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Weight Loss Before/After Thread! (with pics)

Zoe

Member
Yeah - I am snacking because I'm starving ... It is more of just making sure I keep myself content so I never get to that point. Then again I only snack once just to ensure my metabolism keeps up.

Don't fall for that metabolism myth. Metabolism only drops under extreme conditions, and even then, I think people have posted studies here that the drop from calorie deficits is mostly imperceptible.

Just eat when your body tells you to eat, and be smart about what you're eating.
 
Going to read up on the metabolism thing.

I honestly have been eating until I get full so I'm not eating a snack to really just not stay hungry. It is more because of that.

My calories have been in check even with these snacks so I guess it isn't really harming me.. But going to read up on it anyways. Thanks guys.
 

Piecake

Member
This makes me not want to continue to post on GAF regarding my weight loss stuff.. Comments like this. Not super motivational and not to mention everyone recommends taking smaller more manageable meals during Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner and then taking small snacks in between each to help keep your metabolism going.

Just because I'm 'snacking' by eating a handful of almonds as a snack or eating a protein bar in between meals doesn't mean I'm eating a fricken bag of Lays for a snack.

I use to skip meals and never eat snacks... But that isn't exactly super healthy either.


EDIT: Sorry I'm just being bitter.. I've had like 5 run in's with this thread where everyone just comes in and doesn't say "nice job" or anything and it's been more "You are doing it totally wrong" :\

Nothing wrong with skipping meals so long as you get all of your nutrients. Hell, i dont eat Breakfast or lunch anymore and dont need to (not hungry). The reason why i can do this is because of fat. Eat lot of fat and you wont get hungry as often and wont get that stupid carb/sugar crash. Its pretty amazing how much sugar affects you if you go without it for a while. I'm a jittery mess if i have sugar or a lot of carbs now


Its actually might be beneficial due to blood glucose levels

I dont eat those bars, but ive read in this thread that Quest bars are far superior to Cliff bars. Cliff bars, i think, have too many carbs/sugar
 
Well I probably wont do the high fat thing like a lot of people are doing here. Going to go a more traditional route I think. Just cutting calories and some of my carbs down while also eating a lot of protein. I'm doing P90X and it feels pretty close to what they recommend as well in terms of ratio. Either way... I feel like I'm eating a million times healthier which is pretty awesome.

Curious to know everyone's thoughts on condiments...

I wasn't sure if I should have stuff like Tartar sauce with fish today so I chose against it.. but is it really that bad ?
 

Zoe

Member
I can't get behind a fatty diet. I just don't like the foods.

Curious to know everyone's thoughts on condiments...

I wasn't sure if I should have stuff like Tartar sauce with fish today so I chose against it.. but is it really that bad ?

Isn't mayo fatty?
 
D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
Best part about a fat/protein-focused diet is that you just identify which foods to completely eliminate and then eat until your full. No meticulous logging of food or calorie counting.
 

Piecake

Member
Mayo/Mustard at least are fine. There is also a reduced sugar Ketchup on the market from Heinz that I cannot live without.

Miracle Whip is a no go.....*cries*

Huh, that reduced sugar Ketchup actually seems alright. Personally, ive been doing fine with simply mustard, but as long as that Ketchup doesnt taste like ass, i might pick me up some. I use to lurv me some ketchup before my diet

And miracle whip is disgusting.

Not miracle whip? isnt that the diet version of Mayo? lol

Pretty sure it has soybean oil and other nasty shit added
 
Huh, that reduced sugar Ketchup actually seems alright. Personally, ive been doing fine with simply mustard, but as long as that Ketchup doesnt taste like ass, i might pick me up some. I use to lurv me some ketchup before my diet

And miracle whip is disgusting.



Pretty sure it has soybean oil and other nasty shit added

I honestly can't tell the difference with the Ketchup....tastes just like normal.

Not miracle whip? isnt that the diet version of Mayo? lol

As to Miracle Whip....it is delicious. The problem is they DO add sugar to it. Thats the main difference between mayo and MW....added sugar and acid. AKA the "tangy zip". I hate Mayo so I just go without.
 

