Please help me. I'm a fat 23 year old and I don't want to be this way anymore

[Violent V]

I have been conscious of losing weight since i was 14 years old.

I began taking it seriously 4 years ago, joined a gym and tried everything from low fat, my doctor's advice, to Atkins.

2 years ago I started calorie counting and exercising 6 mornings a week. I lost 1 1/2 stone in the 1st month, and nothing else ever since. I started a journal here, brought my calorie consumption down to the point of starving- at one point i was in the gym twice a day. I am generally in at least 4 mornings a week running and doing some weights. I have persistently stuck to water, fruit, green tea, brown bread/rice, veg and all the other healthy stuff for a year now.

My brother turned from bullied fatboy to Greek God in one month. All he did was start running a few times a week. My 20st friend has dropped to 14st in 6 months. Some girl at work has dropped 3st in 2 months. All they did was change their diet.

I work out more than any of them have or did. I cannot keep persevering for much further without getting results. Everyone tells me something different: Metabolism. Calories. Carbs. Do long, low impact cardio. Do short, high impact cardio. Use Heavy weights. No, use light weights. I am tired. I don't know what advise to follow anymore...

I just want to lose this body fat like everyone else is. I just want to know the secret that they are hiding from me.

And then, one day i want to pass it on to others...

 

[KontrollerX]

http://www.sosuave.net/forum/showthread.php?t=160509

Well for one thing you need to stop starving yourself as that will just make you hold onto the weight even more.

Also have a read of Throttle's great thread there to give you an idea of his particular take on the low carb approach as well he mentions specific foods to eat.

Also telling us you go to the gym and do some running and lift some weights is not enough information.

Whats the duration of your run? Are you hitting your target heart rate?? Do you have a personal trainer???

What kind of weight lifting do you do? How many reps?? What are you eating for protein???

When it comes to fat loss and body recomposition cardio I'd say is far more important than weight lifting though weight lifting does help slightly via burning a few extra calories but yeah ultimately cardio plus diet is the way to take fat off.

When I lost a significant amount of fat that being 40lbs a few months back and 70lbs when I was younger the way I did it was steady state cardio for an hour a day every day on a stationary bike combined with a low calorie but sensible diet.

The HIIT cardio or the high intensity version of it with brief slowdown rest periods known as intervals is supposed to be even more effective at burning fat and with that you can supposedly get better fat loss results in less time doing that than steady state.

The thing is though HIIT is for people who are already at a decent level of cardiovascular fitness which means no one with any sense would recommend it to a person who hasn't exercised in years whose just starting out at getting in shape.

Its steady state first for a good long while until you are built up and used to exercise for a few months and then you can move on to HIIT if you like.

Just thought I'd tell you a little more about HIIT since it seems your buddies are filling your head with many different things about what to do or not do.

 

[Violent V]

I went through a period last year where i was running and jogging on the treadmill for an hour every session. Then when that didn't work, for a couple of months it was 30 mins running followed by heavy weights session. More recently i have been sprinting breathless for 20 mins straight, followed by non-stop free weights workout for another 30 mins.

I work on the treadmill, plus bike everytime i am in the gym. Weights are something i move onto if i've still got the energy.

On top of the cardio in the gym, i play soccer at least 3 times a week and usually put more effort in than any other player. I can exercise for a fair while.

Breakfast has been fruit (bananas, oranges, grapes or melons), salad or veg for lunch, and Quarter Chicken plus more veg and brown bread, rice or pasta for dinner. Thats been my diet for the last year. Weekends are 'cheat days'.

I'm a pretty deteremined person, and can start again on Monday. I'm just getting discouraged because i have not been making any progress for years. Others around me are not even looking into it as much as me and dropping weight effortlessly in a matter of weeks...

 

[Being_the_Don]

I went through a period last year where i was running and jogging on the treadmill for an hour every session. Then when that didn't work, for a couple of months it was 30 mins running followed by heavy weights session. More recently i have been sprinting breathless for 20 mins straight, followed by non-stop free weights workout for another 30 mins.

