I'm back, fatter than before.........help!

[BJoe]

I tried a couple of the pedal machines, but just don't fit, probably still to fat for those.

I did do something stupid tonight and possibly ****ed things up though. I was walking over to the drinking fountain after using the chest press machine and wasn't watching where I was going and tripped over a large, hard to miss piece of equipment and hitting the floor (which felt like course carpet on concrete) HARD, left leg first then slamming my right arm into my side as I rotated towards my right. Right now my left leg hurts from my knee to mid shin, but the knee seems to work fine for now. My right forearm also hurts (was trapped between my flabby torso and the floor) but bends ok at the elbow and doesn't appear broken. My right leg hurts a bit, but nothing like the other leg and that arm.

[TheHaws]

You are putting so much emphasis on the moving more aspect of fat loss.

It comes down to one thing here, and speaking as someone who was obese and spent most of their life obese, you must identify why you are over eating. Having a lack of movement sure can cause some weight gain, but no matter what, you do not get to your weight because you don't exercise.

I had to come to grips with my issues with using food to cope, and look at food as fuel to power muscle gain and assist with weight loss. Sounds like you have other hobbies to fill that void, I suggest doubling down on them while you really get your calorie intake under control.

I run a 40% protein 35% carb and 25% fat split, the fats and carbs being interchangeable. Since I am still losing weight I keep my proteins at a high amount usually 1:1 at my actual weight but my goal is 1.2 - 1.5g per lb of Lean body weight which might be your best option to maintain muscle as you cut down. I find this split is best for me to preserve and build muscle while cutting fat in a 750 cal deficit (1.5lb a week). You will have to do the math for your own stats but hopefully this gives you an idea on what to focus on. The protein is probably the only macro that actually matters if you hit or not.

- Buy a food weight scale (an absolute must, there is no guessing)
- Download MyFitnessPal and track everything
- Try to be active at least 5 times out of the week for 30 minutes

I understand you are trying to "minimize" bad foods, but tbh, you would probably do best with going 30 days without any junk, try to get your system away from the sugar/processed cravings and make fresh meals. You can incorporate some treat options later on when you learn how to track them into your plan and make your plan work, but for now its not a good idea.

At the end of the day, I hate to say it, but you will be as successful in losing fat as your diet. This is the only way.

[Runway37]

How's that change in eating habits going? If you cut out the excess calories, sugars and made sure to hit your protein goals you should be doing well by now, 24 days in. If you haven't, today is the day to start again. Remember, especially those carbs and refined sugars are very much like an addiction. You have got to break through before they'll let you go free. You just have to endure for a little bit, then it gets easier.

[BJoe]

I feel lighter and clothes fit better, but have hit a few snags that will have some impact for the future. Wednesday night I wasn't watching where I was heading and tripped over gym equipment (110%, my own damned fault), banging up my right arm and especially my left knee pretty badly and my Mom was admitted to the hospital several hours later and early on Thursday morning, currently unconsious on a respirator in the critical care unit with Sepsis and Pneumonia, Ihave yet to go to the gym since that night but generally have been careful on food and getting around this hospital does provide cardio opportunities, like it or not. We're not sure what's going to happen with Mom (I am seeing facial movements right now though), but will continue the dieting and getting my cardio in when visiting her at the hospital. Hell, since I was bring lunch in for Dad and myself today (he stays by her side when she's been hospital bound before), as well as drinks (pop for him, water for both of us), I ended up doing a "Farmer's Walk" with the reusable grocery bags I had the above and my phone charger in that went from my car, to the admissions desk (needed to get a badge, was offered a wheel chair for the bags too), then to the elevator, from there to the entrance doors of the CCU (had to be buzzed in), then on to her room.......not a bad little bit of cardio there I must say.

