The fun meal vs success balancing act
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I think this has been a good thread for you to see how much/how little other people splurge or plan for non-restricted eating. You brought up your beach vacation and said you had beers on the beach. If I remember correctly, you previously said that you drank a 6 pack a day. I know that it was vacation and I am generally a "relax, you're on vacation" person but I don't think it is reasonable to think that you can take in that many calories extra and not gain. And if you are okay with gaining on vacation great but I don't think that you are, based on what you've written since then.0
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Really? My beer is always 180/190 or so calories per bottle. I didn't know that 100 calorie beer even existed.
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I think this has been a good thread for you to see how much/how little other people splurge or plan for non-restricted eating. You brought up your beach vacation and said you had beers on the beach. If I remember correctly, you previously said that you drank a 6 pack a day. I know that it was vacation and I am generally a "relax, you're on vacation" person but I don't think it is reasonable to think that you can take in that many calories extra and not gain. And if you are okay with gaining on vacation great but I don't think that you are, based on what you've written since then.
That's 600 calories a day LOL. IIFYM says we can pretend I ate three protein bars extra a day instead of beers if that sounds less scandalous. I agree though, it is interesting to see what others are doing.
EDIT: 600x7 would be a little over a pound of weight gain. Where did the other 9 come from? I don't really feel like I ate that much. I split a half gallon of ice cream over the week with the wife. Drank my beers. Skipped most lunches. Grapes as a snack on the beach. Bacon and eggs at breakfast. I think I had one dinner where the side wasn't some assortment of vegetables. Fast food on the trip down and back up. I dunno, it just shows the randomness of it all.
Move on dude. Seriously. This was a great thread to get some perspective. Take a breath and get back at it. Maybe it's a little harder for you than some other poster. Or maybe some of us have different dieting histories, genetics, etc. You admit you've gotten lower-you just *kitten* it up on vacation. Suck it up and push on or give up. Your call man0 -
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Good responses so far. OP, I'm going to try to carefully say that I think this is more of a mindset issue for you. When you say "fun meal vs success" I think you see these as completely opposite things. They are not. If by "fun" you mean all out, crazy high calorie food in large quantities, I'm going to suggest that long term weight loss maintainers don't equate that with "fun" anymore. An occasional higher calorie restaurant meal is completely different than eating whatever you want to abandon.
IMHO, as long as you see your calorie intake number and the foods you "cannot" eat as negative you will have a hard time finding success. If you HATE something you do, how successful do you expect to be at it? I may be completely off base, but given your post history, I still read it as you resenting having to make sacrifices or changes to lose more weight. Resentment will not lead to success.
Either way, at some point I hope you find the answers you are looking for and find contentment with were you are.
Exactly...
As a relatively long term maintainer...a "fun" meal for me doesn't mean going off the rails. Just as an example, my family goes out to our favorite local pizza joint every couple of weeks or so...my wife and I order a small pie and have a couple of slices and a beer and box up the rest...we're both pretty health conscious and fit people...so for us, ordering a large pie and eating it all and washing it down with a pitcher doesn't compute as fun. It's totally "fun" to just have a couple slices of pizza and a beer and enjoy a meal together as a family. Just eating whatever to abandon and going crazy doesn't compute as "fun" for me.0 -
You've had that answered many times-you just don't like the answers.
-Eat less (no, you're not a girl)
-Eat more volume to increase "fullness" (no, it's too cumbersome to weigh all those vegetables)
-give it time (i did!)
-get blood work (you always ignore this one)
-increase activity (I am active!)
I could go on and on. You have options, you just make excuses not to utilize them. Why is it "harder" for you? I don't know, dude. Why don't I have huge boobs? Them's the breaks. I work with what I got. I acknowledge both my strengths and my weaknesses.
Most importantly, though, I appreciate the advice that successful people have given me. I understand that I can't have it all and I make my decisions accordingly. Your problem is not your genetics or anything else you whine about. It is not harder for you, it is just different. You want to change your body? Put in the work like everyone else. Your only problem is you.
... And ps-the guys that whine about bulking are *kitten* too, and they get called out as well.
