weight-loss and my success story.

[Shiner]

Hey peeps thought I would tell you a tale, about how I went from damn overweight to fairly fit in 24 months.

All in all I went from 119kg (262lbs) to 83kg (182lbs). The majority of this 80lbs loss was within 8 months.

My background: I enjoyed a soda, around 3 or 4 a day. I was also not that rich, so I lived on cheap meals a lot (lots of things like meat pies etc). This was a recipe that was bound to end bad, as I always struggled with weight loss.

So how did I lose weight? A lifestyle change, not a diet. and surprisingly it did not start AT ALL with exercise.

Step 1. I gave up soda. This alone gave me probably the first big kick in weight loss. I drank only water or coffee.

Step 2. I cooked my own meals, ALL the time. No frozen crap or pre-prepared sauces etc. Simple GOOD food, like grilled chicken breast with a side of broccoli and peas. or soups... soups are great. cooking up brillaint blended soups for cheap that keep you filled with a side of nice herb crusted bread. For example chickpeas, garlic, onion, celery etc cooked in a chicken broth then blended up with some crispy bacon to serve... delicious and filling.

step 3. After I lost enough weight to be self confident I joined a gym (maybe around 205lbs). I focused on a lot of weights, mixed with plenty of cardio (running on the treadmill mostly). At least 3 times a week, for 30 minutes or so on cardio. And at least 2 hard sessions of weights or bodyweight movement.

Step 4? continue! it is all about motivation and finding what works for yourself.



My hints and tips?

- Tastes change, and it takes time. For example I craved soda and snacks HARD but after 3 or 4 months you don't even think about them. I love my veggies and meat now.

- You find what works for your own body, but it is a simple remedy of eating less energy than you expend. Plus simple ideas like not eating simple sugars without fibre (i.e candy or fruit juice).

- WATER WATER LOTS OF WATER. I drink probably 2 gallons a day, then go back to days where I drink maybe half a gallon. Your body still continues excreting that extra water and seems to help with losing excess water. Idk how but it seems to work. '

- Eat high protein foods, they keep you fuller for longer.

- Fish oil and vitamin D are the only supplements you really need. Fishoil is a proven supplement and vitamin D is shocker if not kept in proper levels.

This is about as much as I can cram into a short post, but if I can I might post up some of my favorite exercises that I do at home (apart from running I mostly do at home exercises) and some of my favorite recipes!

here is a quick semi-before and after. Now I'd love to be fitter, and show some real abs... but I love my beer. So it is a real struggle to get the last little bit of fat off.

edit: it turns out I can't post images until I have 50 posts... looks like I'll just have to be here to offer some advice until I can post them.

[MisterLove]

Wonderful thread, thank you for posting this and congratulations on your success, Shiner.

Yes, you're absolutely right when it comes to fruit juices. I always thought they were a healthy option but they're not: they're basically just fruit without the good parts.

Changing your lifestyle, that's the only real recipe for success. Plan your day carefully, control your stress levels and always find time for a proper meal: that's the way to do it.

[historical]

well done ;-)

[pellaz]

congratulations

[Bowyn Aerrow]

Too much water drinking leads to hyponatremia... Hyponatremia is a metabolic condition in which there is not enough sodium (salt) in the body fluids outside the cells.

If you are that thirsty, something is wrong - perhaps borderline diabetes. Unless you are working in the hot sun 8+ hours a day, if you are I strongly suggest more citrus drinks with salt added.

Personally I have trouble assimilating and holding on to the various salts, as such I have had to take salt pills and have to rebalanced my electrolytes often. Failure to do so can lead to my passing out from low blood pressure. Trust me, you don't want to be in that place.

Low BP symptoms can lead to your being hungry (your body is trying to get more salts and other stuff to off set the Low BP).

I would suggest drinking more juices and with the citrus juices, adding a touch of table salt. I add 1/4 tsp of table salt to a gallon of weak lemonade. Basically I use 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup honey and 1/4 tsp salt, top it off to make a full gallon by using water. It has a nice taste, had a few vitamins and other good things.

I also use 1-2 herbal tea bags to a gallon of water. I take a 2 cup measuring cup, bring the water to a boil (2.5 minutes in the microwave) and pour that over two tea bags and let seep. These are herbal teas, no caffeine. I end up with a weak flavored water. I add 1/4 cup honey and 1/4 tsp salt. I need salts - so get your salts levels checked. If you need salts add them. Seriously.

I strongly suggest eating more in order to lose fat. Aim for 6 servings of fresh fruit/veg per day. Produce contains fewer calories per volume. One can fill up on veg/fruit and not get as many calories as one would from grains and meats.