I also took Thursday off to go to the Urgent Care at my normal Dr's office before visiting Mom and Dad to make sure I wasn't just pushing through the pain from the fall and had broken something on landing. Luckily all the x-rays showed was some signs arthtitis starting in my left knee (I worked retail for 24 years, I expected more than what was found!), figuring on my pains being soft tissue injuries, plus my blood pressure had dropped 169/-- and 18?/-- on my last two Dr's visits (1st was a check up with my GP, the other was with the bariatric center at this hospital Mom is in) down to 125/80, for reference, my first few visits once I had insurance through my current employer were around 129/8?, so this was a pretty serious inprovement!
Prior to falling, I had been thinking about checking out a different gym that isn't as convenient, a little more expensive, and doesn't have the track, but is otherside better equipped and more likely to find a spotter if needed, at least according to a co-worker that joined there about the same time I joined my current one. That thought has been reinforced after the fall, which was visible from the desk with other patrons there but not blocking what happened, yet nobody checking to see if I was ok and/or needing help to get up off the floor. Thought being, if I can't even get a "You good?!" from somebody for a fall, what would happen if I get pinned by weights mid set! As aweful as this sounds, after what ever happens with Mom happens, which could be months of hospitalization and rehab, if she pulls through yet again (been there already in 2015 and 2017, we have plans to work from again for her!), I will be looking at this other gym while primarily getting my cardio in visiting her.

[Runway37]

Hey, you have to take care of your family. Relationships are what we value most. It's good to see you're not neglecting your relationship with yourself. The fitness aspects are strengthening you to make you more comfortable in your own body. The eating habits are what's really going to make the difference right now though. Start tracking your calories. You may not be great at it at first, but if you do it with everything you eat, you'll get better over time.

[BJoe]

Ok, well I guess it's time for an rather sad update.

Mom passed away on the night of Monday 1/20/20 with Dad, My Sister, her Husband, and Myself standing around the bed and Elvis Gospel playing on Mom's phone right up to the moment she stopped breathing, when the downloaded album my Sister chose came to an end at the exact same time?! I took the rest of this week off work as a combination of vacation and bereavement leave to spend time with Dad and we babysat my 3m/o niece yesterday, my Sister is planning on something similar for part of next week.

The injuries from my fall the day before Mom was hospitalized are doing well, my arm doesn't hurt anymore and my knee is much better now with only really show signs of nearly healed brusing. Think I'll give it one more week before any gym related antics restart, but will definately look at the gym my co-worker goes to instead, probably next weekend. This other gym looks to be far better equipped than the one I nearly faceplanted at, and hopefully won't have to worry about staff and members that don't seem to get too concered about somebody tripping and crashing to the ground in their view............sorry, still irritated by that!

Since I was living with my parents and helping with caring for Mom, there is going to be a further attempt to improve the diets of not only myself but my Dad as well, when it comes to dinner. While my diet this week hasn't been great (somewhat off the wagon), we typically only ate 2 meals a day all week, at least.

[DM28]

Ok, well I guess it's time for an rather sad update.

Mom passed away on the night of Monday 1/20/20 with Dad, My Sister, her Husband, and Myself standing around the bed and Elvis Gospel playing on Mom's phone right up to the moment she stopped breathing, when the downloaded album my Sister chose came to an end at the exact same time?! I took the rest of this week off work as a combination of vacation and bereavement leave to spend time with Dad and we babysat my 3m/o niece yesterday, my Sister is planning on something similar for part of next week.

The injuries from my fall the day before Mom was hospitalized are doing well, my arm doesn't hurt anymore and my knee is much better now with only really show signs of nearly healed brusing. Think I'll give it one more week before any gym related antics restart, but will definately look at the gym my co-worker goes to instead, probably next weekend. This other gym looks to be far better equipped than the one I nearly faceplanted at, and hopefully won't have to worry about staff and members that don't seem to get too concered about somebody tripping and crashing to the ground in their view............sorry, still irritated by that!

Since I was living with my parents and helping with caring for Mom, there is going to be a further attempt to improve the diets of not only myself but my Dad as well, when it comes to dinner. While my diet this week hasn't been great (somewhat off the wagon), we typically only ate 2 meals a day all week, at least.

I'm sorry for your loss

You got this and can do it. Listen to these guys, most are very helpful. I wanted to lose just 5 pounds and couldn't figure out why just 5 was so hard, a few made things simple, things I didn't understand before and I dropped 7 in 3 weeks soon after. Once it hits you it is very easy, I had the opposite problem though eating too little. These guys can help you understand more, keep reading through the forums here also for more tips, good luck.

[BJoe]

Thank You DM28!

