Let's lose some weight in 2021. Back to the grind... who else is in? (2 Viewers)

[Corporation]

• Date         |  Weight   |   Chg From Start  |   Weekly Loss   |   Calories
  
• Nov 27         226.1                                           
  
• Dec 24         212.9                -13.2                                          Avg daily calories during period: 1523
  
• NEW START DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS TO VALENTINES DAY
  
• Dec 26         213.1               -13.0                                          Avg daily calories during period: 1510       
  
• Jan 1           211.2                -14.9                  -1.9                  Avg daily calories during period: 1983
  
• Jan 8           210.3                -15.8                  -0.9                  Avg daily calories during period: 1546
  
• Jan 15         207.0                -19.1                  -3.3                  Avg daily calories during period: 1524
  
• Jan 22         205.4                -20.7                  -1.6                  Avg daily calories during period: 1513
  
• Jan 29         203.0                -23.1                  -2.4                  Avg daily calories during period: 1521
  
• Jan 30         202.1                -24.0                                          1650
  
• Jan 31         202.3                -23.8                                          2000 - Hard to know for this one, estimate only
  

Some friends came into town and wanted to go to the new Mexican place.  Had a lot of chips and jalapeno ranch salsa.  Had grilled chicken and steak fajitas (no tortilla) and just a touch of beans and rice.  One MFP estimated 560 for the chicken/steak (didn't feel like that much) but no idea on the chips and ranch salsa.  510 for the other calories on the day.  Gonna guess close to 1000 for the chips and salsa but no idea really.

I love chips and salsa.  I also love french fries and have not had a single one since before Thanksgiving.  Cheat day coming up Sunday for the Super Bowl party, I need to be careful.

 

[bostonfred]

Thanks GB. Everything you’ve been saying was spot on. I was reluctant to track because it seemed like a PIA. Now it’s just second nature. And surely that’s part of it — training you to be mindful about what you eat, try to make good choices that make you feel like you are getting good bang for your calorie buck, but also just forcing you to stop snd think and pull out your phone each time you put something in your mouth. Little habits like this can matter big. 
 

Curious to see what I weigh in at when I get home next weekend. I will continue to do this until then, it’s pretty easy and routine now.  Hoping to be closing in on 225...

Exactly. Yes it take a minute to enter calories. It's a super valuable minute. It reminds me to stick with this and of how many calories I have left for the day. 

Yes it's a bummer at first to track. It gets faster as the database learns your most commonly used foods. But you also learn that there's 500 calorie egg sandwiches and 350 calorie egg sandwiches and a 230 calorie egg sandwich.  When you want an egg sandwich you can have one and you can choose which one you want but is the 500 calorie one really that much better?  Sometimes you were making bad choices because you were drinking and eating Mexican, but sometimes you just didn't know you were making the bad choice. And that is where you can make permanent improvements without giving up everything about your old lifestyle.

I also think entering calories is a positive activity in my day. Entering my breakfast and seeing i still have over 1000 calories left. Entering a smaller lunch and seeing that I can have a big dinner. Or vice versa. Entering a long exercise routine and seeing how many more calories i get to have. The ritual of clicking complete diary at the end of the day and seeing that, if you eat like this every day then in five weeks I'd weigh such and such. Those are all super positive moments. It's so much easier to look forward to entering that stuff in the app than it was to stare at the fridge thinking don't do it, be strong, you can do this... I feel so much less stress keeping this going than I did when I was constantly trying to remember not to do something. 

@Doug Bthis is the way. If you haven't downloaded the app already give it a try, and try the month free trial of myfitnesspal premium so you can track your sodium and other stuff too.  It's such an easy intuitive way to get your self on track. And for now you can focus on the sodium and just keep an eye on the calories, instead of the other way around. I usually suggest setting your app up as sedentary lifestyle and lose 2 lbs per month and let it tell me how many calories i get, but in your case the sodium is the most urgent goal so if you don't want to start with lose 2 lbs that's probably not a bad thing. Get one habit down and then master it and focus on the next good habit. 

 

[Otis]

This is the way.  

 

[The Iguana]

I keep sabotaging myself on the weekends. Maintaining my current weight - about 208 - but would really like to get down to about 185 but I'm going to need a concentrated effort for a couple/few months to do it. Ran 112 miles for the month, did about 1700 push ups and situps, as well as some other weight work. Definitely in a better place on 2/1 than I was on 1/1 but really need to get disciplined for a few months, IMO. 

 

[Navin Johnson]

Exactly. Yes it take a minute to enter calories. It's a super valuable minute. It reminds me to stick with this and of how many calories I have left for the day. 

Yes it's a bummer at first to track. It gets faster as the database learns your most commonly used foods. But you also learn that there's 500 calorie egg sandwiches and 350 calorie egg sandwiches and a 230 calorie egg sandwich.  When you want an egg sandwich you can have one and you can choose which one you want but is the 500 calorie one really that much better?  Sometimes you were making bad choices because you were drinking and eating Mexican, but sometimes you just didn't know you were making the bad choice. And that is where you can make permanent improvements without giving up everything about your old lifestyle.

