Education The weight loss thread

Freelance writer, so... probably nowhere near enough to compensate for constant 12hr days!

 

Nice work @MLyons - keep it up!

Today marks the end of my four-week intermittent fast "phase" and the beginning of a periodised training programme, focusing on muscle building and general fitness. There's no way I could have jumped into this without losing weight first - my motivation was rock bottom and I was lounging about eating crap and napping, and in no place to do any form of exercise.

I'll also be moving on to a slightly stricter meal plan as well, which is the best way to gain muscle, but I'm not a bodybuilder so I don't need to consume yuge amounts of protein... just enough to make the weight training worth my while. I'm splitting my meals into five servings, each containing at least 20g of protein, and will eat at 3-hour intervals: 9am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm, and 9pm. This is vastly easier than intermittent fasting but it does mean more time spent organising and prepping food because I can't just shove any food in my gob at these times.

No matter how good it's been for me (and the many others in this thread) to get back on the wagon and lose weight & adopt a healthier, more active lifestyle, it's bloomin' hard graft doing it this way, make no mistake, but absolutely worth it.

Just bought 4x5kg plates from Amazon - the prices are still a bit high but between me and the wife they'll get plenty use.

 

Your poor mother giving birth to that weight !!!

Only way I can lose 50 pounds is putting a third of a tank of fuel in my car.

Keep going fella.

 

Any kind of lifting is good for the body, as long as you're not overdoing it. I started training with weights back in '97 and have been less consistent over the last couple of years because of injury and other circumstances, but it's good to be back on it again, despite being the old fart that I am. I'm surprised how good the pump feels, just like old times!

There are a few knowledgeable folks here who lift so don't hesitate to ask if you want some pointers in structuring a programme.

 

Easter is tough - lots of chocolate goodies spontaneously jumping into the ol' basket at Tesco (still have no idea quite how it happens), plus gifts of chocolate from family members.

Admittedly I'm eating too much chocolate but far from falling off the wagon just yet

 

Slendoge

 

Lost 17lbs in 2 weeks eating a 1000cal meal once a day
Pretty easy tbh, did it years before and lost a stone or more every month for 6 months.

 

Not weight loss (in fact it's the opposite), but I'm just back from a 10-day holiday and I've only put on 2kg so I'm taking that as a massive win

 

I haven't been on the scales in a couple of weeks but last night I put on some shorts I hadn't worn since last summer. I noticed they felt huge. So, to test this theory I did a jiggle in the hall way and sure enough, they fell down to my ankles

I have never had to tie these shorts ever. They just fitted me. Now? they feel like bin liners.

 

Big psychological milestone that. Well done you.

 

Weighed myself again yesterday, and it’s now 10kg (22lb in old money) of “passive” weight loss over the last 4-6 months. As in, “putting fewer unhealthy things in my mouth”. Honestly most of that is down to effective ADHD medication; it continues to surprise me just how much of my bad eating habits were a stimulus-seeking behaviour. I still eat terrible food, but bringing down the amount of sugary crap I eat has been easier now than at any other time in my life that I can recall.

10kg feels like a bit of a milestone, and a good point to start making other positive changes. So… I bought a treadmill this morning.

It’s actually mostly for my other half’s benefit. Walking is apparently one of the best exercises to build up strength in the muscles around the spine, and it’s what the physios & neurosurgeons have strongly recommended to help her recovery. But it sure as hell won’t do me any harm to get off my arse either…

We don’t need to spend £750 just so that she can go for a walk regularly, the real challenge is making a habit of it and removing the barriers to entry.

We’re both as bad as each other. We’ve both tried to go cycling or walking regularly over the years, or going to the gym, and both abandoned it at one point or another. Numerous reasons: rain, cold, dark mornings/evenings, dealing with traffic, not having the time to get ready, deeply ingrained self-loathing and body image issues, don’t want to use gross public showers, expensive monthly fees, etc.

It isn’t enough to say “well you just have to be disciplined about it”. I can say with some confidence that ADHD can make building a long-term routine, like regular exercise, extremely difficult. I am definitely not alone in that regard. It’s not a question of “discipline” when you have an executive function disorder.

So… having a treadmill at home eliminates pretty much all those potential barriers. No need to go out when it’s cold, dark, or wet, no road traffic to contend with, no monthly gym fee, and no one’s going to see you sweating your balls/tits off or making an arse of yourself. Except maybe the cat, but he’s a knobhead anyway so his opinion doesn’t really count!

The main benefit will still be for my other half. Usually I do the shopping, but she came with me yesterday. 20-30 minutes of slowly plodding around Sainsbury’s was completely exhausting; she rarely uses the walking stick I bought when she came out of hospital, but she damn well needed it yesterday. She hasn’t got to worry about getting back to the house to lie down when she’s already at home.

More regular exercise won’t necessarily help shed weight. Unless you’re on a serious workout plan, it’s mostly down to the type and volume of stuff you put in your face. I’ve still got a lot of work to do there, but it feels more achievable than it ever has.

 

Progress is progress . The main thing is that it needs to be a sustainable and long-term.