My Weight Loss Journey to a Moose

[270quest]

I wanted to share my current weight loss/fitness journey with everyone. As some of you may know, I booked a Northern BC/Yukon Border Horseback moose hunt for this fall and with that, I am dedicating myself to get in the best physical shape I can and that also includes a large weight loss goal - (getting down to 190 pounds).

As a little background, I was fortunate to play college and minor league baseball so as I went through my early 20's I was always in amazing shape. I was kind of a gym rat and even after practices/games would be in the weight room. For most of that time I hovered around 190 pounds (5'11") and while I never "measured my body fat - I was cut up - 6 pack and all" I also could chase deer and elk up the mountain with a ferociousness unknown to mankind Or at least I told myself that...lol

I met my wife, started our family (2 kids) and started working at an office at age 25 and slowly started ballooning in the weight and just getting ridiculously fat and unhealthy. On my 31st birthday July 30, 2016 I stepped on the scale and it said 262 - utter shock and disappointment in myself - I had gained 72 pounds in 5-6 years. I made a commitment to change and it had to be a lifestyle change - not just a diet. I joined a local 24hour fitness near my house and cold turkey changed my diet. High Protein, limited carbs, and started cutting out fast food, pop, beer, and as much processed sugar as possible. IT SUCKED - Cause I ate burgers almost every day at lunch and I was/am addicted to pop, candy, chocolate - anything sweet with sugar. However I wanted this change and was going to do what ever I had to. Not only did I want to better chase deer and elk, but I wanted to be there to walk my daughter down the isle some day, always be coaching my sons athletic teams, never feel guilty about dressing up and going out, ect.

Starting at 262 pounds on August 1st, I was able to get down to 235 by the holidays - good progress, but still a ways to go...I struggled a bit through Christmas time and on dec. 31, weighed 242. A few days into the new year is when I booked my hunt, and when you have thousands of dollars on the line - it can change your focus level real quick. I had to buckle down. Since January 6th I have lost another 17 pounds - down to 225 as of today. (37 pounds total)

I have upped my cardio to 1.5 hours 6 times a week, and am lifting hi reps, low weight 2-3 times a week. My goal is cut approx 5000 calories each week through cardio - which can be hard but its getting done. I have cut back my diet to approx 1600 calories a day. Drinking more water than I can stand, but it keeps me flushed out. It may seem a little severe, but my goal is to get to 190 pounds by the first of May and then taking the next 3-3.5 months to get my body use to 190 pounds and as get in as good of shape and strength as possible.

The eating has been the worse part, but it is what is. Also, there are days right now I really don't want to work out, but it seems once you get there and get on the machine, your body kicks into go time and I find a way to get it done. Its still kind of mind boggling to loose the weight I have and realize I still have 35 plus pounds to go - but we will get there!

 

[Brightwhite]

Nice work! Sounds like you have it all figured out! I couldn't function at that calorie level myself. With 1600 cals/day and burning 5k cal's a week in cardio, you are netting only 6200 total calories a week. For me that wouldn't work, but it sounds like your crushing it.

I hear you on the motivation when you have a paid hunt - I am heading for Alaska this year and would like to go about 15-20 pounds lighter to make tromping through the tundra easier, it is super motivating!

Good luck

 

[wyosteve]

Congrats on the regimen. I suspect the hardest part will be when you get back from the hunt and try to maintain the lower weight.

 

[270quest]

Update, down to 223 as of this morning. Weight loss had a set back as it was my wife's birthday and I ate not to well this past weekend. But I am back on track today. Actually going to drop the calories to around 1400 per day. Seems I am not as vigilant as I should be and it seems I pick up a few extra hear and there and then by the end of the day I have consumed 150-200 too many. Also, as I have lost weight, I noticed my body is adjusting and its getting harder to loose the weight.

My cardio vascular endurance right now is really good - in a gym - so as weather starts improving I plan on adding hikes with my hunting pack on instead of treadmill/elliptical work. I also prefer to road run instead of the treadmill.

I do need to pickup on the weights, as I lose weight I need to start firming up and getting stronger. Don't need to look like a body builder, but when you loose 50, 60, 70 pounds it can drastically change your body for sure!

Goal is:
213# by March 4th
200# by April 1st
190# by May 1st

Then want to spend May - August "living" at 190ish and getting as strong as possible at that weight. I want to show up to my hunt that starts sept. 15th somewhere in the 190-195# range. I fully expect to shed 5-10# during the hunt - going to be a tough one.

