Losing weight

I’m at least 30 pounds over weight.  I’m 5’10” and 220lbs.  I’m looking for an easy to follow method to help guide me and track my weight loss effort.  I work out every day mostly boxing and stair master stuff but also Climbing so I don’t think I can burn this weight off.  I consume about 2300 calorie s a day right now.  I’m 58 and my metabolism  seems to have slowed.   Any help appreciated 

There are a lot of fad diets out there (no carbs, no sugar, only protein, etc.). In the end, it is about "calories in versus calories out." People will say that there are "fat-burning foods" and certain calories are different than others, depending on the foods, but I don't think that is supported by science.

As we age, and our metabolism slows down, it becomes more important to limit our caloric intake.

Calories in versus calories out.  Unfortunately, it's more about cutting back on the calories in, as it is difficult to exercise enough to offset your caloric intake. And cutting back on the calories takes self-discipline. That rules me out!

Make sure those 2300 calories are good quality (not 2300 calories of junk). Keep the cardio work coming and drink lots of water. I like a quarter lemon per 16oz of cold water... refreshing and there's (shaky at best) evidence suggesting it might be good for weight loss. Not sure I believe it, more just a little treat flavor-wise. I'm in the process of cutting some weight too, I know the struggle. Keep at it. 

What time of day do you work out? Morning workouts typically are seen as being more beneficial for weight loss.

I highly recommend weight watchers. I lost 80 lbs over 4 months on the program. I lost at least 30 just through diet, then then started running and combined with the diet lost the other 50. I have kept the weight off for 5 years now, just by climbing, hiking and moderately watching what I eat

Go talk to a nutritionist. Don't rely on anecdotes and ill-informed opinions from MP.

Greg Egbert wrote:
I did not have to give up beer.

This is the most inspiring thing I’ve read on the internet in a long time. 

djh860 wrote: I’m at least 30 pounds over weight.  I’m 5’10” and 220lbs.  I’m looking for an easy to follow method to help guide me and track my weight loss effort.  I work out every day mostly boxing and stair master stuff but also Climbing so I don’t think I can burn this weight off.  I consume about 2300 calorie s a day right now.  I’m 58 and my metabolism  seems to have slowed.   Any help appreciated 

More like 45 lbs! I feel your pain. I laid off climbing for 8 years and ballooned up to 259!!! I’m 6.2.

To loose weight I cut out Donuts, Burgers and fries, pot roast, soft drinks, 8 IPAs/day and eating till I was stuffed. 
If these items go in your mouth every day... that’s way to much. Cut back to like once per month. 
I got down to like 208 and could climb 11s again (on a good day) .... 
When I retired and stopped eating business lunches everyday, even though my usual order was a salad w dressing on the side, I dropped another 15.... I think almost all food made for you (boxed, bagged on a plate) is loaded with fat growing organisms. 
Now at 195, aiming for my HS football weight of 185..... 
To close: A prominent guide at JT once told me the truth about weight loss: “ it’s simple, keep your mouth shut and keep sh#ting...”
Good Luck to you, this is the hardest crux you will ever face.

reboot wrote:

Stress plays a huge role in weight gain for a lot of people. You can try to eat all healthy and still not shed the lbs.

While ultimately weight is a function of calorie in vs calorie out, it really is hard to work against the body's natural regulatory system over the long run. Some studies suggest higher impact exercises (ex: running) better promote weight loss than lower impact exercises (ex: cycling) from the hormones released by your bones.

Reboot true, hormones do play a part... I wish we could Dope like the football/baseball/cycling and pro climbers do. One of my climbing friends is a chemist at a large company.... HGH, testosterone and andro got mixed up and put into little caps. One per day made me feel and act like I was 19 again..... dumped 15 lbs, started chasing the wife around during the day time, and I climbed like Alex H. 

But that’s all gone now, I did put an asterisk on every send I did under chemical influence.

I'm 62, 5' 8", 220lbs.  Over the years I have tried every fad diet known to man.  I have also found that genetics plays a huge role.  I function best on protein type foods, my wife is carbohydrates.  So being an unsuccessful dieter I will give you my new diet plan.  Drink less alcohol, more water. Leave 10% of whatever you are eating at the meal on your plate.  Double your vegetable intake.

When I do this things my weight drops, about a pound a week.  Then I forget to do these things my weight rapidly goes back to 220.  

Age does affect your metabolism.

Do a search for water fasting. I have used a variety of methods to lose or maintain weight over the course of my adult life, with emphasis on maintaining muscle mass and performance, and the fasting/IF method works the best IME.  Very fast results and once you get over the initial shock of not eating anything for a few days, it is actually psychologically quite easy and even invigorating.  There are purported health benefits as well.  

Dallas R wrote: I'm 62, 5' 8", 220lbs.  Over the years I have tried every fad diet known to man.  I have also found that genetics plays a huge role.  I function best on protein type foods, my wife is carbohydrates.  So being an unsuccessful dieter I will give you my new diet plan.  Drink less alcohol, more water. Leave 10% of whatever you are eating at the meal on your plate.  Double your vegetable intake.

When I do this things my weight drops, about a pound a week.  Then I forget to do these things my weight rapidly goes back to 220.  

Age does affect your metabolism.

Dallas.... if you’re like me, you can gain 10 lbs in a weekend... just go and eat like everyone at BBQ birthday party

djh860 wrote: I’m at least 30 pounds over weight.  I’m 5’10” and 220lbs.  I’m looking for an easy to follow method to help guide me and track my weight loss effort.  I work out every day mostly boxing and stair master stuff but also Climbing so I don’t think I can burn this weight off.  I consume about 2300 calorie s a day right now.  I’m 58 and my metabolism  seems to have slowed.   Any help appreciated 

52, 6'0" here. Down to 182 from 210-215. Got myself a withings scale, connected it to Beeminder. Knowing that I'll lose money if I don't make weight is a powerful incentive. Bike commuting is helpful.