I also think entering calories is a positive activity in my day. Entering my breakfast and seeing i still have over 1000 calories left. Entering a smaller lunch and seeing that I can have a big dinner. Or vice versa. Entering a long exercise routine and seeing how many more calories i get to have. The ritual of clicking complete diary at the end of the day and seeing that, if you eat like this every day then in five weeks I'd weigh such and such. Those are all super positive moments. It's so much easier to look forward to entering that stuff in the app than it was to stare at the fridge thinking don't do it, be strong, you can do this... I feel so much less stress keeping this going than I did when I was constantly trying to remember not to do something. 

@Doug Bthis is the way. If you haven't downloaded the app already give it a try, and try the month free trial of myfitnesspal premium so you can track your sodium and other stuff too.  It's such an easy intuitive way to get your self on track. And for now you can focus on the sodium and just keep an eye on the calories, instead of the other way around. I usually suggest setting your app up as sedentary lifestyle and lose 2 lbs per month and let it tell me how many calories i get, but in your case the sodium is the most urgent goal so if you don't want to start with lose 2 lbs that's probably not a bad thing. Get one habit down and then master it and focus on the next good habit. 

ACtually just activated the trial after reading the recent posts.  Only reason I didn't do it before is because I felt it would be hard monitoring portion control when I'm cooking big portions but I guess I can just ball park the salad ingredients and just watch the lasagna, crock pot recipes, etc.

Where are you setting your macros on this?  Right now mine is 1650 cal/124g protein/165g carbs(62 sugars)/55g fat

 

[Peak]

Down to 212 today....Slow loss, but being able to maintain the loss has been encouraging.  Slowly working in the pullups, along with pushups and dips.  Starting a competition with my two boys to see who can do the most each week.  They are already getting a kick out of me barely able to do two pullups.  Their laughter will only motivate me.  

 

[bostonfred]

ACtually just activated the trial after reading the recent posts.  Only reason I didn't do it before is because I felt it would be hard monitoring portion control when I'm cooking big portions but I guess I can just ball park the salad ingredients and just watch the lasagna, crock pot recipes, etc.

Where are you setting your macros on this?  Right now mine is 1650 cal/124g protein/165g carbs(62 sugars)/55g fat

I'm not really setting goals for macros because I don't have a clear answer but I shoot for over 100g protein always, about 120 on a recovery day after lifting, and higher like 140 or 150 on lifting days. 

One problem is that the science doesn't seem to be super clear on protein in general, just that you need enough. Every time I try to dig in deeper the answer is that there's some schools of thought that blah blah but others that say so and so. 

Making it more difficult is that it's really hard to add muscle while losing weight because you need a calorie surplus to add weight and you need a calorie deficit to lose it. Body recomposition is when you try to do both, and the consensus seems to be that people who are in shape will do a bad job adding muscle and lose a little weight but kind of suck at both unless you really nail the fine line between enough protein and enough calorie deficit. 

The good news is that I was never really in shape so I'm still making newb gains, and newb gains don't follow those rules because you can add muscle so easily without needing a lot of extra calories. I'm definitely losing weight on my expected pace and I'm definitely seeing gains in my lifts and physically my arms and chest and core all look stronger so I'm confident that this is working for me. 

Fiber I aim for 20g minimum and try to get in the 30s.

The protein/carb/fat numbers you put all look ok to me that's probably low on fat but seems good. If you want help setting your macros goals better then go to the app and at the bottom of the page choose plans and learn about macros, they'll have you read a little and set goals each day and give you a little bit at a time until you feel like you're able to set your own goals. If you want high protein or keto, set them like this, low fat set them like that, and so on. 

Of course I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice. Consult your doctor before beginning this or any diet or exercise program. Your doctor or nutritionist may be able to give you better recommendations for your specific needs. 

 

[BassNBrew]

Jan 1   274.4

Jan 19  258.2    - 16.2 lbs, 

Jan 26  260.0   - 14.4 lbs, 1496 cal, lift

Jan 27  260.0   - 14.4 lbs, busy day and blew off mfp but likely around 1500 cal, lift

Jan 28  258.2  - 16.2 lbs, 1480 cal, lift

Jan 29  258.4  - 16.0 lbs, 889 cal

Jan 30  ????  -  1385 cal, lift, cardio

Jan 31  ????  -  1408 cal, lift, cardio

Feb 1   256.4  - 18.0 lbs

Successful weekend on two fronts.  Cals/lift/cardio each day.  Also put up 225 x 4 reps on the bench.  At the beginning of the month that weight would have crushed me.  I assume the weight loss will eventually catch up to me in the weight room.  It may be an unrealistic goal, but I've always wanted to get 300 lbs up one last time while I'm on this planet.  Ideally September 1 I would see the scale touch 209 lbs, I'd walk over to the weight room and toss up 300 lbs, then I would head to the track and run a 6:30 mile.  Taking the advice of many here, small steps and intermediate goals.  This month by March 1 I want to check three boxes.