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I feel like I do everything in the 15-20% category already but I'm 28% and for the life of me just can't get lower. I went from 230 to 222 briefly between Feb and May but it only took one week to gain it all back AND I didn't even go THAT crazy that week. I was drinking beers on the beach, not eating all day, and having a big dinner.I guess I'm just wondering at this point if it's even worth trying to get to 15% body fat, which is a million miles away at this point, if when I get there I won't ever be able to have a few beers, order Chinese food that isn't steamed, etc.
this may help:
is it worth it?
How long have you been dieting for?
Personally, that sound sucky. If it were me I would have a lengthy period of eating at current maintenance, continue to do the sports and activities I love doing regularly and then have another crack at it in say 3-6 months (unless there is an identified medical reason you have to lose weight right now.)
Lets not even go there.
OP has been given a million suggestions as to how to get to lower body fat and lose additional weight, and all we ever get back is the excuse train.
The advice is mostly "keep waiting." There's no actual tips or anything insightful explaining what additional steps to take. It seems like I do pretty much what every other guy does but just don't get the same results.
did you ever get your thyroid tested?
did you take a diet break at maintenance and then cut back down?
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I think this has been a good thread for you to see how much/how little other people splurge or plan for non-restricted eating. You brought up your beach vacation and said you had beers on the beach. If I remember correctly, you previously said that you drank a 6 pack a day. I know that it was vacation and I am generally a "relax, you're on vacation" person but I don't think it is reasonable to think that you can take in that many calories extra and not gain. And if you are okay with gaining on vacation great but I don't think that you are, based on what you've written since then.
That's 600 calories a day LOL. IIFYM says we can pretend I ate three protein bars extra a day instead of beers if that sounds less scandalous. I agree though, it is interesting to see what others are doing.
EDIT: 600x7 would be a little over a pound of weight gain. Where did the other 9 come from? I don't really feel like I ate that much. I split a half gallon of ice cream over the week with the wife. Drank my beers. Skipped most lunches. Grapes as a snack on the beach. Bacon and eggs at breakfast. I think I had one dinner where the side wasn't some assortment of vegetables. Fast food on the trip down and back up. I dunno, it just shows the randomness of it all.
Move on dude. Seriously. This was a great thread to get some perspective. Take a breath and get back at it. Maybe it's a little harder for you than some other poster. Or maybe some of us have different dieting histories, genetics, etc. You admit you've gotten lower-you just *kitten* it up on vacation. Suck it up and push on or give up. Your call man
Meh, if bulkers can whine about how much they have to eat and how difficult it is to eat I should be able to whine about how little I seem to be able to eat. Why is that any different?
Also it'd be helpful to know WHY it's more difficult and what to do to overcome it other than eat less than most 90lbs girls.
Yup because whining is how people get results right? No one can explain why it is more difficult for you to lose weight. We can take a guess at the log looking interesting though.
Also people will want they want to do to get to where they want to be. You want to keep drinking beer. Fine by me. You want to keep complaining about why your weight isn't falling. Have you not been in the forums long enough to know why?
Also for what you explained on your vacation. You have any stats on sodium levels. I am sure that is the reason for the increase in weight.
People can go on vacation, still have fun, and still make gains towards their goals. People still workout on vacations. Did you? It doesn't sound like it?0 -
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I feel like I do everything in the 15-20% category already but I'm 28% and for the life of me just can't get lower. I went from 230 to 222 briefly between Feb and May but it only took one week to gain it all back AND I didn't even go THAT crazy that week. I was drinking beers on the beach, not eating all day, and having a big dinner.I guess I'm just wondering at this point if it's even worth trying to get to 15% body fat, which is a million miles away at this point, if when I get there I won't ever be able to have a few beers, order Chinese food that isn't steamed, etc.
this may help:
is it worth it?
How long have you been dieting for?
Personally, that sound sucky. If it were me I would have a lengthy period of eating at current maintenance, continue to do the sports and activities I love doing regularly and then have another crack at it in say 3-6 months (unless there is an identified medical reason you have to lose weight right now.)
Lets not even go there.
OP has been given a million suggestions as to how to get to lower body fat and lose additional weight, and all we ever get back is the excuse train.
The advice is mostly "keep waiting." There's no actual tips or anything insightful explaining what additional steps to take. It seems like I do pretty much what every other guy does but just don't get the same results.
did you ever get your thyroid tested?
did you take a diet break at maintenance and then cut back down?
