AntcuFaalb's Weight Loss Journey

The time has come for me to whip my fat ass into shape. My weight has been all over the place for the last 10 years, ranging from ~170lb. to ~410lb., at my height of 6' 0". I've lost >50lb. at least twice in the past, but like most formerly-obese people, I've put it all back on and then some. I didn't start at ~170lb. and work my way up to ~410lb.; i.e., it wasn't linear, but more like 250->190->230->170->220->350->300->...->410.

I used to be involved in bodybuilding and managed to get beefy enough to seriously consider entering competition. I know how to lose weight and I know how to do it healthily, so don't expect me to follow some fad diet here. It'll all just be calores-in vs. calories-out, hard work, and willpower.

Prior to stopping bodybuilding in 2005, I was ~220lb. with ~12% bodyfat and I've managed to retain a good amount of that lean mass.

I currently have a clean-bill-of-health. My blood pressure and sugar are normal, among other things. My fat-distribution is rather good (I don't look anywhere near 410lb.), so I can still participate in, e.g., shootin' some hoops without looking like a sweaty mess of a fool. Basically, I'm functionally-obese.

I want to lose as much weight as possible prior to the birth of our first child, late in April of 2014.

JEDIT: I plan to post in this thread at the end of every day with information on what I ate, how I feel, etc.

JEDIT 2: NOTE ON COFFEE: I take my coffee incredibly-sweet with cream and sugar, so I'd estimate each cup of coffee to be >= 100kcal. I'm trying to cut down, but I work as a Software Engineer, so... yeah.

DAY 0: TUESDAY 29 OCTOBER 2013

Breakfast
  JimmyDean Delights Canadian Bacon, Egg White & Cheese Honey Wheat English Muffin Sandwich
    210 kcal
    4.5g fat
    28g carbs
    14g protein
  Ritz Peanut Butter Sandwich Cracker Pack (6)
    200 kcal
    11g fat
    21g carbs
    4g protein
  Yoplait Go-Gurt Yogurt Tube
    60 kcal
    0.5g fat
    12g carbs
    2g protein

Lunch
  Herb Roasted Chicken Lean Cuisine Meal
    170 kcal
    3g fat
    20g carbs
    16g protein
  Del Monte No Sugar Added Mandarin Orange Fruit Cup
    40 kcal
    0g fat
    12g carbs
    1g protein
  Mott's Cinnamon Applesauce Cup
    100 kcal
    0g fat
    25g carbs
    0g protein

Dinner
  Wood Fire Style Margherita Pizza Lean Cuisine Meal
    310 kcal
    7g fat
    46g carbs
    16g protein

Daily Total
  1090 calories (+ 3-4 cups of coffee)
  26g fat
  164g carbs
  53g protein

Note(s): I had an incredibly-long day at the office today (14 hours) because I needed to make up some time. The 3-4 cups of coffee were greatly needed!

TV's Frink said:

I think you should include your SO's weight journey as well.

I'm fairly certain that she'd murder me in my sleep if I were to do that. ^_^

TV's Frink said:

Congrats on the bun in the oven...so to speak.  And good luck on your journey!

Thank you!!!

AntcuFaalb said:

I take my coffee incredibly-sweet with cream and sugar

That is what coffee is all about.

imperialscum said:

AntcuFaalb said:

I take my coffee incredibly-sweet with cream and sugar

That is what coffee is all about.

:-) I agree. I used to do cream + 4 Splenda (16oz cup), but I'm trying to cut down on my consumption of artificial sweeteners.

DAY 1: WEDNESDAY 30 OCTOBER 2013

Breakfast
  Same as yesterday

Lunch
  Traditional Four Cheese Pizza Lean Cuisine Meal
    350 kcal
    6g fat
    57g carbs
    19g protein
  Del Monte No Sugar Added Mandarin Orange Fruit Cup
    40 kcal
    0g fat
    12g carbs
    1g protein
  Mott's Cinnamon Applesauce Cup
    100 kcal
    0g fat
    25g carbs
    0g protein

Dinner
  Barilla Classic Blue Box Large Pasta Shells (x2)
    400 kcal
    2g fat
    84g carbs
    14g protein

Daily Total
  1360 calories (+ 2 cups of coffee; pasta sauce)
  24g fat
  239g carbs
  54g protein

Note(s): My wife made pasta tonight. I have no idea what the stats are of the sauce, but I'm sure it wasn't bad...

