Get rid of that spare tire, who's up for the challenge??

[jwsamuel]

Okay...I am in now. I am 6-2 and weighed in at 247 yesterday morning. My goal #1 is 199 pounds. After that, I will re-evaluate and set goal #2.

Jim

[zane]

Originally Posted by zane

Weight loss pic as of July '07...

Did real good for most of '08...
Well I had done real good, but I got on a heavy weight lifting binge & started drinking protein shakes... I WANTED to build lean muscle...well I had gone through that mess in my early thirties, you'd think I'd have learned my lesson... ANYWAY... I ended up putting on quite a bit of muscle, BUT added fat in the process... my weight slowly crept back up... as of last week I was at 223 lbs... NOT where I was wanting to be AT ALL! ...
SO I have gone back on the Nutrisystem Diet & cut out the weights for now... I'm doing 45 mins on the ellipticle & 15 mins of ab work & 30 mins yoga every morning before work...I will probably start doing a little weight workout in the evenings later just so I don't loose too much muscle... but I am never gonna go "weight crazy" again...
Hopefully in a few months I can get back down to 190 lbs , I feel really good at that weight ;^)

[TeleMark]

No pics as of yet... I weighed myself a few days ago and had reached 173. For some that is a goal, but it's about 10-12 pounds more that I'd care for. In 2002 I had hit 204, and after doing MediFast, got down to 161. I'm a runner/triathlete, and kept within 2 pounds of this through early last year. Then travel got too much, and I started gaining a bit.

This year I'm starting CrossFit, which is a high-intensity workout favored by elite military and law enforcement/first responders. I've only been at it a couple of weeks and haven't checked my weight, but I can FEEL the difference already. If you are looking for a high intensity strength and endurance workout, check this out!

[601 Blues]

In 06 I found I was creepin up on 300 lbs Iam 6'4" felt bad joint problems, Took control of my diet and By 07 I had dropped 75 lbs, down to a 34" waist from 44" 10" lost!! well I kinda Let my guard down!! Beer, candy, french fries Etc. late 08 I was creeping back up, so I have put the brakes on it again, however now I have rewarded my self to a min of 2 hrs a day on Sat.and Sun to do what I love as much as music, Riding my Dirt Bikes, excellant excerise, whn my sons were home over the holidays we pulled em out changed oil and fired em up for the 1st time in 5 yrs, and I was hooked again!! Today Iam pretty sore all over But I feel great!! excerise in any form wakes you up and burns off weight!! thats what I was missing in 06-07

[knife]

Hello:
I lost 85 pounds in about 4 months back in 2007, at age 52. From 250 down to 165. I am 5'11. After years of working out and dieting, I finally went to an MD whose specialty was weight loss. Bariatrics. All I did was do what the man said. It worked fast so I stayed with it. I worked out a lot, but no help, and I have the kind of job that helps with this. Still at the same weight 18 months later. Give one of these guys a try.

[vtcyclist]

Originally Posted by 601 Blues

on Sat.and Sun to do what I love as much as music, Riding my Dirt Bikes

ME TOO!!! Nice Husky, 1974 400? I was a Bultaco guy.


Update on the weight plan. Annual physical was earlier this month. I weighed at 215. So I have done some reading and web searching. I found a very easy to use way to count calories (intake) and exercise (output) called "My Plate". It is on the Livestrong websight.

I am now eating 1500 kcals a day which will feed my basic metabolism. Any activity above the 1500 kcals will take it's energy from fat stores, as long as the activity is aerobic. I am xc skiing, running daily. Will add in cycling as soon as the snow and ice clears. I should be a solid 165 this summer.

I was 208 this morning. Hope everyone else is on track.

[TelecasterSam]

Good luck to all......I just don't think I have the willpower to get rid of my extra 20lbs. In the summertime, I'll probably lose about 10 of it thanks to yardwork.

[NEPATelecaster]

I had started the Men's Health Belly Off Program 4 weeks ago...

www.menshealth.com/bellyoff

I started at 202 lbs...I now weigh in at 188. My Honeymoon weight from July 2002.

