I'm 342 Pounds, Need to Lose 100. How?

Bigger Stronger Leaner
1

hey everyone

I have been on my journey for quite sometime now,with ups and downs setbacks due to medications im freshly 29 by two months and by the time im 30 i want to be healthy and fit the thing is i cant move real good i walk 50 minutes on the treadmill at 3.3 with burst of 3.5 mph in incriments but im not sure walking is burning enough calories, i try to eat 2.220 calories a day but im plagued with night time hunger after cardio sessions,

im also plagued with low energy i can sleep all day long literally and have to drink 4 cups of coffee to do my night time cardio which is treadmill walking and low impact areobics dvds i switch them up.i really want to lift but im not sure that is going to burn allot of calories because im a weak lifter i have a hard time benching 80lbs i stall after 5 then have to pause 20 seconds to finish 3 sets of 5.i can squat 100 deadlift 100 for 3x5 when i ran all pros for a month or two but over head press and curiling are real weak i cant add much weight to them and form breaks down.

so what i am asking i know i have to control calorie intake i get that but what type of movements should i be doing i keep reading when your as big as i am the weight should fall off real quick that has not been the case i have droped 19lbs but im stuck at 342.what are the things i need to do to control hunger on a cut i dont eat untill dinner time everyday and do most of my eating at night but after walking or doing a dvd the hunger comes on full strength.

just basically how do i ensure a weight drop each week and what type of workouts should i be doing im all ears my goal for know is to get under 300 how long would that take if i do all the right things?

thanks for reading and helping

2

Congratulations on deciding to improve, first of all. Second… Keep things simple at all costs. People tend to create a plan thsat covers all the details - but you won’t stick to it if it overcomplicates things. So, as a priority list…

1 - Change your diet. It’s the most important factor for weight loss. Start by cutting out everything that contains sugar. No more soda, no more snack bars - ideally, you will never touch these again, ever. Then, get enough lean protein in. the general recommendation will be 1g/pound of lean bodyweight, which might be something like 250g/day.

What this means is that you should eat meat, fish, cottage cheese or eggs with every meal, they should form the basis. I hate saying this as a vegetarian, but meat can help you lose weight. Add copious amounts of vegetables in any form (seriously, eat as much of these as you want). Add a bit of fruit. Good carbs or fats (oats, potatoes, rice / avocadoes, nuts, olive oil) are ok in small quantities but make sure you eat the aforementioned things first.

Ideally, make a short list of groceries that you will eat and keep nothing else in your house. Drink a LOT of water (like, at least one gallon each day). No other fluids are permitted.

2 - keep walking. If I were you I wouldn’t do it on the treadmill but outside - that an aesthetic preference, however, so do what you want. Walk for half an hour or more at a brisk pace each day - ideally do this in the morning.

3 - lift weights. If you have access to a squat rack, I’d recommend stronglifts 5x5. If not, let us know. Lifting heavy burns tons of calories and also maintains and builds muscle, which is important. Don’t be scared of resting in between sets for 2 minutes or so.

4 - you can add intervals later when you’ve lost some weight. Right now I’d say they’re too risky.

A few other things you’ve addressed…

  • Being tired is how many overweight people feel. It makes sense since you’re carrying a lot of weight around which also needs to be flushed with blood. It will get better once you improve your diet and lose weight.

  • try to use less coffee if you can. Large amounts of it are addictive and you won’t be able to feel awake without it, which isn’t ideal.

  • Don’t starve yourself, it will just make you binge. Eat three meals a day but make sensible food and portion size choices (!). Right now, you could eat 3,400 calories and still lose weight - no need to torture yourself with 2/3rds of that.

  • The normal recommendation is to lose 1-2 lbs a week, you could lose faster based on your weight. So I’ll call it 6-12 months. However…

Please consider this. You are 29 (like me) and morbidly obese. This is due to a life full of crappy eating habits unless you have a really unique condition. If you want a quick fix, you will lose the weights only to gain it back later. If you want to look different for good, a lot of things need to change for good - including the way you think about food and exercise.
Good luck.