Chewtobacca said:

Good luck, Antcufaalb!  I need to shed a few pounds too, so I know what it's like.  Losing weight is certainly a challenge.

Oh, and congratulations! :)

Thank you, thank you. :-)

Hi, AntcuFaalb, looking at what you've eaten the past two days, I see most of your vegetables come from the Lean Cuisine Meals. I've done those before, and there's not all that much in the way of vegetables there.

how do you feel about including more fresh vegetables in your diet? It's a habit for me to have a salad every day, usually at lunch or sometimes at dinner, a huge thing in a big soup bowl. It goes a long way towards filling me up. My brother and I take turns making salads, but on occasion I've made a large amount of salad and refrigerated it so that it would last for a few days. Adding olive oil and cheese is a good replacement for dressing. I don't even miss it now.

Good luck on your new goal!

I actually kinda like celery... :P

NeverarGreat said:

Hi, AntcuFaalb, looking at what you've eaten the past two days, I see most of your vegetables come from the Lean Cuisine Meals. I've done those before, and there's not all that much in the way of vegetables there.

how do you feel about including more fresh vegetables in your diet?

As a followup, allow me to recommend the farmers markets of our mutual area: http://howardcountyfarmersmarkets.com/

TV's Frink said:

imperialscum said:

AntcuFaalb said:

I take my coffee incredibly-sweet with cream and sugar

That is what coffee is all about.

Hey, we found something else you like!

Yes. :)

Now I might add that my favourite meal are fat-less pork loin steaks without anything else.

timdiggerm said:

NeverarGreat said:

Hi, AntcuFaalb, looking at what you've eaten the past two days, I see most of your vegetables come from the Lean Cuisine Meals. I've done those before, and there's not all that much in the way of vegetables there.

how do you feel about including more fresh vegetables in your diet?

As a followup, allow me to recommend the farmers markets of our mutual area: http://howardcountyfarmersmarkets.com/

Thanks! I'll look into this.

NeverarGreat said:

how do you feel about including more fresh vegetables in your diet?

I'm not a big "vegetable guy", but I'll consider adding a daily salad to my diet.

Thanks for the tip(s)!

It's mostly water-weight, but I'm already down to 397.8lb. Yay! :-)

DAY 2: THURSDAY 31 OCTOBER 2013 (HALLOWEEN!)

Breakfast
  Same as yesterday sans Ritz Peanut Butter Sandwich Cracker Pack

Lunch
  Same as yesterday sans Fruit Cup and Applesauce Cup

Dinner
  Baja Fresh "Baja Ensalada" with Chicken
    310 kcal
    7g fat
    18g carbs
    46g protein
  Baja Fresh 1.5oz. Side of Tortilla Chips
    210 kcal
    9g fat
    29g carbs
    3g protein

Snacks
  Blue Diamond Bold Salt 'n Vinegar Almonds
    170 kcal
    15g fat
    5g carbs
    6g protein
  Edy's Slow Churned Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
    200 kcal
    7g fat
    30g carbs
    4g protein

Daily Total
  1510 kcal (+ 2 cups of coffee; light salad dressing)
  49g fat
  179g carbs
  94g protein

Note(s): Baja Fresh! Yum!

It's still probably water-weight, but I'm down to 396.6lb.

DAY 3: FRIDAY 1 NOVEMBER 2013

Breakfast
  Same as yesterday

Lunch
  Asian-style Pot Stickers Lean Cuisine Meal
    260 kcal
    4g fat
    49g carbs
    8g protein

Dinner
  Same as DAY 1

Snacks
  Same as yesterday

Daily Total
  1300 kcal (+ 2 cups of coffee; pasta sauce)
  33g fat
  208g carbs
  48g protein

Note(s): I ate the leftover pasta, but with very little sauce.