+1 to this too. Keep a journal. It really is the only way to know what you are really eating. If you don't you will sneak in extra calories all over the place.
Doctor say's I no more beer. Drink vodka instead.
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+1 to this too. Keep a journal. It really is the only way to know what you are really eating. If you don't you will sneak in extra calories all over the place.
I'm going to reiterate the thoughts of others and say, 'do something that is sustainable for you'. I've personally shed a lot of weight over the last 2 years and most of that I would attribute to exercise. Other folks I know have stuck to rather drastic diets and that's worked for them (but I love food too much for that).
Been there, done that, was even at the same height and weight. You are in the heart attack and type 2 diabetes risk zone.
You can exercise until your legs fall off and you will not lose a pound. You will get fit, but you will not lose a pound. The reasons are various, but let's just say that metabolism is a stubborn thing to adjust.
Fact: you get fit in the gym but will only lose weight in the kitchen
Several years back, I stayed on a 1500 kcal (or actually a little bit less) daily intake ketogenic diet for 8 months and lost 80 pounds. Ketogenesis is when you force your body to burn it's stored fat and use it for energy (you lose weight and do not feel starved or even very hungry). There's also tricks to that because if you don't use the tricks, your metabolism will just slow way down and will refuse to burn your stored fat for energy - then you will actually be starving. The trick is to do 3000 kcal or so once a week, i.e. eat what you want and drink beer but only on Saturday night. Step on the scale on Sunday and you will have gained weight, by Monday it will be back to normal, and by Tuesday you will see a net loss. Keep on losing Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Repeat the Saturday process again. Basically this process ensures that you do not remain in ketogenesis for the entire week and that your metabolism doesn't decide to slow down.
Your metabolism will adjust to your food intake and exertion. If you burn 2000c a day and eat 2000c a day you won't lose any weight. You are in balance. If you burn 2000c and eat 1500c you will lose weight. You have a calorie deficit. If you burn 2000c and eat 2500c you will gain weight. You have a calorie surplus.
It really is just that easy for a normal person. If you are one of the small percentage that actually has a glandular problem then your results will be different. Luckily for most of us it is as simple as IN vs OUT.
This is only true if you compensate for the extra calories burned by eating more calories. As I said above, it's all about IN vs OUT. When you exercise you increase the OUT side of the equation, making it easier to lose. It doesn't guarantee you will lose weight. Many people are what is called 'compensators'. When they work out they eat more. It's not that the exercise didn't burn calories, it's that they ate the same or more that what they burned off.
It's funny (and sad) how brainwashed we have all become with all of the fad diets, medicines, etc. Marketing works, and this is one of the most heavily marketed areas of our society. You can do specialty diets and they will work short term. If you have a lot of willpower they can work longer term as well, but are you going to stick with a ketogenic diet for the rest of your life? Doing something that is sustainable is the key. You need to learn the proper care and feeding of your body so that you are healthy the rest of your life. Going on a ketogenic diet doesn't teach you anything sustainable unless your idea of sustainable is to go on a ketogenic diet every time you need to lose weight. Luckily we all learned the basic math to lose weight when we were in grade school: X - X = X. That's it. It's just that easy. And it's sustainable. If you are getting fat you are eating too many calories to maintain your weight. If you are losing weight you aren't eating enough calories to maintain. Learn what calories are in the food you eat, keep track of every single thing you eat, and all the mysteries will disappear.
Triggering your body to use stored fat as energy is not as simple as introducing caloric deficit. It's not a black and white mathematical truth because metabolism is a highly complex function that is overly selfish by default and attempts to control you in every way it can with insulin. Metabolism needs to be voided of it's ability to use insulin as a tool, then it will start to behave and do what it's told. Ask any person who had to work to get their visible abs how they do it, and the answer will invariably be "in the kitchen". Not in the gym, but in the kitchen.
You'd need to be running non-stop for something like 15 hours to burn one pound of fat. Exercise is practically ineffective at weight loss.
