Damn I'm obese!!!! :(

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Alexgriffin1903
Alexgriffin1903 Posts: 4
in Introduce Yourself
Hey all, been a member for a while just never made full use of the site just flitted with using the app occationally but now things got serious. Been gaining weight slowly and I've been meaning to get back in the gym for ages and decided to take the plunge a few weeks ago and now I'm ready to sort my diet out as well, problem is I've just worked out my BMI and I'm in the obese range :O I knew I had a bit of weight to loose but I really didn't think it was that bad :(

So I'm in the gym 5 nights a week doing a full range of cardio and resistance training for 1-2hrs a night and I want a diet to match hense why I'm here :D I don't want this to be a quick fix more of a lifestyle change, I'm getting married in 373 days so there is a big push for now but would like to be able to maintain from there. Just had a quick look through some of the other posts and it's great to see so many people moving in the right direction so I'm hoping to grab some info and run ;)

Thanks for taking the time to read this

Replies

  • yamsteroo
    yamsteroo Posts: 480 Member
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    I think quite a few of us have been there - tapped in the numbers and bang! Obese - who'd have thought it? Certainly not me!

    I'm a bit like you in that I joined MFP quite a while a go on a whim but never used it until mid February this year when the penny finally dropped but I'd got so fat it was hard to bend down to pick it up :)

    Moving more is definitely half the battle - cutting calories will lose you weight but it won't get you in shape, you'll just be lighter! As for diet, lots of people have their own idea of what works for them and with a bit of playing around with your diet you'll find one that suits you and more importantly, you can stick with for the years to come.

    There are loads of people ready to help on this board, so just ask and someone will have the answer.
  • VorJoshigan
    VorJoshigan Posts: 1,106 Member
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    Welcome Alex. I'm kind of a wuss, so this may not apply to you, but your 5 days a week for 1-2 hours schedule doesn't sound sustainable to me. I would burn out pretty quickly with that level of effort.

    One phrase that has stuck with me is that "You can't outrun your fork".

    Good luck!
  • carolyn0613
    carolyn0613 Posts: 162 Member
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    I do think that the plain old vanilla MFP works great - enter your stats, enter how much you want to lose a week and bingo, here is your budget for your calories. Spend your calories, add more calories by doing exercise. Works just fine for me.

    Key points
    - don't enter too much of a deficit - as an obese person 2lb is fine. Once you are overweight 1lb a week.
    - don't eat less than it says in the hope of losing faster. Your body will get stressed and start to conserve - hello plateau!
    - watch you don't overestimate your exercise calories
    - watch you don't underestimate your food calories
    - don't borrow calories from the future, put them in a nice little savings plan for a rainy/hungry day
    - have patience
    - er...
    - that's it
  • rachelswin
    rachelswin Posts: 1
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    One of the hardest things is realizing the reality of your situation....and now you have and can begin to fix it :) Developing a routine was the best for me when I started working out. I started with 3 days a week until it was well established, now am at 5 days a week. Keep it up! The first few weeks are the hardest.
  • drfletcher25k
    drfletcher25k Posts: 7 Member
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    I do think that the plain old vanilla MFP works great - enter your stats, enter how much you want to lose a week and bingo, here is your budget for your calories. Spend your calories, add more calories by doing exercise. Works just fine for me.

    Key points
    - don't enter too much of a deficit - as an obese person 2lb is fine. Once you are overweight 1lb a week.
    - don't eat less than it says in the hope of losing faster. Your body will get stressed and start to conserve - hello plateau!
    - watch you don't overestimate your exercise calories
    - watch you don't underestimate your food calories
    - don't borrow calories from the future, put them in a nice little savings plan for a rainy/hungry day
    - have patience
    - er...
    - that's it


    Great Points!! There are also some really great tips in the book "Stop your Cravings" by Jennifer Workman--lifestyle changes that can make a huge difference. Starving yourself (calorie deficit too low) is not sustainable, nor is the weight you lose that way. Working with a lifestyle or nutrition coach is a really big help too...
  • susana67
    susana67 Posts: 8 Member
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    Great incentive to lose weight. congrats on the pre-wedding. I would agree with below, 5 days a week for 1-2hrs is a bit excessive to start with. I think you can sustain 5 days but cut back to 1 hr as less is more. you might want to try the HIIT technique which I find very efffective on cardio machines. gentle for 1 min, 30 sec sprint, 30 second rest etc. for 10mins, be surprised how quickly you get soaked in sweat and get the heart going. Strength training with bench weights (clean and press, snatch, dead squats) also builds up the sweat and gives you an all over body workout. as for food protein (chicken, tuna) with loads of veg or salad and minimal dressing. I'm not a PT but with these guidelines from my PT they certainly worked for me - good luck and let us know how you get on!
  • Alexgriffin1903
    Alexgriffin1903 Posts: 4
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    Wow!!!!! really wasn't expecting that much of a responce so thank you all for your replies. Right where to start????

