Hey gal,

Great job and congrats on the wedding! The last 5-10lbs are going to be the hardest, you really need to dial in your nutrition and ditch those carbs.

It's temporary though. Try to eat clean and low carb for 2 weeks, take a week easing back, then a couple more weeks going into the wedding. After, ease back into what is going to be more of a maintenance type diet.

I hit about 8% body fat last year for a fitness competition with before and after photos. I really had things dialed in at the end, but I never planned to stay there. Now I'm probably ~11-12% and 5-8lbs heavier, but don't have to eat perfect and can enjoy a beer or 2.

Since October 5 I’m down 17 lbs and the mid section is looking way better. Still sticking to the low carb (but not full blown keto) diet and one beer a day average. I’ve had 3 cheat days and two of those days I felt like hell afterwards. Carbs, especially sugar, hurt me now. I’d still like to drop another 7-10 lbs but as mentioned the fat:muscle ratio is changing for the better and the weight loss has slowed significantly in the last 10 days.

quote:

Originally posted by thumperfbc:
About 5 years ago I weighed somewhere above 440. I don’t know how much buecausebi didn’t have access to a scale that reads that high.

Then I got with it. Joined a fitness studio that was 100% class based circuit training. I stated eating “whole clean foods”. Within about 2 years I had done some amazing things. I did one of those boot camp things and lost nearly 80lbs in 6 weeks. I ran a half marathon at over 300#s. I was lifting some real heavy weights. At my lowest recorded weight I hit 299. I know for most that still fat as heck, but it nearly brought me to tears. I still had weight to loose but not a ton. My muscle mass was over 220lbs. My body fat was almost to healthy range.

Then we stumbled. We had our second child. That set us back. We traveled a lot for work. That set us back. We had to leave the studio because it was too expensive.

But, I thought we’d be ok. I KNEW how to eat. I KNEW how to exercise. I had all the tools and skills.

But then I learned 2 very important FACTS in my life.

1) I am not disciplined enough, at least with small children, to go to a traditional gym and exercise. I’m simply not. It quickly faded.

2) I am not motivated to eat right if I’m not exercising regularly. It sucks, but it’s reality. A hood workout is what prevents me from getting Carl’s Jr. when I get tempted to eat junk I think “eating that means you wasted that time, effort, and sweat”.

I gained back everything, probably. A couple weeks ago I finally stepped on the scale, terrified. The reading? HVY. Welcome back, chubbs.

So we rejoined the studio. I’m cooking real food again. My best gues is a starting weight of 455. I say that for reference only. I don’t live or die by the weight, my goal was always healthy. Body fat percentage was the number I was worried about. So, the journey begins again. It sucks, but I know how to do it. I know how to win. I can tell I’m dropping. Haven’t set foot on a scale since that HVY reading. Don’t need to, I can feel the difference in my 5XT shirt. I can’t wait to put that 2XT shirt back on and feel comfortable.

I don't want to be rude, but I have some though love for you. It's what ultimately motivated me, so I hope it helps you too.

Your kids.

It's that simple man. What are you teaching your kids?

At your weight, you're going to die early and leave your kids without their father.

At your weight, you won't be able to do all the things a father should do with their children. You won't be able to run and play with them. You won't be able to go on roller coasters with them. You won't be able to do things other families can do.

You're also teaching your children horrible habits. Children watch us, they learn from us and ultimately they emulate us.

You're teaching your children to lack discipline and be fat. You're teaching your children to die early and leave your grandchildren without a parent.

Is that what you want for your children?

Break the chain. I'm guessing you weren't shown healthy habits, and look at the effect it is having on your life.

Break the chain and show your children the way.

It eventually hit me that this isn't about me, it's about what I'm teaching my children. That's what motivates me.

My kids come down at night and work out with me. The family is running a 5k next month. The 3 year old and 5 year old will be in the jog stroller, but my 8 year old wants to do it!

They know sugar is bad for them and I see them moderating their intake already. They don't have eating disorders, rather their making informed decisions about what they're putting in their bodies. I'll randomly see them doing pushups (lol) to "get stronger." I love that they understand these concepts at such a young age. They never acted like this before I took my health seriously.

I haven't sat them down and talked to them about this stuff. They are simply watching my actions. They are following my lead...as are your kids! I believe I'm teaching them habits at a young age that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. What are you teaching your kids? Are you making their lives better by your actions? The scary question is, are you making their lives worse by your actions?

