Mvbighead's weight loss log (stronglifts 5x5 and more)

[mvbighead]

Well, starting today my company is initiating the 2nd run of our weight loss competition. I did well the first time around losing about 23 lbs over a few months, but had some terrible times post-competition with family tragedies and other things and now, here I sit above my original starting weight from before the 1st competition.

My long term goal is to reach a weight of about 220 standing at 6'3". This competition will go from now until January 5th of 2012. My goal over the next three months is to lose as much weight as I can while doing so in a healthy fashion.

With a starting weight of, well, 307.8 (fully clothed sans shoes) lbs, I am thinking that dropping 40-50 lbs shouldn't be out of the question. But I look to ATHAF to tell me if I should pursue a less excessive goal (or perhaps a more aggressive goal).

I will start by saying that, while I am (sadly) 300 lbs, I am more athletic than my weight would lead you to believe. That is not to say I am in shape, as I obviously am far from it, but simply to say that I can, and have, pushed myself from an athletic standpoint, but simply not from a dietary standpoint. I am on both a softball team (once a week for an hour) and a volleyball team (once a week for two hours). While the softball ends next week, I will continue to be involved in volleyball throughout the winter. In addition to this activity, I will be starting the stronglifts 5x5 to tone up and lose the flab that I have developed over the past 10 years. I also intend to add some form of general exercise between stronglifts days to ensure I am burning calories.

While weight loss is my primary goal, fat loss is of utmost importance. I am not looking to bulk up, but rather, looking to tone up and develop strength where my body needs it.

I come to ATHAF with my head up, and ready to take this head on. I look for any advice you feel the need to provide. I have perused the fat-loss sticky numerous times, and will be basing a good amount of my dietary and exercise goals using that as a guide.

If you have anything you wish to offer, please feel free. I know I need to pull my head out of the <dirt> and nip this thing now before my weight really becomes a problem.

Week 1: 307.8
Week 2: 295.8
Week 3: 291.4
Week 4: 289.4
Week 5: 286.2

 

[Saint Nick]

The best thing you could do is clean up your diet first, then focusing on hitting the gym. Don't overwhelm yourself, but good luck.

 

[mvbighead]

The best thing you could do is clean up your diet first, then focusing on hitting the gym. Don't overwhelm yourself, but good luck.

To be honest, my diet, for the most part, is clean. My consistent problem with diet is the quantity. Note, I am not going out and grabby $15 worth of BK or TB or anything... but simply, when I make a good wholesome meal I simply consume a much larger quantity than I should.

That said, my diet, of late, has not been as clean as it should be. I won't have much problem cutting out the crap food. My biggest hurdle is going to be limiting my portions to appropriate amounts.

As for the gym, I figure to start the 5x5 on the lower weight levels until I get my posture/form down correctly, and move up from there. Nothing overly excessive, simply more resistance training than I have been doing lately, which has been about nill.

 

[JellyBaby]

Given your situation and goals, nutrition is going to be critical. Nothing else you do will matter as much for shedding pounds and losing fat. Definitely address diet first. You can workout like a dog but if you're still eating too much, you won't lose weight.

I have no idea what you mean by a "clean" diet but I would suggest you start tracking calories eaten and your activities using a site like Fitday.com (free). Enter in a weight loss goal and see what kind of calorie deficit you need each day to hit your target. Tracking will show you the real story provided the data entered is accurate.

Cardio will help quite a bit to lose weight. Start by getting in a 20-30 minute walk each day. You can do both cardio and strength training, of course, just make sure you do the cardio.

Portion control thoughts: be sure to eat a solid breakfast. Rather than eating 3 meals a day, shoot for 4-6 smaller meals. Use smaller plates if possible. Always wait at least 20 minutes before thinking about going back for seconds. Drink water, lots of water, even a glass before a meal can help you eat bit less.

 

[mvbighead]

Given your situation and goals, nutrition is going to be critical. Nothing else you do will matter as much for shedding pounds and losing fat. Definitely address diet first. You can workout like a dog but if you're still eating too much, you won't lose weight.

I have no idea what you mean by a "clean" diet but I would suggest you start tracking calories eaten and your activities using a site like Fitday.com (free). Enter in a weight loss goal and see what kind of calorie deficit you need each day to hit your target. Tracking will show you the real story provided the data entered is accurate.

Cardio will help quite a bit to lose weight. Start by getting in a 20-30 minute walk each day. You can do both cardio and strength training, of course, just make sure you do the cardio.

