Looking to shed a small man

So

Stats

Height 1,94m
Weight 205.5kg

I have always been a big guy, last years of primary school I was hitting close to the 80kg range while still being active in Hockey, cricket, and just general kiddy shit

Highschool I went up, probably around 90-100 before taking a major dip in Matric, the lowest I weighed was around 80kg's. Then I found the couch...

Because of my size, I know I have muscle somewhere, I'm easily able to bench 150kg's for reps, Legpressing 400kg's for a few too, but unfortunately, because of the abuse my Knee's don't like that


Now, my goal is to drop to the 150 range,

I have been dieting (calorie counting, changing my foods, etc) since Jan,
Gymming 5 days a week for around an hour. Mondays shoulders, Tuesday chest, etc. New part every day. But this is just making me flop between 204 - 211 depending on my poo and what i had for dinner.

I just can't break the 200 mark. I think I have low test levels, I have not been tested however. Currently my medical doesn't pay for it.

Are there any recommendations? Something that could change me from an Obelix to a chubby hulk perhaps? I would love to be able to take my shirt off without upsetting the children and other family members around the pool

I would say you need to try get blood tests before considering taking any type of replacement supplements or anything not OTC

How many calories are you eating now?
If it were me, I would add walking daily to the routine and probably prioritize this over weights if I had to choose between the two. If you can fit both in then even better. I am not sure how your frame is, but 205 is really heavy and any kind of cardio is probably going to be brutal on your body.
Slow steady walks daily will probably do more for weight loss at this point than anything else. I cant imagine you not dropping weight easily in the first few weeks of that
If you are inclined you can add in swimming, but that might be challenging in the beginning.

syntax wrote: I would say you need to try get blood tests before considering taking any type of replacement supplements or anything not OTC

How many calories are you eating now?

At the moment im hovering around 3000-3500 (Calculating on myfitnesspal)

syntax wrote: If it were me, I would add walking daily to the routine and probably prioritize this over weights if I had to choose between the two. If you can fit both in then even better.

Most days im hitting 7000-8000 steps in, Problem is though joints dont like the walking. I have a big frame so elipticals etc dont quite work for me either

syntax wrote: I am not sure how your frame is, but 205 is really heavy and any kind of cardio is probably going to be brutal on your body.

It sure is

syntax wrote: Slow steady walks daily will probably do more for weight loss at this point than anything else. I cant imagine you not dropping weight easily in the first few weeks of that
If you are inclined you can add in swimming, but that might be challenging in the beginning.

Access to a pool is the problem there, I go to a private gym with limited features. Really try to avoid the planetfitness type gyms that kill you with contracts


Thanks for the feedback though

That seems like quite a low calorie amount.
I am around there and am much much smaller.

I dont have much other advice unfortunately. I think your height would make cycling really uncomfortable as well so the only thing would be to get really good shoes and try find decent surfaces to walk on.

Good luck man

I thought it was alot,

I dont understand why im not losing... Which is what led me to start looking into this world.

Obelix wrote: I thought it was alot,

I dont understand why im not losing... Which is what led me to start looking into this world.

You are probably gaining muscle while losing fat so it's not reflecting on the scale, and because you have a lot of body fat covering the muscle it's hard to visibly see.

This often happens for quite a while at first with overweight people. It is very frustrating. But it is not in vain and results will come. But if you have not lost weight in months then you have to eat less calories. Calories in, calories out. Laws of thermodynamics can't be broken.

It sucks, i have lost some weight, but sadly its less than 5% of my bodyweight.

Will keep at it

Muscleaddict wrote:

Obelix wrote: I thought it was alot,

I dont understand why im not losing... Which is what led me to start looking into this world.

You are probably gaining muscle while losing fat so it's not reflecting on the scale, and because you have a lot of body fat covering the muscle it's hard to visibly see.

This often happens for quite a while at first with overweight people. It is very frustrating. But it is not in vain and results will come. But if you have not lost weight in months then you have to eat less calories. Calories in, calories out. Laws of thermodynamics can't be broken.

Well... calories in, calories out is not necessarily interesting thermodynamically.

I don't mind the concept as it has to be true to some extent, it just isn't relevant information.
Hence why IIFYM fails at some point and does not equate to health across various diets.

Obelix, sorry I'm late to the party. Here's my story:
Used to be in great shape, then got busy, lazy and boozy.
I'm 1.73m and I weighed 136kg with very little in the way of muscle mass.
I changed my eating habits (hate the word "diet") and tuned it according to my weight loss. I could only walk for exercise at first. After losing 10kgs I hit the weights again. Cardio became less of my time (now only for heart health.)
Currently I'm at 88kgs with 12.1% body fat (I know, not really jacked yet.)