Someone has to step up and break the chain and show your kids a better way. If you don't have the balls to do it, your kids will suffer.

Love ya' man, now get your ass in gear for your kids! Teach them discipline and show them what their old man is capable of! Don't change your life, change their lives.

Thank you Strambo,

Just needed to hear that pep talk.
Today was a good day back on the plan.☺️

Glad to hear success stories such as yours.

quote:

Originally posted by Strambo:
Hey gal,

Great job and congrats on the wedding! The last 5-10lbs are going to be the hardest, you really need to dial in your nutrition and ditch those carbs.

It's temporary though. Try to eat clean and low carb for 2 weeks, take a week easing back, then a couple more weeks going into the wedding. After, ease back into what is going to be more of a maintenance type diet.

I hit about 8% body fat last year for a fitness competition with before and after photos. I really had things dialed in at the end, but I never planned to stay there. Now I'm probably ~11-12% and 5-8lbs heavier, but don't have to eat perfect and can enjoy a beer or 2.

Pounds just melt off with cutting carbs and sugar for me. I am still amazed I didn’t gain any weight back having to eat white bread and pasta for weeks after the hospital. I guess I was so adapted it just stayed off. Probably lost a little muscle too though. Should be able to get back in my favorite jeans by the 1st of the year. I do have a surgery coming up at the end of the month so I hope that doesn’t cause a set back.

quote:

Originally posted by arcwelder76:
I know I'm not the only one who has been on a mission.

Life can get away from you for a number of reasons, that aren't even exotic. Sometimes they are, like a death close to you, or other traumatic event.

Or sometimes it's just getting distracted, getting lazy, or whatever.

I got out of the habit of working out regularly after returning from our vacation in late spring. Kept saying "Next week. Next week for sure." It just never happened. And my diet went with it.

Six months. I look like crap. I ain't fat, per se, but I certainly ain't fit.

quote:

Originally posted by arcwelder76:
If you have no motivation, you will defeat you.

If you are motivated, almost any diet will succeed short term. Long term is more complex.

This is true.

So now I'm back on my workout schedule and I'm on a gradual fat loss program. I'll take a break Thanksgiving weekend, then I'll be back on it until Christmas/New Years. Then back on again.

I like numbers. So, while those electronic body fat percentage things aren't necessarily very accurate, and they won't even reasonably track trends unless you use them correctly, they're only $35 at Amazon. So maybe I'll snag one up.

I'll get back there. Won't be overnight, but I'll get there.

189lbs this morning. First time I’ve been below 190 in years.

Thursday marked 50 pounds lost.

234 down to 184. Least I’ve weighed since 2002.

Had to get fitted for new uniforms. Wearing clothes that used to be uncomfortable, and my normal ones just fall off.

20 more pounds is my goal. 165 would be a good looking weight for me.

Ketogenic with about 18 hours of fasting most days. Practically zero sugar. Working for me, and never starving!

I'm down to 304, 93 lbs lost since april.

I ran into a 3 week period where my weight didn't move its typical 1.5-2 lbs per week, on the 4th week weigh-in it dropped 9.5 lbs. Not sure if it's the scale or if I was holding extra water from higher salt intake.

I was discouraged to see the scale giving me results I didn't want. It was the most challenging part of my weight loss journey. Harder then the keto flu, getting dehydrated or the initial kick back from reducing calories.

I remained determined to stay disciplined. I kept doing what I was doing and for whatever reason my body adjusted and put me on track as if nothing had happened those 3 weeks.

I went in the closet to get my winter jacket and tried on old jackets that I haven't worn in over 10 years. They all fit, a couple were to big.

I've noticed that I have increased awareness of my appearance as well. Simple grooming and style things that I lost concern for when I was almost a 100 lbs heavier from a depression funk.

As for diet, nothing has changed in months for me. Less then 30 net carbs a day, 1600 or so calories a day.

I'm about 50-60 lbs from my goal weight of 250 which a Dr recently suggested I should shoot for, affirming my own goal I had set before seeing him. I had planned to achieve the goal in 2 years but it seems I may be able to do it in 14-16 months.

Down 40 since October 3.

I'm in clothes I haven't worn in years, back in a good gun belt I grew out of, have more energy, sleep less, carry IWB without hassle, and exercise is getting easy.

