Anyone lose it and keep it off . . .

[49 and dumb.]

Been a pilot for 30-years. Been heavy for 20. Obese at least 15 years.

49 year old male. 5'6" 255 lbs. been as low as 215 during height of COVID and as high as 265 in March.

Job and family schedule create a lot of stress / anxiety and not much free time.

Most of the scientific research says you can't lose more than about 10lbs and keep it off. Like meaningfully less than 1%.

I'm curious if anyone has pulled it off here. Where you aren't selling a health coach plan or supplements etc.

About to turn 50 and really dislike myself and looks/feeling. Stress snacker. No alcohol or pop/sugary drinks to cut out. 99% of liquid consumed is water. Desk job about 70-hrs a week.

I know this isn't a warm friendly place, but it's real and I need help.

 

[172andyou]

I mean, you know the problem. Snacks. I find if I don't buy them with groceries, I'm too lazy to go get them when snack time comes around. So I make sure to go grocery shopping already full and vastly less likely to impulse purchase them.

That said, you are the textbook example of someone who could benefit from Ozempic.

 

[aterry1067]

Kinda going through similar weight loss goals myself, and trying to keep it off. I’ve slowly and painfully learned that in order to really keep the weight off, i can’t rely solely on exercise routines, supplements, and/or diet, as these things tend to go by the wayside after the weight loss goal is reached, and then the weight starts coming back. For me, I’ve learned that it must be a complete lifestyle change, and it has to be a priority to make the change.

And of course, it’s much easier said than done. I’m still trying to make it stick.

 

[dbahn]

Two highly successful strategies for me. About 25 years ago I dropped from a little over 200# to 170# using the South Beach diet with no change in my activity. The diet restricts carbs then allows them back in gradually and thoughtfully. Over the next 15 or 20 years it crept back up to about 180#, so I cut out breakfast and had a cup of oatmeal for lunch and tried to avoid but not eliminate the snacks, which got me down to about 160# where I am now - the lightest I've been in the preceding 35 years or so. Despite claims of magical strategies, it's basically calories in/calories out.

 

[GaryM]

Intermittent fasting helped me. All calories consumed in an 8 hour window, none during the other 16 hours of the day. I find it simple, because all you really need to track is time, I don't worry much about what I eat during the 8 hour window.

BUT, I think the greater need is for you to not be working a desk job 70 hours a week. Find a way to cut that back, devote the time you gain to any kind of physical activity. Just finding an hour a day to walk could make a big difference.

 

[TCABM]

Turn 50 next month; real active in my prior military career, still active, but much less so now. At my highest, I was +25lbs from what I weighed when I retired. I’m now down 14lbs since the beginning of this year when I was in your shoes, and want to go down another 16lbs total.

I did the following: moved snacks to raw carrots, cucumbers, etc, took stairs instead of elevators and escalators, I walk the spine of our campus (full loop is 1.5mi) first thing in the office, at lunch, and last thing on my way out. Breakfast is the biggest meal if the day, mid-morning snack, smaller lunch, snack, smallest meal is dinner. Nothing but water after 7p.

More than anything though, adding more physical activity has the greatest impact on the weight loss and keeping it off. As we age, our metabolic rates decline so we have to add more activity just to maintain weight, much less lose it. I’ve always been a cyclist and have added at least 25% to my mileage this year on top of the 3 new walks per day during the work week.

We all want give time to our families, friends, hobbies, jobs…but feel guilty taking time for ourselves. If you don’t take time to prioritize your health today, don’t worry; you’ll just die sooner.

If you can access this article, you’ll also find that drugs like Ozempic, when used for weight loss, are leading researchers to understand genetic pre-dispositions for some people being overweight.

Ozempic Settles the Obesity Debate: It’s Biology Over Willpower

Weight-loss drugs affect the brain in ways that help researchers understand how the body regulates weight.

www.wsj.com

 

[Lowflynjack]

Intermittent fasting helped me. All calories consumed in an 8 hour window, none during the other 16 hours of the day. I find it simple, because all you really need to track is time, I don't worry much about what I eat during the 8 hour window.