BTW, one shot of vodka is like 90 kcal. One beer is something like 4 times that, or more. There have been plenty of guys living on 4-5 beers a day for periods of time (monks), normally something sturdy like hefeweizen. Not saying you should consider that, but I'm pretty certain that you could fit one beer a day into your 1500 kcal limit if that were a priority to you.
Good luck.
You'd need to be running non-stop for something like 15 hours to burn one pound of fat. Exercise is practically ineffective at weight loss.
BTW, one shot of vodka is like 90 kcal. One beer is something like 4 times that, or more. There have been plenty of guys living on 4-5 beers a day for periods of time (monks), normally something sturdy like hefeweizen. Not saying you should consider that, but I'm pretty certain that you could fit one beer a day into your 1500 kcal limit if that were a priority to you.
Good luck.
irishrover32
Well-Known Member
1500 calories is very low at that rate your going to be loosing a lot of muscle aswell as fat which is counter productive as muscle burns fat. the guide usually goes along the line of 15 calories per pound of body fat to maintain your weight. to loose weight your talking about 10-12 calories per pound of body weight a day, for a chap like yourself to loose weight by consuming 10 calories per pound of body weight a day you should be consuming 2420 calories a day. i would definatly advise counting calories i use a spread sheet type thing which makes it pretty simple specially if your eating the same stuff every day theres also apps you can get which can do this. try get some exercise a few times a week lifting weights can be extremly enjoyable and theres loads of programmes online. the first 2 or 3 weeks are the toughest keep with it and you'll be flying in no time. good luck
Thank you everyone for the input. I apologize I'm more of a lurker on the forum the an active participant.
So far so good. I'm on day 3 and I'm drinking a ton of water, eating fresh fruits and veggies during the day. For dinner I sit down with my family and eat a homemade meal. This is important to me to sit and eat dinner with my family it something we have always done and something I will always continue to do. So far it hasn't been to difficult to keep to the 1500 calories/ day I'm just eating a lot of steamed veggies at dinner. I love them.
So I am a stay at home dad and have 3 kids under the age of 5. I started writing this post about an hour and a half ago, and I have totally forgotten where I was going with it. So, thank you all for the input and advice. I have made losing weight a priority. Thank you once again.
So far so good. I'm on day 3 and I'm drinking a ton of water, eating fresh fruits and veggies during the day. For dinner I sit down with my family and eat a homemade meal. This is important to me to sit and eat dinner with my family it something we have always done and something I will always continue to do. So far it hasn't been to difficult to keep to the 1500 calories/ day I'm just eating a lot of steamed veggies at dinner. I love them.
So I am a stay at home dad and have 3 kids under the age of 5. I started writing this post about an hour and a half ago, and I have totally forgotten where I was going with it. So, thank you all for the input and advice. I have made losing weight a priority. Thank you once again.
A mix of cardio and weight training is the key to everything, mixed with diet of course. It is not so much the calories you take in IMO, but what you are eating that make up those calories... 1500 calories of fruits and vegetables is obviously different for your body than 1500 calories of donuts. Drink what you want, just get on a good workout routine of BOTH weights and cardio.
At nearly 250lbs and at 1500 kCal/day you're asking for failure. Get a second opinion from an actual dietitian because at that calorie value per day you're going to be burning through your lean muscle mass right along with your fat, it's FAR too low for your weight.
I'm not an expert but I like to think I know a thing or two about losing weight while still enjoying beer. In 6 months I went from 195 lbs and 21% body fat percentage to 175 lbs and 7.5% body fat. I used the MyFitnessPal app to roughly track my intake and kept to about 2300 kCal (with roughly 1-1.5g protein/lb of body weight), ran treadmill 2 days a week, and did an hour of muscle-group free weight muscle group strength training 3 days a week.
The wife loves my figure, I still get to drink a pint or two a day, and I make my doctor happy. Your doctor, telling you to cut so much... they're just asking you to fail.
