Weight Loss

[gusthebus229]

I am a bigger guy (6'1" 225 lbs) and I just got picked up for BDCP-SNA. I'm overweight, but just under body fat limits (I think max for my height/age was 22%, I had 20%). I'm told i need to lose about 15-20 lbs.

Did anyone else have to overcome this challenge? Was there anything in particular that seemed to work to drop the excess weight? Did just working on PRT stuff seem to knock out a good bit of it?

I know I can drop the weight with a few better food choices, in addition to my workout routines, but I'm just looking for some new ideas or methods.

 

[BACONATOR]

It's easy to pack on the weight. Key is to GET UP no matter how good/bad you feel. I go to the gym, sometimes feeling like shit not wanting to move, and then I'll put up a new personal record. The key is to just have the discipline to move when you don't want to. Even lately, I've been eating OK. I still eat an unhealthy meal almost daily, but I eat far less than I did (typically an OK/unhealthy-ish lunch and a healthy dinner) and then I lift/run almost daily. I've been losing weight. It would come off a lot faster if I ate more often and healthier foods, but it's working for me at the moment.

Try new things and see what works for you. Guaranteed things like reducing or stopping your drinking will cause a significant weight loss, as will stopping sodas. If you want to do a strict diet, keep one day or two (weekends) available to eat the "bad" foods you like.

It can be done, good luck!

 

[Mumbles]

I'm a fatbody too....

but....my saving grace is that I have a big neck...19"
I'm 6'0...235lbs(still a lardbutt ) and a 37" waist... I need to drop some lbs however the neck to waist ratio has worked out in my favor thus far. I'm the classic mesomorph bodytype, and low carb/high protein/ high fiber(veggie) diet has worked very well for me when I need to shed some weight fast. I'n the last few months, I'm all about the eliptical or stairclimber machine vice the weights. Masterbates should WEIGH in on this too......no puns intended!:icon_tong

 

[CommodoreMid]

Making the healthier food choices is definitely key. I hit the point about 3 years ago where I realized I could no longer eat whatever I wanted, and after gaining a lot of weight I needed to make some lifestyle changes. If you're looking for a long term solution, you need to make lots of small changes and substitutions that you can sustain and not feel like you're depriving yourself of food. In the past 2 years I've lost almost 20 pounds by doing things like switching from regular coke to diet (I drink about 3 a day so this definitely made a difference), only eating meat for one meal a day, choosing healthier versions of my meals (ie whole wheat pasta instead of refined), etc.

On the other hand, if you need to drop a lot of weight quickly, you should talk to a doctor or nutritionist. They will be able to take your health and lifestyle considerations into better account and make sure you drop the weight safely.

 

[LazersGoPEWPEW]

WATER WATER WATER WATER. Every time I start drinking large amounts of water the pounds start to roll off. If I add in exercise I do really well. I take a pretty standard multi-vitamin also and I think that helps to make up for when I don't eat healthy by supplying my with my daily vitamin needs. But overall eating healthy and staying hydrated while exercising will lead to weight loss.

Nutrition is paramount! I'm always fighting the weight loss battle but I know that in a crunch I can dive under the reqs real quick.

 

[C420sailor]

Whether you're trying to put on lean muscle or lose fat, working out isn't going to accomplish anything without proper nutrition.

As mentioned earlier, switch from regular soda to diet. Or better yet, cut it out completely. Alcohol? Eliminate it. If you're not willing to get rid of it, go to light colored liquor. I don't agree with cutting back on meat. Red meat? Yes. All meat? No. Chicken and fish are good to go. Fish has fats that are actually good for you. Your body needs protein in order to recover. No offense to the ladies out there, but as a man you are going to need to take in more protein.

Make your meals in advance. Not as tasty, but they're always available. You won't be tempted to do fast food or something unhealthy because you don't have enough time to cook.

If I'm trying to "crash diet" (for lack of a better term), I stick to a strict diet of chicken, rice, broccoli, and skim milk/water. Protein shakes as necessary. It's boring as hell, and not very practical, but it does work.

 

[BACONATOR]

Making the healthier food choices is definitely key. I hit the point about 3 years ago where I realized I could no longer eat whatever I wanted, and after gaining a lot of weight I needed to make some lifestyle changes. If you're looking for a long term solution, you need to make lots of small changes and substitutions that you can sustain and not feel like you're depriving yourself of food. In the past 2 years I've lost almost 20 pounds by doing things like switching from regular coke to diet (I drink about 3 a day so this definitely made a difference), only eating meat for one meal a day, choosing healthier versions of my meals (ie whole wheat pasta instead of refined), etc.

