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Here's what worked (not kidding - it's just an example of what it took) - I had a scope done a few years back - meaning, liquid diet a few days before, plus the "evacuation" stuff....I lost 10 pounds in a week. I loved it. THAT is what it took for me to drop a pound.
In fairness, that was probably all water weight. You didn't lose fat or build muscle or anything that would actually be a productive change in your physical mass.
Also, ask yourself why you need to lose weight? Is it for health reasons, fitness reasons, vanity reasons? Your body changes as you age, and you don't need to weigh the same as you did when you were 20 to be a fit and healthy person.
...it's probably a familiar storyline, but I am struggling to do so. I am a 44-year-old male weighing 240 and would like to work down to 190. The same things that worked 20 years ago are obviously not doing it. I've heard advice from all over the place, which is incredibly overwhelming. Of course, I'm coming here for more...hoping something agrees with my brain.
Anything work for those of you with this struggle? I have such a sweet tooth, but I've been cutting back only to lose a few pounds. I started the year at 250 and have gotten as low as 233, but that is where I get stuck. Then I stress eat because I get frustrated. The cycle is treacherous, and I want to break out of it.
Someone, please help!
Stop buying and consuming bread, potatoes, rice.
Stop buying and consuming processed snack foods.
Stop drinking alcohol.
Stop eating salads.
Stop eating fruits.
Join a gym and do a complete workout 3X a week. That means stretch, cardio and resistance.
I'm down about 40 pounds (227 to 185) in the last couple of years, and I'm a lot older than you.
Cut out salads and fruits? If this is working for you great, but these are among the healthiest things someone can eat (just watch the salad dressing!). I never seen someone get fat off fruit, have you?
Obviously, and I’m sure you already know this, but you’ve got to limit carbs, and you’ve got to limit your eating windows, and you’ve got to move.
1) Moving- You must walk daily. Even better is stretching, strength training, and HIIT. But even if you do none of those things, walking will help immensely.
2) Limit eating windows- You need to give your body a break from the constant insulin spikes. Best way to do this is a 16/8 fast everyday. This will be too hard initially, so try for a 12/12 and work up from there.
3) Limit carbs- This is by far the hardest. You won’t be able to go cold Turkey, it needs to be an incremental change. First, figure out how many carbs you are consuming. I’ll bet you will be shocked. I was eating 400-500g of carbs per day and I wasn’t even overweight. So start small, try to keep it within 250g. Don’t overeat protein as the excess will be like carbs to your body and it will spike insulin. If you are hungry, and you must eat, eat healthy fats. From 250, keep decreasing as the weeks go by. I’ve found for me that 50-100 per day is perfect, and I’ve sustained it for 3 years and counting now.
Lastly, do not get discouraged. Your body needs to heal first before it will start losing weight. This can take up to 6 weeks for some people.
The goal should be to feel good first, then the weight will start to come off. For me I dropped from near 180 to 150 in a year. So I was averaging losing 2-3 pounds per month.
With you being heavier, I think you could lose 40 in a year, but the best thing is that you will be doing it the right way.
But it’s not going to be easy, takes a ton of discipline. You can ruin a whole month of progress in a span of one or two days. The problem with carbs is that once you start, you will crave more. It’s a vicious cycle. Better to not even eat a single processed carb, because you can fall off the wagon just like that.
At 46, Ive kind of given up and came to the conclusion that id rather have a few extra pounds than stress over trying to lose it. I am about 50 pounds heavier than I want to be but it is what it is. Ive never had to work so hard at losing weight!
I've (M54) had very good results with good old-fashioned weight watchers. Thirty pounds lost pretty steadily. Gym several times a week. Exercise is important for many reasons, but weight loss is almost all about the food.
I usually eat a banana on the way to work, ~8am. Not always.
Coffee.
Nothing else til noon.
Lunch - I try for salads, either from home or take out. Zero fried food. Water. Occasional sandwich - yes, I know it's a slice of bread.
Dinner - airfry pork chops, grill chicken, pan fry a tuna (no oil), etc. Combine with fresh veggies and some carb, usually baby baked potatoes, but sometimes pasta or rice. Yes, I know that's bad. But it's a small portion. I can't live with ZERO carbs.
That's it.
