Struggling to lose 30 pounds

[NekoLuvr85]

Thank you.

[dustinwh]

Hate to be a broken record here, but through bodyweight workouts and eating primally (recently made the decision to switch to paleo, but that's a different story) and from February to June I dropped at the most 45 lbs before I realized I needed to be more aggressive and gain some lean weight back. Paleo or primal is the way to go. I know a lot of folks here do agree that a paleo lifestyle is great for weight loss, and I personally think it is the overall best lifestyle out there and plan on sticking with it even though I'm done dropping.

[Be Ninja]

Hate to be a broken record here, but through bodyweight workouts and eating primally (recently made the decision to switch to paleo, but that's a different story) and from February to June I dropped at the most 45 lbs before I realized I needed to be more aggressive and gain some lean weight back. Paleo or primal is the way to go. I know a lot of folks here do agree that a paleo lifestyle is great for weight loss, and I personally think it is the overall best lifestyle out there and plan on sticking with it even though I'm done dropping.

You got some before and after pics?

I have to agree with Dustin...as soon as I did paleo diet and lifted heavy...I saw a lot of results!

[Be Ninja]

Deedlit,

You need to eat paleo diet slanted towards losing weight and lift heavy.

Check out these stories of people who did it:

http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/06/13/60-pounds-overweight-to-6-pack-abs/

http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

It works. I did it and I can see my abs.

[NekoLuvr85]

Thank you for the suggestions. Spezzy's story is the reason why I joined the Rebellion (because she is a power-lifting super hero, and an inspiration. ) I've read both your stories also, (and seen the pictures that were posted,) and I congratulate you both on your successes. I would love it if I could lift heavier, but as of right now the highest weight I have are 10lb dumbbells, and to be honest, those are already pretty heavy for me.

I've looked into Paleo a bit, and I'm not quite sure that I'm ready to take my diet to that level yet. I haven't really looked into "Primal" yet, but isn't it basically the same as Paleo?

Yes, I will agree that it would probably help me out tremendously, but I have 5 other people that I'm buying food for besides myself (Husband, two kids, our roommate and her daughter.) I can't (or rather, won't) dictate what everyone else eats, especially when I know at least two of the 5 people won't touch most of it. I'm already buying a large chunk of our grocery list as healthy foods for myself (which of course is divvied up amongst whomever else will eat them with me.) If all I bought were meats, fruits and vegetables, two people wouldn't be eating well. (The only way my husband has ever eaten vegetables is how his grandma makes them, which usually involves lots of butter, oil, and heavy sauces.) I just don't think it would work well right now with the current budget I have. I still thank you for the suggestions, though.

I will say that I have been recently considering going to a "low-sodium" diet, which would probably encompass eating most of the same foods as paleo/primal diets, but as I said, I'm not sure I'm ready to take my eating habits there yet.

[dustinwh]

yeah paleo and primal are very close to the same. primal typically will allow dairy while paleo doesn't. and i'm through with dairy for a while after GOMAD kinda messed up my system. i am doing paleo right now because I am kinda in the middle of some self experimentation and i am doing a whole30 (http://whole9life.com/2011/06/whole-30-v4/).

and Be Ninja: I made the mistake of not taking before pictures when I started this adventure, but I started taking them in May when I had gotten down to about 175 lbs. On my blog (in the signature) there are a series of pictures that go from the beginning of may to the start of august. I still have a ways to go, but I'll get there eventually!

[Be Ninja]

Thank you for the suggestions. Spezzy's story is the reason why I joined the Rebellion (because she is a power-lifting super hero, and an inspiration. ) I've read both your stories also, (and seen the pictures that were posted,) and I congratulate you both on your successes. I would love it if I could lift heavier, but as of right now the highest weight I have are 10lb dumbbells, and to be honest, those are already pretty heavy for me.

I've looked into Paleo a bit, and I'm not quite sure that I'm ready to take my diet to that level yet. I haven't really looked into "Primal" yet, but isn't it basically the same as Paleo?

Yes, I will agree that it would probably help me out tremendously, but I have 5 other people that I'm buying food for besides myself (Husband, two kids, our roommate and her daughter.) I can't (or rather, won't) dictate what everyone else eats, especially when I know at least two of the 5 people won't touch most of it. I'm already buying a large chunk of our grocery list as healthy foods for myself (which of course is divvied up amongst whomever else will eat them with me.) If all I bought were meats, fruits and vegetables, two people wouldn't be eating well. (The only way my husband has ever eaten vegetables is how his grandma makes them, which usually involves lots of butter, oil, and heavy sauces.) I just don't think it would work well right now with the current budget I have. I still thank you for the suggestions, though.

I will say that I have been recently considering going to a "low-sodium" diet, which would probably encompass eating most of the same foods as paleo/primal diets, but as I said, I'm not sure I'm ready to take my eating habits there yet.

Deedlit,

I'm sorry to say. If you are not willing to "extreme" lengths then you will never see the results you want. If you are buying the food, you should get your whole family on to it.

[NekoLuvr85]

Deedlit,

I'm sorry to say. If you are not willing to "extreme" lengths then you will never see the results you want. If you are buying the food, you should get your whole family on to it.

You're absolutely right. I believe everything has to be a mental transition before you can change anything else about yourself, and as I said I don't think I'm ready to go there yet. That said, I'm still going to try these next 85 days, and if I fail, or fall short, then I will have no one to blame except for myself. Thank you.

[Dio]

Rock on Deedlit! Just being here is a good step. The reason I failed so often at my goals is I didn't have the support network or encouragement I needed. In addition to my wife, NerdFitness really helped give me the extra motivation! (we're on this path because of Spezzy's story, too!).

My success story is not as exciting as some (still a work in progress) but I've been able to drop 20 lbs in five weeks and lose quite a few inches off my waist with only using one 10-lb weight, and I even switched off of those now! I recommend the beginner body weight and angry birds training programs offered free on this site. They aren't as intensive as some of the others, but they will help ramp you into harder exercises. Couple this with walking whenever possible, and it'll help get your body moving.

A question that I don't know if asked often enough: currently, do you feel your energy level is where you want it to be?

It's a common concept that diet is 80% of getting the body you want, but I only think that's part of it. The only reason I've been able to work out as much as I have is because I have felt more energized than I have in my entire life. I don't think it's bad logic to link that to nutrition, specifically regulating insulin levels. You'll hear people tout and tout and tout paleo/primal (I currently am right in between the two. Here is a link talking about some of the differences, although it's biased towards primal). I know people who have reintroduced grains long term, but starting off it is a great way to shed pounds and increase energy. I can give advice on how you can make amazing meals where you don't miss the starch/sugar or how you can cook a meal both you and your family can enjoy just buy augmenting portions (take two portions of broccoli and one and a half of the fattier pieces of meat, but no potatoes, for instance.)

I guess what I'm saying is bodyweight strength training can work. If you are happy with your energy level/general quality of life, keep eating what you're eating and just count calories. If you aren't consider something radical and know that you can safely reintegrate to a more normal diet after you've reached your goals, although you may not want to. And if you need support, you've already seen you can get a lot of it here!

Dio.