Fat pig needs to lose weight

[callmeTATER]

sorry to write such a long post but i need some major help with my diet. i have hit a plateau for the last 2 wks. and it is really discouraging me. here are my stats and background:

40 years old, 6'5", current weight 365 lbs, bodyfat 39% (hence the fat pig title). my goal is to weigh in at 260 lbs, which is what i weighed in 2003 before a motorcycle accident that broke my neck.

i started diet and excersize program on aug 4th (5 1/2 weeks ago), i weighed in at 383...so since my diet i have lost 18 lbs. the only thing is i lost those 18 lbs in the first 3 weeks! nothing since then.

i take dx7 multivitamins, 100mg zinc, glucosamine, and lipoflame everyday since my program started. i have been eating 1800-2000 calories/day into 4-6 meals every day. according to another website, my BMR is 3045 calories.

am i eating too little?
has my body gone into storage mode?
how many calories should i consume daily to maintain steady weight loss?
should i follow a percentage of protein/carbs/fat in my diet?


i have been working out religiously with weights (5x/week), and doing as much cardio as my knees can stand (have had bad knees since i was 17). cardio includes walking 1.3 miles to gym, some stationary biking, light basketball, and played some racquetball this morning for the first time. my knees are so damn shot that i have to ice them down after cardio/sports to be able to walk normal.

any diet help i can get is MUCH appreciated....i am very motivated to hit my goal, but its pretty discouraging to see the scale stuck for 2 weeks..............

 

[SouthernLord]

You are eating too little. Figure out your BMR and total daily energy expenditure and base you calorie levels on that. Find out daily maintenance calorie intake, which will be higher than you imagined, and start off by subtracting 500 calories from that. Once progress slows subtract another 250, etc. Here is the formula.

***Use the following equation to calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate***

Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 X wt in kg) + (5 X ht in cm) - (6.8 X age in yrs)
Women: BMR = 655 + (9.6 X wt in kg) + (1.8 X ht in cm) - (4.7 X age in yrs)

The BMR is the number of calories your body burns in a given day (unless you are overweight or extremely muscular).

Your BMR multiplied by your activity factor should give you a good estimate for how many calories daily your body will need, this number is called your Total Daily Energy Expenditure or TDEE, use the Activity Factors listed below for calculations:

Activity Factor
BMR x 1.2 (little to no exercise, desk job)
BMR x 1.375 (gym 1-3 days/wk)
BMR x 1.55 (gym 3-5 days/wk)
BMR x 1.725 (gym 6-7 days/wek)
BMR x 1.9 (gym 7 days/wk; twice daily; extreme training)

So now we have your BMR X Activity Factor = TDEE

 

[SouthernLord]

I just re read your post. Your BMR is 3045. I would try 2500 for a few weeks and see what happens. Can you break down your daily meals. It is possible you are eating the wrong foods at the wrong time?

 

[callmeTATER]

I just re read your post. Your BMR is 3045. I would try 2500 for a few weeks and see what happens. Can you break down your daily meals. It is possible you are eating the wrong foods at the wrong time?

typical day's meals

5am: piece of fruit (orange, apple, or grapefruit) and EAS advantedge locarb protein shake. supps: 2-3 lipoflame, multivitamin, zinc, glucosamine.

6am: gym

9amptimum nutrition gold standard protein shake 2.5 scoops (was mixing with 1.5 cups milk, now using water)

1130am: usually lunch meats with wheat bread or 6" subway club sandwich on wheat. (usually a 300 calorie portion).

300pm: usually same as 1130am meal, if i get subway i eat the other 6" sandwich.

600pm: usually steak or chicken with salad or green vegetables or both.

800pm: EAS advantedge locarb protein shake

900pm: bed

 

[SouthernLord]

You are having too many shakes and not enough whole food protien sources. Is there any chance you can prepare your food ahead of time to avoid eating Subway? It is not the best diet food IMO.

 

[callmeTATER]

You are having too many shakes and not enough whole food protien sources. Is there any chance you can prepare your food ahead of time to avoid eating Subway? It is not the best diet food IMO.

what would you recommend? i agree the subway is a bad choice and i can prepare something and bring to work (subway was just convenient for a quick lunch). can you give me a good typical regimen? btw, i really hate fish, tunafish included oh and i have been drinking nothing but water...about a gallon a day, should i drink more?