I do this now and I'm down 21lbs. I eat what I want, drink what I want, but I do it between 3P & 9P. I don't drink every day, but I do have 2-3 beers a few nights a week and I don't want to give that up. I rarely eat dessert, and I don't snack.

Limiting the times I can eat simply decreases the amount of calories I take in. I know I'm fat, I know I need to lose weight, I know I need to eat less and/or exercise more.

 

[rk911]

When I retired in 2005 I weighed 285-lbs. I had a desk job and lots of stress. When I started working on my Sport Cert. in 2011 I was down to about 220. Prior to my surgery on July 31st this year I weighed 205. How? I walked. Everyday. 3-5 miles every day...well, most every day. Not a stroll...power walk. This morning I was 191. I spent 2-weeks in the hospital after surgery and wouldn't recommend that method for losing weight. I'd like to get down to 180-185. Good luck to the OP.

 

[Zeldman]

I was up to 245.

I quit sugar, caffeine, carbs and snacking, I mean like my life depends on it. Snacks are now fruit and raw vegetables. I also made major changes in my eating, as in what and how much I eat. I also started walking, 1 mile at first and now average 2.25 to 2.5 miles a day on the average, usually 1 hour 15 minutes.

I started this 6years ago, and went down to 199. I now average 205 and it has stayed off. First thing to do is to commit to weight loss. I mean total commitment. No back sliding at all.!!

Don't stop the snacks, change what you snack on. Cut sugar, carbs and caffeine as if it will kill you if you have any of it. And if I forgot to say it, total commitment to this, no well one large pizza won't hurt me thinking, because it will.

Change eating habits. No more sugar, caffeine or carbs. Also reduction in salt. And as mentioned above, no before bedtime snack unless it is fruit of raw vegetables in a small serving.

I use lunch as my main meal, and have sliced banana in either sugar free yogurt or sugar free chocolate pudding around 7pm, then around 10pm a bowl of fruit or raw vegetable before bedtime.

You can do it, if you really want to. Basically reduce calorie intake, increase calorie burn.

 

[Jim_R]

Unlike a lot of folks, I had sustained success losing weight during the pandemic. For me, the problem is that I eat too much restaurant food. Used to go out to lunch almost daily, and pick stuff up on the way home way too frequently.

Being confined to quarters for two years made it easy to stop going out for food so much. I also tried the low-carb thing, and as much as I don't want to support "fad diets", I have to admit that it worked for me. I lost close to 50 lbs in about 9-12 months and maintained for another 12-18. Exercise didn't really change much during that time.

Unfortunately, the combo of back-to-the-office and another health issue broke my resolve and I fell off the wagon. It didn't take long (6-9 months) to regain ~40 lbs.

I don't want the low-carb thing to be a lifestyle change. (I might have lost weight, but overall I wouldn't say I was "eating healthier".) But I haven't figured out how to be better about that yet. When you discover the secret, lemme know.

 

[Brad W]

Yes. Something I have become very passionate about over the last year!

I have done a fairly deep dive into metabolic health over the last year, spending hours listening to lectures by doctors and med school processors.... and even reading med journal studies...which is a difficult thing to do for an engineer. I'm not tuned into the language they use and that stuff is hard to read!

Short answer. Carbohydrates are the problem.... and a carnivore based diet is the solution
Carbs/sugar are absolutely not an essential nutrient

I fell into this research coming up on a year ago now, after yet another bad episode of GERD. I had it so bad that I would get a lung full of stomach contents just after falling asleep. That would trigger a cough that would last long after clearing it from my lungs....sometimes the cough would linger up to 3 month. Had it for years, and the doctors never figured it out. In fact they never related the cough to the Gerd!

