Losing weight in 2015

[Nudelkopf]

Can't believe I am just now seeing this thread.  But the past couple of weeks I have seriously been thinking of losing some weight.  Problem is I love to bake.  With home baking around, its a little too tempting.  So well try to restrict myself somewhat. 

 Use to be a runner, now I walk a lot instead.  But, in order to lose some weight I really need to run, so much more effective for me.  Hopefully posting here well motivate me....

One of my 11 year old students described her 'diet plan' as "give everyone else food, so that they become fat, and you look skinny". This could be a cure for your baking habit :P Bake for everyone else instead of yourself! Or... sugar free baking?

[votu]

Thirty Eighth Week

Last week weight: 129.40
Current weight: 128.80

[votu]

Thirty Ninth Week

Last week weight: 128.8
Current weight: 129.6

Oops!  I think those 450+ calories slices of pie are catching up to me.

[DollarBill]

Check in time. Just closed out my 9th month. Started Jan 20th at 233 lbs and I was down to 184.5 lbs but had a slight uptick to 188 lbs. Not too bad since I spent 24 days visiting Family. I'm back now so I'm back in the gym and getting back into my routine.   

Started point: 233
Month 1: 226
Month 2: 218
Month 3: 209
Month 4: 208
Month 5: 199
Month 6: 192.5
Month 7: 186.5
Month 8: 184.5
Month 9: 188
Total: 45 lbs

[votu]

Fortieths Week

Last week weight: 129.6
Current weight: 129.2

[Bee21]

Nothing good to report here- I lost 2 kg in September and put it back during the vacation. Damn.

So, to set a realistic goal for myself, I am planning to lose 5 kilos by Christmas. If I can manage to cut out 500 calories a day and do some sort of exercise every day, I can do it. 

[votu]

Forty First Week

Last week weight: 129.2
Current weight: 129.2

Remember to vote everyone.

[alleykat]

Alright, well the more I am trying to lose the more I am putting on. I am starting today.  So far my eating is pretty reasonable and I will try and finish out the night on a good note as well.  I definitely need to throw some exercise back in so I started yesterday with a few kettlebell swings and a few minutes on my rebounder. My first goal is 5 lbs with 15 lbs being the total.  I need to get serious now as my pants or skirts do not fit and I am a bit frustrated because I am not buying a bigger size.  I refuse.  I already have 2 sizes in my closet, I am not adding a third that will give me room to grow in. :)

My idea is to buy some frozen meals for dinner so I can keep track of the calories.  Every time I try and do portion control on my own, it does work out.  If I control my salt intake during the day, the salt in these meals wouldn't be a factor.  I plan on doing this for the next month.  Tonight I am going to see if I can find some healthy frozen meals.  As healthy as frozen meals can be.  And snacking is my downfall so I will keep that under control.

[Cookie78]

Had anyone had success tracking inches instead of pounds? I had to throw out my deceptive lying jerk scale and I don't know if I should get a new one or just measure waist inches. So far measuring inches has been less consistent, but I haven't been measuring for long.

[Philociraptor]

Started the year at 169, sitting at 174 this morning. Looking back, I was actually losing weight through March (got down to 165) and it's been a steady climb up since then. It looks like the gain is starting to level out. At 67" tall, 175# looks to be a pretty good weight for a Crossfit athlete. I've increased my caloric intake (from 1,500 kcal or so to 2,400 kcal) and the weight fluctuation has calmed down, I imagine my body simply got used to 1,500 and metabolism slowed down to match. I'll continue here for a bit and see how my performance at the gym goes, then taper down a bit to drop some fat later in the year.

Up to 178 after a week on a cruise =/

So far I've gained 9 lbs during this challenge. Majority of clothes still fit comfortably though, so not all is lost.

It may be too early to call, but I appear to have hit the plateau of my weight gain! Weighed in at 178.8 a month ago and all subsequent measurements have been below that. 177.1 this morning with my trendline heading in the downward direction for the first time June. Exciting!

[DollarBill]

Had anyone had success tracking inches instead of pounds? I had to throw out my deceptive lying jerk scale and I don't know if I should get a new one or just measure waist inches. So far measuring inches has been less consistent, but I haven't been measuring for long.

