Questions about adding Supplements and Weight loss

Hi Everyone,

I'll start with a bit of background. Like many folks my weight has fluctuated throughout my life, with 240lbs being the heaviest I've been and my lightest being around 190 (in my early 20s). It's no mystery why I've put on weight when I have and why its dropped off when it has. The most common issue has been dramatic shifts in my life (moving, changing jobs, having a kid etc.)

Currently I'm in my mid 30's. I'm 6' and as of this morning I way 212.7 lbs with my body fat at 24%. This is down from 240lbs with 34% starting about 4/5 months ago. I know that that's a fairly dramatic drop but I recently started a new job which allowed me to join a gym (I go to 4-5 times a week), run during my lunch hour (3-5 time a week)and I've also been able to take greater control of my diet, all things that I've been able to do at some point in the past. Basically I'm in a position where the changes that I've made are sustainable and honestly for the first time in my life I can confidently say that there should be no major changes coming up in the foreseeable future.

With that all being said I've started thinking about shifting my focus from just dropping weight to trying to adding muscle/getting fit. It seems to me then that there are two things that i need to do, the first is to continue to decrease my body fat % and the next is to increase my overall muscle mass. To that end, I was thinking about adjusting my diet and adding things like protein supplements post workout.

With that in mind my questions are as follows:

• Which generally comes first increased muscle mass or loss of body fat?
• Would simply adding a protein supplement after my workout (increasing my overall calorie intake) add muscle and fat, or would it increase muscle and help burn fat?
• Instead of just adding protein, should I also change other parts of my diet to compensate for the additional calories?
• If i did add supplements, should it be pre or post workout (or both)

If anyone has any advice, I'd really appreciate it, and I'm happy to answer any questions if anyone needs any clarification.

Thanks

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SV - I restarted and i meant it

Hi everyone,

I made a post about two weeks ago talking about starting over.

https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/ds3s75/im_ready_to_restart/ Original post if any of you are curious.

It has been hard to restart for me and i'm sure for a lot of people. I would do great for two days then third day i'd mess up and it would just spiral into me just giving up. But not this time, two weeks in and i am down 11lbs. I am so happy about this, and its not even just the weight loss, i feel like i'm actually doing something to better myself. I smile at myself after a work out, i feel proud after i have a good healthy meal. This is just one small step, but its a small step towards the right direction. I also wanted to thank all of you who left comments on my original post encouraging me and some even giving advise. I always knew this subreddit was filled with awesome people but its nice that you guys keep reminding me. Thank you.

If any of you are curious about what i have been doing, its really nothing special;

Every morning i play Ring Fit adventure - if you are into video games and want something to make working out fun, then i would definitely look into this game.

I have been meal prepping on Sundays to make sure i have lunch for work. Just chicken and veggies.

I stopped drinking Soda all together and only have water. I do enjoy Iced coffee on the weekends, but only one.

Then after work i go running using my C25K app, which makes me run 3 times a week. On days i don't run i go for an hour walk.

And that's pretty much it, nothing too crazy. I know i will have to shake things up for the future so i can continue to lose weight. Hoping to start weight training to build some muscle, but for now this is what i do.

Thank you for reading and i am hoping you are all having successful weeks.

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Am I an asshole for not wanting to talk to someones child about their weight to try to “inspire” them?

TLDR: my friends boss asked me to try and talk his teenage son into losing weight. I didn’t feel comfortable so i said no. Now i feel like an asshole. Am i an asshole?

I would like to start by saying I’ve lost 125lbs in the last 2 years and have managed to get to a normal BMI. It was and still to this day is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Its true what they say, the real weight loss journey doesn’t start until your “finished” and its time to maintain,

So, yesterday i get a phone call. It was my friends boss who i have known for a while now. He told me that he was worried about his teenage sons weight, I’m not exactly sure how old he is i think somewhere around 12 or 13. Anyway, his father called me and expressed his concern and asked me if i could talk to his son and maybe try to “motivate” him to lose weight.

