New to the forum

Hello all, my name is Justin. I'm relatively new to MFP. I'm 27 years old and currently weigh 320 pounds. I'm 6'3 or 6'4 - haven't been to the pediatrician in a while :). So luckily that has helped me to carry my weight around with some degree of dignity lol. I'm a professional musician and music teacher, so I'm sedentary while I'm teaching during the day, but I stand on stage for hours on end when I play. I really enjoy weight lifting and cardio. I do a full body calisthenic and weight training routine with moderately heavy weight balanced with cardio every other day for a total of 5-6 days a week of exercise.

Losing weight has evaded me since about 6th grade. I've had success with weight watchers, where I lost 26 pounds, but I allowed myself to plateau and eventually regress. At my heaviest, I was 336. So I've not gotten any worse since then, but I'm in need of some help and a few battle buddies! Recently I tried the low carb thing, but I just don't think its realistic.

So now I'm back to calorie counting and pretty excited to learn that I need to eat all of my calories. I currently need 2620 calories to lose 1.5lbs/week. Given my weight/age/sex coupled with the intensity of many of my workouts, that number may shoot up well past 3000 calories. While I love the idea of having that many calories, its also a challenge to not go over my daily fat, sodium, cholesterol, etc, intake.

Being a big guy all my life, I'm actually not sure how much weight I need to lose. I would imagine around 100 pounds, maybe more, maybe less. I would love to talk to some guys and girls who've been in my shoes and would also love to hear any tips!

Regards,

Justin

Replies

  • cfilipi74
    cfilipi74 Posts: 63 Member
    Great to meet you. I love MFP and have been on it since the beginning of the year. I also have a sedentary job, so I go to the gym after work. I try to get there 4 to 5 days a week, but also get out for a nice walk when it is nice out. I too have done WW and was successful; however, I did gain back everything I lost and more. MFP is the best place to be. Feel free to add me if you would like. Good luck!
  • Cool, nice to meet you too. Weight watchers was a good program but the points system got really tedious to keep up with. The database on MFP just makes it so simple to log calories. Thanks for the reply and good luck to you as well!
  • BattleTaxi
    BattleTaxi Posts: 752 Member
    Welcome to the boards! I think you will find that people here can be really supportive and helpful. Participating on the boards has helped me A LOT to connect with other people striving to live a healthier life style. Being here and communicating with others has definitely been a major help towards being successful in pushing towards my goals.

    Something else you may come to realize is that body fat % is more important than the number on the scale - especially if you are building muscle! :D