KF Weight Loss Club

[JR 137]

Anyone interested in losing weight with me? I'm tired of watching my stomach get bigger. I'm tired of my excuses. Being a school teacher and having a lot of time this summer, I don't have any excuses.

I'm 5'8 and weight about 225 lbs. Or about 173 cm and 102 kg for my metric system friends (yes, your system's better). My goal is to weigh 200 lbs (90 kg) by September 1st.

I'll officially weigh myself July 1st, and every Friday morning thereafter.

My plan is simple on paper:

Cut out soda completely - my overwhelming source of empty calories

Smaller portion sizes - nothing too drastic

30 minutes minimum on my BOB XL or 3 rounds of 6 exercises on my Total Gym, 4 times per week.

Drink 1 cup of chocolate milk after every workout

Anyone interested in joining in? It's far easier if we do it together and hold each other accountable.

[JR 137]

I'm going to try to wear my Fitbit in class tonight to see what my HR and other stats look like. It's a 1.5 hour class that's typically kata the first 45 minutes, followed by sparring drills, and then sparring for the last 20 minutes or so. I don't think the gentleman teaching it tonight will have any issues with it as long as it comes off for sparring. It'll be good to get a more accurate idea of work rate during training. I'm not too convinced that Fitbit's preloaded stats are too accurate.

[LLLEARNER]

I am at 6ft and 230.8 LBS.

I started replacing one of my meals each day with a salad, and have reduced my soda intake.

[Patrick]

Hey JR,

I love the idea for this thread, and look forward to following your journey!

I have also been losing weight. For context, maybe 4 years or so ago, I was at my highest weight, like 185 or 188. I'm 6 foot, so that isn't too terrible, but it was at the high end (or above) the generally considered healthy weight. And my vital stats from blood work were going up. So, I got more serious about my workouts (I love Fitness Blender routines). I also stopped drinking soda, and continually have made small changes in how I eat. Like not eating chips. And eating a lot less bread and/or lower calorie bread.

Nothing drastic, and in April of this year, I was down to 160. I figured I wouldn't lose much more, but I also was carrying around more belly fat than I really wanted to have. Obviously, diet is super important, but I had always thought I'd never log my food. But I decided to start. I was eating healthy stuff, but I had a feeling that I was eating too much. Without tracking it, I wouldn't really know.

And my stomach was a motivator for me. It was alright... but it wasn't particularly good, and I wanted to see what I could do.

So, I started using MyFitnessPal. I put in my accurate info (age, weight, lifestyle). I said I wanted to lose half a pound a week (again, I don't really need to lose weight, necessarily). And last week, after two months, I was down to 147, which is pretty amazing to me.

I wanted to keep it simple for me, so I only focus on logging food that has calories. I log those foods diligently, and don't give myself the benefit of the doubt. I think you have to be that way, and log everything with calories, otherwise it's 50 calories here, 100 calories there, and you're actually missing your goal when you think you are hitting it. Since April, I have had two days where I went way over my allotment, and a few where I went a little over. But other than that, all under and for maybe a third of that, I had hundreds of calories left. It was easier than I thought, and educational.

I don't log foods that don't have calories. I don't worry about macros, except in a very general, long range sense. I don't log my water. I don't log my exercises. Again, needing it to be simple and not be too much of a chore. I have 2,090 calories per day, and I give myself an extra 100 if I want it, because I don't log the exercises. But that's the limit. And it has really worked.

Around the time I started logging, I also started intermittent fasting. Basically, I don't eat past 10 PM and don't start eating until noon. I tend to exercise before noon, and I like it. I feel pretty great! And I have noticed a difference in how my body looks. At this point, I am just looking to lose more body fat, so I am still logging and maintaining those goals. I might lose some more weight, or not, but I want to continue to lose body fat, and it has visibly helped with that.

(I was already exercising 5 days a week with a 6th recovery/stretching/yoga day, and that has continued throughout this process. Though I do take some extra days off when I travel, which is usually a couple times a month).

I'm finishing up this Fitness Blender routine now, and will switch to a more lifting focused one for 4-8 weeks after that.

I realize I'm not at the same place as you or other people, e.g. you might hear my weight and think "haha, you don't need to lose weight." And I'm not trying to lose weight at this, but thought this story might be interesting/might update here as my stomach (hopefully) gets better.

Will be really interested to follow this thread!

Thanks,

Patrick

[JR 137]

Hey JR,

I love the idea for this thread, and look forward to following your journey!

I have also been losing weight. For context, maybe 4 years or so ago, I was at my highest weight, like 185 or 188. I'm 6 foot, so that isn't too terrible, but it was at the high end (or above) the generally considered healthy weight. And my vital stats from blood work were going up. So, I got more serious about my workouts (I love Fitness Blender routines). I also stopped drinking soda, and continually have made small changes in how I eat. Like not eating chips. And eating a lot less bread and/or lower calorie bread.

