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Weight Loss Before/After Thread! (with pics)

harSon

Banned
Oh I agree 100%. I'm just saying that a lot of people just jump in without really doing the proper research or understanding why they would give up carbs. "Internal health" is something that needs to be monitored as well.



How is IF bro science? Much like low-carb, there have been plenty of scientific studies that talk about the benefits of fasting.

I'm definitely no expert on the matter, but I personally haven't seen any decent studies regarding the fasting aspect of it being the health benefit, and not the fact that the very act of fasting results in a reduction of specific cutbacks that may be responsible for the weight loss/health benefits. And IF is so inconclusive of a term that it almost lacks meaning. The Bro Science aspect of it comes from the sub-genres of the diet (20/4, Lean Gains, etc) which are definitely not studied in a scientific setting, and instead, are little more than personal anecdotal observations by by health/nutrition enthusiasts.
 

jufonuk

not tag worthy
I have made it down to 15 Stone, 95.25 KG, 210 pounds.

I want to get to 13.5 stone/85 kg/189 Pounds

then tone up on my abs. build my arms etc then I am set :)
 

despire

Member
then tone up on my abs. build my arms etc then I am set :)

In case you have heard otherwise, let me tell you that there is no such thing as "toning". Only low body fat and big muscles. So unless your body fat percentage is ~10% at 85kg bodyweight you won't see any abs even if you did a thousand crunches.

I'd suggest checking out the Fitness-thread for lifting advice anyway.
 

jufonuk

not tag worthy
In case you have heard otherwise, let me tell you that there is no such thing as "toning". Only low body fat and big muscles. So unless your body fat percentage is ~10% at 85kg bodyweight you won't see any abs even if you did a thousand crunches.

I'd suggest checking out the Fitness-thread for lifting advice anyway.

no worries, yeah get my body fat lower first is the main order :)

will check out the other thread as well
 
D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
Not only that but it can be rather arbitrary. Who decides what is bad and what is good? Not logic.

When something has documented negative effects on your physiology, then I think it's safe to assume it's "bad." Obviously the degree of how bad it is will vary from person to person.
 

dralla

Member
Holy crap, since I "beta tested" the Quest Peanut Butter cups, they're going to send me a box of the new, finalized version for free! Quest has some great customer service :)
 

Chris R

Member
Holy crap, since I "beta tested" the Quest Peanut Butter cups, they're going to send me a box of the new, finalized version for free! Quest has some great customer service :)

Let them know it would be great to be able to find some of their stuff in any retail store :( Every time I go shopping and wander by the energy/healthy/ect bar section I check to see if they are there and I leave disappointed every time :(
 

Chris R

Member
They're sold in GNC stores and vitamin shoppe's I believe

Next time I hop into Best Buy at my local mall I'll head over and check the GNC then (never been in one, the giant tubs of Whey Protein on display scare me :p ) Would be nice if I could just grab some when I'm out shopping but whatever!
 
Stepped on the scale today to review my month, and I'm down to 219.8. I was around 227 earlier in the month, so I'm super happy with my progress.

My goal of 210 by the end of the year is so close. :)
 
Stepped on the scale today to review my month, and I'm down to 219.8. I was around 227 earlier in the month, so I'm super happy with my progress.

My goal of 210 by the end of the year is so close. :)

Grats! Hope you make on.



Anyways. I decided to cut out diet soda. I had great success while I was on it...but trying to go whole foods and all that. Now I am really struggling with my fruit intake. I just have to have my sweet fix and I end up getting it through apples and oranges mostly now. Not sure what to do....may switch back to soda lol.
 

Chris R

Member
I've been on a low carb diet, but I'm beginning to transition away from it. My fruit of choice has been pumpkin lately, mixing it into my flax muffins I have for breakfast. Adds a nice natural sweetness, and only 2g of sugar per 1/4 cup.
 
lol, I plan on starting low carb again next week, been exercising the last two weeks. Stepped on the scale and I've already lost 15 pounds just from running and lifting weights.
 

dralla

Member
Grats! Hope you make on.



