Weight loss – can I do it?

Actually 0.6kg lost since last Friday, a bit under target but still 15.1kg overall so I should consider it another satisfactory week. I have now recovered all the ground I lost in March so that is good. Last night was the first evening ride for our local rag tag bunch of misfits, and both they and I noticed an increase in my uphill pace compared to last year. I figure that if other people notice then it’s a significant difference, and things like that are very encouraging. Felt a bit of a fanny drinking diet coke in the pub instead of a nice refreshing manly lager, but hey ho, needs must 🙂

So two weeks ago I had got down to 115.9kg. Then came a week in which I was working away for three days, meaning no access to my bike or the swimming pool, and eating out every meal, and a few beers a couple of nights, so no real way of recording what I was eating with any accuracy. Put 1.1kg back on which took me back to 117kg, which was a bit disappointing.

Last week I was away the whole week, same scenario with eating out every meal, although this time I took my walking shoes and got out for a decent walk on three evenings, and stayed off the beer (well, nearly – two pints in the whole week 🙂 ). I also tried having a bigger breakfast to take me through until tea time without needing lunch, and on all but one day just had a main course. Still bigger and less healthy meals than I would have at home, but lost 0.5kg this week, which takes me back down to 116.5kg. Which I think in the circumstances is ok for this week.

It really has been tougher since the start of March, with minimal progress overall in that time, although it has been quite a disrupted six weeks for one reason or another. At least now I know that if I stick to 2000 calories a day then I will lose weight over the course of a week, so that is something concrete to counteract the ‘this is just impossible’ type thoughts. For the first time I am behind the 1kg/week target which is a bit of a shame. Off work for a few weeks from Monday, which will give me time to get out on the bike and to the pool, and while I have a week’s holiday coming up, it’s a walking holiday, so I should burn a good few calories each day then as well.

Considering how well you are doing so far i wouldn’t be too annoyed at falling behind the 1kg per week target.
You will get back to it anyway, considering the level of commitment you have shown so far i have no doubt you will do it

Cheers graham, yeah I’m sure I’ll get back on track soon enough.

I found travel and hotels to be a killer, which is how I got onto the 5:2 regime, basically controlling my calories deficit by brutal management to ca 600/day on two days.

Might be worth considering even if you only use during travel weeks?

Certainly will, I’m familiar with the concept although I’ve never tried it. It’s not often I have to travel away for work but will bear it in mind the next time I do, thanks.

I’d be very wary of calorie restricting given its known long-term effects. Have you considered a more plant-based approach at all?

Trying to keep to a calorie regime when eating out is an absolute brain ache. What helps is identifying foods that have more calories/gram. You’ve already found out about alcohol which is insanely calorific (nearly twice as much as sugar). The other one to look out for is fat/oil, which is the highest of all. So anything fried, fatty meats like lamb chops or bacon (I know!!) and dressings like mayonnaise or olive oil will add on the kilos without filling you up.

Simply put:

Fat/oil: 9 calories per gram
Alcohol: 7 calories per gram
Sugar/carbs/protein/pretty much everything else: 4 calories per gram

Kenny Senior

For the first time I am behind the 1kg/week target which is a bit of a shame. Off work for a few weeks from Monday, which will give me time to get out on the bike and to the pool, and while I have a week’s holiday coming up, it’s a walking holiday, so I should burn a good few calories each day then as well.

Well if you scroll back to page one you’ll see a lot of people (including me) being slightly skeptical about the 1kg per week target, and fair play to you for getting this far.

If you haven’t already done so you probably need to re-adjust your calorific requirements and targets based on your current weight because as you lose weight you require less calories to move around.

shermer75

The other one to look out for is fat/oil, which is the highest of all. So anything fried, fatty meats like lamb chops or bacon (I know!!) and dressings like mayonnaise or olive oil will add on the kilos without filling you up.