I'm not an expert but I like to think I know a thing or two about losing weight while still enjoying beer. In 6 months I went from 195 lbs and 21% body fat percentage to 175 lbs and 7.5% body fat. I used the MyFitnessPal app to roughly track my intake and kept to about 2300 kCal (with roughly 1-1.5g protein/lb of body weight), ran treadmill 2 days a week, and did an hour of muscle-group free weight muscle group strength training 3 days a week.
The wife loves my figure, I still get to drink a pint or two a day, and I make my doctor happy. Your doctor, telling you to cut so much... they're just asking you to fail.
Skeptidelphian
Well-Known Member
Whoaaaaa, 1500 a day? That's less than you need daily to maintain your health. I've dropped from 312 to 238 in two years, and I still drink beer and all.
Read up on proper weight loss nutrition:
http://scoobysworkshop.com/losing-weight-and-building-6-pack-abs/
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
It actually isn't really about how much you eat - it's what you eat. You can eat AS MUCH lean meat and vegetables as you want, but not the same with grains and starch.
Get a bucket of salt and read Tim Ferris's 4 Hour Body. His dieting advice is good, even if he exaggerates the results.
Get a bucket of salt and read Tim Ferris's 4 Hour Body. His dieting advice is good, even if he exaggerates the results.
So far so good. I do about 1200 calories a day then have a beer. So far I have finished under the 1500 calorie a day mark every day. I am using the my fitness pal app it is awesome. I love veggies not as much as I love cheese or peanut butter. So now I just eat a bunch of steamed veggies at 25 calories a cup and have a small treat afterward. Seems to be working so far. I am following the warrior diet. Which is how my dad eats and he hasn't gained or lost a pound since he was in high school. So I'm believe it is sustainable way of life. I have read the 4 hour body. The primal blueprint. The warrior diet, and a plethora of other books. I know I'm fat, and I don't like it. Here is to a great change of habits. Brew on.
2 lbs a week, that is just about how it went with me more or less.
You are going to be needing smaller pants about once a month. It will get real expensive going down from 42->40->38->36->34->32 unless you hit the second-hand stores for smaller pants until you reach your final goal.
HornetSparky
Well-Known Member
If you are a smartphone owner, you might look at the LoseIt app. It makes it pretty easy to track intake and output, thereby allowing you to earn--in a sense--you favorite indulgence through exercise. No gimmicks, just a daily caloric budget and an easy food and exercise logging interface. Used it myself and found success. There is still discomfort in weight loss, but this app made it rational for me, which helped.
I'm still going strong. Yesterday I only had 1300 calorie's 
I'm pumped. The thing is I'm not going to bed hungry and I don't feel like I'm starving my self. If anything I have more energy now. I no longer feel like I need a nap around 4. Any one have any good recommendations for cook books?
I'm pumped. The thing is I'm not going to bed hungry and I don't feel like I'm starving my self. If anything I have more energy now. I no longer feel like I need a nap around 4. Any one have any good recommendations for cook books?
geek_chaser
Well-Known Member
Good for you for sticking to it. Soon you will be able to drink again.
m3n00b
Well-Known Member
I've only gained 2.5 lbs since starting homrebrew a year ago. I drink a lot more beer now too.
I'm still going strong. Yesterday I only had 1300 calorie's
That's a sign that your body is burning fat for energy and that the insulin spikes are flatlining. It's the insulin spikes that make you tired.
Losing weight is boring. I ate exactly the same thing every day for 8 months.
2 boiled eggs and a cappucino for breakfast.
1 can of tuna (in water, not oil) or 1 can of low-sodium sardines, 5 calamata olives, 5 sun dried tomatoes, and 5-10 capers for lunch.
1 baked chicken breast with mustard, 5 almonds, and a pile of broccoli for dinner with one tablespoon of olive oil on top. 1 glass of red wine (1/4 of a bottle), and 1 small square of chocolate for evening before bed.
Every day, for 8 months. Except for the saturday thing I mentioned.
