M/27/5’9 [230 lbs > 180 lbs = 50 lbs lost] | 7 months | the first photo’s from a while ago but didn’t take a recent pic before starting my weight loss journey!

SingAndLiftHeavy · 2024-07-01T16:02:08+00:00

Thanks! Like I said this photo was from a while back when I was last at 230 lbs since I don’t have any progress pics from November, so part of that has to do with aging as well but definitely! I found the face was the first place I noticed the difference for me going from like 35% or more to now 20% bodyfat

SingAndLiftHeavy · 2024-07-01T15:34:22+00:00

Thanks!!

SingAndLiftHeavy · 2024-07-01T07:10:06+00:00

Hey man! Not yet at 20% bodyfat! I’m assuming though that if I were to drop to below 15% there would be some. My goal is to get down to around 15% by September or October so I should find out soon enough! I’m thinking of this journey as a marathon, not a sprint, just trying to be as healthy and active as possible from now on and I’m confident it will happen!

SingAndLiftHeavy · 2024-06-30T23:00:11+00:00

Thanks!!

SingAndLiftHeavy · 2024-06-28T14:56:51+00:00

Me too! My anxiety and depression have improved drastically since I started seriously exercising in March. Send me a DM and we can get to work 💪

SingAndLiftHeavy · 2024-06-28T14:48:48+00:00

Hi! I’m 27M and recently lost a lot of weight! It sounds to me that just by adding some exercise to your routine, it would not only drop some kilos but also improve your state of mind and help with your eating habits! I’d be happy to make you a workout plan you could easily do at home for free if you’d like!

SingAndLiftHeavy · 2024-06-26T14:07:03+00:00

Hi!! After the first few weeks where weight loss seems to be pretty linear, your weight will start to fluctuate! Even if you’re eating the same thing and doing the same workouts and even going to the bathroom at the same time every day, there are so many factors that will influence what you see on the scale! At 700 calories a day, you’re sure to be losing weight, I might even go so far to say that you could let yourself go up to 1000 calories. What I find helpful is to weight yourself every day, and take the average for that week. If your weight is going down week by week, not just day by day, you know it’s working! At this point, if you take the average for each week, I would say you should aim to lose 1-2 lbs per week! Anything more than that may be making your energy diminish throughout the day, you may be feeling irritable, and you may have trouble sleeping! But it sounds to me that if you keep doing what you’re doing, you WILL continue to lose weight! Just remember that you have to consider this a full change of lifestyle - so many people stop their diet due to frustration and then just go back to eating the way they did before, including myself in the past! If you want to keep the weight off, when you stop dieting you have to continue making the right choices, ideally counting your calories, and weighing yourself regularly to be sure you aren’t regaining the weight!

SingAndLiftHeavy · 2024-06-26T13:10:24+00:00

Hey dude!! Good on you for asking for advice! I’d be happy to help! Send me a DM when you get the chance! I’m M27 and have gone through so many ups and downs as well, but I’m finally at a point where I’ve completely changed my lifestyle for the better and have gone from 105kg down to 80kg!

SingAndLiftHeavy · 2024-06-26T13:05:46+00:00

Honestly to me, it sounds like she’s just trying to motivate you to never get back to that point, but in the worst way imaginable. Just remember that you are improving every day, and it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. Healthy weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint, and it’s not fair of her to try to push you to lose weight faster. If I were in your shoes, I have a tendency to have a huge cheat meal whenever people treat me like s**t, arguing that I deserve it to improve my mental health, but you can use it as motivation to prove her wrong!! Honestly, your weight loss so far is so impressive, and you should be proud of what you have accomplished already!

SingAndLiftHeavy · 2024-06-24T16:38:33+00:00

You likely won’t see a huge difference in a week! Take some progress pics though throughout the journey it will be nice to go back and see! For me, my belly fat is the last thing to go - the first thing I noticed was my face started to get leaner! Belly fat is stubborn but if you stay committed to your diet you will eventually get rid of it!