Horseticuffs

Full werewolf off the buckle
The only condiments I use are mustard and Tabasco sauce. Sometimes I'll do mayo or miracle whip.

On salads I make sure to use full-fat mayo because I've read that your body doesn't fully benefit from a salad unless it has some fat in it. If memory serves your body doesn't absorb the nutrients as well without some fat.
 

dralla

Member
598414_490261897680523_1751376840_n.jpg


banana walnut quest bar is coming, finally. I like the PB cups better than the bars both in taste and nutrition, but I will definitely try these
 
Food from yesterday

gFa1v.png


Breakfast
Turkey/Chicken Deli Meat (I was lazy! :p)
8oz Skim Milk
Multi Vitamin

Between B & L Snack
Greek Yogurt Strawberry

Lunch
Red Lobster Blackened Cat Fish
Steam Broccoli (3/4 a serving)
Garden Salad w/ Red Wine Vinaigrette

Between L & D Snack
Roasted Salted Almonds

Dinner
4oz Chicken Breast (I marinaded the day before.. tasted amazing)
2/3 cup of Whole Wheat Pasta
1/2 Cup of Prego Tomato Sauce
1/2 Cup of Whole Green Beans

Post Workout
8oz Skim Milk
Optimum Nutrition - Gold Standard Whey Shake (mixed with milk)
2oz of Apple Slices



My calories are now up to 1500's. Was 1250 that first day. Slowly progressing.
 

Ixian

Member
Still back on schedule. Lifting day so I had like 2000 calories and 150g of carbs.
Grats on getting back into the swing of things. I'm on a lifting break myself for at least a week since I messed up my back somehow -- nothing too serious but better safe than sorry. :)
banana walnut quest bar is coming, finally. I like the PB cups better than the bars both in taste and nutrition, but I will definitely try these
Man, they're really hitting it out of the park with these new flavors. Must avoid the temptation to buy some!
 
Let's see.....this is me at what I believe was my heaviest (305lbs):

4481_1072668456645_3366207_n.jpg


And this is me as of about a week ago (215lbs):

704373_3930855194619_385165168_o.jpg


Still have a solid 30lbs to go, but I'll get there.
 

Piecake

Member
Let's see.....this is me at what I believe was my heaviest (305lbs):

4481_1072668456645_3366207_n.jpg


And this is me as of about a week ago (215lbs):

704373_3930855194619_385165168_o.jpg


Still have a solid 30lbs to go, but I'll get there.

Congrats! Its always amazing how much younger people look when they lose a good amount of weight
 
Was watching this documentary about the training for the new season of Spartacus, and they mention that the diet is basically meat and veggies for cutting fat. Very little other carbs, it seems. Good to know that we're not alone here :)

In other news, I am down about 16 lbs in the last few months. Fitting into smaller shirts again, and I went out and bought some nice clothes for the first time in a long time (J. Crew gives a 15% discount to students, btw, even at the outlet = super savings). Feels good, man.

Goal is 10 more lbs in December. Then back to heavy weight lifting again!

EDIT: Forgot the video link for those interested - http://youtu.be/Iz0wYH6g8OM
 

GatorBait

Member
Bear with me while I vent, guys:

I think I've finally hit that proverbial breaking point and am ready to get the fitness/diet aspect of my life back on track.

Some of you guys may remember me from a 3-month weight loss challenge I set up earlier this year. I lost steam about halfway through it, but still ended up losing ~12 pounds. Well, I wasn't able to build on that after I got back from vacation and I have been gaining weight over the past 2.5 months (a total gain of about 8 lbs; somewhere in the area of 182-183 lbs currently).

I'm just sort of just mentally sick and tired of neglecting my diet and fitness and want to get back to how I was in 2011 when I was running on all cylinders and down to the lowest weight I had been since a sophomore in college (after hitting that low of <165 lbs, I ballooned back up to 190 earlier this year). I think to myself, "What kind of person do you want to be?", and one part of that is the kind of person that makes exercise and eating healthy a priority in their life. It's time to shake this malaise and actually start working on being the type of person I want to be when it comes to my health and fitness.
 

Piecake

Member
Bear with me while I vent, guys:

I think I've finally hit that proverbial breaking point and am ready to get the fitness/diet aspect of my life back on track.

