fasting is nothing special really and definitely there is no need to watch anyone in YouTube trying to sell you stuff to reap its benefits, it's as simple as having your dinner a bit early (around 6pm in my case) then not eating anything till the next day lunch (around 12-1pm for me) but a black coffee with sweetener if you feel like it, the rest is mumbo jumbo, there is no magic really and I personally don't think it has SPECIAL benefits besides being an awesome point of control for us people that have most food cravings at night, this way you get most of your calories fresh and ready to be consumed when you most need/crave them.

Oh and btw, my BP went from 135/90 average @107Kg to 100/60 @90Kg so even though I haven't read the whole thread I hope OP has solved his hypertension problems already.


Eth.

[muskiesfan]

OP, hate to break it to you but I’m doubtful you will see abs even in the 120s. Your crash diet most likely costed you a lot of muscle (18lbs in 3 weeks?). Also, it doesn’t seem like you overcame your eating disorder yet - fasting a whole day because of a cheat is not normal, it’s a lifestyle change not a quick fix.

Sorry if I came off harsh, but it’s the truth. You still have work to do to see abs, but nonetheless, good luck!

Edit: 1200 calories is way too low. My 11 year old sister could lose weight on that.

[Manila209]

July 11 2018

current weight-->fluctuating between 142-144 lbs (depending on water retention)

I had a cheat week at the end of june to early july(7 days in a row where i splurged on junk food) so i was consuming between 3500 to 5500 calories a day. After my cheat week ended, i did a 5 day crash diet(lots of cardio and kept my calories 1200 or less so i lost back the weight i gained from that cheat week. I realized that everytime i cheat, it was because of a gambling binge, and when i gamble, i also drink.

It's my 31st birthday in 3 days so i will have a massive cheat day on that day. After that, i will keep my calories low(1400 or under w/ cardio) before i go off to vegas on the 19th of july. I expect to be under 140 lbs by the time I go to vegas in a week and a half. I also made a promise to myself to never gamble again by the time i turn 31. It's finally time to get my life handled. Gambling is the #1 reason why i'm not sticking to my diet since i binge eat after i lose.

Although i'm in the early 140s, there's still a layer of fact over my abs, and i still have lovehandles. I've decided to reduce my goal to 125 lbs until i'm finally done with my cut(I will bulk afterwards). Yes folks, i'm not a tall guy(5 foot 4.5) and i really do want to see my abs and i need to be at a low weight to see them.

I have never seen my abs in my entire life, so i might as well do it right now on my current cut.

[Manila209]

April 27, 2019, it has been 9 months since i posted here. I regained almost ALL of the weight i lost primarily because i relapsed on my addictions such as fast food, alcohol, and gambling. I realized if i relapse on one of those things, i give in to the other addictions i have. FOr example, if i drink alcohol, then i gamble, and if i gamble, i like to eat high calorie fast food afterwards. It's a bad cycle. I was 155 by the new year (Jan 1st 2019) and it's april and i currently weigh about 182 lbs. I binged on fast food when my mom gave me her credit card to use it for food. I gained 30 lbs in three months because of it.

I'm going to weigh myself tomorrow and post my current photo.

I've made adjustments.

1. Only drink alcohol on certain occasions (bars/clubs or birthdays)
2. No more gambling PERIOD(gambling triggers a lot of my other addictions). I also NEVER win. If I win, i will usually NOT stop and i will lose it all back. I don't know why i keep gambling, it's an irrational addiction because i lose 99% of the time.
3. No more fast food. If I were to eat out, it will have to be at a non fast food place. I will limit eating junk food to ONCE a week(i'm giving myself ONE cheat meal)

I'm putting myself on a 1400-1500 calories per day diet(i'm only 5 foot 4.5), my maintenance is about 2300-2400 as of right now. I will also do cardio almost every day (at least 6 times a week). Mostly on the treadmill or running outside.

If i stick to my plan, by september, i should get back to 140 or below.

