Here we go...

jholtsrq

10 days in...

Male Turning 45 end of July

Starting weight 212; today 207.6;
target: 175

Diet per day before (about 20yrs) 3/11/2024:
Generally 1 carb heavy, high fat, low protein meal; 12 pack of Miller Lite, one pack of Marlboro Lite cigarettes; poor sleep; elevated stress; sedentary activity level

Diet per day since:
3 meals, 1 snack; multivitamins; strict 1,500 calories; 35C/30F/35P macros; 10K steps; 30 mins cycling; no alcohol or cigarettes; moderately better sleep and stress level

Time: first 12 weeks weight loss diet only (calories deficit); final 8 weeks weight training (calorie increase)

Adding runs weeks 5-8 and HIIT at weeks 8-12; add compound lifts 3 days/week weeks 13-20.

Body fat currently around 30%; target: <=15%

Overall goal: Enter year 45 in best shape of my life optimistic for healthier, happier years going forward.

Leaning into my stubbornness for 20 weeks...

AnnPT77

Hello, and welcome!

You've clearly put a lot of thought into your makeover program. That's great!

And at the end of 20 weeks . . . any thoughts about that?

Many of us find staying at a healthy weight more challenging than getting there in the first place. If you're setting up habits over the 20 weeks that you can happily continue forever to stay fit and at a healthy weight, that's perfect.

Treating weight loss or fitness as an intense but limited-time project with an end date can be a trap. Establishing sustainable new healthier habits - ones that can continue almost on autopilot long term - is a good strategy.

Maybe you can keep up stubbornness or willpower forever. Weak soul that I am, I can't. Nonetheless, I've stayed at a healthy weight for 8 years now, and a higher fitness level than average in my demographic. Easy, happy, practical habits FTW.

Best wishes for success, sincerely!

jholtsrq

32 days in, 8.8lbs down. A little bit of a lackluster start, but tweaked a few things and now seem to be heading in right direction. Also had a short trip that hindered things a bit, but was able to return without weight change +/-. Added in a running routine on day 30 using one minute intervals to start building to 30mins steady in 30 days. Have used this twice before, works well. Hoping to knock off ~10 more pounds by end of 2nd four week period putting me in the low 190lb range.

Walking ~10K steps a day; cycling 5 miles a day; adding in interval runs; still no alcohol or cigarettes.

Calorie target set for 1,500, but usually wrapping day up around 1,300. Listening to body and adjust up if needed, but so far no issues.

Head down, charge forward...

J.

lisakatz2

Hello! Looks like you have a well thought out plan and you are making excellent progress! Keep up the good work!

jholtsrq

60 days today. Weighed in at 195.4 this morning for a loss so far of 16.6.
Right on track at 2lbs/week. Still no alcohol or cigarettes. Have had to drop calories lower than first thought to achieve consistent loss, but have not suffered any ill side effects.

Ramping up exercise as conditioning improves. daily cycling 5 miles, walking 10K steps and extending interval runs in an attempt to increase distance.

jholtsrq

Just passed 90 days! Down 27lbs and weighing in at 185 this morning. Tightened up diet along the way and swapped out running for cycling. I don't particularly enjoy running, cannot run for any meaningful distance and it tends to be very hard on my knees whereas cycling is exact opposite of these things. Also, I found cycling to be much more efficient as my running attempts (<1mi.) *may burn 100-150kcals yet I can cycle for a solid 10-15 miles and burn +600kcals in one session. So I am currently eating strict deficit, cycling ~17mi per day and beginning to incorporate daily stretching and a few bodyweight exercises in preparation for transitioning to a calorie surplus and weight lifting. Targeting a final weight of around 170lbs, possibly as low as 165 before switching to weights August 1st. Will run surplus and weights through Oct, then hoping to relax some and just maintain from that point forward.

Making progress...✌️

jholtsrq

6 months and weighing in at 158.2 this morning. Body fat showing 15.4%, BMI at 22.4. Targeting 12% and BMI of 20-21 and making progress toward that, but am surprised how much lower than my initial target(s) I am having to go to get there. Will not be going under 150lbs, but math is showing 150 should hit those numbers. Still consuming around 1200 +/-100 kcals per day. Some fatigue with some joint tenderness, but still feel 10x better than I ever did prior to start date. Have had no cigarettes since start and only about 10 beers total. I have now switched pretty much entirely to Athletic Brewing NA beers and I have to say I think I prefer them taste, calorie and after effect wise. They are great! Mostly cycling and knocking out 50+ mile rides regularly (also completeled a 100mi "century" ride). Started adding in some running, but still not a huge fan. That said, I can complete a 5K with no stops or walks, albeit at a slower 40 minute pace (still incredible). Body composition has obviously changed and am much slimmer. Face looks completely different and have had a few people legitimately not recognize me which was interesting. Lean body mass has reduced by about 10%....25% of total weight loss. I don't nessessarily feel weaker, but surprised at how little muscle I actually have. Currently setting up to introduce weight lifting and shift diet to a surplus. Final target will be somewhere around 170lbs at 12-14% body fat. Anticipating another 6 months. Overall pleased and optimistic I will reach my final goal. Also, and probably most important, when I started I had 9 out of 13 health metrics in the red, now all 13 are in the green and most are in the "excellent" category. Curious to see how things change when eating above maintenance.

jholtsrq

Would post pic, but can't seem to figure that out as simply hitting the insert image button doesn't seem to work.

AnnPT77

Nice work: Thanks for the update!

On loading pictures: Sometimes there are problems, yes. I find it improves the odds if I don't try to load one that has a huge file size. I use one of the Windows Photo app to reduce the file size of the photo before loading, which often seems to help. (There are other apps that can do the same thing, of course.)