Losing 25% of Body Weight

sojustrutz

Have been overweight for years and really want to make a change. I'm a 38 year old male with a diagnosed mental health disorder, abuse of booze ( and other things ) and binge eating contributed to me ballooning up to a massive 114kg over lockdown. Down to 104kg now which is progress but still miles away from where I want to be. Current BMI of 36.0 and 37% body fat , feels awful just to write that down but hoping starting this thread to keep myself, motivated and accountable to track progress. Goal is to get to 78 kg. Loose target of 6 months feels a bit ambitious, but we will see how things go and adjust accordingly.

Sunday 07/04 :

Exercise: 1400 metre swim.

Meals : 2x Bananas , Scampi, peas & Chips for dinner.

Not the healthiest option for dinner I know, but I'm in a house share that alternates cooking and Sunday is usually a 'cheat' meal so can't always choose the dinner. Will try to keep the calories down by eating less during the day.

Gonna be doing mostly cardio , but might add in some weights also. Heard conflicting things on this though so I'm a bit unsure, should I lift weights when trying to lose weight, or just focus on cutting?

LambshankRedemption

Great job on the self motivation!

Im far from an expert but what I read which seems to make sense, is by doing weights you improve muscle mass, you therefore lose more calories while at rest.

Muscle weighs more than fat so, if you improve muscle mass then you will weigh more, so it might feel like you are not making progress by looking at the scales, so I would advise use the scales as a guideline. What you are really looking to achieve is slim down, tone up and basically look better naked(and clothed).

At my heaviest I was 114kg. I'm now 97, so it can be done. As the old adage goes, you can't outrun a bad diet and thats how I made my progress.

Best of luck!

fits

focus on eating lots of protein and fibre with every meal. Absolutely start strength training. You want to lose the fat and keep the muscle.

sojustrutz

Monday: 08/04

2x sets of Fartlek run. This is run 5mins (6.3 mph) , walk 2.5 mins, run 4 mins (6.5mph), walk 2 mins, run 3 mins (6.7 mph) , walk 1.5 mins , run 2 mins (7 mph), walk 1 min , run 1 min (8.5 mph)

Total Calories burned : 3750

Meals : 1 x banana , 1 x large packet fridge raiders chicken bites , veggie bolognaise for dinner. 2 squares dark chocolate.

Fluids : 2x Black coffee, 2x Tea , 4 litres water.

Tuesday: 09/04

3x sets of Fartlek same speed as above. Really happy to get up to 45 minutes running, haven't ran that much in a day in a long time. Was banjaxed after though so didn't get any weights in which I had hoped to do. Will try doing strength training before cardio in future.

Total Calories Burned: 4400

Meals : 1 x Banana , 1 x Packet Fridge raider chicken, mushroom soup and a couple slices of wholemeal bread. 2x squares dark chocolate.

Fluids : 2x Black coffee, 2x Tea , 4 litres water.

sojustrutz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121988525#Comment_121988525

Well done on the weight loss, that's impressive! Really want to get down to double digits on the KG's that will feel like a good milestone to pass. How long did it take you to lose that, were you doing a lot of exercise / strength training or was it mostly diet?

sojustrutz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121989594#Comment_121989594

Cheers fits for the advice. Any good strength training programme you could suggest? Was looking at the 5x5 programme.

sojustrutz

Bumping this thread. Things got a bit derailed in my personal life, had some issues and ended up relocating back to Ireland. On the job hunt at the moment so plenty of spare time, the challenge will be maintaining diet/exercise when I (hopefully) get a job. Weight is still the same at 104 kgs. Joined the gym today and it was tough going back and had found I lost a lot of fitness. I couldn't run a straight 5km , so have reverted back to week 5 of couch to 5KM. Going to focus on cardio to start but will look to incorporate weights as I go. Going Lazy keto so no sugary foods, booze, spuds, bread pasta etc and going to try exercise everyday (or at least get 10k steps in) until the end of September when I will weigh in. Will update daily to track my progress and keep myself accountable.

Thursday 28/8

Exercise : Week 5 Run 1 Couch to 5km (3x 5mins run , 2x 3mins Walk and a 5 minute warm up & cool down walk). Got roughly 4.2 kms done all in all with this.

15 mins skipping. Did 10 mins with a normal skipping rope which was tough enough, then 5 minutes with a 2kg skipping rope. This doesn't sound like much but found it an absolute killer, could barely do 30 secs straight before the arms gave up, so took a lot of breaks in this 5mins. Hoping to make some progress with this as its a good strength builder aswell as good cardio.

Calories burned : 3,300

Meals : Breakfast 1x Banana , Lunch 2x Boiled Eggs, Dinner Omlette with feta, mushrooms , spinach , bacon.

sojustrutz

Friday 29/08

Exercise : Week 5 run 2 Couch to 5km (2x 8 mins run 5 mins walk ). 15 mins skipping and then a 5km walk in the evening. Bit of a jump tomorrow in the couch to 5km with a 20 minute straight run but will see how I go.

Meals : Breakfast 1 Banana, Lunch slice of omlette , Dinner Turkey & Gammon with mixed veg.