Ok, another update.........
Body wise, I have been fairly careful of what I've had to eat, but haven't been to the gym to exercise yet. I have however joined a different gym with more and better equipment as of tonight and plan on using it starting tomorrow night after work, going then and thursday this week (Dad and I are going to the Chicago Auto Show Friday.....which is hours of cardio for me!), then Mon-Wed-Fri next week, but not sure about the following week yet since I have 2 Dr's appointments that week that could affect either the above 2 and 3 day a week plans.....

Family wise, we're still dealing with Mom's passing, we all miss her, Dad greatly as they had been together 55 years and married 52 of them! The expences so car as her cremation and will were cheaper than Dad expected at least and we were planning on going to the state where her side of the family resides later this year and hold a memorial, although a second cousin out there keeps trying to "help" and has done nothing but piss Dad, Lil' Sister, and myself off. As mentioned earlier, I took off the week she died to spend with him and run him around where needed, my Sister took of last week to do the same and had her 3mo old with her when they were staying in the house so she could visit with Grampa, then last week I went home for lunch and brough food for him to eat (what I was getting him was a bit too much though, his pants were getting tight by Saturday😳). We're planning for what needs to be done on his finances, the house, maybe a different van for him, as well as maintenence on my current daily and bringing my former daily XJ Cherokee back from the dead......again, for a winter driver......

Thanks for listening!

[estikei]

Hi,

A lot of emphasis on the training here.

I weighed 400lbs around 2 years ago. Today, I‘m at 270.
Keto, Intermittent Fasting, bla bla bla, I’ve tried it all. Magic pills found? None.

When it comes to dieting: calories matter. From my perspective the only reason to try anything else than pure calorie counting is if you‘re trying to cure a medical condition with it (metabolic syndrome, etc..)

Don‘t be obsessed with macros. Eat your steak, eat your pasta, eat loads of vegetables - that‘s it. I also got obsessed with macros and overthinking stuff, you can find traces of me asking for advice just a few months ago. It doesn‘t matter.

The number 1 rule, however: MEASURE everything related to calories. Measure everything that goes into your mouth.
Measure every bit of energy that you’re expending. Steps, Trainings,..
Count all the numbers together and see if your weight loss matches your calorie deficit. If it didn‘t - measure more accurately. The guys here, particularly xsquid and a few others, are brutal about this - but they are correct.

Training: use cardio to increase your calorie deficit. Weight training can be done to keep muscle mass, but I’d put it more in the sense of 2-3 times of basic training per week.

I‘ve been getting into weight lifting way too much in the last months. However, for me this has become a hobby and a lifestyle. But i realize i can get to my goals (still 20kg to be lost) much quicker with just cardio being implemented into my daily workout.
Heck, i can lose weight much quicker if I bump up my daily steps by 3.000 and i don‘t even need to go to the gym for that.

Realize that what you need to do is change your life, not change the next 3 weeks. All i can say to that is that we fatties tend to go overkill on things. Too high of a deficit, too many training sessions, ... and you‘re going to find yourself spent after just a few weeks.

[BJoe]

I hear you there, had things gone differently and Mom hadn't had to go into the hospital, I may or may not have changed gyms, but likely would have kept at it, if she still had gone in, but come around, would have dropped off some on the gym, but for the hospitals she had been in, there was always lots of walking! I still plan on the restricted eating, with protien, and would prefer to the mon-wed-fri like I mentioned to begin with....not sure if I would pull off 5 days a week again, I was a lot younger last time I did that.....

[BJoe]

Ok, been hitting the gym for 7 of the last 14 days, plus wandering the Chicago Auto Show and a couple shopping trips and had my first of 2 doctors appointments tonight, weight stayed the same, as did my A1C, but my blood pressure was 127/79, so that at least made my GP happy and took me off the BP meds (which I had stopped taking on my own 3 weeks before falling). I’m taking tonight and Thursday off then am going to hit the gym next 2 nights, weather permitting, or end up moving snow if not before my next appointment, which is with a bariatric doctor (fighting like hell against any kind of surgery for weight), then hit again of Friday, then take the weekend off and go back to every other day starting March 2nd like I had been doing prior to falling.

[Spiffz]

BJoe, congratulations on taking the first step by getting back to being active on a bodybuilding/weight loss forum.
Now I'm going to be to be very clear with you here. I want you to enjoy a long and healthy life, and to do that you are going to need to lose weight. A lot of weight. You probably know that, just as I knew that I had to when I started as well.
It's not good to be on all sorts of medication, and you'll just have to start taking more if you don't start to get fitter.