I'm never hungry, and other than Publix Apple Fritters that I get for The Beautiful Girl, I never crave carbs of any kind.

If I had known keto was so easy, and felt so good, I might have done this years ago.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ArtieS,

I dropped 25 lbs. over 3 years just by eliminating soda and beer from my diet. I still drink whiskey like a fish. (I'm retired).
A1C is now normal too.
IMHO Soda should be labeled as a poison.

Hope you guys didn't splurge too much over Thanksgiving. I caught a cold so wasn't very hungry.

I behaved myself. 1425 calories all day. More than twice my usual carb, though.

Still losing weight, however, so no harm done.

quote:

Originally posted by arcwelder76:
Hope you guys didn't splurge too much over Thanksgiving.

I did. No worries: I'll knock it back off again in the coming weeks. And more.

Then I'll blow it again over Christmas Eve/Day. And New Year's Eve/Day.

Then I'll bear-down for the long haul.

quote:

Originally posted by arcwelder76:
I caught a cold so wasn't very hungry.

Proving once again every cloud has a silver lining

I only put 3lbs and change on over the week of Thanksgiving and I already dropped it. Now to get those last 5-8 off me.

A word of caution for my Keto friends. In July 2012, I was diagnosed with diabetes. I weighed somewhere north of 400 pounds. I maxed out both my home scale and the doctors scale. I immediately went on a Keto High Fat Very Low Carb diet HFVLC. In 12 months I had dropped to 220 pounds. Over a 180 pound loss. Almost effortlessly.

Deciding it was time to slow down the loss, I tried reintroducing carbs. Bad idea. Once I started I could not stop. Whether they had been before or not, carbs were definitely my crack cocaine. I regained 150 pounds that I had lost.

Since then it has been a struggle. I get off the carbs only with great difficulty or the grace of God. And I slip and fall back into eating carbs with disturbing ease. Honestly, I have spent more time on carbs than off.

Today, I am 33 days carb free and have lost about 13 pounds and my blood sugar this am was 81. God willing, I will make it through the Holydays.

Stay safe. Stay off carbs.

After four weeks of weight training three-times-a-week I introduced cardio yesterday.

Holy tamole! And I thought my strength was off after my six-month hiatus. It was, but nothing like my cardio.

Used to be when I was re-starting cardio I'd start at intervals of 4.5 MPH and 6 MPH at zero incline and alternately bump the higher speed or the incline each week. After just one 4.5/6 sequence yesterday I had to drop it down to 4MPH and stay there.

I'm not getting the fat loss rate I'd wanted, either. I guess I'll be happy with maintaining, for now, and bear down after New Year Day.

The good news is my BP is good (110/80) and my resting heart rate is ±50. Blood oxygen level was 98% at the doctor's office a couple weeks ago.

I've been behaving myself from a carb, calorie and exercise standpoint, but, like a slow cooked brisket, I've hit the "stall". Wavering up and down for the last 5 days, and up .8 lb. as of this morning.

Frustrating to say the least, but I know better than to worry about it too much. You can't beat the math for ever. If you eat fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight, (or at least, fat) regardless of what you body does in the short term.

Just have to work through it, and hit the down-slope again.

Steady on!

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
After four weeks of weight training three-times-a-week I introduced cardio yesterday.

Holy tamole! And I thought my strength was off after my six-month hiatus. It was, but nothing like my cardio.

Used to be when I was re-starting cardio I'd start at intervals of 4.5 MPH and 6 MPH at zero incline and alternately bump the higher speed or the incline each week. After just one 4.5/6 sequence yesterday I had to drop it down to 4MPH and stay there.

...

You don't have to do "cardio" separate from resistance training. Just do a mixed free-weight and body weight circuit doing 2-4 exercises back to back with no rest, then resting 30s to 1min and repeating the superset until the workout is complete.

I did this exclusively during a winter in Fairbanks one year and my 2 mile PT run time was 30 seconds faster in the Spring than in the Fall and I hadn't run in 6 months.

quote:

Originally posted by Strambo:You don't have to do "cardio" separate from resistance training. Just do a mixed free-weight and body weight circuit doing 2-4 exercises back to back with no rest, then resting 30s to 1min and repeating the superset until the workout is complete.

I don't claim to be an expert, but have read that many times. Running is a pretty poor exercise unless you have a very specific reason to do so.