Fat guy needs help with diet

[Nestor Otto Sewell]

Me on May 1, 2013



Hello everyone;

I am Nestor and I am fat. I am seriously looking forward to be under 200# again. I started TRT 3 weeks ago. Thyroid panels were normal. I eat about 125-150 gram protein a day and have removed sugar and grain from my diet. The only carbs are fruits/vegetables/ketchup. Zero sodas of any kind, zero "fruit juice", zero fried foods.

Age = 50
Height = 70"
Weight = 265
BF = 40ish%? - I was 180 with a sixpack at age 18. How do I determine?

With the low T issues I have trouble tolerating exercise of any kind. Maybe 2-3 minutes and I am dead, so I do this every day, with no gain in output. Dr's have cleared me for exercise.

I am having trouble understanding all the terminology here. Macro? TDEE? resting metabolic rate? I see all the stickies and they are more than a bit overwhelming. My mind is also spaghetti due to Low T. My ego is not in this, my heart is.

Would someone with more knowledge be so kind as to hold my hand getting me started?

Please and thank you.

[austinite]

Macros are your macronutrients. The Fats, Carbs and Proteins you consume.

TDEE is Total Daily Energy Expenditure. Based on your stats and level of activity, is the number of calories you burn in a typical day.

Metabolic rate, or BMR is the energy expended at rest.

The key to losing weight is to eat less calories than your TDEE. you'll find many TDEE calculators, but a good start would be your LBM (lean body mass) multiplied by 15. So in your case, the formula would look like this...

(Total Weight- 40% BF) = LBM. <~ Multiply by 15 = TDEE

(265 - 40%) * 15 = 2385

So in order to lose weight, you will need to consume less than 2385. I would start with a diet consisting of 2000 calories. Increase your cardio time and increase your liquid intake.

This is a good start. If you start doing this and losing weight, you can begin breaking those calories into macronutrient ratios. But just count calories to start for a couple months.

Hope this helps.

[Nestor Otto Sewell]

Austinite, Thank you. Yes it does.

I eat far less than that. For many months, if not forever. 2000 calories is hard to get to. It is a lot of food when not eating take-out. I wrote down everything I ate for a couple months. I averaged 1660 calories per day. I was full all the time.

I cannot increase my cardio time. Lord I have tried. 3 minutes at what I consider easy peasy and I am wiped out. I try a second time in a given day and cannot tolerate a minute.

Liquids? Increase to what? I drink a half gallon of water a day.

What is a good ratio of protein/fat/carb for a fat guy?

Thanks again!

[austinite]

Austinite, Thank you. Yes it does.

I eat far less than that. For many months, if not forever. 2000 calories is hard to get to. It is a lot of food when not eating take-out. I wrote down everything I ate for a couple months. I averaged 1660 calories per day. I was full all the time.

I cannot increase my cardio time. Lord I have tried. 3 minutes at what I consider easy peasy and I am wiped out. I try a second time in a given day and cannot tolerate a minute.

Liquids? Increase to what? I drink a half gallon of water a day.

What is a good ratio of protein/fat/carb for a fat guy?

Thanks again!

Have you had any bloodwork done? Any thyroid panels you can share?

[Nestor Otto Sewell]

edited to add:Don't look at the lipids. I wasn't fasting. I thought the blood test was for hormones and did not expect to see a lipid panel. Plus the doc that ordered it did not tell me to fast.

[austinite]

Interesting. I'm assuming you have not started Testosterone therapy yet, correct? I'd really be interested in seeing a full Thyroid panel.

I'm kind of at a loss. What does your 1600 calorie diet consist of typically? I don't care what your macro ratio looks like, I just don't see how you wouldnt lose weight on those calories.

Unrelated note: The doc you're working with is most likely doing you a disservice. I'd seek another doc.

[Nestor Otto Sewell]

Thanks austinite. Why do you think my low T doctor is doing me a disservice?

That blood was a few weeks ago, before I started TRT. I am doing 50mg Test Cyp M-Th

This is typical and may not be 1600 exactly.

Breakfast - 3 large eggs with salsa
Mid morning - 2 scoops whey powder in water

cheeseburger no bun or can of tuna with italian dressing

mid afternoon - 2 scoops again

dinner - grilled chicken breast on a salad - greens with half a tomato, 4-5 olives, onions, tablespoon of roasted sunflower seeds

desert - 2 scoops whey in 6oz fruit at the bottom yogurt

a snack may include one of the following - 100 calorie portion of pork rinds (no carbs but crunchy!!), doritos, oreo....