Well I did for at least a week LOL. How long is needed? I week? A month? A year? 10 more years? Start dieting again when I'm 60? Because that makes losing weight easier, being old. I need advice on what to do now. Not 5 years from now.
I believe I suggested a month.
and did you get your thyroid tested?0 -
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cwolfman13 wrote: »Good responses so far. OP, I'm going to try to carefully say that I think this is more of a mindset issue for you. When you say "fun meal vs success" I think you see these as completely opposite things. They are not. If by "fun" you mean all out, crazy high calorie food in large quantities, I'm going to suggest that long term weight loss maintainers don't equate that with "fun" anymore. An occasional higher calorie restaurant meal is completely different than eating whatever you want to abandon.
IMHO, as long as you see your calorie intake number and the foods you "cannot" eat as negative you will have a hard time finding success. If you HATE something you do, how successful do you expect to be at it? I may be completely off base, but given your post history, I still read it as you resenting having to make sacrifices or changes to lose more weight. Resentment will not lead to success.
Either way, at some point I hope you find the answers you are looking for and find contentment with were you are.
Exactly...
As a relatively long term maintainer...a "fun" meal for me doesn't mean going off the rails. Just as an example, my family goes out to our favorite local pizza joint every couple of weeks or so...my wife and I order a small pie and have a couple of slices and a beer and box up the rest...we're both pretty health conscious and fit people...so for us, ordering a large pie and eating it all and washing it down with a pitcher doesn't compute as fun. It's totally "fun" to just have a couple slices of pizza and a beer and enjoy a meal together as a family. Just eating whatever to abandon and going crazy doesn't compute as "fun" for me.
I guess the "how occasional" was the point of the thread. I'm not saying I want to eat a whole pizza every night, or even every week. Just trying to get a feel for how often people eat out. Reading the threads people generally project you don't have to give up anything. Then you catch little flurries of the truth that people are going out to eat like every 3 weeks and boxing up half there meal when they do. Does not compute. Which one is real? LOL
The thing is, it's going to be different for everyone...everyone is going to have their own strategies. For me, there are a lot of factors that come into play...it's not just go out and eat whatever or box up half, etc...each situation is its own situation with different determining factors for how I will approach it.
Like I said previously, I only eat out about 4 times per month, so not that often. I actually enjoy cooking and can prepare most things I can get at a restaurant and prepare it better than they can. How I approach the meal is going to depend on a lot of different things though.
If for example, I've done a long ride and I've eaten reasonably during the day, I'm really not going to bat an eye going to a nice steak house and enjoying a strip steak and eating the whole thing along with the sides and maybe a couple glasses of wine. If I know I'm going to be consuming alcohol in more than moderate quantities, I will often just opt for a salad with a cup of soup or something. If I'm eating New Mexican, 9x out of 10 my wife and I will split an entree...if not, I end up boxing about half of it up (I do this after I've eaten)...the serving sizes at any New Mexican restaurant I've ever been to are far larger than I can eat these days without feeling sick from being overly full (not fun for me). So you see, strategy is dependent on other variables.
I would also add that while I was trying to lose weight, I ate out even less...maybe 2 times per month tops and I was far more conscious of the choices I was making vs being in maintenance. Where alcohol was concerned, I rarely drank beer when I was losing weight...I generally opted for vodka and seltzer with lemon or lime as a much lower calorie alternative...occasionally a glass of wine...and maybe a couple of beers per month tops. I drink more beer in maintenance and more wine as well...but I still will more often than not reach for a spirit and seltzer or something.0 -
I go out to dinner at least one night, sometimes two nights a week. I have had no issue with getting my body fat below 15%, maintaining, bulking, etc. I use several different strategies..
1. sometimes I just pre log everything in (if I know where I am going and can look up calories count) and then fit everything in. If I am like 100 calories over no big deal.
2. if I do not know where I am going hen I just go with the closet entries that makes sense and I do not sweat it.
3. If I do have a blow out meal or a day from having some beers on the beach followed by meal somewhere, then I typically lower my intake the following day a bit to make up for it, or sometimes I don't
4. sometimes I bank calories (50-100/day) during the week for the weekend...
Part of the lifestyle is realizing that you are never going to be able to accurately log everything all the time, and it is OK to go out and enjoy the foods you like.
It probably helps that you are young and male.
