The BLF Get-in-Shape Thread: (formerly, "A Newer, Thinner Rusty" Thread)....

As you know I have always been a part time participant in this due to social circumstances.

I am still doing this and have found that:

If I have a active day, say 8-10 hours on my feet, it is no issue to uphold this kind of diet.

If I on the other hand have 12-14 hours I loose my minds "sharpness" for a lack of better term. It is not that I feel ill, dumb or mentally tired. But I am mentally tired. As if everything that is normally clear and consistent to think about is dimmed and dulled as through a photographic filter in photoshop. Due to my work which require I am sharp and thinking straight at all times I then eat an extra meal. Normally cereal as I like that. Though most times the meal is taken at 22 or later in the evening.

My weight has gone down. I do not remember my last update but I am currently at ~92 kg (I am 185 cm tall btw) and I am feeling fine.

It should perhaps be mentioned that I have also gained some muscle mass after I rebounded from a back injury that left me pretty much unable to perform basic daily things for more than 3 and a half month this year. I have no idea about how much of that 92 kg is fat and how much is muscle.

So I am basically still using this to slowly shave off the kilos and it is not too hard. And I like that even when I stray far and wide from the path it seems to harden my resolve and I then follow the diet more stringently a few days which takes off the majority of repercussions from said forage into the gastronomic venues of sinfull bliss.

Way to go, Ledsmoke. Progress is progress, slow or fast.

And the mirror and the waist line does not lie even if the weight is the same :-)

After 6 months , seeing numerous specialist, ie , cardiologist, pulmonary, psychological evaluation , dieticians , endocrinologist and primary doctor have seen me and have cleared me I finally have a date scheduled for my gastric bypass surgery of January 22nd hopefully I can ave the same success of Rusty!

Light junkie, please do more research on gastric bypass surgery before proceeding. You need to research success rates, complications, mortality rates, side effects. I have worked in the medical field for years and I wouldn’t recommend gastric bypass surgery to anyone except people weighing more than around 600 or 800 pounds and immobile.

Gastric bypass has some serious downsides that don't get nearly as much exposure as the success stories. The most common issue is damage to skin, since the weight loss is so rapid.

It's also not going to be a permanent solution without lifestyle changes. I didn't realize myself how much of what we do with food is habit based. Just because you can't eat a 28oz steak with a side of mashed potatoes with gravy, corn, and a dessert, doesn't mean the desire to eat it just disappears.

I agree and I have benefited through all the possible screeningAnd
I work out 3 –4 times a week and I have been dieting fir about a year with out any positive results except injury after injury to my knees.

Just as Southland stated, this gastric business is serious business. In order to do the procedure, you have to show that you can lose and keep a certain amount of weight off or you'll stretch your stomach right back out. So you might as well just buck up and do things the right (if hard) way the first time around. So, soooo many things, internally speaking, can go wrong--and I don't care what people say about how much better things are now. I know friends who made unexpected ER trips because of something "coming loose" or getting "unclamped" in there. So many ruptures and internal bleeding make this a living nightmare. Plus, it's still not a cure-all. The effect of OMAD is better than gastric anything. You just do it and be done, and in the end, you have new metabolism.

UPDATE: I have been eating 3 meals a day all the last couple of weeks trying to boost my weight back up since it had started falling back into the 180s again after fighting off a cold. I've been trying to put on muscle, and I'm still not even breaking 200 lbs fully dressed. You'll be amazed how hard it can be to maintain/gain weight once you've walked my walk, dude. Good luck whatever you do, but I'd advise caution.

Follow my plan exactly as I laid it out, but NO working out or exercise beyond light walking. So many people can't lose because of that since the weight on the body and around the internal organs creates stress, which creates cortisol = more fat is created than lost. Just basic mobility is good enough. Follow my plan, but give yourself time to get to a healthy weight because exercise and calorie restriction don't mix well.

Going to somewhat disagree with you there. While there are better and worse ways to go about it, weight loss or weight gain comes down to caloric consumption, and the amount of energy expended. Burn more calories than you take in and you lose weight.

There is variation on how efficient one person's body is vs another in doing something, and how many calories are burned, and variation on basal/resting metabolic rate, (fit runner will burn far fewer calories running vs someone just starting out, someone with more muscle mass burns more vs someone with more fat, etc,.) but ultimately it's a fairly straight forward process.

OMAD is great, but it's not for everyone, and it also works on the same basic principle. Any approach that results in fewer calories being consumed than expended will work over time though, without exception.

We don't disagree that calories-in/calories-out is at the heart of the issue, or that there are other ways to lose weight. The problem becomes that, at a calorie deficit, when one taxes the body heavily while at this deficit, this creates cortisol since fat is stored around the internal organs, and thus, puts greater stress on all bodily systems. This higher level of stress creates shock, which causes the body to "freak the hell out," for lack of a better phrase.

