Which way to start? Anyone with experience?

zellars92
zellars92 Posts: 2 Member
edited November 17 in Getting Started
Hello,

My name's Christopher. I'm 24 years old and have become very overweight due to recent respiratory health problems and being on long term prednisone for the past year and a half. I'm currently at around 265lbs, but have been over 200lbs for several years, and basically struggled with trying to lose weight all my "adult" life (since I was maybe 16).

Because the weight is currently making my health problems worse, I'm trying to get very serious about weight loss and I'm wondering which way I should go - should I first focus on muscle building and then fat loss, or should I focus on fat loss first?

My confusion with which way to go comes from the fact that I think my body is already used to being in a calorie deficit and has adapted by slowing my metabolism down by a lot. If this website is correct with it's calculations, it says I should be consuming 2,680 calories per day to maintain my current weight of 262lbs, and I would say on a normal day before I've been recording my calories that I would only get around 1,800-2,000. This means I've already been in a ~700-900 calorie deficit before starting to record my daily intakes, so it seems to me that my body would have adapted by now by slowing my metabolism - right? So in that case, going down to 1,600 calories would be less effective if my metabolism is already slowed - right?

I also am positive that I have very little muscle mass, which would not help with the low metabolism. I've been sitting very often because increased asthma problems has made breathing quite difficult, and am currently going to physical therapy where the therapist said we need to focus on strengthening.

So.. can anyone tell me which I should focus on with all of that being the case, and possibly what would be a good way to go about doing so? I feel like.. if I spend a month or two (please correct me if I need to do it for longer) trying to gain some muscle and speed my metabolism up again, then when I return to try and lose some fat it should be much more successful? Because right now having 1,600 calorie goals a day does not seem to be effective at all and I've not really lost anything in the past three weeks of recording meals.

My main worry is that going up to 2,680 calories a day if my body is used to 1,800-2,000 will cause me to gain even more weight though so that's why I wanted to ask first.

I'm also unsure what sort of exercises to do to even start trying to gain muscle first when I have so little of it to start with, or at least it feels that way. Any help would be much appreciated! Thank you~

Replies

  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited April 2017
    The best circumstances for gaining lean muscle mass - calorie surplus, adequate protein and progressive strength training (lifting heavy things). Under these conditions would gain muscle + fat.

    So instead what many people do is eat at a calorie deficit, get adequate protein and do progressive strength training. You are losing weight, but are trying to safeguard as much (existing) lean muscle as you can.

    Adaptive thermogenesis - this is not going to be a dramatic change in your metabolism. This gets blown way out of proportion. You will gain weight if you are eating above your MAINTENANCE. You will lose weight if you are eating below your MAINTENANCE.....period.

    Put your stats into MFP (My Fitness Pal) and choose a weekly weight loss goal of no more than 1% of your current body weight. If you add exercise, you earn more calories. Eat back no more 50-75% of exercise calories (because burns are estimates). After awhile you can judge whether of not the calorie burns were inflated/understated....and adjust accordingly.
  • Bakerchk
    Bakerchk Posts: 424 Member
    Hi Christopher! I am obviously not a body builder or nutritionist by any means but I can say, I lost 60 lbs in one year on MFP so I'd like to think maybe I could help here a bit. I personally focused on the eating right aspect first. Not so much losing weight, just more focusing on what I was consuming. My rule is thumb is, if you can't pronounce an ingredient, you don't eat it. If there's more ingredients in a package then the number of fingers you have, you don't eat it. My diet tends to be high in fruits, vegetables, meats and protein (beans, eggs, etc.) No sodas, very limited alcohol and a TON of water. I personally consume at least 100 ounces per day. Also, it's important to keep an eye on your macros. I make sure I hit my protein fat and carbs while staying low on sugar and sodium. I truly believe the eating right part is the hardest for most people.

    When I started off, I changed my eating habits. THEN I started to focus on cutting calories. Everyone is different. You have to find a number that works for you. Don't starve yourself but if you notice you're gaining, move the numbers around a bit and see what works. Typically in the past I've given myself a few solid months of eating right before I really started to focus on the gym. That's just my approach but I've found in the past, it was too hard for me to introduce both into my life so abruptly.

    I hope this helps you on your journey. Feel free to add me as a friend!
  • Wd011000
    Wd011000 Posts: 19 Member
    Given that you have some health concerns, I would strongly suggest consulting with your doctor and a nutritionist (especially if your insurance will cover that) to get a workout and eating plan that will be healthy and work toward alleviating your respiratory issue. I have horrible allergies that can cause exercise induce wheezing and constriction, so indoor exercise works best for me. I suggest a water aerobic class or swimming as a good place to start; these are good cardio and full body workouts. You may be surprised at how 'limp noodle' your arms and legs can feel after a class. Choose the pool environment that best works with your respiratory system.
  • acorsaut89
    acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
    edited April 2017
    zellars92 wrote: »
    Hello,

    My name's Christopher. I'm 24 years old and have become very overweight due to recent respiratory health problems and being on long term prednisone for the past year and a half. I'm currently at around 265lbs, but have been over 200lbs for several years, and basically struggled with trying to lose weight all my "adult" life (since I was maybe 16).

    Because the weight is currently making my health problems worse, I'm trying to get very serious about weight loss and I'm wondering which way I should go - should I first focus on muscle building and then fat loss, or should I focus on fat loss first?