Anyway, when researching GERD on youtube, I came across a family practice doc (MD) that is on a mission of sorts, promoting what he calls a "proper human diet". He's done a lot of research looking at it both from a biological perspective but also form a historical/anthropological perspective.... how our bodies are made and have evolved. References a lot of medical studies, and I have verified a lot of it...so it's not just some quack youtube guy....

That lead me down a path to try what he suggests as a short term "elimination" diet...90 days I think... to let the body reduce inflammation, etc... Eat only Beef, Butter, Bacon, and Eggs...eat as much as you want...eat unitl you're comfortably stuffed. Don't count calories. Nothing, just eat what you want.

And when I did it for a bit, the weight started falling off effortlessly! It was truly amazing. Much more satiated, to the point of not wanting to snack, etc...

For decades I have done the whole eat right thing....salads, high fiber, limit snacking, eating so called healthy stuff, and running to burn calories. All this based on a firm belief that it was as simple as something I learned in college...the 1st law of thermodynamics. Calories in = calories out. I managed several times to loose some weight, but it always seemed to slowly come back. Eventually the highest I got up to was about 215# (at 5ft-9in)

More an more weight related problems (cholesterol, the gerd, blood pressure, getting into the "pre-diabetic" territory, etc...) led my Dr to put me on a craving suppressant (Contrave)....it did help, but it was still a huge effort to get the weight off. the first time I dropped a good bit, but not really low enough....and as soon as I stopped it slowly trended back.... the second time he put me on it I really went after it mentally and worked through it. Started counting calories and started running. Huge effort but the weight came off quick and I finally reached a good weight goal into the suggested BMI range...but again, it slowly came back starting pretty much immediately after stopping the pill, despite continuing to run and to count the calories. Did it a 3rd time with similar results.

I have continued a mostly carnivore diet for almost a year now, and after I dropped to a good goal weight I have maintained weight effortlessly since...... granted it hasn't been multiple years yet, but I can tell you it's noticeably better than everything I tried before!

Since then I have read a few books on the topic, and found several different doctors and dieticians and "health coaches" that all seem to take a different approach to the same or similar idea

in no particular order of preference, some folks to look into if you're interested:
Laura Spath, not a Doctor or medical pro at all, but just a regular person on youtube. She and her husband have both lost it and kept it off eating carnivore for a long time
Kelly Hogan (myzerocarblife on youtube) is another "not a doctor" that has lost it and kept it off
Dr Ken Berry is the doctor I first found, and that sent me on this rat hole of research.... he has a keep it simple practical approach
"Dr Boz" Bosworth is another internal medicine physician, but she follows a much more numbers based approach that personally I'm sort of drawn to. She has written a couple of books and has an interesting story of how she fell into this field when helping her mother fight cancer. She also does work with this idea for things like Alzheimer's and dementia. Definitely worth a read or listen to her youtube stuff.
Dr Anthony Chaffee is another one that I find to be a very level headed perspective on the topic. A neurosurgeon I think
Dr Shawn Baker, I believe he's an ortho surgeon.... level headed on the topic
Dr Rob Cywes is a surgeon. Apparently also a phd with research focus on the liver (which is key to this weight thing)
Dr Ben Bikman, not a medical doctor, but I think a college professor. I've seen several other folks interviewing him on the topic and I found it very interesting
There was a british professor I saw in a few interviews... I can't come up with his name but I sure do wish I could.... very interesting on metabolic pathways

 

[Kenny Phillips]

The low-carb lifestyle will work. But the operative word is lifestyle.
It's forever.

 

[eaglepilot]

I'm down from 200 to 160.

Combo of keto and Intermittent fasting... no breakfast (no it's not the most important meal of the day, no matter what Kellogg's says). Nothing until noon, then whatever I feel like within Keto until 8.00. I have maintained 160 for 3-4 years.

Also, stairs instead of elevator, park in a parking spot as far away from the store as possible, getting in a little exercise. Stand up desk..more for my posture and back issues, but also burns a few more calories.