    Ill start with putting out my exercise routine so we know where we're at :) I'm doing a begginer Push/Pull/Legs weights plan along with 5 days cardio, I chose this as I had done about 9 months weight training last year and wanted to keep my muscles moving in the right direction whilst trying to drop the fat so that once I've lost that fat I can move towards gaining some muscle size. My weekly routine looks like this and I'm now into week 3 with no issues so far;

    Monday - Cardio - 20mins Cross trainer = 2.2miles average + 10min run = 1mile(ish) + 3.5mile ride (less than 1hr total)

    Tuesday - Push + Cardio - (Push) 3 sets bench press, 3 sets incline bench, 3 sets shoulder press, 3 sets skull crushers. (Cardio) 20min cross, 20 ride (1hr 20mins)

    Wednesday - Cardio - AS MONDAY + Core work

    Thursday - Pull + Cardio - (Pull) 3 sets pull ups (3-6 currently), 3 sets bent over row, 3 sets bicep curls, 3 sets shrugs. Cardio same as Tuesday

    Friday - Cardio - 30min row + 20min cross

    I'm pretty happy with my exercise routine and I am always leaving sweating so I know I'm pushing myself but what I really want help with is....... yup you've all guessed it DIET lol I have seen sooooooooo many different ways to 'loose weight' my head is spinning o_O

    The actual facts are these, I am 28, 5ft 7 and 203lbs. My BMR is 1991 (2000) and my BMI is 30.83 (31) so my lean body mass (without actual confirmation using callipers) is around 140lbs. Oh and I'm a bloke and British lmao (I'm sure the British bit will make all the difference ;) ) I want to loose 2 or more lbs a week if I can and ill do anything to make that happen :)

    Any tips on the info provided would be great and again thanks for your replies so far they have been very informative but more so uplifting, started to get a bit bogged down under all the info I've been looking at
  • tbrain1989
    tbrain1989 Posts: 280 Member
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    your program looks good and if its sustainable then its a high level of exercise, my only re-assurance is not to get to hung up on the BMI. especially for knowing your obese, the entire england rugby team are obese according to BMI, dont forget muscle weighs more then fat! i would focus more on your body fat, either get a tape measure and use the 9 measurements to calculate (im sure you can find it on google) or splash out on some calipers and find a willing friend to do the hard to reach places :)
  • Alexgriffin1903
    Alexgriffin1903 Posts: 4
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    So made a school boy error today, done my days cardio but was feeling it pretty hard and then I remembered I've only eaten a tin of tuna today :O Really wasn't intentional I just got so busy ironically looking up decent diets lol ah well still done 2.2miles on the cross trainer, 1 mile on the treadmill, 4.2miles on the bike and a 1000m row, all on a tin of tuna!!!!! lol
  • carolyn0613
    carolyn0613 Posts: 162 Member
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    You said your BMR is 1991 and you are doing about an hour of moderate/intense exercise 5 days a week. I put your stats into this calculator
    http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced
    and it did come up with 2082 BMR and about 3200 - 3500 TDEE - that's the energy you need to maintain the weight you are.

    The rough guide is that 1lb lost a week equals 500 cals a day (don't look for the science behind this, there is none but it is a good enough guide)

    So 2lb is the most you should try to lose. So that's a reduction in calories of 1000 a day. This gives you 2200-2500 cals. That's quite a lot really, and a tin of tuna comes nowhere near fulfilling it... Eat more! There are no forbidden foods in MFP, just portion control. Stick to your calories and you'll get there. You've got enough leeway in there to make a few higher calorie choices.