Calories Burned : 5100.

POBox19

Following this, keep it up.

LambshankRedemption

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122000746#Comment_122000746

Sorry for only responding now. That weight loss came about solely from working on my diet. I am now incorporating more exercise into the mix.

sojustrutz

Friday 30/08

Exercise : Had a few things on yesterday so didn't get as much work done in the gym as I wanted. Manged to get in to do Couch to 5km Week 5 Run 3, which is - Walk 5 mins , Run 20 mins , Walk 5 mins. Was a bit daunted at the prospect at running for 20 mins straight, but it wasn't that bad. Think it's more a mental game than physical game a lot of the time. No skipping or any other exercise but hoping to make up for it today.

Meals : Breakfast - 1 Banana , Lunch - Mushrooms, 2 x Boiled eggs, Bacon , Dinner - Burger(Minus the bun) and some prawn , chicken , veggies skewers. Was at a barbecue yesterday and it was tough enough going not to drink, but had 4 or 5 cans of Guinness Zero. Not ideal for the calories but better than the alternative. With were I am in life, the form is not great at the moment and self esteem is quite low, so found it hard enough to socialize without the dutch courage of a few beers. I managed to get through it okay, but hopefully if I keep at the gym it will improve my mental health and ability to interact with people. Anyways, that's probably a thread for personal issues!

Calories burned : 4000

Alonzo Mosley

We're all behind you ……. keep the faith !!!

sojustrutz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122565387#Comment_122565387

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122561559#Comment_122561559

cheers for the encouragement lads!

Akrasia

Best of luck!

Im a man who turned 41 this year, In the last 15 months I went from about 19 stone (120kg) and feeling like crap, same as yerself, bad diet, drinking way too much and not enough exercise or confidence.

Got a scare in relation to my liver function so quit the booze entirely for a few months around june last year and started walking way more, an hour or 2 several times a week. This motivated me to skip some of the unhealthy snacking, and i started to lose weight. Started drinking a little bit again around this time last year and my progress stopped but then I went full zero alcohol from November last year, (Motivated by a separate but very big crisis in my life)

Kept walking in all my free time, until i got down to about 15 stone, (listened to a lot of audio books) then got an exercise bike for the house and found a 30 minute daily routine that i can do in the morning. Same program on the bike every day but I'm pushing harder as i get fitter. Sweat a few buckets, shower and ready for the day.

I also got a 10kg dumbbell that i leave in the garden, several times a day every day, i just pick it up, do some reps on each arm, no schedule, just when I'm outside I'll pick it up. I also installed gymnastics rings on an old swing set the kids have outgrown, so i can do upper body and core exercises a few mins here and there. Having lost a lot of weight already, i found i could do pushups again. Confidence was really starting to come back.

As we came into spring, i took up swimming in the sea, and then I started surfing. Bought an 8 foot foam board and some inflatable roof rails for the car. That was a huge motivation because now i had a goal. Learn a new skill that takes practice, balance and physical fitness, and i like being in the sea, its so relaxing and you can forget all of your stress and worries for a few hours, and I'm really enjoying it.

I'm now just under 13 stone, or 80kg which is a healthy weight for my height, and I'm fitter and stronger than I've been for more than a decade. I've gone down from xxl tshirts to medium or large.

I've begun to have a few drinks again, socially, no interest in drinking the same way i used to, but its something I'll have to keep a big eye on.

Sorry to hijack your thread, just want to show you it can be done, don't beat yourself up if you miss a few targets, just try to focus on how much better you feel as motivation.

Being able to run 5k at all Is more than most people can do, and if you enjoy it, keep it up, or use the opportunity to try something totally different that you can use as a goal to keep motivation and track your progress

sojustrutz

Saturday 31/08

Exercise - Couch to 5km week 6 run 1. 5 mins warm up walk, run 5 mins , walk 3 mins, run 8 mins, walk 3 mins , run 5 mins, 5 mins cool down walk. 20 mins skipping , 1 minute sets with 30 seconds rest. Did 15 sets with a normal rope and 5 sets on the 2kg rope. Heavy rope is kicking my arse but managed to get 30 seconds straight with out a break, which is some progress. Eventually want to be able to do 20 mins on the heavy rope but miles away from that!

Meals - Breakfast - Banana , Lunch - Greek Yogurt with Blueberries , Dinner - Turkey, Gammon, Mixed Veg with a little stuffing.

Calories Burned - 3900

sojustrutz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122565831#Comment_122565831

Thanks for the reply and congrats on the transformation. That's an amazing journey you've been on and shows it can be done!

fits

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122570666#Comment_122570666

you’re doing great!

However you are eating nothing! Would something like glean work for you? I think they are taking new members tomorrow. ( I’m not a member but like his posts on Instagram). I’m female and lost weight and have kept it off eating a lot more than that!

sojustrutz

Sunday 1/9

Exercise - Couch to 5km Wk 6 Run 2 , 5 min walk, 10 min run, Walk 3 mins, Run 10 mins, 5 mins walk.

Meals - Breakfast Banana , Lunch Omelette , Dinner Halloumi and Cesar Salad.