That bacon is mostly fat, high fats like that can be bad for your body. And the small fact is that 1 tablespoon of fat contains 100 calories. A cup of whole kernel corn contains 65 calories.

So which will fill you faster, a tablespoon of fats or a cup of corn? If you ate a cup of fats you would be eating 1600 calories. To get those 1600 calories with corn you would have to eat 24.6 cups of corn... Which fills you faster?

To stave off the feelings of hunger, you want to keep the belly full - eating lots of veg/fruit does that - leaves you feeling full while giving you few calories.


Coffee/Tea and other caffeinated drinks should be reduced to three a day. Seriously caffeine acts much like a carb and has other issues tied in which can lead to stripping of essential vitamins and minerals.

Vit D is best absorbed from the sun. Stop taking it as a supplement and go outside and get some sunlight. http://www.sunshinevitamin.org/ Of course too much can kill you... but so can drinking too much water.

I'm uncertain about taking fish oil caps... Seems a bit odd that humans suddenly need to start taking pills when for millions of years they were quite able to meet their daily needs of vitamins and minerals via eating....

Perhaps replace a few meals a month with fish? I would steer clear from ocean fish due to the BP oil spill (corexit), mercury and now all of the radioactive stuff Japan dumps in the oceans. But there are still bodies of clean water where fresh water fish can be found.

As for exercise. I have no idea what your ultimately goals are in that, but I strongly suggest you see a doctor first. Seems to be you were over weight for a goodly amount of time, and unfit which may mean you are just one exercise injury from being a cripple.

I tore my first meniscus back in my 20's, and that was largely due to spending 5 years sedentary then suddenly exercising a lot more. I still have problems with that knee and had I seen a doctor first and got my vitamins and minerals squared away first, I most likely wouldn't have damaged that knee.

[Shiner]

In regards to this, there are several things I will address.

In regards to vitamin D, sunlight alone is not always satisfactory due to many complicating variables. For instance in Australia, vitamin D deficiency is one of the greatest ones present despite peoples sun exposure. As for vitamin-D toxicity with supplements, I take vitamin D at the recommended level 4-5 times per week and my D-levels maintain at optimum compared to slightly under in the past without supplement. As for "just get more sun" for me that would be a very bad idea in Australia. I get enough each day and already risk skin cancer with sunscreen.

With the water, working out hard, to the point of sweating profusely... plus having a very physical job means higher water intake. As previously mentioned, I've noted on several occasions that drinking plenty of water then going back to my regular levels after 1 day showed that it assisted my loss of water weight when needed excellently (think creatine water retention). With salt levels, if I am running more than 5 miles, or at least twice a week if needed I have an electrolyte mix I use.

With fish oil, it is the fatty acids that you want from it. And just for reference the omega-3 fatty acids from plants do not compare in bio-availability. The fishoil I take is tested for heavy metal concentration, and people that are really concerned about that sort of thing can take krill oil or similar to avoid taking an omega-3 source from top-feeders.

As with eating more portions per day, this has been proven not to effect the metabolism rate, and all it would serve to do is reduce the insulin effect of meals, or maintain satiety. For me though it increases hunger, and I manage fine with 3 meals per day.

Over all due to my job I get full bloodwork twice a year, testing from everything from general health to toxicity of metals, effects of chemicals and a full physical. I maintain nearly ideal bloodwork especially in relation to fats as well, EPA and DHA do help apparently in that, but it is also the frequent exercise.

Plus, you are asking us to get rid of bacon? O_O noooooooooo *dies*

But you have good points, and once again it is a case by case basis and people should see THEIR gp's for a recommendation. as for my weight loss it was a lifestyle change based on simple things that work, with frequent health checks.

Cheers,
Chris.

[MisterLove]

I lost 6 kgs recently and I'm convinced the main factor was diet. Exercise is great but eating less carbs was the decisive change.

[Shiner]

@ mrlove.

Good job! and I agree that diet is one of the biggest if not THE biggest factor. Carbs without fibre (ie sugary crap like coke) are a big spanner to be thrown into the works with weight management.

[starbelly]

Hey peeps thought I would tell you a tale, about how I went from damn overweight to fairly fit in 24 months.

All in all I went from 119kg (262lbs) to 83kg (182lbs). The majority of this 80lbs loss was within 8 months.

My background: I enjoyed a soda, around 3 or 4 a day. I was also not that rich, so I lived on cheap meals a lot (lots of things like meat pies etc). This was a recipe that was bound to end bad, as I always struggled with weight loss.

So how did I lose weight? A lifestyle change, not a diet. and surprisingly it did not start AT ALL with exercise.

Step 1. I gave up soda. This alone gave me probably the first big kick in weight loss. I drank only water or coffee.