Anyways. I decided to cut out diet soda. I had great success while I was on it...but trying to go whole foods and all that. Now I am really struggling with my fruit intake. I just have to have my sweet fix and I end up getting it through apples and oranges mostly now. Not sure what to do....may switch back to soda lol.
You can try Hint water, it's just water with some light fruit flavors added, the taste is very subtle though. Or you can buy frozen berries, they're cheap, can add them to meals or eat them as a snack, and are naturally low in sugar compared to other fruits. A pound of frozen strawberries is usually $1.50 or so, I've been snacking on the berry medley from Whole Foods lately, sooo good.
 

Ixian

Member
Anyways. I decided to cut out diet soda. I had great success while I was on it...but trying to go whole foods and all that. Now I am really struggling with my fruit intake. I just have to have my sweet fix and I end up getting it through apples and oranges mostly now. Not sure what to do....may switch back to soda lol.
I love oranges (eat them every day with lunch); I'd recommend strawberries too, but they're very easy to eat a lot of quickly so you just have to eat them slowly. Pretty easy to have a few and stay under your 20g carb/day allotment.

I feel for you though, I still drink a diet soda every day with my lunch.
 

harSon

Banned
What is the issue with diet soda? I've been kinda weak about it lately.

Just that it makes you more used to sweet stuff?

In my case, I can't have artificial sweeteners without instantly being bumped out of Ketosis. Really sucks, low-carbing would be the easiest thing in the world if my body weren't so ridiculously sensitive to artificial sweeteners and the threshold for me to enter Ketosis weren't so damned low (20-25grams).
 
What is the issue with diet soda? I've been kinda weak about it lately.

Just that it makes you more used to sweet stuff?

I really have no objection to it. Honestly...the evidence about its supposed "negative" impact is minimal at best. Complete BS at worst.

I am trying to quit for dental issues. I had been drinking a LOT of diet soda and...even though you don't digest it.....bacteria can and do. I had an explosion of plaque. So trying to cut it out. Still....I lost 80 lbs in 6 months drinking a liter a day so take that for what its worth.....
 

Horseticuffs

Full werewolf off the buckle
Wow, thanks guys. I don't feel so bad now.

For a long time I was drinking at least 2 litres of straight water a day, but it got to me finally.

I've been drinking a ton of black coffee with splenda and diet soda to try to keep hydrated.
 

harSon

Banned
Wow, thanks guys. I don't feel so bad now.

For a long time I was drinking at least 2 litres of straight water a day, but it got to me finally.

I've been drinking a ton of black coffee with splenda and diet soda to try to keep hydrated.

Outside of Almond Milk + Protein Powder, I personally drink nothing but water, but the taste of nothingness in my mouth is a bit much at times. I just chew on a stick of gum whenever I get to this point though.

I'd drink stuff like Diet Coke and Crystal Light if my body weren't so damned sensitive to it though...
 

LosDaddie

Banned
What is the issue with diet soda??

It leads to nonsense like this:

I've been drinking a ton of black coffee with splenda and diet soda to try to keep hydrated.

That's bad, if that's indeed how you try to stay hydrated. Nothing beats water. I have 1 mug of coffee (with a splash of milk) in the morning, then nothing but water for the rest of the day. Maybe some chocolate milk after the gym here & there.

People in here demonize processed foods all the time, but when it comes to diet soda? Go all out! If you want to have sweets like soda, then that's fine. Just limit it to a Cheat Day, and you can drink real soda.
 
It leads to nonsense like this:


That's bad, if that's indeed how you try to stay hydrated. Nothing beats water. I have 1 mug of coffee (with a splash of milk) in the morning, then nothing but water for the rest of the day. Maybe some chocolate milk after the gym here & there.

People in here demonize processed foods all the time, but when it comes to diet soda? Go all out! If you want to have sweets like soda, then that's fine. Just limit it to a Cheat Day, and you can drink real soda.


That is ridiculous imo.

