Comments on: Week 21: Weigh-in Results http://www.344pounds.com/2009/06/week-21-weigh-in-results/ I lost nearly 150 pounds by counting calories. I once weighed 344.2 pounds, now around 200. My story has been told on CNN, CBS, and Newsweek and will soon be in a book. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:25:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: jgilberg http://www.344pounds.com/2009/06/week-21-weigh-in-results/#comment-2066 jgilberg Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:32:57 +0000 http://www.344pounds.com/?p=2636#comment-2066 This is going to sound odd, but maybe you should take a tape measure and measure out your arm circumference, waist, hips, and thighs. If you start doing this every week, along with weighing yourself on the scale, I think that you will get some positive feedback. As everyone has said, muscle weighs more than fat! If you are tightening up and gaining muscle, the scale will not tell you. This is going to sound odd, but maybe you should take a tape measure and measure out your arm circumference, waist, hips, and thighs. If you start doing this every week, along with weighing yourself on the scale, I think that you will get some positive feedback.

As everyone has said, muscle weighs more than fat! If you are tightening up and gaining muscle, the scale will not tell you.

]]> By: Bob http://www.344pounds.com/2009/06/week-21-weigh-in-results/#comment-2060 Bob Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:59:34 +0000 http://www.344pounds.com/?p=2636#comment-2060 I knew this would eventually happen to you. I have been reading your blog since the beginning and you mentioned you have never really done any type of weight loss before. You have been experiencing abnormal weight loss. You put your body in such a state of shock the weight just fell off. Now your body is getting used to the amount of food you eat as well as the activity you're doing and you're losing the recommended amount of weight which is 2 pounds a week (at most). I am 360 pounds currently and started off my weight loss good losing 7 pounds the first week, but then I gained 0.8 the next week. so I know the frustration you feel, but you have to keep going. Even if you lost no weight, it's better than it going up. Start measuring yourself to help get an idea if you're still losing. Scales are just easy to use as a measurement, but weight loss is seen many different places. Fat content, waist measurement, chest measurement. Start keeping track of those things. Also I think you're eating way too little, there is a formula on may websites to calculate how many calories you should be eating. To lost weight you subtract 500-700 calories from the number you get. Here is the calculation Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 X wt in kg) + (5 X ht in cm) - (6.8 X age in years) Women: BMR = 655 + (9.6 X wt in kg) + (1.8 X ht in cm) - (4.7 X age in years) This article goes into super detail on the different methods http://www.freedomfly.net/Articles/Nutrition/nutrition14.htm I knew this would eventually happen to you. I have been reading your blog since the beginning and you mentioned you have never really done any type of weight loss before. You have been experiencing abnormal weight loss. You put your body in such a state of shock the weight just fell off. Now your body is getting used to the amount of food you eat as well as the activity you’re doing and you’re losing the recommended amount of weight which is 2 pounds a week (at most).

I am 360 pounds currently and started off my weight loss good losing 7 pounds the first week, but then I gained 0.8 the next week. so I know the frustration you feel, but you have to keep going. Even if you lost no weight, it’s better than it going up. Start measuring yourself to help get an idea if you’re still losing. Scales are just easy to use as a measurement, but weight loss is seen many different places. Fat content, waist measurement, chest measurement. Start keeping track of those things.

Also I think you’re eating way too little, there is a formula on may websites to calculate how many calories you should be eating. To lost weight you subtract 500-700 calories from the number you get. Here is the calculation

Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 X wt in kg) + (5 X ht in cm) – (6.8 X age in years)

Women: BMR = 655 + (9.6 X wt in kg) + (1.8 X ht in cm) – (4.7 X age in years)

This article goes into super detail on the different methods http://www.freedomfly.net/Articles/Nutrition/nutrition14.htm

