Its been a while....but im fat again and need help

[georod912]

Hi everyone, I used to lurk on these threads back in 2009 when i started my weightloss journey and went from 315 to 170 in a little over a year. I mainly did cardio and trained for a marathon. Afterwards I went into weight training and left cardio on the back burner (only 1-2 a week for 30mins). I made some gains and looked better than i ever imagined I could but the rain came. I got diagnosed with testicular cancer and it derailed my progress a bit, I couldnt do anything for about 6 weeks. I checked my T levels at that time and they said they were normal but my energy was way low. I continued working out but it wasnt the same not sure why. At this point id been a gym rat for about 3-4 years. I went off to college and things got worse, I went to a highly competitive college and even though i still managed to go to the gym 3-5x a week, I felt like I resented it or something. It was no longer the place id go to make gains i guess, it was just there so i wouldnt get fat again. Idk how i felt tbh I just know it was really hard to get to the gym and be somewhat enthusiastic about it.

Fast forward, I graduated and gained some weight with it. After college I hardly went to the gym anymore because the joy wasnt there anymore and I was diagnosed with depression. I slowly gained weight back and covid hit after that and well now im back where i started 12 years ago. i seriously hate myself for being here again but for the past few weeks ive taken back control of my life and have been making turkey burgers and tuna with pita along with egg whites etc. Ive been doing okay as diet goes but training im a little confused.

Idk if I should do a combo of cardio and lifting or just focus on one. And if theres any new research out on which one is optimal for obese people since i havent done research on fitness for years now.

Also, I can eat something repeatedly without caring so if you have any meal ideas lmk. The year i lost all my weight I ate the same 4-5 meals yearound so if you have any please lmk. I used to eat lean cuisines and add chicken to them so ill basically eat anything lol
Any tips about getting my mind back in it from people you have rebounded can be helpful as well or just plain experience. Thank you all for helping me the first time even though i was only a lurker and I thank you in advance for taking the time to respond this. Much love

[tadpole25]

Read the "Don't Look Past the Basics" stickied on this forum. We don't care what you eat.

The main thing that matters is tracking your calories accurately and having a calorie deficit, as well as having enough protein to maintain muscle mass.

If you're obese, your problem isn't that your plan is suboptimal. It's a lack of consistency. At this point, just about any plan could work for you. But you need to find a plan that you can stick to long-term. Eat foods you genuinely enjoy. Do exercises you enjoy.

The year i lost all my weight I ate the same 4-5 meals yearound

People fail diets like this because of how restrictive they are. You're not going to stick to the same 4-5 meals your whole life and you don't have to. You can eat a wide variety of foods, as long as you maintain a calorie deficit.

[willmfftt]

I definitely agree with tadpole25 here, but also wanted to add my perspective as I'm basically on the same journey as you. I lost a ton of weight a while back, and put it all back on and then some.

One thing that has really been helping me is not looking at what I'm doing as a diet, because it really isn't a diet (well technically everything is a diet, but not the "I'm going on a diet" kind). That being said, you do need to make sure what you are eating is going to leave you satisfied (both in satiety, and in enjoyment), while also meeting a calorie deficit. If you can only eat 1 or 2 small calorie dense meals, you're going to feel hungry, and will likely start overeating again. Start looking up different recipes that you would like, things that are nutrient dense and lower on calories (depends on your calorie goals, but personally I aim for a meal that is around 500-600 calories). This way you can play around with what you're going to eat every day. If you're really craving something that's going to be high in calories, you have some lower calorie meals you can eat during the day that will leave room for the thing you're craving.

If what you're eating to lose weight isn't what you would see yourself eating for the rest of your life, you're doing it wrong.


For exercise, again just adding on to what tadpole25 said, make sure to track your performance and set goals. Keep trying to beat your previous PRs. Find multiple ways to keep yourself motivated besides just the scale.

As for research, losing weight will always be calories in vs calories out. That being said, rapid weight loss will also result in a loss of muscle mass. Muscle mass requires more energy for your body to upkeep, meaning having more muscle mass raises your basal metabolic rate (calories burned by just existing). So you should do some weight training to at least maintain the muscle mass you have, and growth would definitely not hurt either. That way you can burn fat more consistently and efficiently.

I've also read some research on increasing water consumption, which in a study was shown to increase your metabolic rate by up to 30% after consumption. A lot of the recommendations I've seen is to drink half your body weight in ounces. So if you weight 300lbs, you would drink 150 oz per day. I've seen that recommendation from some reputable sources, but the amount you should drink also seems to be a highly debated topic. The gist of it is, drink plenty of water, but don't drink more than feels natural.

[sunsean]

Doing a combination of resistance training and cardio would probably be best for both results and general health. Weight loss comes more from diet than the specific fitness you engage in. Lifting will help you keep the muscle you have under the fat as opposed to just doing cardio.

You did it before, you can do it again. Same principles apply now as did then: eat fewer calories than you need to maintain weight. If you aren't worried about muscle you could just train for another marathon a year from now. Seemed to work in the past.