i went from 230 down to 199 on a ketosis diet, then back up to 220 almost instantly when i got off of it. Now im back at 204 just through diet and hard work.
honestly it isnt the toughest thing ive done.
ive taught myself that going to the gym is fun, i can lift heavy stuff and put it back down. sometimes i can lift heavier stuff (and put it down) than other people, and it boosts my confidence.
now i just have to teach myself that dieting is fun and ill be all set.
one of my fears is that ill have loose skin, or that my muscles will be uneven when im down to my goal.
it horrifies me that you can put all that effort into yourself, and still be repulsive when you make it, and that you can be leagues above other people, yet you would be better off if you never tried.
Where you (and most people) are going wrong is that you're thinking of it as a diet.
''Oh if I lose some weight on this diet I can go back to eating pizza for breakfast.''
And that's exactly what they do and then wonder why they put weight back on.
It needs to be a lifestyle change. You've already done the hard part of getting off your ass, now you need to stop thinking of it as a diet and find some healthier food you like, so you can live on that permanently.
Try cooking some chinese food, stir fry and seafood is really low in fat assuming you don't cover it in dressings and rubbish.
except no, it is a diet. im not gonna diet forever because once i reach my goal weight, ill be eating at a surplus to gain muscle. after i reach my goal for muscles, ill diet again to slim down and repeat the process until im satisfied, and then eat at maintenance, so that i dont gain or lose muscle or fat. i dont wanna be a skinny little stick, imma be a big ass man.
and i never ate pizza for breakfast, i come from a eastern european family that ate a lot of healthy food, but at way too much. this was because my parents were farmers, and they did manual labor all day every day, so they ate more. they used the same portions for me, but im a programmer, and i dont move.
How tall are you? I seem to be 210 pounds myself (had to google for American) and I can't really imagine getting loose skin when losing weight.
Try not to focus too much on a diet. If you are concerned about getting loose skin or uneven muscles, try to add physical labor such as rowing, rugby practice or helping people move to your activities. Hard work builds up a lot of functional strength and stamina and in my experience no bodypart is ever left out. In terms of a diet, just eating on a regular basis (three good and most importantly: filling meals a day) and regular times does the trick and will keep you filling topfit. What also helps in addition is to go to bed tired, sleep plenty and rise early. The moral boost of having "earned" a good dinner (or breakfast, I'd murder for a full Scottish) by doing a lot on a day is just another factor that will keep you going strong.
im 5'7", on the short side so being 230 is pretty fat. plus, i had almost no muscles when i started. if you are 6 foot, 200 can be average, it really depends on how fat is stored on your body.
and i dont mean uneven muscles as in one bicep is bigger because you trained it more, i do barbell training so everything is fairly even. i mean genetically the shape of your muscles is weird, like pic related.
and im getting pretty strong with training as it is. i can bench press 70kg, deadlift 120kg, squat 100kg. i also do sprints, and ive taken my average speed from 8kph to 16kph, and im working on 24kph soon.
and of course, eating better and sleeping right is necessary for getting healthier. other than sleep, im doing fine on all fields, but thats cause im in college and im working until 2am every day.
I'm just a half foot taller, so I guess we're not that far apart. I am lucky that my body fat is well spread and the same goes for my muscles. Most people guess that I am 10 kilo's (about 20 pounds) lighter than I really am.
But with a training like that and the eating habits you described in #35 I must admit that I have nothing to add for you; Apart from just one thing: I don't think you will ever really need a diet. A bit of surplus fat on a healthy body will never be of much harm. Especially when you work that late while attending college, keeping yourself well fed can be crucial. It may also help with your fear for uneven muscles: you'll still be buff, but the individual muscles won't stand out too much.