My journey - feedback from a 367 lbs fat man

[B00tstrapping]

Since losing my business a year ago I stacked on +/- 82 lbs, 44 lbs were in a matter of 2-3 months. I wasn't lean to begin with (if you are interested in that I will tell you more about my battle with my weight after Graves disease and more recently the disintegration of my spine at some point) but this brought me up to the heaviest I have ever been (37 lbs heavier to be exact).

I went to the doctor thinking something might be wrong considering how my weight rocketed up in such a short time.

Since I started falling asleep during the day while working at my desk my dad thought it might be diabetes. Since I had ALL the symptoms for low testosterone I thought it might be that. After $300 worth of tests there was nothing to pin point other than my unhealthy relationship with food.

I had managed to give up smoking last year and vaping this year so it seems to be a time for transformation for me. I started roughly 2 weeks ago on about the 15th of January. When I weighed in at the doctor's office (my home scale stopped being able to tell me how much I weighed a month or two ago - it clocks out at roughly 347 lbs) I came in at 367 lbs and 62 inches around the waist.

The plan:

Exercise

Not being able to afford a gym membership nor a set of dumbbells for that matter, I started with calisthenics instead. I found a great starter routine on YouTube from a channel called "Minus the gym" which is scalable and, at my weight-class, should last me for months and months before losing enough weight to do a pull up (building up to it with bent leg body rows at the moment).

For my cardio days I am trying to do "The Monkey" which, again, is a YouTube dance video by Hillsong. Try it, it's tough. My aim here is to 1st complete 1 video without rest but to also build it up to doing the video's dance 7 times in a row without resting.

The main idea of the workout is to get moving.

The diet

For my diet I have completely cut out carbs and sugar (except for a breakfast of a 1/2 cup of oats and some fruit in the mornings). The reason for this is that I managed to lose 67lbs in 6 months a few years ago on the Banting diet (I think it's called the Paleo diet in the USA).

Home

My wife is not really supportive of me since I have a tendency to go crazy, throw out all carbs and sugars, force my family to diet as well (since they learnt my bad eating habits) and then about a month in, my cravings get the better of me and I buy and eat tons of sweets and rubbish. So this time around I have the added difficulty of seeing a whole pantry cupboard full of chips, sweets, cereals and chocolates.

Goals:

Short term

Lose enough weight so that my scale can measure me again (347 lbs - I would need to lose 20lbs) - Hopefully I will be able to do this in 2-3 months (I really hope sooner due to the sudden correction but let's not set unrealistic goals)

Medium Term

I would like to get to 220lbs by next year this time, that would require a loss of 147 lbs. Maybe a more realistic goal will be losing 100 lbs. I don't know. Let me know in the comments below what you think.

Long Term

I want to get to 194 lbs (the weight I should be at my height and 8% body fat according to this site). Maybe when I hit this weight in 24 months I should start a "Go Fund Me" to get the excess skin cut away (my biggest fear for losing the weight)

2 weeks in

Results

I will start with - I lost 2 inches off of my stomach!

The last 2 weeks have been tough. The hardest part of the exercise routines have been going to bed on time to wake up on time. I have had to change my sleeping pattern. I used to watch TV until 00:00 - 01:00 in the mornings but now I try to get to bed by 21:30 so that I get enough sleep to get up at 04:30 to do my workouts. I actually enjoy this if I manage to get to bed in time. I have managed to miss 3 workouts due to not wanting to get up BUT I have managed to complete 7 - I take the small victories at this point

Exercise

Physically the hardest exercise is the bent knee body rows, it is like lifting a slab of unforgiving, immovable lead. My form sucks (compared to the leaner people) but I am fine with that for now because I am HEAVY. I am up to 5 rows (raises?) in a row without break, then 2, then another 2 and finally 1 to round off the 10. Incline push-ups are fairy easy and I am thinking of making my 4th set a super set and try to get into 10 proper push-ups. Squats are fine at this point (30). Because of my lower back disintegrating the hinge movements scared me when I got hurt a 2 weeks ago but it seems better now.