 

[kdenson0715]

Congrats on the hard work and success so far. I started my weight loss routine the same month my first son was born l, almost 5 years ago. I went from 279 to 175 over two years and have basically maintained 5 lbs over or under since. One thing that I worked for me when I would hit a plateau was cycling my daily calorie intake on a weekly basis. One week it was 1800 Calories a day. The next 1500, then 1200 or even as low as 900 then back to 1800. Everyone is different but that worked for me


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BKhunter]

You need to indulge every once in a while. I generally have 1-2 cheat meals a weeks and even though it's a "cheat meal" I still don't go to overboard. It help me keep on track. You will get a lot of people that will say it won't work, but I have seen result by drinking a tall glass of water every morning with 2 tbsp of organic cider vinegar 2 tbsp of lemon juice and a shake of cayenne pepper. It has helped reduce my appetite and also flushes my system out and I don't retain much water weight. Look into it. It may or may not be for you but I think it has helped with my weight loss goals.

 

[270quest]

Appreciate all the feedback...I have been starting to take a green tea supplement. I cant stand tea, but I found one in a pill form. It says its suppose to help up my metabolism - I don't know if it actually is doing that, but I do know that I go to the bathroom 2-3 times more than I did before taking them. Also, within my diet, the last few days and going forward, I am really trying to be vigilant with macros as it relates to Protein. Really trying to max that out. I have added cans of plain tuna into my daily diet, and even though its blaaaagh and smells terrible, a large can of Albacore from Costco gives me 240 calories with no carbs and 45-48gr. of Protein.

On the weight lifting side, a buddy who is a former D1 football was suggesting that instead of doing low weigh high reps (15-20 reps) do more of a medium weight and medium reps (10-12 reps) that way I won't fully be trying to bulk up, but pushing my muscles a little harder to break down and rebuild which will accelerate calorie burn. Any thoughts on that?

Every thread is better with pics so here is a couple...
When I shot this deer I was approx. 260 pounds. The second pic was taken the morning of the superbowl this year and I was at 228 in that pic. I am currently at 222 as of this morning.

 

[Superkodiak38]

Congrats on your weight loss but I would caution you on the low calories. Lossing weight and making drastic changes is not something the body tolerates too well. Your body will always try to maintain homeostasis, change needs to take time if it is going to be permenant. Think to the future and once this hunt is over you may "bounce" and you may rapidly start putting back on the weight. I went from 385 to 235 and I did it by learning to eat. Then adding in gym work. I had made losses before of 50-60 pounds at a time and then bounced back putting it all back on plus 5-10 pounds. Think of food as a paycheck. If you didn't get paid you would hold on to the money ( fat) you have and not spend it. You might even have to sell off somethings ( muscle) to pay the bills. Once you have a steady income and the body has adjusted it will start spending the money ( fat) again. Not trying to take anything away from your progress and determination, just trying to have you step back and play the long game. Hope you shoot a big Moose !

 

[BKhunter]

Fat is not evil. It helps you feel full and healthy when in moderation. Don't cut out all fats. Just make sure to eat healthy ones.

 

[Cant hit em]

Great job , Mustard can spice that Tuna up and its really low calories. Lots of different flavors , i use it as salad dressing as well. Id caution on the low calories as well im 5'8" and ran 2300 calories to get from 280 to 190 . Im at 2500 to 2700 to maintain right now. I have a sedentary job. Have a cheat meal , meal not day , about every 4th or 5th day


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[270quest]

Trust me when I say, I indulge in a weekly cheat meal...Those days my caloric intake jumps above 25-2600 calories pretty quick.

As far as gym cardio (usually elliptical) - can you really over do it? More specifically, My philosophy has always been to work as hard as possible for 45-60 minutes with my heart rate as high as I can safely carry it which is usually in the 164-172 beats per minute category. When I am done, I am a sweaty mess at the end and seem to be loosing weight ok, butttt.....

I read an article on Bodybuilding.com that in short, stressed the idea of long session cardio assuming you have the time- Example, 45 minutes on elliptical, 45 minutes on treadmill, 30 minutes on bike - all while keeping your hr as high as possible to safely maintain the exercise.

I workout after kids go to bed at night, so I am ok with putting another hour in or so, my concern is would this be a situation of diminishing returns were that extra hour burns some calories, but doesn't boost the overall weight loss that much????

 

[Akicita]

On the weight lifting side, a buddy who is a former D1 football was suggesting that instead of doing low weigh high reps (15-20 reps) do more of a medium weight and medium reps (10-12 reps) that way I won't fully be trying to bulk up, but pushing my muscles a little harder to break down and rebuild which will accelerate calorie burn. Any thoughts on that?

