Originally Posted by
sharpnova
Looks like a lot of people here have experienced a similar situation to mine. Though I don't think I read a single post that didn't contain at least one piece of misinformation.
I had a lot of theories and systems (all invented by me) as I lost my weight and by the end, most of them had been heavily modified or proven completely wrong.
I am 6'5" and started at 319.6 pounds. This weight gain occurred over a period of roughly 5 years. Up until then I had always been incredibly skinny and ate whatever I wanted. I've estimated that back in those days I would eat 5-10,000 calories a day. And my weight always seemed to stay right at about 174. I was really really skinny.
I was still growing though and I'm sure that was a significant factor. Once I hit my adult height, the BMR was obviously reduced and the eatstyle to which I'd become accustomed translated to massive weight gains which I didn't really care about until I saw some photos of myself and was shocked at how fat I'd become.
So I lost 100 pounds in seven months. I did this by suddenly cutting calories down to almost nothing (700 a day for the first couple months) Then upping it to around a 1000, then when I was shedding the last few dekapounds, I would up my daily calories by 100 per day each week that the weigh-in had me at a new dekapound milestone.
I didn't exercise at all.
I didn't follow any stupid diets. Just my own calorie logging and limiting. I didn't join any retarded clinics. Just me, my scale, and a spreadsheet.
I didn't lose any muscle.
There is nothing wrong with eating ridiculously low amounts of calories for as long as you want. Your body has plenty of fat to burn through and it will. People would tell me that I was eating an amount of food that would be dangerous for a small framed woman. Obviously they were wrong. I was as mentally alert as ever. (mentally alert for me is in the 5-6 s.d. range, so basically a level of intelligence and sharpness that no one on this website could even comprehend) I felt great physically. (i still feel great. more great now since I'm running like crazy (because i enjoy running. not for weight loss, though the calories burned do allow me to eat a little more) and lifting weights (not to lose weight or tone up like some f***** but simply because I like video games and getting stronger and bumping up the stats on what I can lift is fun for me. could care less how I look. I'm already good looking and married anyway)
Even when I was 320 pounds I could go run a mile. It was tough and slow but I used to run marathons when I was a teenager and I think I was born to do it.
Now of course I am running seriously again (fast and long distance) and am starting to be fairly comfortable with my weight. I eat around 1500 calories a day but sometimes I'll eat more.
I never had any loose skin problems. And all stretch marks I got from the weight gain vanished seemingly overnight when I lost the weight. I think I got a bit lucky when it comes to the loose skin/stretch marks stuff.
People will say they are fat because of genetics. This is bullshit. If you understand thermodynamics, you'll realize that the energy requirements can only be a fairly simple function of height, weight, gender, age, and that having a caloric deficit MUST result in overall weight loss.
You'll frequently have glycogen stores (from underused muscles), water weight, and shit in your system. These will cause your weight to fluctuate tons and you'll whine and moan about it as I did, until you realize that you probably shouldn't weigh yourself more frequently than once a week.
Another thing. It didn't matter WHAT I ate. All that mattered is that I kept precise count of calories consumed. There would be weeks where I'd eat nothing but junky fast food/candy/etc. And I felt just as great as I always did and lost just as much. It's just that if you want to have a Big Mac, that's two lean cuisine type meals down the drain for one small burger. Worth it? Not to me. But Taco Bell stuff? Worth it. Because those tacos aren't that many calories.
So the "eat healthy" advice? nonsense
"exercise" advice? nonsense (though if you want to have a snack, then go run off the same or more calories so you don't have to feel that shitty "wow that was not worth cheating" feeling)
Just figure out what your basal rate is, force a deficit. And don't have those stupid "cheat meals" or "cheat days" because they will totally make your calories per day for the whole week come up above your BMR or close enough to it to halt losses.
You'll get discouraged all the time. Sometimes for 2 or 3 weeks in a row. If you stick with it and maintain an average below your BMR, you'll lose it all. Don't forget that your BMR will decrease as you enter the dreaded "starvation mode" and as you become lighter.
It's about willpower, which for me was a nonissue. I just quit eating a lot cold turkey one day and haven't looked back. And generally I'm not that great at sticking to things, so if I can do it... some of you might be able to. (I'm realizing as I say it that despite thinking that I'm not that great at sticking to things.. I'm probably a lot better at it than any of you.. so.. whatever. you still might as well give it a shot)
tl;dr - I didn't exercise or watch what I ate. I only counted calories and I lost 100 pounds. I'm still losing and I'll continue to lose but I'm in great shape now and could outrun/outsprint/outtennis/outlift any of you. Or at least the vast majority.