Hi there

Well much like all other users on this forum (and specifically this thread) I would like to get some advice about my existing “diet” and some other related issues with this. I will assume that a great number of the users who will comment have lost a great deal of weight, and I also understand that with all major weight loss, its about trial and error and what fits you best, no pun intended ☺

To start off with, I’m from SA, we use Kilograms and Kilojoules, so if you don’t mind Ill be posting in that matter. I am currently 24 years old and I am currently 118kg’s at 186cm – I am according to all major websites obese and by a long shot, although from a general approach and looking at me you wont say that.

I am also very realistic and know that weight loss is not a quick thing, and diets does not work, lifestyle changes does, but that I suppose does not mean that we cant try to cheat by trying to loose weight quicker. I look at being fat and loosing weight as that it took years to pick the weight up, so loosing it wont be in a day.

I also believe that its about input output, and although supplements may assist, generally eating less and exercising more … you WILL loose weight.

Good, that should get us going.

On the 18th of September I started with what I think will be a huge lifestyle change in my life. On the 18th my scale told me I weighed 129kg’s. I started on a USN 3 months challenge and in general:

• I ate 3 times a day, of which my breakfast in general is ½ cup oats with 100ml protein shake (this has stopped about a week, as I don’t think protein is a great choice) with a fresh fruit. Lunch would either be tuna salad or a weight loss shake (300ml) with a fresh fruit and supper I would have 200g steak/fish/chicken/pork with either a potatoe/sweet potatoe/corn on a cob and lastly 1 cup of cooked vegetables. I have cut out all sauces (ketchup, mayo, chutney) and only use spices to atleast make the food eatable, because although I am trying to loose weight, I still want to enjoy my food.
• My exercise plan is about 30 minutes in the morning of which it includes 10 minutes jog on treadmill, dumbbell exercises and 50 situps and then 60 minutes squash or cricket in the afternoons. I have managed to do this every day.

So on my first weigh in, I was HUGELY shocked when I lost 12 kgs in 1 month! I lost about 8 cm’s on my stomach and about 4cm on my waist! This was absolutely amazing and has motivated me even more for the future.

Seeing that this is the beginning of month 2, I would like to ask some general questions which may assist me a little:

1) Supplements: I used USN phedra cut before exercising, multi vitamins in the morning, something called CLA caps before I eat a meal and then obviously replaced my lunch with a weight loss shake (approximately 800kj per mealtime) – Is this recommended and from other experiences, has supplements really made an impact or is it merely an assistant? I don’t want ot waist money on something which will only help me 5% and cause damage on the long run.
2) I have been told by a great deal of people that there will come a stage where I wont loose weight and stand still. I recon this goes from person to person, but when can one expect this to happen? I dread the 17th of November to see that I lost no extra weight!
3) I am very kj conciece with all my meals, and I have found that Diet Coke (Coke Zero) only contains 3kj per glass! Now I use to drink coke by the litres and I found that Coke Zero is a great replacement, but again I sense there is a trick somewhere. My question is … is it?
4) I have been told that doing exercise everyday is bad and that you need to take a breather every 5 days for 2 days, is this true? Does it REALLY matter and can it be counting against my advantage if I do exercise everyday?
5) Is there a realistic calculator which can tell me how much kilojoules I must take in per day? I know that there is approximetaly 32000 - 35000kj per kilogram fat, and I have an idea how much my intake is per day, but I cannot find a website which can tell me how much my body need to maintain my existing weight. Obviously if I can find out how much my body needs I will know when I take in too much or too less for that matter.
6) Is it safe to cheat now and then? I know this is pretty stupid, but I am so afraid of gaining weight that I will avoid eating anything which I think MAY count against me, even when going to the movies I would limit popcorn thinking that its junkfood and not eat it. This is a psychological thing I know and I know that I wont be able to avoid it forever, but how often is it “acceptable” to cheat and what measures can I take to make up for it?
7) What other tips have you guys generated to keep you focused? I have already got a picture of my ideal body and weight. I would like to come down to 90 – 95kg which is still according to most websites “overweight” but hell for my height I cannot see how this is possible
8) STRETCH MARKS – Do they “go away” or fade out that it is hidden? I am worried that my self asteem will not work with me when I have lost weight and still have the bad guys on my stomach?
9) I assume being obese you will have a lot of extra skin, does this go away automatically or is surgery needed for this?

I am keeping a record of everything I eat and also take monthly photos. I can see a HUGE difference after just one month! When I have enough self esteem I may just share it here ☺

Thanks for the advise in advance, and sorry for grammar and spelling, Im Afrikaans, so not my best language ☺

a quick update on my own thread ...