This all took me 4 years. So, as MA mentioned, keep hitting the weights, lower your intake a bit and mostly, be patient and keep looking after yourself.

Builder wrote: Obelix, sorry I'm late to the party. Here's my story:
Used to be in great shape, then got busy, lazy and boozy.
I'm 1.73m and I weighed 136kg with very little in the way of muscle mass.
I changed my eating habits (hate the word "diet") and tuned it according to my weight loss. I could only walk for exercise at first. After losing 10kgs I hit the weights again. Cardio became less of my time (now only for heart health.)
Currently I'm at 88kgs with 12.1% body fat (I know, not really jacked yet.)

This all took me 4 years. So, as MA mentioned, keep hitting the weights, lower your intake a bit and mostly, be patient and keep looking after yourself.

Amazing progress. Discipline + Consistency -> Winning at life. Keep it up.

Thanks man

I have been monitoring my intake for the last 82? days ... using myfitnespal. I changed my 'activity level' to inactive and dropped my calories allowed per day.

in the end its all a mental game, must stop eating when im bored, must want to eat healthier etc.

You are what you eat. So before you eat, think.

So I got hold of some metformin, lets see how that works out

I have also decreased calories by a bit (Around 700) and am doing HIIT for around 20min every 2nd day

Obelix wrote: So I got hold of some metformin, lets see how that works out

I have also decreased calories by a bit (Around 700) and am doing HIIT for around 20min every 2nd day

If it is proper HIIT training every second day might be too much. It is really hard on the body and recovery of a few days is normally needed. If you have reduced calories this will probably be compounded and you will get sick or feel garbage.

syntax is right, Obelix. I do 15mins of cardio a day max. One HIIT session a week is probably ok, but don't let it ruin your time on the weights (muscles are much more efficient at burning fat - so grow them.) Bottom line from own experience: weights first and second, cardio for heart health, but not at the expense of muscle recovery time. Easy does it. Sort out the kitchen, then the weights, then cardio and then work hard with patience.

Gah, this is getting confusing. This is why i eat chocolates!


I have heard that muscle burns calories, Having more = better

But almost everyones telling me to do cardio,



My "HIIT" consists of

1 minute step climibing
1 minute rest
1 minute Kettle bell lifts (from the ground to above my head)
1 minute rest
1 minute medicine ball throw
1 minute rest

repeat until 20min ends.


I have changed it up a bit when i do it at home, I replace the kettle bell with a bucket of stuff and instead of medicine ball i do knee lifts

My heartrate stays between 140-165(up to 172 so far) I assume this is good?

Treadmills and bicycles dont work for me (im too big for a treadmill and bikes dont really fit me ergonomycially. Im begging my gym to get a rowing machine, but alas its more a muscle palace than a cardio workshop

Obelix wrote: My "HIIT" consists of

1 minute step climibing
1 minute rest
1 minute Kettle bell lifts (from the ground to above my head)
1 minute rest
1 minute medicine ball throw
1 minute rest

repeat until 20min ends.

This you can do definitely do every day. HIIT is just the latest cool new buzz word trainers use, but it's not a true HIIT workout. This is still very good for seeing results. HIIT means putting 100% effort and intensity into the exercise where you reach maximum heart rate and feel like you're going to pass out, followed by a rest period before starting over.

See how 200m sprinters look after finishing a race when they are lying on their backs panting. That's HIIT.

Obelix wrote: So

Stats

Height 1,94m
Weight 205.5kg

I have always been a big guy, last years of primary school I was hitting close to the 80kg range while still being active in Hockey, cricket, and just general kiddy shit

Highschool I went up, probably around 90-100 before taking a major dip in Matric, the lowest I weighed was around 80kg's. Then I found the couch...

Because of my size, I know I have muscle somewhere, I'm easily able to bench 150kg's for reps, Legpressing 400kg's for a few too, but unfortunately, because of the abuse my Knee's don't like that


Now, my goal is to drop to the 150 range,

I have been dieting (calorie counting, changing my foods, etc) since Jan,
Gymming 5 days a week for around an hour. Mondays shoulders, Tuesday chest, etc. New part every day. But this is just making me flop between 204 - 211 depending on my poo and what i had for dinner.

I just can't break the 200 mark. I think I have low test levels, I have not been tested however. Currently my medical doesn't pay for it.

Are there any recommendations? Something that could change me from an Obelix to a chubby hulk perhaps? I would love to be able to take my shirt off without upsetting the children and other family members around the pool

Ok well here is a new way if looking at this, list a daily average of food you are taking in. Let's see what you actually eat on a daily basis.

Next show us your training program and list the weights you are doing and for how many sets and reps etc.

