Just starting out......need your advice on my plan of attack!

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dtopo
dtopo Posts: 33 Member
edited January 2015 in Health and Weight Loss
So I am starting out once again on this weight loss journey. I would love people to read this and give me POSITIVE feedback and advice as I move forward. If you have tips, tricks, changes, etc let's hear them as long they are POSITIVE FEEDBACK.

Today I took some before photos (not very flattering) and posted right in front of my face where I brush my teeth so every morning I will remember to stick with it. I also put them as the wallpaper on my phone so I see them every time I pick them up. Hoping it stops me from cheating on food which is my downfall (the - oh just this one time syndrome)! I am starting out at 309 pounds (was 315 at my highest). I am 33 years old and 6' 3". I should be about 100 pounds lighter they say. I would be happy with 50-60 pounds lighter and no giant beer gut.

I have made a deal with myself. If I can lose 50 pounds by December 2015 and not feel ashamed to take my shirt off around my friends then I am going to go visit my friends in Thailand. Right now I would be too embarrassed as they are always at the beach or swimming or snorkeling and I would have to keep my shirt on. I have had friends tell me to put it back on before.....kinda ruined things for me.

My goal is to try to lose 5 pounds per month (average). MFP is telling me to eat 2070 calories a day. I am logging everything in the morning right when I get to work (whole day meals planned out). I normally only make it to about 1800.


WORKING OUT:

I have a membership to a gym that I am finally ready to use after paying for it for a year without going. I have it all to myself after 9pm so I won't be intimidated (it's a ghost town after 9pm). Just going to use the group fitness studio and do my little workouts in private.

I have a membership to FitStar (personal trainer app). I have four scheduled workouts a week for about 30-50 minutes each - a mix of cardio and weight training. I can do these at home or at the gym so there are no excuses (body weight exercises). It automatically logs my workouts and calories burned. It's nice because I play the app and it leads me through the workout (do this now....do this now). It guages what I could handle and how much and tailors my next workout to that and to push me just a little each time. So that I build up as I get stronger AND don't push myself so hard at something I can't handle.

I am also starting each day with a 2 minute metabolism boosting workout (jumping jacks, running in place, shadow boxing, pushups, situps, squats, etc) just to get the body jump started. I want to start trying to walk at lunch or something when the deep freeze leaves my home town.


EATING:

Each morning I start with a protein shake. Something with lots of vitamins and nutrients and some protein and fiber to keep me full for a while. I also have a banana with my breakfast.

I have a morning snack around 10:30 - normally some grapes, an apple, some nuts, etc. I also drink a glass of metamucil - it helps keep me full through the rest of the day and helps me fight temptations.

For lunch I eat at my desk - I can't get away from it and when I do leave work I always fail and hit fast food. It's a lack of willpower so to avoid having to fit that temptation/addiction I just eat at my desk (plus it gets me more hours which I like). Normally an Amy's Frozen lunch. They are more natural and organic (and typically veggie) than all the other frozen meals. Not too high in sodium which I know is key. I love them. I know I should probably fix my own fresh meals and hopefully that will come down the line as I get better at all this (so don't rag on me too hard).

My afternoon snack is typically a snack bar of some sort (nature valley).

I head home and normally have another snack. Kinda depends on what this one is. Dried veggie chips, dried fruit, etc. My wife does not get home till 11pm so it's a long stretch to wait for dinner BUT we like to eat together.

For dinner we cook off the EMEALS MEAL PLAN. We use the portion control plan which is designed for weight watchers people - small portions - only enough for two (no leftovers). It's delicious and enough for me.

We are going to try to have one cheat meal every two weeks. Maybe go to PF Changs or somewhere. Still try to not to go overboard but not totally deprive ourselves.

We never drink soda. We do drink alcohol 1-2 times a month and typically use soda water and vodka to keep calories low.


Replies

  • dtopo
    dtopo Posts: 33 Member
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    Maybe this will be some motivation too posting these here. Can't wait to hopefully post some photos with some big changes in 6 months and 1 year.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    This all sounds quite sustainable and reasonable. If you are happy with this plan then I can easily see you meeting your goal this year. If, however, you start to feel deprived or unhappy, then there's lots of wiggle room for you to add a little more food, especially if you're only eating about 1800 calories right now.

    I think the most important thing is that your new lifestyle be sustainable. In other words, is it something you can continue to maintain (with slightly more calories) for the rest of your life? If not, you'll eventually slide back into old habits. Realize that weight loss will be faster at the beginning and then slow. Don't get discouraged when this happens; it's completely normal. You'll have less mass to move around so doing the same things burns less calories.