I am replacing the Protein i added to the oats in the morning with some milk and a spoon full of honey. I heard its a better alternative to sugar?

Also, I have cut out normal sugar with a artificial sweetener. It does not come in a small pill form though, its in a 500g container and 1 teaspoon = 1 teaspoon of sugar taste I have heard over and over again that artificial sweeteners are bad for you, why is that? I have to say that I will have 1 maybe maximum 2 cups of tea per day, of which I add 1 teaspoon of sweetener to each cup

mmmm .... Is my threat in the correct place? No replies yet?

For some reason I didn't see this thread when it first came up.

First of all, congrats on your weight loss. There's nothing like seeing progress to motivate you to keep moving forward.

I'll try to answer your specific questions here. I'm ok with converting from US lbs to kg, but I'm struggling a bit with kjs. I'm not sure what the conversion is. So I'm going to give my replies in calories until I can figure out the conversion.
Supplements of this kind are, IMO, a waste of money. You *might* get some thermogentic effect from a supplement, but it'll likely be a fraction of a percent and ultimately your body will become adjusted to them and the effect will become smaller and smaller. For the amount of money that you pay for these supplements, you're better off drinking a cup of green tea with caffeine. You'll get about the same percentage of effect over the long run.

It might happen, it might not. Some people cruise right along and lose weight steadily the whole time. Don't borrow trouble. If your weight loss does slow down, it'll likely be because you've lost enough weight that your calorie needs have changed. This is much more likely with people who have a LOT of weight to lose. For example, when I started losing weight, I needed about 3000 calories to maintain my weight. After I lost 50 lbs, I only needed 2500 calories to maintain my weight. It follows that I could lose weight on 2500 calories until I lost, then I needed to eat fewer calories. It's pretty much basic math. Keeping an eye on your weight to calorie ratio will help prevent that kind of stall.

This is a loaded question because there are so many different factors involved. I'll offer this disclaimer - I drink Diet Coke 3x a week or so - for me there is an acceptable level of risk involved. There are studies that have shown artificial sweeteners to have negative effects in high doses. Some people prefer not to take the chance by consuming those sweeteners or artificial ingredients. There are also people who are sensitive enough to sweet tastes that they find that drinking even Diet soda sets off a craving for other sweet things. I think this is more a personal question than a hard and fast rule. There is a thread here somewhere discussing the effects of aspartame ... if you're interested there are some good points on both sides.

Told by whom? What qualifications do they have? What reason have they given? Part of learning about yoru body, being healthy, and weight loss is learning to be critical about the sources you get your information from. There's a lot of "they said" floating around the Internet - the question is, how much of it is backed up by actual research and scientific study.

Ok, that said, no, doing exercise every day is NOT bad. A little exercise every day is a good thing. However, if you are weight lifting, studies have shown that you should take a 48 hour break (at a minimum) before working the same set of muscles again. Muscles that have been put under stress need recovery time and you'll get better results if you allow those muscles plenty of time to recover and "reset" for the next round. But cardio? YOu can do that every day, if you want.

There is a point where you can over train and your body will need a rest, but for most average people who are putting in 30mins to an hour of exercise a day, that's not really going to be an issue. When you get into real overtraining issues are with athletes and people who are training for events - and then it becomes an issue of balancing out nutrition and intake with output.

Again, I'm not really familiar with kj. I can tell you that a good average number for calories is based on a figure of 30 calories per kg of bodyweight for someone who is moderately active. For you, that would work out to 3500 calories to maintain your current body weight. To lose, you would cut that back by 30%, to get around 2500 calories for a healthy and safe rate of loss.

First of all, I'd suggest eliminating the word "cheat" from your vocabulary. If you "cheat" - what are you cheating on? Yourself? Your life? Read my post here on Free Days and Free Meals. I think it'll give you a much better idea of a healthy and balanced way of eating, rather than thinking in terms of good food, bad food, and cheating.
http://weight-loss.fitness.com/nutri...free-days.html

I'll be honest that while I want to lose weight, I don't think of what I'm doing primarily in terms of weight loss. I focus on being healthy, being strong, eating foods that are healthy and sustainable. I find that if I make that my primary focus, then the rest seems to fall into place better.

Read this FAQ on stretch marks and loose skin: Loose Skin FAQ Right now you're worrying about something that you don't even know if it'll be an issue. Don't let things like this distract you from your real focus, which is being healthy and losing weight.

Hope that helps you some.