I work on the treadmill, plus bike everytime i am in the gym. Weights are something i move onto if i've still got the energy.

On top of the cardio in the gym, i play soccer at least 3 times a week and usually put more effort in than any other player. I can exercise for a fair while.

Breakfast has been fruit (bananas, oranges, grapes or melons), salad or veg for lunch, and Quarter Chicken plus more veg and brown bread, rice or pasta for dinner. Thats been my diet for the last year. Weekends are 'cheat days'.

I'm a pretty deteremined person, and can start again on Monday. I'm just getting discouraged because i have not been making any progress for years. Others around me are not even looking into it as much as me and dropping weight effortlessly in a matter of weeks...

Your diet is not conducive to weight loss, herein lies one of your problems. Also, have you considered that your metabolism might be out of whack? You could have a thyroid disorder that could be slowing your metabolism down. Or you could have some other underlying medical condition. Also, does your family have a history of overweight/obesity? It may make it more difficult to lose weight easily but still by no means is it impossible. You should rethink your diet, though.

 

[EFFORT]

How much do you weigh? Whats your height? Estimated bf%? Make a food log on here and write down exactly what you eat. Buy a cheap food scale and weigh everything you eat and write that beside each food in the log. Also give us some more info on your family history. Have you ever spoken to a doctor about this?

 

[Violent V]

My general routine for anyone who cares. I am not misleading anyone. I just want to know where i am going run and what i need to do right:

Get up at 6.30 am and in the gym at 7. Run for at least 20 mins, do weights and out of gym by 8.30am. I do this 3 times a week, at least.

Sit in office at work from 9am to 5.30pm. Lunch i go to canteen and buy a small salad or a plate of veg. While at work, i also drink 4 litres of water, and 3 cups of green tea.

In the evenings i either chill at home, or play soccer for an hour at least 3 evenings a week. I plan on changing my evening routine, and start doing salsa one night, karate another as well. Dinner is always Quarter breast chicken, boiled veg, and brown rice or pasta.

 

[Furyguy]

Two points for you:

1) Everyone's body responds differently to each exercise program. What works exceptionally well for someone else might not work for you. Try everything, and if it's not working after a month, change it.

2) Progress comes in spurts. I just lost 30 pounds, it took me 10 weeks. During the first two weeks I lost 12 pounds. Then maybe a half-pound a week for the next 6 weeks. Then these last two weeks I just lost 14 pounds again, rapidly. Not sure why it goes like this, but it does. Two years IS a long time, but don't get discouraged. (And yes, I busted my ass the whole time and it was ****ing grueling.)

Lastly,

Others around me are not even looking into it as much as me and dropping weight effortlessly in a matter of weeks...

this is ****ed up. Don't ever make light of someone else's hard work and progress. They are busting their ass just like you, and it's not fair to downplay their successes.

 

[Violent V]

I really appreciate everyones input.

I am 5 ft 10. And weigh 13 st 7. I will start implementing Throttle's advice tomorrow. But what is everyone's diet and gym routine? What do you think I shuold have for breakfast, lunch and dinner? What shall i do at the gym? How many days?

Nothing i've done personally seems to work.

I will start a record here as well. DonS, I have been following your progress here too- its what inspired me to seek some advice on this forum.

 

[KontrollerX]

DonS made a really good post to you as did everyone else.

This caught my eye though...

"Weekends are 'cheat days."

Dieters are not to have whole cheat days but rather a day where they have a single cheat meal and the cheat meal should be calorically balanced which means not having a large amount of food or food that doesn't seem to be a large amount but is loaded with an overabundance of calories that is going to destroy your whole week's progress.

So say you wanted to make a hamburger and fries your cheat meal for the week or the single cheat meal you eat say once every two weeks.

Instead of cooking the burger in oil and maybe even instead of hamburger use turkey burger instead and cook it in water on the stove in a pan adding small amounts of water as the water evaporates from the heat, then for fries bake them and then lightly salt them rather than frying them then eat them with ketchup or without ketchup. The less toppings the better.

Use whole wheat bread for the hamburger buns.