I also use two weed whacker lines to measure my waist since I started. I use one to measure a completely relaxed gut and the other sucked in. Both have been about the same during my weight loss. I just mark it with a Sharpe but only check it about every month or so. 

[votu]

Had anyone had success tracking inches instead of pounds? I had to throw out my deceptive lying jerk scale and I don't know if I should get a new one or just measure waist inches. So far measuring inches has been less consistent, but I haven't been measuring for long.

I didn't keep precise record but the last time I measured, my numbers went down approximately by the following

Chest - 3in
Waist - 3in
Hip - 3in
Thigh - 2in
Calves - 2in

[mm1970]

So, 2014 was the year of losing the baby weight.  I started the year at 168.  I got down to 151.  Then in November I tried "NOvember".  I continued with my eating plan (21 Day Fix) but had NO alcohol, NO wheat, NO tortilla chips and NO sugar.  In "21 Day Fix" speak, these are all yellows.  So my "carbs/yellows" were rice, beans, potatoes, popcorn, quinoa.  No cheats.  I had lost 2 lbs in Sept and 2 in Oct and then lost 7 POUNDS that month.  Got down to 144 and then lost a few more in December.  This is background info.

So, I've been stalled all year at 141-144.  (With a brief foray up to 148 right after our latest layoff.) I'd come to the conclusion that I'd have to give up wheat, sugar and alcohol completely to drop any more weight (I'm 5'2", 45 years old).  My husband and family didn't really think that was a great idea.

So I toyed around with "NOvember" again.  I had been watching a couple of FB friends do Beachbody's Ultimate Reset (21 day food based cleanse) in October.  I decided to give it a whirl, but start a week before November.   Rather than pay for it, because though I love BB I don't believe in the supplement BS, I generated a plan based on my best friend, Google.  The reset starts "healthy", by the middle of week 1 it is vegetarian and gluten-free, and the last two weeks are vegan and gluten free.  I figured it would be a good segue into "NOvember".

Note, it's a TON of produce and a LOT of work.

Well, so here we are:
Week 1 I stuck to the plan mostly, but Halloween was in there.  I had major PMS that week.  It turns out Ultimate Reset week 1 is good for PMS because it's about 2x the carbs as I typically eat (oatmeal, toast, beans and rice, quinoa).  I was at a friend's house for Halloween and had a little wheat, sugar, and alcohol (but it was still October!) I had a heck of a sugar hangover the next day, from only 2 Reese's. 
Then Sunday brunch I didn't stick to Ultimate Reset but I did stick to no wheat, no sugar, no alcohol.

Week 2 I didn't stick to it quite as well, maybe only 70%, because I found it very hard to not have the regular protein.  So I added in a little protein with dinner.  Week 3 starts tomorrow, and I'm just going to pick a few recipes that look good.  Probably will only stick to the Reset 50%, and just move on into regular "NOvember".

The Results
After a week, I was down 3 lbs.
Now it's two weeks, I'm down 4.6 pounds.  137.4!!
I've dropped below 140 for the first time since November 2011 (when I was just barely pregnant).

Lost almost an inch off the waist, 1/4 inch off the chest.  Of course.

[votu]

Forty Second  Week

Last week weight: 129.2
Current weight: 126.8

[birdman2003]

Down 40 pounds since Labor Day.  Eating 160 kcal 6x a day (every 2-3 hours).  Each 'meal' has 15 g protein.

Date	Gender	Height	Weight	BMI	BMR	Fat %	Fat Mass	Fat Free Mass
28-AUG-2015	Male	6 Feet 0.5 Inches	317.0 lb	42.4	2769 kcal	39.5%	125 lb	192 lb
12-NOV-2015	Male	6 Feet 0.5 Inches	277.0 lb	37.1	2649 kcal	31.4%	87 lb	190 lb

[DollarBill]

Down 40 pounds since Labor Day.  Eating 160 kcal 6x a day (every 2-3 hours).  Each 'meal' has 15 g protein.

