Changing a Fat Boy

Bigger Stronger Leaner Beginners
1

Yes, I’m new. Yes, I’m Fat and yes, I’ve been Lazy.

Thats all about to change.

Currently I weigh 360 lbs. I’m 5’ 11" and at 360 I wouldn’t want to even guess at a body fat percentage.

I have already started to change my diet. I’ve added lots of water, took away the soda, crappy fast food and started to eat cleaner.

My question:

Is the V diet for me?

I know it’s based off of a diet for the morbidly obese, but would a clean “whole food” approach be better for somebody my size?

Or would the sledge hammer effect of the V-diet be more effective?

Thanks,
Joe

2

Well, if you just change your eating habits a little you should see some major changes.

The best advice I can give you is walk to buy your food, drink lots of water cut out all simple carbs - sugar etc.

Once you have done that for a few months start thinking about the v diet.

3

I am by no means an expert, I’m probably on the same level as you as far as nutritional knowledge goes… but the V diet IS NOT
for you.

The V-Diet, I would say, is more of a quick cutting diet than a fat cutting diet.
You needs lots of fiber and protein in your diet
this means greens, more meals in smaller portions etc.

You will cut a lot of weight quickly but it will slow down eventually.

Do you run/lift? Any cardio?

4

FREEZE, DON’T MOVE, STEP AWAY from the vdiet, though it is a great diet, it is completely wrong for you; regardless of the fact that a new dieter isn’t going to have the will power to succeed on it.

You need the only proven diet; eat less, move more.

Starting right now, you record everything that goes into your mouth. You will look up serving size, amount, caloric content, and macro breakdown. You will no longer drink calories. Try picking a caloric value and reaching it through 5-6 small meals, I would suggest 2500 for starters. Each meal has some veggies and a lean protein source. Note green veggies, not potatoes, or corn. You get to replace the veggies with fruit for breakfast and the meal right after your workout. This is a nice whole foods diet with an ample supply of protein.

Now for the move more part. You will get up and go for at least a half hour walk in the morning or before bed. You will also try to move more during the day. Since you are posting on this site, I will assume you train; good, now you will switch to some form of total body routine with short rest intervals.

I know the vdiet sounds like a great alternative, but save that particular sledgehammer until you need it. And, I don’t want to see you fail. Now it is time to take some responsibility for yourself; move more, eat less.

You are who you choose to be.

5

i love how many people the v diet attracts to this site.

it seems to fit in well with the gimicky fast fat loss diets of the mainstream.

like with most things though, this is only because it is an advanced bodybuilding tool taken out of context.

6

I’m new to the site and that was from googleing Chad Waterbury 3x10 for fat loss after hearing about it from another site :D.

But for myself also trying to drop the pounds the V-Diet does look appealing but to me its a quick fix not a long term thing thats why i hanvt thought twice about it

7

Man, you are 360lbs. That says alot about your “Self-Control”.

You must realize, that even the people who have dieted for years (properly), controlled cravings and overcame the psychological hammering… Lifted consistently.

Even they SUFFER on the diet. And I’m talking about people who have not touched “horseshit”/Junk-food for a VERY. Very. veryveryvery. long time.

8

[quote]zarrs wrote:
I’m new to the site and that was from googleing chadwaterbury 3x10 for fat loss after hearing about it from another site :D.

But for myself also trying to drop the pounds the v diet does look appealing but to me its a quick fix not a long term thing thats why i hanvt thought twice about it[/quote]

That might be a problem. It’s 10x3 For Fat Loss. OP, stick with what you’re doing and what others have advised - eat less, eat healthy, drink water, and stay active. The V Diet is when you need to lose the last 10-20 lbs.

9

[quote]Zagman wrote:
Since you are posting on this site, I will assume you train; good, now you will switch to some form of total body routine with short rest intervals.
[/quote]

Currently I do not train … I am a complete idiot when it comes to lifting.

[quote]tayjeremy wrote:
Man, you are 360lbs. That says alot about your “Self-Control”.

You must realize, that even the people who have dieted for years (properly), controlled cravings and overcame the psychological hammering… Lifted consistently.

Even they SUFFER on the diet. And I’m talking about people who have not touched “horseshit”/Junk-food for a VERY. Very. veryveryvery. long time.[/quote]

You have a valid point here … I’ve had no self control! I also hadn’t really looked into a mirror in the last twenty years or so, But sometimes there is just something that clicks inside your head you wake up and look into a mirror and think … Gee I’m a whale… how does my wife continue to sleep with me?

Today I’ll be keeping a food log and I’ll post it later tonight or tomorrow. I’ve also started to take walks either in the am or evening sometimes both. I will also look into a lifting program but for now I’m going with some whole body exercises to start off. (burpees, incline push ups)

I’m pretty committed to this new lifestyle. I ditched a twelve pack a day coke habit cold turkey, and can’t even imagine turning back.

