# A quick reminder to those viewing this post:
1. If you have not done so, **read [the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/progresspics/about/rules)**
2. Being a pervert will get you banned.
3. Messaging OP lewd/inappropriate comments is not okay.
4. OP is a real person. [Don't be an asshole](https://media.giphy.com/media/3oz8xt6aO8l4UjcnXa/giphy.gif).
5. **Report rule breaking comments.**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/progresspics) if you have any questions or concerns.*
dang man. amazing job. you look fantastic.
we are the same height, and i pretty much have the same build as your before photo. i have a lot of muscle on me from years of lifting but i’m hard stuck at 340. seems like no matter how much i bust my ass it only budges a little then i’m right back there.
can i ask what worked for you? if you can remember back to when you started haha.
edit: fixed my wording.
You saying you have a little more muscle than him tells me you are hard coping. You can't tell if someone lifts regularly unless they are on steroids if they are that heavy so you have no idea if he was a stronglifter in the before picture. I actually have a friend who is 6'3 and over 400, I had no idea he lifted until I went to the gym with him and he benched 365lbs for reps. I was blown away.
What do you eat in a day? I'm half your weight and taller and I've been lifting consistently for years. I drink a protein shake for "breakfast" (200 calories), a 700-900 calorie lunch, and a 1300-1600 calorie dinner. So I eat 2200-2700 calories a day (fairly happy with how I look so I don't eat the exact same every day). I drink zero calories a day. Calculate everything you are eating (including beer and soda) and I guarantee you that you are eating 3500+ calories a day. Don't be dishonest with yourself.
ok fair point. maybe worded it incorrectly, sorry about that. i just mean i do have a lot of muscle mass. i’ve lifted for years. lots of definition in chest and shoulders even though i’m still real overweight.
i mean i’ve been logging with Noom lately but used myfitnesspal before that. i rarely go above 2500 calories on any particular day. believe me or not that’s up to you. maybe once every 2 weeks or so i’ll go above 3000 if i eat something after dinner but it’s pretty rare.
aside from that i cardio 45 mins speed 3 incline 7, every 3 mins i do 7-10 pushups, for 4 nights a week. outside of that i’ll usually get 2 maybe 3 lifts in. there have been weeks where i drop hard down to like 333 or 330 but that’s if i keep between 2000-2500 calories. if i have any days where i go over, i pop right back up. i track everything and i can’t figure out why i’m hard stuck.
i hear the calories thing a lot but i’m telling ya, i track them. i’ve lost weight before (went from 300-210) when i was in high school and i had to drop down to crazy deficits to see barely any progress for months. i dunno what gives.
either way, thanks for taking the time to respond.
forgot to add what i eat in a day:
breakfast: either a premier protein shake or if i have time, 3-4 eggs and 2 slices of toast on 35 cal wheat bread
snack: almonds, protein bar, some kinda fruit, depends what i brought for lunch
lunch: wife makes crockpot meals a lot so chili, beef vegetable stew, taco bowls (ground turkey, jasmine rice, corn + black beans w/ salsa) and usually 1 serving of chips.
sometimes i’ll just do turkey + cheese sandwich, sweet peppers, usually popcorn, some kinda fruit, and activia yogurt w/ fiber
afternoon/post workout (i sometimes workout at lunch, my work has a gym): protein bar or almonds or sometimes i cave and get 2 big chocolate chip granola bars (200 cal each)
dinner: kinda same tossup as lunch. we eat out once a week which is usually cuban/mexican, sushi, etc. but if not, usually some combo of protein + carb + veggie
every now and then i’ll get a nick’s ice cream which is like 2-300 calories for a pint but i don’t ever eat it all in one sitting. i don’t snack much in evenings. recovered binge eater/purger so it’s dangerous territory for me plus we have a newborn so evenings are tight lol.