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Where does success and being able to order a "fun" meal when eating out meet? Any reasonably fit people out there who go out every week, have a few beers, order whatever they want (not following the above rules of dieting and eating out) but still do pretty well?
I used to do this when I was younger. We went out for beers and wings or beers and pizza or wine and pasta or Mexican and beer once or twice a week. I never gave calories a thought back then. And I was not overweight. Now, I do it once or twice a month. We go out more often than that, but only once or twice a month do I order with no regard to calories. Getting old sucks.0 -
arabianhorselover wrote: »I go out to dinner at least one night, sometimes two nights a week. I have had no issue with getting my body fat below 15%, maintaining, bulking, etc. I use several different strategies..
1. sometimes I just pre log everything in (if I know where I am going and can look up calories count) and then fit everything in. If I am like 100 calories over no big deal.
2. if I do not know where I am going hen I just go with the closet entries that makes sense and I do not sweat it.
3. If I do have a blow out meal or a day from having some beers on the beach followed by meal somewhere, then I typically lower my intake the following day a bit to make up for it, or sometimes I don't
4. sometimes I bank calories (50-100/day) during the week for the weekend...
Part of the lifestyle is realizing that you are never going to be able to accurately log everything all the time, and it is OK to go out and enjoy the foods you like.
It probably helps that you are young and male.
really???
I did not know that achieving a low body fat is something that only young males can do ...so I guess that means that the other 75% of the population is doomed???
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arabianhorselover wrote: »I go out to dinner at least one night, sometimes two nights a week. I have had no issue with getting my body fat below 15%, maintaining, bulking, etc. I use several different strategies..
1. sometimes I just pre log everything in (if I know where I am going and can look up calories count) and then fit everything in. If I am like 100 calories over no big deal.
2. if I do not know where I am going hen I just go with the closet entries that makes sense and I do not sweat it.
3. If I do have a blow out meal or a day from having some beers on the beach followed by meal somewhere, then I typically lower my intake the following day a bit to make up for it, or sometimes I don't
4. sometimes I bank calories (50-100/day) during the week for the weekend...
Part of the lifestyle is realizing that you are never going to be able to accurately log everything all the time, and it is OK to go out and enjoy the foods you like.
It probably helps that you are young and male.
really???
I did not know that achieving a low body fat is something that only young males can do ...so I guess that means that the other 75% of the population is doomed???
Yup...just wait til you hit 40 man.
Life is over.0 -
I feel like I do everything in the 15-20% category already but I'm 28% and for the life of me just can't get lower. I went from 230 to 222 briefly between Feb and May but it only took one week to gain it all back AND I didn't even go THAT crazy that week. I was drinking beers on the beach, not eating all day, and having a big dinner.I guess I'm just wondering at this point if it's even worth trying to get to 15% body fat, which is a million miles away at this point, if when I get there I won't ever be able to have a few beers, order Chinese food that isn't steamed, etc.
this may help:
is it worth it?
How long have you been dieting for?
Personally, that sound sucky. If it were me I would have a lengthy period of eating at current maintenance, continue to do the sports and activities I love doing regularly and then have another crack at it in say 3-6 months (unless there is an identified medical reason you have to lose weight right now.)
Lets not even go there.
OP has been given a million suggestions as to how to get to lower body fat and lose additional weight, and all we ever get back is the excuse train.
The advice is mostly "keep waiting." There's no actual tips or anything insightful explaining what additional steps to take. It seems like I do pretty much what every other guy does but just don't get the same results.
did you ever get your thyroid tested?
did you take a diet break at maintenance and then cut back down?
Well I did for at least a week LOL. How long is needed? I week? A month? A year? 10 more years? Start dieting again when I'm 60? Because that makes losing weight easier, being old. I need advice on what to do now. Not 5 years from now.
I believe I suggested a month.
and did you get your thyroid tested?
I'm going to an endocrinologist next week but I don't have any of the symptoms beyond the weight thing. Plus thyroid issues are uncommon in men. Doctors never actually give any good weight loss advice so I'm guessing it won't pan out into anything constructive. It's probably either crappy genetics or lame luck from losing so much weight. It's a catch 22. You're supposed to lose the weight to get healthy. But when you lose the weight your metabolism apparently goes in the toilet making it impossible to lose more and in super hard to keep off. You still have to do the same work everyone normal does mind you, but with less energy, less food, and less results. It's a total rip off. Fit people have no idea what a struggle it really is.