There is NO real evidence saying that a moderate consumption of diet soda is bad for you on any level. Why on earth would drinking full sugar soda be a better alternative? Of course water is better....thats not the issue. There is no reason to make dieting harder than it already is by adding arbitrary restrictions and rules to things that will not effect you in any significant way.

Also don't understand the "go all out" mentality about cheat days. I have them now and again but I still practice moderation and avoid foods that go against my diet as much as my willpower allows. (for example on my cheat day I may have a Burger but still skip the fries)
 

LosDaddie

Banned
'round & 'round this thread goes! :lol I love it


There is NO real evidence saying that a moderate consumption of diet soda is bad for you on any level. Why on earth would drinking full sugar soda be a better alternative?

Likewise, there isn't any real evidence that a moderate consumption of carbs is bad for you. Combined with exercise (which everyone needs to do), some carbs in your diet can be beneficial. CArbs aren't THE DEVIL many in here portray them to be.

Diet soda offers no health benefits. It's still processed junk even though it contains no carbs. Like you said, water is better. So drink water instead. Don't halfass quitting soda by switching to diet. If you "need" something sweet, then sure, diet soda is better alternative than most. But again, it's still (processed) junk for your body. IMO, the better alternative is to satisfy that sweet tooth by having a Cheat Day where you can enjoy real soda, instead of consuming diet soda on a daily basis.

Also, that's not me saying real soda was a better alternative. :lol


Also don't understand the "go all out" mentality about cheat days.

As I (and others) have explained to you before, it's a psychological thing more than anything else. If there are unhealthy foods & drinks you love to consume, then there's no reason to completely cut them out of your life. Doing so can (and does, for many people) lead to binging on all that unhealthy stuff. Limit it to 1 day a week (or every other week), and a Cheat Day is completely fine, and actually recommended by some dieticians.

It's all about figuring out what works best for you. Having a Cheat Day works for me, and many others. :)
 
D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
Garbage is garbage no matter how much you moderate your consumption of it. I guess everyone's definition of "completely fine" is different, though.
 
Garbage is garbage no matter how much you moderate your consumption of it. I guess everyone's definition of "completely fine" is different, though.

Ummm what?

If you eat 20 lbs of chicken a day its likely bad for you. Same with carrots.

To harm yourself with diet soda you would have to ACTIVELY try to do so. Even if you drank diet soda as your ONLY source of water there is no evidence showing it would harm you. Would take truly ridiculous amounts. Just because you have decided diet soda is garbage doesn't make it the truth without evidence.


Diet is all about moderation in every aspect.

Diet soda offers no health benefits. It's still processed junk even though it contains no carbs. Like you said, water is better. So drink water instead. Don't halfass quitting soda by switching to diet. If you "need" something sweet, then sure, diet soda is better alternative than most. But again, it's still (processed) junk for your body. IMO, the better alternative is to satisfy that sweet tooth by having a Cheat Day where you can enjoy real soda, instead of consuming diet soda on a daily basis.

This is actually another issue for me. I really can't tell much of a difference between regular and diet (I can tell the difference but its slight) so seems incredibly foolish to me to consume the extra calories for the minimal difference. Thats just me though.
 
D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
Ummm what?

If you eat 20 lbs of chicken a day its likely bad for you. Same with carrots.

To harm yourself with diet soda you would have to ACTIVELY try to do so. Even if you drank diet soda as your ONLY source of water there is no evidence showing it would harm you. Would take truly ridiculous amounts. Just because you have decided diet soda is garbage doesn't make it the truth without evidence.


Diet is all about moderation in every aspect.



This is actually another issue for me. I really can't tell much of a difference between regular and diet (I can tell the difference but its slight) so seems incredibly foolish to me to consume the extra calories for the minimal difference. Thats just me though.

I don't see how your example of 20 lbs of chicken is at all relevant. Yes, you can kill yourself by drinking too much water, too. So what?

I know you like diet soda, but it's still garbage. Even if aspartame and other artificial sweeteners were truly harmless, do you really think the preservatives in diet soda have no effect on you at all?
 
I don't see how your example of 20 lbs of chicken is at all relevant. Yes, you can kill yourself by drinking too much water, too. So what?

