Things that have helped losing weight- Things that work for you

On March 6th, I weighed in at 188 (5'11"). Today I weigh 166.

Cut out the sugar. Read labels and avoid all the things that are high in sugar.

Cut back on other carbs. Sure, you can have that poboy. But not every day.

Intermittent Fasting. No, you don't need breakfast. Skip it. Eat lunch and dinner. Nothing to eat or drink after 8pm.

Run.

I’m a 25 y/o male. I’ve always been a bigger guy and I look sickly below 200. I got married a year and a half ago and in January I was 280. Now I’m 235 and still going. The married life got a hold of me and I just enjoyed eating so much I got up to 280. Usually have been an active person between 200-215. At 280 I was running 8 min miles and now I’ve got it down to under 6:30.

Did IF mixed in with cutting unnecessary carbs and drinking more water. Caloric intake is between 1500-1800. Once I get to 215 I’ll get my BMR calculated and bump my caloric count up to maintain.

Workout wise lift weights a couple times a week and run 3 times a week. The other two days I’ll walk or trail hike 3-4 miles if I don’t have the time to go make the hike I’ll just do the walk. Also play lots of basketball to substitute because it doesn’t get monotonous like running does after awhile.

age-34
height- 6'0
current weight- 223 (was 275 on 12-1-2018)

Most days
IF from 8pm to noon daily with exception of black coffee in the morning.
protein shake after lunch workout with MCT oil.
Dinner is usually around 1,000-1,200 calories.

I started tacking calories and have been tracking everything I ingest for the last 68 days. Using Lose It app, free version (works good enough and gives a decent macro breakdown). One thing I said when I started my journey is that I would not make myself miserable with food choices. I generally eat very low carb, high healthy fat and protein but if I have been doing really well for a few days and I want a scoop of ice cream, I am going to eat it. Just track every calorie and make sure I don't go over my limit.

Goal was never to get keto, but after the last 6 months, I can tell when my body is there.

Stopped drinking alcohol for Lent and actually went 55 days without a drink. Longest I have given it up since probably 7th grade or so. That really helped me jumpstart the progress I was already making.

Goal is to get to 200 and then start maintenance. Exercise includes lots of walking and jogging, weights, other light cardio stuff and sauna at least 6 days a week.

I have lost 52 pounds in the last 6 months and I feel awesome. It has changed my mind set and I truly believe that it is making me better with work and at home. I hope to hit my 200 mark around August 1st. May not hit it by then but I'll be damn close.

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am I eating too little? Am I slowing my metabolism down too much to where I'm making it even harder for myself to get where I want.

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This isn't really a thing. If you aren't tracking every single little thing you put in your mouth then odds are you are underestimating how much you're eating. Everyone does. That's going to be the culprit if you're not losing weight.


eta


Personally, I lose weight the best if I just give up drinking, or limit drinks to 1-2 per week and no more. I already have a large drive to overeat. I can mostly contain it, but once I get liquored up all bets are off. I've gone back and logged everything I've eaten during a alcohol-induced food rage and I've logged as much as 6000 calories eaten during day drinking. Not including the alcohol calories. Just shoveling anything and everything into my mouth while drunk. So.. limiting alcohol intake helps me with that and helps me feel better.

I also find that the more consistent I am in the gym and diet, I get more satisfaction from those things. When I start letting go and eating poorly and not working out, I will start dreading eating right and going back to the gym. So again, largely abstaining from alcohol helps keeps me on track and feeling satisfied with the work I'm doing.

Studies do not bear out that fasted cardio results in any additional fat loss over just cardio

There's an uptick in fat oxidation, but it doesn't seem to bear out and result in body fat loss.

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Am I slowing my metabolism down too much to where I'm making it even harder for myself to get where I want.


This isn't really a thing.

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Is this true? Legit question. I’ve read about eating too little and slowing your metabolism can hinder you from weight loss. I would love for it not to be true, cause I honestly feel fine most of the days not eating a whole lot. I can fast until dinner time most days, including a workout at lunch, and then eating anywhere from 600-1000 calories for dinner. I keep assuming if I keep this up I’ll get to where I want to be, but that “slowing down your metabolism” thing worries me. I was reading something the other day that mentioned not to eat less and excercise/work out more; either eat less and do less or eat more and do more. I’m definitely eating less and doing more.

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I’ve read about eating too little and slowing your metabolism can hinder you from weight loss.

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You would have to go under 1200 a day (and not just one day).

quote:

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Is this true? Legit question. I’ve read about eating too little and slowing your metabolism can hinder you from weight loss. I would love for it not to be true, cause I honestly feel fine most of the days not eating a whole lot. I can fast until dinner time most days, including a workout at lunch, and then eating anywhere from 600-1000 calories for dinner. I keep assuming if I keep this up I’ll get to where I want to be, but that “slowing down your metabolism” thing worries me. I was reading something the other day that mentioned not to eat less and excercise/work out more; either eat less and do less or eat more and do more. I’m definitely eating less and doing more

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Your body will down regulate your metabolism in a caloric deficit, as you lose weight your body uses less calories but there's also a "defense mechanism" whereby your body will do things like increase Ghrelin, which signals hunger, and decrease Leptin, which signals satiety. It'll also slow down or stop involuntary movements so you burn less calories, and it can decrease the amount of calories you burn just doing nothing. But all of these only add up to a fairly small number.. it won't downregulate to the point you don't lose fat eating 1000 calories or even worse, gain weight while eating next to nothing. What's usually happening is people are eating more calories than they think they are, however "clean" their diet is.

Avoid hyper processed foods. They apparently cause you to eat more:


LINK