This is exactly the diet I followed in 2004 and lost 10# a month. Then I wasn't low t and could work out 30-45 minutes a day 5 days a week. Now I cannot do 15 minutes a week. I am weak, lethargic and sluglike.

edited to add: in February a bariatrics doctor (the start of this epic quest) test my tsh

TSH 1.64 [Range 0.35 - 4.00 uIU/mL]

It does seem I need a full thyroid panel. I would swear bariatrics doctor did one but my online resource for this doctor shows none. I also saw an endo thru this insurance and he did not do one either. That is pretty sad. Why would a bariatrics doctor with a patient complaining of an inability to lose weight, despite doing what worked before, not run a full thyroid panel.

endo did do shbg in March.

SEX HORMONE BINDING GLOBULIN 26.78 [Range 14.5 - 48.4 nmol/L]
A1C = 5.5 mg/dL

[austinite]

Doc wasted your time (and maybe money) by not telling you to fast. Didnt get thyroid panel which could be related to low T, and no estrogen in there... A good doc will search for the root cause. (but this is a conversation for the HRT forum).

Are you sure of your BF%?? Seems high for a 7 foot guy.

Hopefully your new TRT program will help with your energy levels. Maybe some of the pro's can chime in here as I'm still kind of lost. With your stats and that calorie intake and low carbs, you could pretty much do zero cardio and still lose weight (not that I recommend that), but the truth is, 3 minutes is not doing anything for you. Can you walk at a very slow pace longer than that?

[Nestor Otto Sewell]

70" is 5"-10"

[austinite]

Ohhhh. lol, Sorry, I read it as 7'0" -- so nevermind!

[Nestor Otto Sewell]

70" is 5"-10" - I am not 7' sorry for that!

I am 70" - 265 and I guessed at 40%ish BF. I had a six pack at 180 in high school. Call that 10% or 18# fat. Using that I have 103# BF and that is actually 39% BF.

I have PM'd my bariatrics Dr. to ask for a full thyroid panel. This seems prudent.

I can tolerate 10 minutes of walking slow. But my knees are fracking killing me at the moment. Kenalog is wearing off, new injections in 2 weeks. If I walk 10 minutes tonight I won't be able to do it again for a couple days.

I want to get my bike out of storage and see if I can bike it slowly. That will be nothing for my knees. I'll do it tomorrow.

This forum is helping me stay motivated instead of hibernating. Austinite, do not take it bad that you cannot help. I am total train wreck at the moment and need to dig out of the crater I have crashed myself into. Your assistance and knowledge is sincerely appreciated, by myself and my family. They wanna see a healthier happier me. It seems likely you will be a part of that.

edited to correct my math

[cj111]

This forum is helping me stay motivated instead of hibernating

You can do it man, remember the glory days of that 6 pack when you were 18! Dust of that old bike and go for a rip

[austinite]

Thanks for the kind words Nestor. Good to have you here. Keep this thread bumped as I'm also interested in others' responses.

[Nestor Otto Sewell]

cj, you rock!

First thing in the AM. Dig the bike out and I'll go for a rip!!

Thanks guys.

[Bonaparte]

Lose the red meat and/or salad dressing.
Too much whey protein.
You need more whole grains, fish, and vegetables.
Basically, just look into the DASH diet, put together something similar, and increase the protein to around 200g daily.

That diet certainly isn't helping with your low energy levels or weight loss.

[--->>405<<---]

nestor u need to start from scratch dude..

how long have u been eating 1600 cals??

the bike and elliptical are gonna be ur best friends for cardio. u need very low impact cardio. dont get discouraged that cant do a lot of it right now, simply concentrate on doing any and then try to gradually improve/increase the duration over time.. u will be able to go longer and longer

read this sticky:


guesstimating ur bf % is not the best route. have a look at these pics (if u havent already) and see which one most closely resembles u:

[Nestor Otto Sewell]

Hey 405, I am bottom right corner. My math matches the image almost perfectly. I am getting on the bicycle as soon as I finish this post. Thanks!