As far as gym cardio (usually elliptical) - can you really over do it? More specifically, My philosophy has always been to work as hard as possible for 45-60 minutes with my heart rate as high as I can safely carry it which is usually in the 164-172 beats per minute category. When I am done, I am a sweaty mess at the end and seem to be loosing weight ok, butttt.....

Congratulations on the fantastic start to your journey!

Cardio is important and does burn calories but I think you may be approaching a "Bonk" where you might plateau by over doing it. Given your age and physique I would say your friend's recommendation on upping your weight and lowering your reps is solid advice. When you build major muscle groups you will gain muscle mass but you also boost your metabolism and stimulate hormones that produce faster fat store burns, specifically in the major core groups. With a mix of cardio focus on major muscle groups in your upper and lower back, glutes, abdomen and upper thighs and I think you will avoid the dreaded plateau. These are also the most important muscle groups that you will need the most strength in for your Moose hunt.

I am a little concerned about your calorie intake. . . It doesn't hurt to jump start weight loss by a drastic cut but at some point you need to fuel the machine to promote muscle development which in turn will stoke the internal fire to burn fat reserves. I think 1800 would be the absolute minimum safe calorie intake for efficient weight loss. It wouldn't hurt to get a professionals opinion on this either. . .

It sounds as if you have the right mindset which is the biggest obstacle for most. Keep it up and I will be following your journey with great interest now.

 

[Finch]

Congrats on your progress! I have a question for you and others that have lost a lot of weight and keep it off. Do you still count calories (like using the My Fitness Pal app) or are you just estimating your total calories on a day to day basis?

 

[kdenson0715]

Congrats on your progress! I have a question for you and others that have lost a lot of weight and keep it off. Do you still count calories (like using the My Fitness Pal app) or are you just estimating your total calories on a day to day basis?

I used my fitness pal very consistently while I was loosing weight. Now I don't bother much but every 6 or so months I use it religiously for a couple weeks to keep myself in check. I find I have to always have some sort of physical challenge on the horizon (trail race, spartan race, hunt, etc) to keep me focused. And to clarify my last post, those extreme calorie cuts were just "plateau busters" used for 3-6 weeks. As hard as the OP is hitting the workouts you might need more calories, not less, to keep your body from thinking it's starving and slowing metabolism to a crawl.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[270quest]

Congrats on your progress! I have a question for you and others that have lost a lot of weight and keep it off. Do you still count calories (like using the My Fitness Pal app) or are you just estimating your total calories on a day to day basis?

I don't use an app or anything like that, but I read labels pretty religiously to add up calories the best I can. Also will look up items on the net for calorie/carb/protein/fat amounts.

At 220# as of this morning. Body is feeling strong and so far no signs of body breaking down. Been drinking lots of water to keep joint health up and also keep muscles from cramping up. I also have a banana after every cardio workout for the potassium.

 

[ShawnStonefly]

Good Job on your hard work. With everyone about MFP. so nice to scan a barcode and get your calories quick

 

[270quest]

218 as of this morning. Really been doing a lot of running - typically that is 60 minutes on the treadmill which will be around 5.3-5.5 miles ran. As soon as it warms up I will start running outside. I want to do a 10k this spring so we will see.

Not sure if its just my body type and makeup, but I have always been a heavy sweater, but its really been bad during this weight loss time. If I go to the gym tonight at 218 and run for an hour, when I get home and strip down, I will weigh 210-211 - I loose 6-8 pounds of water-sweat weight every workout. Now I hydrate back and get the fluids in me, but its incredible my body can fluctuate that much every workout.

 

[NickB]

Remarkable willpower, sir.

May I suggest you Google Mark Lauren. He has a very down to earth style and a very proven understanding of the human body. There is even a You Are Your Own Gym app that I find very useful for quick but effective workouts.

 

[270quest]

Goal is:
213# by March 4th
200# by April 1st
190# by May 1st

.

Weighed in at 216.5 this morning (down 46 total pounds so far). So slowly the weight is still coming off, but it is really getting hard. I am revisiting my goals because short of starving myself for the month, I don't see myself hitting 200# by april 1st. My body is really firming and toning up and I have dropped down from a size 40 dress pant to 34" so progress is coming along. I also have reached the point of being able to run 7 miles without stopping to walk (74 minutes on the treadmill)

Here is my new goal:
April 1st - 208#
May 1st - 198#
June 1st - 190#

 

[goat1958]

Jacobs ladder....kick ass exercise ...no joke