35/M/6ft/SW: 315/CW: 245/ GW: 190?
I've still got a long way to go but I can't believe how far I've come in just 6 months.
http://imgur.com/gallery/ypIiCAi
Background: Around New Year's some worn-out jeans (with an elastic band) that were passed to me from my dad, started to get tight and I felt so embarrassed by this as I had just gotten them in September. I knew it was time to fully commit and make a change, but I wanted a plan that I would be able to stick to this time. I'd tried keto, I'd tried Paleo, I'd tried juicing, I'd tried Atkins. If there was a fad-diet in the last 10 years I'd given it a go and failed every time. I was so embarrassed about where I was at I couldn't bring myself to even get on a scale and see where I was at. The only thing I knew I could do day 1 was to stop drinking anything that wasnt water or unsweetened/uncreamed tea/coffee as that had lost me 20 pounds in a few months in the past.
While researching I happened across a video on IF and thought it was something that might work for me. While going down the rabbit-hole of IF on Youtube every video had one recurring theme: "You can't lose weight if you're not in a caloric deficit." I don't know what it was this time but it finally clicked that this was the best way. So on January 26th I finally got on the scale to get a weight and find my TDEE and started on a mix of CICO and IF.
Eating: Like I said above I do IF and CICO. I'm usually a 19/5 split in IF though lately a few days a week have been OMAD.
For CICO my approach was I wanted to weigh around 190 lbs and so I've been eating no more then the calories a 190lbs, sedentary, 6ft tall man would need. So no more than 2200 a day. I'd say my average has been around 1800 for most of the 6 months but I've considered moving myself up to closer to the 2200 as my focus is turning more and more to body recomposition and away from just weightless.
At first I just focused on calories and continued to eat not great foods but I quickly discovered that you won't feel full for long enough eating calorie dense/low nutrient foods. I made small changes in my diet every week or two slowly adding more and more healthy options. I've slowly moved to half-assed tracking macro targets with a 40-50%carb/30-40%protein/rest fat split. Intend to eat closer to 50%carbs on days I workout.
It's all been about small incremental changes. Aside from the CICO/IF major change, everything else I've incorporated over the last 6 months came in small dietary changes. I found this to be the best way to fix my eating habits. If I had tried to do everything I do today on day 1 I would have failed miserably and given up like I have every other time.
Exercise:
I started out with just walking on a treadmill I had purchased a few years ago (and have barely used much to my wife's chagrin.) Honestly it's really all I could handle at the time. I also went out of my way to shovel snow all winter. I have a lot of neighbors in their early 60s and older and I took it upon myself to get some extra exercise and do a good deed by doing several houses worth of shoveling every chance I got.
After I lost my initial 20 I really wanted to start lifting because a lot of my inspirational YouTubers (ObesetoBeast, FatMeetsFire) had a few videos on loose skin and while I know it's unavoidable I figured the best way to minimize it is to back fill with muscle as much as possible. I started by taking advantage of Planet Fitness's "Design your own Program" class where you meet with a trainer and come up with a plan for your abilities/goals. For cardio I used the ArcTrainer machines as they are easier on the knees than treadmills and ellipticals. After a few months of that I moved on to this workout https://www.muscleandfitness.com/workouts/workout-routines/chris-hemsworths-god-thor-workout. 6 weeks of that routine lost me over 15 pounds of fat while gaining a few pounds of muscle. And I did cardio all 4/5 days (no cardio on leg day cause then you can't walk the next day) for about 30-45 minutes.
Lately I've taken a break from that routine and cut back at the gym while I do C25k as I am running a 5k on September 9th. But I'm starting it back up next week as I'm not enjoying my latest routine as much.
Take-aways:
I can't stress enough how much easier it is to stay committed when you implement small changes/improvements in your diet/exercise plans, as you feel comfortable as long as you're still doing something, anything to try and make a change.
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