Having a hard time dieting

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MarkAguilar2092
MarkAguilar2092 Posts: 4 Member
in Introduce Yourself
What's going on guys? I'm Mark and new to this app. Prior service Marine and let me tell you I gained 100lbs since I've discharged(only took 6 months to gain it). Now no matter what I do I have a hard time peeling that fat back. I've been PTing daily including Martial arts. I am seeking some basic counsel to get me on the right track because I'm starting to feel like my metabolism is withering away.

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  • MarkAguilar2092
    MarkAguilar2092 Posts: 4 Member
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    You know that's funny because my BJJ instructor literally told me that like 2 hrs ago. He essentially said eat the natural foods. Hopefully your link will provide more insight to what he meant. Thank you!
  • Commander_Keen
    Commander_Keen Posts: 1,179 Member
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    MarkAguilar2092 wrote: »
    What's going on guys? I'm Mark and new to this app. Prior service Marine and let me tell you I gained 100lbs since I've discharged(only took 6 months to gain it). Now no matter what I do I have a hard time peeling that fat back. I've been PTing daily including Martial arts. I am seeking some basic counsel to get me on the right track because I'm starting to feel like my metabolism is withering away.

    Try keeping track of how much you eat (calorie wise) daily,
    Then every day/ week, back off 100 calories.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
    edited May 2019
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    First, thank you for your service.

    To get on track, just start logging the food you are currently eating into the food diary on this app/site. After a week or two, look back over your food diary. Where can you make adjustments that won't freak you out? Maybe cut out one soda per day? Do that for a couple weeks, while still logging everything. Once you are used to your first adjustment, look back over your diary. Where can you make another adjustment? Maybe you could make sure you are having at least 2 servings of vegetables per day. Do that for a couple weeks while still logging everything. Rinse and repeat.
  • MarkAguilar2092
    MarkAguilar2092 Posts: 4 Member
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    Thank you! I appreciate your advice. This app is an eye opener for sure when it comes to what I consume vs my exercise. Going to need to watch carefully to watch what can go and what should stay.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,020 Member
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    Commander_Keen wrote: »
    MarkAguilar2092 wrote: »
    What's going on guys? I'm Mark and new to this app. Prior service Marine and let me tell you I gained 100lbs since I've discharged(only took 6 months to gain it). Now no matter what I do I have a hard time peeling that fat back. I've been PTing daily including Martial arts. I am seeking some basic counsel to get me on the right track because I'm starting to feel like my metabolism is withering away.

    Try keeping track of how much you eat (calorie wise) daily,
    Then every day/ week, back off 100 calories.

    His weight gain (100 pounds in six months) suggests he has been eating 2000 calories a day over maintenance. If he just cuts that by 100 calories a week, it will take 20 weeks to get down to maintenance, by which time he will have gained an additional 40 lbs. I'm thinking a quicker adjustment is on order.
  • MarkAguilar2092
    MarkAguilar2092 Posts: 4 Member
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    What would be your suggestion?
  • Sharod_BeastFit
    Sharod_BeastFit Posts: 61 Member
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    Same here Mark.

    I gave up on dieting. I just cut back on foods like processed foods, fast foods, sweets, and junk foods. Me personally I cut out eating red meats which is hard. Especially during cookout seasons. Craving was my weakest. Sure I'll have a slice of pizza but 1 slice is all and a garden salad with it and a tall alkaline bottle water. Lol. Thats what I do. My doctor gave me a diet list to follow of certain foods to eat including with measurements in cups and grams but according to MyFitnessPal I'm not eating enough to get the report of how many Lbs I would lose during a 5 week period. Hmm. You can eat anything you want but you have to have portion control. But you also have to montior the sodium saturated fats cholesterol and sugars you're consuming. Myfitnesspal helps with that for sure. Key is burn more than you consume but avoid being in starvation mode.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,072 Member
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    sharbankst wrote: »
    Same here Mark.

    I gave up on dieting. I just cut back on foods like processed foods, fast foods, sweets, and junk foods. Me personally I cut out eating red meats which is hard. Especially during cookout seasons. Craving was my weakest. Sure I'll have a slice of pizza but 1 slice is all and a garden salad with it and a tall alkaline bottle water. Lol. Thats what I do. My doctor gave me a diet list to follow of certain foods to eat including with measurements in cups and grams but according to MyFitnessPal I'm not eating enough to get the report of how many Lbs I would lose during a 5 week period. Hmm. You can eat anything you want but you have to have portion control. But you also have to montior the sodium saturated fats cholesterol and sugars you're consuming. Myfitnesspal helps with that for sure. Key is burn more than you consume but avoid being in starvation mode.

    Starvation mode, as it's frequently bandied around in the diet world is a myth.

    There are many problems that stem from undereating but weight loss stopping/weight gain happening is not one of them.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,020 Member
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    MarkAguilar2092 wrote: »
    What would be your suggestion?

    Was that meant for me? There's a button below each post that says quote. Click that before typing your response if you want people to be sure which post you're responding to. Also, typing @ screen_name (without the space -- I added that in case anyone's screen name is literally screen_name) will send a notification to the person you're talking to.
    I would suggest tracking what you eat accurately (including using a food scale if at all possible) for a week without changes, figuring out how many calories you've been consuming, and setting a goal at least 500 cals below that. I know I said your numbers indicate you've been eating at least 2000 kcal above maintenance, but in re-reading your OP, it sounds like it's possible you've been maintaining since starting the martial arts? If you're still gaining at the rate you indicated, I'd go with a larger cut than 500 cals. In any case, be prepared to adjust after three to four weeks when you have more data.

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