Simply put:

Fat/oil: 9 calories per gram
Alcohol: 7 calories per gram
Sugar/carbs/protein/pretty much everything else: 4 calories per gram

Unless of course your on a ketogenic type of eating programe in which case you’ll be wanting all the (good) fats you can get. Not to derail the thread, (there was one started a few days ago about it).

Unless of course your on a ketogenic type of eating programe in which case you’ll be wanting all the (good) fats you can get.

I am, as always, very keen to see the peer reviewed, evidence based paper behind any new development. I’m lucky enough to have Shibboleth access so a title and author is all I need 🙂

I also tried having a bigger breakfast

When in hotels, fill up on eggs, sausage, bacon, beans, mushrooms, tomatoes. Don’t have the fried bread, toast, cakes (obv), or cereal.

I was going for bacon, poached eggs, black pudding, wholemeal toast with butter, and a cheeky pain au chocolat (they were tiny). So, sort of ok, some bits not so much!

jimjam – yeah, I’m keeping an eye on that. I use this calculator http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm and select ‘5 days a week’ exercise. They define that as 15-30 mins of elevated heart rate. I do at least an hour of brisk walking, cycling, swimming or a combination of those on 5 or 6 days a week, so I’m under-reporting my exercise to the formula (which I know are just an estimate, which is why I do that). It’s still giving me a value of just over 3000 a day so I knock 1000 off and aim for 2000. My exercise has increased as the weight has come off so I think I’ll stick with that for a while yet and see if it still comes off over the next few weeks now I’m back home.

I’d skip the toast. It’s not like you’re short of delicious very low GI options at breakfast 🙂

If you want to count calories, go for eggs and bacon.

I’m getting hungry just thinking about it 🙂

Not much change over the last fortnight, down another 0.5kg to 116. My holiday didn’t include as much walking as expected, but did include 3 course dinner every night 🙂 . My month of being away from home lots is nearly over, just two more days this week, then back to some routine which I think will help a lot.

On the plus side the exercise is going well, I’m either doing 2 hrs walking (up the hills) or 1 hr swimming or 1-2 hrs biking almost every day. I eat extra to compensate for this to avoid too great a calorie deficit to try and keep it slow and steady, so that’s what I’ve been doing recently (i.e. trying to keep the deficit at about 1000 a day overall, not 1000 a day from eating less plus another 1000 from the exercise, that would surely be too much?). I know the calculators on the app are a rough guess at best, but that will do for now.

Kenny Senior, this thread is great! I’m on a similar path, after losing 18kg two years ago I slowly crept back up 14kg. Back at pretty much square one, I have now re-started.

When I lost the 18kg I was still 4 or 5kg from my goal but convinced myself I had made it and just went back to my old habits (and met a new woman) drinking and eating brought all the weight back.

So my advice is take the rough with the smooth, but don’t let your off days carry on because “I’ll restart on monday” etc. (I did this far too many times!)

I’m down to 101.2kg this morning back to under 16 stone! feels awesome.

Cheers Stu. I’m happy enough with slow and steady, I gave myself a year so there’s time for ups and downs. March and April have been all over the place for a number of reasons, so to have maintained January and February’s losses is probably a modest result in itself.

I know the calculators on the app are a rough guess at best, but that will do for now.

IMO that’s all you need, really. On another thread, someone was complaining about MyFitnessPal and having to weigh everything out etc. I think the only thing I’ve ever weighed out is rice and pasta, everything else is a reasonable estimate from the existing database or scanned barcodes. if you cheat, the only person your cheating is yourself. I’ve found it very good for taking a long hard look at how much I stuffed in my face at work and reigning it in. You have to be pretty disciplined and record absolutely everything (I don’t bother with tea/coffee/water) , but IMO on individual meals you don’t have to be particularly accurate to the last cal, just honest with yourself. same with the output, it’s all just a bit of a fag packet guestimate, but it’s all about being roughly in the right ball park

On the plus side the exercise is going well, I’m either doing 2 hrs walking (up the hills) or 1 hr swimming or 1-2 hrs biking almost every day. I eat extra to compensate for this to avoid too great a calorie deficit to try and keep it slow and steady, so that’s what I’ve been doing recently (i.e. trying to keep the deficit at about 1000 a day overall, not 1000 a day from eating less plus another 1000 from the exercise, that would surely be too much?