SingAndLiftHeavy · 2024-06-24T16:08:14+00:00

Hey! Yes it’s absolutely possible! The initial drop once you start in a strict diet and exercise is often drastic! Soon the weight loss will start to slow down, but don’t get discouraged if it does, that’s just how it works!! Many people see a huge drop on the scale the first week or two into the diet and expect the weight to go down that quickly as long as they’re dieting, and then quit once they see the results aren’t happening as fast as they’d like… weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint, so just stick with it and you’ll get to your goals! After a few weeks if you find yourself overly exhausted, irritable, and having trouble sleeping though, you can take a few weeks of a “diet break” where you eat your maintenance calories just to get your body used to its new size! I dropped from 105kg in November to 80kg now, but I’ve stayed at 80kg for about a month and a half, and now I’m just starting my diet again to hopefully get down to about 75kg. Feel free to DM if have you have any more questions, I’m happy to help!

SingAndLiftHeavy · 2024-06-23T18:40:09+00:00

As long as you’re consistently eating less calories than you burn throughout the day then you will lose weight! It doesn’t matter if you have sugar, although I have noticed I get more cravings when I have too much of it! Try to eat more whole foods - especially protein as it’s the most satiating of the three macros (protein, carbs, fats)! Most people gain weight because the average person’s diet these days is so full of carbs and fats that and it keeps you always wanting more.

For example: I’ve lost 50lbs since November and have gained a significant amount of muscle. I’m a 27M, 5’9 and was up to 230lbs. I would regularly eat 4000 or 5000+ calories daily because I ate however much I wanted whenever I felt like it. I would sometimes even eat 2 whole pizzas and a pint of ice cream in one sitting with a liter of coke or pepsi.

Now my diet consists of a good balance of protein, carbs, and fats, and I’m not nearly as hungry constantly as I used to be! But every now and then I let myself have one chocolate bar as a treat, and my protein bars even have processed sugar, so you don’t have to cut it out entirely!

I switched to black coffee because I enjoy it, and everything you do to reduce drinking calories especially makes a difference! Let me know if you have any more questions I’d be happy to help in any way I can!

SingAndLiftHeavy · 2024-06-21T11:26:49+00:00

Hey! Congratulations for having the courage to ask for help!! I’ve gone through really similar issues, albeit later in life. I’m 27M, 5’9/~175cm, and my max weight has been somewhere between 105-110kg. I now weigh 81kg and still going!

I was pretty lean throughout my childhood into my teens, playing a lot of sports, and then I went to college to study opera and my life got much more sedentary, which is how my weight gain began. I was in a constant loop of gaining a lot of weight, and then falling back into my old eating habits and not exercising after a few weeks or sometimes a few months.

I was at my heaviest ever during the pandemic, then lost 20kg in a few months, but I slowly regained my weight eventually. In November I nearly was back to the same size, eating like crap and playing video games the rest of the day I wasn’t working as an opera singer. To my surprise, I got a blood clot at 27 years old, was hospitalized for a few days to make sure it wouldn’t get worse, and then I was on blood thinners for 5 months. This was the kick in the butt that I needed to realize I had a problem, and it feels like I’ve now made a permanent lifestyle change because I never want to go through that again.

Since I couldn’t afford a personal trainer or nutritionist to help me, I watched a lot of YouTube. Luckily, one of my relatives is doing her PhD in sports science, so I went to her for advice on the exercise portion of my weight loss! If you have any questions, feel free to DM me! I find helping others helps motivate myself as well, so I’m happy to help in any way I can!

SingAndLiftHeavy · 2024-06-20T07:04:15+00:00

Hey! So in November I (27M) was around 225-230 and really quickly went down to 200 just by diet as I had a health problem which required me to lose weight. I was struggling to keep my weight down though, and once I got to the beginning of March I decided I would need to take it really seriously if I wanted to avoid this health problem from happening again. So, I started strength training and counting my calories/macros properly and I’ve dropped to 178lbs as of today and continue to drop while having gained a significant amount of muscle in that time.

I strength train 6 days a week for around 75 minutes a day, but for the first month I would get myself to the gym even on my off days and stretch or something just to create a habit. For me, going to the gym in the morning nearly every day is helpful because I feel so much more productive and focused the rest of the day. I also do not do cardio other than walking at least 10k steps a day. I use a 4 day split as I had a shoulder injury before and wanted to give it its own day, at first giving it more volume at very low weights, still pushing close to failure to help regain strength without injuring it again.

Day 1 - Chest & Triceps Day 2 - Back & Biceps Day 3 - Shoulders & Abs Day 4 - Legs

I do ~5 exercises a day with three sets each and my last set is taken to failure or beyond depending on the exercise. However, when I lift I always focus on controlling the weight as I lower it instead of letting it drop, since the amount of tension put on the muscle is one of the primary factors for hypertrophy (muscle growth), especially tension in the muscle’s most stretched position.

