Starting from level -1

[Jett]

Hi. I'm Jenn, and this is my personal fitness story that no one probably wants to read.

 

I'm average height (5'4"), 24.66 years old, and heading toward obesity way faster than I ever thought I could be. My spouse and best friend are both morbidly obese. I never thought I was in danger of reaching that point, but I had a bit of a wake up call the last time I went to the doc. After I was weighed, I peeked at my chart. Next to my weight (211 lbs), the nurse had circled the word "obese". Since I started college, 6 years ago, I've gained more than 80 lbs. If things keep up the way they are, I'll be in the morbid obesity boat along with my loved ones before long. And I've seen what that's like... I don't want to go there!

 

The frustrating thing is, I've been trying to lose weight for over a year. My spouse and I decided that we needed to reverse the weight gain we were seeing, so we started cutting down calories. For over 6 months, I was pretty careful about eating only 1500 calories a day. I also found a way to work in a one-mile (downhill) walk at the end of my work day. My spouse and I also walked an additional mile in the evenings, although much slower because he can't move very fast. And after all that work? Still gaining weight. So around Christmas, we both sort of gave up. We had started trying to jog in November, which left his back in so much pain that we didn't even go for walks anymore. (I told myself that I would still jog without him, but I find that if I don't have a partner to jog with, I don't do it.) He also got a temporary job during the holidays that changed our transportation arrangement, which eliminated my mile walk for a while. I stopped counting calories, and just ate whatever.

 

It's not surprising that I'm still gaining weight, after a lapse like that. But I don't understand why reducing my calories before didn't produce any kind of result. Is my body really using less than 1500 calories a day?! I'm at a point now where I either need to lose weight, or buy bigger clothes again. I'm already an L/XL, and anyway, I'm tired of gaining weight, having back pain and sleep problems, and not having any energy. After looking at the NF blog, I think strength training might be the way to go, along with cutting carbs rather than fat. I'm hoping there might be something my husband and I can do together, but we're starting from different places, so I don't know if that will be possible. It's not a matter of him not wanting to work out, but rather that he simply can't do things like jogging and push ups without putting his body into tremendous pain. I'll feel guilty if I have to "leave him behind", so to speak, and I'm not sure where to find a fitness buddy. But things have got to change. I'm just not sure how.

[Grokspar]

Sounds like you've made a good start! If cutting fat didn't work then cutting carbs is a logical next step. In some ways it's easier starting out larger as small changes can have noticeable effects. Don't think of it as leaving your husband behind, you're scouting the path and showing the way! It sounds like it was too soon for your husband to start jogging so dial it way back to exercise he can do and just build up the length of time gradually. It's a marathon not a Sprint.

I'm not experienced or knowledgeable enough to advise much more than that but this site and the forums are stuffed with advice and people who do know. So you're in the right place!

Well done on starting, show the path and inspire!

[Thalianost]

I'd say you have the right idea, start with reducing your carbs and throw in some strength training.  The more muscle mass you have the more calories your body will burn just to function normally so strength training is a good way to start, in my opinion.  If your husband has trouble with jogging and bodyweight exercises perhaps he would do better going to a gym and using a stationary bike and some of the weight machines and free weights until he reaches a point where he can do the jogging and pushups without too much pain. 

 

Remember, it takes time and sometimes small, gradual changes are the best way to start healthy habits.  If you slip up or aren't seeing the results you want just take a moment, reevaluate, ask "what is causing the problem and how can it be overcome?", and get back on the horse.  Remember, the Nerds are always here to help. 

 

Best of luck to you both!

[ßean]

You definitely have the right idea with cutting the carbs. What was helpful for me when grocery shopping was pretending that most of the store didn't exist. I tried to make most of my trips to the grocery store consist of hitting the produce section, then the meat section and then I got out.  Other than that, the only things I really buy from the rest of the store are eggs, cooking stocks and spices.  Best of luck to you on eating better, and just remember not to overwhelm yourself with too much change all at once.

 

As for you husband, I would try and get him into a pool.  The buoyancy will help him get moving without all of the stress on his joints, then once he is ready, he can start trying to keep up with you.

[LadyMonk]

I listened to a great fitness podcast by a trainer who has had a lot of success helping people lose weight. The thing that struck with me is that first: he always head his clients choose the next step. It might be cutting carbs, shopping for groceries, or just trying to make one homemade meal a week.

The second, and even more enlightening idea was when he referred to the task as a game. He said that we can't always win on the first try, but we can't ever win unprepared. So we gave to figure out which game we can beat this week and what we need in order to do it. It actually reminded me a lot of the nerd fitness blog.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that you can do this! Pick a first step that you can do, and just grow from there. Future you will thank you for sticking with it.

[Jett]

Thanks for the welcome and advice, everyone.

