Started - trying to lose 70lb

avalon7772

Hello,

I’m in my late 50’s and like many males my age I’ve piled the pounds on, particularly around my stomach. With each decade my weight has gone up, sometimes substantially.

Fear of my weight causing future health problems helped me to choose to try to get the weight off, and keep it off. Also, a hot summer (in England) saw me sweating every time the humidity went over 100%.

I started on 29th September at 262lb (18st, 10lb). I’ve set a target of getting to 13st, 10lb (192lb), so seeking you lose 70 pounds. That would still leave me overweight for my height (5’ 11”) by 15lb, but I reckon if I get to my target weight, I can lose that last bit very gradually.



As of yesterday I’d lost 17lb (1 stone, 3lb) just a little more than a fifth of the way to my target.

My regime is reasonably simple; don’t ever eat less than 1830 calories, try to exercise six-days-a-week, and try not to eat all of exercise calories back.

My exercise-of-choice is swimming. I’m not a gym bunny and never will be. Plus I absolutely don’t want to gain muscle that will have to be maintained in-the-future. I’m no runner, though if I get near my target weight I might give it a try.

I’ve tried to lose weight using swimming before, and it just didn’t work. The problem isn’t swimming itself, rather it was the time I was doing it. In-the-past I swam in the late afternoon and within a hour of getting back home, I’d be fridge-raiding, scoffing the calories I’d burnt straight back on, when I’d likely already eaten most of the day’s calories.

This time though I swim early in the morning. So when the inevitable ‘munchies’ hit, whilst at work now, I’m eating what I would have eaten in any case.

Of course my regime might fail or (more likely) stall in the future. At present it seems to be working ok. With a few exceptions I’ve lost a pound each week minimum, and often 2lb-or-more.

I’ve not seen much in the way of change yet; my waist has shrunk by 2 inches. I think I’ve been shedding visceral fat to-date. Perhaps after another 14lb I’ll start noticing. I’ve set aside all of 2020 to lose the 70lb.

Chris_J99

Keep it up! I cycle to work and back each day. This saves me from going to a gym ewww 🤣
I had 75 lbs to lose to get to my goal and have lost 28 so far.
Christmas is coming and the office is full of mince pies and chocolate temptations.
We can do this!! 😁💪🏼

gemiller87

Welcome to MFP! I started with a goal of losing 75lbs is myself and ended up that I'm on track to lose 125 in 12 months by the end of the year without setting foot in a gym, so don't worry about that it can be done! Definitely get the exercise in, I didn't do a lot of cardio (some limited routines from apps/youtube videos) but did a notable amount of core and strength exercises. Sometimes I think the measurement is more valuable than the scale though, get a good fabric/clothes tape measure and keep a log of your measurements. I felt it more rewarding to see 1" down off the waist than the lbs personally!

avalon7772

Hi Chris & gemiller!

Thanks foe words of encouragement. Useful that you started with a target of losing 75lb and are being successful in that pursuit.

Xmas is a concern, but it gives me some time off work to spend more time in the swimming pool. At present I swim a mile (64 lengths in a 25-meter pool) every week day and although tough initially, I can get it done now in less than 30 minutes (29:13 today, to-be-precise). It would be a bonus to perhaps swim my mile, then do some sprinting and stroke improvement exercises. The hardest thing about exercise is finding the time to do it.

Have to say I agree with the measurements being more important than the numbers lost. I’d like to lose the moobs (see photo) and they are going gradually. It’s the blessed belly I want to see reduce; easy to add to it, but tough to get rid-of. Likely I’ll have to find exercises to specifically work it off.

The next milestone is 16st 9lb, a weight I remember last playing rugby at. I’m going for 2nd week of January or earlier for that target to be achieved.