Diet

I will be honest and admit that I have cheated. I had about 2 fistfuls of Cheerio's and 3 fistfuls of croutons over the last 2 weeks. I will admit that I think it has helped me since my cravings are non existent thus far and normally my body feels like it is dying. Usually I have massive stress with cravings (withdrawal?) and actual near physical pain wracking my body but this time nothing like that.

I don't know if anyone else but me will ever read this but if you have, thank you so much. I will give another update soon PLUS I need to upload some photos to the site to track the loss

[B00tstrapping]

I have decided to copy Wilsonthecat from Wilson's Log and keep track of, not just my measurements on a biweekly basis, but my meals and workout as well.

Thank you Mr wilsonthecat. I tried to post links to your profile and thread to acknowledge you however I need 42 more posts before they will allow me to

[B00tstrapping]

Exercise:

Warm up:

Got up to 44 star jumps before I got out of breath

Sets: 3

10 x Bent knee body rows - form is ugly, I weigh a ton, managed to do 6 in the 1st set and 5 in each subsequent set before dropping. Completed each set of 10 obviously
10 x Leg raises - simple enough, wonder how I can increase the load
10 x Incline push-ups - Form is not perfect but managing these. Might try full push-ups soon
30 x Body weight squats - Get to at least 22 before having to take a breather
10 x Bent knee dips - this is a new addition of my own. Simple enough but definitely pushed the envelope a bit. Might try straight leg dips on Wednesday

Heartbeat:

Resting 102
After exercise 148

Notes

Even though getting into the swing of things after the weekend was tough, I can feel a small improvement in my recovery period and I now don't think I'm about to have a heart attack after each set.

I have also realised that I actually fear the bent knee body rows.

[SoulofPhoenix]

10 x Leg raises - simple enough, wonder how I can increase the load

Try the "bicycle", diagonally alternating touching your elbow to your knee. If you can't touch it, then just near. And don't rest your legs on the floor each time. Or you could use ankle weight by doing leg raises...hahaha

[TheUnderdog83]

Great that you’re starting down this path. I too have done the no-carb diet in the past and had success. If you see results with it and find it easy you can use it for now. However, I, and probably most on this forum, recommend switching off the no carb soon and instead count calories. There are several reasons for this, but the most practical is the long term ability to keep the weight off. It would be rather difficult, and quite unhealthy, to stay off carbs forever. However, becoming aware of calories and learning how to make choices based on that is something you can do long term. MyFitnessPal is a great app to use for that. It will even figure an estimated calorie goal each day.

[B00tstrapping]

Thank you, SoulofPhoenix,

I'll give the bicycle a shot

[B00tstrapping]

Thank you for this TheUnderdog83,

Funnily enough, after seeing people count calories on this site I actually downloaded 2 calorie calculators last night to check out today. Upon your suggestion I downloaded MyFitnessPal and I love it.

If I just watch my calories should I just not exceed my goal or is it okay to not hit it at all (get in much lower)? With exercise etc I now have more calories to go that I had before breakfast.

[B00tstrapping]

Exercise:

Sets: 3

"The Monkey" (A HIIT-esque dance I found on YouTube by Hillsong that gives me a great workout)

Heartbeat:

Resting 86
After exercise 147

Notes

- 1st time I made it through the 1st run without stopping for air. I will get up earlier on Thursday to fit 1-2 more into my schedule as I felt that I could go again. During level 2 & 3 I am struggling to lift my feet
- My shoulders hurt like hell yesterday (the joint) but they feel much better after today's exercising
- On the MyFitnessPal Day 1 so I'll give feedback on caloric intake as of tomorrow. Still staying away from carbs for now (other than what I get in vegetables and my morning oats) since I have a real problem with them (I can't stop eating when it comes to bread, potatoes, cake and sweets)
- Starting to test verticle bicycling tomorrow so I will give feedback on it then

Thank you again to SoulofPhoenix and The Underdog83 for your suggestions - I need all the help I can get.