Now, you might not like what I have to say, but it primarily boils down to two things: Diet and Exercise. Now i'm no doctor, but I think that most people can agree that these things are important for maintaining a healthy weight.

Unfortunately you can't do one without the other and expect to see optimal results.
For exercise, you should be getting primarily cardio for fat burning. Try taking an hour long walk per day, be it using a treadmill, or outside. If you don't like walking try out a stationary bike. Learn to love your gym, and try to meet some people there who can motivate you to show up every week.

As far as diet goes, I'm not sure what exactly you're eating, but fat tends to pile on when eating too many carbs and sugars. The most efficient diets for weight loss and fat burning have proven to be low-carb/high-fat diets, with some protein thrown in there too. Studies have shown these diets to produce the greatest weight loss in the shortest time, plus you still get to eat lots of delicious foods.

I am speaking from the experience of what has worked for me, as I have been on a Keto Diet for the past 6 months and have lost nearly 70 pounds from where I started at 320 pounds. So if you want to lose weight, consider the Keto Diet as an option, as many people have had great success with it. You can find the diet that worked for me in my signature. Maybe talk to your doctor about the benefits of Keto too.

Best of luck BJoe, I hope you reach your goals.

[BJoe]

Quick update, he to scrap the Jeep due to rust and mold, right after switching to work from home, I caught what may have been bronchitis, but a coworker who also thought he he ended up in the hospital with Covid-19,’so I’m not sure what I had, but my weight dropped to 451lbs until I was better, then went back to 466lbs by the time I had a metabolic dr appointment in June. Dr was happy I at least maintained it that point and when I went in for my last appointment on the 2nd, I was back to 454lbs......Dr was even happier about that! I haven’t been to the gym since February, work for a call center, somI’m sitting most of the day, still at home, so my only exercise is going to the store and picking up supplies and mainly have modified my diet over this time. I did find I seem to work harder wearing a mask and practically sweat like a pig just walking around in it, so that could be part of it!

[BJoe]

While Covid is still an issue, I have been thinking about doing body weight exercises for the time being. Mainly pushups from stairs until I get stronger and/or lighter as well as finding a low seat to stand up from to get started on squats then using stairs for my calves. Any other body weight exercise suggestions would be appreciated too!

[BJoe]

New update, had another bariatric doctor appointment today (via phone, again) and weighed myself this morning while on break for work (still working at home too), I’ve dropped my weight to 436.6lbs according to out scale here. Haven’t done a lot for exercise, but have been more careful on eating and drinking, at least!

This is both huge for me even though it’s still too far over 400lbs, since I have been up around +/-500lbs in recent years as was 489.9lbs on 12/26/19 according to what I had entered into my FitBit app that day.........that’s 53.3lbs lighter than nearly a year ago now

[Adiakritos]

New update, had another bariatric doctor appointment today (via phone, again) and weighed myself this morning while on break for work (still working at home too), I’ve dropped my weight to 436.6lbs according to out scale here. Haven’t done a lot for exercise, but have been more careful on eating and drinking, at least!

This is both huge for me even though it’s still too far over 400lbs, since I have been up around +/-500lbs in recent years as was 489.9lbs on 12/26/19 according to what I had entered into my FitBit app that day.........that’s 53.3lbs lighter than nearly a year ago now

Congrats! Keep going!! You're doing great with those stats. Keep on being consistent and when things eventually stall, tighten up the discipline. Do you have a specific measurable goal you're aiming towards?

[BJoe]

Congrats! Keep going!! You're doing great with those stats. Keep on being consistent and when things eventually stall, tighten up the discipline. Do you have a specific measurable goal you're aiming towards?

Right now, weighing less, that’s the big one for me, I wanted to put some muscle back on too, but since my elderly father and I are under the same roof, I don’t want to risk catching something to bring home to him, so I’m ok with waiting for a vaccine before hitting the gym.

[elizabeth005]

From the beginning of the quarantine, I gained weight. I'm planning to lose weight after some occasions this December.

