My stats:
Male, late 30s, 6', 330 Lb. last I checked. Fat shows in my stomach, ass, chest, and face (I've got sexy calves, though )

My 2016 goals:
1 - Lose 100 Lb. primarily through dieting
2 - Improve overall fitness and mood through exercise. Cardio first, mainly swimming and walking. Lifting once my stamina is up a bit, maybe May-ish.

Obstacles:
1 - Depression makes motivation tough, even though the cardio will help with the motivation
2 - ADD makes sticking to a plan for more than 1 month tough
(both of the above diagnosed through a full adult neuropsych, in case you were wondering.)
3 - I am a caregiver for someone with a chronic health condition, so I have trouble carving out time/space for my needs

Tools:
1 - I am using "The 'I' Diet", modified for Kosher food and my weight.
2 - Gym membership, mainly for the pool and squat racks/cages (would own my own cage if I did not live in an apt)
3 - A way to listen to my music or podcasts no matter what I am doing
4 - Supportive spouse and child
5 - This community, I hope

These posts will be for both technical updates and thoughts.

Week 0 begins Sunday and will be about ramping up my fiber intake in order to prep for the I Diet. I am also going to swim twice in week 0.

Here is my starting pose. I'll try to take the photo in the same basic items each week...



Any thoughts are welcome!

Hey mate, Im also trying to lose a sh*t tonne of weight. Good luck...My only advice is listen to the guys in here...! loads of accumulated knowledge around here..

I've subscribed

Thanks!

G.L.OP.
every journey of 100lbs starts with one small step.

Good luck op!

Read through wildebeests thread (Hi I'm a fat guy). There's a bunch of good advice in there but mode importantly everyone is so excited about his chances because of his attitude. There is probably more to learn from his posts than everyone else's.

GL op. WB84 seems to be doing about the same thing as you, idk about age difference. Rooting for both of you all to stick with it.

I'm 31, to be fair the expectation you guys have on me is a good thing, and a good motivator..

Are you counting calories OP? Do you have myfitnesspal? It's kind of my bible at the moment..

Yeah this is definitely true. There ends up being a positive feedback loop.

I also didn't mean to imply that ops attitude was harmful in any way. That's yet to be seem. I was just pointing out that you provide a really good template to follow.

Great question!

I have counted calories in the past, both on paper and using apps, and had too much trouble sticking with it. One of the more interesting challenges is my religious observances - I neither write nor use electronic devices during my Sabbath, so I would have to remember 24 hours worth of food every Saturday night.

For weeks 0 through 9 of the diet I am using I will be following a menu set by the authors of the book itself. One of the authors - Susan Roberts - is a nutrition PhD at Tufts and the diet is based on her research.

I am not against calorie counting as a way of managing or losing weight - it has just not worked for me in the past. Best of luck with your efforts as well, and I will definitely be checking your posts!

Cheers! To be fair, I'm just lucky to have all the experience in here! Make sure you use it OP! Great advice from the people round here!

So, amusement parks can really suck if you are the wrong shape or weight.

My son and I both love going to our local Six Flags. We have season tickets and get a nice long season - March/April through Halloween - to enjoy them. He has JUST reached the point at which he is willing to add roller coasters to his fun, and therein lies the problem.

Roller coaster restraints, and even (sometimes) seats, don't fit me. Same thing on other rides as well, though my mileage certainly varies.

The theme park season begins in about eight weeks; I don't think I will fit seats by then, but it would be really nice to fit sometime this season.

Sure, health, well being, and how I look are motivations as well. But my first one is being able to ride roller coasters (especially wooden ones) with my son.

Thanks mate... Look I'm only 2 weeks in myself, and although calorie counting is a pain it has opened my eyes...I'd maybe give it another go...

From what I've read on the book your using your going to restrict yourself to 1600 cal set meals...I'm on 1800 and some of the guys think that is too low..Just a heads up..

In regards to planning, I do most of my cooking for the week on a Sunday, so a lot of the work is done... If you can't use electrics on the sabbath, does that mean you won't be cooking on that day?

Rooting for you man, but I'd ask the guys here some advice on diet..

Yeah, 1600 calories is very low.

Weight loss is 100% calories in vs calories out and so while it would work great in theory, the problem comes with the practicality of maintaining that calorie range over the long term. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

Eating mostly produce and clean unprocessed foods can help feel more satiated within a low calorie range but upping your daily allowance will still do the job while hopefully making the change more sustainable.

I agree that 1800 is way to low for someone my height and weight. The authors of the book do as well, so they included (a) modifications for larger folks and (b) a chart that puts my daily requirement for breaking even at about 3400 (probably a bit high).

Correct... Prepping on Sunday, or on my day off (I work Sunday) is a good idea. I'll have to see if I can manage it.

Thanks for both support and advice. I have to do plenty more reading here.

The current research appears to also support the idea that where the calories come from is also important. Nothing too groundbreaking here - 100 calories in the form of vegetables is a lot more filling than 100 calories of cookies which means that eating no more than that 100 is more achieveable with the veggies.

I am also learning more about the physiological and psychological factors that motivate me to eat too much and to eat junk. Understanding those factors will, I hope, help me limit what I consume.

This is the thinking behind the menus I will be following.

Pre-record what you plan to eat on Saturdays and eat those exact foods in those exact amounts.

I am embarrassed to write that I had never thought of that before. So sensible...

Saturdays were not the only reason calorie counting was not working for me, just one of them. A lot of this has to do with how my brain works (or fails to). Based on past experience I have more confidence in my ability to follow menus (very detailed, set instructions) than to count calories (a more general, ongoing obligation).

Think of it this way - for the first eight weeks of this plan someone else has pre-counted the calories for me.

Not kidding about how much sense this makes - I am going to recommend it to others who have similar ritual observance to my own.

So, today I begin the pre-diet week of ramping up my fiber intake. Today is pretty simple - a 90 calorie FIber One bar at breakfast and another one at dinner. In a couple of days I begin replacing my usual snacks with fruit.

Also - ordered a new bathroom scale because the one I own maxes out at 335. I am getting either 335 or an error message, which tells me it is time for a new scale. It arrives this afternoon and I begin daily weigh ins in order to set a baseline tomorrow morning.

Good luck mate.. I have a withings scale...it posts weight to app, and also to my best mate so I have even more accountability. Bit late now, but thoroughly recommend it!

I looked into the app connected scales, but did not love how much they cost. Very happy with the one I purchased, and I will be tracking weigh ins using Google docs.

Yesterday - wow. fiber. wow. ouch...

Today - first weigh in to get my baseline, same amount of fiber as yesterday. Already it is not hitting my system as hard. Maybe there is something to this ramping up thing!

331 Lb.

Come on man, where is the log for yesterday! Rooting for you!

^ This!

And that would be why I chose to do the whole weight loss thing in a community, right?

Today will be day 3 of both fiber acclimation (I like making up technical terms) and weighing in.

Yesterday - still 331, added fruit to the fiber one bars.

Today - 329.2, so virtually the same

The fiber makes a HUGE difference in my appetite. I am not feeling hungry as much/as often, and snacking much less. My body also seems to be getting back to its normal (shall we say) schedule...

Today is my day off, so part of the day will be spent shopping and cooking for week 1, which I think I will begin on Sunday. Expect some food porn today or tomorrow.

Welcome back!

I don't know how often you intend to weigh yourself, there is a variety of options... I chose 1 a week as it irons out any daily fluctuations, and get to monitor progress relatively quickly...

But horses for courses and do what's best for you!