Go to MFP and read just how many people post threads with titles like: "Help! Exercising and eating right, but not losing weight!" It's a daily thing and I can always predict why--and it has nothing to do with finding the right exercise plan or diet plan, as though certain body-types need different plans (utter nonsense, btw). It has to do with eliminating the exercise = problem solved. So many people follow the bad advice of lifting and getting into cross-fit this or strength-train x plan that while being on a mere 1,200 calories a day. That is folly, friend.

Once someone gets to a healthier weight, they can up the calories somewhat and add in exercise, but gaining and losing are at different extremes and doing both is super-slow and very hard. Every time people cut down their activity levels and let a calorie deficit work, they experience results. But it amazes me how surprised they are that I'm right when I say that and they experience it for themselves.

Another thought - and what makes dieting painful for so many - is that there are so many competing voices out there. A given body might do better or worse on any given plan because lifestyle habits and preferences make certain things more efficient than others.

But going back to what was said about stress on the body, the issue of bodies being taxed heavily gets back to HOW stressful an activity is on the body. An obese person trying to run is so very stressful as to be considered impossible in most cases. If a person can run for a few feet before collapsing in exhaustion, then that is not a viable option for them to work out with, even if it draws lots of calories. Walking, on the other hand, will draw fewer calories, but will be more sustainable, thus allowing for weight loss and a standard calorie drain increase.

But no activity can prove too damaging or stressful to the body and be beneficial; that is my point. I can run for a long time and at a good speed, which makes it a great exercise for both toning, strengthening, and losing weight. Just goes to illustrate, on any level, how - depending on one's overall fitness and metabolism - that one must go about mastering themselves. In this regard, fitness certainly isn't a "one size fits all" deal.

The Dr’s have checked my insulin pump and found Iam eating between 1850-2000 calories per day but the insulin partially attributes to the weight gain and the large amounts of prescription opiates and running will be out of my future due to knee replacement and possible shattering the bone so I have been doing elliptical and bycicle but too many people trying to hell can be overwhelming.

Going to somewhat disagree again :p

Moderate exercise - which is different for everyone based on their own fitness level - is not a bad thing, even with calorie restriction.

Diet alone works, just too slowly to be enough of a motivator for most, and I think that's why so many people quit.

By the numbers;

  • 1lb of fat = ~3700 stored calories. This number is somewhat in dispute, with the range being between 2800-3800. I prefer to go with the higher one because that way even if I'm wrong, I won't be disappointed.
  • Typical basal metabolic rate will be 2200 for men. (There are lots of calculators out there to get an approximate number, again I personally err on the side of caution, and go with the one that says I have a lower metabolic rate.)
  • Most calorie restriction diets suggest not going below 1200 calories for men.
  • Actually limiting yourself to 1200 calories per day or lower is hard, really hard, but it's much easier to stay at around 1500-1800 which allows for one small meal, one moderate meal, and a bit of snacking. (At least that's my own personal experience, ymmv.)
  • 300-500 calorie deficit is created per day. Let's say 400.
  • 3700/400 = 9.25. Nine to ten days to lose one freaking pound! About three pounds per month.
  • 35-40lb per year.

Now good luck to anyone trying to stay motivated at that pace, seeing such slow results. Even if change is taking place it's going to be very hard to see it on the scale, or on the belt.

Add in even moderate exercise, say an hour on treadmill walking, and that calorie deficit can double, or even triple. It also means that the diet can be a bit more lax, which reduces stress.

Btw, between 50lb and 60lb down in six months. I'm at around 250lb now, and plan to be at around 200 by summer :D

Good luck to you, and actually, biking is fantastic for burning calories. It's by far one of the best low impact, high intensity exercise options.

What others members ha e been through and succeeding is a huge motivation for me, BTW I am going to be getting gastric sleeve which cuts the stomach in half length wise and will be a Le to be done by the scope a d is the least evasive of the three procedures.Now I need to start saving up mods for me to due during my recoupe time!

Now drop the calories down to 1,300 and drop out all but very, very light activity and you'll start to see some really good progress, bud.

After lots of delays (my surgery was originally supposed to have been in November) Iam having my bariatric surgery on Thursday ,now Iam getting pre-op jitters

That's quite understandable. Fortunately, the procedure is been done lot and has had time to mature. Wishing you a fast recovery and great success on your pending weight loss.

I saw the huge difference it has made for Rusty and a few other members,a lifestyle change,and protein shakes ,vitamins for 3months plus and then maybe only one tiny meal a day no more snacks Or sugar monsters