Weight - 249.4 or lower on two different days

Treadmill mile - 9:00

Bench press - 225 x 6 reps

 

[AAABatteries]

I keep sabotaging myself on the weekends. Maintaining my current weight - about 208 - but would really like to get down to about 185 but I'm going to need a concentrated effort for a couple/few months to do it. Ran 112 miles for the month, did about 1700 push ups and situps, as well as some other weight work. Definitely in a better place on 2/1 than I was on 1/1 but really need to get disciplined for a few months, IMO. 

I don’t think GB Ig will mind me using his post as a decent example.  He’s killing it exercise wise and making some gains although not as much as he wants.  I’m in the same boat on it not being as much as I want but I’m down 13 lbs.  and I’ve done basically 0 exercise.  Not ideal and not my plan but to me it reinforces that we have to get the diet clean/cleaner or no level of exercise will make up for it.

 

[The Iguana]

I don’t think GB Ig will mind me using his post as a decent example.  He’s killing it exercise wise and making some gains although not as much as he wants.  I’m in the same boat on it not being as much as I want but I’m down 13 lbs.  and I’ve done basically 0 exercise.  Not ideal and not my plan but to me it reinforces that we have to get the diet clean/cleaner or no level of exercise will make up for it.

I've used myself as that example multiple times. Weight loss is far more about intake than exercise, IMO. 

 

[Alex P Keaton]

I don’t think GB Ig will mind me using his post as a decent example.  He’s killing it exercise wise and making some gains although not as much as he wants.  I’m in the same boat on it not being as much as I want but I’m down 13 lbs.  and I’ve done basically 0 exercise.  Not ideal and not my plan but to me it reinforces that we have to get the diet clean/cleaner or no level of exercise will make up for it.

Yep.  My biggest weight gain months in 2020 were also my biggest exercise months.  How is that possible?  Because I ate a ton, justifying it as “wow, look at all the exercise I’m getting in.”

 

[BassNBrew]

I'm not really setting goals for macros because I don't have a clear answer but I shoot for over 100g protein always, about 120 on a recovery day after lifting, and higher like 140 or 150 on lifting days. 

One problem is that the science doesn't seem to be super clear on protein in general, just that you need enough. Every time I try to dig in deeper the answer is that there's some schools of thought that blah blah but others that say so and so. 

Making it more difficult is that it's really hard to add muscle while losing weight because you need a calorie surplus to add weight and you need a calorie deficit to lose it. Body recomposition is when you try to do both, and the consensus seems to be that people who are in shape will do a bad job adding muscle and lose a little weight but kind of suck at both unless you really nail the fine line between enough protein and enough calorie deficit. 

The good news is that I was never really in shape so I'm still making newb gains, and newb gains don't follow those rules because you can add muscle so easily without needing a lot of extra calories. I'm definitely losing weight on my expected pace and I'm definitely seeing gains in my lifts and physically my arms and chest and core all look stronger so I'm confident that this is working for me. 

Not to mention there's a fierce debate over which is best...plant based protein or animal based.

Totally anecdotal, but after stalling out several times seeing gains during weight loss, spreading out the protein over the entire day and aiming for 120-150 grams total reversed that trend last year for me.  It's extremely difficult to do while losing weight because you have to cut out any rewards and even healthy foods like nuts and avocado for a fourth/fifth protein serving.  You'll also need to toss aside any IF because to optimize the protein synthesis you'll need to at least 12 hours to consume the protein.

 

[Navin Johnson]

I'm not really setting goals for macros because I don't have a clear answer but I shoot for over 100g protein always, about 120 on a recovery day after lifting, and higher like 140 or 150 on lifting days. 

One problem is that the science doesn't seem to be super clear on protein in general, just that you need enough. Every time I try to dig in deeper the answer is that there's some schools of thought that blah blah but others that say so and so. 

Making it more difficult is that it's really hard to add muscle while losing weight because you need a calorie surplus to add weight and you need a calorie deficit to lose it. Body recomposition is when you try to do both, and the consensus seems to be that people who are in shape will do a bad job adding muscle and lose a little weight but kind of suck at both unless you really nail the fine line between enough protein and enough calorie deficit. 

The good news is that I was never really in shape so I'm still making newb gains, and newb gains don't follow those rules because you can add muscle so easily without needing a lot of extra calories. I'm definitely losing weight on my expected pace and I'm definitely seeing gains in my lifts and physically my arms and chest and core all look stronger so I'm confident that this is working for me. 

Fiber I aim for 20g minimum and try to get in the 30s.

The protein/carb/fat numbers you put all look ok to me that's probably low on fat but seems good. If you want help setting your macros goals better then go to the app and at the bottom of the page choose plans and learn about macros, they'll have you read a little and set goals each day and give you a little bit at a time until you feel like you're able to set your own goals. If you want high protein or keto, set them like this, low fat set them like that, and so on. 

Of course I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice. Consult your doctor before beginning this or any diet or exercise program. Your doctor or nutritionist may be able to give you better recommendations for your specific needs. 