Setest and several others hit the nail on the head. It's all about IN and OUT. The amount of caloric INPUT must be less than the amount of caloric OUTPUT in order to lose weight. If you consume more calories than your body will use, you will gain weight; if you use more calories than you consume, you will lose weight. It becomes a matter of balance: reduce the consumed calories or increase the calories used. Exercise is vital to finding and maintaining that balance. Three years ago, I went from 257 pounds to 192 pounds in less than a year simply by watching what I ate and exercising regularly. I've regained some of the weight lost, because I haven't been doing my exercise routine. But for me, it was simply to balance input and output, and make sure I was burning more calories than I took in.
glenn514
glenn514
beersk
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Man, I wish I could say the same. I gained about 15 pounds the first year after starting to brew. I'm 5'8ish, probably around 168 right now. But when I started homebrewing I was in the 155-160 range, but went up to like 175-180. Earlier this year, I got fed up and decided to lose some weight (using MyFitnessPal) and got down to 163 or so. I've gained 5 pounds back or so. Ideally, I'd like to be 150. Maybe next summer when I get out on long bike rides again. It's cold out, feels like it's time to hibernate. Just gotta try not to put on weight in the winter like I do every year.
Great job, noblebrew, for joing MFP. It's a great app and helps track everything. 1300 is a bit low, you might need to up it a bit later if you plateau. Your body will get used to the lower calories and work more efficiently, which means you'll need to maybe eat more and exercise more intensely (if you are exercising). Otherwise, make sure you get a lot of protein so you don't lose too much muscle.
Keep it up! And allow yourself a beer a day. My problem is I drink a lot more on weekends than I should...gotta stop doing that. I wouldn't call myself fat or even overweight, but certainly could lose a few.
Thanks everyone. Last night was hard. For some reason every time I go on a diet my wife takes up baking. Over the course of the last 4 days she has made pumpkin pie, pumpkin pie cheesecake, and lemon cheesecake bars. I had to say no to my favorite the lemon cheesecake bars. But I did it I still came in at 1500 calories.
BreezyBrew
IPA is my spirit animal
Congrats man, that sounds seriously difficult. I can't imagine being on a diet with that type of food around. Do you own a restaurant? Where is all that going?
For me, it would be pretty difficult not to be resentful over that situation. I can understand her wanting to bake some but cmon, really? Help a guy out.
Get used to it, that's the way it goes down. Some people will even actively oppose your losing weight. Others will even try to sabotage it. It makes other people insecure somehow.
When I was losing weight, absolutely nobody supported me. My toothpick-thin barbie-doll gf dumped me because she thought I wasn't big and scary enough anymore to keep the other men away from her out in public. My co-workers offered me some sort of birthday cake like 3 times a week (I worked in a large business unit), and they always told me "won't hurt you to have some now, see how much weight you've already lost". I refused to budge or bow down to anybody elses will. I was unflinchingly uncompromising, like a rock. And I reached my goal through sheer willpower, then I bought myself an Armani Collezioni suit.
You will need to learn to deal with it because people won't stop trying to tempt you - they most likely will even tell you that you think you are better than them, rude, and unsociable. Whatever, it's your health at stake. I haven't eaten pasta, rice, potatoes, etc in more than 4 years. Not even once. I'm 47 years old now and I've got more "manly" function and stamina now than I did when I was 18, if you catch my drift. Without pills. When I was your weight, I seriously almost got a heart attack while carrying a rack of beer (20 x 0.5 litre bottles) for 200 meters. Today, I can carry one on each shoulder for that distance without breaking much of a sweat, let alone running out of breath.
Set your target and approach it like a train in a tunnel.
beersk
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That's how ya do it, son!!! F*cking sucks about your gf though. What a pisser...
It's amazing how people are when they notice you're losing weight. "Oh, you exercise all the time, you can have that cake!" Yeah, sure, I can have that cake, but I don't want it.