Changing your "goal" from weight loss to muscle building and strength gaining is usually a very sure way to actually make this easier for you. How ever right now what you are saying to us is "my car is making a funny sound and I think it is the fuel pump." But you haven't opened the bonnet and looked at the engine.

Break everything down for us, and then we can see where you are going wrong.

Also 3000-3500 calories is a large jump daily and also that can go seriously wrong on weekends.... I can and have eaten 3000 calories a day after my shows this year up until 7pm, and can consume 4000 calories in 2 hours before bed. You need to have food rules and have a plan to stick to.

So, I keep my meals very similar, We dont like too much variety.

Breakfast,
Generally 4-6 eggs, scrambled. This week I have been adding red,green and yellow peppers to it and then munching it as is.
When I go to the office, I will have either 2 sausage rolls from BP, or 125g Pronutro with milk (250ml). This is only on tuesdays and fridays

Lunch
Today was 120grams biltong, 280grams strawberries and a packet of jelly beans. I have really cut back on sweets this last 2 weeks. But am guilty of eating too much
I try to get some John Dory in aswell, or tuna mayo on rolls


Snacks, Banana and naartjies. normally 1-2 of each a day

Supper will be ,
Boerie rolls x2, about 180grams boerewors and 2 white rolls.
or
2 burgers (Home made burgers,with a fried egg sometimes)
or
Mac and mince (a small ish bowl)
or
Chicken stir fry
or a 300gram frozen pizza


thats not the only meals I eat, but you can kinda gauge how it works. As for Gym, well we change that quite often, But its generally 40minutes of working out with around 45 -60 seconds rest between sets. My gym partner isnt very chatty, so we just get it done

I have incorporated cycling in the mornings, but its under 20minutes so far



Does that help a bit more?

Yeah it does. Your issue is your diet, high fat meats and processed foods and actually having no set plan, and that is why you are not getting the right amount of calories in and can't get passed a certain weight.

As a rule, a maximum of 20% of your calories should come from processed foods. And yours is more like 20% is coming from whole foods.

Smallish bowl isn't a good way to measure food, you are wanting accurate results but aren't measuring your food in accurately, it's like trying to make sure that your car runs efficiently but you are driving foot flat in first second and third, then stopping at the robot and trying to take off in 3rd gear which uses more fuel all whilst going to the petrol station and saying uhhh just put some petrol in the tank and having no idea how much you put in or spent.

As a rule, if it doesn't come out of the ground as a carb source you don't eat it at this stage. And if you can drain fat off of it after cooking, you don't eat it.

Some carb sources such as brown bread and pasta are fine in moderation, because they have fiber in them, and are slow digesting. But honestly you aren't shedding a small man cos you are still eating with the wrong mind set and this is where rules come into this. at 200kgs you aren't going to be any where close to healthy. So frozen pizza, rolls, sausage rolls, pies, and all if that shit ARE NOT IN YOUR PLAN. Same with sweets, if you have a problem with snacking on them, don't fucking buy them..psychologically, if it is in your house, you will end up eating them..

Meats
Chicken breasts
Fish fillets
Fillet steak or 95% extra lean beef mince
Egg whites
Fat free cottage cheese
Whey protein


Carbs :
Black beans(high in protein too)
Oats
Potato
Sweet potato
Rice
Brown rice
Whole wheat pasta
Fruits

Fats try and not have good sources
Limit cheese to once a day as it has protein and fat but it's still processed
Olive oil
Coconut oil
Nuts
Avo

And then plenty of veggies. Stick to a diet mainly of these things and the weight will come off as you will be full. I can tell you, im eating 3200 calories a day, and it's not easy day in day out especially when I only eat 2 slices of toast a day, all my other carbs are rice, /cream of rice, oats, black beans fruit and veg.

Any quick wins you can suggest?

With regards to measurements, I do measure the food when dishing up. I then record the calories based on what myfitnesspal says. What i posted above was a quick description of our foods,not a set in stone thing

Well set things out in stone. Remember having a plan is vital at will power gets eaten away when you have options. It's a muscle that becomes weak.

Also use fat secret vs myfitnesspal.

also if it has calories, you count it, which includes sauces, sweetners, milk in your coffee, everything.

I do count everything, But will check out fat secret too.

Meal 1
3 full eggs
30g whey protein
60g cream of rice
3 sweetners

Meal 2
30g whey protein
100g oats
3 sweetners

Meal 3
130g cooked chicken
240g cooked white rice
Half a cup cooked mixed veggies
30mls tomato sauce

Meal 4
30g whey protein
100g oats
3 sweetness
90g banana

Meal 5
150g cooked chicken
30g nola low fat salad cream
15ml nandos peri peri sauce
4 slices of sasko more slices brown bread

Meal 6
3 full eggs
3️0g cheddar cheese.

That will give you roughly 3000 calories a day.