[TheUnderdog83]

Thank you for this TheUnderdog83,

Funnily enough, after seeing people count calories on this site I actually downloaded 2 calorie calculators last night to check out today. Upon your suggestion I downloaded MyFitnessPal and I love it.

If I just watch my calories should I just not exceed my goal or is it okay to not hit it at all (get in much lower)? With exercise etc I now have more calories to go that I had before breakfast.

Great! It’s fine to come in under.

[B00tstrapping]

Day 3

Calories:

Yesterday was the 1st day on the new app suggested by TheUnderdog83 (MyFitnessPal) and I captured EVERYTHING on it. Each cup of coffee, green tea, etc. Really enjoyed it immensely.

Goal to lose 1kg per week = 2180 calories
Achieved - 1194 calories
Exercise - 155 calories
Remaining - 1141

I don't know if my settings are right. I ate well yesterday and yet I still had so many calories to burn I could have had half a large pizza. Guess this bodes well since I'll lose more weight this way... unless I am activating my body's starvation defence mode. FFS I just don't know - please assist

Exercise:

Warm up:

Got up to 55 star jumps before I got out of breath (Up 11)

Sets: 2

10/15 x Bent knee body rows with purple rubber band support - form is much better, I increased the reps to 15 in the second set since the 1st was too easy. My shoulders feel better - less joint pain.
10 x Leg raises followed immediately by 10 x bicycle (kicks?) - Felt the burn! Hurt like hell but I have come to realise that after so many years of inactivity most new exercises hurt.
10 x Push-ups on knees - Form is better. I did the 1st set of full push ups with the resistance band support perfectly, 2nd set I almost collapsed on my face so did it on my knees instead
30 x Body weight squats - Got to 26 before having to take a breather (4 up)
10 x Single bent knee dips with resistance band supporting last 5%

Heartbeat:

Resting 97 (down 5!)
After exercise Unknown

Notes

First critical failure today - Felt like vomiting after my 2nd set. Thought I would be able to write here how I overcame that and finished my 3rd set but it was not to be. Felt sick for 45 minutes afterwards. Not sure if the added exercises took it out of me of if, despite having some support from the resistance band, I just completed a heavier workout (going 15 reps with support as opposed to 6 without and then resting). Guess we'll see on Friday.

Funny incident - my wife caught me typing on the diary on my phone of the workout (so I can capture it here) and thought I was messaging a girlfriend. I love that she still gets jealous despite my weight.

[TheUnderdog83]

Great, you’ll want to at least hit 1,200 calories per day, this is the minimum your body needs to function.

[B00tstrapping]

Exercise:

Sets: 4

"The Monkey" (A HIIT-esque dance I found on YouTube by Hillsong that gives me a great workout)

Heartbeat:

Resting 81
After exercise 140

Notes

- I thought I was being lax, got up to set 4, stopped 4 times for air but I felt that the exercise wasn't tough enough. Maybe it's me and maybe it's time to switch to a new exercise... I don't know but I am no longer hitting that ceiling where I feel like I am going to die, now I just get winded

[B00tstrapping]

Woke up this morning with absolutely no drive to do anything. I haven't felt this crap in a long time.

Started the APP on Tuesday the 5th of Feb. My daily target (to lose a kilogram per week) is 2180 calories per day. I overshot like hell on the weekend but I can easily see where my problems lie and here are my results:

Tueday : 1141 remaining
Wednesday : 337 remaining
Thursday : 340 remaining
Friday : 1151 OVER
Saturday : 133 OVER
Sunday : 433 OVER

Total : 101 remaining

I ate on Monday like I ate on Tuesday so I am probably even further under as an average however that doesn't excuse the weekend in the slightest. Also I learned that even a tiny amount of bad food (KFC in my case) can count as a massive amount of calories. For example: I thought that KFC would be a "healty" alternative to Pizza since it didn't have that many carbs but I see now that 1 piece of KFC side breast has the caloric worth of an entire plate full of actual healthy food. On my WORST day (Friday) I had nothing but nuggets and a few pieces of breast, hotwings and side breast the entire day (over 3 meals) however when capturing what I ate I was horrified to see that the few things I ate was nearly 2 days worth of food.

