loulamb7 Member

Consider starting with bodyweight work, youtube YAYOG and Convict Conditioning. For free-weights have you considered wrist straps/hooks? It's great you have the cardio down and working on resistance but major part of your weight loss success will happen in the kitchen.

At 6' and 200 lbs you're still slightly overweight, unless you are athletic or have a muscular build. Your body fat % is probably in the low 20s. Most of the fat you described is covering the abdominal muscles. Unfortunately for many men this is the last place we lose fat. You'll probably need to get to below 17% to lose…

Wishful thinking. What is that exactly, looks like a milkshake topped with a brownie. Yum!

I've used Garden of Life Raw Meal or Vega One meal replacement for breakfast for almost 3 years. I use them for convenience, to help me hit my protein macros, and fiber and vitamin micros.

I usually lose my appetite when I not well. If I don't, I still track with a goal of maintenance.

Just be aware that these are estimates, YMMV. Start with TDEE-500 and if you lose 1 lbs a week over 3-6 weeks then the estimate is valid for you. Adjust your calories based on your personal data.

I just drink coffee.

Great start. Since your starting weight is high it's not surprising you are losing quickly on 1800 calories. As others have said this is not sustainable nor healthy. Where did you come up with 1800 calories? That's probably a very aggressive deficit for someone your size.

Great post. Proof that you don't need to turn your life upside-down to lose weight. I did many of the same things and have lost 55+ lbs and kept it off for over 2 years. Keep up the good work!

11 lbs in 4 weeks (2.75 lbs per weeks) is a great start. There's no spot reduction, you'll lose weight all over including your waist. Ignore all ads and youtube presentations that claim fast belly fat loss. Unfortunately the waist is usually the last area where fat will linger. Little or no weight loss for 4 days isn't…

After maintaining for 2 years, the "snacker" in me is still alive and well and only controlled by being vigilant. Sometimes I snack more than I should, sometimes I don't. Having new fitness goals, logging calories and trending weight helps keep me focused. Best of luck.

For body fat estimates use the mirror or pictures to compare to google images "male body fat percentage". Also use a tape measure and a site like http://www.linear-software.com/online.html . Or you can post images for an estimate here or on bodybuilding.com . Since you are low on muscle mass already and aren't overweight,…

I though most low carb diets were high protein and fat.

LOL. This made me laugh. I think I do this every morning as if my belly might have melted overnight. Regarding goal weight, I have continued to decrease mine based on new goals. I reached my first "maintenance" goal, 205 lbs, 2 years ago. Lost 10 more lbs finding my maintenance calories. At 195 tried recomp, attempting to…

Why do you need low fat?

Highly likely most of it is water weight. Losing 2.5 lbs of muscle in less than 30 days isn't likely.

This^^^. Looks like your assumption is that LBM = Muscle Mass. It does not.

You claimed that you are at a 1000 calorie deficit, that should be 1.5 to 2 lbs per week. If you're only losing .5 to 1.5 per week then your actual deficit is actually 250-750 per week. If you want to minimize muscle loss then keep the deficit small and lift. I didn't say you're losing at an unhealthy rate, but was trying…

What exactly are you doing for strengh training? Are you following a progressive overload program?

From my personal experience recomp is more difficult from a higher BF%. I think your steep cut is contributing to losing more mass than you want to lose. Based on your other posts it seems you have a good lifting routine. I would consider a smaller deficit 250-500 and continued lifting. You'll lose weight slower but…

Diet is key for losing weight. Drop the abs workout and replace with a good full-body resistance program which work the larger muscle groups.

Started at 55, will be 57 this year. Best fitness decision I've ever made. Start slow and build up, listen to your body. Check put the "Over 35" forum at bb.com at http://forum.bodybuilding.com/forumdisplay.php?f=11 I like AllPro Beginner's Routine on bb.com. Best of luck.

I had a strawberry, banana, pineapple smoothie almost daily while losing close to 60 lbs. As malibu927 said

Yes, add more calories. Unless you are morbidly obese losing at that rate is not good. Also you are probably losing more muscle than needed. Adjust your goal to lose 1-1.5 lbs per week. Your goal should be to lose fat, while maintaining as much muscle mass as possible. When you adjust your calories up, expect an upward…

This^^^. If you are using low-fat items, replace them with the full fat versions. Add more calorie dense foods back in to your diet, peanut butter or olive oil...

If you are using MFP your deficit is already built in, therefore you goal should be to have 0 calories left at the end of the day. 538 calories remaining means you have a larger deficit than planned. A negative number would mean you ate more.

A lot of good point above, except for TOM since you are male. Critical to trending is* weighting 1st thing in the morning after using the bathroom * using a trending app like Libra * making sure your scale is on a solid, level floor, not a carpet. and that you are not constantly moving the scale

Maximum benefit for a beginner would be a 3 days/week full body routine. The above programs are all excellent. You might also want to check out All Pro and Fierce 5, both from bodybuilding.com

Your logic is fine. Your healthy weight is a range, not a set number, so as long as you're within that range you should be fine. Congrats on your success.

It's highly likely that it's the last place that will reduce. In order to loss it you will need to keep losing weight and body fat.