 

Hubby is doing the grocery shopping today... I told him not to buy any more carbs (we already have enough pasta to last us a long time, even if we eat our usual serving size), and suggested more protein... we'll see what he picks up. He's on board with changing our diet together, but we're both not very educated on what would actually constitute a good diet. Working to change that! Hopefully, by the time we need to get groceries again next week, we'll have a good shopping list of healthy foods to choose.

 

I know that I have the strength of will to only buy what's on the list, but not falling to the temptation, mid-week, to go out instead of making dinner will be the more challenging part. Might have to start making some meals on Sunday and freezing them to avoid that problem...

 

 

 

As for you husband, I would try and get him into a pool.  The buoyancy will help him get moving without all of the stress on his joints, then once he is ready, he can start trying to keep up with you.

 

Yeah, that's a good idea! We have an aquatics center nearby, that we've been toying with the idea of joining. Definitely going to look into that more closely now.

[ßean]

I'm glad to see that you and your husband have started to move in the right direction. Not falling to the mid-week temptation to eat out can be tricky. What has worked for me was to embrace the idea of a cheat meal. Perhaps something like a weekly date night with your husband.  The hardest part will be picking which of the many foods you may have craved over the week that you want to indulge in.

 

You will see a lot around the forums about paleo or primal diets.  While I don't strictly follow either, I tend to use the primal guidelines when weighing my food options, and tend to pick the one that doesn't stray me too far off the path. I will link some blog posts below for some information on the two, but they are both fairly similar.

 

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/10/04/the-beginners-guide-to-the-paleo-diet/ - From right here at Nerd Fitness.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/definitive-guide-to-the-primal-eating-plan/#axzz3RAJsjNU4 - Similar concept, but a little less restrictive.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-blueprint-101/#axzz3RAJsjNU4 - For when you are ready for more information than you can handle.

[elsfaire]

glad to see you joined NF! there are lots of good suggestions here so far. One thing I have not seen mentioned is that eating such a calorie deficit for a long time IS a cause of weight gain. Essentially, the body goes into panic mode and starts retaining as much fat as possible. If you want to include calorie counting as part of weight loss (as opposed to only eating healthy foods, and only when actually hungry), choose a target weight about partway to your goal (maybe 20-25 lbs below your current weight). Find a good average calorie intake for maintenance at that weight, and eat that amount.

[Jett]

I'm glad to see that you and your husband have started to move in the right direction. Not falling to the mid-week temptation to eat out can be tricky. What has worked for me was to embrace the idea of a cheat meal. Perhaps something like a weekly date night with your husband.  The hardest part will be picking which of the many foods you may have craved over the week that you want to indulge in.

 

You will see a lot around the forums about paleo or primal diets.  While I don't strictly follow either, I tend to use the primal guidelines when weighing my food options, and tend to pick the one that doesn't stray me too far off the path. I will link some blog posts below for some information on the two, but they are both fairly similar.

 

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/10/04/the-beginners-guide-to-the-paleo-diet/ - From right here at Nerd Fitness.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/definitive-guide-to-the-primal-eating-plan/#axzz3RAJsjNU4 - Similar concept, but a little less restrictive.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-blueprint-101/#axzz3RAJsjNU4 - For when you are ready for more information than you can handle.

 

Bean, thanks for the information! I've read the NerdFitness article before, but the article about primal eating was really interesting, and helped me think about what kinds of things I probably should and should be eating. I'll get through the rest of the information eventually, and I think it will help me to form a diet that works for me.

 

 

 

One thing I have not seen mentioned is that eating such a calorie deficit for a long time IS a cause of weight gain. Essentially, the body goes into panic mode and starts retaining as much fat as possible. If you want to include calorie counting as part of weight loss (as opposed to only eating healthy foods, and only when actually hungry), choose a target weight about partway to your goal (maybe 20-25 lbs below your current weight). Find a good average calorie intake for maintenance at that weight, and eat that amount.

Augh, really? That's just frustrating.

 

Well, I guess I should be more or less reset from panic mode after eating basically whatever and not counting calories for about 2 months. (I hope, so anyway!) Thanks for the advice about finding a good amount of calories to eat. I clearly have a lot to learn when it comes to healthy weight loss.

 

I appreciate all the information and welcomes so far. As an update about the aquatics center, I found out that a family pass is only $50 per month, and in addition to the pools, the one that is only 3 miles from our apartment also has a small fitness center with barbells, etc. Definitely going to get a membership to that!

[Barfly]

How are you calculating calorie intake? And have you found your BMR/TDEE? I like to start with concrete figures and work from there.

[Jett]

How are you calculating calorie intake? And have you found your BMR/TDEE? I like to start with concrete figures and work from there.

Just scanning products or using their nutritional info to determine how many calories are in a serving, multiplying by how many servings I eat.

Using rough calculation, my BMR should be around 1600-1700 calories (I just calculated this tonight). So I guess I wasn't actually eating that much of a deficit before?