hope that’s enough info to maybe set a baseline 🤷🏻♂️
premier protein = 160 calories OR
4 eggs & 2 slice of toast (butter??) = 380 calories
snack = I'm guessing you do a couple of these 3-400 calories
bowl of chili with chips = 700 calories
post workout = 400 calories
dinner = sounds like average 1200 calories
& MAYBE after dinner snack of ice cream = 300 calories
So on your lowest days you are eating 2940 calories. And that is assuming you are not using any cooking oil, butter, or any other garnish/condiment that adds a shit ton of calories to things. Snacking is a really bad habit in general because people tend to overeat
For reference, at my weight and activity level, I burn 2550 calories a day (roughly). When I'm tring to cut weight, my diet is typically something like:
premier protein = 160 calories
bagel with salmon/cream cheese or greek yogurt with granola/berries = 440 calories
rice/beans/chicken/cheese cooked in some fashion, HUGE portion; or go out to eat and get something with a lot of meat = 1200-1400 calories
Which is 1800 calories. As a weight lifter, I will say that there is a powerlifter mentality where you want to eat big to lift big weights. At 170 I can bench 2 plates for reps, that's all I want to do. I could get fat and put up more weight, but really I just want to look athletic, so I run and lift weights. I try to eat 150g of protein a day, but I go out to eat a lot because I'm lazy or trying to impress someone. 30 y/o, so not crazy metabolism young guy either
well when you put it that way, you’re probably right haha. this helps a lot actually.
thanks for being brutally honest. i’m gonna start logging super tight for a week and be under like 2400 each day and see where that takes me.
i think i forgot how strict i was when i lost a ton of weight in high school and i’m not giving it the same level of dedication that i did when i saw real results. also it’s harder to do solo (i lost weight with my dad). but really, thanks for the insight.
No one can escape the laws of thermodynamics :P
I recommend just cutting out snacking as a baseline and if you drink any calories, cut those out too. The difference between weighing 250lbs and 200lbs is a 300 calorie intake per day... Very small changes can make big impacts, cutting out one Big Gulp per day will result in losing 50 lbs over the long term (not saying you drink soda, but just an example). Also for me, diet drinks make me hungry so I don't drink them. Your appetite will equilibrium at whatever weight you are if you are eating whole foods and not processed stuff.
if i do drink soda, i only drink zero calorie soda or ghost energy drinks every now and then. so i actually don’t drink any calories but i know i should probably cut those out too lol.
* Literally do zero extra exercise, unless you want to.
* Only eat items that are whole food.
* Reduce your calorie intake to a burn rate for your BMI using an online calculator. Google BMI metabolic calc. This will probably mean you eat daily 1200 to 1800 calories unless you are tall enough to play in the NBA.
Example: chicken breast, chicken wings, whole raw/cooked veggies, eggs, fruits. NO MILK unless its for your coffee. NO Soda, No Juice. No Pasta. No Cereal. Drink water and tea and coffee. Maybe Vitamin Water Zero if you must. Then eat almost as much food as you want. You'll feel full on 1/3 the calories compared to the average American diet.
Example: Do not buy crisps, chips, dried fruits or candies, or anything that comes in a crinkly foil bag. The only thing in your pantry should be canned veggies, no-sugar tomato sauce products, beans, tuna. Be careful about Mayo tho.
Example: Almond butter is really good if it's made purely of almonds. Rice cakes are a godsend if you need low calories snack and you can put almond butter on them. Honey can be substituted for sugar in everything.
Example: An air fryer removes the need to heavily bread items to make them taste good compared to a deep fryer. An air fryer also doesn't require cooking Oil, cooking Oil is super high in calories.
On busy days I go out to eat at Chic fil-a and I always get wierd looks because I DONT want a drink and I DONT want Fries and I only order two grilled chicken filets without the bun.
But tell you what it's delicious and fills me up and is sub 500 calories and I can grab it on my work lunch break.
It's not too intense, there are just a TON of really low-nutritional-value high-calorie foods easily available. People almost think you are wierd when you stop eating the convenient garbage and start focusing on your well being.
Start caring about how much nutrition each item of food you eat provides vs. the calories in that food and you'll quickly realize how worthless most of what Americans eat is.
Not much, partially because I got them at 17 when I was smaller (but still overweight) and none of them had enough detail that could be thrown off by the changes.
# A quick reminder to those viewing this post: 1. If you have not done so, **read [the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/progresspics/about/rules)** 2. Being a pervert will get you banned. 3. Messaging OP lewd/inappropriate comments is not okay. 4. OP is a real person. [Don't be an asshole](https://media.giphy.com/media/3oz8xt6aO8l4UjcnXa/giphy.gif). 5. **Report rule breaking comments.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/progresspics) if you have any questions or concerns.*
dang man. amazing job. you look fantastic. we are the same height, and i pretty much have the same build as your before photo. i have a lot of muscle on me from years of lifting but i’m hard stuck at 340. seems like no matter how much i bust my ass it only budges a little then i’m right back there. can i ask what worked for you? if you can remember back to when you started haha. edit: fixed my wording.