Some of you guys may remember me from a 3-month weight loss challenge I set up earlier this year. I lost steam about halfway through it, but still ended up losing ~12 pounds. Well, I wasn't able to build on that after I got back from vacation and I have been gaining weight over the past 2.5 months (a total gain of about 8 lbs; somewhere in the area of 182-183 lbs currently).

I'm just sort of just mentally sick and tired of neglecting my diet and fitness and want to get back to how I was in 2011 when I was running on all cylinders and down to the lowest weight I had been since a sophomore in college (after hitting that low of <165 lbs, I ballooned back up to 190 earlier this year). I think to myself, "What kind of person do you want to be?", and one part of that is the kind of person that makes exercise and eating healthy a priority in their life. It's time to shake this malaise and actually start working on being the type of person I want to be when it comes to my health and fitness.

Good for you. Do you have a plan thought out to lose the weight?

If not, the vast majority of people in here will recommend a primal/paleo diet because it simply the easiest, most effective, and most tasty diet you can do. There are a few ways you can go about it, but it basically all boils down to cutting grain, sugar, and processed foods (eat real food).

If you want to lose that weight quickly, you can go keto by limiting your carbs drastically, which would mean basically eating just meat and veggies. Personally, I can lose and maintain weight fine by eating a good amount of dairy and fruit as well, but everyone is different so you need to find out what agrees with you.

So yea, in this diet, fat is good, protein is good, and all them nutrients are good. Carbs and sugar, and chemical crap is bad

The great part about this diet is you limit food, you dont limit the amount of food you eat. You eat until you are full and you will lose weight simply because you get full faster and stay full longer when you eat fat and not carbs and sugar.
 
Most of us have gone through this at least a few times.

It wasn't until I discovered that everything I thought I knew was bullshit that losing weight became effortless.

Just make sure you don't fall into the trap of thinking that all you need to do is eat less and move more. You'll just end up hating yourself when you inevitably fail (unless you're someone with insane willpower and actually succeed). Come back when you're ready to completely change what you eat.

I imagine living with other people who buy garbage and keep it in the house would make things more difficult, though.

For me it was all about eating less and moving more. Just a matter of making all those little changes. I still eat what could be considered not good food like chinese, burgers, mexican, etc but less of it. I don't know much about making my own food so that was a factor. The only downside is that it takes longer.
 
D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
For me it was all about eating less and moving more. Just a matter of making all those little changes. I still eat what could be considered not good food like chinese, burgers, mexican, etc but less of it. I don't know much about making my own food so that was a factor. The only downside is that it takes longer.

Obviously, it works for those with strong willpower.

I still don't think it's healthy nor do I believe it's sustainable in the long term. I much prefer a method that doesn't ignore your body's signals and can easily be followed for the rest of your life.
 

GatorBait

Member
Good for you. Do you have a plan thought out to lose the weight?

If not, the vast majority of people in here will recommend a primal/paleo diet because it simply the easiest, most effective, and most tasty diet you can do. There are a few ways you can go about it, but it basically all boils down to cutting grain, sugar, and processed foods (eat real food).

If you want to lose that weight quickly, you can go keto by limiting your carbs drastically, which would mean basically eating just meat and veggies. Personally, I can lose and maintain weight fine by eating a good amount of dairy and fruit as well, but everyone is different so you need to find out what agrees with you.

So yea, in this diet, fat is good, protein is good, and all them nutrients are good. Carbs and sugar, and chemical crap is bad

The great part about this diet is you limit food, you dont limit the amount of food you eat. You eat until you are full and you will lose weight simply because you get full faster and stay full longer when you eat fat and not carbs and sugar.

Yep, I'll be more-or-less doing primal/paleo.

The last time I dropped weight, which was a few years ago going from 210 lbs down to 165 lbs, I did your kind of typical "weight lifter's diet" - lean protein, veggies, fruit, complex carbs and whole grains (i.e. oatmeal, brown rice, and some processed whole wheat products like bread and cereal), and a sparing amount of good fats.

