Fat and fairly fit

Weight loss
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Hi all. I’m an all or nothing type eater. I love cooking and eating and drinking. I brew my own beer, wine and cider.
I’m 188cm tall (6’2")
12 years ago I was 22 stone (140kg), I got really lean through a high carb diet (Atkins) and running. I got down to 15 stone (95kg) and ran the London Marathon. I kept this up for the next 4 years when I ran my second marathon in 2008 at 16 stone (101kg).

My job changed 5 years ago, I changed from teaching to being a headteacher. my children got older and heavily into sports, one trains 25 hours a week and the other rides horses, so is at the stables every night. I don’t have the mental energy left from my job or the time to run after being a taxi for my kids.

I start work at 7, so I’m up at 5:30 to leave the house at 6:15. I get home about 4pm, drop one of to gym for 5, go back to work until 6, pick one up from riding at 6:30, cook the family meal and pick the gymnast up at 8pm with a meal. I then, come home around 8:30 and eat. My wife is also a teacher and she starts at 8am and finishes at 7pm.

I’ve basically let myself go and stopped running five years ago. I am now 21 stone (135kg!). I knew the weight was going back on, but the last three years have been really stressful and I’ve sought comfort in food.

I feel so tired during the week. However, when I’m on holidays I exercise every day, before going into work, either 30 minutes cycling or jogging on my indoor treadmill and bike. I’m too self conscious now to go out and exercise. Although I have started riding the Boris bikes to my beloved Arsenal for the home fixtures.

I have tried to go back and try Atkins, but every time, it has hospitalised me with kidney stones. last year, I spent March to July in and out of hospital with them!

I started my first day today 100g (410 cals) for lunch, I’ve never eaten breakfast (I know it’s bad). I really liked the taste and actually liked the lumps as it gave me something to chew. I’m aiming for another 100g (410 cals) in the car and then an evening meal of up to 1180 as I’m aiming for 2000 calories a day.

My worry is that I like to go to the football every fortnight, drinking. I usually cycle and walk for nearly 3 hours, using over 3000 calories. However, I also drink and eat about that much too, resulting in 1 or 2kg weight gain on a weekend! I’m planning to have a Huel first thing, then one for lunch and then drink and eat.

Does this sound about right?
Basically, 2 lots of 100g and an evening meal.

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Hello!

On your point about whether 2 lots of 100g and an evening meal is good, that’s kind of what I do. I aim for 2000kcal a day too and I start the day with 32g of Huel and for lunch I have 152g of Huel (but I slowly sip this through the afternoon). That usually brings me up to about 900kcal (I also add a banana, some cocoa powder etc).

I might have a mid-day snack of 100-150kcal but I usually like to save around 1000kcal for my evening meal.

Though I’m not sure how healthy this is and am thinking about changing it. It would probably be better if I had more earlier in the day and had a smaller meal in the evening but this is difficult particularly if you eat with other people, which I do and sounds like you do too.

So in terms of whether you are right in your approach, I would say yes. When I was religiously weighing everything for my main meal to make sure I stuck to my 2000k daily allowance, I lost about 10lbs. But I’ve kind of let that slip recently so I’ve put on about 3lbs since that.

You are obviously active, especially if you are burning 3000kcal. I would repeat that old cliche that “weight loss is a lifestyle” i.e. there’s nothing wrong with drinking or having a greasy burger now and again but enjoy these things in moderation. I think the French say, “Everything in moderation, including moderation…”

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:slight_smile: My best friend is French. Trust me, he doesn’t do moderation.
We’ve both gained weight over the last few years.
I’m 43 now, so I need to sort this now, before it gets even harder.

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So two weeks in. This is working for me, 50g Huel with 500ml for break fast and lunch, then, 100g in 500ml in the car on the way home from work. This stops me binge eating as soon as I get home and helps me cook dinner and not pick.
Then I eat a meal and don’t worry about the calories.
I still drink alcohol on the weekends but follow this pattern before I go out.
2 weeks and I’ve lost 3kg without really trying. Feeling a lot better and clothes are fitting better too.

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That is great to hear @Mavis congrats on your achievement. Keep up the good work.

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Thanks, the biggest difference is that I’m realising what foods and drinks are worth calorie wise.

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Great…congratulations.:grin:

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You can easily lose this weight without fad diets and exercise, just stop eating and drinking so much.

Cut out alcohol, download MyFitnessPal to track calories. Those two things alone will have you down to 80kg in a jiffy.