Date	Gender	Height	Weight	BMI	BMR	Fat %	Fat Mass	Fat Free Mass
28-AUG-2015	Male	6 Feet 0.5 Inches	317.0 lb	42.4	2769 kcal	39.5%	125 lb	192 lb
12-NOV-2015	Male	6 Feet 0.5 Inches	277.0 lb	37.1	2649 kcal	31.4%	87 lb	190 lb

Dang that's awesome!

[G-dog]

Down 40 pounds since Labor Day.  Eating 160 kcal 6x a day (every 2-3 hours).  Each 'meal' has 15 g protein.

Date	Gender	Height	Weight	BMI	BMR	Fat %	Fat Mass	Fat Free Mass
28-AUG-2015	Male	6 Feet 0.5 Inches	317.0 lb	42.4	2769 kcal	39.5%	125 lb	192 lb
12-NOV-2015	Male	6 Feet 0.5 Inches	277.0 lb	37.1	2649 kcal	31.4%	87 lb	190 lb

That is only about 1000 kcal per day. Any concerns regarding how long you will stay on such a low calorie regimen?

[votu]

Forty Third  Week

Last week weight: 126.8
Current weight: 125.8

[mrpercentage]

205 to now 197-- not fat but not the 175lb all muscle guy I used to be. No more 100+ burpees in a row. New baby and bad sympathy diet + generalized screw it attitude has contributed. Im going to fix that though. I own my condition.

Picking my battles one at a time.
oats and blueberries for breakfast (doing)
chicken and brown rice for other meals (intermittent)
No sugar (McDonalds $0.59 cones have been a problem) I keep thinking you can't even get water for $0.59 and my son loves them.

[birdman2003]

Down 40 pounds since Labor Day.  Eating 160 kcal 6x a day (every 2-3 hours).  Each 'meal' has 15 g protein.

Date	Gender	Height	Weight	BMI	BMR	Fat %	Fat Mass	Fat Free Mass
28-AUG-2015	Male	6 Feet 0.5 Inches	317.0 lb	42.4	2769 kcal	39.5%	125 lb	192 lb
12-NOV-2015	Male	6 Feet 0.5 Inches	277.0 lb	37.1	2649 kcal	31.4%	87 lb	190 lb

Dang that's awesome!

Thanks DollarBill ! You have had some impressive results yourself.

[birdman2003]

Down 40 pounds since Labor Day.  Eating 160 kcal 6x a day (every 2-3 hours).  Each 'meal' has 15 g protein.

Date	Gender	Height	Weight	BMI	BMR	Fat %	Fat Mass	Fat Free Mass
28-AUG-2015	Male	6 Feet 0.5 Inches	317.0 lb	42.4	2769 kcal	39.5%	125 lb	192 lb
12-NOV-2015	Male	6 Feet 0.5 Inches	277.0 lb	37.1	2649 kcal	31.4%	87 lb	190 lb

That is only about 1000 kcal per day. Any concerns regarding how long you will stay on such a low calorie regimen?

Yes it is quite low but I won't stay at this level forever.  When I was in high school, I weighed around 245 lbs and felt good / looked good.  I'll probably cheat a bit next week with Thanksgiving and then keep the routine going into next year and taper off once I close in on 245.  If I get to 255 and I like the way I look then I'll probably ease up.

I didn't get fat in one month and it sure has taken a lot of work to get rid of the first 40 pounds, but it will require even more work to get the next 30 off.  I am starting to go to the YMCA on a daily basis.

[NinetyFour]

I lost 25 pounds between June and October, but recently put about 10 back on.  I am determined to get rid of those 10 (again!) by the end of the year.

[DollarBill]

Check in time. Just closed out my 10th month. Started Jan 20th at 233 lbs and I'm now 179.5...wooohooo! That's a 8 lb jump this month.

I also went in for another BOD POD check on Nov 5th. Details Height 5'10", @ 183 lbs, 15.3% body fat, 155 lbs of muscle. My last one was on Jun 18th @ 201 lbs, 22.3% body fat, 156 lbs of muscle. So for the most part I'm holding onto the muscle I have which is good while losing weight. 