Glad that you are finally going to get your thyroid tested...
and to your bolded part, really? Do you think I always looked like my profile picture?
Try being a 25 year old 210 pound smoker and find out you have stage 2B lymphoma, do six months of chemo, and a month of radiation and then realize that you need to get your rear in shape, and come back and tell me that I don't know what the struggle really is....
I then spent the next three years slowly getting my weight down to around 170ish through cardio/lifting etc, and then got into circuit training for a bit, and then switched over to heavy lifting about four years..
so for you on insinuate that I someone had the easy route is insulting.
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arabianhorselover wrote: »I go out to dinner at least one night, sometimes two nights a week. I have had no issue with getting my body fat below 15%, maintaining, bulking, etc. I use several different strategies..
1. sometimes I just pre log everything in (if I know where I am going and can look up calories count) and then fit everything in. If I am like 100 calories over no big deal.
2. if I do not know where I am going hen I just go with the closet entries that makes sense and I do not sweat it.
3. If I do have a blow out meal or a day from having some beers on the beach followed by meal somewhere, then I typically lower my intake the following day a bit to make up for it, or sometimes I don't
4. sometimes I bank calories (50-100/day) during the week for the weekend...
Part of the lifestyle is realizing that you are never going to be able to accurately log everything all the time, and it is OK to go out and enjoy the foods you like.
It probably helps that you are young and male.
I'm 40 going on 41 and maintain sub 15% BF...closer to 12% right now. I maintain on 3,000 calories + per day roughly. It's not that I have a magical metabolism or anything...it's more like I ride 60 - 80 miles per week, walk my dog pretty much every day, lift weights 3x weekly, do some hiking here and there on the weekends and in general, I'm just pretty active outside of my desk job. When I'm not at the office, I'm usually on my feet and I'm out doing something...whether that's deliberate exercise, family recreation, or just working in the yard...I'm moving. I maybe watch like 1.5 hours of television per week...and that's usually when I'm sitting for dinner anyway...I'd rather be doing stuff.
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I feel like I do everything in the 15-20% category already but I'm 28% and for the life of me just can't get lower. I went from 230 to 222 briefly between Feb and May but it only took one week to gain it all back AND I didn't even go THAT crazy that week. I was drinking beers on the beach, not eating all day, and having a big dinner.I guess I'm just wondering at this point if it's even worth trying to get to 15% body fat, which is a million miles away at this point, if when I get there I won't ever be able to have a few beers, order Chinese food that isn't steamed, etc.
this may help:
is it worth it?
How long have you been dieting for?
Personally, that sound sucky. If it were me I would have a lengthy period of eating at current maintenance, continue to do the sports and activities I love doing regularly and then have another crack at it in say 3-6 months (unless there is an identified medical reason you have to lose weight right now.)
Lets not even go there.
OP has been given a million suggestions as to how to get to lower body fat and lose additional weight, and all we ever get back is the excuse train.
The advice is mostly "keep waiting." There's no actual tips or anything insightful explaining what additional steps to take. It seems like I do pretty much what every other guy does but just don't get the same results.
did you ever get your thyroid tested?
did you take a diet break at maintenance and then cut back down?
Well I did for at least a week LOL. How long is needed? I week? A month? A year? 10 more years? Start dieting again when I'm 60? Because that makes losing weight easier, being old. I need advice on what to do now. Not 5 years from now.
I believe I suggested a month.
and did you get your thyroid tested?
I'm going to an endocrinologist next week but I don't have any of the symptoms beyond the weight thing. Plus thyroid issues are uncommon in men. Doctors never actually give any good weight loss advice so I'm guessing it won't pan out into anything constructive. It's probably either crappy genetics or lame luck from losing so much weight. It's a catch 22. You're supposed to lose the weight to get healthy. But when you lose the weight your metabolism apparently goes in the toilet making it impossible to lose more and in super hard to keep off. You still have to do the same work everyone normal does mind you, but with less energy, less food, and less results. It's a total rip off. Fit people have no idea what a struggle it really is.
Glad that you are finally going to get your thyroid tested...
and to your bolded part, really? Do you think I always looked like my profile picture?