All these details you need to think about even for your cheat meals and I also remember a different study from years back that showed if dieters kept a log of what they ate all week it could work to keep them from overeating or eating too many calories.

So maybe keep a journal and fill it out each day with the food you ate and the amount of calories in that food and make sure your calorie total is what you need to be hitting each day to create a weight loss for yourself.

If you eat the correct calorie limit for yourself for weight loss and do an hour of steady state cardio 5 or 7 days a week and after three months you don't notice a significant fat loss then you've definitely got some other medical sh!t you got going on that you need tested probably to do with the thyroid.

Yeah though if you're really dedicated and really want to take this weight off I'd recommend you do an hour of steady state cardio 7 days a week and follow Throttle's eating and drinking advice to the letter.

If THAT doesn't work for you then again you must have one of those really bad genetic or thyroid problems that sometimes can be treated with medication which will then allow you to lose weight or so I've heard.

 

[Violent V]

Okay I will start keeping a record here of what I am eating, and base it on throttles advice. I will also start 1 hour steady treadmill again tomorrow morning.

I believe my job certainly doesn't help. 9-5 just sitting infront of a pc doesn't help my metabolism. So I will Try and get moving at work as well I.e. Take the stairs, walk around often and during lunch etc.

 

[Being_the_Don]

I really appreciate everyones input.

I am 5 ft 10. And weigh 13 st 7. I will start implementing Throttle's advice tomorrow. But what is everyone's diet and gym routine? What do you think I shuold have for breakfast, lunch and dinner? What shall i do at the gym? How many days?

Nothing i've done personally seems to work.

I will start a record here as well. DonS, I have been following your progress here too- its what inspired me to seek some advice on this forum.

A number of the posters in H&F including Quagmire, I-tallionStallion, Quiksilver and myself among others keep workout journals that you can use for reference. Plus there is a lot of information in the vault, check them against your own diet and exercise routine.

 

[Violent V]

Okay so far today I went for a treadmill run this morning. Ran incline 1.5% 8.5 km/h for 30mins, then 9.0 km/h for 20mins. Burned 550 calories according to the machine.

So far today i have had 4 apples for breakfast, 3 cups of green tea, and 2 litres of water.

I am just heading down for lunch now and am unsure as to what to eat. Some beef, chicken or fish with veg maybe? For dinner i will have some beans, beg and Quarter Chicken.

Although i didn't have proper breakfast today, from tomorrow i plan on having either scrambled eggs, of bran flakes with skimmed milk.

Apples, pears of grapes as snacks during the day.

Can people advise on this diet?

Thanks!!!

V

 

[Bible_Belt]

People here are going to tell you that you are eating too many carbs and not enough protein. All of that fruit has sugar and high glycemic index carbs. The fiber in it is what fills you up. Try raw vegetables instead - broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower especially.

fwiw, here is my thread on fat loss:
http://www.sosuave.net/forum/showthread.php?t=157517

Basically, if you eat enough cabbage and run enough sprints, you will lose fat. That is nothing different from what other people are telling you, that your energy burned simply needs to exceed you caloric energy consumed.

Also fwiw, I have seen a lot of overweight guys lose 50-100 pounds from taking up training in a fighting sport. mma, boxing, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu will all give you fat-burning high-intensity cardio.

 

[Violent V]

Hey i will be sure to check it out. I am starting some karate and salsa next week, so that will contribute.

I get and do enough exercise, so thats not a problem. I think its my diet which has been really my problem. Hence my emphasis here on food.

I had lemon chicken breast and veg for lunch. Also a little bit of gravy on there as well.

I've got a soccer game tonight, so more calorie burning. Afterwards i will chill and have my dinner: veg and butter beans with probably Quarter Chick Breast, although i might switch it and have fresh fish instead.

 

[Alle_Gory]

I've seen these threads before. I want to lose/gain weight but I'm going to change anything!!

What are you prepared to do to make the change? And are you going to go through with the change or stick with your nice comfortable lifestyle? Anything worth doing is not going to be easy.