My target weight is 130 lbs. After i reach 130 lbs, i'm going on a bulk and do a strict lifting program

May 28, 2019 is the day i will make drastic changes to my life.

[Manila209]

*sigh* weighed myself today

182 lbs. I can see why. I have a huge gut and it's hard to tie my shoe without compressing my abdomen. It's also much more difficult to do cardio because i'm 5'5 running at 182 lbs(it's bad for my knees). I'm sure my blood pressure and cholesterol levels are high too. This is a wake up call and it's time for me to reverse what i gained and get back to under 150 lbs. (my goal weight is 130)

Day 1 of my date April 28 2019

Ran 7 miles today on the treadmill(burned about 720 calories). Ate 980 calories so far(pollock fish, two spinach wraps, tartar sauce, and breakfast tacos all meticulously weighed by the gram). Will eat again on midnight.

I'm expecting to get under 180 lbs by next week

[Manila209]

Day 1 980 calories ran 7 miles
day 2 1400 calories ran 5 miles
day 3 1420 calories ran 2.5 miles

went from 182 to 178 in the span of three days.(most of it is water weight)

so far so good. Although i had cravings of pizza when i finished my anatomy final, but i decided against it.(great decision, it would've ruined my gains)

I'm deciding if i can have one or two cheat meals a week. It's difficult to do cardio on a caloric deficit because i'm not consuming enough carbs to compensate for my body's needs when doing cardio.

[illpinoise]

Keep posting man ..

I'm in Quezon City, are you based in the Philippines as well?

Are you taking protein supplements on this cut?

[Manila209]

nope, all natural protein that i eat such as fish, egg whites, etc. I do buy those protein shakes pre made(atkins)

anyway, day 4 is complete

consumed 1330 calories and ran 4.5 miles

Good thing about getting back into dieting is that once you string together a few days of success and you see weight loss, that's a motivator to continue. I'm aiming to get to at least 140 by the end of the summer

day 5 will be a 1800-2000 calorie refeed day with cardio. It's getting harder and harder to do cardio on a deficit even if you're on a deficit.

[Manila209]

had cravings of fast food today, but lucky for me i tell myself "i don't want to ruin my gains by eating junk food"

I had a semi-high carb day today at 140g of carbs to help replenish my glycogen stores

day 5

1820 calories consumed and won't consume anymore calories. Will just go jogging later this afternoon and eat again at midnight. I am sticking to only one cheat meal a week and so far so good. I had enough willpower to deter my junk food cravings.

[Kiffy200]

had cravings of fast food today, but lucky for me i tell myself "i don't want to ruin my gains by eating junk food"

I had a semi-high carb day today at 140g of carbs to help replenish my glycogen stores

day 5

1820 calories consumed and won't consume anymore calories. Will just go jogging later this afternoon and eat again at midnight. I am sticking to only one cheat meal a week and so far so good. I had enough willpower to deter my junk food cravings.

Keep up the good work man!!

[Manila209]

day 6 completed 1600 calories consumed, 6 miles ran.

in just one week, i went from 182 lbs to 174 lbs(i'm 100% sure majority of that is water weight).

Basically, i'm sticking to two principles. Caloric deficit+cardio

I do have cravings of junk food and i almost gave in multiple times, but i really don't want to ruin my hard work. It will set me back a few days.

Saturday (day 7) will be another diet day, then i will have a semi cheat day on sunday (i will keep it 3500 calories or less) to replenish my glycogen stores. After sunday, i will do intermittent fasting to help offset that cheat day

[Manila209]

day 7 completed. 1220 calories consumed ran 5.25 miles

When midnight ticks, my cheat day will begin and i'm looking forward to it because i'm really out of energy(i could barely run a mile due to lack of glycogen stores). So my cheat day will be well deserved. (i won't go crazy though by getting a dozen crispy cream donuts, i will eat around 4000 calories at the very most just to replenish my glycogen stores.

