I need to lose 80 pounds... help?

[VicarioVivere]

I switched my antidepressants about two months ago, and I've gained 15 pounds since then. Now I'm tipping the scales at 240 pounds and six feet tall...

I work at a desk for 40 hours a week. I've never lost weight with exercise (except for when I rode 100 miles a week on a racing bicycle a few years ago, but I was hit by a pickup truck and haven't touched a bike in 7 years), so I need to change my diet again. I used to weigh 158 pounds when I ate nothing but unprocessed meat and eggs, but that is too expensive now. I need to eliminate sugar and carbs from my diet, but I don't know how to do it without wrecking my health like I did last time (I developed permanent hypothyroidism). Help?

[jesshkah]

That's not TOO bad. My brother is about 6 and he's like 210? But all muscle really. Not saying you have to go exercise at the gym or anything (though I really would encourage it) but the simplest way of losing weight is just making sure you put out more than you take in right, and what you take in is good for you. So walk more, take the stairs up to your office if you have the ability to, even parking farther away in the parking lot so you walk more is small steps you can take. Take a walk during lunch.

As for what you eat, you should eliminate PROCESSED sugar and carbs from your diet, but the natural sugars you get from fruits are fine. As for carbs you don't have to get rid of them completely, but stick to more whole wheat and full grain things. Cut out sugary drinks if you have any, and don't snack throughout the day unless it's something healthy like fruit or granola.

[VicarioVivere]

Believe me, 240 is not okay for a guy my height. I'm not a bodybuilder.

[jesshkah]

he's not a body builder either lol he's just large. but he's not fat

[VicarioVivere]

I'm fat, though.

[jesshkah]

okay well, like i said just follow everything else i said above lol. you'll start to see small changes.

[redeyemindtricks]

Have you tried intermittent fasting?
Eating all yr food for the day in a 6-10 hour window, with yr carbs at the end (as close to bedtime as possible)?

If not, try it.

It's best to skip breakfast, if you are doing an IF approach. (Eating big breakfasts WILL make you fat. If you do that, yr blood sugar will crash at mid-day -- the dreaded afternoon slump -- and yr stomach will literally be bigger all day long [from expanding to accommodate the breakfast] thus making you hungrier, too.)

If you are doing IF, the only "cardio" you really need -- unless you *enjoy*'cardio -- is some interval training during the fast periods.

__

On another note -- Why don't I know ANY cyclists who haven't been hit by a car/truck?

[VicarioVivere]

I used to do that when I was on the zero carb diet. I didn't have blood sugar swings at all. I just developed hypothyroidism :(

[redeyemindtricks]

Ok, a couple of things.

First, it sounds like you did the low-carb diet wrong. From what it sounds like, you ate a diet that was so high in fat that it resembles the ketogenic diets used to control epilepsy (60-80 percent of calories from fat).

If that's what you were doing, then, any deterioration in yr thyroid function can be pinned squarely on the high-fat, lower-protein nature of the diet.

Basically, here's an explanation of what is happening there.
• Yr thyroid gland produces T4 (thyroxine), which is a bioinactive form.
• Insulin is needed to convert T4 to T3 (triiodothyronine) which is the bioactive form.
• A low-carb HIGH-FAT diet doesn't stimulate insulin much at all, so, that's what caused yr thyroid function to take a nosedive.

What you SHOULD have been doing, instead, was eating a low-carb HIGH-PROTEIN diet, with relatively little fat. You don't have to go to the extreme of eating a PSMF diet, but, you should NOT eat a high-fat diet if thyroid function is a concern.

[redeyemindtricks]

Basically, that is the source of the problem there.

There is no reason to think that a low-carb HIGH-PROTEIN diet could not succeed for you, unless you have suffered from severe reactive hypoglycemia.
See here:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/1146728/

Also, there is absolutely no evidence that any of the decreased thyroid function from a ketogenic diet is "permanent". So, that statement is almost certainly wrong.
And besides, wtf, dude? So what, why don't you just go to the doctor and get a script for thyroid meds? They are like $5-10/month generic prescription depending on yr insurance coverage.

Last but not least, hypothyroidism is NEVER responsible for more than about 10-20 pounds of weight gain. That's even in patients with severe central hypothyroidism, and/or patients whose thyroid glands have been removed from their bodies completely.
Any excess weight beyond that moderate amount is ALWAYS the result of other factors -- usually lifestyle factors.

[VicarioVivere]

I did go to my endocrinologist, who put me on thyroid medication, and I'm still on them six years later.

There doctor swears up and down that my diet didn't cause it, but I was in ketosis for nine months (I didn't cheat at all... I was obsessed).

[oddwaffle]

Okay start with your diet. The best way is to stack up on butter and chicken. Those are the cheapest meat and fat you can get without hurting your bank. Chicken price at around $1/lb so don't pay more than $2/lb.

