I Want To Be A Success Story

So at the beginning of April I decided to do something about my weight, I was weighing 283.7 pounds and as of today 4 weeks later my weight is 268 pounds and i feel motivated to get keep going until I'm a good healthy weight.

I was a prison officer until last March and I was always a big bloke 6'2 tall and on leaving the prison service here in the UK I weighed 225 pounds . I started working a desk job and not getting regular physical activity that i did get from my last job which I had done since I was 18 years old and I am now 31 and I think the lack of activity in my work place combined with unhealthy eating added on the pounds quickly.

I found the first week of dieting horrendous as I was constantly hungry then I found this app and it's been a god send, I love it and it's really helping via calorie counting alone.

I'm averaging 1400 calories a day and set my app to aim at a 2 pounds a week loss in weight however I am losing around 4 pounds a week which I don't quite understand??

Does anyone have any tips on a fun exercise? I am considering yoga ......Or any tips in general to help lose these unwanted pounds??

I really enjoy the success stories on this community it's giving me hope and inspiring me .

Thanks

Replies

  • dm5859
    dm5859 Posts: 81 Member
    I tore a bit of tendon in my foot and had to cut back my more vigorous exercises. I now enjoy riding a bike each day. But what I'm really loving is my three time a week water aerobics classes. I'm losing weight and having fun.
  • CaladriaNapea
    CaladriaNapea Posts: 140 Member
    If you are losing more weight than expected then your deficit is probably too steep (although generally there is a beginning whoosh). 1400 calories is really low for a guy, though, generally the lowest a male is every supposed to eat is 1500. I would definitely recommend upping your daily calories to at least 1500 and then wait a couple more weeks. If you are still losing more than two pounds a week then you should up your calories further to compensate. Also, if you do start exercising, make sure you eat back at least 50-75% of your exercise calories--you need to net at least 1500 calories (that means the number of calories you - the calories you burned = at least 1500 calories).

    As for exercise tips: Find exercise you enjoy! Yoga is really fun and there are tons of free Youtube videos that can get you started with it. I really enjoy running, but you may enjoy biking, swimming, rowing, or any of the myriad of other exercises that are out there. Incorporate some resistance training if you can; it helps you maintain your muscle mass as you lose weight.

    As for other tips:
    • Read all the stickied helpful forum threads at the top of each forum! These are insanely helpful and provide loads of truly excellent information.
      The basics of it are extremely simple, however:
    • LOG EVERYTHING as accurately as you can.
    • A food scale really helps with this, and it becomes super quick and easy to use with practice.
    • Good nutrition can help you maintain a calorie deficit, but it is not necessary for weight loss. Good nutrition is obviously good for your health, but this is still separate from weight loss.
    • Play with macros and other elements to figure out what makes you feel the most full while on a deficit. For me, that is plenty of protein and fiber. For other people, that means fat, or carbs, or daily sweets, etc.
    • Even when you mess up (and we all do, it's okay!) dust yourself off, log it, learn what went wrong. learn how to avoid the same mistake next time, and move on.
    • Always maintain the mindset that this is a lifelong change; never do anything for weight loss that you are not going to do either permanently or adapt later on for permanent weight maintenance.
    • Even now, at the very beginning, start thinking about how you are going to maintain your weight loss. Build a solid plan for this, and design your weight loss to fit around your ultimate maintenance plan.

    You can do it, you are already off to a great start!
  • NicoleVT83
    NicoleVT83 Posts: 67 Member
    Swimming
  • philsadude4life
    philsadude4life Posts: 5 Member
    Thanks I feel pretty proud of myself but obviously I have a long way to go . I understand about eating back the calories I burn off via exercise . Any recommendations on what yoga DVDs to purchase for example yoga for beginners? My calorie target is set at 1660 a day but like I said previously I'm averaging 1400 a day which is seemingly working quite well for me . I'm trying to keep calories free just incase I get hungry in the evenings however I've settled quite nicely into having 3 set meals a a day which I plan out carefully and then having a apple or orange for a snack.
    I've found having food weight scales vital.
  • WilliamAndersonLMHC
    WilliamAndersonLMHC Posts: 117 Member
    You are doing great! The initial loss on the scale is exaggerated because you lose a great deal of retained fluid whenever you reduce the amount you eat. The reduced salt intake causes you to retain less water. For lots of tips and info, got to my website . (www.TheAndersonMethod.com) with lots of free articles at the "table of contents" menu at the bottom left of the page.

    Here's my before and after picture. Keep working, and you'll be able to make one of these. (Make sure to get a "before" pic before you lose too much more!yixmajkpe8ln.jpg
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