[edd677]

Am I the only one here with the opposite problem? lol
about 2 years ago i was 145 almost nearing on 150, got sick and lost about 15 pounds.
Never managed to get that 15 back on because it was mostly muscle loss. Then got a virus a few weeks ago and lost another ten. I was down to 126!!! Just starting to get back up to 135... would love to get back up to 150+
Will have to get into the fridge after dinner big time!!! hehe

[NEPATelecaster]

Well...We just finished Week 9 of our 8 Week Belly off program (we're weening ourselves off the menu/program until we feel comfortable making our our menus)

I have lost 23 pounds. Went from 202 to 179!

My wife has lost around 26...

[raf]

Originally Posted by NEPATelecaster

Well...We just finished Week 9 of our 8 Week Belly off program (we're weening ourselves off the menu/program until we feel comfortable making our our menus)

I have lost 23 pounds. Went from 202 to 179!

My wife has lost around 26...

That is awesome!

I am around 250# and need to get down below 200#...its hurting my health, but for some reason I still struggle with it...I am not a drinker...not a smoker...don't do drugs...but I am most definitely addicted to food.

[morroben]

I'm joining the challenge. I've developed quite the little beer gut lately. I've always had a very high metabolism and have been able to eat as much as I want whenever I want...it used to be a real struggle for me to gain weight.
Well that's changed! No more 8 egg omelets for breakfast and 4 sandwich dinners. I guess age is starting to catch up with me. It's nothing too severe yet. I'm about 6' 185#...had been 175# since I was 14. I'd like to get back down to the 175# so that gives me 10# to lose.
I've been doing 100 pushups and 100 situps every day for a long time, but I haven't been doing any cardio for the last few years. I used to run daily so I'm going to start back on that. I'm also going to try to watch my portions and spread my meals out throughout the day...I usually only eat once or twice a day, but eat too much at those sittings.
Anyway...wish me luck.

[superchicken_VI]

I started Jan 12 09 at 246. As of this morning, I'm at 207.4 lbs. I'm doing my own menu of lower carb and lower fat foods, an hour of exercise per day (cross-country running for about a half hour and a half hour of Wii Fit Yoga) plus an ab routine every other day to try to keep up with stretch marks. Also, I've been using Alli which I think has been a big plus. My original goal was 199. When I reach it, I'm going to reset and come up with another lower goal of 179.

[ne4tt]

Been going to the local Y to keep down weight gain.

Enjoying the 1 hr group classes.

"Spinning"-stationary bike, weights, aerobics, abs, swimming, walking.

Presently hovering around the 200# mark. Tough to crack it.

I've been getting up early to do abs on a slant board and the NordicTrack X-ski.

Good Luck Y'all

jamie

[vtcyclist]

Progress Report: Started Jan 27 at 215 pounds, 36 inch waist. 8+ weeks later I am 194 pounds and back in some old 32 waist pants. For the first time in years, I feel like I have some control over my eating/weight. Still have another 20 or so pounds to go. More later.

[pamlicojack]

As of last week, I finally lost my 10th pound.

[KDAD]

Well, I must be a glutton for punishment...LOL

Just finished reading this entire thread

Like some others, I had a fast metabolism in my twenties and couldn't gain weight

Used a product Hoffman's Quick Gain Weight

Even that didn't work

Fast forward to my fifties

Did Body for Life about 6 years ago and went from 220 to 168

Got in great shape and Dr took me off blood pressure pills and cholesterol pill

Now I'm back up to 215.5 @ 6'2'' and back on BP and cholesterol pills

Long story short...I'm going to start Body for Life again and try to get in shape by the end of June when I'll turn 59

Wish me luck

Kevin

[hotgoalie11565]

Originally Posted by ne4tt

Been going to the local Y to keep down weight gain.

Enjoying the 1 hr group classes.

"Spinning"-stationary bike, weights, aerobics, abs, swimming, walking.

Presently hovering around the 200# mark. Tough to crack it.

I've been getting up early to do abs on a slant board and the NordicTrack X-ski.

Good Luck Y'all

jamie

I'm doing the local Y as well. I've been doing the Body Pump (weightlifting) and Turbo Kick (kickboxing) classes. I've done Turbo for about 8 months and Pump for about 6. I'm still right around 200 lbs, but I can tell you that I haven't felt this good physically since high school. Doesn't hurt that there's some eye candy too. You should really give it a whirl.

[paul_h]

Very cool to see this in here, I'm slowly reading my way through. Thought I'd offer some things that have worked for me in the time being.

