Hey, I'm Cas

CasiferNash

Howdy,

I'm 27, m, and have been on the heavier side for about a decade. I'm embarrassed by what I look like and am so tired of it. I'm hoping to get some tips on how everyone keeps track of what they are doing and what all has worked for them. I'm trying to lose about 50 lbs and keep that off. I want to change my lifestyle, not just diet and have a quick fix. I want this so badly.

I'm going to be working out from home due to the current pandemic situation. Does anyone have any suggestions on at home workouts, favorite low-fat and low-carb meals? Maybe?

Thanks in advance, friends.

LGreenfield7

hey, feel free to add me

steveko89

Hey, Cas. Welcome! I was mild/moderately overweight through adolescence, got to a healthy weight at age 17, was able to maintain within the healthy weight range since, though not without some ebs and flows, but certainly a generally positive trend in health, fitness, and physique.

Here's a TL;DR

What didn't work for me:
- trying to follow workouts I didn't like but were alleged to be the bee's knees (lookin' at you p90X3)
- being overly restrictive (both calorie level and food groups)
- doing too much at once (i.e. "fix" my diet, workout everyday, etc. 100% starting NOW)

What has worked for me:
- small sustainable changes (google the 80/20 rule from NerdFitness, decent read).
- habit-forming
- identify, then remove, mitigate, or circumvent obstacles/pitfalls
- find exercise I truly enjoy = new hobby
- meticulous data collection

Dogmom1978

So, I’ve lost almost half of what I wanted.

Is there a medical reason you are aiming for low fat/low carb? You only need to eat in a deficit to lose weight. I found that what works for me, is to continue to eat the foods I normally would, but in smaller portions. I have a full commercial gym in my basement, so I can’t help with the YouTube workouts, but there are TONS to choose from. However, working out is for health and CICO is for weight loss.

Weigh everything on a food scale to make sure you are tracking calories accurately. Don’t pick a rate of loss that is too aggressive (you didn’t gain the weight super fast, you don’t want to pick a rate of loss you can’t sustain and then give up).

goal06082021

I don't know if you need to have a Planet Fitness membership to use the PF app, you probably do, but I've been using their trainer-led workout videos for the last 3 weeks and have been enjoying it. I say that as a person who, in the Before Times, would never have wanted to do a group exercise class or use the gym's personal training services, even if they're free - I don't like the idea of anyone paying that much attention to my body.

+1 advice to definitely buy a food scale. I have an Escali, it works great. Weigh out everything you eat, including sauces, seasonings, cooking fats, everything. If you can't swing $30 for a scale right now, at least pick up some measuring cups and spoons at the dollar store - volumetric measurement is better than not measuring at all, but mass measurement is the gold standard. It's getting to be second nature for me; I keep a notepad and pen in the kitchen and weigh all my ingredients as I get my mise en place together, then weigh the finished dish to determine serving size. I keep meaning to take a day, weigh all my prep bowls and cooking vessels, and just write that down somewhere so I have that information, probably taped inside a cabinet or something or stored on my phone.