I completely froze up when he asked me this. I didn’t know what to say.

I thought for a minute and said “ _________, look man it means a lot to me that you see me as someone who could potentially inspire your son to make life changes but i am really not comfortable bringing up a young persons weight nor do i think i have all the correct information he would need. I am very sorry.

The main reason i didn’t want to do it was because before i had my “click moment “ i was in denial. I couldn’t stand when people talked about my weight. I didn’t change until I wanted to change. I had doctors, friends and family tell me my weight was getting out of control but it didn’t matter because i wouldn’t listen to them until i was ready.

My other big concern was i do not even know this kid. The last thing i want to do is make him depressed about his looks or health or to damage the relationship between him and his father.

He understood and appreciated that i thought about it for a minute and thanked me. That was the end of the conversation.

Its been 3 days since i talked to him and i cant help but feel like an asshole. Did i do the right thing? Why cant i stop thinking about it?

Im curious, what would you have done?

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How to get your spouse interested in weight loss?

Hi all! I am beginning to get more and more concerned about my husband's weight. He is well in to the 300's now. What prompted me to make this post is that I have been noticing as of late a lot of issues that he has been complaining about. For example he was doing the dishes last night and said he was a bit out of breath from bending over. Or that his knees hurt, or that hes exhausted.

The worst for me is seeing him struggle with energy with our baby. She's not crawling yet, but she's close and im afraid he's not going to have the energy to keep up with her as she gets older. And I'm also afraid of his bad habits rubbing off on her. I don't want a life struggling with weight for her.

He's struggled with weight his whole life. His parents do not eat healthy at all, his mom is a constant yo-yo Dieter, and he's a very picky eater and dislikes most low calorie foods. It doesn't help that he has a desk job and loves his video games. I have also struggled with weight my whole life so I get it's hard. But I really try to eat healthy and be as active as possible. I do need to lose more weight but overall I feel healthy. I just want him to just start trying but he won't. He just keeps making excuses. First it was I'll lose weight when I hit 30! Then it was I'll lose weight for the wedding! Then it was I'll lose weight before our daughter is born. Now it's I'll lose weight before she's older.

I have to give him some credit though, he has made small bits of progress. We don't buy pop and have significantly lessened our unhealthy snack purchases. But he has no interest in exercising. I have offered to work out with him, or get a shared gym membership, but he refuses saying not today, or I hate the gym.

I have tried reminding him of the health issues. I tell him that all the physical issues he has will improve. I tell him how good I feel when I eat healthy or work out ect. It seems like no matter what I say it doesn't help. I have tried both positive and negative approaches.

I just don't know what to do. I am so afraid he is just going to keep gaining and it's going to start severely affecting his health. Now that we have a daughter I am terrified that she is going to lose her father younger than she should someday because of his weight, and I am going to lose my husband. I love him so much and if I wasn't so afraid for his health, I wouldn't change a thing about him.

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Stuck on the same weight for almost a month. How to fix this?

Hello guys, first time poster here. I've basically been on a weight loss journey since May/June. I'm M 26 5'10, and currently weight 182 lb. When I started I was at about 196 lb and did not like how I looked.

Even then I was still "dieting" by avoiding certain foods and working out but had no idea its all about being at a calorie deficit. I started then looking up what my intake should be in order to drop a pound a week and all weight loss calculators had me at about 1800-1900 calories daily. I've been sticking to that and that is how I managed to drop these pounds. Not much exercise, just eating less.

So as the title says, I've been stuck on this weight for a month now and its frustrating for 2 reasons: My goal weight is 175 lb, and I feel I am already restricting myself on what I eat. I'd say the hardest part for me is having to spread out my meals on work days when I'm up at 6am.

Is it that I need to eat even less? Thanks.

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I ran into my childhood bully last night at Whole Foods..

....and he didn’t even recognize me. He walked right past me!