 

[SouthernLord]

Check out needto's cook book. He has a whole chapter on food prep. Quite a few awesome recipes too. I sucked at cooking, but his book really gave me some confidence in the kitchen. I will post a more detailed description of what i do tomorrow when I am near a PC. This iPhone is a bitch to post on lol.

 

[jstarr37]

dude your doing fine. the quick wieght loss is glycogen, retained water, and some fat. your are going to plateua at 2-4 lbs a week. I know that isint what you want to hear but its the truth. when you have to ose 50 or more pounds the most important thing is consistancy. Over time you will lose. Good work on the cardio my appetite would flip if i dieted and did that much..good job.. by the way i lost about 60lb a few years ago first 20 quick next forty SLOWWWWW. but its still gone.

 

[wolfdogg]

Your BMR multiplied by your activity factor should give you a good estimate for how many calories daily your body will need, this number is called your Total Daily Energy Expenditure or TDEE

I'm a bit confused what this is showing me? Let's figure it for me.. 39 years old and let's say I hit the gym 6 - 7 X a week.
66 + 1305 (which is 13.7 X 210 lbs, which I believe translates to 95.256 kg) + 180.34 (I'm 5'11) - 265 = 1286 calories my body burns in a given day. X 1.725.. = 2218 is what my body will need? Need for what? I thought it burned 1286 a day.. so isn't this what it needs?

Thx!

 

[Tatyana]

what would you recommend? i agree the subway is a bad choice and i can prepare something and bring to work (subway was just convenient for a quick lunch). can you give me a good typical regimen? btw, i really hate fish, tunafish included oh and i have been drinking nothing but water...about a gallon a day, should i drink more?

Hi,

Congratulations on what you have achieved so far, and that you are working towards losing the weight.

Southern Lord has given you some outstanding advice.

Your calories are quite low for someone your size.

At your high bodyfat percentage, you can tolerate that severe a calorie restriction for awhile, but it will have fat loss slow even more as you get closer to your goal.

It would be better if you have the number of calories you eat fluctuate a bit, your body will get used to a set amount.

Also, all those shakes and subway? Ok, so you may lose weight, but will you be able to keep it off eating that way? My guess is no.

I have highlighted this post because of the tuna comment.

I hated tuna until this year, but my coach had it in my diet, now I love it.

This is the recipe that saved me:


Tuna patties

2-3 tins of tuna chunks/steak drained and rinsed
3-5 whole eggs or egg whites

2 Tablespoons of oats or cooked rice (optional)

Flavouring
Salt and pepper
2-3 chopped spring onions
OR spice mix (I love this Moroccan or Tandoori spice mix)

Cook in a non-stick pan with 1 cal spray till golden brown and flip

These are great hot or cold.

I am really surprised that I will eat them cold.



You may also want to find another method of measuring your progress, because as you exercise/train, you will probably put on muscle, lose fat and your weight will remain the same.

So things like a tape measure, a pair of skinny jeans, body fat calipers (accumeasure), progress photos are often useful.

 

[Tatyana]

I'm a bit confused what this is showing me? Let's figure it for me.. 39 years old and let's say I hit the gym 6 - 7 X a week.
66 + 1305 (which is 13.7 X 210 lbs, which I believe translates to 95.256 kg) + 180.34 (I'm 5'11) - 265 = 1286 calories my body burns in a given day. X 1.725.. = 2218 is what my body will need? Need for what? I thought it burned 1286 a day.. so isn't this what it needs?

Thx!

I weigh 140 lbs, lean tissue is around 122 lbs and my BMR is 1500 kcals.

Basal metabolic rate refers to the energy your body would just use to function, cells transporting nutrients, oxygen, getting rid of waste, heart and lung muscle contracting, nerve impulses firing, things like that.

You use your lean body weight (your total weight - your body fat) to calculate this.

If you don't have a bodyfat caliper, the quick and easy way to work out your maintenance is to multiply your weight in lbs by 16 .

 

[wolfdogg]

I weigh 140 lbs, lean tissue is around 122 lbs and my BMR is 1500 kcals.