Started point: 233
Month 1: 226
Month 2: 218
Month 3: 209
Month 4: 208
Month 5: 199
Month 6: 192.5
Month 7: 186.5
Month 8: 184.5
Month 9: 188
Month 10: 179.5
Total: 53.5 lbs

[G-dog]

Check in time. Just closed out my 10th month. Started Jan 20th at 233 lbs and I'm now 179.5...wooohooo! That's a 8 lb jump this month.

I also went in for another BOD POD check on Nov 5th. Details Height 5'10", @ 183 lbs, 15.3% body fat, 155 lbs of muscle. My last one was on Jun 18th @ 201 lbs, 22.3% body fat, 156 lbs of muscle. So for the most part I'm holding onto the muscle I have which is good while losing weight. 

Started point: 233
Month 1: 226
Month 2: 218
Month 3: 209
Month 4: 208
Month 5: 199
Month 6: 192.5
Month 7: 186.5
Month 8: 184.5
Month 9: 188
Month 10: 179.5
Total: 53.5 lbs

Congratulations. It can be very hard to stay on track like you have! Very impressive.

[birdman2003]

Good work DollarBill.  That is a lot of weight to keep off, and you maintained your muscle mass nicely.

[Philociraptor]

It may be too early to call, but I appear to have hit the plateau of my weight gain! Weighed in at 178.8 a month ago and all subsequent measurements have been below that. 177.1 this morning with my trendline heading in the downward direction for the first time June. Exciting!

Spoke too soon. Back up to 179 this morning. A fresh batch of cookies and a gathering with friends on Saturday aren't going to help. Must stay strong during the holidays.

[DollarBill]

Thanks G-dog and birdman!

It's interesting when I pick up a 45 lb plate in the gym and I can't believe I carried around that much weight. I'm also going to get a blood test done to see the difference in my previous blood test. I'll probably push for another 5-10 lbs just to see my limits.

[birdman2003]

100% agree.  It's like you finally realize "Carrying that around with me everywhere I went was causing some major joint pain and overall exhaustion."

[votu]

Forty Fourth Week

Last week weight: 125.8
Current weight: 125.4

[alleykat]

Unfortunately, I lost a few pounds and then quickly found them. I am only looking to lose about 10-15 lbs but it will be a journey. I got my bike maintenance but may of had this thought too late since it is getting cold out now.  Oh well, I will still give it a go if I can. I stopped going to the gym despite my intentions so I cancelled my membership. 

I would really like to fit comfortably into my clothes again. So many things I cant wear now but if I don't succeed at least within the next few months, I will need to buy more pants. 

[Nudelkopf]

:) I've lost about 7.5kg (about 16lbs) in the last two months. I'm pretty happy. It's pretty simple - just stop eating junk!

I'm female, mid-20s.
Start of October:  74.5kg (~164lbs)
End of November: 67kg (~147lbs).

[use2betrix]

I'm usually trying to do the opposite, gain. I took about 8 months off my serious weight lifting and diet and lost about 15 lbs and gained about 5% BF. I went from about 220 to around 205 and got soft.

Fortunately everything comes back quick. I'm about 10 weeks back into it and I've gone from 205lbs and around 14% back up to 220lbs, but haven't lost much BF. Maybe lost 1-2%.

Trying to gain weight is a very miserable experience. I wrestled in high school and understand the losing weight feeling, but having to forcefeed healthy meals down when the last thing you can think about is food, is a miserable experience. I'm literally never hungry for any meals I eat, yet I still have to shove them down.

Here's a standard days meals

5:30 am - 6 whole eggs, 2 pieces bacon
8:30 am - 2 servings oatmeal, 2 scoops whey protein
11:30 am - 8 oz meat (steak or chicken) and 1-2 cups of some kind of carb
3 pm - same meal as 11:30 am
6 pm - 2 scoops protein, 1 scoop whey 1 scoop BSN syntha 6
8:30 pm - 8 oz beef or chicken and 2 cups lettuce with light ranch

I do this every day. Cannot remember the last time I missed a meal, maybe 1 or 2 a month? I have cheat meals occasionally or some sweets here or there but m-f the meals don't vary much.