Some wins:

1. I dropped a belt size. So my pants were falling down all of last week and I had to tighten my belt to the last notch.
2. Waist (at the navel) down to 151cm (60.4")
3. Way more aware of what I am eating now with the APP.
4. My daughter LOVES the APP for herself and keeps drilling me about updates

Some losses:

Everything since Friday.

[B00tstrapping]

So getting up in the mornings is actually getting tougher. Raining today and we are heading into autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Not that this is an excuse. I just find that I wake up at 04:30 and I don't feel like getting out of bed and breaking my arms trying to exercise or trying to lift this fat arse. Gone are the memories of feeling how much harder my arms feel, of the compliments of looking "more buff" due to the workouts. Today however one of the more frightening things happened which hasn't happened in weeks (since starting the exercise routine) I am starting to feel sleepy at work again.

Now I remember the terrors of feeling how hard it is to breathe, how it feels to be heavy and useless. If the zombie apocalypse hit today I would be f*ck*d.

Time to get my life in order, time to be accountable for the improvement as well.

Calories

Target : 2,180
Reached : 2,179
Exercise : 0
Remaining : 1

Well done to me for getting the diet this close but a smaller pear still looks like a pear. Committing right now to burning some calories tomorrow morning, to hell with that - I commit to burning some calories tonight before dinner, my daughter has been trying to get me to exercise together with her - tonight we will.

[B00tstrapping]

Calories:

Goal to lose 1kg per week = 2180 calories
Achieved - 1581 calories
Exercise - 0 calories
Remaining - 599

Exercise:

Warm up:

Got up to 60 star jumps (Up 5). This is the first time I didn't stop because I got out of breath, instead I stopped because my leg muscles were on FIRE. Felt really great but I would have liked to go a bit further. Maybe increase this by a minimum of 5 everytime

Sets: 3 (Up 1)

15 x Bent knee body rows with purple rubber band support. Strange new experience, my biceps felt aching in their centres.
10 x Leg raises
20 x Bicycle vertical (kicks?)
10 x Push-ups on knees
30 x Body weight squats. Not as tiring as before
0 x Single bent knee dips with resistance band supporting last 5% - completely forgot about this addition today

Heartbeat:

Resting 96 (down 1)
After exercise Unknown - I felt nauseous again and rested a minute or two after which my heart rate was 137

Notes

Felt nauseous again after my 2nd set but managed to complete the 3rd set. Not sure if skipping the 30 dips made the difference.
Not sure if I should do 15 reps with good form or 10 reps but with rest and struggling

[B00tstrapping]

Calories

Target : 2,180
Reached : 2,292
Exercise : 233
Remaining : 121

Exercise:

Sets: 5

"The Monkey" (A HIIT-esque dance I found on YouTube by Hillsong that gives me a great workout)

Heartbeat:

Resting 81
After exercise 137

Notes

Definitely getting through more and more of the songs, winded and sweating more but my heartrate isn’t as high as before.
WIN – 1st day I made it to 5 sets! (Wanted 7 but at least got to 5)

[B00tstrapping]

Calories

Target : 2,180
Reached : 1,685
Exercise : 272
Remaining : 767

No exercise today as yet... Took some update fotos. While I know it should take longer, I just felt so much better and felt like I was fitting in my clothes better that I expected a noticeable difference in the comparison pics. Probably there but so much fat ass that it's tough to see. Going to see if I can track down a scale and weight myself.


BTW - my belt is becoming loose again... #@&^ just what I need... I lose weight everywhere except the massive gut I have protruding.

