Hi Mike!
Congratulations on your progress!
Here’s some (admittedly unsolicited, feel free to do with as you see fit) advice.
1-You set an aggressive weight loss goal and you on track. That’s good stuff.
2-Weight (fat) loss tends to not be linear. Stops and starts, plateaus and whooshes are very common and normal. You can’t drive yourself crazy by being focused on every half pound. Look at the overall trend. Remember that scale weight is just a number-also look at measurements and how your clothes fit. These are all important data points.
3-It’s normal for it to get harder to lose fat as you get leaner. Have you recalculated your intake based on your new bodyweight?
4-A structured refeed may be in order if you have been 100% compliant with your diet.
5-I’m hoping you’re weight training in addition to cardio but I don’t remember.
Hope that helps a bit! Keep up the good work-you’re doing great!
I’ve been slacking on writing really detailed blog posts about this stuff. Plus, it is hard to remember everything the for the moment I sit down to write, so I usually end up leaving a lot of those points out. Plus it seems harder to talk about my diet vs. helping someone else out with theirs.
1. Very true. Overall, I am thrilled that I am down 20lbs.
2. I haven’t done measurements since day 1. I just didn’t want to get addicted to it, like I am with getting on the scale daily. My clothes are getting loser and I can now comfortably wear Large tshirts, when they used to be tight.
3. I haven’t recalculated mathematically. I’ve just been changing things on whether or not I am losing weight and how I’m feeling.
4. With my cheating the day of, or immediately after, I have a good weigh-in, I feel like I am refeeding once a week, lol. Can you suggest a good “structured” refeed meal that I can maybe have this Friday?
I am usually very against cheating and I think it can really set back a diet… but mentally, it keeps me going.
5. I have to admit, I’ve been slacking on the weight training. I have trouble motivating myself at home to stick with the weights (pull-ups, push ups, abs, free squats, light lifting). If I force myself to go run outside in one direction, about 2.5mi from home, then I have no option to turn around and do another 2.5mi to get home. lol
Thanks again!
Do you have an opinion on thermogenics/fat burners? I was always very against using them, until Syntrax threw some samples of Fyre in with my protein order. Well… I didn’t sleep for 42 hours after starting them…oops!
I completely agree that it’s much harder to be objective about yourself. That’s why I have a coach to help me get ready for shows-it’s too hard to see when you’re so close. He actually did a blog post about the scale which you may like- http://leanbodiesconsulting.com/blog/beware-rant-about-the-scale/
-Anyhow, for future reference you may want to take measurements as well as scale weight. For example, over my last 4 weeks of dieting, my scale weight has only dropped 3 pounds-but I’m down an inch at my waist, and inch an a half around the bellybutton. That’s pretty big at my size. So definitely focus on the clothing as much if not more than the scale.
-Your cheats have definitely been a “refeed” of sorts! But since you are cutting them out now (which is not a bad idea) I would incorporate a refeed weekly. Once a week, after a resistance training session, up your carbs to 2x bodyweight in grams for the day, and try to get most of them in within 5 hours or so post workout. Keep them lowfat, with grams of fat at 60 or so for the day, set protein at 1g/lb. Lowfat cereals, rice cakes, popcorn, some fruit, even fat free sorbet. Cheats are definitely psychological, refeeds are more physiological.
-Cardio is good, but the resistance work is what will help you hang on to muscle while you lose fat. Losing a bunch of muscle won’t help your overall look.
-Thermogenics-this is a your mileage will vary. They don’t really “burn fat”, but they can given you energy when you are in a calorie deficit. I’m a caffeine junkie, I can’t lie. Sleeping is good though-so maybe decrease the dose!
Good luck and keep it up!
Hi Mike,
I went gluten free for the new year and found your blog when you were two weeks into the diet. You are doing great.
I just wanted to say thank you for talking about calorie king. I joined about 6 weeks ago and have lost 15 lbs. I doubt I would have lost anything without it.
WB
You are doing great as well! I’d love to hear your thoughts about weight loss and dieting more in-depth sometime! Maybe you could write an article that I could share about your experience. Everyone has their own story and what works for them.
Yes, Calorie Kind is great. There are some other good ones, like the one Erin has recommended. I’ve gotten lazy and away from using it on a daily basis, after I got my routine down. It has probably been a mistake, and I need to get back to using it, since the diet has gotten really hard recently. As you adjust your intake every few weeks, it is probably a good idea to go back to it and make sure you are on the right track again.
Mike is a struggling gluten-holic!
He shows very little signs of having celiac, so has had a hard time motivating himself to stay away from his favorite foods: pizza, Chinese, buffalo chicken tenders, pasta, and Bud Light!