Diet and fitness has held my interest ever since I dabbled in nutritional science in college, and I'm pretty well-versed on the primal/paleo-type diets already. I did some experimentation with it earlier this year, and I'm pretty happy with it not only for weight loss, but also for long-term sustainable health.

I'll be doing 4 meals per day centered around the primal/paleo diet. Exercise will start out with some typical in-the-gym cardio within a heart-rate range of 60-70% of max, and up to a couple days of basketball per week. Body weight exercises will be phased in next, followed by the eventual establishment of a full free-weight routine. I'll be primarily emphasizing keeping my diet clean through my initial weight loss, along with establishing the habit of regular exercise before I start going more hardcore with my gym routine (weights, sprints, etc). From past experience, I know that once I establish the baseline habit of making exercise a normal part of my routine and life, staying dedicated to it becomes effortless for me.
 
I'll be doing 4 meals per day centered around the primal/paleo diet. Exercise will start out with some typical in-the-gym cardio within a heart-rate range of 60-70% of max, and up to a couple days of basketball per week. Body weight exercises will be phased in next, followed by the eventual establishment of a full free-weight routine. I'll be primarily emphasizing keeping my diet clean through my initial weight loss, along with establishing the habit of regular exercise before I start going more hardcore with my gym routine (weights, sprints, etc). From past experience, I know that once I establish the baseline habit of making exercise a normal part of my routine and life, staying dedicated to it becomes effortless for me.

Why do this tiered approach to exercise?
 
No specific reason other than I know from past experience what it takes for me to build the habit and become consistent.

I guess I'm thinking that you could be doing all of them at once as a comprehensive program, rather than piecemeal like that, which wouldn't really accomplish any particular goal.

Maybe stroll over to FitnessGAF? Or just hold off on exercising altogether for a while, like I'm doing.
 

TheCrow

Member
Was watching this documentary about the training for the new season of Spartacus, and they mention that the diet is basically meat and veggies for cutting fat. Very little other carbs, it seems. Good to know that we're not alone here :)

In other news, I am down about 16 lbs in the last few months. Fitting into smaller shirts again, and I went out and bought some nice clothes for the first time in a long time (J. Crew gives a 15% discount to students, btw, even at the outlet = super savings). Feels good, man.

Goal is 10 more lbs in December. Then back to heavy weight lifting again!

EDIT: Forgot the video link for those interested - http://youtu.be/Iz0wYH6g8OM

Sounds like they are doing some kind of PSMF. I actually got tired of only eating chicken and vegetables for two weeks.
 

TheCrow

Member
Right. I noticed on my second watch of it that they said they were doing very low fat, as well. Maybe I should try this for a bit.

If you decide to do it you should do research on it beforehand. It's primarily for the extremely obese but it's gaining popularity in the fitness world. I recommend you read the Rapid Fat Loss Handbook by Luke McDonald. It can be considered one of the more "extreme" diets so he provides some guidelines to minimize muscle loss. I own it and it helped me a lot.
 

GatorBait

Member
I guess I'm thinking that you could be doing all of them at once as a comprehensive program, rather than piecemeal like that, which wouldn't really accomplish any particular goal.

Maybe stroll over to FitnessGAF? Or just hold off on exercising altogether for a while, like I'm doing.

I say this with zero intended offense because you don't know my particular situation, but holding off on exercise altogether would be a terrible recommendation for me (I don't particularly think it is great advice either for someone trying to lose weight). Doing a comprehensive, structured fitness regimen, your second recommendation, would be the optimal scenario, and I think it is fantastic advice for everyone, in general.

The above two recommendations are both actually sub-optimal for me at this very moment. I haven't been exercising with any consistency for a little over a year, and that is one of the factors that helped cultivate an environment and mindset where I put on 25 lbs. I will be utilizing a structured weight training program eventually, but I know going all-out with that right away is a surefire way for me to flame out early and fail to establish any consistency. My primary focus initially needs to be to reintegrate the habit of regular exercise into my day-to-day routine/life - in the beginning the actual act of just getting out and getting scheduled exercise of some sort is more important for me than what type of exercise I'm performing.