And cheat days.. if I go to a family dinner and Grandma makes her legendary mashed potatoes, I'll have some, just a small portion. We are not robots after all.

 

[ateamer]

It takes making fitness and performance a lifestyle. Nutrition, exercise and attitudes toward it are equal sides of the equation.

Lift weights for at least 20 minutes three times a week. Use enough weight that you can’t get more than 12-15 reps in a set, train in circuits (one exercise after another, three to six exercises per circuit, three to six circuits) with no rest between exercises and only enough time between circuits to mostly catch your breath. Compound exercises are best for fat loss. Once you are getting in better shape, increase the weight to where you can only get eight to 10 reps.

Lift every other day, and ride a bike, swim, run, walk (quick pace, too fast to smell the flowers) on the days in between.

Go through your fridge and pantry, and throw out the crackers, cookies, snack products, processed meatlike things, sodas and other premade drinks. Do your grocery shopping on the outer aisles - fresh vegetables and fruit, chicken, fish, lean meat, some dairy products if your stomach tolerates it, and whole grain bread products in very limited amounts. From the center aisles, coffee, spices and just a few other things like tuna. For the most part, if it comes in a box or plastic package, it isn’t food, it’s a product.

Eat for performance. If it doesn’t boost your strength, muscle mass, mental acuity, or fat loss, don’t eat it. Once you have all of the above as a pretty well ingrained lifestyle and won’t “fall off the wagon” from an occasional excursion, it’ll be okay to eat some fun stuff, but limit it.

Success comes down to how high of a priority it is and if you really want to be your best. It’s hard for a lot of people at first, but before long they can’t go back to their previous habits and diet.

 

[Brad W]

yeah, a lot of what folks are mentioning...stairs, park in the far spot not the close one
along with no sodas
I've been doing that for decades.... still my weight chart looks like a saw blade.

I didn't mention it in my earlier long winded post, but that's one of the things about eating carnivore (or strict keto)... things like limited eating windows and fasting just come naturally along the way.... eventually it just happens that you miss a meal and don't care. Seems to be that when you eat a proper diet you naturally don't have a need or desire to snack. (and eating even so called healthy things like fruit or carrots won't do it, those things are loaded with sugar and will most certainly make you WANT or even NEED more sugar)

 

[IK04]

Simple. Cut out the carbs and sugar. Don't cheat. Don't believe the hype of special diets or supplements.

I lost 30 pounds in two months and have stabilized there. I want to lose 20 more, but it takes self discipline, and meaningful exercise.

And yeah, breakfast is not the most important anything...

 

[Dana]

BUT, I think the greater need is for you to not be working a desk job 70 hours a week. Find a way to cut that back, devote the time you gain to any kind of physical activity. Just finding an hour a day to walk could make a big difference.

You're killing yourself at that pace. Nobody goes to the grave (and you will prematurely, at this rate) saying, "I should have spent more time at the office."

 

[Daleandee]

More than anything though, adding more physical activity has the greatest impact on the weight loss and keeping it off. As we age, our metabolic rates decline so we have to add more activity just to maintain weight, much less lose it. I’ve always been a cyclist and have added at least 25% to my mileage this year on top of the 3 new walks per day during the work week

For a number of years I've used the Adkins diet i.e. mostly protein while limiting carbs. My doc recommended thirty minutes a day on the treadmill or about a 1.5 mile walk. When at the airport I can do a FOD inspection of the runway when walking the length of it down and back (stay off the surface for safety reasons).

So the old adage is true that what works is diet (not crash dieting as normally assumed but rather a life changing eating plan that becomes the new normal) and exercise i.e. the body has to work to burn off calories. As you age further you will discover arthritis and learn that one of the main resources for fighting it is to keep moving. A light workout before bedtime really helps with the ability to fall asleep and have a restful night.