    The beauty of this way of losing weight is that you reduce enough to lose weight but not so much as to get all the diet negatives - low blood sugar, grumpy, tiredness. it takes longer but is easier to follow therefore more likely to succeed. Trust me, I've been on a yoyo diet since i was a chubby 14 year old. Big calories deficits are NOT the way to go
  • harley1968
    harley1968 Posts: 218 Member
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    Hi Alex, I always considered myself to be a fairly good weight, then like you I put in the numbers and it tells me I am obese, pretty shocking.

    I gave up smoking just over 6 weeks ago and have now found that I am putting on extra weight on top of the extra weight, so now I need to lose at least 35 lb's, doesn't sound so bad when you say it quick lol.

    I feel just by losing that much I can actually get into the clothes that I thought fitted me ok, but obviously don't. I think personally I just get to the stage where I can't see myself changing (as in gaining weight), but I am.

    I am going to do a 2 week detox so that should hopefully kick start me onto a healthy eating plan and I am also going to do the 30 day Squat Challenge (just hope I can manage it), then get back to the gym for some proper training.

    Good luck, and I am sure with having 373 days to go until your wedding you will be able to achieve your goal.

    This is a good site as it is good to know that they are other people out there going through the same things and who can offer encouragement when you need it.
    :smile:
  • chalfont50
    chalfont50 Posts: 3 Member
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    Hi Alex. 11th July 2012, I was obese, BMI over 30, weighing in at 15st 10lbs. Today I am 11st 11lbs and in the correct area on the BMI scale. I walked the dog for an hour and half a day and when I got to 12 1/2 stone started going to the gym but only three days a week. I do 50 minutes of weights etc and an hour on the treadmill. Hand on heart it has not been difficult. Load runtastic onto your phone and record your exercise and it will load calories gained onto your fitnesspal account. I always eat up to my limit but never over and a thing I have realised is if you feel full then stop eating even if you have lots of calories left. I also eat chocolate and crisps (my treats) but I do not drink, far too many calories!!!!! Take it easy mate, it is more likely to stay off if you loose it slowly but then you need to keep it up. Best of luck, you will look great on your wedding day.
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
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    holy balls, your workout routine is insane. how can you do cardio and lifting on the same day?

    You know your BMI, you should really figure out your TDEE too. BMI isn't going to do you much good except to find the minimum calories you should eat. If you are strength training, all that muscle is going to throw it off.
  • Deipneus
    Deipneus Posts: 1,862 Member
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    Good luck. I'm on the other side of things. Long-time MFP guy. On maintenance one year now. This is my second go 'round. The first time I blew off maintenance and gained weight. I know better now
  • rocket_ace
    rocket_ace Posts: 380 Member
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    Welcome Alex. I'm kind of a wuss, so this may not apply to you, but your 5 days a week for 1-2 hours schedule doesn't sound sustainable to me. I would burn out pretty quickly with that level of effort.

    One phrase that has stuck with me is that "You can't outrun your fork".

    Good luck!

    great post man!!! that isn't sustainable for me either...I would burn out day 2...lol.....also, "can't outrun your fork" will stay w/ me - thanks!
  • nancybuss
    nancybuss Posts: 1,461 Member
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    Welcome to the New You!!!!!!

    You have a great goal in mind going into your marriage being healthier.

    Youv'e got this. :)
  • msvane22
    msvane22 Posts: 3 Member
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    I am in the same boat, I am obese, have been for awhile keep trying to lose weight but have been easily discouraged. Mostly because I am inconsistent. Keep doing what you are doing and you will get there. I am going to draw inspiration from your work out schedule :0)
  • Alexgriffin1903
    Alexgriffin1903 Posts: 4
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    First off I'd just like to say thank you all for your very encouraging words :) wow you guys really are amazing!!!

    Reading all this has made me feel a lot more positive today, got on the scales this morning and they have not moved since Monday :( (I know I shouldn't be checking the scales to often but I just couldn't help myself and now I wish I hadn't)

    To those who are looking at my exercise routine and wondering if it's sustainable...... sort of lol I have been in all this week and did my pull and cardio session last night but came home a broken man :O so I'm having today (Friday) off and will be making up for it tomorrow. Give it a couple weeks and ill be doing 5 nights no problem, I really want to loose this weight so it's giving me that extra push needed in the gym.

    Oh and tried out running my fork but I just couldn't do it :( left the spoon in my dust though so all that gym work is paying off ;)

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