Try being a 25 year old 210 pound smoker and find out you have stage 2B lymphoma, do six months of chemo, and a month of radiation and then realize that you need to get your rear in shape, and come back and tell me that I don't know what the struggle really is....
I then spent the next three years slowly getting my weight down to around 170ish through cardio/lifting etc, and then got into circuit training for a bit, and then switched over to heavy lifting about four years..
so for you on insinuate that I someone had the easy route is insulting.
OK so cancer trumps everything. I've got no real comparison for that. I'm talking strictly pound for pound. You see a lot of people who have lost some weight but not enough to have slowed there metabolisms down. "Just eat less!" they say. Sure, easy for them. Easy for you. I've lost three times what you have AND I still have to lose the same amount you did just to be overweight instead of obese. That might actually not too hard if my body behaved the same way yours does. I'm literally starting 300 calories in the hole from the get go at this point though. That's before I take off the 20% to achieve a noticeable loss. That 2100 calories a week are all the treats you no longer get that everyone else is swearing you don't have to give up.
Then exercise more and poof you're able to get the treats again.0 -
I feel like I do everything in the 15-20% category already but I'm 28% and for the life of me just can't get lower. I went from 230 to 222 briefly between Feb and May but it only took one week to gain it all back AND I didn't even go THAT crazy that week. I was drinking beers on the beach, not eating all day, and having a big dinner.I guess I'm just wondering at this point if it's even worth trying to get to 15% body fat, which is a million miles away at this point, if when I get there I won't ever be able to have a few beers, order Chinese food that isn't steamed, etc.
this may help:
is it worth it?
How long have you been dieting for?
Personally, that sound sucky. If it were me I would have a lengthy period of eating at current maintenance, continue to do the sports and activities I love doing regularly and then have another crack at it in say 3-6 months (unless there is an identified medical reason you have to lose weight right now.)
Lets not even go there.
OP has been given a million suggestions as to how to get to lower body fat and lose additional weight, and all we ever get back is the excuse train.
The advice is mostly "keep waiting." There's no actual tips or anything insightful explaining what additional steps to take. It seems like I do pretty much what every other guy does but just don't get the same results.
did you ever get your thyroid tested?
did you take a diet break at maintenance and then cut back down?
Well I did for at least a week LOL. How long is needed? I week? A month? A year? 10 more years? Start dieting again when I'm 60? Because that makes losing weight easier, being old. I need advice on what to do now. Not 5 years from now.
I believe I suggested a month.
and did you get your thyroid tested?
I'm going to an endocrinologist next week but I don't have any of the symptoms beyond the weight thing. Plus thyroid issues are uncommon in men. Doctors never actually give any good weight loss advice so I'm guessing it won't pan out into anything constructive. It's probably either crappy genetics or lame luck from losing so much weight. It's a catch 22. You're supposed to lose the weight to get healthy. But when you lose the weight your metabolism apparently goes in the toilet making it impossible to lose more and in super hard to keep off. You still have to do the same work everyone normal does mind you, but with less energy, less food, and less results. It's a total rip off. Fit people have no idea what a struggle it really is.
Glad that you are finally going to get your thyroid tested...
and to your bolded part, really? Do you think I always looked like my profile picture?
Try being a 25 year old 210 pound smoker and find out you have stage 2B lymphoma, do six months of chemo, and a month of radiation and then realize that you need to get your rear in shape, and come back and tell me that I don't know what the struggle really is....
I then spent the next three years slowly getting my weight down to around 170ish through cardio/lifting etc, and then got into circuit training for a bit, and then switched over to heavy lifting about four years..
so for you on insinuate that I someone had the easy route is insulting.
OK so cancer trumps everything. I've got no real comparison for that. I'm talking strictly pound for pound. You see a lot of people who have lost some weight but not enough to have slowed there metabolisms down. "Just eat less!" they say. Sure, easy for them. Easy for you. I've lost three times what you have AND I still have to lose the same amount you did just to be overweight instead of obese. That might actually not too hard if my body behaved the same way yours does. I'm literally starting 300 calories in the hole from the get go at this point though. That's before I take off the 20% to achieve a noticeable loss. That 2100 calories a week are all the treats you no longer get that everyone else is swearing you don't have to give up.