Calories Burned- 3300

Monday 2/9

Exercise - Felt a little low on Monday so just went back to couch to 5km week 1 to get my 10km steps in.

Meals - Breakfast Banana, Lunch Omelette, Dinner Steak and Frozen Veg.

Calories Burned - 3200

sojustrutz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122571304#Comment_122571304

Thanks! I generally don't have a big appetite (unless I'm eating crap!) its more the exercise I'm struggling with, I need to get more variety in and calories burned.

flended12

I'm watching this thread with interest and have started to make some changes already. @sojustrutz well done to date and keep going.

sojustrutz

Been struggling a bit the last couple of days with low mood, negative thoughts and depression which has impacted training a bit. I always feel so much better after going to the gym, but sometimes finding the energy to go is difficult. I guess I just need to try to keep determined and keep telling myself I will feel better after going.

Tuesday 3/9

Exercise : Felt like crap on Tuesday and motivation was very low. Went to the local athletic track and just did couch to 5km week 1 to get me up to 10k steps.

Meals : Breakfast - Banana, Lunch - Omelette , Dinner - Steak and Frozen Veg,

Calories Burned - 3200

Weds 4/9

Exercise : Couch to 5km week 6 run 3. 5 mins warm up walk , 25 mins run, 5 minutes cool down walk. Felt good to get close to running a full 5km again, gassed a bit at the 20 minute mark but managed it okay. Probably could have done another 5 mins to go the full 5km but I'll follow the programme through to the end.

Meals : Very boring , had the same as above.

Calories Burned: 3800

sojustrutz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122584530#Comment_122584530

Thanks for the kind words, been struggling a bit recently and posts like this mean a lot! Best of luck with achieving your goals!

notfragile

This sound like hope, You are doing a great job! Keep moving, You got this! 😁💪

Alonzo Mosley

Try make the most of the good weather…… get a nice walk in to clear the head. You'll feel a million dollars.

sojustrutz

Been off here for a few days as I had a couple of job interview this morning and last week (fingers crossed 🤞) but have still been chipping away with the lazy keto and the exercise. Mental health has been better also, doing exercise improves me so much and having a few job interviews has a boosted confidence a bit. I've been running everyday bar Sunday (did a 5mile walk to get up to 10k steps) and up to 5kms now, around 28.5 mins roughly. I still add in 20mins skipping after the runs and the heavy rope is still kicking my arse. I want to get more variety into workouts though as I'm getting a bit bored of doing the same thing, might switch up the 5kms into 20 minute HIIT workouts for a bit of a change. Averaging around 3800 calories burned a day , no idea what my calorie intake is , but assume I'm in a decent deficit as I'm not eating loads and definitely feeling a bit lighter. Meals are usually the same, generally a banana for breakfast, omlette for lunch and meat / mixed veg for dinner. Will weigh in at the end of September, hoping to be under 100 kg and back into double digits kg wise. Will get back to posting daily here as it's easier to keep track of things.

sojustrutz

Didn't get a role for any of the interviews I had which is a bit of sickener and left me in bad form for a few days, missed a couple of days of the gym and fell of the keto wagon and had a takeaway chinese. Anyways onwards and upwards got back to into it over the last few days, down to 27.5 mins on the 5kms and started doing 20 minute HIIT exercises aswell. Burning roughly 3800 cals the last few days and back on the keto wagon. Couple of weeks till I weigh in so want to make a big push the next 2 weeks.

sojustrutz

Weds 18/9

Exercise - 5km run (28mins) , 21 minute hiit routine ( 7 movements 1minute each x 3) , 20 mins skipping.

Meals - Breakfast Banana , Lunch Greek Yogurt and Blueberries, Dinner Chicken legs and Mixed Veg.

Calories Burned - 4400.

Thursday 19th

Exercise - 5km run , 21 minute hiit routine, 20mins skipping.

Meals - Breakfast Banana , Lunch omelette , Dinner Steak and Mixed Veg.

Calories 4300

sojustrutz

Friday 20th

Exercise - 5km run, 20 mins skipping , 21 minute HIIT ,

Meals - Breakfast - Banana , Lunch - bacon and eggs, Dinner steak and mixed veg

Calories burned - 4200

Saturday 21st

Exercise - 5km run, 20 mins skipping , 20 minutes on Stairmaster

Meals - Breakfast - Banana, Lunch - Greek yogurt with blueberries, Dinner - Chicken thighs with mixed veg.

Calories burned - 4300

Sunday 22nd

Exercise - Rest day but walked 5km to get up to 10k steps.

Meals - Breakfast - Banana , Lunch - Omelette , Dinner - Turkey/gammon mixed veg.

Calories burned - 2900

sojustrutz

Monday 23rd

Exercise - 5km run , 20 mins skipping.

Meals - Breakfast - Banana , Lunch - Omelette , Dinner - Chicken legs and Mixed Veg.

Calories Burned - 4000

Tuesday 24th

Exercise - 5km Run, 20 mins skipping

Meals - Breakfast - Banana , Lunch - 2 x Boiled Eggs, Dinner - Chicken Legs and Mixed Veg.

Calories Burned - 3900.