 

[Violent V]

Hey I finished yesterday with a good game of football in the evening, followed by Chicken breast, veg and butter beans, with some chilli sauce, and a little piccalli for dinner.

I finished the night with one of my housemate’s choc cupcake. How do you combat cravings for something sweet/sugar/snack? What do you replace it with? I had a craving for something sweet late at night as all i had during the day was protein and carbs. I also slept a lot later than I started feeling tired. Tonight I will start going to bed earlier.

This morning I walked to the gym- a good half an hour and 100 calories. In the gym I ran for another 50 mins, burning 535 calories. No time for weights, I walked to work afterwards, burning probably another 70-100 calories. Upto 735 calories burned before even eating anything yet.

For breakfast at work I had scrambled egg, some mushrooms and one tin tomato. I couldn’t finish it though as I was filled up. Its almost lunch time and I’m not even hungry. Later on I plan on chilling at home with some friends coming round, and have fresh fish, veg and beans for dinner, apples for snacks. This time next week I will start karate in evenings.

I also doubt I will be able to keep up an hour jog every morning for a week, let alone 3 months. The most important thing is consistency. I would rather substitute one week’s enthusiastic exercise for consistency in a whole month. So I am trying to workout what day/days I can take off morning runs off without cutting down on the daily calorie burning. E.g. Tomorrow I have a big soccer tournament to play in the evening and plenty calories to burn, so I might not go running in the morning, or at least do weights instead.

Feedback as always appreciated!

V

 

[Juice09]

You lost a lot of weight at the beginning and than stopped losing weight. It means you've plateaued. That's what happens when you lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time with a consistent low calorie diet. Your body responded to your weight lose by reserving your fat.

You responded by lowering your calorie intake even more. Big mistake.

Go here:
http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

Put in your age, weight, height, and than go down to the 7 day calorie cycle. That is how you're supposed to be eating when you're trying to lose fat. Various amounts of calories on different days. Your body will not plateau. But now that you've been doing this for several years, your body has probably adjusted to your super low calorie diet, so eating like a normal, healthy person is definitely going to cause weight gain.

And forget long and slow cardio sessions. If you're running for 50 minutes, than you're probably pacing yourself and running at a slower rate than you should be. It's better to run for 10 minutes at a VERY INTENSE rate, so your heart rate is extremely high. That's when your body goes directly for the fat reserves.

 

[Throttle]

cravings for sweet go away for most people after a week or two of abstention. as soon as you fall off the wagon, though, the clock resets.

 

[Violent V]

V is confused again...

Throttle, thanks for the input. If you could give me some feedback on the below as well that would be great:

Hey Juice, That’s pretty much spot on. I lost a stone in the first month, went down to half a stone the next month, and just wouldn’t go lower ever since. I kept bringing my calorie intake down, and still no results. So here I am now, seeking advice.

For lunch yesterday i had broccoli, carrots and cauliflower cheese. I walked it home again, a good half an hour walk, brought some mates round and played some racing games. For dinner 4 hours before bed i had Cod fish (gorgeous! i love fresh fish!!!), mixed veg and beans again. I was craving again and had two hot chocolates. Slept a lot earlier as well, so yeah i guess what i need to start doing now is cutting out the sweet cravings in the evenings.

This morning i walked it again to work, but did not go gym. I have a few games to play tonight, so that should be my cardio.

Done a bit of research here and read that i should eat a lot for breakfast, moderately at lunch, and very little for dinner. I am now implementing (had scrambled egg, mushrooms, and one hash brown) this unless this is not advised for weight loss?

The contradicting advise is confusing me again! Shall I run gradually for an hour as KX advised, or INTENSE as Juicy has said…

V

 

[KontrollerX]

"The contradicting advise is confusing me again! Shall I run gradually for an hour as KX advised, or INTENSE as Juicy has said…"

The best thing for you to do is pick a particular exercise and diet program and simply stick to that for a certain number of months.

If my idea doesn't lose you the weight then try the other posters idea.

If you want to try his idea first and then come back to mine if his doesn't work then thats fine too.

The point however is for you to pick something and then stick to it for the decided number of months.