Weight Loss Thread

[Pug 216]

On 2/7/2020 at 10:21 PM, Kor.A.Door said:

So let me explain what I mean by “why”.  The why is what helps you keep motivation. It’s easy to start, having a “why” -reason-  is what keeps you going when it gets difficult.  There are plenty of reasons to lose weight right. To be healthy, to be fit, for your family, for this or that. I believe that until you find your “why” you cannot lose weight. You have to have something that motivates you to do it. Here’s a scenario: I’ve lost 3 pounds this week, it will be okay to eat those Oreo cookies. It get easier to eat the cookies each time you do it. But.. if you have a motivation or a “why” you tell yourself NO not this time. I am losing weight no matter what. It really is mental. You have to be more mentally strong than to lose weight. It’s easy to give up, it’s not easy to keep going. Having a “why” that works for you is key to mentally keep you focused on your goal. I know I can do it, I just struggle with staying motivated. I will get there. I will try to stay updated in here. 

When I was first diagnosed with diabetes I did a lot of reading about its health effects and was horrified by what I learned. Among other things it is the leading cause of blindness and amputations in the U.S. Stumps me why having a leg cut off would be motivating, but it worked for me. My game sucks enough already. I can’t imagine trying to play standing on one foot. I tried to quit smoking 5 times unsuccessfully. When the price went up by a dime in 1981 I did the math and calculated smoking was costing me a month’s salary every year. I couldn’t imagine setting my pay cheque on fire, so why was I burning it one cigarette at a time? The sixth time was the charm. When it comes to health my take away from Younger Next Year was I had a choice. Either first it was a cane, then it was a walker and then they roll you up in a chair and tip you into that short, deep ditch or I could run up, martini in one hand and golf club in the other, shout “Woo who!” and jump in. I choose health.

 My point is I understand how getting motivated and staying motivated is hard. What helped me was to stop focusing on goals and to start focusing on the process. I stopped focusing on a weight loss goal and started focusing on self-image. Instead of being a guy that lost 20 pounds I became the guy that never missed a workout. Losing 20 pounds just became a milestone that affirmed being a guy who never missed a workout was working for me. By nature I am a sloth, not a gym rat. Nonetheless a gym rat is what I became. My peers that have known me for the last 55 years know how unlikely that is. I know you have to find the motivation that works for you. It can be found in the most unlikely places. Please do keep contributing here. I look forward to reading about how you are doing. Good luck.

[MattF 10,520]

I did something I may regret...I bought the Focus T25 program. I'm starting on my 49th birthday, Monday.

[Pug 216]

12 hours ago, MattF said:

I did something I may regret...I bought the Focus T25 program. I'm starting on my 49th birthday, Monday.

Dude! I am impressed.
This is an intense program and not for the feint of heart; real commitment is required to work a program where the intensity of effort is high even if the duration is brief. In many respects I also prefer high intensity workouts (although I require a longer duration, typically an hour and 50 minutes and I am 67, you pup) so I understand the attraction of the gains that can be made in a relatively short time frame for each session.

Now the second part of the challenge is getting right with food. What are you planning on doing on that front? We know that exercise is great for improving the overall quality of life, but unless we get the diet part sorted the weight loss part of the program takes a whole lot longer and may never be completely achieved. You could achieve part of your goal but with metabolic adjustment your weight loss can plateau and get stuck at that point. So over to you - what’s the food plan? 

[MattF 10,520]

12 hours ago, Pug said:

So over to you - what’s the food plan? 

I've been "watching" what I shovel into my pie hole for years now. I'm concentrating on lower (not no) carbs and increased fiber. Usually an avocado and egg for brekkie, salad of spinach, garbanzo beans, peas and either chicken breast or salmon for lunch and whatever we make for dinner. I'm somewhere between 1300 and 1600 calories for a day and I do 12+ hour fasting on the weekends. Drink 10+ cups of water a day. I've got the eating part down, except when I have a few too many then I get the munchies, but that doesn't happen very often.

