Hi, It’s me! From the post the other day = https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/7ec791/long_time_lurker_down_150_pounds_pic_included/

This is a basic overview(elementary) I will go into more details in the future.

I had a few people ask me what I did so here is how I lost 150 pounds Basic numbers that is used. My calorie target was based upon losing 2 lbs per week. The target was 1600 Calories, about mid-way through I adjusted it to 1650 calories 40% protein = 165g 35% carbs. = 144g 25% fat = 46g

Idea of what I ate starting out.

18 ounces of chicken. 6 ounces 3 meals. Reduced Sugar Ketchup 5 Cal per tablespoon hot sauce.

2 cups of brown rice spread between the meals 1 cup of broccoli/other veggies. Almonds spread throughout the day. Fruit mixed throughout the day.

Just an example.

I am not a pro at this. I had no help, these are number I came up with. Don’t go by this it worked for me but I have no idea if it was supposed to 😊. Currently I try to stay around 2000 calories. Still in weight loss but more in the loss for bodyfat%. Once I get it a little lower I’m going to go on a bulk (putting on muscle).

People ask me every single day what’s the secret, what’s the secret? I have to be honest I 100% wish I had some super-secret guide to losing weight. But at the end of the day, you eat less and exercise more. That’s a basic definition of it. One day I woke up and said it's time to change. Instantly stopped eating crap, and stopped drinking soda, all cold turkey. One night went from eating big macs to the next day eating chicken, brown rice, and vegetables every single meal. Went from eating pringles all day to eating a handful of almonds here and there. I started to get worried though. I said to myself Am I going to eat like this forever? Then I Realized that is precisely why, so many people fail. They put themselves on real restrictive diets. Technically speaking Losing weight is mostly about numbers, if you eat X number of calories and put yourself at a deficit weight will "magically" disappear. That being said you could eat that X number of calories in whatever you wanted, and as long as you hit that number “generally” you will drop weight. I’m not telling anyone to go out and eat mcdonalds all day every day as long as you eat X number of calories, you may lose weight, but you won’t become “healthy”. What I’m trying to say is don’t put your self on some super restrictive diet to lose weight. What are you going to do when the weight is lost? Are you going to keep on eating like that are you going to go back to your old self? Change Your Lifestyle Do not go on a DIET.

If I’m being 100% honest I was ADDICTED to food. I knew it, so I personally stayed away from fast food restaurants, and stuck to a restrictive diet for the first 6 months. After 6 months I opened a little bit. Eating more but still counting my macros. I personally eat Chinese food 3 days a week now. I order Chicken Teriyaki with no teriyaki sauce, steamed rice, and veggies. Basically, chicken and rice, but I call it teriyaki chicken to play tricks on my brain.

I know several people who have lost weight just with diet and it’s a real thing. Controlling what you eat and eating less will cause you to lose weight, its not always about the gym, or exercise, but those things help so much. The day I decided to stop being “fat” I got a gym membership and started walking on the treadmill every day for 30 minutes. That’s all it took 30 minutes of cardio a day. I started out at 2 MPH. At 330 pounds I could burn hundreds of calories in 30 minutes. I then started lifting weights when I heard about the “afterburn”. The idea that your body eats up extra oxygen after a workout, meaning my body could continue burning calories after I was finished working out. I was all up for it. As time went along and weight started coming off I gradually upped the intensity. Now the same exercise I started with that I burned 400 calories doing, wouldn’t even break a sweat, and that’s a problem. I don’t often have 500-600 calorie cardio sessions anymore, I get a good cardio session in and burn around 250 calories. When I first started my weight, loss losing 5 pounds in a week was normal. Now losing a few ounces is an achievement. Don’t let that phase you.

MY tips.

1. Don’t dive into the pool if you don’t know how to swim just yet. Losing weight is not a race, it takes time no matter how long it took you to get to the point you’re at, the time it takes to get rid of the fat will be far less.
2. Don’t be scared of food. If you go on vacation eat. If you gain a few pounds that’s ok!
3. I personally don’t believe it cheat days (they are not bad). I feel I cheated for the first 24 years of my life I didn’t really need any more cheat meals.
4. Track Everything you eat. I hear all the time I only eat x calories and I’m not losing weight. I can almost guarantee you that you are probably eating more then you think. Even ketchup is upwards of 20cal for just a spoon full Track it!
5. Stop making excuses, Weightless will be one of the best decisions you have ever made I Promise!
6. Quit Drinking Soda! All Soda (if you have to drink it, at least go with “diet” “coke zero” type soda. Its technically not good for you but it won’t hinder your weightless to bad. Remember there is other ways of getting caffeine outside of soda.
7. DRINK LOTS OF WATER!
8. Set small goals for yourself with rewards, then have your big goal. Along the way you have little things to look forward to on this large trip to the rest of your life.
9. Accept the fact that food = fuel. Fuel doesn’t have to taste good. Eat your Veggies, and your fruits.
10. Don’t give up! You may fall, you may fail 100 times, but keep making forward progress, get back up and get back to losing weight.
11. You don’t need anyone’s help. I had zero people help me with workout plans/ food plans/ what to do/ how to do it. I did it all alone, except for google of course.

***If any of you have tips for me please leave them! I know how to lose the weight, I have zero idea how to maintain once I get to that point. Or bulk for that matter.