For vegetables, look for things that are frozen or can be frozen. They tend to be cheaper in bulk and yoi can save them by freezing them. You will want to eat lots of vegetables along with your meat.

Then you need to completely remove all carbs from your meals. If you can not get the meal you want then skip the meal.

[VicarioVivere]

I'm thinking about eating liver, since I wrecked my thyroid health the last time I went extreme low carb and ate all muscle meat.

[oddwaffle]

Liver contains a lot of fat with cholesterol and I doubt it will give you enough meat to stay healthy. I wouldn't recommend liver unless you are having malnutrition problems. I highly recommend you supplement your diet with a healthy dose of vegetables, nuts, cheeae and water.

You need a good dose of fat, vitamins and minerals in your diet. Liver is okay but I personally prefer butter and cheese. They tend to go well with meat and vegetables. You should also add some nuts and olive oil into your diet. You don't want to have too much bad cholesterol. Nuts and olive oils will supplement the fat without much of the drawbacks.

[ConsultantIsBack]

First thing is stop making excuses. Ultra-rare medical conditions that cause weight gain are, well, ultra rare.
Next, is to self-educate on diet and stop eating shit
Third is to cut your calories. Before Bellepepper throws another bitchfit at me, I'm NOT saying be anorexic ofc, just cut your calories. Google a daily caloric maintenance calculator and cut it by 500 or so calories. EVERY SINGLE DAY.

[EllieLexis513]

Make stove top steel cut oats with fruit in the morning. Good for you with little sugar and it keeps you full.

But you're going to have to find a way to cut out the unprocessed meats if you're serious about losing weight whether you like it or not. If you aren't going to completely change your diet, there's not much you can do about it.

[VicarioVivere]

I need to cut the processed carbs, not unprocessed meat.

[EllieLexis513]

No, what you need to cut is the sugar and processed meats. I made a typo earlier. Oats are not bad for you if they aren't instant. They keep you fuller longer and give you energy, that's why a lot of men who lift start out with a bowl of it a few times a week on top of eggs and some type of breakfast meat.

[Tony_Tone89]

Uh, first, at six ft tall, you only need to lose like 50 pounds, not 80.

And you're going to have to have a high protein low carb diet. No breads. Drink only water, 8 cups a day. You're going to have to find a way to eat just unprocessed meats, there's no way around it.

Cutting out sugar and carbs is easy... eat veggies and meat, I don't understand why that would be too complicated for you. And eggs are not expensive. Eat almonds, too, unsalted.

[VicarioVivere]

Eating unprocessed meat 7 days a week is expensive, was my point, since I would be getting my energy from fat instead of carbs.

[VicarioVivere]

I'm not saying it's complicated, but I've tried doing it again since that first time, and I feel like absolute crap and can't function at work.

[Tony_Tone89]

It's not. You don't have to be eating a ribeye a day, but a package of frozen chicken breasts can last you a week or so and it's like only $4 or $5 at the grocery store. That's an excuse.

[Tony_Tone89]

And you feel like crap at work because your body is detoxing. Happens to everyone who changes their diet cold turkey.

Speaking of turkey, eat that, too. And you need to work fruits in during the day.

[VicarioVivere]

Chicken doesn't have enough fat.

[Tony_Tone89]

It doesn't need to. It's the protein you need from it, not the fat.

[VicarioVivere]

I'm talking about beef and pork. High fat diet.

[Tony_Tone89]

Why specifically do you need beef and pork? FYI, pork has a high salt content naturally and will only make it that much harder for you to lose weight.

[VicarioVivere]

I ate a very high fat diet without worrying about sodium, and I lost 40 pounds without exercise. Sodium only affects me if I'm eating carbs.

[Tony_Tone89]

How old were you the last time you lost weight?

[VicarioVivere]

About six/seven years ago*

Then I developed hypothyroidism because I want getting iodine or folic acid...

[VicarioVivere]

Wasn't*

[Tony_Tone89]

I don't think it's fat that you need. You need the protein ratio to be higher. Chicken and fish isn't bad, especially if you can't afford beef and pork all the time. Plus, newsflash, most pork is processed, so if you are cutting out processed port you need to do your research on what companies process it and which ones don't.

Chicken thighs, wings, and legs have a ton of fat in them, too.

[VicarioVivere]

By pork I mean ground pork or pork chops/steaks, not ham and bacon.

[Tony_Tone89]

I know what you mean, but some of it is still processed depending on who makes it.

[VicarioVivere]

I mean like fresh from a meat department or butcher.

[06CuriousMind]

cut out carbs and do at least 20 minutes of cardio in the morning. try to fit in small things like using stairs, only watching tv when your working out, etc.

[wxyc423]

Don't eat bred or cheese

[TonyRyanAgain]

Look up the 17 day diet, give it a try.