Got to get rid of the last 15-20 lbs, advice?

[gmojis]

I really buckled down this year and changed my diet/lifestyle. Before my second kid was born, I was in very poor shape. I wasn’t working out, eating poorly, sleeping irregularly, etc.

I finally forced my self to see a weight loss specialist and we built a plan that let me cut down from 250+ down to 215. I feel so much better and am thrilled I’ve kept it off even with the sporadic schedule of a newborn.

I’ve definitely cut quantity of food down, and am at a point where I have a feel for how much I can eat during the day without militant tracking. The workouts still are not as consistent as I’d like (I will blame the newborn for that). Now that the Kid is pushing 7/8 weeks and is getting more manageable, I think it’s time to do the final push to the goal weight.

I want to attack this last 15-20 lbs to hit my goal, but I know this last round isn’t going to be as simple as watching my diet. We’re probably in six pack territory if I manage to pull it off.

So, advice…

Here’s my preferred workout. I like to lift. For the sake of time, I tend to superset 2 lifts for 3 sets x 10 reps, with 6 lifts in total. I do two antagonist muscle group (chest/Lats), (Biceps/triceps), (legs/lower back), and usually throw shoulders in with leg day.

Again, for time, I’ll do 30-45 seconds of a cardio movement (burpees, jumping jacks, floor sprints) in between each superset, and I roughly try to keep the workout on a good pace so the heart rate doesn’t drop too much.

Time is a factor. I like this workout because it’s done in 45 minutes and I’m sweating good afterwards.

What should I be doing different? For Exercise, and approach to diet?

 

[leeza]

@gmojis

There is an illusion of complexity to weight loss (perpetuated largely by people who want your money) but it is actually very straightforward. Your body requires a certain amount of energy (measured in calories) each day in order to fuel its activities. This is called your Total Daily Energy Expenditure or TDEE. If your diet supplies more calories than your TDEE (a surplus), you will gain weight. If your diet supplies fewer calories than your TDEE (a deficit), you will lose weight.

https://thefitness.wiki/weight-loss-101/

Track your calories honestly and accurately using a food scale if you can, maintain a calorie deficit, and you will lose weight. You can track your calories using something like MacroFactor (created and maintained by Greg Nuckols, so highly recommended), MyFitnessPal, FatSecret, or Cronometer; there are other suggestions here.

 

[nrg23]

@gmojis You just gotta keep eating in a deficit, you don’t have to do anything more than that that you aren’t already doing.

20lbs probably isn’t going to give you a six pack at your current body weight unless you are 6’4?

But if that’s the goal just keep eating in a caloric deficit and you’ll get there

 

[annointed1980]

@nrg23 Don't think he has to be 6'4". I'm a bit over 6'1 and early 20s had a fairly clear 6 pack once I dropped under 210. Lowest I got was maybe 205.

 

[samamph]

@gmojis

We’re probably in six pack territory if I manage to pull it off

You didn't mention your height, but I suspect you have further to go than 15-20 lbs for a six pack.

I know this last round isn’t going to be as simple as watching my diet

There's a lot of talk about your workout and very little about your diet. "Sweating good afterwards" is not how you uncover a 6 pack. It is literally as simple as being accountable for what you eat.

and am at a point where I have a feel for how much I can eat during the day without militant tracking

"Militant tracking" (aka accountability) is how folks get ripped. Good luck!

 

[dawn16]

@gmojis You’re gotta eat less that’s it

 

[joecass]

@gmojis Stop drinking alcohol. That's what did it for me.

 

[gmojis]

@joecass Appreciate it!

Fortunately, I pretty much stopped drinking when my wife was pregnant, and haven’t really picked it back up. It’s too hard to be hungover with two kids ready to go at 6/7 am anymore lol.

 

[samamph]

@joecass Alcohol is not the key to losing weight.

There is no metabolic pathway for alcohol to turn into fat with any meaningful efficiency. Its the stuff mixed with alcohol and the poor diet choices made when drinking that will slow your weight loss progress.

You can quit drinking for a myriad of reasons. But unless you're making bad food decisions when drinking, not drinking alcohol isn't going to yield better results.

 

[ashvinne]

@samamph I understand the idea that alcohol itself has poor efficiency in turning to fat, but aren't you extrapolating that idea a bit far?

If daily calories are all equal then sure, but if two people have the exact same TDEE and diet, but one adds a few daily drinks on top (say light beer or straight liquor), the person who doesn't drink will absolutely have better weight loss results. To me, that's the situation that people are referring to when they talk about cutting out alcohol for weight loss. It's just those incremental calories that are "easy" to cut out.

 

[samamph]

@ashvinne

but one adds a few daily drinks on top

You could argue that they have a few cupcakes on top and the person that doesn't have a few cupcakes over their TDEE will have better weight loss results.

Why is the alcohol "on top" of the rest of the diet?

Here's a quote:

"This debate has been spurred on by the fact that drinkers weigh less than non-drinkers and studies showing accelerated weight loss when fat and carbs are exchanged for an equivalent amount of calories from alcohol. The connection between a lower body weight and moderate alcohol consumption is particularly strong among women. In men it’s either neutral or weak, but it’s there."

https://leangains.com/the-truth-about-alcohol-fat-loss-and-muscle-growth/

The vilification of alcohol among certain folks in the fitness community is just ... weird, IMO.

 

[ashvinne]

@samamph Thanks for the response and link. Interesting read. I framed the alcohol as incremental because that is exactly what it would be for me. I have also never physically counted calories though, including many years of wrestling and BJJ, so that probably impacts my frame of reference. If ones frame of reference is calorie counting (and staying say 500 under TDEE), then I absolutely agree with everything you say.

Agreed that alcohol shouldn't be vilified (within moderation), it's just an easy thing to cut out for someone trying to drop weight. But to the point I think you're making, that just comes back to calories in/out.

 

[joecass]

@samamph You're right about all that.

And I'm no teetotaler. I love beer and whiskey.

I was drinking 2-3 drinks most nights. When I stopped, I got fit. It wasn't the calories in those drinks though. For me, giving up alcohol initiated a virtuous cycle that led to better decisions everywhere else. Better sleep, better nutrition, better and more consistent workouts.

Alcohol wasn't a problem in isolation. It just held me back from being at the top of my game in other areas.

 

[readercuthbert]

@gmojis What does your diet look like specifically? Are you in a deficit and for how long have you been in this deficit? Do you have a solid refeed schedule built in? Is it adjusted to your current weight/bmi/body comp?

Have you looked into a reverse diet? Not a joke, a legitimate strategy in weight loss.

If you're in 6 pack territory, remember, abs are made in the kitchen.

 

[ngie]

@gmojis We have had great success with the RP Diet app.

In terms of increasing your TDEE, do you track step count? That’s an easy way to move things along without necessarily eating less food. Aim for 7-12k steps per day in addition to your normal training.