Step 2. I cooked my own meals, ALL the time. No frozen crap or pre-prepared sauces etc. Simple GOOD food, like grilled chicken breast with a side of broccoli and peas. or soups... soups are great. cooking up brillaint blended soups for cheap that keep you filled with a side of nice herb crusted bread. For example chickpeas, garlic, onion, celery etc cooked in a chicken broth then blended up with some crispy bacon to serve... delicious and filling.

step 3. After I lost enough weight to be self confident I joined a gym (maybe around 205lbs). I focused on a lot of weights, mixed with plenty of cardio (running on the treadmill mostly). At least 3 times a week, for 30 minutes or so on cardio. And at least 2 hard sessions of weights or bodyweight movement.

Step 4? continue! it is all about motivation and finding what works for yourself.



My hints and tips?

- Tastes change, and it takes time. For example I craved soda and snacks HARD but after 3 or 4 months you don't even think about them. I love my veggies and meat now.

- You find what works for your own body, but it is a simple remedy of eating less energy than you expend. Plus simple ideas like not eating simple sugars without fibre (i.e candy or fruit juice).

- WATER WATER LOTS OF WATER. I drink probably 2 gallons a day, then go back to days where I drink maybe half a gallon. Your body still continues excreting that extra water and seems to help with losing excess water. Idk how but it seems to work. '

- Eat high protein foods, they keep you fuller for longer.

- Fish oil and vitamin D are the only supplements you really need. Fishoil is a proven supplement and vitamin D is shocker if not kept in proper levels.

This is about as much as I can cram into a short post, but if I can I might post up some of my favorite exercises that I do at home (apart from running I mostly do at home exercises) and some of my favorite recipes!

here is a quick semi-before and after. Now I'd love to be fitter, and show some real abs... but I love my beer. So it is a real struggle to get the last little bit of fat off.

edit: it turns out I can't post images until I have 50 posts... looks like I'll just have to be here to offer some advice until I can post them.

I'm basically the same as you, except I was never really a big soda drinker (I drink diet Coke and Tab sometimes). I would eat sweets sometimes, but most of my problem was carbs now that I look back— I've been a vegetarian for a decade now, and I was unknowingly eating far too many carbs in place of meats.

Anyway, I gained a ton of weight after having a thyroid surgery and being off replacement hormones for three months (crashes your metabolism)— I was almost the exact same weight you were, just a few pounds under. What happened was I found out five months ago that I was a type 1 diabetic, and that forced me to totally change the way I ate in general— low carbs, hardly any sugar. It's amazing what that will do. I had no idea. I didn't even exercise and I dropped over 50 pounds between March and August, for real. I weigh 199 now, which is the lowest I've weighed in years. At 6'1", I'm still SLIGHTLY overweight, but nothing compared to what I was.

I still fudge it every once in awhile and will have a little bit of ice cream or something, but in small amounts, as I can't really have much (unless I want to bolus a crap load of insulin or end up hospitalized again). Really though, I honestly believe weight loss is 75% diet and 25% exercise.

[Shiner]

I'm basically the same as you, except I was never really a big soda drinker (I drink diet Coke and Tab sometimes). I would eat sweets sometimes, but most of my problem was carbs now that I look back— I've been a vegetarian for a decade now, and I was unknowingly eating far too many carbs in place of meats.

Anyway, I gained a ton of weight after having a thyroid surgery and being off replacement hormones for three months (crashes your metabolism)— I was almost the exact same weight you were, just a few pounds under. What happened was I found out five months ago that I was a type 1 diabetic, and that forced me to totally change the way I ate in general— low carbs, hardly any sugar. It's amazing what that will do. I had no idea. I didn't even exercise and I dropped over 50 pounds between March and August, for real. I weigh 199 now, which is the lowest I've weighed in years. At 6'1", I'm still SLIGHTLY overweight, but nothing compared to what I was.

I still fudge it every once in awhile and will have a little bit of ice cream or something, but in small amounts, as I can't really have much (unless I want to bolus a crap load of insulin or end up hospitalized again). Really though, I honestly believe weight loss is 75% diet and 25% exercise.

Good luck with managing that, I hope it works out. By the sounds of it you have it sorted but it definitely is a hard thing to learn on the run. I

I know what you mean about carbs and vegetarian meals... Some of my favorite dishes involve pasta or rice, or breads! I just try to limit them slightly. Sounds like you do a better job than me though.

However last night I enjoyed burritos made from kidney beans instead of beef, and lots of roasted red peppers in the mix (plus the usual hot chilli peppers )

Was great! my friends didn't think so though, they aren't used to all the fibre and enjoyed a full day of blowing their o-rings out. TMI? fibre doesn't think so