I know you like diet soda, but it's still garbage. Even if aspartame and other artificial sweeteners were truly harmless, do you really think the preservatives in diet soda have no effect on you at all?
I don't think anyone's saying that diet soda is good for you. It's just that the negative impact on your body is small enough that it doesn't really matter that much unless you are consciously trying to eliminate all preservatives from your diet (and if you aren't, you're probably ingesting all kinds of stuff that isn't optimal for your body anyway). Of course, nobodies recommending that you drink 5 liters of diet coke a day either.

Let people have their one vice. I disagree with the poster who said to just drink regular soda on a cheat day. Why not just drink diet soda on the cheat day instead? No point ingesting all those empty calories and sugar unless you want to. Also no need to all out bombard your body on cheat days when you can practice moderation all the time.

Since I have type 1 diabetes, diet soda is the one other thing that I can drink besides water without worrying about taking insulin. Water and diet coke are the only two things I like to drink, so I do drink diet soda when I'm eating out with friends or if it's the weekend. I don't really care enough to cut out every little thing that has the potential to do damage to my body, though.
 
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Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
I don't think anyone's saying that diet soda is good for you. It's just that the negative impact on your body is small enough that it doesn't really matter that much unless you are consciously trying to eliminate all preservatives from your diet (and if you aren't, you're probably ingesting all kinds of stuff that isn't optimal for your body anyway). Of course, nobodies recommending that you drink 5 liters of diet coke a day either.

Let people have their one vice. I disagree with the poster who said to just drink regular soda on a cheat day. Why not just drink diet soda on the cheat day instead? No point ingesting all those empty calories and sugar unless you want to. Also no need to all out bombard your body on cheat days when you can practice moderation all the time.

Since I have type 1 diabetes, diet soda is the one other thing that I can drink besides water without worrying about taking insulin. Water and diet coke are the only two things I like to drink, so I do drink diet soda when I'm eating out with friends or if it's the weekend. I don't really care enough to cut out every little thing that has the potential to do damage to my body, though.

You can consume a small amount of a LOT of awful things and remain relatively unaffected. That still doesn't change the fact that those things are awful.

I don't care if Wafflecakes enjoys his diet soda or not, but I do take issue with him talking about it as if it is completely harmless and on the same level as clean water in terms of what it does to a person's body.
 
You can consume a small amount of a LOT of awful things and remain relatively unaffected. That still doesn't change the fact that those things are awful.

I don't care if Wafflecakes enjoys his diet soda or not, but I do take issue with him talking about it as if it is completely harmless and on the same level as clean water in terms of what it does to a person's body.

Except you are full of shit. It IS completely harmless. NO one EVER said it was equal to water.....in fact I said specifically the opposite.

However, you are just making shit up about the risks. Diet soda is not awful for you and you are lying to yourself, and others, by insisting otherwise.



There is NO evidence that diet soda or artificial sweeteners (consumed in the amounts found in soda) cause health problems. They CAN cause cravings and are also generally linked to other poor health behaviors....but never shown to actually CAUSE health issues.
 
D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
Except you are full of shit. It IS completely harmless. NO one EVER said it was equal to water.....in fact I said specifically the opposite.

However, you are just making shit up about the risks. Diet soda is not awful for you and you are lying to yourself, and others, by insisting otherwise.



There is NO evidence that diet soda or artificial sweeteners (consumed in the amounts found in soda) cause health problems. They CAN cause cravings and are also generally linked to other poor health behaviors....but never shown to actually CAUSE health issues.

If it were completely harmless it would be equal to water. You're contradicting yourself.

Even if the artificial sweeteners somehow had zero physiological effect, you're still not doing yourself any favors by consuming phosphoric acid and all of the other preservatives.

And why are you dismissing its ability to cause cravings as harmless? Forcing yourself to resist cravings is going to cause stress at the very least.
 
If it were completely harmless it would be equal to water. You're contradicting yourself.

Even if the artificial sweeteners somehow had zero physiological effect, you're still not doing yourself any favors by consuming phosphoric acid and all of the other preservatives.