Then i will do a semi-intermittent fast(+ an epic cardio session) the next day to help offset what i ate.

[Manila209]

I will no longer have a cheat day EVER. I will only do ONE cheat meal a week.

I'm going to do a 50 hour fast to offset the cheat day(i've done it before) or i will do a 26 hour fast and a very low calorie day afterwards. Either way, i will try my very best to help offset this.

i went all out on my cheat day and consumed 8000 calories *sigh* i also relapsed on my gambling. Basically, i took advantage of my cheat day by going all out. Gambling is the #1 trigger and #1 issue as to why i overeat and drink. If I can eliminate my gambling, i can get to my goal faster.

5/5/2019, i will NO longer gamble, no exceptions. It's really a self destructive problem I have unfortunately =(.

[Manila209]

June 6 2019.

Current weight 178.6 lbs (yes, i didn't lose any weight at all and i'm not going to make excuses).

Early may, i relapsed on my gambling addiction. Although i won money initially, i became addicted and that triggered my other addictions(fast food). Everything is pretty much connected to my gambling addiction(yes, it's a reason why i can't lose weight because i get depressed and go on "fuk it" mode with my diet). With that being said, instead of posting about how i shouldn't "gamble" anymore or have any "cheat days", i will just SHOW it. Actions speak louder than words and i'm fairly confident i will stick to my diet this time.

I plan to get to 150 lbs before fall semester hits for school(i'm taking nursing prerequisites).

Day 1. Burned roughly 1040 calories and ate exactly 740 calories. So it's basically a -2300 deficit.

My goal from now on is to limit cheats. My next cheat day will be late june for LGBT pride(i'm not LGBT, i just like going to the events). And after that day, my next cheat day will be my birthday (july 14). After that, i'm going to stick to my non cheat diet. I will only cheat if it's a VERy special occasion.

[Manila209]

I learned so much about myself just by simply writing these blogs. I didn't realize i had so many addictions. Although i knew gambling was my an addiction, i also have an addiction to fast food as well(although i was in HUGE denial). Then again, i don't really eat fast food if i don't gamble so my gambling addiction TRIGGERs my fast food addiction

I also found out i'm an emotional eater especially if I lose $$ in the casino. I get upset and i eat junk food to make myself feel better.

Although im' 100% aware of these things, im' fairly confident in myself, that i will conquer it. My willpower will be tested and although talking about it here means nothing, my behaviors and CHOICES will show it.

[Manila209]

June 15 2019

Finally received my tax refund and guess what? yep, i relapsed and gambled. Although i ended up making a good profit. Thing is, i've also been binge drinking and i got into hardcore drugs again*sigh*

I also went to casinos where i'm previously banned(self exclusion), risking of me getting a criminal trespass misdemeanor.

I will be applying to be in the RN program and one thing i don't need in my life is a criminal record. After doing research on casino and trespassing, it's simply not WORTH it. Over what? a few hundred dollars?

When it comes to my diet, it's non existent. I havn't been keeping track of my macros and i havn't lost a meaningful amount of weight in a long time.

i do have the willpower to quit gambling so i won't get arrested for trespass. I have too much self respect for that because as a gambler, i weigh the risk/reward and it's simply not worth it.

[sunsean]

Good luck, bro, we all have demons to wrestle with...me, I struggle to give up nicotine, I quit cigarettes but can't get off the vaping. I'm super healthy/fit in all other areas but this one and it's a struggle for me.

I'd say it's more important for you to focus on your problems (addictions) and general health than fat loss. Obviously, the gambling/booze/fast food cycle has kept you from your fat loss goals for over a year now and will continue to do so until you resolve them.

If anything, I'd focus more on lifting weights, which you don't seem to have talked much about. You mentioned several times you want to see your abs, but without strength training you won't have any abs to see. At least in the meantime, if you're not losing weight and are eating higher calories, you can build some muscle which will make you look MUCH better down the road.