120 Day progress. :-/ Not really success...but it is what it is.

DetroitDarin
DetroitDarin Posts: 955 Member
edited November 2016 in Success Stories
So - between day 1 on the left and day 120 on the right I see not-terrible progress.

My pattern has been this: Less than 1500 calories per day with maybe half-dozen approaching 1700-1800 (for my cheat days). Very low carbs; only carbs from bananas and cashews and the protein bars. Maybe have had two servings of pasta and maybe 3 slices of bread in 3 months.

I am most-frustrated over the last month's almost-no-loss. Looking at the photos I can see I might have built muscle - my chest looks fuller up top and my arms are more-solid looking. I think I look stronger than at the 90 day pic (in the center). My little man-boobs are pooching now, which I hate - but I can see the muscle behind them which might exacerbate the boob-lets. My "hate-handles" at my mid section have changed in the last 30 days.

As far as non-scale stuff. 30 days ago I bought jeans that fit. Today they are loose. 30 days ago I used 15kg dumbells for my curls, now I use 17.5kg. I'm up three plates on the tricep-pull-downs. AND I missed a solid week of the gym because of illness.

When I see others - and this is stupid of me because that's THEIR body, not mine - having lost like 40lbs in 4 months I can feel pretty terrible about my remaining fat. I remind myself every day "this is what's happening to me."

Nobody else's success or failure has anything to do with mine. I am frustrated a lot at the lack of loss this month; I don't want to drop to 1000-1100 calories because on those days; which happen sometimes - i get a little dizzy.

So - whatever. My body still sucks. But my body will not suck forever.

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Replies

  • AdviDaddy
    AdviDaddy Posts: 207 Member
    edited November 2016
    Congrats on losing wt. Any wt loss is appreciable. For the time being, let's not give too much of importance on the quantity of loss.

    One baby step at a time. We can do it, eventually. Frustration is a big hurdle in our wt loss battles. Don't you think so? Let's try driving it out of our equation, if possible.

    I've lost over 40 lbs in 6 months. Happy? Yeah. Could've lost more? May be! Cheer up. You will be there. Good luck on your wt loss journey, mate.
  • DetroitDarin
    DetroitDarin Posts: 955 Member
    hey, thank you very much for that. I know, I know. I'm - today anyway - so f'ing TIRED of having to logically convince myself good things are happening. Instead of trying to see the bright side or trying to talk-myself-into feeling good about the progress, I want to be sexy like...now. I want to be smacked in the face with the results - not have to hunt for them.

    Course, a year from now? I'll look back and feel pretty-damn-good I started 120 days ago. :)
  • 50extra
    50extra Posts: 751 Member
    I gotta ask Darin, how accurate is your tracking? We are similar in size, I am down to 210 from 242. I am losing at 1-2lbs a week eating around 2000cals a day with 2000-4500 steps a day. I do cardio for roughly 45 minutes 4-5 times a week on my stationary bike. I spend over half the day sitting at a desk or in a vehicle.

    When i was eating at 1470 calories and eating back all of my exercise calories I was losing at 2lbs a week. So all of this makes me think there's gotta be an error in your measuring somewhere. Your diary is closed so I can't see anything on it.

    Oh yeah, and why no carbs?
  • DetroitDarin
    DetroitDarin Posts: 955 Member
    edited November 2016
    it's accurate within probably 5%. I over-estimate intake by rounding-up portion sizes and under-estimate burn during work outs. my diary should be open. I'll check it. I don't log veggies, as most of my chicken is eaten atop about a cup of mixed greens. I don't log 1-3x servings of coffee creamer almost daily.

    I am doing just-about paleo. adding in protein powder and bars.

    Thanks!
  • DetroitDarin
    DetroitDarin Posts: 955 Member
    edited November 2016
    made the diary public. I never eat-back my calories.