 

[Matthew]

I went from 210 to 170 and have managed to maintain that weight for at least a year. I had a lot of things in my favor: I’m naturally on the thin side, I don’t get sugar cravings, and I do normally try to make healthy choices. My problem is/was I love carbs and fats (you should see me destroy a lasagna) and portion sizes. I used to run 35-40 miles a week and could eat anything, and as much as, I wanted. Then I had to quit running and gained almost 50 pounds. I lost a little, here and there, but I finally got serious and cut way back on intake and picked up lap swimming. I’m a couple pounds more than my best running shape weight, but I’m in a good place. My health insurance company paid for a weight loss program. There were a few to choose from and we went with Weight Watchers.

 

[frfly172]

It’s all about lifestyle,for me it’s exercise that helps me maintain my weight.walking most everyday seems to help,which gives me some leeway on what I eat.

 

[Lindberg]

Been a pilot for 30-years. Been heavy for 20. Obese at least 15 years.

49 year old male. 5'6" 255 lbs. been as low as 215 during height of COVID and as high as 265 in March.

Job and family schedule create a lot of stress / anxiety and not much free time.

Most of the scientific research says you can't lose more than about 10lbs and keep it off. Like meaningfully less than 1%.

I'm curious if anyone has pulled it off here. Where you aren't selling a health coach plan or supplements etc.

About to turn 50 and really dislike myself and looks/feeling. Stress snacker. No alcohol or pop/sugary drinks to cut out. 99% of liquid consumed is water. Desk job about 70-hrs a week.

I know this isn't a warm friendly place, but it's real and I need help.

Yes. 45 lbs. And I did nothing magical. EAT LESS. Drink no calories. Work out! You will have a hard time dieting hard enough to overcome a sedentary lifestyle, but you also can't exercise enough to overcome ****ty eating habits. You must do both. I ran a 100-200 calorie/day deficit and took my time.

 

[TCABM]

… lap swimming….

That’s next on my list of stuff to pick back up. I used to do 3x mile swims/week and loved it, but pool availability became an issue. Now I’ve got better access, just need to make more time for it.

 

[Matthew]

That’s next on my list of stuff to pick back up. I used to do 3x mile swims/week and loved it, but pool availability became an issue. Now I’ve got better access, just need to make more time for it.

I’m a three day a week swimmer. Approx 2500 yds at a time, although I did 3000 yds on Monday. I mix up different drills and get out several times for pushups. If you want a workout: do a length, then 10 pushups, and repeat 6 or 8 times during your regular swim.

 

[mandm]

Losing and sustaining weight is a mental game, and unfortunately in America we are all about high fat carbs sugar flavor and excess portion so going out to eat in America is a problem. If you go to Europe and eat out every meal (and with alcohol), you will lose weight (happened to me a couple times!), unless you are ordering two meals for each meal.

Now only you can control yourself, you can work yourself to death or you can put yourself first (forget about money work etc), your health is #1.

Vegan diet is great, you constantly eat and the weight drops off.

Cutting carbs is good too, but I found it causes energy issues so I’m back to eating carbs. If you cannot work out then cutting carbs can help.

I am a strong believer in core body workouts, CrossFit training, you will gain lots of strength and energy and it feels good, classes ensure you are participating (yes you’ll fatigue and hit those roadblocks that’s fine), whereas if you just go to the gym you might be sitting there playing on your phone who knows.

If you do core training 5x per week for 6-8 weeks guarantee you’ll lose 3-5lbs per week with your current eating habits. Follow up the core training with outdoor running. Once you build core you can slow it down and do some at home some at the gym.

Then the mental game of what you eat, actually you can eat what you want, it’s just about portion control. When you go out to eat, can you share one meal? Or start making your own meals, count the calories, 400-500 cal meals or so. Always tell yourself that you can eat or snack this and that tomorrow, that’s how I push myself to skip eating something I’m craving.

