I am linking my post back from 2019 & wanted to jump back in this thread because I am seriously so passionate about this & supporting any person in their journey. I tried so many of those programs before I figured out that it was the below that worked for me. I should also add I took up intermittent fasting during my journey & still practice it for the most part to this day. I was down to 170, back around 180 & that is where I think I am my most healthy.
I think the biggest thing I take away from my journey is the true commitment you need to make to the journey & the grace you need to give yourself when you do screw up. Do not let those things compound & stay with it. Due to a recent injury I have stopped running, but made sure to replace with the Peloton which has been hard to stay where I want to be. But I just try to do my best each day & remember how hard it can be for so many of us in this journey.
Let me know if you have any questions or need any support that I may be able to provide. Just wanted to jump in & say from one fellow Thicc Boi to others that its never easy & to stick with it. Its so worth it down the road, but allow time & grace within yourself during the journey.
Cut out alcohol. Going dry for a month or two is eye opening on how much it impacts weight.
2-3 L of water a day. Flushes everything out and helps with feeling full
“real food” - cooking from home is big. There’s lots of options with 1 meat, 2-3 veg type meals, or stews/currys. You can make a lot of different meals with only learning 2-3 “bases”.
Noom combines a few different approaches, but estimating your caloric intake and burn is a necessary formula to know if you are going to succeed. Their pre-filled database of foods makes it pretty quick and easy so it’s not that time consuming.
The thing it also does is assess your psychological approach to food/eating, how you reward yourself, how to set incremental goals, etc.
You can certainly do it yourself, but the added benefit of Noom is the shared accountability and support of a personal coach and group. I thought after going through 6 months I was all set and could manage myself, but have found myself backsliding over time and may merely leverage the routine of food and activity tracking in Noom to help get me paying closer attention to things again.
I will take a Noom referral code. Sounds like a good place to start.
I was doing really well before my girlfriend and I moved. I had joined a cycling studio and was going 3-4 times a week and we were eating better.
Then we moved back to the city for many improvements in our social and general life, but I completely feel off the working out wagon and have added a lot of weight, that I would like to get under control.
They teach you how to estimate amounts and every food option comes with different ways to quantify.
I was able to put in “3 slices of deli turkey” or “1/2 handful of almonds”. Your biggest enemy is trying to be ultra precise; you are accountable to yourself so if you’re trying to find out if you have an extra 15 calories to work with it then you either dont or it doesn’t matter because you’re giving yourself a break today.
This speaks to me man. My son wakes up most mornings between 5 and 5:30. In a perfect world, I’d love to get up earlier then that and workout, but that’s pretty damn unlikely. I try to tell myself I’ll get in a workout at night, but that happens maybe twice a week since by the time his sister goes down at 8 I’m pretty damn tired.
I do a couple of things that have really helped me. The first is very strict rules about snacking. Fruit/Veg only, nothing else. Takes discipline but it’s really helped. Usually a banana or apple in the morning and then some carrots/celery/cucumbers in the afternoon.
The second things is mandatory movement during the day. I set a timer on my phone and every half an hour I get up and do something. I have a bunch of things written down, but some examples are: 25 pushups, 50 squats, 100 jumping jacks, etc. It gets me moving, burns a few calories and has done wonders for my focus and attention. Now this is easy when I work from home (not everyone will be able to do that) but it’s a great way to build in some physical activity during the day when I wouldn’t anyway.
Ultimately the idea is to find one or two things that fit into your routine and do them without fail. I have two little ones and it makes it very hard. They won’t be little forever, but it’s tough right now to find time for myself. Don’t allow yourself to compromise and try to stay disciplined. It’s easy to say and hard to do.
I have written down goals for myself that I work towards everyday. I have them posted on my wall between pictures of my family. I’m happy to share them:
Protect my knee by increasing strength and decreasing weight (crepitus and arthritis due to previous injury)
Live a long time so my wife has someone to grow old with (she’s 6 years younger then me so I don’t want to cut out on her early)
RUN with my children until they’ve graduated high school. Play sports with them, chase them, catch them, be athletically involved in their lives like my parents were not involved in mine.
Model a healthy lifestyle for them
Be an athletically elite Grandfather. Be able to play sports and activities with my grandchildren when the time comes, continue exercise and activity until I am no longer able (not when I choose to).
I hope any of this helps. I’m a former college football player and I have struggled with weight since I stopped playing. I just dropped down to 230 this week from a high of 260 in January last year. It’s something I think I might always struggle with and I have to stay vigilant on. It’s not easy but it can be done. Good luck all!
I feel you, man. I dropped 104 between July 2020 and May 2021, but then ended up putting 42 of that back on between then and the end of 2021. For me, the biggest thing by far is selecting a few key daily and weekly goals and tracking them (google sheet for me so I can update it on my phone). for the past 2 months, it’s been 90 oz of water, go on a walk, and no fast food (takeout fails this goal too) as the only daily goals (plus weekly goals for 3 workouts a week and 1 range trip). I assign points to each one and pick a target point total for a given period (90% over Jan/Feb). I’m down 20 over the last 2 months only focusing on that. If I have to drink that much water, I’m drinking less soda/other beverages. If I can’t eat fast food, I have to grocery shop and/or use freshly for dinners. I’ve never been able to strictly track macros or calories or whatever. I know some people love it, but it was just never for me. My attitude is more “I didn’t get fat because I ate sandwiches for lunch.”
I would also plug the Losing 100 Pounds with Corinne podcast. She has a weightloss program (No BS) that is solely for women (my mom joined and told me about it), but the podcast is free. Despite being only for women, it is the only weight loss thing I’ve ever responded to. It’s way more about not being an asshole to yourself and being accountable to yourself than it is about the actual food you are eating. It was huge for me initially.
Berry smoothie in the morning for breakfast. Kroger premade salads for lunch (the Santa Fe salad is delicious with that poblano dressing). Then something moderate for dinner.
Using the myfitnesspal food tracker so my calorie intake is right where it should be, but DAMN my energy levels right now are so low because I have stopped all the snacking.
Just over a week in and I’m down 4 lbs. I had one day over the weekend that I exceeded my calorie budget and have taken 2 days off working out before ramping up to every day.
I got up to around 275 about 5 years ago. Felt like hell and needed a change. Changed my diet, worked out 5 days a week. Got down to 230 but traded a lot of fat for muscle weight. Covid hit, gym shit down and by the time it opened back up, I lost all desire to go back.
Then July 2020…
Went to hop off the porch to turn the sprinkler off, broke 2 bones and ripped the muscle off the bone.
I’m pretty much right back where I started now. 270. The last 2 weeks, I’ve been working hard to clean up my diet, getting to the gym on my days off, walking around the building on breaks Just tryin to drop this gut
I’ve stayed strong with the diet and lost 6 lbs so far without working out yet. Golf season is upon us in Kentucky where the ground is drying up so my activity level will greatly increase.
I haven’t had a coca cola since Feb 21st which is unreal for me.