3

Hi Eric
Here are some strategies that have helped me to lose some weight.
1.Keep a food diary. This is a must. It keeps you accountable.

2.Use a scale and measuring cup to measure food.

3.Have standard meals - I put the quantities into Fitday.com and printed them out as a reference. You can change the quantities when you want to change the calories you want. Alternatively you could use a food preparation service.

4.Eat regularly. 4-6 small meals per day. Helps prevent hunger.

5.Weigh yourself weekly and re-assess your cals. If you have stopped losing weight reduce by 250 cals per day.

6.Reduce or eliminate processed carbs. Pasta,bread and white potatoes are a good place to start.

7.When you get sugar cravings at night,first try brushing your teeth, have a glass of water or calorie free beverage (I like green tea) and drink it slowly. This usually stops the mouth cravings for me.

  1. Nutrition is the most important part. Not exercise. 1 hour spent in the kitchen on food preparation is way better than an hour in the gym.

Choose a form of exercise that appeals to you. I like weight training but some like kickboxing or yoga or a sport or walking your dog. Its about a lifestyle change. If you choose to train with weights, start light and increase the weights gradually. Dont be disheartened because the weights are light. You will get better.

Precision Nutrition by John Berardi is worth a read.

4

I would suggest you work with your body instead of against it and eat before dinner.

At your weight, have breakfast, lunch and dinner - each with:

  • lean protein
  • vegetables
  • healthy fats
  • some carbohydrates (make smart choices - sugar no, sweet potato/rice yes)

Eat until you are satisfied, not stuffed and you’ll drop weight quickly enough if you stick with it and are consistent.

There’s no need to make this torture and starve for 12 hours per day, you just don’t need to do it to get results from where you are. Accept there will be weeks where there isn’t much movement on the scale, don’t get discouraged and remain on course and you’ll get there.

5

Nutritionwise, it sounds like you need to increase your meat intake. Your calories are also low. I’m towards the end of my cut, and I have about the same caloric intake, but I eased it down over time. For now, and this is just me, I would simply increase my lean meat and green vegetable consumption until you’re around 2700 calories. You can eat unlimited veggies; so, if you’re hungry, eat them. As you stall, and you will, you decrease your carb intake slightly. I would also phase out the caffeine and phase it back in as you get leaner (it helps burn more calories… until your body adapts).

Is there any reason you consume most of your food at night? If it’s to stave off hunger pangs overnight, the increased protein should take care of that, and you’re probably better off spreading your food throughout the day.

Workout-wise: Keep the walking, but decrease the time (for now) and increase the incline to around 2. Tim Henriques has a decent walking program on here. Limit cardio to 1x/week (for now).

Don’t worry about your weakness, that will increase. Get on a standard program (stronglifts 5x5 or starting strength), and you should be fine. Everyone would have trouble with only 20s of rest between sets; aim for about a minute and take more if you need it.

Check in here as you stall, and we can help you adjust your nutrition and routine

As far as expectations, I would not expect to be “fit” in 10 months. You will be fitter and healthier, but not fit in the usual sense of the word. If things go REALLY well, you can expect to be down to 220; more realistically, 260 would be good progress as well. Luckily, you don’t need to worry about losing muscle, so you can be more aggressive.

6

Thanks guys for your response i will take heed to what you all said and follow it as law…but with that being said i want do a 5x5 lifting regiment i have looked into strong lifts but i couldnt quite comprehend the details of it could you guys kind of refer me to instruction on how its ran i didnt fully understand the warm up sets at all i think this would be good starting point other than all pros combined with good diet and cardio

thanks a ton for your quick respones i highly appreciate it

7

[quote]1 Man Island wrote:
Nutritionwise, it sounds like you need to increase your meat intake. Your calories are also low. I’m towards the end of my cut, and I have about the same caloric intake, but I eased it down over time. For now, and this is just me, I would simply increase my lean meat and green vegetable consumption until you’re around 2700 calories. You can eat unlimited veggies; so, if you’re hungry, eat them. As you stall, and you will, you decrease your carb intake slightly. I would also phase out the caffeine and phase it back in as you get leaner (it helps burn more calories… until your body adapts).