Ok, honestly, I don't know much about BMR yet... adding it to the list of things to research...

[Barfly]

BMR is the number of calories needed just to keep you functioning. I start with this (calculated as "sedentary") and add calories burned working out to get a rough total (TDEE).

Yep, it takes a caloric deficit of 500/day (or an equivalent amount of exercise - way harder to do) to lose 1 lb/week.

I keeps food log; notebook with me all the time an then transfer it to a spreadsheet. I write down everything I eat, there are even entries for 1 pretzel stick. It's amazing how fast it all adds up.

[Jett]

BMR is the number of calories needed just to keep you functioning. I start with this (calculated as "sedentary") and add calories burned working out to get a rough total (TDEE).

Yep, it takes a caloric deficit of 500/day (or an equivalent amount of exercise - way harder to do) to lose 1 lb/week.

I keeps food log; notebook with me all the time an then transfer it to a spreadsheet. I write down everything I eat, there are even entries for 1 pretzel stick. It's amazing how fast it all adds up.

Well, I don't think I can handle only eating 1100 calories per day, so I guess that means I have to up my exercise considerably. Which I was planning to do, anyway.

I was writing all of my food down in my daily planner back when I was keeping strict track. (Yes, including entries like "one tootsie roll".) It's something I plan to do again, since I just got a nice big daily planner with plenty of space for each day.

 

I tried recalculating my BMR with a formula that takes body fat into account (which I am estimating at 30% based on picture comparison), and got around 1900... but based on my failure to lose weight at a 1500 calorie/day diet, I'm guessing the lower figure is more accurate. Probably. Maybe?

[Barfly]

I agree. Based on anecdotal evidence (I am in no way an expert), the way I understand it is if you go below your BMR, your body starts to rebel in the way Elsfaire described.

I calculated your BMR to be around 1700 too. You might flirt with going a little below, but 1100 cal?

I've also heard that going over your BMR by 200-300 calories/day for a couple of weeks will "reset" your metabolism. I don't know if this is bro-science or not, though.

Other numerical tidbits of questionable accuracy:

Walking will burn 100-120 cal/mile.

It takes 2100 calories daily to maintain your current weight.

[Barfly]

Ok, waaay past my bedtime. Ttyl.

[Jett]

I agree. Based on anecdotal evidence (I am in no way an expert), the way I understand it is if you go below your BMR, your body starts to rebel in the way Elsfaire described.

I calculated your BMR to be around 1700 too. You might flirt with going a little below, but 1100 cal?

I've also heard that going over your BMR by 200-300 calories/day for a couple of weeks will "reset" your metabolism. I don't know if this is bro-science or not, though.

Other numerical tidbits of questionable accuracy:

Walking will burn 100-120 cal/mile.

It takes 2100 calories daily to maintain your current weight.

Hmm, okay, so is like, BMR is the lowest you should let your calorie intake be? Or do you want to go under that number to lose weight?

If I'm understanding you, 1700 is the minimum that I should eat, and if I eat 2100 calories, I'll stay the same weight?

So when I was eating 1500, my body wasn't getting enough, well, everything, and started hoarding fat? That would make sense...

 

(I 'preciate the info and trying to help me figure this stuff out, Barfly. :3 I'll keep researching in the mean time to try to make sense of it.)

[Barfly]

Something like that.

[Jett]

Okay, I've done some more reading and calculating. I think I get it now.

Right now, at the age/weight/height I am, the minimum amount of calories I need to eat to function normally seems to be between 1600 and 1800 calories. I have read that the body can adjust to a lower BMR if it's not getting more than that, but that's when it gets into that "famine" mode that conserves fat. So I was sabotaging my own efforts before by eating too LITTLE. (Argh.)

I'm assuming that things are reset back to the usual BMR by now, since the "famine" is over. Further calculations suggest that, with the light level of exercise I am doing right now, I need around 2100-2200 calories to keep things as they are. Since I want to lose, I'll try dropping to 1800 calories/day, and try to make sure that what I'm eating is healthy, too. :3

 

(That's the next thing to study up on... who knew getting fit involved so much brain power!)

[RStephens1]

I know what you mean about the brainpower. I'm just glad I'm of the nerd variety that absolutely loves making spreadsheets!

[Barfly]

Sounds good! You can adjust that as needed, give it a little time to see what kind of results you get.

Now, hit the pavement/pool!

[Jett]

I've gained a tremendous amount of knowledge in the last week, and gone from completely unsure of how to even start, to eager to start the next challenge, and knowing exactly what I need to do to take the next step. Thank you so much to the rebels who helped me learn, here and elsewhere on the site, and especially Beck and Milo, my new, awesome acountabuddies!

 

I now officially declare that I have leveled up to Level 0!!!

 

 

If you wanna see how I'm doing, etc, you can comment on my Blarg.