weight loss

jihiggs

currently 6'2" inches, 430 pounds. I have always been large, not a tub of lard, just always been built like I should be a linebacker in the nfl. I have been working out of and on the last 5 months, over the last year I have cut out a significant ammount of sugar, made major changes to my diet, such as eating smaller meals more frequently, increased my fruit and vegetable intake. when I work out I do about 10-15 min on the eliptical, I dont have the energy to do more than that, it just whipes me out. other than that I do high rep low weight workouts. this all takes about an hour and I am breathing hard the entire time. When i am done i am completely spent. back before xmas last year, I weighed about 390 pounds. that weight hadnt changed in 4 years. I GAINED 40 pounds when I started working out. I do feel a lot better, my back feels better, Im not tired all day, i am more mentaly alert, but I just cant seem to drop any weight??? I understand that muscle weighs a lot more than fat, but come on, no change in 4 years, I cut out A LOT of sugar, stop drinking soda but once or maybe twice a week, and when i do its diet, I have stopped baking a cake and eating the whole thing over a weekend, stopped plowing through costco packs of oreos, and no weight loss. I hear lots of stories where people stop drinking soda and they lose 100 pounds over a couple years with no other changes. I still dont eat perfectly healthy, but I have made major changes to my diet and excersize. shouldnt I have lost at least some weight???? my body type seems to prefer building muscle to losing weight, my shoulders and pecs have increased mass by i guess about 25% and I am getting stretch marks in my shoulders. does any one have any insight? I plan to do to the doctor soon, maybe I got some stupid imballance or somthing.

Markbb

There's a diet plan that just changes the  way you look at food and eat, go to the book store and pick up "fit for life", I followed this program and stayed at a 165 at 5'9", and the diet or way of eating is alot of work and requires lots of fresh fruit and greens....

vankleekkw

You can't just drop pop out of your diet without chosing the right substitute for it. I have not drank pop for 2 1/2 years now and have replaced my intake with water. I make sure that I am drinking over 10 glasses of water a day and have dropped from 260 to 210-220 range. Another thing to think about is substituting your snaks with ones that help your body out like yogurt. Just a suggestion since you need to find what works for your body. Everyone is different and a diet plan won't work unless your body accepts it.

kaspera79

Hey jihiggs, if you are working out in a gym like Ballys fitness or a place called Snap 24/7 talk to one of the trainers. They will tell you exactly what you need to do in order to accomplish your goal. Weight loss, built mass, or tone up. And they will change your program as your fittness level changes. There may be a charge for this trainers consultation but it can greatly change your life. Diet is important too. Not just what you eat but when you eat it and how much of each in the different food groups It gets confusing with protiens and carbs. but a fitness expert will be your best friend. And the types of excercise you are doing are causing you to build mass not lose weight. Talk to the trainer if they don't know find a gym that does. It takes time too, don't get discouraged Look for information online. Good luck.

j0z3r

When I wanted to lose weight, I took a look at what I was consuming and made some sweeping changes across the board. For example, instead of eating junk food everyday for lunch, I would make myself a turkey sandwich for lunch and accompany it with an apple and a yogurt. I also cut back a lot on snacking and the amount of soda and other sugar-laden beverages I drank. In a matter of 2 months or so, I had lost nearly 30 pounds as I was taking in a lot fewer calories, but also because the quality of the food I was eating was much better, well that and the amount of exercise I get daily at work.

Now, this worked for me. Will it work for you? I can't say, as everyone responds differently to these things. But I would recommend taking a good long look at your current diet and figuring out where you can make some changes, and they don't have to be big ones either, I think the biggest thing to keep in mind is moderation. Of course I'm no nutritionist, so take what I say with a grain of salt. I do wish you luck though, and hope you are able to meet with some success.

Joe

jihiggs

see! thats exactly what im talking about! "When I wanted to lose weight, I took a look at what I was consuming and made some sweeping changes across the board. For example, instead of eating junk food everyday for lunch, I would make myself a turkey sandwich for lunch and accompany it with an apple and a yogurt. I also cut back a lot on snacking and the amount of soda and other sugar-laden beverages I drank. In a matter of 2 months or so, I had lost nearly 30 pounds as I was taking in a lot fewer calories, but also because the quality of the food I was eating was much better, well that and the amount of exercise I get daily at work." ive heard that so many times, I have made those changes, actually eating fruit and vegitables other than as a pizza topping, substantial decrease in sugar intake and I gained 40 pounds!!!!!