[Personnel8]

OK, I had been on here about a decade ago and was trying to lose weight/get stronger, but didn't have much luck on the weight loss side of the equasion, then had money and health issues (both mine and Mom on the latter) that caused me to walk away and managed to gain weight, even while I was still working retail. Ended up with a job change mid 2016 that has been better pay, better insurance, better hours, all while closer to home, which even though it's a desk job, has helped my health and Mom has stabilized, plus my Sister just had a little girl (first grandkid for both grandparents and first Niece for myself and my BiL's Sister!) The gym I had been a member of closed a couple years after I canceled that membership and found another local gym that is run by then local park district and just a few minutes from work and not much farther from home that isn't far off from what I was paying at the last gym.

Now that the good is over, time for the bad.........
My weight has gone between 440-500lbs at times last few years, usually settling around 490-495lbs when I go to the Dr's offices........
I do have an edema issue with my legs and swelling in my knees, with my right leg now being far worse than the left and having a wound in 2017 that required medical attention and have had to take water pills and potassium for that, Metformin for blood sugar issues, and Metropropol Succinate (a beta blocker) since my blood pressure seems to keep going up and Lisinopril seemed to cause me enough issue that put me in the hospital for a few days earlier this year for a nuclear stress test, which went better than was expected for somebody my size.

I do not like the blood pressure meds (either one, in all honesty) period, would like to get away from the blood sugar pills as well, not sure how much can be done on the water pill and potassium going into the future. I also need to cut the fat, but know that it would result in loose skin, so I definitely need to build muscle, especially upper body so I don't look deflated, that said, I already at least no longer feel like a beached whale if I have to lay down on on a bench, but sitting on one I'm already starting to look partially deflated after only a couple weeks, lol! My Sister (the one who's the new Mama) was apparently more shaken up by that unexpected hospital stay than I was and bought me a Fitbit for Christmas, which will be helpful for any cardio related activities, although I'm expecting it to get into the way the rest of the time, especially if I'm wrenching on something.

Does anybody have any suggestions on getting stronger, losing fat, and if that FitBit will be worth using while doing so?

Seems like u are very motivated to get out there to do something, which is GREAT. But in the whole description, there wasn't any mention about dieting and eating healthy. I hope I did not read too much into this. But at the basic of losing weight is dieting. So... start measuring the calories, or get yourself into a healthy dietying program and then includes all the workout and lifting etc. Get a weighting scale and weight yourself everyday, everyday u put on extra weight, the next day make sure you keep to your dieting and workout plan. Hope this helps.

[BJoe]

I’ve been better about that, both healthier and less, believe it or not, working from home has helped since I’m eating less, have no access to vending machines, which seems to help.

[BJoe]

Guess it’s been longer than I thought, Last time I was weighed, I was down to 422 (though that was up from a low of 413, think it was water weight in my legs). Some of the continued loss was due to diet, though I ended up spending a week in the local hospital after getting what I thought was a bladder or urinary tract infection that ended up being a UTI and MRSA with a cyst on my prostate, a full blown case of sepsis that still has me on a daily VaNCOmycin put in through a PICC Line via electric pump for 6 weeks (which includes a morning trip to the hospital for a new bag, weekly blood draws, and bandage changes), and now having to take insulin plus metformin and another related pill to keep blood sugar in check. After all that, my 17 m/o niece ended up in the kids department over there with an abscess that need to be drained and had found MRSA in her too during her 2-3 day hospital stay, though she is doing much, much better now and didn’t need the level of severity of treatments I did/do!

Needless to say, 2021 has been plenty crazy already.....

[CommitmentRulz]

Prayers for you BJoe. Hang in there.

[BJoe]

Prayers for you BJoe. Hang in there.

Thanks, I am, looking forward to being done with the treatments and appointments, only exercise I can do right now is walking with the daily hospital visits and shopping trips at this time.

Did get to take this project out for a test run today too, I had started modding it further to get it to this point before I landed in the hospital and finished it to this point as of Wednesday.

Usually with these things, they run about walking speed or so and can go quite a few places. It’s one of a few I have to take out and run once I’m done with the antibiotic and the pick line comes out in a couple weeks.

[Charlsy]

I don't post much on here, but I'm rooting for you mate.

[BJoe]

I don't post much on here, but I'm rooting for you mate.

Thanks!

[BJoe]

Just finally got a chance to take an updated pic today and posting it with a pic I took in the day after Christmas in 2019.