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  • 50extra
    50extra Posts: 751 Member
    Yep, I made it in there and don't see anything that jumps out at me that could be setting you back. Maybe its time to try a refeed?
  • DetroitDarin
    DetroitDarin Posts: 955 Member
    refeed?
  • 50extra
    50extra Posts: 751 Member
    Let me find a good page on it
  • 50extra
    50extra Posts: 751 Member
    This isn't the page I was looking for but its a start. There's a great video from a trainer somewhere but I cant find it.

    https://www.muscleforlife.com/refeed/
  • DetroitDarin
    DetroitDarin Posts: 955 Member
    Thank you 50. I'll dig into it.

    what's killing me is this - Why things gotta be so f'ing complicated? Right? (sigh). Always a plan or technique or 'science' - I'd give anything if it were as simple as 'stop eating so damn much'. :( Rant = over.
  • 50extra
    50extra Posts: 751 Member
    See I guess I have been lucky because for me it is 100% eat less and lose more. It has been all year long, when I track calories and stick to the budget it allows me I literally lose exactly what I should. When I stop tracking and measuring my food I gain. My problem is I go 1 month of being perfect on diet, then the next month is completely out the window. I work rotational so when I am here in Russia my diet is on point, then I go home.....

    Have you thought of mixing in any real HIIT into your workouts? I seen that you are lifting weights and there's a ton of research that saying HIIT doesn't make you lose muscle and burns fat like a mother. You get a ton of results in a very short period of time.
  • DetroitDarin
    DetroitDarin Posts: 955 Member
    edited November 2016
    well - i've read lots of OTHER research showing lots of cardio, say, does not appreciably "burn fat". I'm trapped to really rowing - that works for me; and stationary bike. Because there's the problem with my knees. I can't 'squat' or climb stairs, or jump. Anything that puts pressure along my knee caps feels like i'm being cut with razors across the patella. I love russia -btw, my step-sister lives way up north (with an oil company). :)
  • 50extra
    50extra Posts: 751 Member
    I've never heard that cardio doesn't burn. The harder you work the more calories you burn and in turn lose weight. HIIT is hard but the shifts that I was doing it on my bike I was able to eat much more and lose weight the same. I have an assault bike waiting for my at home so I can get more of a total body cardio session. You should see how the knee holds up on a bike, I know my knees are buggered from doing Insanity a couple months ago so running is out but the bike feels just fine on it.

    I am in Siberia, although not as far north as I used to be, work for an oilfield service company.
  • DetroitDarin
    DetroitDarin Posts: 955 Member
    Right - but in the end it's all and only about burning calories. Say I burn an extra 100 calories from an hour on the bike. I would have burned those calories anyway eventually, right?

    Small world :)

  • 50extra
    50extra Posts: 751 Member
    You can burn an extra 600 calories in an hour on the bike speeding up the amount of time that it takes to lose the weight.
  • DetroitDarin
    DetroitDarin Posts: 955 Member
    edited November 2016
    50extra wrote: »
    You can burn an extra 600 calories in an hour on the bike speeding up the amount of time that it takes to lose the weight.

    My sister is in Noyabrsk. Surgut.

    After 30 minutes on a bike, doing up to 15km at times, I burn about 200 calories, tops, according to my gym's machines. If I crank up the resistance my knees essentially stop working.
  • 50extra
    50extra Posts: 751 Member
    I used to work in Noya, well actually in Vingapour which is an hour drive from there but our office is in Noya. Now I am in Khanty-Mansiysk.

    So that would be 400 calories an hour you are burning over and above what you are burning without it. I have lost the majority of my weight with the bike. It's the only cardio I get over here other than the Insanity one shift and a bit of T25.
  • DetroitDarin
    DetroitDarin Posts: 955 Member
    On my hour ride, I burned about 300 if I recall. really hurts to do that. Will have to keep rowing. But what causes pessimism is this: I am still eating a what 'should' be a good calorie deficit. Will keep at it. Who knows? The way my weight goes I might lose 8lbs in the next week and a half.

    Thank you for your help - means a lot.
  • DetroitDarin
    DetroitDarin Posts: 955 Member
    Oh. and Sandpoint is about my favourite place on earth. BEAUTIFUL there. My boss is from Cour D' Alene. I lived in Spokane for awhile :)
  • 50extra
    50extra Posts: 751 Member
    Yeah Sandpoints pretty sweet, I actually live in Canada but have 10 acres in Dover/Sandpoint and spend summer down there.

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