I say this all from past personal experience. I'm very "momentum-based" when it comes to my dieting and exercise; if I haven't established it as a regular habit, I tend to create consistent excuses to neglect it. But once I've cultivated the habit, my discipline is iron-clad and I'm able to increasingly challenge myself. You're talking to someone who was so involved in nutrition/fitness at one point that I started working toward a minor in nutritional science and took a job as a fitness supervisor at our system of gyms, but also someone who has gone multi-year stretches in the past where I barely exercised at all and put on dozens of pounds of fat.
 
Obviously, it works for those with strong willpower.

I still don't think it's healthy nor do I believe it's sustainable in the long term. I much prefer a method that doesn't ignore your body's signals and can easily be followed for the rest of your life.

That's why all the low-carbers never fall off the wagon...?

You are a broken record and a general buzzkill on discussion for people losing weight differently than you have. And last I checked you've never posted pictures showing your great success with the low-carb plan you harangue everyone about.
 

Coldsnap

Member
Interested. What is it exactly?

I probably should have asked about it in the workout thread, forgot there was two separate OTs. Carbbackloading is essentially a diet template for people who lift heavy, it's intentions are to be very bulky but at a low body fat %. The author wrote this diet from his experience with his past diet carbnite. Which is essentially a low carb diet but with a night of eating carbs. People in this thread should check out carbnite, seems really effective but I don't want to be that lean so I do carbbackloading.
 
Any keto dieters here?

Im trying to strip the last bit of fat i have and thought id attempt this, any resources of information would be great but the scattering of information im finding is confusing.

Im currently at 173kg and have this plan of eating

Breakfast:
2 eggs 2 rashers of bacon
or 3 egg omelette with ham and cheese

Mid Morning:
Whey protein shake with tablespoon of peanut butter or olive oil for the fats

Lunch:
Chicken fillet with greens (spinach, brocolli, green beans) and 2 tablespoons of mayo

Mid Afternoon:
Another shake

Dinner:
Tuna with mayonaisse and brocolli <- The thought of this makes me sad
Or repeat lunch

Late night:
Protein shake again

And as i understand in the carb process just carb the fuck up with protein still? So pastas, rice, bread, pizza? (Not sure about this one)

I only plan on doing this upto Xmas.

Any ideas for lunch and dinner are welcome. I hate fish so any meals around chicken would be great.
 
I probably should have asked about it in the workout thread, forgot there was two separate OTs. Carbbackloading is essentially a diet template for people who lift heavy, it's intentions are to be very bulky but at a low body fat %. The author wrote this diet from his experience with his past diet carbnite. Which is essentially a low carb diet but with a night of eating carbs. People in this thread should check out carbnite, seems really effective but I don't want to be that lean so I do carbbackloading.

Doesn't Carb Backloading have you eating tons of sugar/carbs right after your heavy lifting workout, and low carb all the other times, with a week of low carb before you start? Bulletproof Executive did an interview with him a while back. It was pretty interesting.

Also, he is super jacked.
 

dralla

Member
Any keto dieters here?

Im trying to strip the last bit of fat i have and thought id attempt this, any resources of information would be great but the scattering of information im finding is confusing.

Im currently at 173kg and have this plan of eating

Breakfast:
2 eggs 2 rashers of bacon
or 3 egg omelette with ham and cheese

Mid Morning:
Whey protein shake with tablespoon of peanut butter or olive oil for the fats

Lunch:
Chicken fillet with greens (spinach, brocolli, green beans) and 2 tablespoons of mayo

Mid Afternoon:
Another shake

Dinner:
Tuna with mayonaisse and brocolli <- The thought of this makes me sad
Or repeat lunch

Late night:
Protein shake again

And as i understand in the carb process just carb the fuck up with protein still? So pastas, rice, bread, pizza? (Not sure about this one)

I only plan on doing this upto Xmas.

Any ideas for lunch and dinner are welcome. I hate fish so any meals around chicken would be great.
Too much protein will keep you out of ketosis too, the body will convert excess protein to glucose through gluconeogenesis. The majority of your calories need to come from fat, I'd cut back on the protein shakes for sure and don't only eat lean meats like chicken, get some beef in there as well.
 