]]> By: Joe http://www.344pounds.com/2009/06/week-21-weigh-in-results/#comment-2058 Joe Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:51:20 +0000 http://www.344pounds.com/?p=2636#comment-2058 My guess is that you've got a couple of things going on. One of them isn't bad at all - muscle gain. Since you've been doing weight training it's a given that you've added some muscle mass. Ultimately that's going to help you out because the denser your muscles are the more calories you'll burn just sitting around. But it will make it seem, at least in the early going, like you're not making any progress. The other thing going on is your body adjusting to your new activity level. The body tries at all times to maintain metabolic equilibrium. If you start exercising - running, swimming, weight training, whatever - you throw that off and temporarily you boost your metabolism and burn more calories at rest than you did before. But then your body adjusts and it becomes harder to get the same burn you did before. By constantly increasing the intensity of your workouts you can thwart this metabolic mechanism. One way to do that is instead of running at a steady pace on the treadmill, do intervals. Run as fast as you can for 30 seconds and then slow down to a leisurely pace for 2 minutes. Repeat this interval for 30 minutes and you'll burn way more calories than you would running at a steady pace and you'll make it virtually impossible for your metabolism to adjust. My guess is that you’ve got a couple of things going on. One of them isn’t bad at all – muscle gain.

Since you’ve been doing weight training it’s a given that you’ve added some muscle mass. Ultimately that’s going to help you out because the denser your muscles are the more calories you’ll burn just sitting around. But it will make it seem, at least in the early going, like you’re not making any progress.

The other thing going on is your body adjusting to your new activity level. The body tries at all times to maintain metabolic equilibrium. If you start exercising – running, swimming, weight training, whatever – you throw that off and temporarily you boost your metabolism and burn more calories at rest than you did before. But then your body adjusts and it becomes harder to get the same burn you did before. By constantly increasing the intensity of your workouts you can thwart this metabolic mechanism.

One way to do that is instead of running at a steady pace on the treadmill, do intervals. Run as fast as you can for 30 seconds and then slow down to a leisurely pace for 2 minutes. Repeat this interval for 30 minutes and you’ll burn way more calories than you would running at a steady pace and you’ll make it virtually impossible for your metabolism to adjust.

]]> By: Sue http://www.344pounds.com/2009/06/week-21-weigh-in-results/#comment-2057 Sue Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:33:58 +0000 http://www.344pounds.com/?p=2636#comment-2057 I know you're feeling bummed that things have slowed down, but maybe now is time to look at the bigger picture. Congratulations! You've lost nearly 100 pounds and have literally saved your own life! Your clothes fit better and you have more energy. It's fantastic! And now for the advice to keep you going. See if your doctor can recommend a nutritionist or has some advice about healthy, easy cookbooks. Poke around on the web for nutrition advice and resources for good health recipes. And ask at your gym about meeting with a trainer. You may not be able to afford to see someone frequently, but even talking to someone once or twice should help you change things up, work different muscle groups, add some different challenges, etc. I know you’re feeling bummed that things have slowed down, but maybe now is time to look at the bigger picture.
Congratulations! You’ve lost nearly 100 pounds and have literally saved your own life! Your clothes fit better and you have more energy. It’s fantastic!
And now for the advice to keep you going. See if your doctor can recommend a nutritionist or has some advice about healthy, easy cookbooks. Poke around on the web for nutrition advice and resources for good health recipes.
And ask at your gym about meeting with a trainer. You may not be able to afford to see someone frequently, but even talking to someone once or twice should help you change things up, work different muscle groups, add some different challenges, etc.

]]> By: S. http://www.344pounds.com/2009/06/week-21-weigh-in-results/#comment-2056 S. Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:24:14 +0000 http://www.344pounds.com/?p=2636#comment-2056 I would recommend you check out Jillian Michael's podcast from her weekly radio show on Sundays at http://www.kfi640.com/pages/podcasting/. You can also get it via itunes. She has some great tips about health, weight loss, etc. I would recommend you check out Jillian Michael’s podcast from her weekly radio show on Sundays at http://www.kfi640.com/pages/podcasting/. You can also get it via itunes. She has some great tips about health, weight loss, etc.

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