My diet is all over the place. I averaged 1680 over a 90 day period. 2000 calories without going out or eating junk foods is very difficult for me to eat. It's simply too much food. After 90 days of doing this I lost nothing.

The typical day I listed above is what I followed to lose 10# a month in 2004.

[RaginCajun]

Hey bud, you just made the best decision of your life by joining this site! These guys will get you to where you wanna go!

When you were eating these 1680 cals, were you exercising at all? Once you start exercising more, your appetite will go up and you will be able to take on more food. What does your weekly workout/cardio routine look like?

[Nestor Otto Sewell]

Hey CJ!! Thx!! Considering my current situation I feel like what I did was A total rip!!

I just got back.

2.88 miles in 19.5 minutes. avg speed 8.92mph, top speed 17.37 mph. Elevation gain of 100ft.

This is the first real sweat I have had in a month. Awesome. Now for some protein and a shower!!

[Nestor Otto Sewell]

@bonaparete, I'll look into DASH.

I do eat a lot of fish, it wasn't in my list cuz I was doing average day. Please allow me to query you, what is the issue with 50-60 calories worth of nice italian dressing? It makes the tuna real nice.

[alex.mitev]

I would do a protein sparing diet to kick start weight loss for a given period of time. That would broaden ur cardio capacity and make you feel loosing weight (psychological benefit), then will switch to a normal balanced diet. Cardio imo should be incorporated only once you feel comfortable with your body. We cannot prescribe the same program as if we did for athlete. Age, activity and weight play huge role in what the appropriate approach must be.

[RaginCajun]

Hey CJ!! Thx!! Considering my current situation I feel like what I did was A total rip!!

I just got back.

2.88 miles in 19.5 minutes. avg speed 8.92mph, top speed 17.37 mph. Elevation gain of 100ft.

This is the first real sweat I have had in a month. Awesome. Now for some protein and a shower!!

nice on the cardio!

now you just need to be consistent with it, which is the magic to all of this!

[Nestor Otto Sewell]

alex & cajun - thank you.

Alex, cardio feels good today. It's how I lost in 2004.

[alex.mitev]

Glad you can make it.
9 years past since 04, you shouldnt compare circumstances.
Hope you reach ur goal with the chosen approach
Best of luck

[Bonaparte]

@bonaparete, I'll look into DASH.

I do eat a lot of fish, it wasn't in my list cuz I was doing average day. Please allow me to query you, what is the issue with 50-60 calories worth of nice italian dressing? It makes the tuna real nice.

Well, if you're only adding 1 TBSP, that's fine.
I assumed you were using quite a bit more, which could be replaced by something like brown rice.

[Brazensol]

You've been on trt for 3 weeks now, correct? It can take a while to get that dialed in to your sweet spot. Like suggested get those thryoid panels. Low t and low thryoid often run hand in hand and have very similiar symptoms. I know because I've been there done that. First diagnosed with low t and started on trt with gel (gel was a waste of my time but had to start there). All the gel did was crash my already low t all the way to the basement. Finally convinced the doc to start me on injections of test cyp but he wanted me to come in every 2 weeks and let the nurse do it. I fired him. Found a doc who would let me do it myself at home. Twice a week every 3.5 days keeps a nice even level of t without the roller coaster ride that weeky or twice weekly will give you. While this helped it was not as much as it should have. Doc ordered thyroid panel and lo and behold; low thyroid too. Started on armour thyroid and things finally started to get back to normal. Energy improved and weight started to finally drop off.

In short get the thryoid checked and give the test. a bit of time to work and you should start to feel better. It just takes time so be patient.

[Nestor Otto Sewell]

Brazen - thank you.

I have PM'd my bariatric Dr. for an order for the thyroid panel. Failing that, I have been referred (within my insurance) to an endo that is supposed to understand male hormones better than a normal endo. We'll see. I have a TRT doc already but the rest needs to be in plan.

I am patient. Sh|t, I been trying to lose this weight since last September! Took until March to sort out the main problem & find a TRT doc.

Thanks again.

[Nestor Otto Sewell]

Yesterdays stats
Weight = 274 (more then last weighed)

Exercise 19 minutes of bike riding.