And why are you dismissing its ability to cause cravings as harmless? Forcing yourself to resist cravings is going to cause stress at the very least.

Oh give me a break. There is nothing contradictory about saying neither is bad for you but one is probably preferred.

Also. Throwing out big words and saying "x" cannot be good for you is a cop out. EVIDENCE! Anyone can read off a label and say "ZOMG X, Y, Z SOUND SCARY!!!! They BE killing YOU!". Its not science, its not evidence, and it has no basis in reality. It reeks of scare tactics.

Craving may be an issue...... sure. However, once again, its not the soda itself that is bad for you...and even then the evidence for it causing cravings is correlational at best. I only brought it up because a couple studies mentioned that it is a possibility.



You specifically stated that Diet soda is "awful" which is 100% a distortion and not based on facts.
 

LosDaddie

Banned
Well fuck me, last night was horrible. :lol Drank a couple beers while I walked around the neighborhood with my daughter, then afterewards I helped her by eating some of the candy she did not want.

I guess it's a good thing that today is racquetball day with a friend. :)


This is actually another issue for me. I really can't tell much of a difference between regular and diet (I can tell the difference but its slight) so seems incredibly foolish to me to consume the extra calories for the minimal difference. Thats just me though.

It's a huge, very noticeable difference to me. However, my soda preference is (throwback) Pepsi that is made with real sugar. So whenever I drink diet soda, I can tell immediately.


I disagree with the poster who said to just drink regular soda on a cheat day. Why not just drink diet soda on the cheat day instead? No point ingesting all those empty calories and sugar unless you want to.

And I do want to because diet soda tastes "off" to me. No real point in having a Cheat Day if I'm not going to cheat.
 

Zoe

Member
Diet and zero calorie sodas all taste bad to me. I can tolerate Coke Zero as long as I'm eating, but I can't drink it alone.
 
Diet and zero calorie sodas all taste bad to me. I can tolerate Coke Zero as long as I'm eating, but I can't drink it alone.
Coke Zero and Sprite Zero exist to allow weight-conscious people to have decent mixed alcoholic drinks. :p

For example, I'm sipping on some Sprite Zero and Skinny Firefly Tea right now!
 

Sallokin

Member
These pictures are about a month and a half old, but I forgot to make an update when they were taken. I want to refrain from making a more current update until new years, but these certainly show some of the progress I've made over summer.

For those who don't know, I've been dieting for well over 2 years now, starting at 351 pounds:

Comparison between my heaviest and the beginning of summer:
VZo1j.jpg


And more recently:

I'm not exactly sure where I'm at weight wise since I stopped weighing myself, but I'm probably still somewhere around 190, albeit with a lot less body fat than before. I'm pretty much where I want to be weight wise, but am definitely looking to lessen my body fat percentage some more. It's been a while since I've felt comfortable with my shirt off.

Can't wait to show ya'll where I'm at on New Years!

Dude, this post is godlike. So freaking inspiring.
 

Vaporak

Member
One week into my diet now GAF, no cheats at all so far and it haven't particularly been tempted to. Not a big milestone, but the first is always important.
 

BIGWORM

Member
Only took a face shot of myself, but even in the face, it's definitely easy to tell progress.

q08dZ.jpg


On the left (badge) is me at 420 pounds, and my actual self on the right at 325 pounds. I took this picture today.
 

Stuggernaut

Grandma's Chippy
So over the last 6-8 months I lost 34lbs...which is awesome for me. But that was just stage one.

I have a degenerative disk in my lower back. I want to strengthen that entire area (core) so that I can be more active. Losing the weight was the first part obviously.

I currently can walk, run, ride a bike and do tons of cardio. But if I try to do sit ups, push ups, or any lifting of weights with arm extension, it destroys my back.

Anyone have any good sources for core strengthening for people with back injuries? I don't care how long it takes, so even if I start off with 1/2 pound weight lol I will do what it takes.

Thanks for any input.
 

despire

Member
So over the last 6-8 months I lost 34lbs...which is awesome for me. But that was just stage one.