Portion control thoughts: be sure to eat a solid breakfast. Rather than eating 3 meals a day, shoot for 4-6 smaller meals. Use smaller plates if possible. Always wait at least 20 minutes before thinking about going back for seconds. Drink water, lots of water, even a glass before a meal can help you eat bit less.

All excellent tips and much appreciated.

For me, by clean diet, I mean that most of the foods I eat are generally of sound nutritional value. In other words, most meals are cooked at home with minimal amounts of olive oil (if required) and generally consist of grilled chicken and a heap of veggies. The problem, however, is when I make most of my meals, it should generally be a portion for 3-4 people, but a bit over half ends up being my portion, and a little under half (the other half) ends up going to my wife. So, the food is "clean" so to speak, but I am simply taking in far too large a quantity. And perhaps that is not what is meant by a clean diet. Hopefully my explanation makes sense. Suffice it to say, I like food... a lot. At this point, however, I realize that I should be able to like food but minimize portions.

As for fitday, I am already on a site that does something similar. Myfitnesspal.com. I have been a member of the site for a year or more now (pretty much since the last weight competition). Problem is, being an inactive member means you're getting zilch benefit from it. I have started up again (as of yesterday) by keeping track of my diet using that site. My goal is to consistently stay on that site, and get everything recorded.

As for cardio, while I will surely be getting plenty of that in, I have been doing lots of reading and the general consensus seems to be that cardio tends to retrieve energy sources from both fat and muscle. While I know that cardio will still be necessary, I am fully intent on making strength/resistance training a larger part of my core workout this time around. I most definitely want to lose weight, but I would much prefer to be a healthy 240lbs with less than 10% body fat than be 230 with more than 10% body fat. In other words, I am less concerned with how much I weigh (by way of my long term goal) and far more concerned with getting back into the smaller size I should be in, and simply being more fit.

And for meal considerations, I think that is something I have given much consideration to. I may have to consider getting in a full breakfast in lieu of cutting calories in the morning. But meal wise, I intend on eating (re-heated) grilled chicken or pork and frozen veggies (most days) for lunch when at work. I have been "game-planning" pre-lunch snacks such as an apple an hour before lunch to minimize hunger after lunch.

I really appreciate the note on nutrition being critical. I really feel like that is the area I struggle the most. Problem is, my wife and I both enjoy cooking, and we usually tend to do a pretty good job. Thus, we enjoy what we eat, and eat more than we should. We have both placed great emphasis on portion control going forward. I feel like that is the one thing that, if we could get it under control, the weight should take care of itself over the long haul (a few years). Essentially meaning that, if we get into a plan that we can both consistently stick to, our weight won't climb like it has been, and should fall gradually over time.

 

[JellyBaby]

Don't be afraid to use olive oil. While the oil is pretty calorie dense due to the fats, those are healthy omega 3 fatty acids you're getting. You can also add foods like walnuts, flax seeds and avocados for more healthy fats.

Eating a good breakfast actually helps you eat less throughout the day, at least it does for me. Plus in the morning your energy and glycogen stores are low since you've sleep for 7-8 hours so your body needs a recharge.

When you eat 4-6 times a day it feels like you're eating more but in reality you've cut back on portions of each of them to hit your daily calorie goal. Fight off late night hunger with veggies & fight off sugar cravings with fruit.

A good way of eating you might consider is the Mediterranean Diet. It's great for people like you who love to eat, offering a variety of choices and tastes. Its focus is on whole grains, omega 3 fatty acids, fish above meat, some cheeses and yogurts, tons of fresh fruit and veggies, and minimal processed junk.

Definitely do whatever exercise is most enjoyable since the most important thing is doing it. If that's a lot of strength training, great. Cardio will help more with losing weight and I do think people who say cardio burns off muscle have it wrong for the most part. As long as you're not in severe caloric deficit (as is often the case when people are mixing cardio while cutting on harsh diets), the cardio won't hurt your ability to gain strength and muscle. Cardio's health benefits (and fat loss power) outweight any such concerns anyway, imo. Keep your protein intake adequate and you're good-to-go.

 

[mvbighead]

Weighed in today, down 12 lbs. I expect the drops to be much slower from here on out.

 

[JellyBaby]

Nice! :thumbsup:

What are you shooting for in terms of percentage of calories from fats, carbs and protein?

 

[mvbighead]

I dunno about specific percentages.

I generally aim for a fair portion of protein with each meal. I try to stick to low fat, low carb as best I can (seldom am I eating potatoes, hunks of cheese, or anything of that nature).

