2020 Gut Busters - Weight Loss Challenge

[bolivas]

This is a group I NEED to join! After a great summer and early fall of "THE 5 B's" (burgers, brats, BBQ, beer and boats) I stepped on a scale on Jan 1st and discovered I was at 205. I'm 6'0" with a slender build so that is about 25 lbs. too much. On top of that I am a Type 1 diabetic so it makes things even worse. I gave myself a month to enjoy things and after Super Bowl Sunday I began working out and watching what I eat. I'm on a semi-Keto diet and have cut out most carbs. So far, a few weeks in, I'm down 6 lbs.

I HATE doing cardio so I have been either jumping on our elliptical and running a mile as fast as I can or get on the rowing machine and knocking out 1 km as fast as I can. Both get my heart rate way up and then I circuit train with weights and very few breaks for another 20-25 minutes.

The worst part is how much I miss beer! I cheated last night when my son and I hit Buffalo Wild Wings. Sam Adams Boston Lager was calling me and I had to answer. I limited myself to one so it wasn't too bad. Otherwise if I want an adult beverage I have switched to White Claw (ugh.)

Michelob Ultra is another option. Only 3 carbs....

 

[Renod]

I tried Ultra and it tasted like someone poured their beer over ice and then let the ice melt! For me it was similar, but not close enough, to be really enjoyable.

 

[BigAbe75]

New low today!!! Down 36.1 to 348.7. Traveled for work 5 days last week, every meal in a restaurant. I thought I was doing pretty good with my choices, but must have overdone the quantity. I came home up 7 from when I left. That was a week ago today. Now I’ve lost that plus 1.

@Julian I have no idea how you travel so much and are doing so well. Don’t stop getting those steps!!

My next goal is to get under 325, by boating season (mid-late May) if possible.

 

[2kwik4u]

Well, I've been doing terrible. Like really bad. As of this morning I'm still right at 225.8lbs. Spent last week in Jamaica with some close friends and came home just over 230lbs.

Worst part is a friend of mine took a picture of me while there, showed me the picture, and I honestly asked "who's that guy". My mental image of myself no longer matches the actual picture of myself. While the angle and my posture don't help the situation, I've really developed some weight that I'm less than happy with.

Here's the picture. I'm closest to camera


SO.....This is not the motivation I wanted, but probably the motivation I needed. Wife and I have a renewed push to lose the belly fat we've accumulated over the years. Going to be a long uphill battle.

 

[Julian]

@Julian I have no idea how you travel so much and are doing so well. Don’t stop getting those steps!!

Beer will be my downfall...especially on the road! Traveling is exhausting enough...then you have to push yourself to go work out too. Just got back from the hotel gym here in Bangalore. Room scale has me at 188.5....a dose of the Bangalore Belly would help me lose even more!!! LOL

 

[anmut]

I wanted to chime in as a guy that was 165 in college, ballooned to 250 in my 30's, and in six months went down to 175 and now currently sit at 190 as a healthy and muscular weight, and just talk about what worked for me.

#1 is calorie counting. Use an app and log everything, everyday, even if it puts you over your budget for the day. This will train you to look at food differently.

#2 is exercise of any kind. I do 5 days at the gym at 4am, but that works for me. Walking / biking / jogging, do whatever you can.

#3 is muscle building. Hit some weights and put on some muscle. Muscle needs more calories to work, so it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy of muscle=weight loss.

#4 be careful with alcohol. It's empty calories and clouds healthy decision making. You do not need to abstain, just drink less and smarter. Also, once you lose weight, be careful drinking like you did at your old weight as it will hit you differently.

#5 do not ever, ever, ever give up. Weight loss and healthy living is a marathon, not a sprint.

#6 is tricky, but pull your wife and family into it if you can. You can do it alone but it adds to your success if everyone is on board.

#7 is F*CK fast food. F*CK soda. Stay away from it all. If you have to eat at a restaurant, go healthy. I have ate taco bell twice in the last three years, both times it disgusted me.

#8 is, again, NEVER GIVE UP. You will do it.

#9 is stay away from cheaters. Supplements / pills / fad diets / gyms that make promises. They will fail you and you will feel like quitting. Weight loss is so simple: Calories in vs. calories burned. Keep it simple and don't get caught up in the next new fad. Don't even bother going to GNC, burn your money on your boat instead.

 

[2kwik4u]

I wanted to chime in as a guy that was 165 in college, ballooned to 250 in my 30's, and in six months went down to 175 and now currently sit at 190 as a healthy and muscular weight, and just talk about what worked for me.

....A ton of great advice......

As a guy that was 175 in July of 2011, and had just climbed off a 1,400mi bicycle trip.....that is now a 230lb sloth that can't climb a set of stairs without being winded.......I appreciate hearing that the formula is still the same. Lower Calorie intake, Increase Calorie burn, and convert some mass to muscle.

