M | 41 | 6’2 (188cm) | 325lbs --> 189lbs --> 192lbs (147.5kg --> 85.75 --> 87). I’m not educated on the matter or an expert but can share from my experience.
I am a spreadsheet nerd and get a lot of satisfaction knowing that I’m tracking and working with good data, regardless of what I’m doing. So I weigh myself daily at the same time (morning after I use the restroom but before I eat/drink anything or get dressed), weigh and track my food (Cronometer is my app of choice), and I use weekly averages to observe trends and adjust calorie intake. That’s only part of it though.
I had to address why and how I became overweight myself. I was binge eating to help calm myself down, mostly from stress and anxiety. I reduced the stress (different job), went to counseling, and looked what I was binge eating. It was always sweets. I haven’t had anything with more than 1-2g of added sugar in several years now - I just don’t do it. That’s the only thing in my diet that’s off-limits at this point, and it’s just going to stay that way.
I started weight loss pretty extreme by cutting all carbs and just having lean meat with some green veggies for two weeks. I wanted to kill the sweet tooth, and I did. I slowly reintroduced carbs. I added an apple a day, then a second apple, then wild rice, and so forth - always healthy carbs. I started reintroducing fats in the form of largely unsaturated fats with peanut butter and nuts. I do consume dairy as well and have no digestive issues with that, but I do so in more moderation. I reintroduced these types of foods over the course of ~1-1.5 years.
I also started exercising after losing the first 40lbs (18kg). I haven’t found cardio I like enough to program regularly (not that I skip it entirely), but I love weightlifting, so I focus on that. I started with Starting Strength for a few months, moved onto 5/3/1 (several variations of this - I bought his books) for a couple years, and now that I can handle more volume, I do PPL/UL (push, pull, leg, upper, lower) each week. I’ve tried to do PPL six days a week, but every time I try to add that extra day, my body complains about the volume, so I move back to PPL/UL.
I’m at the point where I’m actually trying to lean-gain, which is freaking terrifying after walking around overweight for so many years. Even a 200 calorie surplus makes me feel more nervous than it should, but I’m sticking to it for the fall, winter, and spring to see if that + the work in the gym will help me gain a little muscle mass. If not, I’ll just cut a little to get back to the ~14% body fat I was at, and maintain there. I think of food as fuel now and don’t really care what I eat as long as it’s good, whole food. I don’t really eat out and prepare all my own food, including meal prep for work lunches. Cooking has kind of become a hobby. Figuring out flavor/seasoning and making my own sauces is kind of fun.
Just stop eating products containing wheat, dairy and fructose. It will force you to eat much healthier, and reduce your weight quickly. Take inspiration in Indian and Asian cuisines, while leaving out the typical western food.
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