    Be completely aware that losing weight is done in the kitchen, not the gym. You can't out-exercise overeating. Use the gym to help improve your cardiovascular health or retain muscle. In fact, I'd highly encourage that you quickly graduate beyond body weight exercises and start lifting heavy. You have great muscles there underneath the fat, since your body has had to build them to move you around. Lifting heavy will allow you to keep that muscle and once you've gotten rid of the fat you're going to look like a badass on the beach in Thailand.
  • mymodernbabylon
    mymodernbabylon Posts: 1,038 Member
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    I would definitely eat more than 1800 calories, especially with working out. I'd go to the Scooby Workshop, calculate your TDEE and then figure out what deficit you want (I wouldn't do more than 25%) I lose at 1800 calories and I'm older, smaller and shorter than you. You will be losing way too much muscle by under-eating more than suggested (plus it'll suck and why do something that sucks that much). BUT if you eat more and make sure that you keep your protein intake up then it's doable. You want this to be something that you can keep doing for the year - make it as easy and enjoyable as it possibly can be. And good luck!
  • dtopo
    dtopo Posts: 33 Member
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    Yeah I know I have to find something that I can sustain long term. I hope to develop the meals and workouts over time once I am more used to living this way.

    For example even with all that food each day I am starving. I think it's because I am used to eating a massive breakfast burrito, two medium 8" subs, and a wendys double value meal with an extra chicken sandwich and nuggets on the side. Plus whatever snacks I wanted (butter popcorn, cookies, candy bars, etc) throughout the day with no adandon.

    I think I need my stomach to shrink a little honestly!!!

    And yes I wish this FitStar app used weights. I bet once I am used to it I can add some weights to the workout myself.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    dtopo wrote: »
    Yeah I know I have to find something that I can sustain long term. I hope to develop the meals and workouts over time once I am more used to living this way.

    For example even with all that food each day I am starving. I think it's because I am used to eating a massive breakfast burrito, two medium 8" subs, and a wendys double value meal with an extra chicken sandwich and nuggets on the side. Plus whatever snacks I wanted (butter popcorn, cookies, candy bars, etc) throughout the day with no adandon.

    I think I need my stomach to shrink a little honestly!!!

    And yes I wish this FitStar app used weights. I bet once I am used to it I can add some weights to the workout myself.

    If you're still starving, then up your calories to the goal MFP has set for you. That goal already has your weight loss deficit built in. You'll be happier in the long run and you'll lose weight at a slightly slower pace which is actually better for you. Add in a little more food for breakfast, at least. Our bodies digest liquids differently than solid food so that protein shake isn't going to last you long and a banana is about 100 calories of fructose which also disappears pretty quickly. Maybe some peanut butter or bacon, anything with some fat and a little protein will help. Your stomach will still shrink over time but you'll be a little less miserable while it does.

    You don't need that app to add weights, just do it on your own. Does your gym have weight machines? Pick a few and have a go. Once you get comfortable you can talk to someone at the gym about starting with free weights but the machines will still give you results at the beginning. Weights are more important than cardio, IMHO. With cardio you're burning more calories which is going to make you hungrier.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,716 Member
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    Looked at your pictures. You're tall so you carry weight well, a bit more in the midsection, of course. But, that's fixable just by reducing the amount of calories you consume each day. Sorry, but whomever told you to put your shirt back on is NOT your friend!
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    Your plan sounds good. Most of your hunger is probably just adjusting, but watch it. Eating too little tends to trigger overeating, and the last thing you want to do is set yourself up to yo-yo back and forth. It's always better to start off a little slower, let your body adjust, and then drop your calories lower later.

    1800 sounds really low, to be honest. I'm 5'4", 125 pounds and a girl, and I maintain at 1800. I'd definitely aim to hit your 2070 (or be open to the idea of getting there, on days when you are hungry). Realistically, you may be losing weight for 1-2 years. Don't go balls-out now just to hit a wall and have to start over again later.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    edited January 2015
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    The plan is fine up until you start itemizing the actual food. Expect that part to change, significantly, because until you actually start doing this, it's difficult to predict how your cravings will manifest themselves in a steady caloric deficit regime.

    For example, I personally hate protein shakes because they leave me completely and utterly unsatiated, so they're like empty calories for me.

    And you may as well get used to the idea of being a little hungry all the time, because that is the reality for many once in a deficit, no matter what they eat. You may get lucky, but no harm in steeling yourself for the worst case.

    :drinker:
  • dtopo
    dtopo Posts: 33 Member
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    I am not trying to eat 1800. I want to eat 2000 but the food I planned and bought just add's up that way. Maybe I will sneak in an extra snack or something.

    I use the app for working out because I don't want to be out in the gym using weights and designing my own workout plan. I want to be hidden away in the yoga room by myself and focused. Most important I want the app (basically it's a personal trainer) to tell me exactly what to do each day. I stop working out because I convince myself it's too much work to sit around designing a workout - this app does it for me and it's tailored for me personally. But I could easily add some dumbells to the squats or whatever else. Right now I can hardly do the bodyweight stuff though so that will come later.

    It's when I get home I am starving and I think it really is because I am used to eating 7000-8000 calories a day (not joking). I will get used to it. It's weird because I could drink my shake in AM and not be hungry once till about 7pm. Bodies are strange.
  • tombetlej
    tombetlej Posts: 61 Member
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    Great job on coming up with a balanced plan for eating and exercise!

    You might want to look at adding some more protein and/or fat to your snacks, if within you calorie goals. They may be more filling/satisfying than veggie chips or dried fruit. Or maybe regular veggies and fruit rather than the processed versions...more volume = more filling

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