Every time I'm like halfway done with a meal, I sit there stuffed and realize that what's left on my plate is what's holding me back from my goals in the gym. I used to eat considerably more, but the progress coming back is slowing so now I have to take it easy.

[mm1970]

First 3 weeks of "NOvember" (no wheat, no sugar, no alcohol): down 6 lbs.
Start: 142
End: 136

(5'2", 45 yo female).

One week of stomach flu? Down 6.6 pounds
Currently: 129.4

(I'm surely hoping that a few of these come back once I'm eating something besides applesauce and toast.  Oh yeah, I ended the "no wheat" thing when I got the stomach flu.)

[votu]

Forty Fifth Week

Last week weight: 125.4
Current weight: 125.2

Woohoo, I survived Thanksgiving!

[DollarBill]

I'm usually trying to do the opposite, gain. I took about 8 months off my serious weight lifting and diet and lost about 15 lbs and gained about 5% BF. I went from about 220 to around 205 and got soft.

Fortunately everything comes back quick. I'm about 10 weeks back into it and I've gone from 205lbs and around 14% back up to 220lbs, but haven't lost much BF. Maybe lost 1-2%.

Trying to gain weight is a very miserable experience. I wrestled in high school and understand the losing weight feeling, but having to forcefeed healthy meals down when the last thing you can think about is food, is a miserable experience. I'm literally never hungry for any meals I eat, yet I still have to shove them down.

Here's a standard days meals

5:30 am - 6 whole eggs, 2 pieces bacon
8:30 am - 2 servings oatmeal, 2 scoops whey protein
11:30 am - 8 oz meat (steak or chicken) and 1-2 cups of some kind of carb
3 pm - same meal as 11:30 am
6 pm - 2 scoops protein, 1 scoop whey 1 scoop BSN syntha 6
8:30 pm - 8 oz beef or chicken and 2 cups lettuce with light ranch

I do this every day. Cannot remember the last time I missed a meal, maybe 1 or 2 a month? I have cheat meals occasionally or some sweets here or there but m-f the meals don't vary much.

Every time I'm like halfway done with a meal, I sit there stuffed and realize that what's left on my plate is what's holding me back from my goals in the gym. I used to eat considerably more, but the progress coming back is slowing so now I have to take it easy.

That's a heck of a conundrum! I've never been on that side of things but now that I'm finally reaching my goal weight I have started researching the strength and muscle side of things. It seems like a very strange balancing act...gaining weight but only the good weight. I don't think I would ever want bigger muscles if it meant I would have to force myself to eat but that's me. I think I would rather focus on my strength improvements than the size and if I'm improving then most likely there will be size gains.

I know they have a "Strength and fitness" thread but maybe we should make a "Muscle/strength/nutrition" thread...I would join it for 2016. I've read through some of the "Strength and fitness" thread and I like it but there seems to be a lot of endurance side of things like improving run times. I think that's good for them but I'm not interested in running anything more than a 5K and not at blazing speeds. Overall I'm not looking to get jacked but more fit-ability but I know that I'm going to need to change my nutrition (from losing weight) to getting more nutrition to gain strength but minus the body fat.

[votu]

Forty Sixth Week

Last week weight: 125.2
Current weight: 124.6

[votu]

Forty Seventh Week

Last week weight: 124.6
Current weight: 124.8

The festive mood got to me.  I've been eating a lot more calories than normal the last couple of weeks, but the numbers on the scale kept dropping so I didn't make the adjustments I would have made whenever I indulged. Ah well, back to watching what I eat and not sneak in sweet, sweet calorie bombs.

[DollarBill]

Time to close out 2015! Started Jan 20th at 233 lbs and I'm now 174 lbs...for a total of 59 lbs!. I can't believe that I've made this much progress. I'm glad I joined the thread and I'm looking forward to the 2016 post.