You have been told so many times to take a true maintenance break or reverse diet. Ndj told you how in a thread months ago. I remember it because I then reverse dieted for awhile. I had taken several breaks, which I believe helped immensely with preventing weight loss induced metabolism problems, but I hadn't actually reverse dieted. Instead I ate at what MFP told me was maintenence. When I reverse dieted and ramped up my lifting just a bit, I ended up 250 calories above that for my new maintenance number. Rather than wallowing in self pity over your metabolism, do something about it. It's not an immovable force.0 -
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So what if you have to put in more work than someone else? There's always someone who has it harder than you.stevencloser wrote: »
I feel like I do everything in the 15-20% category already but I'm 28% and for the life of me just can't get lower. I went from 230 to 222 briefly between Feb and May but it only took one week to gain it all back AND I didn't even go THAT crazy that week. I was drinking beers on the beach, not eating all day, and having a big dinner.I guess I'm just wondering at this point if it's even worth trying to get to 15% body fat, which is a million miles away at this point, if when I get there I won't ever be able to have a few beers, order Chinese food that isn't steamed, etc.
this may help:
is it worth it?
How long have you been dieting for?
Personally, that sound sucky. If it were me I would have a lengthy period of eating at current maintenance, continue to do the sports and activities I love doing regularly and then have another crack at it in say 3-6 months (unless there is an identified medical reason you have to lose weight right now.)
Lets not even go there.
OP has been given a million suggestions as to how to get to lower body fat and lose additional weight, and all we ever get back is the excuse train.
The advice is mostly "keep waiting." There's no actual tips or anything insightful explaining what additional steps to take. It seems like I do pretty much what every other guy does but just don't get the same results.
did you ever get your thyroid tested?
did you take a diet break at maintenance and then cut back down?
Well I did for at least a week LOL. How long is needed? I week? A month? A year? 10 more years? Start dieting again when I'm 60? Because that makes losing weight easier, being old. I need advice on what to do now. Not 5 years from now.
I believe I suggested a month.
and did you get your thyroid tested?
I'm going to an endocrinologist next week but I don't have any of the symptoms beyond the weight thing. Plus thyroid issues are uncommon in men. Doctors never actually give any good weight loss advice so I'm guessing it won't pan out into anything constructive. It's probably either crappy genetics or lame luck from losing so much weight. It's a catch 22. You're supposed to lose the weight to get healthy. But when you lose the weight your metabolism apparently goes in the toilet making it impossible to lose more and in super hard to keep off. You still have to do the same work everyone normal does mind you, but with less energy, less food, and less results. It's a total rip off. Fit people have no idea what a struggle it really is.
Glad that you are finally going to get your thyroid tested...
and to your bolded part, really? Do you think I always looked like my profile picture?
Try being a 25 year old 210 pound smoker and find out you have stage 2B lymphoma, do six months of chemo, and a month of radiation and then realize that you need to get your rear in shape, and come back and tell me that I don't know what the struggle really is....
I then spent the next three years slowly getting my weight down to around 170ish through cardio/lifting etc, and then got into circuit training for a bit, and then switched over to heavy lifting about four years..
so for you on insinuate that I someone had the easy route is insulting.
OK so cancer trumps everything. I've got no real comparison for that. I'm talking strictly pound for pound. You see a lot of people who have lost some weight but not enough to have slowed there metabolisms down. "Just eat less!" they say. Sure, easy for them. Easy for you. I've lost three times what you have AND I still have to lose the same amount you did just to be overweight instead of obese. That might actually not too hard if my body behaved the same way yours does. I'm literally starting 300 calories in the hole from the get go at this point though. That's before I take off the 20% to achieve a noticeable loss. That 2100 calories a week are all the treats you no longer get that everyone else is swearing you don't have to give up.
Then exercise more and poof you're able to get the treats again.
Exactly. But that's my point. The people who don't have to put in the extra time just to break even on TOP of the other exercise they have to do have no idea how hard that is. You're doing twice as much for half the result. All the while everyone else you see is saying how easy it is for them.
A 5 foot woman has to eat less than you if she wants to lose.
Someone sitting in a wheel chair has a harder time than her. and so on.
If all you're doing is looking at people who have it easier than you you're wasting time you could instead use to catch up and overtake them. Pitying yourself isn't going to make your 30 pounds go away.
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