6'3 250 LB Guy looking to drop 50 pounds.

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bond0007
bond0007 Posts: 10
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello guys! I'm a 27 year old male who has put on about 50lbs in the past 4 years due to bad eating habits.

At the beginning of the year I even bought an elliptical trainer and Spinning bike, however I still gained about 15lbs since January even though I used them several times per week. So I really think it has to do with my eating habits because I tend to go on food binges and also eat out a lot. I can no longer fit into my size 36 pants, and now I barely fit into 40. I also went from size L/XL shirts to XXL.

When I was in my teens I went from about 225 to 175 with proper workout and diet and maintained that weight throughout college, but steadily regained it once I started working in an office environment and going out to eat often.

Over the past 2-3 years I've tried every diet fad out there only to regain the weight and then some after I got sick of the diet. I think this time I need to just do it the slow and steady way by logging my calorie intake to make sure I dont go over 2,000 calories per day. Im pretty certain that I was doing 3000+ per day before. My problem is that I am not a creative cook and Im afraid Ill get sick of the food just as I have on Atkins before. I bought a bunch of Lean Cousines that I will eat at work for Lunch. And also some frozen chicken cutlets from Costco that I plan to pair with veggies.

Anyways I would love to hear other peoples thoughts and advice on how I can drop those 50 lbs

Thanks!

Replies

  • Chagama
    Chagama Posts: 543 Member
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    I'm 6'4" and have been working on losing 50 lbs since January. I did find that portion size was a big part of my problem, once I started weighing and measuring foods, I was amazed at how many calories I had been eating.

    The things I've learned along the way are all in my blog. You can add me as a friend if you'd like to read it, hopefully they will help.
  • bond0007
    bond0007 Posts: 10
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    I'm 6'4" and have been working on losing 50 lbs since January. I did find that portion size was a big part of my problem, once I started weighing and measuring foods, I was amazed at how many calories I had been eating.

    The things I've learned along the way are all in my blog. You can add me as a friend if you'd like to read it, hopefully they will help.

    Thank you, now I'm strongly considering getting a small kitchen scale. I know portion size is a huge issue for me. I'm trying to shrink my stomach now so I can feel full on a smaller portion
  • CoachDave2012
    CoachDave2012 Posts: 34 Member
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    I'm 6'2" and started in January at 253. Today, 13 weeks later, I weighed in at 206. I am in a Biggest Loser competition in my school and school district. I am way ahead in my school and winning by a slight margin in the district. For me its all about the motivation. If you are like me you need a competitive situation to help get you motivated. MFP has helped me tremendously and I plan on staying on it indefinitely. I also find that if I keep my pantry stocked with all the foods that I love but that, if eaten in moderation, are healthy and in my food budget I can avoid binge eating. I also have a cheat day each week, usually Saturday.
    I ran mostly on my treadmill to lose the weight while staying under 1610 calories a day. I usually don't eat back my exercise calories. I make sure I get more than enough protien but usually stay under on fats and carbs.

    In March, I ran outside on concrete and developed planter fasciaitis in my right foot. Its a lot more difficult to run now so I mostly walk and do the rest with less food. I think I'm where I want to be so I'm heading into maintenance mode.

    I also eat out a lot! Its difficult when the rest of my family is eating all the foods I want to eat. I have found that splitting entrees with my wife holds the calories down (not to mention the check) You'll be surprised how much you were overeating before. The second half of the sandwich or burger or whatever is really more for enjoyment than for fueling your body. I hated rolling out of places feeling drunk on that carb high and bloated. I feel so much better now that I don't overeat. I also stopped eating french fries all together. They taste great but are a delivery system for cholesterol and a recipe for a heart attack.

    I'm 47 years old and feel like I'm in better shape than most my age. It can be done. So, good luck and I hope you can use some of the things I mentioned to reach your weightloss goal!
  • bond0007
    bond0007 Posts: 10
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    I'm 6'2" and started in January at 253. Today, 13 weeks later, I weighed in at 206. I am in a Biggest Loser competition in my school and school district. I am way ahead in my school and winning by a slight margin in the district. For me its all about the motivation. If you are like me you need a competitive situation to help get you motivated. MFP has helped me tremendously and I plan on staying on it indefinitely. I also find that if I keep my pantry stocked with all the foods that I love but that, if eaten in moderation, are healthy and in my food budget I can avoid binge eating. I also have a cheat day each week, usually Saturday.
    I ran mostly on my treadmill to lose the weight while staying under 1610 calories a day. I usually don't eat back my exercise calories. I make sure I get more than enough protien but usually stay under on fats and carbs.

