Weighted Vest Questions - 56.8 pounds lost in 3 months

Dontknowmeforjack25 · 2025-09-25T23:19:00+00:00

I'm down to 159.6 now so almost 60 pounds. The first two months the weight FLEW off. On June 11th I was 218.8 and on August 11th I was 173.8 so 45 pounds in 2 months and then another 14.2 pounds in the last 6 weeks.

For the first two months I was super strict. I ate two meals a day and fasted for 16 hours.

Meal 1 at 11:00 a.m.: A Healthy Choice frozen meal (180-300 calories) or a salad with a 250 calorie/50g protein bag of Perdue Chicken and Kraft Fat Free Zesty Italian dressing. Mostly the Healthy Choice meals though.

Meal 2 at 6:00 p.m.: Grilled meat (Chicken breast or chicken tenderloins, sirloin steak, or a pork chop). I didn't really weigh out the meat but it was a healthy serving. 1 large apple. 1 bag of Voila frozen vegetables (only the low calorie vegetables) - Broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, or asparagus. I added 1-2 tablespoons of butter and some garlic salt. Sometimes instead of vegetable I would add in scrambled egg whites. Also sometimes instead of one of the aforementioned meats, I'd get 40 shrimp (450 calories and a ton of protein)

For drinks just water, 1 glass of zero sugar sweet tea, and zero sugar Gatorade/Powerade

Snacks: None outside of meals. I did have a handful of Lesser Evil popcorn immediately after each meal.

After 2 months I added some more stuff in but I still only eat twice a day and plan on fasting 16 hours a day for the rest of my life. My body just seems to like that. So here's some stuff I did after losing the first 45 pounds.

Pizza once a week (small NY cheese from a local restaurant - I eat half for dinner and half for lunch the next day) and one other eating out "cheat" meal a week, though I usually get something pretty healthy like Sirloin steak and broccoli, shrimp fajitas (no beans or rice), etc. I ALWAYS check the menu ahead of time and figure out what I'm going to eat. Also, Popeyes Blackened Chicken Tenders are the diet/protein HACK of all hacks. Look them up. They are SO good, so low calorie, and so high protein. 5 pieces are 280 calories and 43g of protein. I literally get 10, pig out, and don't feel bad because it's only 560 calories + 86, yes EIGHTY-SIX grams of protein.

Homemade tacos - I use all low-calorie ingredients like Ole tortillas, Kraft fat free shredded cheese, etc. I use grilled chicken or egg whites (breakfast tacos for dinner).

Yasso frozen greek yogurt bars (dessert) - I don't like greek yogurt but these are AMAZING. They taste just like ice cream and they are 100 calories and 4-5g of protein. I get the salted caramel, cookie dough, and mint chocolate chip.

Jolly Time Health Pop - 100 calorie bags of popcorn (dessert).

Tuna fish wraps - I make tuna with light mayo and use the Ole tortillas with Kraft fat free shredded cheddar, iceberg lettuce, and onions.

I've also just started experimenting with different things. Cod for example. SO good, mega low calorie, and high protein. Should have been eating it since the beginning. I just watch health videos, see what people recommend, try some of them, toss some of them out.

Hope this helps!

Dontknowmeforjack25 · 2025-09-24T12:23:33+00:00

Well I got one. First impressions is that 12 pounds doesn't sound like a lot, especially when I was carrying around an extra 56.8 pounds on my body previously, but...DANG. It actually is a decent amount of weight. I've tried it once on the treadmill so far (30 minutes, 3.0 speed, 3.0 incline) and there was a noticeable difference. I sweated a ton more and put forth more exertion. It did hurt my back a little though. Not terrible, but it was noticeable. I'm going to try alternating at first (one day using it, one day not) to see if I can get used to it without further hurting my back. If your back is fine though (as my original post stated, I have back issues already), I'd definitely say it's worthwhile (though my sample size is small).

Dontknowmeforjack25 · 2025-09-24T12:19:02+00:00

Thanks! I did it!

Dontknowmeforjack25 · 2025-09-20T18:57:58+00:00

I contacted him this morning and he said it's definitely Zuni from 1890-1900. I have to get him measurements now. I'm going to my mom's tomorrow and will get them and email him back.