The old pic December 26 2019


And the new one at 422lbs!

[snailsrus]

While Covid is still an issue, I have been thinking about doing body weight exercises for the time being. Mainly pushups from stairs until I get stronger and/or lighter as well as finding a low seat to stand up from to get started on squats then using stairs for my calves. Any other body weight exercise suggestions would be appreciated too!

the best exercise you can do right now is walking. Do as much as you can without injury. Try to a a little more each day, even if it’s 30 more step or seconds and start to log it

What is your diet like? Do you track? Can you cut out drinking?

[BJoe]

the best exercise you can do right now is walking. Do as much as you can without injury. Try to a a little more each day, even if it’s 30 more step or seconds and start to log it

What is your diet like? Do you track? Can you cut out drinking?

With my daily hospital trips, I get in a decent amount of walking each morning, more so today since the PICC Line is clogged up with the antibiotic and they sent me off for a little while and go back in about 40 min........and with the hospital, there is a lot of walking to get anywhere there! I’ve cut out almost all pop (occasional small drinks, but maybe once a week at the most too) and usually drink water, iced tea, SlimFast meal replacement shakes, and/or V8 juice in the cans. Don’t snack much if at all during the day since I’m busy when I’m working (working call center from home, and the lines are busy right now) and have a prescription diuretic that I take after work. Walking will increase once the PICC Line is out for good next week and once I get the go-ahead from the Doctors involved in the treatments for what out me in the hospital and get the Covid vaccines done, I will be hitting the gym again as soon as possible too!

[snailsrus]

With my daily hospital trips, I get in a decent amount of walking each morning, more so today since the PICC Line is clogged up with the antibiotic and they sent me off for a little while and go back in about 40 min........and with the hospital, there is a lot of walking to get anywhere there! I’ve cut out almost all pop (occasional small drinks, but maybe once a week at the most too) and usually drink water, iced tea, SlimFast meal replacement shakes, and/or V8 juice in the cans. Don’t snack much if at all during the day since I’m busy when I’m working (working call center from home, and the lines are busy right now) and have a prescription diuretic that I take after work. Walking will increase once the PICC Line is out for good next week and once I get the go-ahead from the Doctors involved in the treatments for what out me in the hospital and get the Covid vaccines done, I will be hitting the gym again as soon as possible too!

I would drop the slim fast shakes, all soda and juice. Focus on Whole Foods. If the shakes are used for your diabetes try switching them out for like string cheese and a carb or other snacks. Your doctor would be able to tell you what would be goof based on your needs.

If you are not tracking what you are eating you need to an app like my fitness partner can help track. As for already walking a lot, adding more can’t hurt

[brianadelstein]

I spent all of 2020 trying to lose weight by moving more and eating clean.

Unfortunately, I went no where! And it was because even eating very clean, I ate more or the same than my calorie budget. You don't even eat clean, I mean you can't just minimize the trips to fast food to lose weight. They have to stop. And that alone isn't the secret sauce alone.

When the fellas here helped me figure out my calorie allowance, I cut it by 250 cals and jacked my protein to 130g minimum. I was told besides that eat whatever you want. But stick to your new budget!

Doing this, I've lost 20 pounds in a little over 3 months. Ive barely broken a sweat, ever. I'm now 5 foot 5, 134 lbs, 17-18 percent body fat. I lift.

New takeaway: screw the steps moving. Focus only on fat loss. Be of a singlular ninja mindset. Exercise doesn't help you lose weight. A six-pack is made only in the kitchen. Not in the gym.

Id rather you sit on your couch and eat me guilt free protein brownies, protein bagels, homemade chicken margharita, steamed asparagus and track every calorie with myfitnesspal. Jack the protein to 130g minimum. Don't exceed your calorie budget. The weight will melt off like butter.

You'll eat delicious alternatives and won't be hungry.

SWEAR OFF RESTAURANTS FOR A YEAR. One fast food meal can sabotage a weeks worth of effort. Just one.

I know this game, all to well. As the song says, you got to know when to hold em, when to fold em. When it comes to eating out, it's time to fold em, till the cuttings done.

Right now- the biggest battle you face isn't the battle of the bulge, it's the battle of your mind. Do the truth the people here are telling you, and you will succeed. Why play by your own rules? You don't know what you're doing. These guys, they do. Big-time.