There I was, sitting on my chair, eating relentlessly, and thinking that I would never be thin, ever. I was pessimistic as I was 300 lbs., and I was trying to lose weight without any success for the past 15 years. I based my efforts on public knowledge and friendly advice. That was a big mistake! I never tried to read or research about my situation. That changed in July 2019. I decided to brush up my knowledge about weight loss, and the rest was history. I ended up losing 70 lbs. in the next 4 months. You can read my story in our about us page.
I weigh 380 pounds how do I lose weight? 380 lbs is a lot of weight. The good thing here is fat people lose more weight doing the same activity than slim people. Being active and reducing your energy (calorie) consumption are going to be the most significant factor in your weight loss. Both of these constitute the basis of almost every diet program. Clear your schedule, make up your mind, and start following a diet plan that suits your needs.
Understanding why you are fat (the concept of calories)
Like any machine, the human body runs on fuel. The fuel comes from the food that we eat.[1] As we eat more, we get fatter and fatter. But why do some people do not? Because it’s not as easy as that. Eating a lot of food does not make you fat; eating high-energy food does. This energy is calculated in the form of calories. If you eat more calories than your system requires, you will get fat. On the other hand, if you consume fewer calories, you are likely to lose weight. This is corroborated by a number of studies[2,3,4,5,6,7]
So, it’s all about calories? Right? Again, it’s not as simple as that.
There could be metabolic problems in your body. Some people suffer from hormonal issues that could lead to weight gain or weight loss. This is especially true for women. So, consult your doctor if you suffer from any such conditions before trying to adapt to a new diet.[8]
Once you understand that it is not due to hormonal problems, you can shift your focus to the direction of the average energy consumption. Why average energy consumption?
Because, if you work harder, you can eat more and still be quite thin and healthy. So, how can you calculate this energy consumption of your body? Say, as we have talked about, you are 380 lbs So how much energy would you require in a day to only function without having to work? According to the total daily energy exemption calculator, you need roughly 3200 calories per day if you have a sedentary lifestyle.
In case you walk for 30 minutes every day, you can eat 3400 calories without gaining any more weight. But what you want to lose weight, right? So, you have to reduce your energy consumption. If you eat 2000 calories per day, that is the decrease of 1200 calories from your maintenance state. As a basic formula, 3500 calories equal to 1 pound of weight/fat.[9] So, if you lose 1200 calories per day that is 12,000 calories in 10 days and 36,000 calories in a month, you could lose as much as 10 lbs per month without doing any exercise or hard work. That’s it, right? No, not yet.
In case you want to eat more, or you want to lose a lot of weight, you could add in some walking or increase your daily activity levels to lose more weight. There are some diets like the 1200 calorie diet that I personally adhere to, which would allow you to lose even more weight at the cost of avoiding large fatty foods.[10]
Understand? Now, we can work on how you can reduce those 380 lbs to the number of your choosing.
So, how can you reduce your weight from 380 lbs?
After understanding the basic concepts, it’s time for you to learn the basic steps of weight loss. Let’s start with the topmost priority:
- Reduction in calories
As we have discussed before, you have to reduce the number of calories you eat. But that does not mean starvation. You have to calculate your food accordingly so that you eat properly without consuming too many calorie-rich foods.[11,12] Food can be categorized among three macronutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Carbohydrates and proteins are roughly 3.5 to 4 calories per gram. Fats are 9 calories per gram.[13]
Understand using the table below:
| Item | Calories | Examples |
| vegetables (unboiled non-sugary and non-starchy) | 20 calories per 100 grams | Kale, spinach, tomatoes et cetera
|
| grains (in raw form)(70-80% carbs) | 35 to 40 calories per 100 grams | wheat, barley, rice, et cetera
|
| fats (in raw form) | 85 to 90 calories per 100 grams | ghee, oils, Animal Fats(lard) et cetera |
| Meats(Mixture of proteins and fats) | 100 to 800 calories per 100 grams | beef, chicken, goat meat, pork |
If you keep these things in mind, you can design your perfect diet without having to follow anything extraordinary. Eat more vegetables than anything else because they have the least amount of calories per hundred grams. Here is an example of what you can eat for 2000 calories a day.
