I've quit smoking, now who wants to quit.........eating?

[lendaddy]

I need to tackle personal problem #2 now that I feel pretty good about the not smoking. It's been three months and I don't get the crazy cravings anymore, even while partying!

Anyway, I've become a fat bastard in the last several years and want to get into decent shape so I can enjoy my sons childhood with him rather than just watching. I use to be VERY active, but injuries and laziness have taken over.

I am looking for an approach that works for the long term. I think I have proven my will power so as long as I see results I'll stick with it.

I've done the Protein diet and actually lost 60+Lbs on it, but when I met my goal I ballooned as soon as I had one potato (or so it seemed). I'm kinda done with gimmicks.

I am not averse to diet and exorcise, so let me have it. Also, my quitting smoking thread was fantastic with people joining in, so who's with me on this one? Once we develope our approach of course


I'm sure I'm among the most obese here now that I've added 20+ from the smoking. 6'2" 290 200-210 is the goal, I have a large frame that makes me look very goofy if I try to go smaller.

I have no serious health problems, like heart issues or blood pressure, etc...KOW

Lets roll!

[bryanthompson]

Since I started working from home, I've noticed that I've gained a few lbs... not much, but enough to make me want to go outside and do something.

I hate eating... it's so unproductive.

I'm in for jogging at night or something like that. I used to run 3 miles a day, but haven't done it for a long time. What kind of exercise are you thinking about? Biking, running, walking? I'm in.

[lendaddy]

You name it, I am open. I really just want to hear some "free-form" ideas roll out without influencing it much.

Some background on me.

I use to be pretty skinny, all through school really. I was in football, basketball, baseball, track (pole vaulting/400m), I raced MX until my mid-twenties(now 31). So those of you who think you've got it licked, beware..... a couple years of inactivity and suddenly, well...you become me

[rcecale]

Drink water! Lots of water!

Not sodas, not juices....water!

Water is one of the key elements to a healthy metabolism and if you're not getting enough plain-old-water, you're hindering whatever other efforts you're putting forth.

Here's a similar (and somewhat shortened) version of an article I read several years ago about the benefits of drinking water.

I'm sure someone a lot more educated in these matters (Moses, for instance) can expand on this, but however you decide to initiate your weight-loss program, please, don't forget to drink the water!

Randy

[CJFusco]

When I went away to college, I gained weight very quickly. Before I knew it, I was 185 pounds or so (I am about 5'8") - which isn't obese, or even "fat", just flabby and, um, unsavory.

I decided to do something about this and saw three factors as tatamount to my losing weight: 1) beer consumption, 2) red meat intake (I ate a LOT of hamburgers and hot dogs off the grill), and 3) exercise.

For whatever reason, I ended up doing these three things in waves. First, I started walking at a nearby wildlife sanctuary, which has a 3-mile track around. Soon the walking turned to running, and I would end up doing two or three times around. Next, I cut down my drinking from three nights a week to one or two at most, and tried stuff like Bacardi and Diet Coke (just be sure that your buddies aren't around when you order that one). Lastly, just about 7 months ago, I gave up red meat, mostly for health reasons, and also tried not to eat a lot of junk. No set diet, just being conscious of what I was eating.

As I did these things in waves, I noticed the weight loss occur in waves. 10 pounds and then plateau; give up beer - 10 pounds over another few weeks, and then plateau; give up red meat and watch my diet - 10 pounds over another couple months and plateau.

Well, here I am. 144 pounds as of this morning, the perfect ideal weight for my height. I still run as often as possible, but it is tougher during the winter - I am down to about twice a week as compared to about 4 times per week during the spring/summer/fall. But this running has been replaced by lifting weights and doing daily resistance exercises like crunches and pushups.

So, it can be done... all it takes is time and willpower.

[IROC]

If you're generally healthy, the only way to lose weight is to burn more calories than you take in. Simple as that. I'm not a fan of fad diets. I have always been a fan of "everything in moderation" and watch your portion sizes.