Are you able to subtract the calories burned when lifting?  

 

[bostonfred]

Are you able to subtract the calories burned when lifting?  

I don't, but you probably can. Personally I only count cardio and yoga, which means I'm slightly under counting exercise on lift days but might be slightly over counting on cardio or rest days so it works for me. But again I'm still doing newbie stuff.

A normal day for me right now is 3 sets each of dumbell bent over rows, bicep curls/hammer curls, push ups, floor press and kettlebell swings with a day of rest between sets. I'd like to add pull ups and am going to get a pull up bar I just haven't decided yet if I want the over the door kind or the big power station, and I'm still doing rows and core yoga to increase my strength so I can start doing hangs/negatives and work my way up. 

 

[bostonfred]

Not to mention there's a fierce debate over which is best...plant based protein or animal based.

Totally anecdotal, but after stalling out several times seeing gains during weight loss, spreading out the protein over the entire day and aiming for 120-150 grams total reversed that trend last year for me.  It's extremely difficult to do while losing weight because you have to cut out any rewards and even healthy foods like nuts and avocado for a fourth/fifth protein serving.  You'll also need to toss aside any IF because to optimize the protein synthesis you'll need to at least 12 hours to consume the protein.

I am newer to this than you but I suspect a big part of it is that you don't go into a 1000 calorie deficit, you do running and lifting and still stick to 1500 total calories which is like 800 net calories. So you're really walking the tight rope of getting enough calories to feed your body, enough protein for your muscles, and enough calorie deficit for the weight loss you want. If it works and your doctor doesn't think it's a problem then who am I to question it but it seems like a lot all at once.

 

[BassNBrew]

I am newer to this than you but I suspect a big part of it is that you don't go into a 1000 calorie deficit, you do running and lifting and still stick to 1500 total calories which is like 800 net calories. So you're really walking the tight rope of getting enough calories to feed your body, enough protein for your muscles, and enough calorie deficit for the weight loss you want. If it works and your doctor doesn't think it's a problem then who am I to question it but it seems like a lot all at once.

I don't need a doctor with you around for guidance. 

I'm still fine tuning all of this.  I'm sure I have my calorie counts dialed in but I don't think the lifting is burning any cal worth noting and the cardio is probably more like 400.  I'm pretty sure my steady state is 2000 cal a day.  I've been shooting for 1400 cal so that's 600 x 7 = 4200 plus 400 x 7 = 2800.  That net's out to 7000 cal a week deficit or the 2 pounds a week I've been dropping after the initial purge.

I'm at 59 grams of protein right now.

Milk in my latte = 9 grams.

3 oz deer meat in salad and spring mix = 27 g

protein shake = 23 g (probably should have gone 1.5 scoops to get this over 30 g)

 

[Corporation]

• Date         |  Weight   |   Chg From Start  |   Weekly Loss   |   Calories
  
• Nov 27         226.1                                           
  
• Dec 24         212.9                -13.2                                          Avg daily calories during period: 1523
  
• NEW START DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS TO VALENTINES DAY
  
• Dec 26         213.1               -13.0                                          Avg daily calories during period: 1510       
  
• Jan 1           211.2                -14.9                  -1.9                  Avg daily calories during period: 1983
  
• Jan 8           210.3                -15.8                  -0.9                  Avg daily calories during period: 1546
  
• Jan 15         207.0                -19.1                  -3.3                  Avg daily calories during period: 1524
  
• Jan 22         205.4                -20.7                  -1.6                  Avg daily calories during period: 1513
  
• Jan 29         203.0                -23.1                  -2.4                  Avg daily calories during period: 1521
  
• Jan 30         202.1                -24.0                                          1650
  
• Jan 31         202.3                -23.8                                          2000 - Hard to know for this one, estimate only
  
• Feb 1          202.1                -24.0
  

 

[DocHolliday]

1/25.  201.4 

2/1.   199.6

I exceeded my goal of losing one pound/week for four weeks before I settle into the 0.5 lbs/week goal.   Losing weight is easy when you begin the process though so I’m not going to get too excited.   

Enjoy the discussion on adding muscle while losing weight in the previous posts.  I am trying to add muscle while losing fat, which is no different than most of my health/weight loss journeys.  In the past, I obtained decent results by working out hard, eating around 150 grams protein/day and eliminating empty calories.   

I agree that IF is probably not going to work since protein needs to be ingested every few hours over the entire day in order to get enough protein.  However, unless you are really crushing weights, 100 grams of protein should suffice on most days.   More is better but the body can only process so much protein at one time and protein still adds up those calories.   

 

[BassNBrew]

1/25.  201.4 

2/1.   199.6

I exceeded my goal of losing one pound/week for four weeks before I settle into the 0.5 lbs/week goal.   Losing weight is easy when you begin the process though so I’m not going to get too excited.   

Enjoy the discussion on adding muscle while losing weight in the previous posts.  I am trying to add muscle while losing fat, which is no different than most of my health/weight loss journeys.  In the past, I obtained decent results by working out hard, eating around 150 grams protein/day and eliminating empty calories.   