Years ago (like 2004-ish) I had a similar realization to the one I had on the beach last week. I started the 5:30am spin classes at the local gym. Those were M-W-F, and then on T-Th I would do weight lifting at some level. That went on for about a year before I met my now wife. That base fitness carried me a LONG way through my bicycling shenanigans, boating, and life in general. I'm hoping to rebuild to that level of fitness now, but I had forgotten how hard it is to exercise.

Thanks again for the tips!

 

[BigAbe75]

I wanted to chime in as a guy that was 165 in college, ballooned to 250 in my 30's, and in six months went down to 175 and now currently sit at 190 as a healthy and muscular weight, and just talk about what worked for me.

#1 is calorie counting. Use an app and log everything, everyday, even if it puts you over your budget for the day. This will train you to look at food differently.

#2 is exercise of any kind. I do 5 days at the gym at 4am, but that works for me. Walking / biking / jogging, do whatever you can.

#3 is muscle building. Hit some weights and put on some muscle. Muscle needs more calories to work, so it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy of muscle=weight loss.

#4 be careful with alcohol. It's empty calories and clouds healthy decision making. You do not need to abstain, just drink less and smarter. Also, once you lose weight, be careful drinking like you did at your old weight as it will hit you differently.

#5 do not ever, ever, ever give up. Weight loss and healthy living is a marathon, not a sprint.

#6 is tricky, but pull your wife and family into it if you can. You can do it alone but it adds to your success if everyone is on board.

#7 is F*CK fast food. F*CK soda. Stay away from it all. If you have to eat at a restaurant, go healthy. I have ate taco bell twice in the last three years, both times it disgusted me.

#8 is, again, NEVER GIVE UP. You will do it.

#9 is stay away from cheaters. Supplements / pills / fad diets / gyms that make promises. They will fail you and you will feel like quitting. Weight loss is so simple: Calories in vs. calories burned. Keep it simple and don't get caught up in the next new fad. Don't even bother going to GNC, burn your money on your boat instead.

Great post. Thank you!!

I’ve got to get moving on 2 and 3. I’m doing pretty well on all the other fronts. Definitely agree that it is so much easier with the wife on board. Previously, we would have pizza 1 night and spaghetti 1 night nearly every week. It’s so much more difficult to plan ahead to have decent food to fix, and food prep takes a bit more work. But it’s super worth it. I haven’t left the table feeling bloated since we started eating better the first week of Jan.

Our primary grocery store is WalMart. Something that we have just discovered is the online ordering. She enjoys grocery shopping so much more now. Build the cart from the phone app, add the necessities (easier to skip the impulse buys), schedule a time for pickup, drive up and they run your bags out to the car and stick them in the car for you. Now she’s done with the Walmart run in 10 minutes vs 2 hours and is consistently spending less money.

And, I’m spending less money taking most of my lunches rather than going out to eat everyday.

 

[anmut]

Previously, we would have pizza 1 night and spaghetti 1 night nearly every week.

I've been there for sure. We'd be so tired from work all day that it was fast food or take out nearly every night. Then you're more tired because your body is spending so much time on digestion of processed foods that you never get over the hump.

One of the unfortunate things that changed about our weekly eating habits is that we don't eat together as much do to diet preferences and timing. It's healthier, but hard to get the family together one I'm making oatmeal, my wife is waiting an hour to eat, and my kids are constantly hungry.

 

[BigAbe75]

#7 is F*CK fast food. F*CK soda. Stay away from it all. If you have to eat at a restaurant, go healthy. I have ate taco bell twice in the last three years, both times it disgusted me.

Question on [HASH=3499]#7:[/HASH] How do you feel about grilled chicken sandwiches from the fast food places? In the last couple of weeks, I’ve found myself out with the kids at mealtime. I’ve ordered the grilled chicken plain, and then just tossed the bun eating the meat only. I haven’t looked at their ingredients to see how many preservatives or whatever they might be adding, but it feels like the least of all the other evils available.

 

[BigAbe75]

Down 39.4 lbs as of Monday morning. Had a good weekend, and did workout #1 on my Couch 2 5k app yesterday evening.

It’s a simple start to an 8 week program designed to have you running a 5k by the end. All workouts start with a 5 min warm up walk and end with a 5 min cool down walk. The first 3 workouts then consist of alternating 60 sec jog and 90 sec walk - repeat for 20 minutes.

The app C25K, connects to your playlists for music, and gives you audio cues of when to do what. “Ding - begin running now”, “Ding - begin walking now”, “Ding - you are now halfway” (at which point I turn around)

Since we are using this for some motivational purposes, I’m going to try to make sure I post up my progress. I did this several years ago, and loved it. Although, I’m starting out a little heavier than I was at that time. Right now, the accountability to keep me doing it is going to help a bunch. Lol. Today, my legs are wondering what the heck I did yesterday.