    My confusion with which way to go comes from the fact that I think my body is already used to being in a calorie deficit and has adapted by slowing my metabolism down by a lot. If this website is correct with it's calculations, it says I should be consuming 2,680 calories per day to maintain my current weight of 262lbs, and I would say on a normal day before I've been recording my calories that I would only get around 1,800-2,000. This means I've already been in a ~700-900 calorie deficit before starting to record my daily intakes, so it seems to me that my body would have adapted by now by slowing my metabolism - right? So in that case, going down to 1,600 calories would be less effective if my metabolism is already slowed - right?

    I also am positive that I have very little muscle mass, which would not help with the low metabolism. I've been sitting very often because increased asthma problems has made breathing quite difficult, and am currently going to physical therapy where the therapist said we need to focus on strengthening.

    So.. can anyone tell me which I should focus on with all of that being the case, and possibly what would be a good way to go about doing so? I feel like.. if I spend a month or two (please correct me if I need to do it for longer) trying to gain some muscle and speed my metabolism up again, then when I return to try and lose some fat it should be much more successful? Because right now having 1,600 calorie goals a day does not seem to be effective at all and I've not really lost anything in the past three weeks of recording meals.

    My main worry is that going up to 2,680 calories a day if my body is used to 1,800-2,000 will cause me to gain even more weight though so that's why I wanted to ask first.

    I'm also unsure what sort of exercises to do to even start trying to gain muscle first when I have so little of it to start with, or at least it feels that way. Any help would be much appreciated! Thank you~

    This isn't necessarily true. People who have been bigger for much of their adult life actually have more muscle mass on them than a person who maintained an average weight. The reason for this is very simple: when you're bigger it takes more to move that weight around, even if you have a sedentary job it still takes a lot more effort to move and thus you'd build more muscle.

    For example, I was 350lbs when I first figured out I have to do something about this situation. 2 years ago I had a bod pod test done - where they measure weight and volume of your body to determine muscle mass. Anywho, I have over 140lbs of LBM on me. For a woman that's a decent amount. So when my BMI states I should weigh in at about 160 - 165, 170 on the high end, for my height I would legitimately be an unhealthy weight for my body. This muscle mass will likely remain the same, potentially even go up if I focus on it. You likely have more muscle than you think you do.

    And while I am not a doctor, so please consult with one, I would suggest that you might be eating more than you think you are. 1800-2000 calories/day for a man is not a whole lot, really. Further while this medication may have some effect on your metabolism/eating habits (I don't know, I don't take it) it is not the cause of this weight gain. Your eating habits are the cause of this weight gain; you need to work on those. As someone else said, if you eat less than maintenance you lose and if you eat more you gain - it's very much so that simple, for everyone, regardless of medication.

    So if your medication takes your maintenance from 2500 to 2000, for example, then you need to adjust your eating habits accordingly. This is not because of the medication; it may have slowed your metabolism or affected your appetite but weight gain is from eating habits/lack of exercise, period.

    Take a good, honest look at the food. Cut back there. Start there. Exercise is great, and helps relieve stress, helps to sleep better at night, helps with overall feelings of happy but you cannot out exercise a bad diet . . . look at the diet portion, first.
  • gnatseyelashes
    gnatseyelashes Posts: 16 Member
    edited April 2017
    Hi Chris, I was on prednisone for many years (autoimmune disease) and I empathize with what you're going through. Prednisone is notorious for causing weight gain!
    It makes you HUNGRY 24/7 and it makes you retain fluid.

    I tried losing weight on pred,
    didn't happen, so I concentrated on not gaining any more weight (I packed on 50 lbs) :-(

    As soon as the docs let me off the stuff, 50 lbs went away quickly.

    First off the side effects made me retain water, crave sweets and in general I was ravenous. I was constantly hungry and I ate everything in sight. I even went to Weight Watchers and it seemed that the low calories made it worse.

    I would say to avoid sweets, soda's and salt. Drink lots of water, Weight train and do some cardio - even walking is better than nothing. If exercise makes your asthma worse, talk to your Doc about meds you might be able to take ahead of exercise.

    This probably isn't very helpful, Docs have you on pred for a reason. It won't be forever.

    Best of luck


  • ILoveGoal
    ILoveGoal Posts: 141 Member
    Whenever possible, allow to eat what you truly desire when hungry (with care) (hopefully nutritient rich natural foods mostly), leaving satisfied for longer. Otherwise going to have what originally wanted anyway even if not hungry anymore. If eating first what originally craving, may not needing the other foods not really wanting.

    Of course when truly hungry and the foods not wanting available, see what you desire the most of the foods available, possible how much.

    Eat slowly (slower), savour every bite, try feeling when getting truly satisfied, not stuffed.

    Enjoy all the nourishment <3
  • Theo166
    Theo166 Posts: 2,564 Member
    Think of it like starting a new sport, the first step is to focus on your technique and build some muscle memory.

    With weight loss, than means focus on logging everything you eat and building your meal planning skills. Build awareness on what works for you and what doesn't.

    For me this was done eating just under maintenance calories. After a couple weeks I was in a rhythm and then was able to start reducing my calorie target in stages. If you've got a lot to lose, slow and steady wins the race, you are changing deep habits and you need new habits you can readily maintain for the next 1-2 yrs.
  • zellars92
    zellars92 Posts: 2 Member
    Thank you all for your replies, I'll definitely keep focusing on what I'm eating for the time being and just try not to gain more from the prednisone until I get off of it
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