[RickyBobby_PR 5,900]

7 minutes ago, MattF said:

I've been "watching" what I shovel into my pie hole for years now. I'm concentrating on lower (not no) carbs and increased fiber. Usually an avocado and egg for brekkie, salad of spinach, garbanzo beans, peas and either chicken breast or salmon for lunch and whatever we make for dinner. I'm somewhere between 1300 and 1600 calories for a day and I do 12+ hour fasting on the weekends. Drink 10+ cups of water a day. I've got the eating part down, except when I have a few too many then I get the munchies, but that doesn't happen very often.

Thats a extremely low amount of calories. Hiw old are you? How tall? How much do you weigh? What is your current “diet goal, weight loss, maintenance?

[pulledabill 2,531]

Ive ben dropping a few just need more exercise. Beenon ligtht duty awhie so some kickboaring in the pool and walking as my shoulder is the issue.

I did get some bloodwork done and it came back pre-diabetic stage so I need to up my game. 

[Pug 216]

9 hours ago, MattF said:

I've been "watching" what I shovel into my pie hole for years now. I'm concentrating on lower (not no) carbs and increased fiber. Usually an avocado and egg for brekkie, salad of spinach, garbanzo beans, peas and either chicken breast or salmon for lunch and whatever we make for dinner. I'm somewhere between 1300 and 1600 calories for a day and I do 12+ hour fasting on the weekends. Drink 10+ cups of water a day. I've got the eating part down, except when I have a few too many then I get the munchies, but that doesn't happen very often.

As anyone can see the foods you mention are all obviously good choice, so as plans go that certainly sounds fine but I am surprised your caloric intake is in this low range. I suspect the calorie count is a best guesstimate and you’re not actually doing a recorded hard count, right?

 

[Pug 216]

4 hours ago, pulledabill said:

Ive ben dropping a few just need more exercise. Beenon ligtht duty awhie so some kickboaring in the pool and walking as my shoulder is the issue.

I did get some bloodwork done and it came back pre-diabetic stage so I need to up my game. 

You know exercise alone may not work. While increasing muscle strength and mass will increase the mitochondria count in muscle cells that “burn” glucose, unless they are given the time to process all of the excess glucose the improvement in blood sugars may not be enough to recover and get back to non-diabetic levels. What does upping your game look like for you? 

 

 

[MattF 10,520]

23 hours ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Thats a extremely low amount of calories. Hiw old are you? How tall? How much do you weigh? What is your current “diet goal, weight loss, maintenance?

49 tomorrow. 5' 8" Right now, 210lbs. I'd like to get to 180lbs.

14 hours ago, Pug said:

 I suspect the calorie count is a best guesstimate and you’re not actually doing a recorded hard count, right?

 

I do. Put almost everything into My Fitness Pal. Sometimes I'm over but I'm mostly around the 1600 mark.

[bens197 6,847]

A significant motivating force behind my weight loss has been stress at work. Today I am on duty and it all boiled over; I laid it out for my wife who helped me get to a better place. During that conversation, I told her that working out and running has been my way to help me cope with what’s happened. While she agreed, she sent me these words...

“You can go to the gym, drink your water and eat well, but if you don’t take care of your head and your heart, you’ll remain unhealthy.”

Just another reason why I adore this woman.

So...for those of you on a similar journey, I hope these words speak to you.


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

[Pug 216]

5 hours ago, MattF said:

49 tomorrow. 5' 8" Right now, 210lbs. I'd like to get to 180lbs.

I do. Put almost everything into My Fitness Pal. Sometimes I'm over but I'm mostly around the 1600 mark.

First, Happy Birthday

Second, sigh of relief and good to hear. Not to be pushy, but why not shoot for 160 pounds, which would have you just squeak into the normal weight range for your height? Thinking of the whole weight loss physical fitness regime as a process rather than weight loss as a goal, than getting to 180 could be viewed as the outcome of that process and verification that the process is working. With that thinking seeing 180 come up on the scale becomes a milestone rather than an endpoint. As a milestone 180 can be noted and celebrated before quickly getting back to your process which is intended to get you to not just a healthy weight but also into excellent physical condition. More strength = more swing speed = lower scores. How’s that for a motivation in addition to just feeling good as a result of being at a decent weight and in great shape?