Make sure to note everything down using the apps available in this article, as it has been understood that people who know their calories tend to eat less.[14]
- Being active
Now, as you are 380 lbs, it would not be easy for you to move. I completely understand that. But, walking for five minutes would not be a problem, right? You can do that. Start with one or two minutes if you have a problem. Then slowly increase it to 5 minutes and then to 10 minutes or 15 minutes. Here is how much you can lose as a 380 lbs person.[15]
| Activity | Calories burnt for a 380 lbs person(5’ 10’’) |
| Walking for 5 minutes
|
37 calories |
| Walking for 15 minutes
|
112 calories |
| Walking for 30 minutes | 225 calories |
Other simple activities that you can do, and that can help you in losing a lot of weight. Remember that as a fat person, you lose more weight than a person of say 300 lbs.[16]
| Activity | Time | Calories burned |
| Brushing your teeth
|
15 minutes | 43 |
| Take a bath(while sitting in a tub)
|
15 minutes | 22 |
| Showering(while standing) | 15 minutes | 43 |
| Hairstyling(while standing) | 15 minutes | 65 |
| Mowing the lawn(walking with hand mover)
|
15 minutes | 194 |
| Cleaning your room(light cleaning, carrying trash, etc.) | 15 minutes | 26 |
- Intermittent fasting
Several studies have shown that intermittent fasting can help you reduce weight.[17,18] Not only that, but it is also logical. If you do not eat for 8 to 12 hours straight, you’re going to eat fewer calories than what you are eating before. Try to implement the schedule based on your circumstances.
What I and many other people follow is the 16-8 method. You eat for eight hours and that you do not for the remaining 16 hours. I eat from 11 AM to 7 PM. And then, I do not eat for the rest of the period. I do take black coffee with artificial sweetener, but that does not break my fast.
- Drinking a lot of water
Several studies have shown that water can be severely helpful in reducing your weight.[19,20,21] If you take water before eating, you’re going to eat way less than you normally would.[22] Take over two liters of water every day to make you feel full and to help you avoid overeating.
- Taking fiber
Fibers are substances that our bodies cannot digest or absorb.[23] Therefore, they usually come out with the stool. What fibers do is to make you feel full for a long time. As you will try to lose weight by fasting, there will be a time when you will feel like eating anything that comes in your hand.
We all feel that.
And, to avoid that, you need the help of some supplements that suppress your hunger. Fiber supplements can do the job.[24] There are several fiber supplements available in the market. These are my favorite.
Apps to help you lose weight
Besides learning, some apps will help you out in losing weight. After all, most of them are free, so why not?
- Myfitnesspal to calculate calories
Myfitnesspal is my preferred app to count food calories. Why? Three reasons: First, it has a pretty big database and two, it’s quite easy to add new items. The last one is that it has almost all essential functions in the free edition, so no need to buy premiums anymore.
- Pacer app for calculating your walks
This is quite a basic and clean pedometer app. You can sync its data with MyFitnessPal to better manage your goals. It also has a weight tracking feature.
- Drink water reminder
It’s just a water alarm. There are tons of such apps out there. I use the one from ascendik.
- Intermittent fasting reminder
I use the zero fasting tracker. You can use any other app. It’s not a hard and fast rule.
These apps are fine. But, having dedicated machines to help is even better.
Equipment to help you lose weight
I have compiled a list of machines that would work on a 380 lbs Man/woman.
- Treadmill
If you have problems walking outside or you want to walk inside and have a small apartment, a treadmill can be an excellent choice. These are a one-time investment and can live with you for the next 5 to 10 years comfortably. Here is one that works for a 380 lbs Man.
- Exercise cycle
Cycling helps in losing twice as many calories as walking.[25] Check out the chart below.
| Activity | Burnt calories |
| Walking for 15 minutes
|
112 calories |
| Cycling for 15 minutes
|
218 calories |
| Walking for 30 minutes
|
225 calories |
| Cycling for 30 minutes | 436 calories |
All of this data is calibrated for 380 lbs person. In any case, if you cycle, you are going to lose more weight and can eat more in case you want to.
Now, remember that all cycles are not designed for heavy people. Check out this bicycle that is quite comfortable for your weight.
- Desk cycle
Besides these, there are sitting cycle switch that can be used while you are working on your desk. This can be used to lose weight even when you cannot walk or cycle. I found this one to be perfect for 380 lbs person.
Conclusion
Yes, it may feel like a lot, but you can lose weight without spending a lot of diet programs. Thoroughly read my post to understand what you need to do and how you need to do it. Plan your food accordingly, and if you cannot adopt this one, there are several other diet programs available on the web to help you out. Still, I would consider this the best one for anyone who wants to lose weight.
Lastly, if you have any questions or queries regarding this post, you can use our contact us page to contact us anytime. You can also write a comment below and share your feelings with us. We are here to listen to you. Have a great, productive, and healthy day.
