js8181 Member

Hmmm. So I just have to choose one or the other. It seems a better idea to lose all the fat I want to lose first, and then start lifting, no? As I said, I feel like I could stand to lose at least another 10-15 pounds fat. Then start lifting to gain more muscle... trying hard not to get fat, too.

Haha I am a skinny marshmallow in this analogy aren't I?

Thanks. I feel like I should focus on fat loss now though right? I don't have any definition despite my work. That will come by losing 10+ pounds right?

Ugh, this is me now, I guess. I used to have abs, I swear!!! Starting yesterday, I'm cutting down to 2000 calories per day (I'm technically still in an 'active' life style since I walk every day 8K-10K steps). 30minutes of Cardio + pushups, planks and bicycle-crunches.

Thanks! I hope so.

Yes, I'm trying to follow a 2000 calorie per day plan, with 40% protein, 40% from (good) fats and 20% from carb. Trying not to drink too much alcohol, but I work in a bar so that's hard to avoid. I was eating at maintenance levels (more or less) and just working on strength training. A month ago I had my body fat and it…

Thanks!

Thanks! It was hard to switch from calorie cutting to eating 'normal' (but healthy) and focusing on strength. I've been on the weight-loss track for the last year or so, so I had this adverse fear of gaining any fat. But after month, I went to get my body-fat tested, and it was basically the same as when I was 6-7lbs…

Thank you. I feel like a bloated mess right now though!

If i'm active just from walking around AND I add calorie-burning activities to my regimen, ideally I should count myself as 'active' in MFP, but still take off calories for how much I run/bike? Otherwise I will be eating at twice the deficit, right? like it says to lose 0.5 pounds per week, as an active lifestyle-person, I…

thanks!

I'm eating 1720 net calories per day, and aiming for 50g of protein (i'm also a vegetarian, so... lots of nuts and whole grains like quinoa, plus a little cheese and eggs now and then). This is how I was able to lose 20lbs about a year ago. I've been maintaining 153-155 for months, and now want to lose more, but not if…

Yeah, I have a mild hernia and so lifting weights until I'm able to get surgery is a no-go.

Thanks. I do know that I can't lose fat by gaining muscle. I forgot to mention that I'm eating at a deficit for my bodyweight. Sorry, that's key info, I realize now! So to rephrase, if I'm cutting fat by diet plus a little cardio, can I build muscle through body weight work? Or does the cutting fat negate any potential…

I think what I mean, though, is that for better or worse, shame DOES motivate me more than anything else. I wish I knew another way, but when I gain back my weight, my best motivator isn't a happy feeling--it's looking at my gut in the mirror, seeing how my chest isn't as defined, and feeling too fat. Repeating that in my…

Thanks. "I did it once" is helping me this time. I slid a little over the summer, too, and just spiraled into some self-hatred. This time I'm ashamed, but able to pick myself up a bit better. [/quote] Hey you did it once, you can do it again, proof is in the pics! Now get busy & start feeling good about yourself and using…

Thanks! I'm Armenian, so hair sort of comes with the territory.

This is how I look now: And this is me a month ago: It's just depressing...

wellllll, now that I look at it again, maybe there isn't as much of a difference as I thought. But I swear, in a certain light, I have abs now that I didn't have two months ago!

This has always been my problem. I found it difficult because you have to be very strict. Granted, you have to be strict no matter what, weight loss is tough for all sizes, etc. But what I mean is, because even when I was 20 pounds heavier, it was never a health issue, my body didn't 'want' to lose the fat. So what worked…

George Saunders "Civilwarland in Bad Decline"--a collection of short stories. Awesome. I just finished 'Special Topics in Calamity Physics' by Marisha Pessl, which was also great, but took about 50 pages to get really into.

You are very kind, and I appreciate that. For me, the thing is that I admit this is for vanity, and I am lucky for that. My doctor hasn't told me to lose weight, my wife hasn't said she isn't attracted to me. This last 10 pounds is for me, to get a sixpack, and good pecs, so positive encouragement will tend to be like,…

Yes! So that's exactly what I was wondering. If I add some pushups/planks/crunches, and maybe 100 calories/day of high protein (i.e. 1780/day, but be honest and stick with high proteins), would I still be able to add muscle, but cut my excess fat.

Yes! They are disgusting. I can't do heavy lifting, as I've already had one hernia, and don't want to get another. But I figured I could do pushups, maybe 2-3 reps of 15-20 per day? But should I eat more calories (of protein, probably) than 1680 (net) so that I can keep weight on as muscle? Or could I stay at 1680 Net and…

yeah, sorry, I meant 1680 Net! Some days I don't exercise so that's all I eat, too, but on the 3-5 days a week I exercise, my overall caloric intake could be as high as 2200. As for the heavy lifting, unfortunately I don't think I can do that. I have a tendency towards hernias (already had surgery once) and so it makes me…

I am 5'5" and 33 yrs old. I worry that if I eat more that I won't burn my excess fat though.

So I've been keeping a 1680 diet, plus cardio to cut fat. I think I've made some progress, but not there yet. non-positive feedback encouraged, lol. I'm half-kidding. What I mean by non-positive is just that I easily rest on laurels (e.g. oh, i lost 5 pounds, I should eat ALL the ice cream and beer now!). I really want to…

Every day. It's sort of a compulsion. Dunno if I'd recommend it.

Because I don't want to look like this ever again:

haha, that's great, actually, thank you.