Chris R

Member
Back on my diet after taking a break due to a vacation. Kinda afraid to step back on the scale :( Hoping it won't take too long to get back down to ~200ish and hoping I can break through it this time by being strict about the diet and by maintaining a strict exercise regimen.
 

dralla

Member
Any keto dieters here?

Im trying to strip the last bit of fat i have and thought id attempt this, any resources of information would be great but the scattering of information im finding is confusing.

Im currently at 173kg and have this plan of eating

Breakfast:
2 eggs 2 rashers of bacon
or 3 egg omelette with ham and cheese

Mid Morning:
Whey protein shake with tablespoon of peanut butter or olive oil for the fats

Lunch:
Chicken fillet with greens (spinach, brocolli, green beans) and 2 tablespoons of mayo

Mid Afternoon:
Another shake

Dinner:
Tuna with mayonaisse and brocolli <- The thought of this makes me sad
Or repeat lunch

Late night:
Protein shake again

And as i understand in the carb process just carb the fuck up with protein still? So pastas, rice, bread, pizza? (Not sure about this one)

I only plan on doing this upto Xmas.

Any ideas for lunch and dinner are welcome. I hate fish so any meals around chicken would be great.
Too much protein will keep you out of ketosis too, the body will convert excess protein to glucose through gluconeogenesis. The majority of your calories need to come from fat, I'd cut back on the protein shakes for sure and don't only eat lean meats like chicken, get some beef in there as well.

And if you like tuna, try adding canned, red salmon. It has a very similar taste and has tons of healthy omega-3's. You can mix in an avocado and some seasoning, or bake in it olive oil too if you want.
 

Ixian

Member
Do you have peanut butter with every protein shake? Seems like you'd also be getting quite a few carbs that way, especially if the protein powder you're using isn't low carb.
 

NZNova

Member
So I have a question. As I lost weight I kind of expected my stomach to decrease in roundness relatively uniformly, but what's happening is it's sucked in at the sides, and there's flab left in the middle. So, if I get on my hands and knees, an almost-square (well, it feels that way) lump of flab hangs down around my belly button. Is there anything I can do to address it specifically, or is it a matter of just keep losing weight until it diminishes on its own?
 
So I have a question. As I lost weight I kind of expected my stomach to decrease in roundness relatively uniformly, but what's happening is it's sucked in at the sides, and there's flab left in the middle. So, if I get on my hands and knees, an almost-square (well, it feels that way) lump of flab hangs down around my belly button. Is there anything I can do to address it specifically, or is it a matter of just keep losing weight until it diminishes on its own?

Just have to keep going....I am in the exact same position. Its obnoxious.....but yeah.
 

Gintamen

Member
It can take a lot of time for the skin tissue to turn from flabby to toned/tight, just keep it up as said before, one can't attack any body part directly, you will have to lose it eveywhere and that's not bad either.
 

Corky

Nine out of ten orphans can't tell the difference.
It can take a lot of time for the skin tissue to turn from flabby to toned/tight, just keep it up as said before, one can't attack any body part directly, you will have to lose it eveywhere and that's not bad either.

Hmm I have a question regarding this issue. I've lost a lot of weight, albeit slowly and have almost reached my goal weight. Problem is that I have just a weeeeeee bit of skin that doesn't seem to be that tight. Absolutely nothing that is visible when I stand up even without a shirt on, only when I bend over. With all that said, how long will it take for this skin to adapt? If at all.
 
Hmm I have a question regarding this issue. I've lost a lot of weight, albeit slowly and have almost reached my goal weight. Problem is that I have just a weeeeeee bit of skin that doesn't seem to be that tight. Absolutely nothing that is visible when I stand up even without a shirt on, only when I bend over. With all that said, how long will it take for this skin to adapt? If at all.

Depends a lot on the person. Some peoples never will. Make sure to keep skin moisturized.....usually if it hasn't firmed within 6 months to a year its not going to happen.
 

Chris R

Member
So no more heavy drinking on a LC diet for me :\ Anyone else experience this?

On a plus side the water weight bloat is gone after 3 days back in ketosis made the new clothes that I had purchase fit perfectly again when they were starting to feel tight after my break from the diet, straddling the L/XL range sucks!
 
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