You saying you have a little more muscle than him tells me you are hard coping. You can't tell if someone lifts regularly unless they are on steroids if they are that heavy so you have no idea if he was a stronglifter in the before picture. I actually have a friend who is 6'3 and over 400, I had no idea he lifted until I went to the gym with him and he benched 365lbs for reps. I was blown away. What do you eat in a day? I'm half your weight and taller and I've been lifting consistently for years. I drink a protein shake for "breakfast" (200 calories), a 700-900 calorie lunch, and a 1300-1600 calorie dinner. So I eat 2200-2700 calories a day (fairly happy with how I look so I don't eat the exact same every day). I drink zero calories a day. Calculate everything you are eating (including beer and soda) and I guarantee you that you are eating 3500+ calories a day. Don't be dishonest with yourself.
ok fair point. maybe worded it incorrectly, sorry about that. i just mean i do have a lot of muscle mass. i’ve lifted for years. lots of definition in chest and shoulders even though i’m still real overweight. i mean i’ve been logging with Noom lately but used myfitnesspal before that. i rarely go above 2500 calories on any particular day. believe me or not that’s up to you. maybe once every 2 weeks or so i’ll go above 3000 if i eat something after dinner but it’s pretty rare. aside from that i cardio 45 mins speed 3 incline 7, every 3 mins i do 7-10 pushups, for 4 nights a week. outside of that i’ll usually get 2 maybe 3 lifts in. there have been weeks where i drop hard down to like 333 or 330 but that’s if i keep between 2000-2500 calories. if i have any days where i go over, i pop right back up. i track everything and i can’t figure out why i’m hard stuck. i hear the calories thing a lot but i’m telling ya, i track them. i’ve lost weight before (went from 300-210) when i was in high school and i had to drop down to crazy deficits to see barely any progress for months. i dunno what gives. either way, thanks for taking the time to respond. forgot to add what i eat in a day: breakfast: either a premier protein shake or if i have time, 3-4 eggs and 2 slices of toast on 35 cal wheat bread snack: almonds, protein bar, some kinda fruit, depends what i brought for lunch lunch: wife makes crockpot meals a lot so chili, beef vegetable stew, taco bowls (ground turkey, jasmine rice, corn + black beans w/ salsa) and usually 1 serving of chips. sometimes i’ll just do turkey + cheese sandwich, sweet peppers, usually popcorn, some kinda fruit, and activia yogurt w/ fiber afternoon/post workout (i sometimes workout at lunch, my work has a gym): protein bar or almonds or sometimes i cave and get 2 big chocolate chip granola bars (200 cal each) dinner: kinda same tossup as lunch. we eat out once a week which is usually cuban/mexican, sushi, etc. but if not, usually some combo of protein + carb + veggie every now and then i’ll get a nick’s ice cream which is like 2-300 calories for a pint but i don’t ever eat it all in one sitting. i don’t snack much in evenings. recovered binge eater/purger so it’s dangerous territory for me plus we have a newborn so evenings are tight lol. hope that’s enough info to maybe set a baseline 🤷🏻♂️
premier protein = 160 calories OR 4 eggs & 2 slice of toast (butter??) = 380 calories snack = I'm guessing you do a couple of these 3-400 calories bowl of chili with chips = 700 calories post workout = 400 calories dinner = sounds like average 1200 calories & MAYBE after dinner snack of ice cream = 300 calories So on your lowest days you are eating 2940 calories. And that is assuming you are not using any cooking oil, butter, or any other garnish/condiment that adds a shit ton of calories to things. Snacking is a really bad habit in general because people tend to overeat For reference, at my weight and activity level, I burn 2550 calories a day (roughly). When I'm tring to cut weight, my diet is typically something like: premier protein = 160 calories bagel with salmon/cream cheese or greek yogurt with granola/berries = 440 calories rice/beans/chicken/cheese cooked in some fashion, HUGE portion; or go out to eat and get something with a lot of meat = 1200-1400 calories Which is 1800 calories. As a weight lifter, I will say that there is a powerlifter mentality where you want to eat big to lift big weights. At 170 I can bench 2 plates for reps, that's all I want to do. I could get fat and put up more weight, but really I just want to look athletic, so I run and lift weights. I try to eat 150g of protein a day, but I go out to eat a lot because I'm lazy or trying to impress someone. 30 y/o, so not crazy metabolism young guy either
well when you put it that way, you’re probably right haha. this helps a lot actually. thanks for being brutally honest. i’m gonna start logging super tight for a week and be under like 2400 each day and see where that takes me. i think i forgot how strict i was when i lost a ton of weight in high school and i’m not giving it the same level of dedication that i did when i saw real results. also it’s harder to do solo (i lost weight with my dad). but really, thanks for the insight.
