I want to lose 50 pounds but it's harder then I thought

waterweight130 · October 2016

Hi, I want to be thin, I feel like I'm skinny fat right now but more fat than skinny, my scale says I'm about 26.5% body fat

I'm about 205 pounds and 6 foot 1 inches tall

I have a large fat belly and man boobs

I have had some success losing about 15 pounds since last November

I don't follow any strict diet I eat primarily whatever I want and try to keep the calories below 2500 on most days

I have a Fitbit and have been using it for awhile

It has helped me lose about 35 pounds in the past 2 years I was close to 240 pounds when I bought it

I can fit into most 34 waist pants but tightly depending on the cut

I want to be super thin and 155 pounds but it seems like it's a lot more challenging than I thought

If I walk my 10,000 steps goal I get hungry and eat more which means I lose more weight by just eating less and not walking

Not to say that exercise is not important because of course it is

I just wish that there was some easy fix to getting thin

I still wear baggy xl or 2xl shirts because I'm uncomfortable with my upper body

I should probably mention that I used to weigh 350 pounds and have some body image issues

If I was 155 pounds I could wear smaller shirts and not have them be so form fitting I mostly just want to lose weight for aesthetic reasons

kshama2001 · October 2016

Are you focusing on filling foods? Increasing protein and fiber and decreasing carbs has worked well for me.

Understanding satiety: feeling full after a meal

...Tips on how to feel fuller

So how can we best try to enhance these feelings of fullness to help us control how much we eat? Here are some top tips for helping you feel fuller:

Foods high in protein seem to make us feel fuller than foods high in fat or carbohydrate, so including some protein at every meal should help keep you satisfied. Foods high in protein include meats such as chicken, ham or beef, fish, eggs, beans and pulses.
If you are watching your weight, opt for lower fat versions, using leaner cuts of meat, cutting off visible fat and avoiding the skin on poultry as this will help reduce the energy density of the diet, which can help to enhance satiety (see below).
Foods that are high in fibre may also enhance feelings of fullness so try to include plenty of high-fibre foods in the diet such as wholegrain bread and cereals, beans and pulses and fruit and vegetables.
Alcohol seems to stimulate appetite in the short-term and therefore drinking alcohol is likely to encourage us to eat more. Alcoholic beverages can make you forget about your intentions to eat healthily by making you lose your inhibitions. Alcoholic drinks are also calorific, so you should cut down on alcohol consumption if you are trying to control your weight.
The ‘energy density’ of food has a strong influence on feelings of fullness or satiety. Energy density is the amount of energy (or calories) per gram of food. Lower energy density foods provide less energy per gram of food so you can eat more of them without consuming too many calories. Low energy density foods include fruit and vegetables, foods with lots of water added when cooking such as soups and stews, and lower fat foods. Click here for more information on energy density.

Read more: http://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/fuller/understanding-satiety-feeling-full-after-a-meal.html

StaciMarie1974 · October 2016

155 might not be a realistic goal. 155 for 6'1" seems a bit extreme.

With that said, if you are losing weight with what you're doing: that is good. When you get discouraged think about the progress you have made and how you're healthier now than you were before you started.

If you get hungry by being more active, you can try to change a bit what you're eating. Increase portions of lower cal items like veggies and decrease portions of higher cal items.

psuLemon · October 2016

Well there is an easy way to get thin.. it's called surgery.

2500 calories might be a bit much, especially if you occasionally go over. I am 30 lbs lighter than you, workout 5-6 hours a week and tend to cut around 2500 or a bit less. I would also suggest if you want to consistently lose, you may have to be more consistent with tracking but also may have to modify your foods so you can lower your calories and still be full; more fiber and lean proteins being the biggie. You can look at my diary if you want some ideas.

billglitch · October 2016

so the man boobs and belly are most likely "extra skin". I read someplace that it can take up to 2 years for that to go away and sometimes it never goes away. I think that at 6'1" 155 is too lean....if you said 180 I would say maybe. I am no expert but if you know you have body image issues then perhaps its more about psychology than your weight.

ericwhitt · October 2016

I gotta question your goals here.... 6'1 155 just seems like an unreasonable goal. I mean I am 5'10 and still weighed 160 when I was 16 in high school when I had no muscle and ran 3-4 miles a day for soccer conditioning. Based on you saying you have man boobs I'm assuming you're a guy. How old are you? Because at 6'1 205lbs, that's not that unhealthy of a weight.