Essentially each meal generally consists of a chicken breast (and other meats as well, but mostly chicken), a serving of vegetables (usually about double the amount of the meat), and a light snack like a frozen yogurt bar (50 calories).

Breakfast is either an egg and cheese sandwich, or a fruit smoothie. The meals are generally all similar though. Tonight, the plan is to have burritos with guacamole but no tortilla shell and a small serving of rice.

So, no goals in terms of intake there, just general common sense and trying to keep the protein in take up, and minimize sugars and various processed carbs.

 

[JellyBaby]

Sounds good. It's pretty rough doing both low fat and low carb at the same time so I wouldn't obsess over the fats other than to strive to eat healthy fats.

Limiting carbs is huge for weight loss and good health, especially avoiding processed/enriched/bleached/junk foods and refined sugars but you already know that heh.

Rock on..

 

[mvbighead]

Honestly, I am not terribly good about low fat. I just know that, in our house, we don't really have much of anything that isn't low fat or light. And when I do make tacos or whatever, it's with fat free sour cream or light sour cream.

As for fats, generally any time I cook something in the pan, olive oil is what I'll use 9/10 times. Mainly, when I speak of low carb / low fat, I mean that I am not eating a pizza for any meal on a regular basis, as it has a lot of both.

 

[skillyho]

Just wanted to say keep doing your thing. I've lost a tad over 30lbs in the past 7 weeks by eating a lot more organic/natural foods, and cutting out diet soda completely (only drinking water and home-made juices). Like you, the hardest thing for me was controlling my portion size as my wife and I had been used to eating twice what we should for so long.

Replacing snacks with healthier alternatives (almonds in moderation, carrots, etc) has been paramount to my success as well as simply preparing less food. Even cooking more frequently - just less at a time - helps really tone down on the portions until you can safely transition into better portion control.

Best of luck with your journey!

Edit: Your FS link is busted.

 

[mvbighead]

Just wanted to say keep doing your thing. I've lost a tad over 30lbs in the past 7 weeks by eating a lot more organic/natural foods, and cutting out diet soda completely (only drinking water and home-made juices). Like you, the hardest thing for me was controlling my portion size as my wife and I had been used to eating twice what we should for so long.

Replacing snacks with healthier alternatives (almonds in moderation, carrots, etc) has been paramount to my success as well as simply preparing less food. Even cooking more frequently - just less at a time - helps really tone down on the portions until you can safely transition into better portion control.

Best of luck with your journey!

Edit: Your FS link is busted.

Thanks for the feedback. It really does seem like this is working, and as I've expressed to my wife, this is something we can sustain long term. The last competition I did P90X most mornings, but while that has serious benefits, it is also not easy to fit into the schedule every day. I'd rather go for a walk with the wife than grunt, moan, and grumble while watching 130lb girls show me how easy it is.

Also, thanks for mentioning the sig. I finally removed it, as it was disabled when they last upgraded this site.

 

[mvbighead]

Down to 291.4

Still a pretty big jump for one week. I honestly have yet to implement the Strength Training into my routine, but that will be coming soon. I guess since buying our new house, I am finding different projects each day, and not devoting any time for the strength training. That'll change soon.

 

[mvbighead]

Well, down to 286.2, though this morning has been something of an anomaly.

I was feeling fine this morning, but felt as if I needed to use the restroom. So I went in, and pretty much nothing happened. Just a lot stomach cramps I suppose. Got showered, and left for work. Upon getting to work, I sat at my desk doing my usual routine and then felt the urge to go again, only this time was much stronger. I went off to go, and things were normal, but as I was washing up and preparing to go back to my desk, I felt the urge again. So I hurried back, and a little more happened, and as I was getting up, I felt the urge, yet again. After sitting there for a couple minutes, I started getting dizzy and felt as if I might vomit, so I quick flushed my business and prepared to turn around. I was sweating pretty profusely, and eventually just sat down on the floor.

Then, all of a sudden, the feelings lifted and I felt normal again. Cooled down at my desk for a while, and had a buzz/static noise in my ears for about 5-10 minutes. And now, here I sit, feeling mostly normal, just a little uneasy in the stomach dept.

I assume that was just a very abrupt flu-like set of symptoms, which my wife was experiencing last night.

At any rate, that little spell in the restroom allowed me to drop another 1.5lbs or so, which result in a 3.2 lb drop for the week.