10

Good start, I would suggest some form of total body training, keep the rest intervals short; it will be more metabolically taxing that way. Also add another half hour of incline walking or some other form of mild cardio after your sessions.

http://www.T-Nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1846703
Read this, it is entitled phoenix theory - should give you some insight into journey you are about to take.

Good job with the diet log, that is one of the most powerful tools that you can find. It is hard to flat out lie to yourself; not writing something down or purposefully changing the quantity is directly lying to yourself, it isn’t like trying to “watch what you eat” where you watch just as much food as before go right into your mouth.

I see that you are married, do you have children. If you do, then making these changes now will allow you to live to see your grandchildren. Otherwise you were well on the fast track of suicide via French fry and the diabetes and heart disease that go with it. You don’t just wake up one morning with diabetes, no it is a continuum and many Americans are in a state of prediabetes. Now is the time to do it, before it is too late.

I am a former fat boy, I was obese, though not nearly as heavy as you are. I have succeeded, it is easy, just really hard. Don’t let you rationalize bad choices to yourself, get into the habit of making the right decisions; it is far more rewarding in the end.

Keep it up, and keep us informed.

11

[quote]Drumhogg wrote:
I’m pretty committed to this new lifestyle. I ditched a twelve pack a day coke habit cold turkey, and can’t even imagine turning back.[/quote]

Good for you. Right now your focus should be on making small adjustments that you can adhere to over the long term. Slow and steady will win this race.

12

[quote]Zagman wrote:

I see that you are married, do you have children.[/quote]

Yup, I’m a stay at home father of five children.
1, 2, 4, 8, and 13
needless to say I’m pretty busy.

13

Children learn a lot from their parents, especially dietary habits. Obesity that runs in families has stronger ties to the learned behaviors involved inside a family than the actual genetic inheritance. If you choose healthy food and choose to live a healthy lifestyle, it will most definitely carry over to your children and the choices that they will make in life.

What is the diet looking like for today?

Having a plan for what you are going to eat for the day makes things easier, or at least having an idea of where you are going to be and what foods will be available.

14

[quote]Zagman wrote:
What is the diet looking like for today?

Having a plan for what you are going to eat for the day makes things easier, or at least having an idea of where you are going to be and what foods will be available.[/quote]

this morning I had:

8oz 1% milk
1 scoop protein powder
1 medium banana

todays other meals will be:

Cottage cheese
Green salad
a few grape tomatoes

8oz Ground sirloin
Green beans

8oz Chicken breast
broccoli

and then another protein shake to round out the day.

I have some almonds around to snack on.

I’m also going to start taking some fish oil caps once I figure out how much I should have a day.

Drinks will include lots of water and some green tea.

15

Looking good, are you shooting for 2500 kcals. Almonds are one of my favorite snacks, chock full of healthy monounsaturated fats and tasty too. The only real concern with them is how much you eat. A serving of 1/4 cup or 30g is 190 kcals. Keep everything recorded, good job. Also, if you find yourself hungry, but aren’t ready to eat a meal, just grab a stalk or two of celery; pretty much costs more energy to eat/digest than it provides.

A good suggestion for breakfast is “Proatbran”. .5cup oat bran with a scoop of protein powder, I like chocolate Metabolic Drive the best. If you have a real sweet tooth you can add a packet of splenda. Only 280 kcals and will fill you up for a couple of hours. Oh, did I forget to mention that it is delicious too and makes a couple of cups worth.

Great job, you are really taking this seriously.

It helps to also log your weekly measurements, primarily morning weight and circumference around bellybutton, waist. If anything, watching the inches fly off is keeps you motivated.

Do you have any questions?

16

Drumhogg:
Your diet is a winner.
What you’re doing right:

  1. avoiding tons of supplements
  2. getting lots of proten
  3. getting enough fats
  4. eating vegetables.
  5. eliminating simple sugars (cokes and stuff)

Fish oil is great. It’s probably the best supplement for you right now.

Anything that gets you sweating should work off fat. If you have/can get a gym membership, there are plenty of good programs in the stickies at the top of the beginners forum (click ‘beginner’ at the top of the screen and then they should be the top four threads).

Good to have you here. Good luck.

17

I’m a fat boy too lost like 20 lbs from 250 high… I know it sounds overdone but the low carb approach really works. Simple carbs should just be eliminated and complex ones in moderation. You will see alot of hard core diets on here but let me tell u how to lose the first 20-30 lbs… When u go to the mcdonalds throw away the top of the bun… if u have to have some frnech fries, grab a few and throw away the rest… Or just dont get the fries. If u have to have a candy bar get a small one dont get a giant bag of hersheys miniatures lol. Potato chips… forget em u dont need em… get a bag of almonds or something.