Fat - 85g
Carbs - 37g
Protein 171g

Calories 1600 and I was stuffed to the gills with zero ability to eat more

[Nestor Otto Sewell]

I just rode again today. Same route almost exactly same time & speed. In the first 400 yards I was hitting a wall, then I said to myself "NO" and pushed thru it. A couple minutes later I felt a surge of energy. My sugar energy should have been low. I wonder if that was my body starting to burn fat for energy. Overall, the ride was easier. A few more days of this and I'll increase the distance.

[RaginCajun]

I just rode again today. Same route almost exactly same time & speed. In the first 400 yards I was hitting a wall, then I said to myself "NO" and pushed thru it. A couple minutes later I felt a surge of energy. My sugar energy should have been low. I wonder if that was my body starting to burn fat for energy. Overall, the ride was easier. A few more days of this and I'll increase the distance.

That's the ticket!

Just keep at it man!

It's not a sprint, it's a marathon!

[Brazensol]

It usually takes a bit of time to "settle in" just like running. Stick with it.

When I started riding about a month ago my first ride was an easy, level, slow three miles and it was hell! Already worked up to 20+ miles a day and have cut back to 45-60 minutes and trying to improve time. You'll be cruising in no time!

[Nestor Otto Sewell]

I was out of town for the weekend. I basically ate small portions of restaurant and low carb. Plus strawvberries. We were in strawberry country. Did not track nutes. I did however keep pedalling. I am up to 30 minutes a session.

Today's weight 271. I am Minus 3#.

Maybe I should rename this thread to "Nestor's progress and accountability... "

[Brazensol]

Already up to 30 minutes! Doesn't take long does it?

[cj111]

Good job man! Keep up the hustle. Glad you dusted off the old bicycle

[Nestor Otto Sewell]

Brazen & CJ, thanks so much for your kind support. It does mean a lot to have eager support from new virtual friends who are virtual strangers! I like this forum.

Yeah, I think my problem before was twofold. I can remember what I used to do. So I was trying to do it. I should not have been on the rowing machine trying to punch out 5000 meters. I need to cruise on the bicycle in low gear. Keep the RPM's up and the effort low. I figure in a month or two I can start rowing. First I wanna get to ten miles a day on the bik.

[RaginCajun]

That's why we are here bud!

When are you weighing yourself? Make sure you weigh yourself at the same exact time each day and make sure everything is the same (ex: after peeing, before eating, etc.....)

[trikydik]

I am overweight (fat) my dad is incredibly obese (450 at 5'5") - doctor gave him some sound advice... water walking... burns calories, is not hard on your joints or your body in general... is easy to ramp up, after all, all you are doing is walking. Just a thought in case you don't like the bike... It can be a pain in certain areas for us larger guys.

[gurupimp6969]

Good work Nestor, keep going with it! You should use this as a log to keep track of your progress as well as use it for motivation. It feels great to type out your thoughts/progress at the end of the day. Not sure if you have an iPhone but they have an app that is damn near just as good as on a PC. Just my 2 cents.

[Nestor Otto Sewell]

Good work Nestor, keep going with it! You should use this as a log to keep track of your progress as well as use it for motivation. It feels great to type out your thoughts/progress at the end of the day. Not sure if you have an iPhone but they have an app that is damn near just as good as on a PC. Just my 2 cents.

dik & guru - thanks so much for the encouragement. I dont have time at the moment but will change title to progress.

Today's weight = 270

no nutes again today, forgot to log. I ate low carb and lean. egg whites, whey shakes.....

Just got back from a ride left phone at home so no stats. 30 minutes of sweat is all I have today.

[Nestor Otto Sewell]

I went to the new endo today for consultation about thyroid. She seemed up for that and more. But was zero regarding my TRT. I said love it or hate it, but if you are going to be my doc, you must embrace it. This is the wave of the future for male health and she can use this opportunity to learn about it.

Here is what she ordered. Eight vials!!

Routine orders

Name Type
ADRENOCORTICOTROPIC HORMONE
CORTISOL, SERUM
HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE
LH (LUTEINIZING HORMONE)
FSH (FOLLICLE STIMULATING HORMONE)
ALPHA SUBUNIT
INSULIN LIKE GROWTH FACTOR I
T3
FREE T4
TSH (THYROID STIMULATING HORMONE)



Future orders:

Take a milligram of dexamethasone at bedtime, then go in for these labs:

Name
CORTISOL, SERUM
ADRENOCORTICOTROPIC HORMONE