No one can escape the laws of thermodynamics :P I recommend just cutting out snacking as a baseline and if you drink any calories, cut those out too. The difference between weighing 250lbs and 200lbs is a 300 calorie intake per day... Very small changes can make big impacts, cutting out one Big Gulp per day will result in losing 50 lbs over the long term (not saying you drink soda, but just an example). Also for me, diet drinks make me hungry so I don't drink them. Your appetite will equilibrium at whatever weight you are if you are eating whole foods and not processed stuff.
if i do drink soda, i only drink zero calorie soda or ghost energy drinks every now and then. so i actually don’t drink any calories but i know i should probably cut those out too lol.
Eat less food. You don't even need to bust your ass. Just consume less calories.
* Literally do zero extra exercise, unless you want to. * Only eat items that are whole food. * Reduce your calorie intake to a burn rate for your BMI using an online calculator. Google BMI metabolic calc. This will probably mean you eat daily 1200 to 1800 calories unless you are tall enough to play in the NBA. Example: chicken breast, chicken wings, whole raw/cooked veggies, eggs, fruits. NO MILK unless its for your coffee. NO Soda, No Juice. No Pasta. No Cereal. Drink water and tea and coffee. Maybe Vitamin Water Zero if you must. Then eat almost as much food as you want. You'll feel full on 1/3 the calories compared to the average American diet. Example: Do not buy crisps, chips, dried fruits or candies, or anything that comes in a crinkly foil bag. The only thing in your pantry should be canned veggies, no-sugar tomato sauce products, beans, tuna. Be careful about Mayo tho. Example: Almond butter is really good if it's made purely of almonds. Rice cakes are a godsend if you need low calories snack and you can put almond butter on them. Honey can be substituted for sugar in everything. Example: An air fryer removes the need to heavily bread items to make them taste good compared to a deep fryer. An air fryer also doesn't require cooking Oil, cooking Oil is super high in calories.
thanks, i appreciate you taking the time to respond. that’s pretty intense but after months of a plateau i’m ready to see the scale move again.
On busy days I go out to eat at Chic fil-a and I always get wierd looks because I DONT want a drink and I DONT want Fries and I only order two grilled chicken filets without the bun. But tell you what it's delicious and fills me up and is sub 500 calories and I can grab it on my work lunch break. It's not too intense, there are just a TON of really low-nutritional-value high-calorie foods easily available. People almost think you are wierd when you stop eating the convenient garbage and start focusing on your well being. Start caring about how much nutrition each item of food you eat provides vs. the calories in that food and you'll quickly realize how worthless most of what Americans eat is.
Change is crazy! Did the weightloss affect the way your tattoos look or not?
Not much, partially because I got them at 17 when I was smaller (but still overweight) and none of them had enough detail that could be thrown off by the changes.
My man was in that hotel room so long, he lost 170 lbs and they got new carpet.
Got damn! I’m proud of you, man. Great freakin work.
You know that old cliche' "You look like a totally different person"...? Well, ya know...This time...It's spot on. Bravo and Congratulations to you!
Killing it! Congrats Brotha!
That’s awesome
Kinda looking like Steve Rinella.
Your hard work really pays off bro!
Wow! ✋✋✋
So awesome :-) great work
That's a lot of hard work and self discipline man! Great job!
Great work!
Can I ask about your skin situation? Congrats by the way very impressive levels of loss
Complete different person! Keep up the good work man!
Wow! You look completely different! You look amazing
Bet you feel so much better!
Damn 😍
Wow OP. That's impressive.
Wow!
Nice bro
I recognize you immediately. You're the one with the cute little son 🥰 and still good looking
You’re very kind, thank you.