    In March, I ran outside on concrete and developed planter fasciaitis in my right foot. Its a lot more difficult to run now so I mostly walk and do the rest with less food. I think I'm where I want to be so I'm heading into maintenance mode.

    I also eat out a lot! Its difficult when the rest of my family is eating all the foods I want to eat. I have found that splitting entrees with my wife holds the calories down (not to mention the check) You'll be surprised how much you were overeating before. The second half of the sandwich or burger or whatever is really more for enjoyment than for fueling your body. I hated rolling out of places feeling drunk on that carb high and bloated. I feel so much better now that I don't overeat. I also stopped eating french fries all together. They taste great but are a delivery system for cholesterol and a recipe for a heart attack.

    I'm 47 years old and feel like I'm in better shape than most my age. It can be done. So, good luck and I hope you can use some of the things I mentioned to reach your weightloss goal!

    Wow i cannot imagine how happy I would be if I can drop to 206 in just 13 weeks from now, that is quiet inspirational!! My gf is quiet small So i actually ended up eating half her entres as well :( So portion size is a huge problem for me.
    Unfortunately I dont have a Biggest Loser competition where I work, so I'd have to figure out another way to keep it competitive. Maybe setting reward goals that I'll buy for myself If I pass a milestone..
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
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    Wow i cannot imagine how happy I would be if I can drop to 206 in just 13 weeks from now, that is quiet inspirational!! My gf is quiet small So i actually ended up eating half her entres as well :( So portion size is a huge problem for me.
    Unfortunately I dont have a Biggest Loser competition where I work, so I'd have to figure out another way to keep it competitive. Maybe setting reward goals that I'll buy for myself If I pass a milestone..

    Eat half her portion instead of getting your own entree, then :P

    I definitely second the idea of a kitchen scale. By now I'm practicing eyeballing when I take a slice of meat -- I'm like 'hmm that looks like 7 oz' and then I check with the scale. After weighing food for several months by now I'm within an oz but I was ludicrously off in the beginning.
  • gregpack
    gregpack Posts: 426 Member
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    Common sense stuff worked for me.

    Get the junk out the house. Also get the calorie dense foods minimized. Peanut butter is my current kryptonite and is best left out of my site. be sure to have a good option to eat in the house.

    Get to know your body. Figure out how many calories it takes to generally satisfy you. I figured out that if I ate about 600 calories, I was still hungry at the time the food was gone. However, I found that if I stopped eating then and got up from the table I was fine an hour later.

    There are some "guidleines" many follow that aren't necessary. Most have been told not to eat at night. Night eating won't wreck your diet, eating a caloric surplus will. I found it was easier for me to accept a little hunger during the day than at night. So I budgeted half my daily calories for Supper and afterwards. Anyway, regardless of what time it is, if a big meal makes you happy and better able to live with your diet, have it. Just be sure to not exceed you daily allotment on a regular basis.

    Every calorie counts. I planned my daily calorie allotment like an accountant would plan an annual budget. If I shaved,30 calories here from one meal, 50 calories from another etc, it meant I could have something good later.

    Have a cheat meal once a week. I'm not talking a 5000 calorie Chinese buffet blowout, but if you want a burger and fries or a few slices of Pizza and a beer every Saturday then by all means eat it. It will help keep you sanity.
    Don't get in too big a rush.

    Finally, even though I love them, I found that reducing carbs helped keep my appetite under control.
  • bond0007
    bond0007 Posts: 10
    Options
    Common sense stuff worked for me.

    Get the junk out the house. Also get the calorie dense foods minimized. Peanut butter is my current kryptonite and is best left out of my site. be sure to have a good option to eat in the house.

    Get to know your body. Figure out how many calories it takes to generally satisfy you. I figured out that if I ate about 600 calories, I was still hungry at the time the food was gone. However, I found that if I stopped eating then and got up from the table I was fine an hour later.

    There are some "guidleines" many follow that aren't necessary. Most have been told not to eat at night. Night eating won't wreck your diet, eating a caloric surplus will. I found it was easier for me to accept a little hunger during the day than at night. So I budgeted half my daily calories for Supper and afterwards. Anyway, regardless of what time it is, if a big meal makes you happy and better able to live with your diet, have it. Just be sure to not exceed you daily allotment on a regular basis.

    Every calorie counts. I planned my daily calorie allotment like an accountant would plan an annual budget. If I shaved,30 calories here from one meal, 50 calories from another etc, it meant I could have something good later.

    Have a cheat meal once a week. I'm not talking a 5000 calorie Chinese buffet blowout, but if you want a burger and fries or a few slices of Pizza and a beer every Saturday then by all means eat it. It will help keep you sanity.
    Don't get in too big a rush.