Is this right? Not saying it isn’t, just wondering. If you’re getting enough – 2000 a day or whatever you said – does it matter if you burn 2000 of your flab rather than 1000? It’s not like you’re eating 600 a day or something.

(Genuine question, not in any way a criticism).

Friday’s here, weigh in day (although there was an interim one this week as above) – 114.9kg which is a ball hair over 18 stone. That’s down from 20st 8lb on NYD (131kg). Been beasting it on the hills this week. Feels good to get under the 115kg mark, having been stuck between 117-115 for so long.

No change this week, still at 115kg. I do wonder in hindsight if some of last weeks was dehydration – I’d been out and walked the dogs for a couple of hours before I came back, weighed myself and then had breakfast?

Anyway, I measured my waist instead, and that’s now 4.5″ less than at the start, so I’ll think about that today instead 🙂

Been out loads on the bike this week – 5hrs or more, and lots of walking too. Fitness is a massive step up from pre-Christmas. So it’s not just what the scales say that matters (not that I’m giving up on that, far from it).

keep it up. 😀

four inches off your waist size is bloody good going!

Anyway, I measured my waist instead, and that’s now 4.5″ less than at the start, so I’ll think about that today instead

As far as your health is concerned waist measurement is a far more important metric anyway..

Are you back on your regime now you’ve stopped travelling for work?

Yes, I read that – waist measurement should be no more than half your height or something I think? Just need to grow a bit then 🙂

Yes, back home now and back to it.

My personal aim was to go from 76kg to 66kg.

I have done that (in just short of 2 years) and have needed to buy an entirely new wardrobe. Last week I found an old belt that I bought on holiday in Greece some 28 years ago which suddenly fits me (or rather I it) again.

I am now on to muscle definition as I don’t want to lose any more weight.

I am putting money away each month for a big clothes shopping trip later in the year. Online, obviously.

Good work Kenny, I was just scanning your thread.

One thing that should not be overlooked in weight loss is a good nights sleep. The other thing I am gong to dabble with is HIIT training. I’m not sure if you have covered this, I didn’t read all 7 pages of this thread. (shame on me)

If you are time limited HIIT training is supposed to be better. Also for fat burn as it speeds up the metabolism for a longer period of time. It may also help overcome plateaus. It’s always good to mix it up.

There’s loads of stuff on the net about it if you’re interested.

No change this week, still at 115kg. I do wonder in hindsight if some of last weeks was dehydration – I’d been out and walked the dogs for a couple of hours before I came back, weighed myself and then had breakfast?

Conversely, you might have been over hydrated when you weighed yourself this week. Being consistent with when you weigh yourself is important, your weight will go up and down massively throughout the day- drink one glass of water and you’ve instantly put on half a kilo! I always weigh myself first thing in the morning, after I’ve had a pee and before I get in the shower.

Aye I do that, every Friday before any food/drink and after a wee and a dump.

purser_mark – thanks, I’ll have a look at that. I’m doing plenty of walking and biking, and swimming at least once a week, but I wonder if some upper body work might be a good idea? It’s just that I hate weights, just so boring, can just about tolerate the rowing machine. Maybe going back to the climbing wall once a week is a plan?

Is this right? Not saying it isn’t, just wondering. If you’re getting enough – 2000 a day or whatever you said – does it matter if you burn 2000 of your flab rather than 1000? It’s not like you’re eating 600 a day or something.
(Genuine question, not in any way a criticism).