On the other hand, if you need to drop a lot of weight quickly, you should talk to a doctor or nutritionist. They will be able to take your health and lifestyle considerations into better account and make sure you drop the weight safely.

All good points, but the parts I bolded are questionable. They may work for you, but in general take these with a grain of salt. I don't know what you mean by "meat" but if you mean red meat, then I guess I understand. If you mean only eating animal protein once a day, then that is silly and probably not a healthy choice.

Doctors and nutritionists can be good assets to help you determine your health and possible risks involved in a dietary and exercise change, but I've also heard a lot of crap from them (nutritionists in particular). If they are pushing the "USDA Food Pyramid" and recommend you eat a lot of grains/breads, and that protein and fat are "bad", then they are completely worthless.

I recommend you purchase the book "The Metabolism Advantage". It actually breaks down the macronutrients you take in, WHY you are eating them in the combinations you should be, and what is going on inside your body.

John Berardi is a highly qualified guy, and not just some personal trainer turned GURU.

 

[TheBubba]

gusthebus,

I'm 6'0'', 220 (not much size difference). Never had issues with body fat or PRT. Flight Doc told me the same... I could stand to lose about 10-15 pounds or so. All I have to do right now is sign an ejection seat waiver every time I get a seat check.

I was 240 when I got up the The Rock. I dropped the 20 lbs by eliminating alot of the junk food, soda and simple carbs. Not saying go low carb... not a good idea. Just change where your carbs are coming from. The other thing I did was portion better. I trained myself to eat slower and a little smaller portions. You'd be suprised. If you eat slower, you'll find that you fell well fed after less food. Couple that with healtier choices and a good workout program, you'll be goodto go.

 

[Morgan81]

CommodoreMid gives some conflicting advice. Going to a good nutritionist is a great idea. Good meaning one that tailors their advice to you instead of the other way around. In short, fruit and vegetables, good; sugar and salt, bad.
However, if the nutritionist is worth it, they'll probably tell you to eat more, not less. That speeds up your metabolism, fasting dramatically slows it down. I went to a nutritionist who was great and I lost 60 lbs.
That and run your ass off. 15-20 shouldn't be a problem.

 

[squorch2]

Reducing your meat intake is a good tactic for losing weight, as is curtailing or even abstaining from drinking. The "do something every day" idea is also worth mentioning again - anything to keep your cardiovascular fitness and metabolic rate high.

 

[Zissou]

Consume 500kcal less than your maintenance requirement everyday.

Add 45 minutes cardio every other day. Make no caloric adjustment for the cardio output.

The simplest way to burn fat, period.

 

[Spekkio]

Agree with Zissou. There really is no magic shortcut for this. Calories in < calories out = weight loss.

I will say, though, that 45 minutes of cardio can easily be knocked down to 20 if you are willing to give 110% for the duration, but most people don't have the mental discipline to do that.

 

[bunk22]

The Bunk is not an expert but not so long ago, I was 240lbs (6' tall) and I now weigh in around 210 +/- a few pounds depending on my weekend. I'm older as well so working out was just not enough, not like 15 years ago. Big thing for me, watch the calorie intake. Eat 6 meals a day (3 of which are snacks...not big meals), write down what you eat. Watch the alchohol consumption (that's the worst part ) and of course work out. You might be surprised how much you eat. I was eating 3000+ calories a day. I cut it down to 2000 a day to lose the weight. I eat about 2400-2500 a day to maintain. I use the Mens Health Abs Diet, did it online. Not a diet in the traditional sense really but how to eat and what types of foods to eat. Unfortunetly, at age 38, bad back, sand in my vagina, it's still hard to lose that last little layer but at your age, shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Schnugg]

Talk to MB (Masterbates) about losing weight.

 

[Zissou]

Agree with Zissou. There really is no magic shortcut for this. Calories in < calories out = weight loss.

I will say, though, that 45 minutes of cardio can easily be knocked down to 20 if you are willing to give 110% for the duration, but most people don't have the mental discipline to do that.

I keep my fat burning cardio very low intensity so my body doesnt burn muscle to harvest energy.

Generally 40-60% of my hypothetical max heart rate.

Higher intensity cardio has more health benefits. But low intensity burns fat tissue more effectively. If you do it in the AM prior to any carb intake your BSL will be low enough for insulin sensitivity to play in your court as well.