I learned what I should and should not eat, for the most part, using the fitness pal app. I still definitely indulge a little in the things I love, like pizza, wings, pasta, etc. But I just realize that I can't eat them regularly like I used to. That's how the weight gets put on. One crappy meal or even a bad day of eating won't put on the weight just like one workout isn't going to lose the weight. It's a regularity thing, stick to it, and you'll be successful.
I generally know not to eat too much, but I'm pretty sure I still do. Thing that gets me is not going for that 2nd or 3rd beer when I'm chilling out at home with the gf. And the weekends...need to quit that kind of drinking. It's amazing I'm not huge. Riding my bike for transportation makes a HUGE difference.
I have three kids they polish off the deserts. What gets me is she hides the last piece and brings it out to me after the kids are in bed and says she saved it for me. Then looks disappointed when I turn it down. She says she wants me to be healthy, but she wants me to be cuddly even more. I'm sick of being cuddly I want to be lean and mean again.
Black Island Brewer
An Ode to Beer
Some people use food and the giving of food to express their love and affection to others. If you refuse the food, you are, in their mind, refusing the love. Help her by giving her new ways to express her love, and respond positively to those. Oh, and a few good low calorie recipes that are "treats" could help her too. Have her check out hungrygirl.com, skinnytaste.com and even sparkpeople.com for great recipes. My personal preference is to look for lighter versions of favorites that cut out some of the obvious high-calorie ingredients, but don't use fake foods like artificial sweeteners and unnatural "non-fat" foods that read more like chemistry experiments.
Hang in there! With all of us here, as diverse as our opinions are, you can still find your path to health.
Since she wants you to be cuddly, you could remind her that your doctor wants you to be cuddly too, for a long, long time, and being obese is not going to help you live longer.
brewcephus
Well-Known Member
Noblebrew,
I feel your pain, brother. I recently went for my yearly checkup, I work at a hospital and we get discounts on our insurance for having physicals done once a year, and the Dr told me what I already knew. I'm FAT! It was the extra part he added at the end that bothered me, he was going to put me on Blood Pressure medicine because I had high blood pressure. I have problems remembering to take vitamins everyday so how in the he!! am I going to remember to take BP medicine everyday.
As a side note, I am 6'3" and at the time I weighed 310 lbs, that was 2 months ago. I'm down to 268 now and still going. I would like to be 220 lbs of lean muscle mass at the end of this thing. For the first month I did give up beer completely. Now I drink maybe one a week. As I lose more weight, I will continue to re-introduce the foods/drinks that desire, but moderation/restraint must be practiced.
It can be done and it is HARD to do with all the bad food choices that surround us everyday. As Podz says, go at it with extreme intensity and you will accomplish your goal.
I feel your pain, brother. I recently went for my yearly checkup, I work at a hospital and we get discounts on our insurance for having physicals done once a year, and the Dr told me what I already knew. I'm FAT! It was the extra part he added at the end that bothered me, he was going to put me on Blood Pressure medicine because I had high blood pressure. I have problems remembering to take vitamins everyday so how in the he!! am I going to remember to take BP medicine everyday.
As a side note, I am 6'3" and at the time I weighed 310 lbs, that was 2 months ago. I'm down to 268 now and still going. I would like to be 220 lbs of lean muscle mass at the end of this thing. For the first month I did give up beer completely. Now I drink maybe one a week. As I lose more weight, I will continue to re-introduce the foods/drinks that desire, but moderation/restraint must be practiced.
It can be done and it is HARD to do with all the bad food choices that surround us everyday. As Podz says, go at it with extreme intensity and you will accomplish your goal.
This is exactly what happens at my house. My wife says she wants to lose weight and be in better shape, but then when I start on a low carb diet and try to avoid sugary foods all of a sudden the house is filled with snack cakes and crap like that.
I wouldn't mind since I have enough will power to just not eat much of it, but then it just sits there going to waste, which drives me nuts!
If they would just buy a small amount of that stuff and eat it as a treat instead of a part of the daily nutritional requirements, everything would be better.
Wow, that is impressive. Great job. Keep up the good work.