I agree that IF is probably not going to work since protein needs to be ingested every few hours over the entire day in order to get enough protein.  However, unless you are really crushing weights, 100 grams of protein should suffice on most days.   More is better but the body can only process so much protein at one time and protein still adds up those calories.   

Dude...this is FBG.  Crushing weights is a recovery day for us.  "Crushing" is a term best used for Otis and Oreos.

 

[culdeus]

This is a fantastic review of the current available information:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8V9ZaSq9Oc&t=28s

 

[Berlin]

I don't, but you probably can. Personally I only count cardio and yoga, which means I'm slightly under counting exercise on lift days but might be slightly over counting on cardio or rest days so it works for me. But again I'm still doing newbie stuff.

A normal day for me right now is 3 sets each of dumbell bent over rows, bicep curls/hammer curls, push ups, floor press and kettlebell swings with a day of rest between sets. I'd like to add pull ups and am going to get a pull up bar I just haven't decided yet if I want the over the door kind or the big power station, and I'm still doing rows and core yoga to increase my strength so I can start doing hangs/negatives and work my way up. 

MFP allows you to enter under 'cardio' 'strength training (weight lifting, weight training)'. I think the calorie burn calculation is pretty accurate. 

I try to lift three times per week. I do not take much rest or breaks between sets or reps so a 30-45 minute session can get pretty winded. FWIW I do Chest, Tri, and Back grouped, and on alternate days Legs, Bi, and Shoulders.

 

[MAC_32]

I am newer to this than you but I suspect a big part of it is that you don't go into a 1000 calorie deficit, you do running and lifting and still stick to 1500 total calories which is like 800 net calories. So you're really walking the tight rope of getting enough calories to feed your body, enough protein for your muscles, and enough calorie deficit for the weight loss you want. If it works and your doctor doesn't think it's a problem then who am I to question it but it seems like a lot all at once.

Generally speaking, if the goal is to lose weight while incorporating exercise then strive to near break-even on hard workout days then deficit on easy/rest days. You'll lose weight at a slower rate, but assuming health you're more likely to sustain the new habits and be better equipped to bounce back from minor setbacks.

 

[belljr]

I know I'm doing the "right thing"

I just feel I should be losing a little faster

When I did this type before I'd get the 1-2 pound with a 4-5 thrown in.

I'm just 1-2 the whole time

 

[bostonfred]

I know I'm doing the "right thing"

I just feel I should be losing a little faster

When I did this type before I'd get the 1-2 pound with a 4-5 thrown in.

I'm just 1-2 the whole time

Trust the process, eat fiber and drink lots of water. 

 

[bostonfred]

Did a row and started a month of 100 pushups a day to make up for lack of chest exercises.  Did some rowing and a little time on the treadmill but rest day from lifting. 155g protein 156 carbs 67g fat 27g fiber and a slightly disappointing 2733mg sodium that came from a packaged salad at 1200mg and two meatballs from whole foods 950mg. 

36 days no drinking and no going over calories. 61 days until Easter. 

 

[belljr]

Trust the process, eat fiber and drink lots of water. 

Oh I do.  Last time I did a healthy loss it was similar but I'd hit a 4-5 pounder here and there.

That's all

 

[FBG26]

Gotta get some runs in the next few days before the vikings win the super bowl. It's gonna be hell freezing over cold soon. So far it's been a mild winter but the forecast is calling for a *high* of 6 below in a few days. Eesh. 

 

[BassNBrew]

Did a row and started a month of 100 pushups a day to make up for lack of chest exercises.  Did some rowing and a little time on the treadmill but rest day from lifting. 155g protein 156 carbs 67g fat 27g fiber and a slightly disappointing 2733mg sodium that came from a packaged salad at 1200mg and two meatballs from whole foods 950mg. 

36 days no drinking and no going over calories. 61 days until Easter. 

Nice job on hitting that protein mark.  I know that took some work.

 

[bostonfred]

Nice job on hitting that protein mark.  I know that took some work.

Thanks. I'll try to replicate it today on an actual lifting day but yesterday it was

Two skyr yogurts with berries and a half serving of nature's valley protein granola (466 cal/36g)

Salad with chicken (330/21)

Two meatballs, one dinner roll (511/37)

Chicken breast with vegetables (471/61) split into two parts 

So I was up near 1800 total calories plus my sugar coffee but did my rowing and treadmill to burn some back off. That's a little more than what you give yourself so it's not quite as hard for me. 

 

[dhockster]

12/29: 268.6

1/5: 259.2

1/12: 254.6

1/19: 250.2

1/26: 246.4

2/2: 243.0

Total 25.6 over 5 weeks on a commercial diet program. I still have 15 weeks to get to my goal of 188. Then the hard part of a changed mindset and clean healthy diet going forward to maintain that weight. I am really enjoying reading what everyone is doing on their individual weight loss journeys. Gives me lots of good things to use.