 

[jcyamaharider]

Split a trailer full of wood manually yesterday and weighed in at 192 this morning!

 

[Julian]

I hit 185.6 today!!!!!!!!!!!!! Never thought I'd get there....those last 3 pounds were a fight. Next goal....180! If I make it there I'll have a party....eat cake, drink beer, and be right back at 185 in one day!!!! LOL

 

[BigAbe75]

I hit 185.6 today!!!!!!!!!!!!! Never thought I'd get there....those last 3 pounds were a fight. Next goal....180! If I make it there I'll have a party....eat cake, drink beer, and be right back at 185 in one day!!!! LOL

Awesome!!!

I’m still headed in the right direction. Down 43.3 now to 341.5. I posted above that I started a C25K workout. Weather has just not been cooperating to get out and run consistently so all I’ve gotten done is the first 3 workouts. But, I am doing pretty well at supplementing my stationary bike or other activities in between.

I cleared my first goal of 350. So, 325 here I come. lol!

 

[2kwik4u]

You guys are doing so much better than I am.

Hopped on the scales at 229.7 (up 4.7lbs ) Sunday. Then turned to the mirror to see the belly glaring back at me. Why can't that level of "I gotta fix this" motivation that happens in that instant be a somewhat permanent fixture? Why must I love sitting and eating so much more than moving around? I just don't get it.

Attempting to make changes (again) this week. Had a shake for breakfast, a sensible sandwich for lunch, and then did the below ride just after eating. Company has me working from home for at least the next two weeks. Going to attempt this ride every day if I can. It's quick to hop on the bike and get it done.

6.2 mi Bike Ride with MapMyRide
Duration: 31:00
Pace: 5.0 min/mi
2kwik4u's Profile

That kind of ride used to be a warmup. Now I'm whooped. Legs and Lungs are less than pleased with me pulling this crap without warning.

Did feel good to be riding again though. So, there's that.

 

[Bluewater272]

I tried Ultra and it tasted like someone poured their beer over ice and then let the ice melt! For me it was similar, but not close enough, to be really enjoyable.

There's a second variety of Mich Ultra called Mich Ultra Gold - it tastes way better (read: tastes like beer) than the standard, and is only like 3.2 carbs instead of 3. Hard to find in cans, I have my beer guy order a few cases of it for me every so often during the summer. Low alcohol content like any other light beer, but that works for me as I can still have some beer and not get sloshed.

 

[2kwik4u]

There's a second variety of Mich Ultra called Mich Ultra Gold - it tastes way better (read: tastes like beer) than the standard, and is only like 3.2 carbs instead of 3. Hard to find in cans, I have my beer guy order a few cases of it for me every so often during the summer. Low alcohol content like any other light beer, but that works for me as I can still have some beer and not get sloshed.

Only beer I've EVER given away. Got it for free after a bike ride charity event. Mich Ultra was NOT great.

I'll keep my eyes open for the gold. Been looking for something to have in the back yard this summer that isn't bourbon and coke, or Corona Light. Does the Mich Ultra Gold still come in the silly slim cans? I have about 600 can coozies for regular cans, and NONE for the slim ones.

 

[Julian]

Only beer I've EVER given away. Got it for free after a bike ride charity event. Mich Ultra was NOT great.

I'll keep my eyes open for the gold. Been looking for something to have in the back yard this summer that isn't bourbon and coke, or Corona Light. Does the Mich Ultra Gold still come in the silly slim cans? I have about 600 can coozies for regular cans, and NONE for the slim ones.

For Stella, I think those slim cans are their way of covering up the fact that the can only contains 11.2 OZ vs 12! (their bottles are the same).

But yes....someone needs to make slim can coolers!!!

I'm stuck in the 185-187 range.....sitting at home drinking MORE beer IS NOT HELPING!!!!

 

[Bluewater272]

Only beer I've EVER given away. Got it for free after a bike ride charity event. Mich Ultra was NOT great.

I'll keep my eyes open for the gold. Been looking for something to have in the back yard this summer that isn't bourbon and coke, or Corona Light. Does the Mich Ultra Gold still come in the silly slim cans? I have about 600 can coozies for regular cans, and NONE for the slim ones.

It's found most often in bottles, but the cans are the stupid slim ones. I finally caved and bought a couple of the metal slim can coozies last summer. One benefit of the slims, they pack into a cooler more efficiently - LOL!

 

[BigAbe75]

It's been a couple weeks since I've updated. New low again, today. Now down 48.9 lbs to 335.9 lbs. As the weather cooperates, I've been sticking with my Couch to 5k runs. I'm now on week 3 of workouts. It's an 8 week program with 3 workouts per week. Work out #24 is a full 5k.

Eating has been a little tougher now that the whole family is stuck in the house, but it hasn't been horrible. I'm still going down, so it's manageable.... but I'm using a fair bit of willpower, and that, I have found, is an exhaustible resource.