I have a degenerative disk in my lower back. I want to strengthen that entire area (core) so that I can be more active. Losing the weight was the first part obviously.

I currently can walk, run, ride a bike and do tons of cardio. But if I try to do sit ups, push ups, or any lifting of weights with arm extension, it destroys my back.

Anyone have any good sources for core strengthening for people with back injuries? I don't care how long it takes, so even if I start off with 1/2 pound weight lol I will do what it takes.

Thanks for any input.

For lifting/fitness advice you might also want to post your question in the Fitness-thread.

Also sit ups are not good for your back and there are many more exercises which are better for your core (like planks).
 
I started off on Atkins but eventually quit it and the bars....then...today I went into my grocery store and the normally 6.99 boxes of bars were 1.50 each on clearance....

Long story short....I now have a mountain of Atkins products and not sure what to do lol. I suppose I can just keep them around for treats. Need to hide them somewhere.
 

teh_pwn

"Saturated fat causes heart disease as much as Brawndo is what plants crave."
I started off on Atkins but eventually quit it and the bars....then...today I want into my grocery store and the normally 6.99 boxes of bars were 1.50 each on clearance....

Long story short....I now have a mountain of Atkins products and not sure what to do lol. I suppose I can just keep them around for treats. Need to hide them somewhere.

I would avoid these personally. A year ago or whenever I was still losing weight I ultimately had the best success when I went:
1. Lowish carb, but regularly ate plain rice or potatoes every few days.
2. Extremely low food reward.

I just did P90X2 and I'm in a cut phase. I'm adding to it cardio.

Weight drops off so fast with those 3. I only needed to lose 10 pounds, but I'm only 3 pounds away after 1.5 weeks I think.

Ultimately different strategies work for different people, but I would recommend against cheat days and low carb candy. They make me want to eat more, and I think it's true with a lot of people.
 
Yeah.

I don't particularly like them either. They are nice to have around though...and I never really noticed them effecting my weight loss. Will have to sleep on it. I only spent like 20$ on the lot so throwing em away wouldn't be a big deal.

(not to mention it was all the less desirable kinds that were on clearance)



I have been getting a bit lazy with my diet lately. Overeating and eating too much fruit/getting lax on carbs......but my body keeps losing weight despite it all.....85 lbs now. I think my body is fucking with my mind...
 

mooooose

Member
Avoid carbs (especially starches), eat whole grains/wheat, eat a lot of lean meats and veggies, and never drink anything but water.

You will lose the weight, keep it off, and it isn't impossible. Eat shitty every now and then (once a week, or all week like me because fuck you Sandy) and you're good.

It's only hard if you make it hard by surrounding yourself with shitty food or if you live with someone else who does the shopping and they eat like shit.
 
Avoid carbs (especially starches), eat whole grains/wheat, eat a lot of lean meats and veggies, and never drink anything but water.

You will lose the weight, keep it off, and it isn't impossible. Eat shitty every now and then (once a week, or all week like me because fuck you Sandy) and you're good.

It's only hard if you make it hard by surrounding yourself with shitty food or if you live with someone else who does the shopping and they eat like shit.

thats the hard part though, your body starts craving that shit ;___;

i still eat white rice now and then though, there's no way i can stay away for the rest of my life lol. i want to make dietary changes that are sustainable life-long.

also, you guys should try this:

Canned Mackarel Recipe

tried with jasmine rice, was awesome! healthy too as far as i can tell.
 

mooooose

Member
no way does your body crave it its all will power dude

having said that the last two weeks have been a binge of horrible foods because the first week i didnt give a fuck and the second week the hurricane fucked up availability of food

from may i was 168 at heaviest, usually around 165ish... down to 143 after a morning poop now. wish i took more pictures. i still have a little ways to go to a lean 130ish i want to be
 
yeah i know its will power but man when i get hungry sometimes i start to crave breads/bagels and rice and stuff, cuz it fills you up good. or maybe i'm not eating enough other stuff to counter urge for bread >_>
 
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