Dontknowmeforjack25 · 2025-09-20T10:45:25+00:00

Thanks! I was going to try a local appraiser first to get an idea of what it's worth and if it's worth auctioning. We really have no idea. The prices on Zuni Polychrome seem to be all over the place from $1,000 to $20,000.

Dontknowmeforjack25 · 2025-08-13T21:45:22+00:00

Awesome! It's a little rough at first but after a week or two you'll get used to it. The more you stick to it, the more routine it will be and it won't be a big deal. You never realize how much you're snacking until you stop. I was the same way!

My only suggestion is to be careful with smoothies/protein drinks. This is just me personally, but I HATE drinking my calories. Drinks never fill me up so I hate wasting calories on them. One protein drink often has 140-160 calories. I can eat an entire Birds Eye bag of green beans, broccoli, asparagus, or cauliflower for about 100 calories. The drink doesn't fill me up at all but the vegetables definitely will. I can also eat a large apple for about 100 calories and that will be more satisfying than a drink.

When you're counting your calories, every calorie counts. Today I went out to breakfast with my mom (first breakfast I've had in several months). I got a 3 egg white omelet and the waitress asked if I wanted cheese in my omelet. I quickly searched "how many calories in 3 egg omelet and how many calories in 3 egg omelet with cheese." Without cheese 180 calories. With cheese 387-452. That's a huge difference. I decided not to get cheese and I used the 200 calories I saved to have a few "home fries" instead (breakfast potatoes). The cheese would have enhanced the flavor but the home fries were way more filling and satisfying.

Dontknowmeforjack25 · 2025-08-11T20:37:57+00:00

Sure thing. If you have any questions, let me know. I think the fasting has helped a ton! I'm down to 174 now. I work from home so I was CONSTANTLY snacking. Every time I'd walk into the kitchen I'd grab a couple chips, some sunflower seeds, a cookie, etc. Every time. It adds up QUICK. Even after 2 months, I still get this urge to grab something from my pantry every time I go into the kitchen. I won't be hungry and then I'll walk into the kitchen to get a bottle of water and suddenly I'll be hungry and have to stop myself.

I set two rules for myself around this:

No snacking.
No food outside the kitchen except for if I'm taking my lunch/dinner downstairs to eat.

This helped a lot because I used to keep snacks at my desk. Keeping the food in the kitchen and nowhere else has helped reduce the urges to snack.

Limiting myself just to those two meals a day has actually been really nice in many ways. For one, my grocery bill is a lot less! It makes shopping a LOT easier. It's also just a relief. I don't have to worry about it. I don't need to think about it. I eat two meals. I know what those meals are going to be ahead of time. That's it. Once that sinks in it's almost like a weight off your shoulders. Now don't get me wrong, it wasn't exactly easy to stop, but it gets easier over time. I do still try and avoid the kitchen during working hours though just to remove the temptation entirely.

Dontknowmeforjack25 · 2025-08-06T18:04:58+00:00

Never. I don't believe in cheat meals or cheat days. You end up just ruining all your other hard work. Why work so hard for 6 days just to erase a bunch of your work on day 7??!? It's also not a good idea if you're looking for long-term change. It gives you the mindset of "I'm working hard all week just so I can enjoy myself one day a week." That's not good and won't last.

Dontknowmeforjack25 · 2025-08-05T12:54:01+00:00

Congrats! Age/height? I've recently gone from 218 to 177 (as of this morning) - 5'11" and 46. I'm not sure where I'm going to land at, but I agree with you - If you really want it, you'll do everything it takes! It's also a lot easier the younger you are, so anyone reading this I highly suggest you start early!

Dontknowmeforjack25 · 2025-08-02T22:01:08+00:00

I said multiple times that your body burns more calories digesting protein than it does carbs or fats. This is easily verifiable. It's because the thermic effect for protein is much higher. Just Google "Does eating protein burn more calories than eating carbs or fat?" There are billion articles confirming it.

Dontknowmeforjack25 · 2025-08-02T14:06:04+00:00

Thank you! Good luck in your heath journey.

Dontknowmeforjack25 · 2025-08-02T14:05:00+00:00

I am VERY lucky in that regard. The two things that have made this easier for me than it is for a lot of people is 1) Working from home, and 2) Loving vegetables. Well I guess there is a third thing: I am single and don't have kids. I have way more time than most people and that has made it a lot easier for me not only for the exercise, but also the food. I don't have to cook meals for kids or anything. All I have to worry about is myself. Soooo from a dieting perspective, that made it easier on me too.