When you are at the grocery store, think about what you are getting and if you need it, I battle with myself and ice cream, I get my pleasure out of looking at it, not getting it, and I’ll find a lower calorie snack elsewhere. Ice cream is too easy to eat 1000+ calories in one sitting whereas I can do chips 200-300cal, or find something no sugar fat etc. fruits and veggies can be good to snack on too, if you have sweet tooth then get grapes watermelon etc. Just pick other things.

One thing to know when you eat out in America, the processed food and sugar makes you more hungry. Then you feel hungry and eat more. You should set your own gauges (I use percentages for how hungry / full I am), and my goal is to be 80% full, as that is the correct portion for me, you should go to bed hungry and wake up hungry otherwise clear message that you ate too much the day before.

It’s easily done, it’s a mental challenge, and the reward is amazing and really to see results in 1-2 months is pretty fast. Another thing that I do is weigh myself daily (use same standards, time of day, no clothes or shoes on, etc), write it down, take photos of your body now and then, once you see the new you and the old you, that will help with your mental strength too.

 

[AchillesLastStand]

Create a plan. Find out the cals you need to lose weight. You and I are the same height. A caloric deficit for me is like 1700. There are plenty of apps out there to track your daily intake. Stick to the plan! Eat nutrient dense food.

 

[Van Johnston]

Other's have waxed eloquently about how to lose it, but seemed like your question was about maintenance. Was has worked for me to maintain is a combination of 1) modified intermittent fasting. I don't adhere to the strict 16-8 schedule, but roughly 12-12. I.e. Once I'm done with my evening meal, I'm done for the night. And then don't have any breakfast till 0830-0930 the next morning. I have coffee with creamer first thing in the morning which some will claim breaks the fast, but I don't care, 2) try to rely on fruit only for snacks, 3) regular exercise in the form of walking. Not intense, not long, but regular.

YMWV. Everyone has to find what works for them. Best wishes.

 

[idahoflier]

+1 Carnivore Diet. Started it 3 1/2 months ago and have lost 45 LBS...

 

[eaglepilot]

OP .. your first steps have already been taken. E.G. asking for help. Find a plan that will work for you...like parking in the distant spot in the parking lot, watching what you eat, etc. It doesn't have to be giant commitment to a savage change in your life, it can be small steps. If you say something like I can NEVER have snacks again, it's intimidating. But if you say I'll only have snacks ..every other day, it's easier to do. Give yourself some love, and measure yourself against where you are now, not against a superhuman fitness pro.

You've lost 10 lbs since March, you must have done something right.

You can do it!!

 

[49 and dumb.]

wow! What a hugely helpful string. Thank you.


@Brad W @eaglepilot and others . . . What/how do you eat for lunch at the office? Sounds like chili is out because no tomatoes.

I already take the stairs, park furthest from the door and drink near exclusively water.

I'll work on mindfully adding 1 mile + to my steps.

 

[49 and dumb.]

Just read a bit on carnivore. Only meat? I hate eggs. Don't like seafood (and have a shellfish allergy).

No veggies? No sauces?

That sounds absolutely terrible and I don't know how I'd implement that. I'd be constantly cooking.

 

[kyleb]

I lose weight when I exercise moderately (over and above my normal level) and eliminate snacks.

 

[Lindberg]

If you cut out one beer or soft drink 6 days a week, you'll theoretically lose a pound a month. Your metabolism will adapt to small changes like that, so work out, build lean muscle mass, and keep your metabolism going. You'll lose even more. Stop eating candy and other "sweets" that have no actual nutritional value, eat a tasty salad for five meals a week, and you'll be amazed.

 

[Albany Tom]

I'll just comment on the percentage part. "Less than 1%".

You're a pilot. Pilot's represent much less than 1% of the US adult population. My point being not that it's easy, but that you've already figured out how to do something that most people don't do. It's just another thing.