Mike has decided it is time to make the change for his long term health. With very little unusual stomach symptoms, he has started noticing some other parts of his life decline....
Hi Mike!
Congratulations on your progress!
Here’s some (admittedly unsolicited, feel free to do with as you see fit) advice.
1-You set an aggressive weight loss goal and you on track. That’s good stuff.
2-Weight (fat) loss tends to not be linear. Stops and starts, plateaus and whooshes are very common and normal. You can’t drive yourself crazy by being focused on every half pound. Look at the overall trend. Remember that scale weight is just a number-also look at measurements and how your clothes fit. These are all important data points.
3-It’s normal for it to get harder to lose fat as you get leaner. Have you recalculated your intake based on your new bodyweight?
4-A structured refeed may be in order if you have been 100% compliant with your diet.
5-I’m hoping you’re weight training in addition to cardio but I don’t remember.
Hope that helps a bit! Keep up the good work-you’re doing great!
Great Stuff, Erin! I always appreciate it.
I’ve been slacking on writing really detailed blog posts about this stuff. Plus, it is hard to remember everything the for the moment I sit down to write, so I usually end up leaving a lot of those points out. Plus it seems harder to talk about my diet vs. helping someone else out with theirs.
1. Very true. Overall, I am thrilled that I am down 20lbs.
2. I haven’t done measurements since day 1. I just didn’t want to get addicted to it, like I am with getting on the scale daily. My clothes are getting loser and I can now comfortably wear Large tshirts, when they used to be tight.
3. I haven’t recalculated mathematically. I’ve just been changing things on whether or not I am losing weight and how I’m feeling.
4. With my cheating the day of, or immediately after, I have a good weigh-in, I feel like I am refeeding once a week, lol. Can you suggest a good “structured” refeed meal that I can maybe have this Friday?
I am usually very against cheating and I think it can really set back a diet… but mentally, it keeps me going.
5. I have to admit, I’ve been slacking on the weight training. I have trouble motivating myself at home to stick with the weights (pull-ups, push ups, abs, free squats, light lifting). If I force myself to go run outside in one direction, about 2.5mi from home, then I have no option to turn around and do another 2.5mi to get home. lol
Thanks again!
Do you have an opinion on thermogenics/fat burners? I was always very against using them, until Syntrax threw some samples of Fyre in with my protein order. Well… I didn’t sleep for 42 hours after starting them…oops!
I completely agree that it’s much harder to be objective about yourself. That’s why I have a coach to help me get ready for shows-it’s too hard to see when you’re so close. He actually did a blog post about the scale which you may like-
http://leanbodiesconsulting.com/blog/beware-rant-about-the-scale/
-Anyhow, for future reference you may want to take measurements as well as scale weight. For example, over my last 4 weeks of dieting, my scale weight has only dropped 3 pounds-but I’m down an inch at my waist, and inch an a half around the bellybutton. That’s pretty big at my size. So definitely focus on the clothing as much if not more than the scale.
-Your cheats have definitely been a “refeed” of sorts! But since you are cutting them out now (which is not a bad idea) I would incorporate a refeed weekly. Once a week, after a resistance training session, up your carbs to 2x bodyweight in grams for the day, and try to get most of them in within 5 hours or so post workout. Keep them lowfat, with grams of fat at 60 or so for the day, set protein at 1g/lb. Lowfat cereals, rice cakes, popcorn, some fruit, even fat free sorbet. Cheats are definitely psychological, refeeds are more physiological.
-Cardio is good, but the resistance work is what will help you hang on to muscle while you lose fat. Losing a bunch of muscle won’t help your overall look.
-Thermogenics-this is a your mileage will vary. They don’t really “burn fat”, but they can given you energy when you are in a calorie deficit. I’m a caffeine junkie, I can’t lie. Sleeping is good though-so maybe decrease the dose!
Good luck and keep it up!
Hi Mike,
I went gluten free for the new year and found your blog when you were two weeks into the diet. You are doing great.
I just wanted to say thank you for talking about calorie king. I joined about 6 weeks ago and have lost 15 lbs. I doubt I would have lost anything without it.
WB
Thanks WB!
You are doing great as well! I’d love to hear your thoughts about weight loss and dieting more in-depth sometime! Maybe you could write an article that I could share about your experience. Everyone has their own story and what works for them.
Yes, Calorie Kind is great. There are some other good ones, like the one Erin has recommended. I’ve gotten lazy and away from using it on a daily basis, after I got my routine down. It has probably been a mistake, and I need to get back to using it, since the diet has gotten really hard recently. As you adjust your intake every few weeks, it is probably a good idea to go back to it and make sure you are on the right track again.
I’m very happy this has helped you!
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