Nothing drastic, and in April of this year, I was down to 160. I figured I wouldn't lose much more, but I also was carrying around more belly fat than I really wanted to have. Obviously, diet is super important, but I had always thought I'd never log my food. But I decided to start. I was eating healthy stuff, but I had a feeling that I was eating too much. Without tracking it, I wouldn't really know.

And my stomach was a motivator for me. It was alright... but it wasn't particularly good, and I wanted to see what I could do.

So, I started using MyFitnessPal. I put in my accurate info (age, weight, lifestyle). I said I wanted to lose half a pound a week (again, I don't really need to lose weight, necessarily). And last week, after two months, I was down to 147, which is pretty amazing to me.

I wanted to keep it simple for me, so I only focus on logging food that has calories. I log those foods diligently, and don't give myself the benefit of the doubt. I think you have to be that way, and log everything with calories, otherwise it's 50 calories here, 100 calories there, and you're actually missing your goal when you think you are hitting it. Since April, I have had two days where I went way over my allotment, and a few where I went a little over. But other than that, all under and for maybe a third of that, I had hundreds of calories left. It was easier than I thought, and educational.

I don't log foods that don't have calories. I don't worry about macros, except in a very general, long range sense. I don't log my water. I don't log my exercises. Again, needing it to be simple and not be too much of a chore. I have 2,090 calories per day, and I give myself an extra 100 if I want it, because I don't log the exercises. But that's the limit. And it has really worked.

Around the time I started logging, I also started intermittent fasting. Basically, I don't eat past 10 PM and don't start eating until noon. I tend to exercise before noon, and I like it. I feel pretty great! And I have noticed a difference in how my body looks. At this point, I am just looking to lose more body fat, so I am still logging and maintaining those goals. I might lose some more weight, or not, but I want to continue to lose body fat, and it has visibly helped with that.

(I was already exercising 5 days a week with a 6th recovery/stretching/yoga day, and that has continued throughout this process. Though I do take some extra days off when I travel, which is usually a couple times a month).

I'm finishing up this Fitness Blender routine now, and will switch to a more lifting focused one for 4-8 weeks after that.

I realize I'm not at the same place as you or other people, e.g. you might hear my weight and think "haha, you don't need to lose weight." And I'm not trying to lose weight at this, but thought this story might be interesting/might update here as my stomach (hopefully) gets better.

Will be really interested to follow this thread!

Thanks,

Patrick

Thanks for the post and encouragement, Patrick. And no, I didn't think "you don't need to lose weight" for a second. Ok maybe that sounds wrong, but I mean it in a good way. Everyone's got their own ideal weight. At 5'8, it would seem pretty ridiculous to say my ideal weight is around 190 lbs. During the months leading up to Kathryn's birth (she's 6), I looked and more importantly felt great at 195 lbs. I've always weighed a lot more than I looked. Everyone's different. You know where you should be better than anyone else.

[JR 137]

I am at 6ft and 230.8 LBS.

I started replacing one of my meals each day with a salad, and have reduced my soda intake.

Does that mean you're joining in on the fun?

No pressure:)

[JR 137]

I found this article interesting. At first I thought, well yeah, the group that worked out 4-6 times a week would obviously lose more fat than the group that worked out 3-4 times a week, but then I read they did the same VOLUME (amount) of exercise...

http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/split-cardio-and-weights-to-reduce-belly-fat?utm_campaign=DailyDose&utm_source=menshealth.com&utm_medium=newsletter&smartcode=YN_0005353772_0001619692&sha1hashlower=9d5c24c999632a82082dab2fa0b64b5683e8bc8d&md5hash=99cc53709ab0de45e4fa41642cb3e56a

Spoiler alert: the group that did weights one and day and cardio the next day lost significantly more fat than the group that did weights then cardio on the same day. Interesting.

[LLLEARNER]

I am at 6ft and 230.8 LBS.

I started replacing one of my meals each day with a salad, and have reduced my soda intake.

Does that mean you're joining in on the fun?

No pressure:)

I am joining the fun. The lowest I have ever been since 25 (I typically only get weighed at the doctor's) is 226. That was earlier this year when I did not feel good and ate little. When I took this job I was 248.

Right now my motivator is improving my karate, and seeing my duty belt past my body armor.

[JR 137]

July 1st...

220.2 lbs

1 hr karate class

Manual labor around the house consisting of putting together some new furniture and rearranging everything but the bedrooms. Lots of going up and down the stairs to throw old stuff out, and moving furniture around. Especially when my wife says "let me see how it'll look over there instead" for the 5th time

The biggest benefit of it all - making a semi defined space for my Total Gym which isn't hidden in a closet. Have you seen Chuck Norris?

[JR 137]

Today's workout...

30 minutes with BOB XL

10 two minute rounds, 1 minute rest between

All punches, no kicking

According to Fitbit app...

20 minutes peak heart rate, 9 minutes cardio

151 average bpm

459 calories burned

1 cup chocolate milk and a very cold shower afterwards

It felt great to go 10 rounds with a bag again!