Started point: 233
Month 1: 226
Month 2: 218
Month 3: 209
Month 4: 208
Month 5: 199
Month 6: 192.5
Month 7: 186.5
Month 8: 184.5
Month 9: 188
Month 10: 179.5
Month 11: 174
Total: 59 lbs

[Jon_Snow]

Warning: clicking on that second pic you get A LOT of DollarBill in your face. :0

Pretty amazing transformation man...

[DollarBill]

Warning: clicking on that second pic you get A LOT of DollarBill in your face. :0

Pretty amazing transformation man...

Ahhahaha...I tried to upright it and make it smaller but gave up.

[DollarBill]

I just saw your post in the "Strength & Fitness" thread...so freaking true! I look at my older pictures and all I can do is shake my head in disbelief. And I need to keep this thought in my head when helping others.
 

LWTG, don't be too discouraged. I was completely unable to address my fitness while I was working...only when I FIRE'd was I able to get my act together. If you acheive even modest fitness goals in 2016, while still working your way towards FIRE, you will have done something I could not do.

When I look back on, let's say, my last 7 years of work I had every opportunity to be fit and strong. I worked in construction...road work, civil...there was a ton of hard, physical work involved. If I could have kept my diet under control, I could have easily been the shape I am currently in...but as I have addressed in my Journal, work stress caused my diet discipline to crumble. I could dig with a shovel all day long, but if I hit every drive-thru and liquor store (six pack o' beer) on the way home any benefits were quickly nullified.

It's so dissapointing to look back on...

[votu]

Forty Eight Week

Last week weight: 124.8
Current weight: 123.6

This is a bit of a head scratcher.  According to my food journal, I didn't cut out that much calories.

Looking good there DollarBill!

Edit: removed link

[Philociraptor]

Time to close out 2015! Started Jan 20th at 233 lbs and I'm now 174 lbs...for a total of 59 lbs!. I can't believe that I've made this much progress. I'm glad I joined the thread and I'm looking forward to the 2016 post.

Started point: 233
Month 1: 226
Month 2: 218
Month 3: 209
Month 4: 208
Month 5: 199
Month 6: 192.5
Month 7: 186.5
Month 8: 184.5
Month 9: 188
Month 10: 179.5
Month 11: 174
Total: 59 lbs

Way to go DollarBill! How did you get rid of all the extra skin? I've been working on fitness for about 4 years now and can't seem to get rid of it, so I have a big ol' pouch of a belly, even when I'm at my lowest weight.

[DollarBill]

Way to go DollarBill! How did you get rid of all the extra skin? I've been working on fitness for about 4 years now and can't seem to get rid of it, so I have a big ol' pouch of a belly, even when I'm at my lowest weight.

Thanks! You can't really do anything for the extra skin (besides surgery)...just wear it like a badge of honor ;). I think some of it could tighten up a bit depending how old you are and the beginning weight. I notice mine on my lower back and I've also noticed that the lower I go the better it is...maybe because less fat pulling down on it. This of course could change at some point but my plan is to keep cutting then build muscle to tighten things up.

[votu]

Final weight in for this year

Starting weight: 152.6 lbs
Current weight: 123 lbs

Total weight lost: 29.6 lbs

Was hoping to reach 30 lbs lost, but this month had been a bit difficult.

[mjb]

Also late to the party, but finally decided to reverse course after a year of self-destruction.

Started Jan 19 @ 265, now down to 255 by half-assedly going back to a low-fat/high-carb/whole foods/plant-based diet.

I've been traveling a ton, so adherence fluctuates -- it's far easier to stick to any way of eating when you're cooking at home -- but I'm back at home for a few weeks and am doing great and saving a ton of money, too. If I stick to it and all goes according to my spreadsheet, I should be merely "overweight" (by BMI standards) by July.

Chiming in: ending the year at 213.4. I'm far off from where I'd hoped to be, but I made steady progress all year, and even started running and doing other exercises.

I also started weighing myself everyday, per this article. This was a huge motivator: https://medium.com/technology-liberal-arts/the-data-diet-how-i-lost-60-pounds-using-a-google-docs-spreadsheet-80adce62cf5c

[yuka]

I've added a 2016 iteration of this thread! Find it here: http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/throw-down-the-gauntlet/losing-weight-in-2016/