madurofan

I actually worked with a nuitritionist for a while. Its this simple. To lose what you have to intake less calories than you burn. Saturated is the second most important aspect and Trans fat should be 0. Its a difficult thing to do but I was taking in 1500 calories a day and working out twice a day 5 days a week and was dropping about 10 lbs a week and I was 265 when I started. Here is what he told me take 1 week and eat like you normally but write everything down. Don't try to eat healthy just eat as you always do. At the end of the week add up all the calories you ate(you can buy a calorie counter book or go to anyone of the hundreds of calorie counting sites to get the calories for each thing you ate) and divide it by the number of days, 7, to get your daily caloric intake. Now take that number and the next week try to eat 90% of that, then 80% the following, and so on. Your body will let you know when you aren't getting enough calories you'll be light headed or weak. However, you shouldn't go under 1500 calories daily. Everyone is different as far as what exact foods and fat intake etc but that plan is pretty generic and works.

madurofan

Also when you first start working out you will gain weight, I did. Muscle weighs more than fat. You can workout all day long and if you're not sticking to a nuitrition plan you won't lose fat or not enough to notice. I can tell you this from experience.

kaspera79

One thing that was not mentioned and should have been, see your doctor first You may have what a doctor considers medical concerns that should be considered before starting a serious weight loss program involving dieting and and exercise. Professional help is always best when it involves your health.

kuzi16

kaspera79:

Professional help is always best when it involves your health.

not just with weight loss. well said.

madurofan

kaspera79:

One thing that was not mentioned and should have been, see your doctor first You may have what a doctor considers medical concerns that should be considered before starting a serious weight loss program involving dieting and and exercise. Professional help is always best when it involves your health.

Very True. I did have a physical before working with the nuitritionist and should have recommended the same.

jlzimmerman

maduro hit the nail on the head. The steps one needs to take to lose weight is easy, it's the mindset that's hard. There's no complex formula at all. If you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight. No if's, and's, or but's. That's fundamental physiology and biochemistry, regardless of a person's genetics or lifestyle.

Portion control and exercise is all you need my friend. And remember, if you are actively pursuing weight loss but not getting ample nutrition, your body will pull the nutrients from your muscle fibers instead of breaking down the fat cells (something you want to avoid). Muscle has more nutrients.

madurofan

JLZ exactly. Exercise is great but its more about the nuitrition. It is tough to get into the mindset the nuitritionist and the trainer I worked with talked about the rule of 85%. If you do it right 85% of the time it'll work and that 15% you cheat will help you stay sane. Because sometimes dammit I want a pizza.

madurofan

Another tip I used was eating more frequently but smaller portions, for example my typical day might go. Granola bar when I first wake up, a piece of fruit when I get to work around, a yogurt about 10:30, a sandwich at noon, one serving of vegetables at 3, dinner around 7. Also make sure you eat 3 hours before going to sleep. This keeps your metabolism going all day.

Raziel66

One thing that I did was find a better workout than just weight training. I bought the Military kit from www.FitnessAnywhere.com , followed the Navy Seal workout, and dropped 30 pounds in two months. That's without doing the running portion they give you. The exercises are all bodyweight so you don't have to worry about putting on bulky muscle. I loved it!

I changed jobs and stopped working out because my schedule was different, but I am definitely going to start it up again soon.

gott.des.feuer

One thing I found that's been fun for me has been kettlebells. Little balls o' iron with handles you can work out with pretty much anywhere you have an arm's reach of space. I hate the "gym" environment, so they're great for me, since you can do a full workout with only one 35lb-er and the aforementioned arm's reach of space to start with. They're also great for building up the supporting muscles in proportion to the "main" muscles as well, since they're asymmetrical and you're always off balance while working with them. The exercises are also very active, and thus are also great for cutting fat and almost eliminate the need for cardio. If you ever decide to check them out, google "Enter the Kettlebell".

Other than that, pretty much everything that's been said about the nutritional part. 5 small mini-meals a day with more healthy foods, and at the last meal should be 2-3 hours before bed.

Alex_Svenson

I got two words "Full Bar". www.fullbar.com I have been using them and they work. You eat it 30 minutes before you eat your two biggest meals and you drink a glass of water. They are 170 calories (lots of fiber) and fill out the bottom of your stomach. the effect is that when you go to eat your actual meal you fill up very quickly. I am a big guy. 6 foot 5 and 300 lbs. I have a huge app. and my biggest problem with diets is that I never felt full or satisfied and I always have huge portion control problem. With full bar I have been able to cut my portions in half and still feel satisfied. Best of all, I still eat the same foods I used to but instead of a whole chipotle burrito I can now only finish half. Anyway, just my .02 I am at 285 and dropping.

golfcigarjunkie

Thanks Alex! I ordered some today...let you know if it works for me

j0z3r

That sounds to me like just another quick-fix type of deal. In my eyes, the whole idea of losing weight is to get healthier, but with this full bar, you just eat the same old crap you've been eating but in smaller portions, and I just don't see how that is any better for you. I don't know, maybe the superficial is good enough for some, I'd rather have real, substantive and positive change, so I'll eat a turkey sandwich instead of half a burger if its all the same and spare my arteries that bit of cholesterol.