But to answer your question, this is your problem right here "I don't follow any strict diet I eat primarily whatever I want and try to keep the calories below 2500 on most days"

You have no idea how much you are eating. You need to calculate your calorie requirements and then eat at a deficit. This means you have to count calories long enough to develop a good idea of portion control and how much you can eat and still be at or under maintenance. Without knowing your age or how active you are, I would estimate your maintenance is right around 2500 calories. So you are eating at a pace where you're not going to lose weight. Especially since most people who don't measure foods underestimate their calorie intake by around 25-30% based just what I feel like I see from other people's postings here.

lecoman · October 2016

I'm 5'5" and weigh 125. I used to weigh 231 a few years ago. Tracking and measuring food along with exercise is the only thing that ever worked for me. Good job so far. Keep at it. The rewards are worth the effort.

SusanMFindlay · October 2016

Why not try to lose 10-20 pounds then re-evaluate once you get there?

gophermatt · October 2016

If body shaping is part of your goal, you might want to change your scorecard. Perhaps body fat% would be a better indicator. I've been hitting plateaus as well, and have found for me that I need to do more weighing of food and less guessing. Also some light resistance training can be helpful if you're not doing it now. You want to hold onto your lean mass / weight, as it's muscle that uses the calories (yes, I know that's a reduction of the formula but is true at the end of the equation).

If you're not into doing heavy weights, you don't need to be. There are many great resistance activities you can do using your body and gravity. Curl your laptop bag if it's handy a few times, do 10 knee bends really slowly. Both will get a different result than a walk, which is a great thing to do as well.

One of the bumper stickers on this site I've seen and like is: calorie deficits are about looking good in clothes, weights are about looking good naked. If that's what is driving your desire to change, focus in on the things that will get you there. I'd suggest a lean 185 with some muscle will likely be a better result than 155. Start slow with resistance, measure body fat instead of weight, and measure / log your food diligently for 6 weeks and re-evaluate. You won't be at your end state, but see if that gets you closer to what you were thinking. Sorry for the book, I've had a similar process.

allenpriest · October 2016

Yes I think you do have some body image issues.

Packerjohn · October 2016

waterweight130 wrote: »

I just feel like I have 50 extra pounds on me

I've always been fat I think I was 200 by the time I was in 5th grade "I think if I remember correctly"

I can't do any pull ups push ups are hard I can do about 5, I can run for about a minute before I get out of breath I used to be able to bench press 150 but I can't even do that now

I've heard people tell me that at a lower body weight those exercises are easier then if you're overweight

6'1" 205 is not a bad weight. I would suggest a structured resistance training program, some cardio and a slight calorie deficit (200 or so calories a day including exercise calories).

You will continue to lose weight and your body composition/appearance will improve. After 9-12 months reassess where you want to be for your goal weight. If you follow this, I'm pretty sure it will be more than 155 pounds.

Best of luck.

jarablue · October 2016

You realize that at 189 you are in "normal bmi" category right? 155 pounds and you are pushing unhealthy thin. Maybe try to get to 180-190 and then doing body re-composition to shape the way your body looks without losing weight. If you 'look' fat you can change that without losing weight because you think you are heavy. I am 205 6'1 and medium to medium large build and my pcp doc does not want me to drop below 190. So, I think you looking at yourself and thinking your fat is more image maybe? Then actual being unhealthy fat.

Stronglifts is a good program to get started on. Maybe lose 25 pounds...at the most.

I want to lose 50 pounds but it's harder then I thought

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