    Finally, even though I love them, I found that reducing carbs helped keep my appetite under control.

    Thanks everyone for the great suggestions so far, please keep em coming!

    I got rid of all the bad food around me so its not going to tempt me. Im just about topping out at 1800-1900 calories per day so far and more importantly I'm not going to bed feeling hungry. I really like the idea of saving a few during the day for a better meal in the evening.
  • clairegogogo
    clairegogogo Posts: 215
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    Try eat more "whole food" like fresh veggie and fruits, also stay hydrated so the sodium won't weight you down. Good luck on your journey, you can do this! :D
  • Dan112358
    Dan112358 Posts: 525 Member
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    I'm 35 years old & have lost about 70 lbs. Add me if you're looking for ideas/support.

    Dan
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,012 Member
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    I believe this is below your BMR?I would suggest upping this to around 2100-2200. At least calculate your BMR and don't eat below that. Feel free to add me if you would like.

    Common sense stuff worked for me.

    Get the junk out the house. Also get the calorie dense foods minimized. Peanut butter is my current kryptonite and is best left out of my site. be sure to have a good option to eat in the house.

    Get to know your body. Figure out how many calories it takes to generally satisfy you. I figured out that if I ate about 600 calories, I was still hungry at the time the food was gone. However, I found that if I stopped eating then and got up from the table I was fine an hour later.

    There are some "guidleines" many follow that aren't necessary. Most have been told not to eat at night. Night eating won't wreck your diet, eating a caloric surplus will. I found it was easier for me to accept a little hunger during the day than at night. So I budgeted half my daily calories for Supper and afterwards. Anyway, regardless of what time it is, if a big meal makes you happy and better able to live with your diet, have it. Just be sure to not exceed you daily allotment on a regular basis.

    Every calorie counts. I planned my daily calorie allotment like an accountant would plan an annual budget. If I shaved,30 calories here from one meal, 50 calories from another etc, it meant I could have something good later.

    Have a cheat meal once a week. I'm not talking a 5000 calorie Chinese buffet blowout, but if you want a burger and fries or a few slices of Pizza and a beer every Saturday then by all means eat it. It will help keep you sanity.
    Don't get in too big a rush.

    Finally, even though I love them, I found that reducing carbs helped keep my appetite under control.

    Thanks everyone for the great suggestions so far, please keep em coming!

    I got rid of all the bad food around me so its not going to tempt me. Im just about topping out at 1800-1900 calories per day so far and more importantly I'm not going to bed feeling hungry. I really like the idea of saving a few during the day for a better meal in the evening.
  • runfatmanrun
    runfatmanrun Posts: 1,090 Member
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    I started at 255 roughly one year ago. My best friend, and by the looks of it some other peoples too, is a kitchen scale. I eat what I feel like just 1 serving. It is tough but I still do it and it works.
  • LiftBigtoGetFit
    LiftBigtoGetFit Posts: 3,399 Member
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    I am 6'3" and i am at 221lbs now, starting weight was 260lbs. You can friend me on here if you want, I have an open food diary to take ideas from. I usually stay with in my calories of 1560 and eat most of my exercise calories back. Also, before I started tracking my food and loosing weight I was eating 3000+ calories a day. it took me a while to get used to eating less, but with healthier choices i found I could eat enough to feel full without going over my calories. I have lost about 29lbs in the last 10 weeks, and I feel better and enjoy eating healthy most days now. (still have a few days of pizza and junk) good luck to you!!!
  • 5stringjeff
    5stringjeff Posts: 790 Member
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    I'm 6'4". I started at 211 in January, and just hit 190. This was my first attempt at losing weight. For me, calorie counting and portion control was all brand new. One thing I found, though, was that I was drinking a lot of empty calories in the form of fruit punch, lemonade, etc. I've never enjoyed soda/pop/coke, so I didn't have to cut that out, but I did find that cups of lemonade and fruit punch added up really quick! So find some low-calorie drinks to add to your diet - water is great, coffee is great, and many diet drinks only have a handful of calories.

    Good luck to you!
  • bond0007
    bond0007 Posts: 10
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    Thanks again for all the ideas. I forgot to mention that I already ordered a food scale on Amazon last night, so now I can finally stop underestimating the weight of all the food lol.

    I also drink about 100oz per day, i should try to raise it to about 120 or so and lower my sodium intake. Its kinda hard for me thought because I rely on Lean Cuisine for my lunch at work, otherwise I'd have to settle for pizza/sushi/Chinese cold cuts or take out.

    PS i added everyone who requested, looking forward to supporting each other!

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