I had allowed my weight to climb to 235-240 or so over the last few years and got fed up and lost 20-25 lbs in January/February of this year. I'm now hovering around 215 (my goal was simply to see 220 again).

Anyway, watch what you eat and especially try to eat more healthy foods. I found that once I started realizing how many calories (!?!?!) were in some of my favorite dishes (chicken chimichanga at the local Mexican place), it was pretty easy to avoid that kinda stuff on a regular basis.

Set an achievable goal and make it happen!

Mike

[CJFusco]

also, Randy is very right... instead of pouring yourself a sugary soda or juice, just turn on the tap. Drinking lots of water speeds up your metabolism, which burns calories faster. It also keeps you from getting dehydrated, which keeps you from feeling hungry.

[id10t]

Can't stand plain water, but what works for me (and worked for my wife fighting gestational diabetes) is just a little bit of juice in water, or the MinuteMaid lemonaide (not sugar free, you are only doing a 10% mix to get some flavor)

[legion]

I ended high school at 195 lbs. and 22% body fat. I'm 6'1".

Freshmen year of college, my weight went up to 207. I was completely innactive, ate too much, and drank too much. I started exercising again at the beginning of my sophomore year. I worked as a painter and started my junior year at a lean 175. I ended my junior year at 185. I graduated from college at 195.

In college I walked everywhere, now I sit in front of a computer 9 hours a day. In the five years since I graduated from college I saw my weight grow to about 225. In October, I started inexplicably gaining weight and now float between 235 and 240.

Alarmed at my weight gain, I stepped up my exercise. I do a minimum of 1200 calories of cardio 3-4 times a week(about 7 miles running)--not including a mile warm-up run. I have a very intense weight-training workout. I rep 295 lbs. on bench press (4 sets of 4). I can leg press around 700 lbs. So my total workout usually amounts to about 2 hours of cardio followed by an hour of weight lifting. I can't shake the gut for the life of me!

I know the heart of the problem is my diet. I eat the least healthy foods possible. When I'm bored, I tend to snack--a lot. I have a complete and total lack of willpower when it comes to food.

[84porsche]

Originally posted by CJFusco
When I went away to college, I gained weight very quickly. Before I knew it, I was 185 pounds or so (I am about 5'8") - which isn't obese, or even "fat", just flabby and, um, unsavory.

Well, here I am. 144 pounds as of this morning, the perfect ideal weight for my height. I still run as often as possible, but it is tougher during the winter - I am down to about twice a week as compared to about 4 times per week during the spring/summer/fall. But this running has been replaced by lifting weights and doing daily resistance exercises like crunches and pushups.

So, it can be done... all it takes is time and willpower.

Damn CJ, I am in the same boat as your before situation (5' 9" and 185 lbs.) Looks like I will be joining you Lendaddy in your weight loss program. No more french fries/soda starting soon.

[JavaBrewer]

Lenndaddy,

Everyone has already mentioned exercise. What's missing is fun. To make your pending health changes stick it has to be fun otherwise you'll quit on the first excuse. Find something you like to do, running, MX, basketball, etc... and concentrate on doing that. The key is develop a healthy active lifestyle. The weight will fall in line. I know more than a few people, me included, who decided to start running before work each morning. Getting up at O-dark thirty grew tiresome quick and I stopped. Now I run at lunchtime or after wook. Make your changes reasonable and fun. That's what I recommend.

Good luck.

[einreb]

Screw the fad diet crap. You need to lower your caloric intake to a reasonable level (don't trigger starvation mode) while still getting lots of vitamins and minerals... burn more than you eat.

As for food... attack it as a project, plan meals, calculate colories, et cetera. If you are having trouble with this, consider something like weight watchers to help you structure the intake or maybe a nutritionist if you can afford it.

Excercise... a bit of weight lifting to increase muscle mass and reduce fat, and then long aerobic activity to burn calories. I'm a huge fan of cycling... low impact, big toy factor

[lendaddy]

Good info here. I drink alot of diet soda, maybe 8 cans a day But I could get into water, it's really just a habit (like smoking) more than taste. I really don't eat terribly much, I'm not a binger really. I don't eat breakfast and a lunch is usually 1 burger and a small chile at Wendy's. Dinner is what the wife makes or more fast food. I do snack at night while writing, surfing or watching TV. I can cut back on that by having my wife not buy that stuff. Out of sight out of mind.