Guy Keesee wrote:

...and eating till I was stuffed. 

This. Eat until you’re sated, not stuffed. Don’t be afraid to leave stuff on the plate. Don’t be afraid of the to go box for leftovers. Most importantly SLOW DOWN when eating. If you gobble down a steak dinner in 10 minutes you’ll probably eat too much. And there’s no reason for anyone to eat 12oz of protein in one meal.  Even 8 is excessive. Think more on the order of 4 - 6 oz. 

djh860 wrote: I’m at least 30 pounds over weight.  I’m 5’10” and 220lbs.  I’m looking for an easy to follow method to help guide me and track my weight loss effort.  I work out every day mostly boxing and stair master stuff but also Climbing so I don’t think I can burn this weight off.  I consume about 2300 calorie s a day right now.  I’m 58 and my metabolism  seems to have slowed.   Any help appreciated 

I went from 240+ to 200 since March 2018. 

Stop eating carbs and sugar and beer. It really is that simple. Sugar is White Death. And 2300 cal a day is way excessive, cut that back by 500 at least. As we age we don't use up as many calories.

I try to limit myself to about 30-40 grams of carbohydrates a day. Atkins has a free carb tracking App. All of my carbs are coming from cruciferous vegetables or green beans. I don't eat any processed food at all. Protein can come from chicken or steak etc., just watch out for the coatings. I can't do dairy, or I would eat cheese as well. Nuts are maybe OK, depends on which one, you need to count the carbs.

I dropped 25 lbs mostly through portion control. You know how much you typically eat. Now eat less.

djh860 wrote: I’m at least 30 pounds over weight.  I’m 5’10” and 220lbs.  I’m looking for an easy to follow method to help guide me and track my weight loss effort.  I work out every day mostly boxing and stair master stuff but also Climbing so I don’t think I can burn this weight off.  I consume about 2300 calorie s a day right now.  I’m 58 and my metabolism  seems to have slowed.   Any help appreciated 

This might surprise you but it's entirely possible you're UNDEREATING.

At your height, weight, age you need about 3,330 calories daily to maintain your weight. A thousand calorie deficit is a LOT. Your body will actually slow down its metabolism in reaction to an extreme deficit. To lose 1 lb per week you only need a 500 calorie deficit per day. Less is not more in this case.

In my opinion the best approach is to focus on food quality then eat as much as you want. It's really hard to overeat with quality food and once you eliminate the potato chips, ice cream and other junk you have gotten rid of the very calorie dense foods that make it hard to lose. Good fats (ie olive oil, avocados, nuts) are your friends, even though they're calorie-dense. They're also very sating.

Get regular, high-intensity exercise every day. Doesn't have to be a ton, just something that gets your HR going. HIIT training like jump roping or doing an elliptical machine can work wonders. 

I found a trick in Sumo wrestlers diets. They will typically eat right before sleeping. I don't eat for at least 4hrs before sleeping and I make lunch my largest meal, dinner for me is typically smallish but definitely not insanely low calorie. You might also consider adding in to your regiment a low intensity more cardio focused exercise when you wake up (brisk walk to light jog type thing), no food beforehand, only unsweetened coffee or water. We used both of these tricks for cycling weight loss and they were pretty effective

This might be an interesting thing to watch. Dr. Peter Attia I follow a bit because he does a lot of mTOR research which I have projects about in grad school. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69Rh03UWp2k. here he gives a very scientific approach to how hormones and diets can fluctuate. Watch all of his clips, he is a fascinating scientist (although he is certainly not without controversy).

Just a reminder to non-science types metabolism is both catabolic and anabolic processes, catabolism is breaking things down and anabolism is building things up. That info might help some for watching the video. He gives a lot of information that you can take and further research for understanding hormonal regulation of caloric partitioning.

Hope this helps!!

I was at 173. Couldn't climb shit.

Then a bunch of friends died. I got depressed, started missing meals.

Now at 136 I'm climbing again and am far less depressed.

Dido Rando's morning routine suggestion.

Secondly, exercise confuses your body and weight loss. Try a few weeks of diet focus and then start adding exercise back in. You won't lose ground....Every real pound you lose is a huge gain.

Finally, your calories are to high for our age. It is no longer a numbers thing at our age.

Good luck

Rando Calrissian wrote: I found a trick in Sumo wrestlers diets. They will typically eat right before sleeping. I don't eat for at least 4hrs before sleeping and I make lunch my largest meal, dinner for me is typically smallish but definitely not insanely low calorie. You might also consider adding in to your regiment a low intensity more cardio focused exercise when you wake up (brisk walk to light jog type thing), no food beforehand, only unsweetened coffee or water. We used both of these tricks for cycling weight loss and they were pretty effective

This might be an interesting thing to watch. Dr. Peter Attia I follow a bit because he does a lot of mTOR research which I have projects about in grad school. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69Rh03UWp2k. here he gives a very scientific approach to how hormones and diets can fluctuate. Watch all of his clips, he is a fascinating scientist (although he is certainly not without controversy).

Just a reminder to non-science types metabolism is both catabolic and anabolic processes, catabolism is breaking things down and anabolism is building things up. That info might help some for watching the video. He gives a lot of information that you can take and further research for understanding hormonal regulation of caloric partitioning.

Hope this helps!!

Agree with Rando

Also try to avoid any refined sugars!