In terms of self image, for me what this means is that I don’t self- identify as a guy that lost 106 pounds. I self-identify as the guy that never misses a gym session and eats clean. What that means is I eat no crap and just say “No” to stuff containing highly processed carbs and added sugars. I hit the gym a minimum of 4 days a week, and typically 5. I fit medical and dental appointments around my gym schedule, and not the other way round. I can’t always do that with specialist appointments and colds and flu, so I will make up a missed workout by going to the gym on the weekend. This isn’t me bragging. I’m telling you and the rest of the readers of this thread this in the hope everyone understands the level of dedication, determination and dedication it takes for me to do what you are doing. Weight loss and a healthy, fit lifestyle aren’t achieved easily, but Rule 1 is: nothing changes until I change. It is not something you can succeed at and maintain with a casual attitude or haphazard approach. Nor once you get to a healthy weight can you quit your program without the weight roaring back. 
 

My hat is off to you. Please keep us posted about what you think of the My Fitness Pal sessions as you do them.

[chisag 12,248]

... Love your posts Pug. Living a healthy life is a choice, and with all the ads throw at us, not an easy choice. Many of us get away with crap when we are young but the older we get the more important a healthy lifestyle becomes. Obviously if we would have made the choice in our youth we probably would have never been in the health position we found ourselves. Overweight, poor digestion, tired, achy, inflammation etc, etc. 

... I am reminded of a video I was the spokesperson for a good 25 years ago. A Money Management firm in KC and the CEO's philosophy was "The best time to invest is when you are young because it will make old age comfortable. The 2nd best time to invest is ... right now." That stuck with me and it seems to apply to most everything in life. 

[RickyBobby_PR 5,900]

7 hours ago, MattF said:

49 tomorrow. 5' 8" Right now, 210lbs. I'd like to get to 180lbs.

I do. Put almost everything into My Fitness Pal. Sometimes I'm over but I'm mostly around the 1600 mark.

How did you come up with your caloric intake to help you reach your goal? My concern is that at that intake level you are going to plateau and to continue losing you will have to go into unhealthy caloric intake and then when plateauing again will have to go even lower and into very dangerous territory 

[MattF 10,520]

16 hours ago, Pug said:

First, Happy Birthday

 

Not to be pushy, but why not shoot for 160 pounds, which would have you just squeak into the normal weight range for your height?

Thank you!

Consultation with my Doctor. I'm large framed and at my "ideal" 150 for my height, I'd look like a skeleton. He is all for 180 and if I can get there and maybe a little more, we'd both be ecstatic.

15 hours ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

How did you come up with your caloric intake to help you reach your goal? My concern is that at that intake level you are going to plateau and to continue losing you will have to go into unhealthy caloric intake and then when plateauing again will have to go even lower and into very dangerous territory 

MFP came up with it, but I can go a little bit more to around 1800. I'm not going to go lower, I'm not going to starve myself to lose weight. When I plateau, because I know it will happen, I'll just keep pushing.

BTW, first T25 this morning and my calves are killing me!

[RickyBobby_PR 5,900]

1 minute ago, MattF said:

Thank you!

Consultation with my Doctor. I'm large framed and at my "ideal" 150 for my height, I'd look like a skeleton. He is all for 180 and if I can get there and maybe a little more, we'd both be ecstatic.

MFP came up with it, but I can go a little bit more to around 1800. I'm not going to go lower, I'm not going to starve myself to lose weight. When I plateau, because I know it will happen, I'll just keep pushing.

BTW, first T25 this morning and my calves are killing me!

I don’t like mfp for determining caloric needs. 1800 is probably a good starting point and i would stay at that as long as you are losing.  The key thing is to know your BMR and/or TDEE and going in a small deficit off that

[revkev 22,944]

Wow - reading Pugs thing was scary to me - I have far too much going on in my life to think of 4 or 5 tines a week in a gym. But good for you.

 

When I started my fitness program I told my trainer that everything she gave me needed to be doable at home or work - like Matt I started with a goal of 180 - got there easily and didn’t really plateau until the low 170’s - cracked that barrier and have stayed in the 160’s ever since - a year and a half plus.