Exorcise, hmm this is the key. I would LOVE to get back into MX, but my wife would kill me I spent back to back summers in casts early in our marriiage. I did the mountain bike thing before, but I did a full suspension deal which robbed so much pedal power it depressed me (if that makes sense). Running is right out! I loath running, I will do it if I have to, but it blows goats as far as I'm concerned

[mikester]

Okay...Back in the late '90s and 2000 my weight had ballooned up to 205 or so; I'm 5'9" or so. I had been drinking and partying a lot over the those couple of years... I had been a very fit surfer type. It got to the point though that I was so out of shape that I was too heavy for the boards I had been riding.

I moved out to California before I realized what was happening to me. I was fat. Not phat - fat. Lame. I wasn't getting chicks anymore and I simply wasn't enjoying life - I was eating and drinking too much. I think I said that already.

So...I joined a gym and hooked up with a weightlifter buddy of mine. He started taking me mountain biking which didn't really stick but we were going to the gym regularly and I was doing a lot of cardio on the bikes and the treadmills at the gym. I almost got myself to a 10 minute mile in that time and I managed vie some moderation and lots of excersize to get my weight back down to 175. It was GREAT! but then I met my wife and we had some health issues to deal with where she couldn't go to the gym (which we did together) and my work schedule got in the way and then she got pregnant and now we have a child. In this time I moved from the Gym that I loved to go to because it was just perfect to one that isn't open 24 hours and closes too early in the evening. I've gained 25 pounds at last check and I'm afraid to get on the scale now because I think I might be closer to 200 than I can handle.

It's time to fix my lifestyle.

Len; I'm in.

[einreb]

Originally posted by lendaddy
I did the mountain bike thing before, but I did a full suspension deal which robbed so much pedal power it depressed me (if that makes sense).

Don't blame it on the bike! Get a hard tail if thats the problem. The other plus of cycling is that its low impact...

[IROC]

While exercise is good (and I'm an avid weight lifter), if you do the math, it's not the greatest way in the world to lose weight. You have to burn 3500 calories or so to lose one pound of weight. Hop on an elliptical trainer and see how long it takes you to burn 3500 calories. I enjoy pain as much as the next guy, but I'd be looking at 4 or 5 hours on an elliptical trainer to lose 1 pound...

I was probably taking in 3500-4000 calories a day at 235 and I simply cut that back to 1500 or so (which is still a decent amount of food, really) and I was losing about a pound every two days.

It takes will-power, for sure, but once you get started, it's not that bad.

Mike

[lendaddy]

Ok, I haven't scaled the beast lately either Tomorrow morning will be an official weigh in and I will post the ugliness here then(please don't be over 300lbs) I will also update my progress and methods. I expect others to follow suit. Strength in numbers baby!

[lendaddy]

Mike,

Don't get me wrong, I know I have to change my eating habits as well. Caloric intake MUST go down. Can someone save me a s1tload of research and tell me what kind of calories (ballpark) I can cut back to with going "starvation mode"? Or is starvation mode more of a gradual thing rather than a defined limit?

[rcecale]

Originally posted by einreb
The other plus of cycling is that its low impact...

Yeah? Tell that to this guy! Looks like he's getting ready to "shed" a few ounces himself!



Randy

[rcecale]

On a more serious note...

The wife and I did South beach for a few months last year. Well, actually SHE did all the ork, all I did was eat, and eat and eat. Breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner and evening snack. I was seriously getting tired of all the eating I was doing. fortunately for me, all the eating paid off. I dropped 25 Lbs in a little over 3 months.

The actual diet is a lot of work to prepare, especially if you're working full time. But with menu items like salmon and Tuna-kabobs, and marinated flank steak, and cracked pepper steak, it was awesome! Did I mention I lost 25 Lbs in a little over 3 months?

Randy