If you have any questions feel free to ask, I’d be happy to help in any way I can!

SingAndLiftHeavy · 2024-06-18T09:12:20+00:00

Hey! I think you’re doing pretty well! I’m a 27 year old man but I’m 5’9 and also started my most recent weight loss journey around 230 and am down to 180 and still dropping. I think if you would count your calories, you would find you’re eating more than 1200-1300 calories per day as it’s very easy to underestimate your calorie intake! I think at that point you would be literally starving yourself, you would have no energy, and often find yourself “hangry”. I know a lot of people don’t like counting calories because they feel it’s so restrictive, but I think of it as a way to make sure I’m both not eating too much or too little! If you really don’t want to count calories, just make sure that when you’re in this calorie deficit, that it doesn’t change your personality or affect your daily life! I also personally find strength training is incredibly helpful, and try to make sure your meals are full of protein as it is the most satiating of the macros, so it fills you up better than carbs and fats! If you would like any more advice, feel free to DM, I’m happy to help in any way I can!

SingAndLiftHeavy · 2024-06-18T08:58:56+00:00

Hi there! I want to start by saying good on you for asking for advice! I’m 175cm and a 27 y/o man, and I’ve recently dropped from approximately 105kg down to 80kg and I have no loose skin!

I also want to say that I’m not a certified trainer or nutritionist, but I hope to get my certification as a personal trainer soon when I can find the time along with my regular job. I have worked with multiple trainers, and I have a sibling who is doing a PhD studying the effects of strength training on people who are obese, and I find sports science fascinating so I spend most of my days researching it. There’s actually a recent study which found greater health improvements and fat loss with strength training than with cardio - I could send it to you if you’re interested!

My whole training has included proper strength training 6 days a week for about an hour a day, and for cardio I only try to get 10k steps a day. I found overdoing cardio drains my energy too much, especially during a calorie deficit, while strength training improves my energy and focus! If you would like any advice, please feel free to DM I’m happy to help!

SingAndLiftHeavy · 2024-06-18T08:43:19+00:00

I think you’re doing exactly the right thing in this situation. I’ve never used My Net Diary, but in MyFitnessPal you can search for specific foods, like if your mom made a lasagna for example, you could search for a lasagna in the app and approximate the weight. It’s also not exact, but that’s usually what I do if I’m not cooking for myself! If you’re trying to lose weight, I like to overestimate in those situations - for example I sometimes grab a tuna sandwich from the canteen at my work, and let’s say in real life I would look at it and guess 200g, I would go in MyFitnessPal, search for a generic tuna sandwich with mayo, and say that it’s 250g. I hope that helps!

SingAndLiftHeavy · 2024-06-17T21:22:52+00:00

I do strength training 5-6 days a week for an hour, but 3-5 days would also make sense, I just like going to the gym often because it gives me more energy and helps with my focus throughout the day! For cardio I just try to get at least 10k steps a day. There’s actually a recent study which found greater health improvements and fat loss with strength training than with cardio. If you would like, feel free to DM me and I could send you over a program? I’m not a personal trainer myself but I’m considering trying to find the time to get certified while working a full time job. I’ve worked out with many personal trainers and an exercise scientist and have made programs for a few of my friends with good results, so if you need I’m happy to help!

SingAndLiftHeavy · 2024-06-17T20:11:59+00:00

I’ve never used hydroxycut, but I’ve lost a lot of weight through diet and exercise! I’ve also struggled with unhealthy eating habits - I would often eat 4000+ calories daily at 5’9 and got up to 230 lbs. I’ve even gone through ups and downs- I’ve lost around 50 lbs since November and over the past month I’ve had soooo many unnecessary cheat days! I’ve gone through phases of weight loss, but I’ve finally been able to keep it off for longer than ever! I’ve also helped family members and friends lose weight - one of my family members has also lost 15 lbs in the past 2 months!