[B00tstrapping]

My daily target (to lose a kilogram per week) is 2180 calories per day, (as per the MyFitnessPal app) here are my results:

Monday : 1 remaining
Tuesday : 247 remaining
Wednesday : 121 remaining
Thursday : 767 remaining
Friday : 958 remaining
Saturday : 1,390 OVER
Sunday : 322 OVER

Total : 382 remaining

So the weekend saw me having a pizza (yeah - all those additional calories is 1 pizza + 2 slices of chocolate cake). I am happy that I managed to save some calories for the week.

[B00tstrapping]

Calories

Target : 2,180
Reached : 1,295
Exercise : 0
Remaining : 885


Another day where my clothes feel looser. I have no idea why it constantly feels like I am yoyoing. One day I feel like my clothes feel wonderfully loose, the next I feel large and bloated. The stomach sucks as a way to measure... I try to relax it but I am never sure if I am pushing out or sucking in slightly so the measurements keep fluctuating. I still haven't made it to a scale that can weigh me but the one that would be able to once I lose about 22lbs hasn't started displaying my weight yet.


Very frustrated.

[B00tstrapping]

Weight update!

I finally got to weigh myself today. 22lbs (10kgs) lost!

[SoulofPhoenix]

Wow! That's a lot! Keep getting down! If not, gotta keep down again! Haha

And yeah, about the bicycle....as long as it works for you!

[B00tstrapping]

Thanks

[B00tstrapping]

Calories:

Goal to lose 1kg per week = 2180 calories
Achieved - 889 calories
Exercise - 0 calories
Remaining - 1,291

Exercise:

Warm up:

60 star jumps

Sets: 3

15 x Bent knee body rows with purple rubber band support
10 x Leg raises
20 x Bicycle vertical kicks
10 x Push-ups (1st time doing proper (form not 100% but still) push ups!!!)
30 x Body weight squats (Need to make this more difficult. This exercise is a "rest" at this point)
10 x Bent knee dips with resistance band supporting last 5%

Heartbeat:

Resting 74 (A lot down!)
After exercise 140

Notes

Focus is on form at the moment. I need to increase the difficulty with the squats. Need to find weights. Happy that I am doing proper push ups from today on

[AZAZEL833]

Calories:

Goal to lose 1kg per week = 2180 calories
Achieved - 889 calories
Exercise - 0 calories
Remaining - 1,291

Exercise:

Warm up:

60 star jumps

Sets: 3

15 x Bent knee body rows with purple rubber band support
10 x Leg raises
20 x Bicycle vertical kicks
10 x Push-ups (1st time doing proper (form not 100% but still) push ups!!!)
30 x Body weight squats (Need to make this more difficult. This exercise is a "rest" at this point)
10 x Bent knee dips with resistance band supporting last 5%

Heartbeat:

Resting 74 (A lot down!)
After exercise 140

Notes

Focus is on form at the moment. I need to increase the difficulty with the squats. Need to find weights. Happy that I am doing proper push ups from today on

You can do squats with bands for extra resistance

[B00tstrapping]

That's a really great idea, thanks

[B00tstrapping]

Calories:

Goal to lose 1kg per week = 2180 calories
Achieved - 1,496 calories
Exercise - 0 calories
Remaining - 684

Exercise:

Warm up:

70 star jumps (Up 5)

Sets: 3

10 x Bent knee body rows
10 x Leg raises (realised I was doing tucks before)
10 x Push-ups (1 set of diamond but switched back to normal)
30 x Body weight full squats (Getting my butt as close to the ground as possible)

Heartbeat:

Resting 70
After exercise 138
Now (5 hours after the workout 90)

Notes

So I re-watched the YouTube video of the regiment I follow from MinusTheGym and I remembered why I liked the program... It is scalable. So I felt kind of stupid adding to my routine and simply increased the exercise as per the video and removed the assistance band... Holy f%^&!!! It was intense! On the last exercise in my 3rd set I kept feeling like I was falling over! Turns out I had my 1st proper leg day today! I nearly collapsed trying to step down a 2 inch step! Feels amazing! Loving the jelly leg feeling! #FriendsDon'tLetFriendsSkipLegDay