Thread: 400 lbs and In Need of Advice

UPDATE 1/22/09

Bummer. Ok I started off at 395lbs on Jan 2. Last Saturday 1/16 I weighed in at 377. First 2 weeks I lost roughly 10lbs per week.
Great right? Thats what I thought.

Tonight I weighed in at 378!!! I gained a pound. I even did more cardio this week in the gym - roughly 135 minutes a week. Eating under 2000 cals a day and playing around with 20lb dumbells each night after a 30 min walk.. WTF went wrong???

Its easy to stay motivated when you are dropping 10 and 8 lbs a week...
but when you bust your ass all week with no results and even gain a pound? it really DE-motivates you..

Have you changed your diet at all recently? If you're eating under 2K calories, are you following those base guidelines I gave? Do you weigh yourself consistently at the same time each day?

If so, you did not gain a pound of fat. Rather, you probably gained a pound of water. My own weight fluctuates by up to 4-5lbs in a normal day in water, glycogen, and waste alone.

Keep in mind also that you're relatively untrained. You very well could have recomposed a bit (gained muscle, lost fat) simply from increased activity from walking, riding, any dumbell work you've been doing.

The scale is more of a long term tracking tool. It won't always tell you the truth in the short term. After a carb load, I've experienced up to 10LBs of weight gain in one night. It's not all fat, it's just water and glycogen.

I agree with Danzik, fluctuations are normal. Don't worry about that weigh-in. Keep up the good work, you are doing fine.

Originally Posted by JohnnyBlob

UPDATE 1/22/09

[SIZE="2"]Bummer. Ok I started off at 395lbs on Jan 2. Last Saturday 1/16 I weighed in at 377. First 2 weeks I lost roughly 10lbs per week.Great right? Thats what I thought.
Tonight I weighed in at 378!!! I gained a pound. I even did more cardio this week in the gym - roughly 135 minutes a week. Eating under 2000 cals a day and playing around with 20lb dumbells each night after a 30 min walk.. WTF went wrong???
Its easy to stay motivated when you are dropping 10 and 8 lbs a week...
but when you bust your ass all week with no results and even gain a pound? it really DE-motivates you:mad[/SIZE]:..

So, we're talking about a one pound gain? Heck, back in the day, Pele' (Soccer great) used to loose five pounds per game. One pound is not a big deal.
A couple of things I've learned.....concentrate on the long term average...the end result. This is a change in lifestyle, not pants sizes. The trap I often find myself in is expecting results too soon...it happens. However, there are a few things to watch when learning to control diet combined with weight training and cardio. (I am confident the Mods/Stickies here can correct my advice if I get off track.)
1.) Diet has to be dead-on. Now depending on the nature/design of your diet, you might have a cheat, a re-feed, or a carb-up..regardless of the dietetic structure, your self-discipline HAS to be solid.
1a.) Stick with whole foods whenever possible. Protein supp's...yeah. The rest of what's marketed out there? Aimed right at folks in your position....play with that stuff later.
2.)Don't over-do the cardio. I used to think this advice came from people who just hated cardio, but there's a lot of truth to it. Ever see the same 'large' people on the treadmill day in and day out that seem to be the same size regardless of their efforts?....too much cardio, probably bad diet, and minimal weight training.
3.) Don't over-train.
4.) Don't beat yourself up if you don't get the results you expected. There are a truckload of factors that can stall your numbers, don't over-stress yourself. Just keep working hard, and keep your eye on the prize....and be PATIENT.

Like I said, the Mods and Members here have always been very informative. Just keep asking questions, read every single stickie in diet and training forums, and work your ass off...literally. Good Luck.

Johnny, first off congratulations on your decision to live a healthier lifestyle. I will keep this brief as Danzik and others have already lined out a decent plan to get started, but I will add in a few points for you to remember.

I started getting serious about my body in Feb of last year. I weighed in at 265, wearing a size 42 waist. I had always been in shape, but after a horrendous back injury that left me with partial paralysis, I had gotten lazy and was in a bad way.

Following the advice given to me on this site, I got down to 12% bodyfat. I weighed in at 204, had abs and got down to between a 32 and 34 jean depending on brand. (I speak in past tense because I just came off a bulk and I am 225 right now and not quite so slim:P)

Here are some points that I hope will help you.