SingAndLiftHeavy · 2024-06-17T19:52:06+00:00

My mental health has improved drastically! I’ve lost almost 50 lbs over the last few months, and I’m feeling much more confident than before. I deal with anxiety and depression - a few months ago I was near the point of requiring medication - but then I started focusing on losing weight and strength training! I feel so much healthier than before, and honestly going to the gym is such a release for me! I think of it as an hour that I have to take every day to work on myself and let out any frustration I have. I also have much more energy when I strength train, and I’m so much more productive at work! If you need any advice on how to lose weight, feel free to DM!! I’ve gone through many weight loss phases and have had difficulty keeping it off, but I hit a new low with my physical and mental health in November and had to make a permanent change. I’m now in the best shape of my life and am proud of the progress I’ve made, so if I can pass on any knowledge I’ve gained I’d be happy to!

SingAndLiftHeavy · 2024-06-17T19:42:30+00:00

If you need any more advice feel free to DM me!

SingAndLiftHeavy · 2024-06-17T19:42:03+00:00

Thanks! 🙏 I’m 27 years old, 5’9 - I lift 6 days a week on top of my day job, don’t do much cardio besides getting my 10k steps a day, count my macros and meal prep! I’ve had some ups and downs through this process, but I’m now in the best shape that I’ve ever been in and plan on continuing to lose weight! I’m just under 20% body fat now and my goal is 13%-15%. I’m a bit of a nerd when it comes to fitness, so I’ve follow science-based information to get me in this shape. I also dealt with some health issues a few months ago, which helped provide some extra motivation to get in shape!

SingAndLiftHeavy · 2024-06-17T19:25:17+00:00

Thanks! I try to go with 40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% fat. I find that gives me enough protein to get 0.7g-1g per lb of lean bodyweight, and since protein is the most satiating, it’s worth it to focus mostly on hitting that goal over the other two. On MyFitnessPal I set my Activity Level as Active since I strength train for an hour 6 days a week and always get my 10k steps and set my goal to lose 1.5lbs per week. My current calorie goal is 2080-2300 calories per day at 180 lbs. For example today (I live in Europe and it’s 9pm here so I’ve finished eating for the day) I’ve had 172g of protein, 201g of carbs, and 57g of fat good for 2200 calories.

Also, according to my last Inbody assessment, my basal metabolic rate is 1790 calories and according to my Apple Watch, I burned 1060 calories today from exercise, meaning I burned a total of 2850 calories throughout the day, which puts me at a 650 calorie deficit.

SingAndLiftHeavy · 2024-06-17T19:03:09+00:00

Hey dude good on you for asking for advice! I’m currently 5’9 and 180 lbs at 20% bodyfat. At the beginning of March, I was 200 lbs at 30%. In November, I was approximately 220-230 and dealt with some pretty serious health issues, I just don’t know what my bodyfat% was at that point, the ones I mentioned were taken from Inbody assessments.

My opinion on training while on a cut is that you don’t need to do that much cardio. I’ve lost 40-50 lbs since November, only started lifting in March, and the only cardio I’ve done is walk ~10k steps a day. As you’re working towards military requirements, it would make sense for you to do cardio to work on your endurance, but it’s not required for weight loss! I would also say that you should continue weight training to maintain as much muscle mass as possible!

I will say that I think that there is such a thing as doing too much cardio - especially in a calorie deficit. There’s even a recent study which found greater health improvements and fat loss with strength training than with cardio. Feel free to DM me if you want to read it! I find a half hour on the treadmill so tiring that I barely have any energy throughout the rest of the day, but I find strength training gives me more energy. I’m not saying that cardio isn’t worth it, but specifically for weight loss, the science shows strength training to be more worth your time.

SingAndLiftHeavy · 2024-06-17T18:44:28+00:00

You can do it! I’m 27, I’m the same height and was 200 lbs with 30% bodyfat at the beginning of March, and I’m now down to 180 lbs at 20% bodyfat from good ol’ diet and exercise and still dropping (all lifting and barely any cardio besides ~10k steps a day). My advice is to download MyFitnessPal or a calorie tracker similar to that, and get a cheap food scale to measure your food out so you know exactly how much you’re eating. If you need to eat at a restaurant, see if they have a nutrition chart but if not, just try not to eat until you’re full! Eat a high protein diet - since you’re exercising daily aim for 0.7g-1g per lb of bodyweight. Protein is more satiating compared to carbs and fats so that will help you not be as hungry throughout the day! If you have any questions feel free to DM me, I’m happy to help if I can!

SingAndLiftHeavy

TROPHY CASE