I just have to keep saying no. Relax don't do it when you want to go to it. Also maybe I should learn to use the multi quote button
ThreeSheetsBrewing
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I agree with many of the above comments. I had to lose some weight for health isssues.
Things that helped me.
Lots of lean meats, on smaller plates. I can't pack it with as much since I lack some will power.
Learned to grill veges along side my meats.
I count calories. When a beer has 200-500 calories, I'm drinking up to 25% of my caloties in one sitting. You'll start planing more to "save" calories for later.
Smaller beer glasses.
Only bottle in regular bottles, no bombers.
Bought a bike and began cycling to work 2-3 days a week, 14 mile round trip.
If I can't bike I use an elliptical.
Don't beat yourself up if you have a bad day. Start over tomorrow. And don't give up you can do it. It takes time to adjust behaviours.
Keep your head up,
Matt
Things that helped me.
Lots of lean meats, on smaller plates. I can't pack it with as much since I lack some will power.
Learned to grill veges along side my meats.
I count calories. When a beer has 200-500 calories, I'm drinking up to 25% of my caloties in one sitting. You'll start planing more to "save" calories for later.
Smaller beer glasses.
Only bottle in regular bottles, no bombers.
Bought a bike and began cycling to work 2-3 days a week, 14 mile round trip.
If I can't bike I use an elliptical.
Don't beat yourself up if you have a bad day. Start over tomorrow. And don't give up you can do it. It takes time to adjust behaviours.
Keep your head up,
Matt
m3n00b
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Wow man that is an awesome job! Keep it up!
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You do have to keep saying no, but you WILL have to deal with delicious things easily accessible. It'll be okay. What you absolutely must accept is that you can eat poorly and still lose weight, but you cannot overindulge, and you cannot eat empty calories regularly.
I am trying to take my own advice right now. I'm 35+ pounds down from where I was, yet lately have allowed myself to indulge in empty calories (candies, etc) way too much. It's ok, I'm getting back on track. I'm focusing on the positive and my goal - which is 50 pounds.
Last month I had to wear a suit to a visitation - and the pants were too big. Like, I was shocked how big. I bought that suit in 1994! I was a freshman in college then.
If it were easy, everyone would be thin. What's easy is eating junk.
I can completely attest to the statement - food tastes delicious, but nothing feels as good as being thin and healthy.
Tizzomes
Well-Known Member
Sounds a little strict to me. Join a gym and lift some weights. Muscle building is a fat burning machine. Also become a weekend warrior instead of carrying your liver around all week. You'll be fine exercise more and drink a little less!
Well, "cuddly" is nice! But as cold as it seems, ask her if she'd like you to be alive in 10 or 20 or 30 years.
Obesity leads to very serious health problems- high blood pressure, diabetes, circulatory disorders, and of course cardiovascular disease.
I know it's hard, but taking care of yourself NOW means a healthy and longer future.
People always tell me that they don't want to do what I do- low carb, no sugar, no packaged foods- but I"m incredibly healthy and fit and it's worth it. I haven't had a doughnut in almost 30 years. But, I can run circles around people 40 years old, and actually since many young people aren't fit, I can probably run circles around most 25 year olds. It's all about priorities.
Healthy + alive for your kids = win.
Thank you every one I'm doing good. Yesterday I hit 700 calories and was full I just didn't want to eat anymore. I've read that anything below 1200 calories and your body may enter starvation mode. Which is bad. So I had to find calorie dense food. I barley made the 1200 calories and I just couldn't eat anything else.
Also I just stepped on the scale at home and it read 235 so that's 7 lbs this week. :rockin:
Also I just stepped on the scale at home and it read 235 so that's 7 lbs this week. :rockin:
The weight loss goes extremely fast for the first few weeks due to the heavy water loss. When you cut the carbs and sodium, your body will begin to release all the extra water. This extra stored water can be as much as 20-30 lbs.
If you're standing in front of the pisser shifting gears, then you know what I mean.
If you're standing in front of the pisser shifting gears, then you know what I mean.
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