 

[ex-ghost]

Nov 30: 234.4

------

Jan 1: 224.0

Jan 8: 219.8

Jan 15: 218.2

Jan 22: 218.0

Jan 28: 215.4

Feb 2: 217.8

Back from my getaway. Since meals were made from me I stepped away from IF the lat 5 days. Back on it.

 

[MAC_32]

Gotta get some runs in the next few days before the vikings win the super bowl. It's gonna be hell freezing over cold soon. So far it's been a mild winter but the forecast is calling for a *high* of 6 below in a few days. Eesh. 

Good plan - push yourself out of your comfort zone in front of the weather then justify a little break when it goes sideways. 

 

[BassNBrew]

12/29: 268.6

1/5: 259.2

1/12: 254.6

1/19: 250.2

1/26: 246.4

2/2: 243.0

Total 25.6 over 5 weeks on a commercial diet program. I still have 15 weeks to get to my goal of 188. Then the hard part of a changed mindset and clean healthy diet going forward to maintain that weight. I am really enjoying reading what everyone is doing on their individual weight loss journeys. Gives me lots of good things to use.

3.7 lbs per week.  Not ####### around.

Congrats.

 

[bostonfred]

12/29: 268.6

1/5: 259.2

1/12: 254.6

1/19: 250.2

1/26: 246.4

2/2: 243.0

Total 25.6 over 5 weeks on a commercial diet program. I still have 15 weeks to get to my goal of 188. Then the hard part of a changed mindset and clean healthy diet going forward to maintain that weight. I am really enjoying reading what everyone is doing on their individual weight loss journeys. Gives me lots of good things to use.

25.6 lbs in 5 weeks seems unsustainable. A lot of this was water weight, and probably more muscle loss than you would want. 

15 weeks to lose 55 lbs seems downright dangerous to me. 

Which commercial plan is this?

 

[bostonfred]

https://i.redd.it/hk222z5pj2f61.jpg

Lol

 

[dhockster]

25.6 lbs in 5 weeks seems unsustainable. A lot of this was water weight, and probably more muscle loss than you would want. 

15 weeks to lose 55 lbs seems downright dangerous to me. 

Which commercial plan is this?

SOTA weight loss. They are located in Dallas and started out working with the Cowboys and Mavericks. They have been marketing in Houston (where I live) for the last several months. I meet via phone or zoom with a nutritionist each week. It is basically a modified Keto diet. Low Carb, medium fat, medium protein. Visit their website and tell me what you think. I have been regularly walking on the diet and have just started doing more intense cardio and feel really good.

 

[Navin Johnson]

• Dec 28         235.0
  
• Jan 05          235.7
  
• Jan 12          232.9
  
• Jan 19          227.1
  
• Jan 26          225.0
  
• Feb 02          222.9 
  

Hope to get a little bit more disciplined using MFP this month.  Son's 16th birthday today so we'rehaving ribs, garlic mashed potatoes, cheese cake, etc.  Will be a rough one.  Did tabata on the versa climber just before breaking my fast, hopefully can make a habit of that.

 

[BassNBrew]

Jan 1   274.4

Feb 1   256.4  - 18.0 lbs

Feb 2  255.6  - 18.8 lbs, 1338 cal, 85 g protein, lift and cardio

8:55 mile on the treadmill which is a new personal best this fat cycle.  I really missed the mark on the protein.  It's so hard to get 5 x 30 when I'm not at home all day.  Boxed myself in with some other choices.

 

[BassNBrew]

My pantry looks like an Amazon warehouse when it comes to protein powder so I have options.  Muscle Milk tastes the best, but 280 cals for 32 g of protein isn't the best.  I bet there's sugar in there.  5 servings gets me my 150 g of protein but puts me right at my 1400 cal goal.  

 

[The Iguana]

Oh I do.  Last time I did a healthy loss it was similar but I'd hit a 4-5 pounder here and there.

That's all

you are older now. 

 

[Major]

My pantry looks like an Amazon warehouse when it comes to protein powder so I have options.  Muscle Milk tastes the best, but 280 cals for 32 g of protein isn't the best.  I bet there's sugar in there.  5 servings gets me my 150 g of protein but puts me right at my 1400 cal goal.  

Haha.  I feel you on the pantry. I love having all different types of flavors for my coffee, baking and smoothie needs.    And yes, Muscle Milk's macros are terrible and the protein quality poor.  You can definitely find better and cheaper.  Look for isolates and high quality blends with little to no filler.  Quest Protein and Isopure are my favorites with 100 or so calories for 25g protein.  Syntha 6 Edge for more of a dessert (tastes better than Muscle Milk)  with 150 cals per 25g protein.

 

[Major]

Did a row and started a month of 100 pushups a day to make up for lack of chest exercises.  Did some rowing and a little time on the treadmill but rest day from lifting. 155g protein 156 carbs 67g fat 27g fiber and a slightly disappointing 2733mg sodium that came from a packaged salad at 1200mg and two meatballs from whole foods 950mg. 

36 days no drinking and no going over calories. 61 days until Easter. 