I’m 34 and im pissed off for so long everyone told u to avoid fat and really its the carbs that kill u not the fat. Even after atkin finally discovered it people still try to ignore obvious reality and even tho he wasnt perfect he definitely was on to something.

Also dont fool yourself man … alot of weightlifters think that strength is all that matters but keep in mind mike tyson was like 230 lbs at his peak and able to knock a guy out with a flick of his wrist… so what good is it to be 300 lbs? Unless yer going for a gold medal or a world record or something… theres no reason.

18

Mate, Best of luck with making the changes and enriching your life with improved health and self esteem.

ditto to what all the guys have said about no for the v diet and yes to the sensible eating and moving around alot more.

you didnt get where you are overnight, so as long as you dont expect to be fixed overnight you will be fine.

oh and if you slip, get back up dust of your arse and keep going, and ofcourse enjoy the journey.

good luck mate

19

[quote]samfarkus wrote:
I’m a fat boy too lost like 20 lbs from 250 high… I know it sounds overdone but the low carb approach really works. Simple carbs should just be eliminated and complex ones in moderation. You will see alot of hard core diets on here but let me tell u how to lose the first 20-30 lbs… When u go to the mcdonalds throw away the top of the bun… if u have to have some frnech fries, grab a few and throw away the rest… Or just dont get the fries. If u have to have a candy bar get a small one dont get a giant bag of hersheys miniatures lol. Potato chips… forget em u dont need em… get a bag of almonds or something.

I’m 34 and im pissed off for so long everyone told u to avoid fat and really its the carbs that kill u not the fat. Even after atkin finally discovered it people still try to ignore obvious reality and even tho he wasnt perfect he definitely was on to something.

Also dont fool yourself man … alot of weightlifters think that strength is all that matters but keep in mind mike tyson was like 230 lbs at his peak and able to knock a guy out with a flick of his wrist… so what good is it to be 300 lbs? Unless yer going for a gold medal or a world record or something… theres no reason.

[/quote]
No, no, no, that is terrible advice. It isn’t the carbs that make you fat, it is the shitty empty calorie food and terrible decisions that make you fat.

I take it that you are still fat, how is that advice working for you. Still eating shit food is not a solution, it doesn’t change your behaviors, it is just stupid. The solution is to avoid the shitty empty calorie foods that made you a fat ass in the first place, not wasting calories on foods that are empty calories and the opposite of those that will help you reach your goals. As Shugart said, shit is still shit.

Atkins isn’t a wonder diet, it is easy to get fatter while on atkins, it is all about energy balance, energy in vs energy out.

What he has logged for the day is a great whole foods based diet that is drastically lower in calories. It is also relatively low in glycemic load. It is a whole lot lower in sodium, with a whole bunch of antioxidants. Following this new approach, he is likely greatly lower his blood pressure, greatly reduce his risk of cardio vascular disease, and reduce his risk of cancer. Those are just the glaring benefits of his new dietary approach.

20

Ok today was both a success but yet still a failure.

Success in that I stayed on target and only took in good wholesome clean foods, water, and tea. I walked for over an hour with my wife tonight and also signed up at the local Ymca.

A failure in that I did not consume nearly enough kcals. With the HB formula I figured out I need between 2400 - 2600 kcals, and I came in today at a measly 1500 … I seriously don’t know how I’m going to eat all of this food, I’m completely not used to eating this much.

here is the log from today:

Breakfast CALORIES CARBS FAT PROTEIN
Banana, fresh, 1 medium (7" to 7-7/8" long) 109 28 1 1
Milk, 1%, 8 fl oz 102 12 2 8
Protein Powder, 1 serving 110 2 1 24

Snack
Cottage Cheese, 1% Milkfat, 1 cup (not packed) 163 6 2 28
Cucumber (peeled), 0.5 cup, pared, chopped 8 1 0 0
Red Ripe Tomatoes, 0.5 cup cherry tomatoes 16 3 0 1

Lunch
Lean Ground Sirloin 10% Fat, 10 oz 513 0 28 60
Green Beans (snap), 1 cup 34 8 0 2
Celery, raw, 2 stalk, medium (7-1/2" - 8" long) 13 3 0 1
Fish oil softgel, 2 serving 30 0 2 0

Dinner
Beef, round steak, 5 oz 187 0 6 32
Chicken Breast, no skin, 4 ounces 125 0 1 26
Green Beans (snap), 1 cup 34 8 0 2
Strawberries, fresh, 6 large (1-3/8" dia) 32 8 0 1
Fish oil softgel, 2 serving 30 0 2 0

Daily Totals: 1,505 - 79 - 47 - 186

Tomorrow I’m going to add in another protein shake in the evening, and tweak a few things.

would HOT-ROX help out with my goals?
I want to get my nutrition ion line before I start adding any more sups besides the protein and fish oil.