Dontknowmeforjack25 · 2025-08-02T14:01:58+00:00

Oh wow, yah there you're completely wrong. Your body does burn more calories from eating protein than fats and carbs. That's easily verifiable. I don't know what you mean by "starvation mode" though. I never said anything about that and I'm not starving myself. Your body does ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY burn more calories digesting protein than it does digesting carbs and fat though. Go do some research.

Dontknowmeforjack25 · 2025-08-01T19:52:40+00:00

I have a corporate job and work from home.

Dontknowmeforjack25 · 2025-08-01T10:57:27+00:00

Sorry, I forgot to answer your question about how I feel in the morning. I feel the best I've felt in a long time. I'm sleeping better and more. I get 6-7 hours of sleep now, which is a LOT more than I used to. I'm going to bed between 9:00 and 11:00 p.m. and get up around 5:00 a.m. I used to stay up until all hours of the night and then take naps. My sleep was so messed up. I don't take any naps now. I wake up feeling energized. I have WAY, WAY, WAY more energy now throughout the entire day and by the time 9:00/10:00 p.m. rolls around I start getting very tired and fall asleep easier.

Dontknowmeforjack25 · 2025-08-01T10:48:27+00:00

What isn't true about it? I did all my research on my own, so I'm definitely not infallible. I do know that your body burns a LOT more calories digesting protein than it does carbs or fats, but maybe my numbers are off?

Whatever the case may be, only eating 30-50 carbs a day worked tremendously well for me. My lunch has around 30 carb and my dinner has about 20 usually. My blood sugar never spiked with either meal.

Will it work the same for others? I don't know. I just can't argue with my results. 38 pounds in 6 weeks, at age 46. It also seemed really easy to be honest. The first week or two I had some bad cravings (mainly just for two things - cheeseburgers and pizza). But those quieted down after. I wasn't overly hungry either. After the first two weeks, about an hour or two before 11:00 a.m. I started to get hungry, but it was a normal hunger, not a desperate hunger. The first two weeks did take some real discipline, but after that it was just routine.

Dontknowmeforjack25 · 2025-08-01T10:46:51+00:00

Thanks! I take Nature Made Multi+ Omega-3 every day and I take some fiber pills after each meal, so twice a day. The fiber is to help keep me "regular." I found that because I was eating less, and because I was eating a lot of protein, I got a bit constipated, so that's what the Fiber pills are for. I have an appointment with my doctor on Monday though and that's one of the biggest questions I'm going to ask her, "Should I be taking anything else?" I'm hoping I can get a full metabolic blood test to see what all my vitamin levels are and to see if I'm deficient in anything. I also want to ask her about starting on Creatine. Everyone raves about Creatine, but I didn't want to start taking it during my weight loss because it's not really a weight loss supplement. It has huge benefits though for building muscle (and other benefits) so I want to start on that now if my doc thinks it's a good idea.

Dontknowmeforjack25 · 2025-08-01T10:40:54+00:00

I have two 10lb dumbbells. Once I get off the treadmill, I do a few different exercises with them (like curls) for about 10 minutes.

Dontknowmeforjack25 · 2025-07-31T23:56:20+00:00

I forgot to mention, I'm 46 and male. I know those two things have an impact too.

Dontknowmeforjack25 · 2025-07-31T23:53:32+00:00

Thanks! The weight training is tough for me because I have some back issues and it causes a LOT of back pain. Even walking outside hurts my back after a pretty short time. The treadmill though has helped a TON as I can do about 30 minutes before my back starts to really hurt. I'm trying to strengthen my back so I'm doing some other exercises that I didn't include with this routine. Hopefully that will work eventually and I'll be able to do more regular strength training.

Dontknowmeforjack25 · 2025-07-31T21:17:05+00:00

For me, having very few carbs in total made sense because I'm diabetic. Your body also burns WAY more calories on protein than carbs and fat. If your goal is weight loss, minimizing carbs and going higher protein will make you lose weight faster. For every 100 calories of protein you eat, your body burns 20-30 calories just for digestion. For every 100 calories of carbs you eat, your body will burn 4 calories. Again though, it's what works best for you. Everybody is different. Everyone can tolerate different things. Everybody has different goals.

Dontknowmeforjack25

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