The great thing about pushups is you can do so many varieties to keep your body in shock and work different parts of your chest and arms.   Just search online and you'll see tons of great examples. 

 

[Alex P Keaton]

SOTA weight loss. They are located in Dallas and started out working with the Cowboys and Mavericks. They have been marketing in Houston (where I live) for the last several months. I meet via phone or zoom with a nutritionist each week. It is basically a modified Keto diet. Low Carb, medium fat, medium protein. Visit their website and tell me what you think. I have been regularly walking on the diet and have just started doing more intense cardio and feel really good.

I had a similar reaction as BF.   It's a very rapid weight loss.   Worth checking with your doctor just to be safe.

Kudo to you for the combo of discipline and determination.   Love to see consistent and meaningful progress!!

 

[Corporation]

• Date         |  Weight   |   Chg From Start  |   Weekly Loss   |   Calories
  
• Nov 27         226.1                                           
  
• Dec 24         212.9                -13.2                                          Avg daily calories during period: 1523
  
• NEW START DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS TO VALENTINES DAY
  
• Dec 26         213.1               -13.0                                          Avg daily calories during period: 1510       
  
• Jan 1           211.2                -14.9                  -1.9                  Avg daily calories during period: 1983
  
• Jan 8           210.3                -15.8                  -0.9                  Avg daily calories during period: 1546
  
• Jan 15         207.0                -19.1                  -3.3                  Avg daily calories during period: 1524
  
• Jan 22         205.4                -20.7                  -1.6                  Avg daily calories during period: 1513
  
• Jan 29         203.0                -23.1                  -2.4                  Avg daily calories during period: 1521
  
• Jan 30         202.1                -24.0                                          1650
  
• Jan 31         202.3                -23.8                                          2000 - Hard to know for this one, estimate only
  
• Feb 1          202.1                -24.0                                          1390
  
• Feb 2          201.5                -24.5
  

Getting close now!  Got the 25 pound mark coming up, then hopefully into the sub 200s after that.  My cheat day coming up might not be so big after all, I really feel "full" a lot quicker than I did even a month ago.  I'll try to keep it in moderation instead of the 4000 calorie blowout.

 

[The Iguana]

• Jan 1 - 214.0
  
• Jan 8 - 211.4
  
• Jan 15 - 207.2
  
• Jan 22 - 207.6
  
• Jan 29 - 207.2
  
• Jan 30 - 207.6
  
• Jan 31 - 206.6
  
• Feb 1 - 209.0
  
• Feb 2 - 206.0
  

Probably just full of poop yesterday or something... Basically just staying flat lately, as mentioned before, mostly due to weekends not being disciplined. M-F, drop a little, weekends eat all the food and/or have a few drinks and undo it. 

Also was looking through my app that links to my scales... Kind of interesting to note the monthly summaries. Months that I go up, I average quite a few less weigh-ins per month than the ones that I go down and/or stay flat. Good months, I step on the scale about 25 days per month +/-. Bad months, I step on about 15 +/-. Goes back to the 'personal accountability' thing, IMO. Stepping on the scale daily in the morning just makes me be more diligent at doing what I'm supposed to during the day. 

 

[Corporation]

• Jan 1 - 214.0
  
• Jan 8 - 211.4
  
• Jan 15 - 207.2
  
• Jan 22 - 207.6
  
• Jan 29 - 207.2
  
• Jan 30 - 207.6
  
• Jan 31 - 206.6
  
• Feb 1 - 209.0
  
• Feb 2 - 206.0
  

Probably just full of poop yesterday or something... Basically just staying flat lately, as mentioned before, mostly due to weekends not being disciplined. M-F, drop a little, weekends eat all the food and/or have a few drinks and undo it. 

Also was looking through my app that links to my scales... Kind of interesting to note the monthly summaries. Months that I go up, I average quite a few less weigh-ins per month than the ones that I go down and/or stay flat. Good months, I step on the scale about 25 days per month +/-. Bad months, I step on about 15 +/-. Goes back to the 'personal accountability' thing, IMO. Stepping on the scale daily in the morning just makes me be more diligent at doing what I'm supposed to during the day. 

Yeah I know a lot of people don't like it, but for me the daily weigh ins are good data points.  Most of my day to day drops (or gains) are now typically small like what you are showing, but I was backed up for 4 days then had a rapid drop like you did

Keep it up!  You are on the same 2 pound a week drop I am!

 

[AAABatteries]

12/29: 268.6

1/5: 259.2

1/12: 254.6

1/19: 250.2

1/26: 246.4

2/2: 243.0

Total 25.6 over 5 weeks on a commercial diet program. I still have 15 weeks to get to my goal of 188. Then the hard part of a changed mindset and clean healthy diet going forward to maintain that weight. I am really enjoying reading what everyone is doing on their individual weight loss journeys. Gives me lots of good things to use.

Just out of curiosity, how did you pick 20 weeks as your goal?  I think that's the correct math.

I'm not as concerned as some of the other about losing it that quick (I think it's easier on a KETO/LC diet but I'll reiterate what I said before about figuring out now what your maintenance plan will look like and use good tools like what fred suggested with having a top weight where you enact a loss plan again. 