Weekends - if we eat out - I might get a steak and baked potato - or other times, fish or chicken dish. No dessert.
Commonly have a bottle of wine (between 2) with "real" dinners - one glass of wine rest of time - nearly no beer (although today for lunch I had a beer and a chicken sandwich WITH bread, but zero french fries. I had soup instead.)
Walk dogs appox 2 miles per day. Desk job otherwise.
I usually eat a banana on the way to work, ~8am. Not always.
Coffee.
Nothing else til noon.
Lunch - I try for salads, either from home or take out. Zero fried food. Water. Occasional sandwich - yes, I know it's a slice of bread.
Dinner - airfry pork chops, grill chicken, pan fry a tuna (no oil), etc. Combine with fresh veggies and some carb, usually baby baked potatoes, but sometimes pasta or rice. Yes, I know that's bad. But it's a small portion. I can't live with ZERO carbs.
That's it.
Weekends - if we eat out - I might get a steak and baked potato - or other times, fish or chicken dish. No dessert.
Commonly have a bottle of wine (between 2) with "real" dinners - one glass of wine rest of time - nearly no beer (although today for lunch I had a beer and a chicken sandwich WITH bread, but zero french fries. I had soup instead.)
Walk dogs appox 2 miles per day. Desk job otherwise.
Honestly this sounds like you might not be eating enough. Have some protein with your coffee and banana. Does your salad have healthy fats and protein? Your dinner sounds balanced--carbs aren't inherently bad, not matter what they say on YouTube. You are allowed to enjoy what you eat, and if your meals aren't satisfying and are overly restrictive, that just makes it harder.
Hm! You're not the first time I've heard "not eating enough." Can you explain what this means?
(Salads are generally good, veggies, nuts, beans, even lettuce ; ) Also feta cheese (veggies are tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, sometimes beets.
Earlier question - why - for my height, I am overweight. Also - none of my clothes fit from five years ago. It's not "JUST" vanity - but I can see I'm overweight. I'm round! I look like I swallowed a small elk.
I usually eat a banana on the way to work, ~8am. Not always.
Coffee.
Nothing else til noon.
Lunch - I try for salads, either from home or take out. Zero fried food. Water. Occasional sandwich - yes, I know it's a slice of bread.
Dinner - airfry pork chops, grill chicken, pan fry a tuna (no oil), etc. Combine with fresh veggies and some carb, usually baby baked potatoes, but sometimes pasta or rice. Yes, I know that's bad. But it's a small portion. I can't live with ZERO carbs.
That's it.
Weekends - if we eat out - I might get a steak and baked potato - or other times, fish or chicken dish. No dessert.
Commonly have a bottle of wine (between 2) with "real" dinners - one glass of wine rest of time - nearly no beer (although today for lunch I had a beer and a chicken sandwich WITH bread, but zero french fries. I had soup instead.)
Walk dogs appox 2 miles per day. Desk job otherwise.
Thank you, but I need a little bit more specific details to make a recommendation.
How many calories do you estimate you're eating?
A take home salad can be 1000+ calories depending on the salad and the dressing they use. By your activity levels, I'd imagine your maintenance is no more than 2500, maybe even 2000 calories.
So 1 banana is about 100 calories, your take home salad, let's say is 800 calories (need more info on this). Do you eat the sandwich with the salad or in replacement of the salad?
With portion sizes, I'm going to guess your dinner is 1200 calories. 600 calories in starch (pasta/potatoes), 200 calories in veggies, and 400 calories from meat.
Now you're at 2100 calories. Right around maintenance. Based on my sloppy calculation, I wouldn't expect you to lose weight either.
But of course, until I get portion sizes, this maybe wrong.
What you need to do is move more. Reduce the starches, cut pasta out completely, eat more meat to compensate. But for you, the key is to move, because reducing what you're eating is not fun, but if you add 1 hour of cardio a day, you can continue to eat like that (don't eat more!) and you will lose weight.
Pro tip, buy a scale and weigh all your food. Nutrition labels can be off by 10-20% legally (and who is checking anyway). So weigh weigh weigh.
I used to regularly diet to 6-8% bodyfat from my baseline 15%. I know a bit about dieting, and if it's anything I can help people, it's this.
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