Basal metabolic rate refers to the energy your body would just use to function, cells transporting nutrients, oxygen, getting rid of waste, heart and lung muscle contracting, nerve impulses firing, things like that.

You use your lean body weight (your total weight - your body fat) to calculate this.

If you don't have a bodyfat caliper, the quick and easy way to work out your maintenance is to multiply your weight in lbs by 16 .

Cool.. didn't know this formula. Thx!

Regarding my other question though.. what is the 2218 my body needs? Is this supposed to be an optimum number for me to gain muscle/lose fat.. or just a minimum number of calories I should be getting while working out?

 

[callmeTATER]

tatyana, can you give me a diet to follow? i am committed to get back down to 260 lbs. im pretty sure that my body is changing already (waist/hips smaller...arms/back/chest bigger. i am starting to fit back into clothes from 2 yrs ago. i dont necessarily want to be huge muscle wise, just more fit. btw, i have been measuring my bf on a standard weight watchers scale (which i am sure is not totally accurate). do those hand held body fat testers work pretty good (the ones that look like xbox game controllers)???

 

[Tatyana]

tatyana, can you give me a diet to follow? i am committed to get back down to 260 lbs. im pretty sure that my body is changing already (waist/hips smaller...arms/back/chest bigger. i am starting to fit back into clothes from 2 yrs ago. i dont necessarily want to be huge muscle wise, just more fit. btw, i have been measuring my bf on a standard weight watchers scale (which i am sure is not totally accurate). do those hand held body fat testers work pretty good (the ones that look like xbox game controllers)???

They are not ideal, but they will give you a ballpark figure

The problem with these types of bodyfat scales is that as it is related to electrical current (which in theory will travel through muscle but be impeded by fat), will also be affected by hydration, as electricity will travel through water.

I personally prefer the cheap white plastic accumeasure calipers.

One site measurement.

As far as a diet goes, I have posted a healthy food shopping list in a thread called 'help to sort out your diet'.

It is also in a sticky at the top of the women's section.

I could design a diet for you, however I think that you having a go at sorting out your own diet would be a much greater skill for you to have.

Not only would it be empowering that you would be the person in charge of your diet and fully responsible for the transformation of your body, but once you figure out how to sort your diet, you can have a fantastic physique for life.

Write one up and post it, and then minor adjustments can be made.

I personally prefer to just eat and track my calories/macros (which does mean weighing everything), and then adjusting it from there.

Once you have done it a few times, it gets easier and easier.

 

[letsrun4it]

cut the zinc to 50mg....overdoing zinc is a really bad idea. best of luck man, you have a long ways to go but it will happen amazingly fast if you stick with it. you're 350+ you don't need to be exact with your diet just eat healthy and do as much cardio as you can

 

[desmond]

If your forced to eat subway, have the roasted chicken salad (double meat) with avacoda, no dressing or cheese.

This is actually good diet food.

Creating a diet is really quite simple.

If I was you I consume say 5 meals,
(1) 2 containing starches (breakfast; PWO) [e.g., oats; beans; barley; sweet potatoe; butternut squash]
(2) all 5 must contain protein [e.g., tuna, salmon, lean beef, eggs, chicken, whey/casein]
(3) consume fiberous veggies in other meals, and some good fats [EVOO; nuts, although they are perhaps too addictive; salmon; eggs; flax]
(4) Choose an appropriate cal deficit - 1000 perhaps at ur bf

You are going to have to diet for quite a while. Therefore, I would make the diet manageable. Personally, (unlike comp diets) I wouldn't exclude skim milk, fruit, or carrots. The key will be cals in < cals out, so apples, carrots should be used as hunger busters if you feel overly hungry.

 

[Slayerizer]

Just wanted to say congrats for the first 18 pounds and keep the motivation up!

 

[beefybull]

Ever heard of a PSMF diet. It stands for Protein-Sparing Modified Fast.
It's a keto diet that many hospitals/clinics use for morbidly obese patients.

Basically 500-1000 cals a day, protein shakes and veggies only.
The caloric deficit will make you tired and sluggish, but at your weight you could lose nearly a lb a day at first.

The high protein intake is supposedly muscle-sparing. No carbs is tough though.