Sup y'all

rethagos

Hey y'all, Rethagos here.

I've stumbled upon this site when I browsed youtube for fat loss 'transformation' videos.
I had success before, utilizing mainly ketogenic diet and IF back in the day, but 3 years ago I started working a stable desk job (programming to be exact) and I watched my weight steadily going up.
Watching my weight go up from 70kg (155 lbs) to 86kg (190lbs) was unsettling, especially given the fact I didn't eat unhealthy at all, so I decided to do something about it.
I read a book or two, gotten a few diet pointers or two, and analyzed what I could do.

Here's the thing.
My mom and oler bro also work on their weight, and they strongly belief that when you go to caloric deficit, your metabolism shuts down, so they aim for 200kcal above the BMR.
I believe that caloric deficit is the one reliable thing, that - in retrospect - brought me consistent results.
I'll prove it by agressive cutting.

So here's my plan:

I've adapted the Slow Carb Diet from Tim Ferris's 'Four Hour Body' (basically, replace starchy carbs with beans and vegetables and you're good to go) and eat pretty much same thing every day except friday (friday lent is a tradition that's still strong in my home). I've concocted a nice meal, which totals around 900 calories (50% from protein, 25% from fat and 25% from carbs)
I upped the amount of water I drink per day (9-12 cups, excluding 3 cups of coffee), and started to control my eating speed.

With those, I brought down my caloric intake to 1050-1250 kcal/day (for reference, my BMR is 1900 kcal). How consistent will that be, I don't know.

Also, I decided to pick up running, instead of nordic walking which I did for last few months. It's calorie burn rate is pretty high per minute of activity, so I can squeeze out more time from the day. I plan to run 3 times per week, in 40 minute sessions.
And to migitate muscle loss I also scheduled 2 sessions of strength training per week, 30 minutes each, with the equipment I've got in my home.

If the MFP's calculations are correct, I'll hit 80kg (176lbs) by the end of February if I maintain my eating and training habits. My goal is hitting 70kg (154lbs) at least before June, but ideally somewhere in April, then stop cutting and work on my muscles.


Tips for those who start out:
Cook your own food. That way you'll know what you put in your mouth.
Use the scale, and study the macros.
Cook in batches if you don't have much time for cooking. I cook once per 2 days, and spend 20 minutes per cooking session.
Use spices so that you actually like your food.
Drink water so you don't feel hungry until you actually are hungry.
Fiber is your friend.
If your willpower is weak, schedule in some cheat days (refill days, if you will). Just make sure that in the grand scale of things you are still on a caloric deficit.

snowflake954

rethagos wrote: »

Hey y'all, Rethagos here.

I've stumbled upon this site when I browsed youtube for fat loss 'transformation' videos.
I had success before, utilizing mainly ketogenic diet and IF back in the day, but 3 years ago I started working a stable desk job (programming to be exact) and I watched my weight steadily going up.
Watching my weight go up from 70kg (155 lbs) to 86kg (190lbs) was unsettling, especially given the fact I didn't eat unhealthy at all, so I decided to do something about it.
I read a book or two, gotten a few diet pointers or two, and analyzed what I could do.

Here's the thing.
My mom and oler bro also work on their weight, and they strongly belief that when you go to caloric deficit, your metabolism shuts down, so they aim for 200kcal above the BMR.
I believe that caloric deficit is the one reliable thing, that - in retrospect - brought me consistent results.
I'll prove it by agressive cutting.

So here's my plan:

I've adapted the Slow Carb Diet from Tim Ferris's 'Four Hour Body' (basically, replace starchy carbs with beans and vegetables and you're good to go) and eat pretty much same thing every day except friday (friday lent is a tradition that's still strong in my home). I've concocted a nice meal, which totals around 900 calories (50% from protein, 25% from fat and 25% from carbs)
I upped the amount of water I drink per day (9-12 cups, excluding 3 cups of coffee), and started to control my eating speed.

With those, I brought down my caloric intake to 1050-1250 kcal/day (for reference, my BMR is 1900 kcal). How consistent will that be, I don't know.

Also, I decided to pick up running, instead of nordic walking which I did for last few months. It's calorie burn rate is pretty high per minute of activity, so I can squeeze out more time from the day. I plan to run 3 times per week, in 40 minute sessions.
And to migitate muscle loss I also scheduled 2 sessions of strength training per week, 30 minutes each, with the equipment I've got in my home.

If the MFP's calculations are correct, I'll hit 80kg (176lbs) by the end of February if I maintain my eating and training habits. My goal is hitting 70kg (154lbs) at least before June, but ideally somewhere in April, then stop cutting and work on my muscles.


Tips for those who start out:
Cook your own food. That way you'll know what you put in your mouth.
Use the scale, and study the macros.
Cook in batches if you don't have much time for cooking. I cook once per 2 days, and spend 20 minutes per cooking session.
Use spices so that you actually like your food.
Drink water so you don't feel hungry until you actually are hungry.
Fiber is your friend.
If your willpower is weak, schedule in some cheat days (refill days, if you will). Just make sure that in the grand scale of things you are still on a caloric deficit.

I'll add another tip: Don't cut your calories too low--use MFP's recommendations and eat back your exercise
calories so you fuel your workouts. Remember that the minimum for women is 1200 cal a day,
and 1500 for males.

Cheat days start a binging cycle.

Good luck.

sijomial

rethagos wrote: »

With those, I brought down my caloric intake to 1050-1250 kcal/day (for reference, my BMR is 1900 kcal). How consistent will that be, I don't know.

That's very low calorie intake and I don't think from this and another post of yours you quite understand what BMR is. It's the estimated number you would burn at total rest and in a fasted state. It is not the number you calculate your deficit from.

MyFitnessPal isn't a TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) site though so if you use the guided setup (I'd recommend you do) the daily goal given is for a day with no exercise so the goal given intends you to log and eat the extra calorie burn from your exercise to keep to the rate of loss you selected. As you are planning a decent volume of exercise don't use that exercise to boost an already aggressive rate of loss. It's far more important you lose weight healthily and successfully rather than aim for too fast and then crash and burn.

BTW - there's a BMR calculator here, it's estimated as part of the goal setup but you can also use a calculator on the APPS tab on the browser version.

rethagos

Thank you for the tips I will monitor how I'm feeling throughout the day, and make changes using your suggestions.

And yes, I did indeed plan to use exercise to boost my caloric loss rate

tinkerbellang83

rethagos wrote: »

Thank you for the tips I will monitor how I'm feeling throughout the day, and make changes using your suggestions.

And yes, I did indeed plan to use exercise to boost my caloric loss rate

That is a recipe for burnout and malnutrition if you're already aiming below the recommended minimum intake for calories.

sijomial

rethagos wrote: »

Thank you for the tips I will monitor how I'm feeling throughout the day, and make changes using your suggestions.

And yes, I did indeed plan to use exercise to boost my caloric loss rate

Seriously - please don't.
Not only is it contrary to how this tool is designed to be used and how your goal is worked out it also means the real benefits of exercise (health, fitness....) won't be realised as you will be badly under-fuelled, perform worse, recover poorly, energy levels will tank, health will suffer.