Good luck.

 

[bostonfred]

SOTA weight loss. They are located in Dallas and started out working with the Cowboys and Mavericks. They have been marketing in Houston (where I live) for the last several months. I meet via phone or zoom with a nutritionist each week. It is basically a modified Keto diet. Low Carb, medium fat, medium protein. Visit their website and tell me what you think. I have been regularly walking on the diet and have just started doing more intense cardio and feel really good.

Some searching seems like some people love it and some thought it was scammy.  Checked glassdoor and reddit for reviews among other places.. One mentioned that they were asked to sign a contract saying that they would keep paying until they hit their goal weight which sounds sketchy as all get out. Whether that's true or not I don't know but it would certainly incentivize bogus promises.  Also saw someone claim they were pushed to sell their expensive food or pills or 250 dollar plans and blame customers if they didn't lose weight because they didn't stick to the plan then try to sell more to them. There were also claims that it helped. It's hard to know whether these are angry disgruntled ex employees or unsuccessful customers leaving bad reviews or paid shills giving good reviews.

What does the program look like besides low carb medium fat medium protein and walking?

 

[dhockster]

Just out of curiosity, how did you pick 20 weeks as your goal?  I think that's the correct math.

I'm not as concerned as some of the other about losing it that quick (I think it's easier on a KETO/LC diet but I'll reiterate what I said before about figuring out now what your maintenance plan will look like and use good tools like what fred suggested with having a top weight where you enact a loss plan again. 

Good luck.

The nutritionist actually calculated that based on my age, height, weight, and gender, I should be able to lose 3.5 to 4 pounds a week on their program. I paid for twenty weeks but get two weeks added for free because I paid everything upfront. I just set the 20 week goal because if I don't have to use my free weeks, I get a refund for those weeks. After the first week losing 9.4 pounds, I have lost 16.2 over the last 4 weeks or just over 4 lbs a week. Now my trend has been downward (4.6, 4.4, 3.8, 3.4) but I have had some small deviations from the plan, so I think I can be more rigid to keep my 4 lb a week average. 

I appreciate what you are saying about the maintenance plan. The program I am on is supposed to help with the transition from the weight loss program to the maintenance program. Plus, I will still get to talk with a nutritionist every month to make sure I am doing okay with maintenance. I will definitely set a not to exceed weight number, but hopefully if maintenance goes well and I truly do change my eating habits, I won't reach that number.

 

[dhockster]

Some searching seems like some people love it and some thought it was scammy.  Checked glassdoor and reddit for reviews among other places.. One mentioned that they were asked to sign a contract saying that they would keep paying until they hit their goal weight which sounds sketchy as all get out. Whether that's true or not I don't know but it would certainly incentivize bogus promises.  Also saw someone claim they were pushed to sell their expensive food or pills or 250 dollar plans and blame customers if they didn't lose weight because they didn't stick to the plan then try to sell more to them. There were also claims that it helped. It's hard to know whether these are angry disgruntled ex employees or unsuccessful customers leaving bad reviews or paid shills giving good reviews.

What does the program look like besides low carb medium fat medium protein and walking?

I read similar reviews to what you did, and noticed that most of the people who said it was a scam did not actually do the program, they just saw how much it cost when they went to sign up and it was more than then thought they should have to pay so they called it a scam. 

I would definitely not recommend this program for everyone, because, on the face of it, it is expensive, and not everyone can afford it. I wasn't even going to say what program it was until I had been through the whole thing, but you asked me directly so I told you.

As for the actual program, the simplified daily basics are this: Breakfast is either 3 eggs or one of their prepackaged snacks/meals. Midmorning you have another snack, and then at lunch your have another snack plus 2 cups of vegetables, 2 tablespoons of oil/butter. There is a midafternoon snack, and then dinner is 5-7 ozs of meat/proteain, 2 cups of vegetables, and another 2 tablespoons of oil/butter. Their snacks/meals include pancakes, oatmeal, cereal, snack bars, protein chips, smoothies, instant drinks, snack puffs, vegetable chili, soup, sloppy joes (just the inside, not the bun), etc.. They have some approved dressings that you can buy at the store and substitute for your oils. There is a list of meat/proteins and a list of vegetables that you can choose from. There are obviously some foods that are restricted due to their nutritional content. So in a nutshell they provide you with breakfast, lunch and 2 snacks during the day, unless you choose to substitute eggs for a snack for breakfast. I usually do the eggs and then just have to do the vegetables at lunch and dinner and do a meat at dinner. They provide all the nutritional content of everything they provide, but I haven't really looked at that much. They want you to exercise 30 minutes a day. That can be as little as a brisk walk, if you so choose. My nutritionist was encouraging core exercises if I wanted, and lifting if I was doing a lot of reps at low weight. They have very good online support with access to recipes, exercise videos, meditation tapes, etc. 

For me, the program works because I am a rule follower and they make it pretty easy to follow their rules. I will definitely be honest if I run into any snags with the program.