I was frozen in fear when I saw him because this guy used to mercilessly pick on me all through middle school and high school. He NEVER missed an opportunity to make a mean comment or joke at my expense. It brought back so many bad emotions and memories I was instinctively bracing myself for him to say something but I guess the 140 lbs I’ve lost in the last 12 months threw him off, he walked right past me! 💪✌️

I'm a grown ass adult now and I haven't seen the guy in more than 10 years so I know its a little silly of me to still be afraid of him but this was a big win for me, maybe some of y'all can relate.

I haven't reached my GW of 190 lbs yet but I've gone from 363 lbs to 223 lbs in 12 months. It has not been easy changing my lifestyle but its been one of the most rewarding things I've ever done for myself. I feel happier, healthier and more confident now than I have at any point in my life. Browsing r/loseit has been such an inspiration during my journey.

Here are my biggest learnings from my journey so far:

Diet

I focused primarily on reducing my saturated fat, sodium, carbs while increasing my lean protein, fiber, and healthy fats. I did CICO.

It’s already been said here many times, but I cannot stress this enough – measure everything. Get MyFitnessPal and use their calorie counter. Its a paid service but IMO worth every penny. Once you start doing this and make it a habit, it changes everything.

Exercise

I started working out, following a strength training routine at least 3 days a week and gradually increasing my overall activity level over time. Currently, I have shifted into weight training, average about 12,000 steps a day, and have started doing Insanity workouts 2 days a week.

If you can hire a personal trainer, do it. I used a personal trainer for the first 3 months until I was comfortable with an active lifestyle.

Emotional

You need a solid support system around you because you are only as strong as your support system. There is a saying that in life you become the average of your 5 closest friends. I think the same is true for weight loss. If you have active friends they will automatically invite you to activities that involve physical activity (rock climbing, cycling, soccer on weekends etc) and soon this becomes a part of your life style. When you're out at dinner with these friends and see the portions they are ordering and the foods they are ordering, you automatically recalibrate your own order. You have to push yourself outside your comfort zone – initially this is going to be awkward and you will feel like an outsider, but swallow your pride and do it.

While having friends who are already fit is great, I also found having a support group of people who were on the same weight loss journey as me to be invaluable. These were people with whom I could vent on a day to day basis. I used Uplift Groups to find myself a support group - they match you with a support group based on your SW, CW and GW. Free service and i've made some friends for life because of it. Surround yourself with people who can give you encouragement, guidance, support, and accountability.

Closing Thoughts

When I look back on how far I've come I can't believe it. To be sure, I'm not at my GW yet, but I feel so much better now than I ever have. Once you start eating healthy and exercising for a sustained period of time, at some point your brain just switches. I no longer think of going to the gym as exercise, it is just a part of my life. Ditto with eating well.

This is the best gift you can give yourself. Thank you for reading.

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That overly supportive guy at work. I'm not being too sensitive, am I?

I just got home from my shift and am about to go to bed, but this is bothering me. I'm down about 30 pounds and my co-workers have noticed. I get a few "you got this girl"'s from time to time, which is nice. Then there is Lionel.

Lionel is very supportive. He's also lost around 30 pounds in the past so he understands how hard it is. He's just a bit too friendly and invested in my weight though. He asked me three or four times a week how my lastest weight in went. I get a high-five regardless of whether I deserve it or not. He's not coming across as a creeper, just a lonely old guy who just delighted we know have this in common now. I am open about my weight loss and don't mind talking about it, but the near-daily updates are starting to make me uncomfortable. To be clear, I in no way think he is dangerous or being sexually intimidating. I think he really does mean well. It's just, well, a bit but much, and kinda feel mean for feeling that way.

This doesn't seem like a run off to HR situation to me. I really am not sure how to handle this. Has anyone else had to deal with this sort of thing?

Off to bed now, I'll have to briefly answer some questions before work when I wake and take more time tomorrow night.

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