Yeah, I don’t know what to think about this really. Create the deficit by eating better and take the extra from exercise on top would be great, if it’s healthy to do that. Two hours on the bike could be getting on for 2000 calories burnt at my weight. Is a 3000 calorie deficit regularly going to cause problems?

Kenny,

I’ve only just found this thread. Congratulations on your weight loss!

I haven’t read through the whole thread, so forgive me if I’ve got the wrong end of the stick, but it looks like your exercise is all steady-state cardio work. That’s great for adding some “calories burned” to the daily MyFitnessPal calculation, but if you want to accelerate your weight loss, you should consider 1. lifting heavy weights, and 2. HIIT sessions.

Forget your perceptions of the gym – poseurs doing bicep curls to impress the girls – you need to do big compound lifts to recruit all of the big muscle groups in your body. Lift heavy and your muscles will then continue to burn calories as they recover.

The Stronglifts 5×5 programme is widely considered to be the best strength-training programme for beginners. It’s simple to follow and its emphasis on progression ensures you keep motivated, and that your muscles are consistently overloaded, thus growing and burning calories whilst they do so.

It’s a good idea to work weights into your routine if you can, putting on lean muscle speeds up the metabolism and fat burn process a lot. You also start to feel the benefits of getting stronger pretty quickly. It is better to do exercises that use large and varied muscle groups for a bigger burn rather than isolated stuff. Push ups and pull up are great and will work the core / back / shoulders in one. These can also be worked into a HIIT routine.

If I get anywhere with HIIT I’ll share the love.

Can this stuff be done at home? I’ve got a kettlebell but nothing else.

Knock yourself out.

Just google “HIIT routine kettlebell” or “HIIT routine home”.

Also, Joe Wicks is the current housewives’ favourite for achieving results through a high-protein, low-carb diet combined with HIIT workouts. As a note of caution, you should be aware that he hasn’t achieved his own god-like body through HIIT workouts – he lifts weights.

If you want to strength train without weights, then you need to read up on calisthenics. It’s basically strength training using your body weight as resistance. It’s all very enjoyable, very convenient and fun. You’re never going to be breaking any Squat or Deadlift records without a power rack and an Olympic bar, but if you really are averse to joining a gym then it’s a good option. You can do it in front of the telly.

Just come across thins, excellent stuff and sounds like you’re making good progress to achieve your goals.

I’ve never been what would be called overweight and when I was younger I was always proper skinny, used to get called skeletor at school! Bulked out a bit with age ( yay… Now 36!) and noticed weight was creeping on. I’m relatively fit with cycling, running, gym, climbing but started reading about food and nutrition and that’s changed my outlook a lot. Secondly I undertook a gym instructor course to learn something new, which I enjoyed.

The last 2 years have been a change for me with my diet and exercise , don’t get me wrong I love crisps and beer like the next bloke ( or lady!) but I’ve learnt a lot.

Keep it up, excellent work!

Sure can all be done at home, with minimal equipment. HIIT training can be done on a turbo trainer or out running too.

I did a few round of P90x a few years back. This is a tough routine but it’s old school resistance training using mainly your body weight and some free weights. Push up, pull ups etc. If you see the program through you will come out fitter and stronger. Insanity is more of a HIIT program, all this pain is available straight from your DVD player. Good luck!

been following this thread with interest.
Currently sitting at 16st 10lb and keen to shift a fair bit of weight.

If I wanted to buy some kettle bells, what size should I start with?
(I’ve never used them before)

Down 1.2kg this week, 17.2kg overall (2st 10lb in old money), and 113.8kg which is under 18st.

I’ve actually put my calories up to 2400 a day. I was finding I was getting too hungry on 2000, which is perhaps no surprise as I’m getting a lot of exercise at the moment (at least an hour every day of something which works out, roughly, that I’m burning 3200 or more each day). 2400 was the average I ate each day in Jan and Feb and I lost plenty in those months. That bit extra each day this week has made the difference between feeling hungry a lot and not feeling hungry, which makes it far more sustainable I think.