 

[Brad W]

Other's have waxed eloquently about how to lose it, but seemed like your question was about maintenance. Was has worked for me to maintain is a combination of 1) modified intermittent fasting. I don't adhere to the strict 16-8 schedule, but roughly 12-12. I.e. Once I'm done with my evening meal, I'm done for the night. And then don't have any breakfast till 0830-0930 the next morning. I have coffee with creamer first thing in the morning which some will claim breaks the fast, but I don't care, 2) try to rely on fruit only for snacks, 3) regular exercise in the form of walking. Not intense, not long, but regular.

YMWV. Everyone has to find what works for them. Best wishes.

Instead of creamer (which is some sort of processed veg oil based chemical), and even instead of half an half, I switched early on to heavy cream and more lately adding butter too. Much lower carbs in that. Since you're eating fruit and aren't staying fat adapted then you prob wouldn't see some of the benefits. Still, something to consider

+1 Carnivore Diet. Started it 3 1/2 months ago and have lost 45 LBS...

these two posts that I quoted, back to back, made me think of a comment to add.... The carnivore diet (I'm using diet in more of a way of life meaing ...herbivore vs carnivore...and not in the meaning of a temporary or "fad" diet....

Anyway Carnivore is great for losing the weight, but it is also proving to me just as equally great in maintaining it. For me anyway, the weight fell off almost effortlessly.... and once I got down it seems to have somehow automatically switched into a maintain status...and I'm not purposely doing anything different. I think it has to do with it being a more biologically appropriate way of living, so the body is more satiated, which almost naturally leads to the various mini-fasting ideas such as two meals a day, 16-8, etc.... which for some folks...not me yet...but for some it leads to legit fasting 24 hours, 36 hours, 72 hours. And that's not for weight loss, but for autophogy, immune support, body repair.

well there was a transition period when the body is adapting away form glucose as fuel and over to fat for fuel, that did make for some energy issues that mandm commented about, as well as other things....require a little push to get through. But I would still rate it as far easier than any of the other things I tried in the past. still it did take some time to get through it. Recently reading Dr Boz's book she writes about many of these things and explains the whys and hows...and now I understand some areas where I went wrong....it could have been even easier to get on track had I known.

 

[Lndwarrior]

Stop eating carbs. There are carb- free substitutes for everything that are surprisingly good - cereal, bread, spaghetti, rice, etc..

Look for low calorie sugar substitute to reduce calories.

Go for a walk every day. Even a short one.

Change is not easy but when you change one thing it's starts to get easier to change other things.

 

[simtech]

I know this will sound odd but honestly don’t exercise. You don’t lose weight in the gym. You lose weight by being in a caloric deficit and you don’t burn much actually in the gym or running. If you want to exercise just go for a walk. Exercise makes you hungry and when you’re weak you give in and binge. Trust me I know.

Start tracking your calories for a solid week. Like everything that goes in your mouth…everything! Weight out your food so you know exactly what’s going in. Then drop calories a few hundred and stay there till you plateaued. Then drop a few hundred more. You’ll lose weight but will take a few weeks to get in that mode.

Then when your weight is down to where you’re happy and you feel like you have control over your diet then start exercising. Start adding calories back in slowly till you start to gain weight then at that point drop it a few hundred and that your maintenance. It will become intuitive. It will be slow and if you have a bad day so be it just get back on the horse the next day. It’s a caloric deficit over time and consistency. A bad day here or there will not derail and is encouraged every now and then.

Good luck!

 

[dbahn]

The real secret to maintaining your low weight is to never buy larger pants.

 

[midlifeflyer]

My weight crept up for years. One day I got on the scale, read It, and said, "no, no, no. That's not acceptable." Dropped 30 lbs over the next 4 months. That's was 2010. It's still off. I actually weigh less now than I did 40 years ago.

The two biggest keys for me were situational awareness (I still monitor my weight daily) and that while I was dieting, I knew success was about what I did after I lost it. Tossed out our 12" dinner plates and replaced them with 10". Dinner including sides all went on it (Exceptions for messy things). No seconds. Strict post-dinner snacks cut off time. Things like that.