1. At your level of fitness, just keep things simple. Don't worry about elaborate diets or exercise plans. You will get results simply by maintaining a reasonable calorie intake. As Danzik said, keep your calories at around 2500-3000 every day, and you will see great results well into your mid 200's.

2. Do not panic about weight fluctuations. You will gain/lose all over the place. The trend is what is important. Track your weight weekly or even bi weekly instead of daily if it bothers you to see the scale tip one way or the other. I have lost 5 lbs in a day, and once gained 6 during a refeed. It happens, don't worry about it.

3. Don't worry about supplements right now, but I do recommend a good multi-vitamin, an anti-oxident, and fish oil. The best supplements for you are sleep, a proper diet, and reasonable exercise.

4. Don't worry about fat free this, or reduced fat that. Think of weight loss as a simple math problem. Take in less calories than you burn and you will lose weight, more and you will gain.

5. Another thing, don't get stuck thinking about what foods are healthy vs unhealthy. Eating scrambled eggs will not kill you, nor will eating a slice of bacon, just eat in moderation and follow your calorie count.

Good luck man. It is nice to see you grabbing the bull by the horns and making a change in your life. Don't get discouraged, and don't quit. This is not magic, and it will work for you, and in 6 months time you will look and feel better than you thought possible.

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the encouragement. Quick question -

Peanut butter... I hear a lot of good things about it on this site.
How does PB fit into a fat boys diet who is trying to lose weight?

Ive always thought of PB as a took for bulking up

As long as you account for the calories it fits in just fine.

Originally Posted by JohnnyBlob

Peanut butter... I hear a lot of good things about it on this site.
How does PB fit into a fat boys diet who is trying to lose weight?

Ive always thought of PB as a took for bulking up

Oh, my weakness....don't know why, but every time I go on some sort of low carb diet, I crave peanut butter like a pregnant woman. Anyway, I was going to tell you to be sure to read the labels..Natty Peanut Butter and Regular Peanut Butter are darn near the same thing in relation to P/C/F and sugar...especially since most of the big names have gotten into the "organic" and "all natural" game. And that tablespoon they're talking about on the label is a level tablespoon...not the peanut butter Tablespoon most people use, lol.


Other than that, and most importantly.....What the Canadian said.

Originally Posted by DaMayor

Oh, my weakness....don't know why, but every time I go on some sort of low carb diet, I crave peanut butter like a pregnant woman. Anyway, I was going to tell you to be sure to read the labels..Natty Peanut Butter and Regular Peanut Butter are darn near the same thing in relation to P/C/F and sugar...especially since most of the big names have gotten into the "organic" and "all natural" game. And that tablespoon they're talking about on the label is a level tablespoon...not the peanut butter Tablespoon most people use, lol.


Other than that, and most importantly.....What the Canadian said.

Don't you burst my bubble now. It still counts as a tablespoon as long as it fits in that oval, even if its 6 inches tall!

Originally Posted by danzik17

Don't you burst my bubble now. It still counts as a tablespoon as long as it fits in that oval, even if its 6 inches tall!

LOL! I think I can balance half a jar on the surface of a Tablespoon.

Originally Posted by DaMayor

LOL! I think I can balance half a jar on the surface of a Tablespoon.

Nice. And don't forget that according to the back of the jar, a serving is two tablespoons.

aint it funny what a week or 2 off from the gym can do to the mind? Been snowed in here in the DC area...got some good workouts w/ shoveling snow...but really slacked the last 2 weeks... diet was ok, but I def need to jump back on the horse in the moring....

At the gym, Ive been doing just cardio. (lifting some dumbbells at home)
but tomorrow I wanna start lifting to burn more fat / lose weight...
any tips on what to do --- or what not to do?

I go 5 days a week. Mon - Fri. Exercise boke 30 minutes.. Treadmill 15.
So, should I lift before my cardio or after?

thanks folks!

Although most of the Advice you get from IronMag is amazing and helpful, if you are really serious about weight loss I recommend getting a book man.

Tom Venutor's Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle if nothing else.

You've made a good decision, if only you made it sooner.