I have just introduced the 5x5 program to my routine. I am starting off extremely light to ensure that I get my form down correctly, and will be adding more weight as I get more comfortable with the program. At this point, both my upper and lower leg muscles in my right thigh were extremely tight/sore. They were sore a bit this morning, but have mostly worn off. And all that from lifting an "excessive" 65lbs. I haven't done squats in a long, long time though, so I assume that once I get myself into the routine, my legs will start responding better.

Any comments/tips/etc are appreciated.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

fat tastes good. So when companies do low fat products, guess what they do to improve taste? Add carbs. I can not think of a single isntance where this is not true.

Regarding your recent bathroom problems .... FIBER! Get some citrucel (spelling?). It is near vitamins in your grocery store.

The 5x5 program is a good way to go!

 

[mvbighead]

Well that's part of the problem. I am likely consuming more fiber than I usually have in my diet by eating more fruits. IE - As my in between meal snacks I usually eat an apple, banana, almonds, or a number of other things that have a good amount of fiber in them.

Though I suppose I might still be not taking in enough fiber, I would really have figured that the increase I have added already would've made some impact.

As for the low fat stuff, I generally check each label to see those things. Most things I tend to avoid if there is a significant amount of carbs, but sour creams (which I am using less and less now) and dressings I try to stick more so with the Italian dressing I like, over the ranch as it is less calorie dense but adds a lot of flavor to the salad.

http://www.hiddenvalley.com/products/hidden-valley-bottle-dressings/

http://www.wish-bone.com/Dressings/1408/Light-Italian.aspx

Both have 3gm of carbs per 2 tablespoons.

 

[JellyBaby]

You could upgrade your salad dressings to organic and likely get rid of the additives/preservatives (look at the hidden valley ranch label's ingredients...check the crap starting around monosodium glutamate).

 

[mvbighead]

Well, I feel like my legs are finally getting to the point where squatting isn't killing me. Going up and down stairs after a work out isn't always the most pleasant yet, but I am feeling more comfortable with the 5x5 program and looking to start increasing weight at least on the bench as I am plenty comfortable with that exercise.

I still have a long way to go in squats though as my last bit of serious squatting was done in highschool as part of a football program. I was never a super strong guy, but I was squatting 225 without much trouble. Nowadays I am squatting a meager 80lbs and feeling every bit of it. My (simple) personal goal, at this point, is to do the 5x5 program with 135 on bench, squat, and around 100 on rows and overhead press using proper form and without a belt.

I suppose that leads me to a question... for those of you that lift, do you typically wear a belt? I am under the impression that it could help, but also under an impression that by not using a belt, and focusing on good form, that my back will be stronger and the belt will be unneeded. I am not looking to throw up serious weight here, but if I should add a belt as the weight increases, I should really start looking now.

 

[Wyndru]

Well, I feel like my legs are finally getting to the point where squatting isn't killing me. Going up and down stairs after a work out isn't always the most pleasant yet, but I am feeling more comfortable with the 5x5 program and looking to start increasing weight at least on the bench as I am plenty comfortable with that exercise.

I still have a long way to go in squats though as my last bit of serious squatting was done in highschool as part of a football program. I was never a super strong guy, but I was squatting 225 without much trouble. Nowadays I am squatting a meager 80lbs and feeling every bit of it. My (simple) personal goal, at this point, is to do the 5x5 program with 135 on bench, squat, and around 100 on rows and overhead press using proper form and without a belt.

I suppose that leads me to a question... for those of you that lift, do you typically wear a belt? I am under the impression that it could help, but also under an impression that by not using a belt, and focusing on good form, that my back will be stronger and the belt will be unneeded. I am not looking to throw up serious weight here, but if I should add a belt as the weight increases, I should really start looking now.

In my opinion a belt isn't really beneficial unless you are going for max weight/low reps. I stopped using mine all together for my 5x5 routine, since I'm not doing regular reps at a max weight so I would rather let my muscles progress naturally rather than support them with a belt. If I start to struggle with any weight during my regular workout, I just back off the weight and try again.

 

[mvbighead]

In my opinion a belt isn't really beneficial unless you are going for max weight/low reps. I stopped using mine all together for my 5x5 routine, since I'm not doing regular reps at a max weight so I would rather let my muscles progress naturally rather than support them with a belt. If I start to struggle with any weight during my regular workout, I just back off the weight and try again.

Much appreciated feedback. That is pretty much exactly how I am feeling right now.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

With proper form, belts are not needed till you get to heaveier weights.

With bad form, a belt won't help you from messing up your back.

I occasionally use a belt for military press doing relatively low weight because my back feels "wierd" sometimes.

When you catchyourself using bad form. Stop and reset.