 

I never have counted calories - I just try to avoid junk and keep my portions reasonable - I’ve learned to stay active - i walk the campus for 5 minutes every hour (it would be easy to sit all day with my job), park far away from store entrances - top floors of the parking garages when I visit hospitals - never take elevators - it gets me to around 6 miles of walking and 8 flights of stairs a day - throw in 2 or 3 strength building sessions a week and I’m pretty fit for a busy 63 year old guy.

 

I need to cut back on my alcohol intake - that’s a goal for this years Lent. I don’t do Lent to punish - I do it to change - that’s the next change that I need to make.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

 

[MattF 10,520]

1 hour ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

I don’t like mfp for determining caloric needs. 1800 is probably a good starting point and i would stay at that as long as you are losing.  The key thing is to know your BMR and/or TDEE and going in a small deficit off that

My BMR is 1905 and my TDEE is 2778. So, if I stick to around 1800-2000 I should be good.

[RickyBobby_PR 5,900]

12 minutes ago, MattF said:

My BMR is 1905 and my TDEE is 2778. So, if I stick to around 1800-2000 I should be good.

Shaft as high as possible. Give it two weeks then make an adjustment. A 500 calorie deficit with no exercise would be a 3500 calories deficit/week and an avg of 1-1.5lbs loss/week. If you started at 2200 and go from there it buys room for adjustments along the way

[Pug 216]

On 2/16/2020 at 5:01 PM, chisag said:

... Love your posts Pug. Living a healthy life is a choice, and with all the ads throw at us, not an easy choice. Many of us get away with crap when we are young but the older we get the more important a healthy lifestyle becomes. Obviously if we would have made the choice in our youth we probably would have never been in the health position we found ourselves. Overweight, poor digestion, tired, achy, inflammation etc, etc. 

... I am reminded of a video I was the spokesperson for a good 25 years ago. A Money Management firm in KC and the CEO's philosophy was "The best time to invest is when you are young because it will make old age comfortable. The 2nd best time to invest is ... right now." That stuck with me and it seems to apply to most everything in life. 

As the old saying goes, if I had known I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of myself. Mind you, I wouldn’t have missed a moment of my misspent youth for a million bucks, but I wouldn’t pay a nickel to do it again, either. Once you have seen the sun rise over the curb the first time the appeal really goes out of the experience. I gained 5 pounds this weekend and my blood sugars jumped from mid 4’s to 6.4 this morning. All it took was a bottle of champagne, a little red wine and a couple of small processed carb deserts. Alcohol makes me retain fluid, so that will drain away by Thursday, but the blood sugars will likely take longer to settle down. I knew my self-indulgence would have this result. It is the reason I have to work the program I have. Believe me, I would like to be able to get away with doing less, but that is not possible if I want to stay healthy. However, is a life without wine a life worth living? I have cut back on booze because I know how it impacts me, but without putting too fine a point on it, I’m not a monk, and I am prepared to pay the price for it.

 I also want to say how much I appreciate the quality of the dialogue brought to this thread. No better example than the comments and observations made by RickyBobby_PR and MattF. Concerned questions lead to a very positive conversation. It’s what keeps me coming back.

Hey MattF, you’re lucky it’s only your calves!‍

[chisag 12,248]

1 hour ago, Pug said:

 However, is a life without wine a life worth living? I have cut back on booze because I know how it impacts me, but without putting too fine a point on it, I’m not a monk, and I am prepared to pay the price for it.

 I also want to say how much I appreciate the quality of the dialogue brought to this thread. No better example than the comments and observations made by RickyBobby_PR and MattF. Concerned questions lead to a very positive conversation. It’s what keeps me coming back.

 

... On a side note, I am either very foolish or very lucky. I drank so much in high school and college, I stopped my senior year in college after a particularly bad 2 day hangover. Took off 6 months and when I had a drink for the first time after that alcohol recess, I felt a little queasy and I stopped after one. I have not had a drink since. Been over 40 years now and I can honestly say I really never missed it. OTOH I am no monk either and they have made weed legal in 11 states now and while I am philosophically too healthy in my thinking to smoke anything, edibles are a friend and companion. Talk about putting a strain on your diet, there is nothing quite like the smell of popcorn in a movie theater or seeing some chocolate chocolate cake at the table next to you in a restaurant or watching someone on TV eating a pizza after an edible really kicks in.