Is there any reason you consume most of your food at night? If it’s to stave off hunger pangs overnight, the increased protein should take care of that, and you’re probably better off spreading your food throughout the day.

Workout-wise: Keep the walking, but decrease the time (for now) and increase the incline to around 2. Tim Henriques has a decent walking program on here. Limit cardio to 1x/week (for now).

Don’t worry about your weakness, that will increase. Get on a standard program (stronglifts 5x5 or starting strength), and you should be fine. Everyone would have trouble with only 20s of rest between sets; aim for about a minute and take more if you need it.

Check in here as you stall, and we can help you adjust your nutrition and routine

As far as expectations, I would not expect to be “fit” in 10 months. You will be fitter and healthier, but not fit in the usual sense of the word. If things go REALLY well, you can expect to be down to 220; more realistically, 260 would be good progress as well. Luckily, you don’t need to worry about losing muscle, so you can be more aggressive.[/quote]

yea i save calories for night thats my trouble area and also how do i get more protein i have whey?

8

I just have a few suggestions, a lot of the advice given is pretty good.

This is going to a be a mental battle for you as much as physical. There are dietary tips that we can give you, but you’re going to have to be mentally tough as well. Dropping 100 lbs will take time. Consistency is key. The tips I’ve got may be helpful, but at the end of the day, you’ll have many times when you’ll just have to fight your cravings.

  1. Your current eating strategy won’t work. Intermittent fasting (which is what you’re doing) only works for people who are mentally suited for it. Your post suggests that this does not mentally suit you. Dani Shugart wrote about the pitfalls of this type of diet here: Fasting: Sound Science, Behavioral BS .

  2. You mentioned ‘making sure you lose weight every week’. This is also a troublesome mentality. If you don’t lose weight on any given week, that’s ok. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Just make sure you’re taking the right steps, and everything will fall into place.

  3. You also asked about the details of 5x5. The details of your weight lifting program are not going to be particularly important at the start. Your primary focus needs to be diet. Keep up the walking. This is going to serve you well. It will be easier to work on strength training once you’ve lost some weight and can move around better. You’re more likely to stick to it long term if you just focus on fat loss first. Diet matters more than anything else in terms of fat loss for obese people.

  4. Eat satiating, low carb, low calorie foods, throughout the day. And drink plenty of water. These 2 practices will help you to not overeat and feel as full as possible. Cut out the crazy amount of coffee as well, particularly at the end of the day. It might feel like it’s benefiting you in the moment, but long term, it’s likely running you into the ground.

  5. If whey satiates you, that’s a good calorie source. You can drink whey shakes throughout the day. Try not to get more than around 600 calories from your whey shakes though, the majority of your calories should come from whole foods.

  6. DON’T EAT SUGAR. Avoid it. Period. This is not a negotiating point for anyone who’s dieting. Fruit has a ton of sugar, so don’t eat lot’s of fruit and think you’re making a healthy choice. You’re not, despite what many people might tell you.

9

[quote]Eric85 wrote:

yea i save calories for night thats my trouble area and also how do i get more protein i have whey?
[/quote]

I wouldn’t worry too much about when you get your food right now. Though, I think you will enjoy your days more if you eat regularly.

As far as protein goes, since you say you’re hungry, I would eat about 10 oz more of fish or chicken breast daily. Whey can be useful, but it does not help with hunger like real food (even if it has casein). I use it more as a convenience because once you get through the toughed part (transitioning into your new lifestyle), the routine of food prep gets tedious and shakes make one less meal to worry about.