I still pig out. I love eating. After a morning workout I treat myself to a bagel, breakfast sandwich, or pastry (I guarantee I'd never work out otherwise!). I play tennis and grab pizza afterward. Love big dinners at restaurants.

 

[bflynn]

Been a pilot for 30-years. Been heavy for 20. Obese at least 15 years.

49 year old male. 5'6" 255 lbs. been as low as 215 during height of COVID and as high as 265 in March.

Job and family schedule create a lot of stress / anxiety and not much free time.

Most of the scientific research says you can't lose more than about 10lbs and keep it off. Like meaningfully less than 1%.

I'm curious if anyone has pulled it off here. Where you aren't selling a health coach plan or supplements etc.

About to turn 50 and really dislike myself and looks/feeling. Stress snacker. No alcohol or pop/sugary drinks to cut out. 99% of liquid consumed is water. Desk job about 70-hrs a week.

I know this isn't a warm friendly place, but it's real and I need help.

My own story - 275 -> 240 on diet. I'm not great at this either. I probably could have lost more, but my doctor put me on Mounjaro for T2 diabetes and a side effect is losing another 30 lbs. (and blood chemistry that looks like non-diabetes)

You're not going to like some of this, but you know you need to change.

I'm a big proponent of low carb, I'm just not sure it's a easy lifestyle to sustain. But there is truth in what it's about. In order to lose weight, your body has to go into an energy deficiency. There's two processes at work:
A) high carb food -> Hey, it's a time of plenty -> insulin -> store as fat -> weight gain.
B) Low carb food -> it's scarcity time -> ketones -> fat becomes energy -> weight loss.

A is what we naturally would do living off the land during summer and fall. B is the winter time mode when food is scarcer, we live partially off the fat in our bodies. For eons, humans have been through this as an annual cycle, but today we never get to B.

Low carb diets are about easily getting into process B. Staying there is a harder problem because our food systems are all about high carb, which is what puts all of us at risk. Carbs are a quick and easy to put energy in, so much so that we can easily get too much. Replace carbs with protein and fat (yes fat) and you'll feel full and lose weight. As weird as it sounds, when you're in mode B, you feel great and have lots of energy...but no stamina.

Fat is important because it makes you feel full. If you don't believe that, sit down and eat a bag of chips - you could easily eat another one. Now think of sitting down and eating a stick of butter. You'll never finish it because you're going to feel full long before you get it down. The bag of chips has 1200 calories in it and you want more. The stick of butter has about 800 and you can't finish it. Don't be afraid of fat.

All diets obey this A/B process rule. There is a threshold where you'll start losing weight, a range where you won't lose or gain, and a threshold where you gain weight. Exercise and activity will move those ranges up so you can eat more easily - by raising activity, you shift that point of energy deficiency. So the goal is to lower carbs enough that you lose weight, keep it there until you are at a good weight, then move into the middle range. Monitor your weight daily and if you get 5 lbs off your goal, cut back again until you're back to the right weight.

Steps
#1 get up and move. Yeah, I get the desk job, I do it too. You have to make time to get out and do something. Nobody is going to fault you for taking 30-60 minutes daily to take care of yourself. Block the time on your work calendar, everyone will just think it's another meeting, then get out and do something.
#2 replace the snacks with something healthier. Instead of chips and cookies, try cut up vegetables or cheese. But that also means I eat less of them.
#3 go low(er) carb. Functionally, when our bodies have an excess of blood sugar, insulin kicks in to store that as fat. If you cut back 5 foods, you'll do better - flour, sugar, rice, pasta, potatoes. Think of meals as a salad, protein, and veggie. Steak is on the menu.
#4 relearn what hunger really is. What you think is hunger is probably a sugar craving, which is leading you to gain weight and to T2 diabetes. Eat when your stomach grumbles, not when you're bored, stressed, or feel like you should.

Last, wisdom from the military - Embrace the suck.

 

[dbahn]

Stay away from food that is (or was) white. Obviously, flour and sugar are huge culprits.