Hello /r/loseit this is my six month (and probably last) update to the data visualization I've been posting.
The link below includes complete charts of the last six months for my weight (measured twice daily), daily calories consumed and expended (as recorded by Fitbit), my lean mass vs. fat, my daily macro-nutrient breakdown (carbohydrates, fat, protein), and a daily breakdown of how long I spent in the gym each day.
https://i.imgur.com/Uu9gDON.jpg
RESULTS
I'm a 35 year old father. I started recording (most of) this data on June 20, 2018; on that date I weighed 336 lbs. On December 20, 2018 I weighed in at 229 lbs. A total weight loss of 107 lbs in sixth months. I also took physical measurements using a tape measure once a month. I lost 25" off my waist and an average of 13" off my thighs. My body fat percentage has fallen from 43% to 26%. My BMI has fallen from 48 to 32.
METHOD
I limited the number of calories I consumed each day, and increased the number of calories I expended. Specifically, I gave myself an allowance of 1,200 calories per day, and set a target of using 4,000 calories per day. Over the course of the last six months, I averaged an actual consumption of 1,149 calories per day, and expended an average of 4,039 calories. An average daily deficit of 2,890 calories.
WHY SO FAST?
I chose to lose weight this fast for three reasons:
- I was (and still am) obese, with a starting BMI of 48. I was in a very high risk category for traumatic events like cardiac arrest and stroke. I was also experiencing knee problems because of the weight.
- I know myself very well, and I knew that it would be much harder for me to maintain a small deficit of ~500 calories for several years, than it would be to commit to a more severe deficit for a shorter period of time.
SAFETY
Before I started this process I met with a bariatrician (not the same thing as a bariatric surgeon), which is a type of doctor who specializes in weight and obesity. She agreed to monitor me throughout the process. Including blood tests every month, for the last six months.
BUT... 1,500 CALORIES!
There is a lot of misinformation online, including reddit subreddits, which suggest that men should eat a minimum of 1,500 calories a day, and women no fewer than 1,200 calories a day. There isn't any actual evidence to support those numbers, which is why people who advocate for those minimums can never seem to quote any source for those numbers other than weight loss blogs, etc. There are more unicorns roaming the earth than there are medical studies showing that 1,500 calories a day is required for men to lose weight safely.
The truth is that you can't determine how many calories a person needs to eat based on whether or not they have a dick. The idea that there is a minimum number of calories required to be "safe" is not true. Your body needs nutrients, which are completely independent of calories. There is a huge difference between 1,000 calories of sugar, and 1,000 calories of whole foods.
Those advocating "safe" weight loss also ignore the fact that being obese is dangerous - it includes a lot of risk, telling people to lose weight at a pace deemed safe by a weight loss blog isn't necessarily safe at all. Everyone should speak with a doctor before starting any serious weight loss effort, instead of using internet calorie numbers, or trusting nutritional advice from reddit (including mine).
NO BEFORE/AFTER PICTURE?
Sorry, I didn't take any before pictures in June. I'd started and stalled probably two dozens times before I figured out a system that worked for me, so I didn't know THIS would be the effort that worked.
I think that the data visualization is probably more interesting than a picture of a (still) obsese stranger in his late thirties.
DIET
I didn't follow any specific diet. I am naturally inclined to eat one big meal each day instead of a number of smaller meals, so because that was easier for me, I did that most of the time. There are a number of reddit communities for people who prefer to eat this way, including /r/omad and /r/intermittentfasting, which are both great communities.
Keep in mind that the primary benefit of any meal timing methodology is that it makes it easier for some people to limit the number of calories they consume. So if it's not helping you do that, then regardless of claims of improved concentration, etc. it's not going to be right for you.
I did make an effort to limit carbohydrates, not because I was trying to follow a /r/keto diet, but because with a fairly limited number of calories per day I personally preferred not to spend them on things like bread or rice, etc.
As I did more research, I increased my daily protein intake. This was in an effort to maintain as much of my lean muscle mass as possible while I lost weight. I tried to get at least 160-200g of protein each day. After I started focusing more on excercise, I started using whey and casein protein supplements to help me hit this level each day.
I avoided taking many pills but I did take two. A daily multivitamin that ranks highly on Labdoor (https://labdoor.com/rankings/multivitamins) and an Omega-3 supplement (https://examine.com/supplements/fish-oil/) that also ranks highly on Labdoor. Examine.com is also a fantastic resource for debunking or confirming claims about supplements.
I also reduced my salt intake pretty significantly. There are three things that make food taste good: sugar which is 4 calories per gram, fat which is 9 calories per gram, and salt which has no calories. So a lot of the "low calorie" foods available in supermarket freezers have a lot of salt in them. Although everyone’s body is different, generally every 400 mg of sodium you consume will result in your body holding on to an extra 4 cups of water to balance its chemistry, which weighs approximately two pounds.
BIG TIP: When people say they've hit a "pleateau" it is very often because of salt. If you're eating less calories than your body is using, and you're not losing weight, it's either because your body has increased its muscle mass, or because it's retaining water (usually because of increased salt). The only way to get rid of the excess salt is to wait until your body flushes it out, or speed the process up by drinking more water to flush it out faster.
EXCERCISE
I started with a very basic circuit training program at my local YMCA. Originally I went 1 day a week, then 3 days, then six days. I spent approximately 1-1.5 hours at the gym each session, primarily focused on strength work and not cardio.
After three months, I worked with a personal trainer who set me up with a 3 day program that focused on push excercises, pull excercises, and core excercises. I did this program twice each week (six days at the gym).
I did each of these programs for exactly three months. Consistency is more important than anything else when it comes to excercise. During the last six months I've spent a lot of time reading /r/fitness and earlier this week I met with my trainer again to learn a new strength training program.
WHAT'S NEXT
I'd still like to lose approximately 30 more pounds, but I've transitioned over to bodyfat % as my primary measure of success. As of last week I started increasing my daily calories, and focusing more on strength training and high intensity cardio. My goal is to get under 20% body fat, I'm currently at 26%. To do that I need to increase my protein intake and change the way my body uses energy (ie. more cardio).
I probably won't post anymore data visualizations because all of my weight loss from this point on likely won't be very interesting, but I really appreciate all of the help and support the /r/lostit and /r/fitness has provided over the last six months.
If anyone has any questions about my data, or anything else that I might be able to provide clarification on, please don't hesitate to ask. Thanks everyone.