A short backstory, I was slowly putting on the weight the past few years after quitting drinking but it really got out of hand after my dad died last year. I was up to a bit more than 225 by the end of the summer and really not happy with myself. I tried limiting calories, and lost weight but gained it back, etc. It was also a bit depressing on top of everything else.

First thing I did that actually worked, around November or so, was cut out white flour from all snacks. Which meant no pretzels...I could go through half a bag in a night. Just that alone had me down 15 pounds in around 45 days. Then I switched to smaller more frequent meals around mid January, that helped me get down to about 195.

Then the last thing, which really has me FEELING the best which is the important thing was to actually alter my diet - not trying to limit fat and calories but take all unneeded carbs out of my diet. Potatos, sugar, other white flour from bread, all gone. Meals are now some sort of meat (or tofu) such as frying up whatever fish I find in a pan on top of greens like spinach, 2 or 3 eggs for breakfast. Snacks are all nuts and peanut butter.

I am now down to 171 and really finally feeling more energy and actually putting on a little bit of muscle too (I've either been skinny like in college or fat like last summer, nothing in between)- when I had just limited calories I was having like for example a bowl of soup with a sausage crumbled into it - it was probably like 60 carbs right there. Keeping carbs under around 75 total throughout the day seems to work for me though some people so less, some slightly more. The one thing about this is that you have to maintain the diet, which for me is no problem because there is actually more variety of foods this way and it does not actually feel like a diet.

There were a number of diets that used the carb limiting thing but imo there is no reason to really know about any of them, it is simple - just keep white flower and sugar out of your diet as much as possible, learn how much sugar is naturally in foods (for example an apple has around 20 carbs, other fruits have more, some less). I have probably eaten more fried fish in the past month than the entire last 10 years but there are so many kinds, and then if I get tired of frying there are so many ways to cook them (summer time grilling, can't wait).

By the way this is with no exercise other than pushups and situps.

[ACK75]

Hey, I've been looking through this thread and congrats to you all on working so hard! That's awesome.

I box and am also PT personal trainer. One exercise I HIGHLY recommend is this the Burpee:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/rossboxing2.htm

It's an intense conditioning exercise that'll burn fat like crazy, really work your heart and lungs and really conditions your entire body. In short, they kick yer ass..in a good way.

They're great to do at the end of your regular workout session or you can do a quick (but very intense) workout when you don't have alot of time. They're actually very popular in prison where they don't have access to weights and have limited outdoor time.

[P Thought]

I've always loved Chet Atkins, but a few years ago I gained back all the weight I lost on that diet of his.

A couple years ago I met the 300 mark, and my boss, who'd obviously dropped significant weight, told me his secret: 1500 calories a day. I did it, writing down numbers and ingredients for each meal, and not eating between meals. It worked well, and I dropped into the 240s.

You can't live on 1500 calories forever, and I can't keep up the regimen forever, either, having the attention span of a hummingbird with rabies. I try to hold it around 2000 a day now, without formally counting, and I'm still hanging around 260, but I'd better start paying attention again.

I know this is a lifetime battle for me. Thanks for the challenge: I'm in.

[Roli]

Uh oh



.

[Scatter Lee]

ya know the hard workin guy i am, I was drinking a 2 liter bottle of coke a day for many years, until last december when I started going blind, went to the doctor and was told i had blood suger of 405 and he told me he didnt know why i didnt die, said i could have dropped dead at any moment, so anyway had to quit sugar, not hard to do sense I was so sick, dropped 30 lbs this year so far, 240lbs to 210, and my blood sugar is hanging at 95, so my advise is to quit the sugar, really

[bluesmanmartin]

I'm going to post my story on this thread when I finish this cheeseburger.

And these fries..

Martin...

[CharlieO]

I have been on the Atkins diet since late January, and my weight has dropped from 168 to 146 pounds, which is probably not too bad for a guy who is 5'8" tall. I might keep on going until I get down to 140 pounds. I need to get started on an exercise program with a personal trainer to firm up my gut.

My waist is now 30 inches. If I lose any more weight, I'm going to have a hard time finding pants that are small enough.

[Eric Karonen]

My waist had gone from a near 44 to a 37 in two years! No more free pickings at work since retirement .. plus only two meals a day ... meat and salad, fruit and pasta ... seems to work. And no junk food .. period! Comes a time ......

[mrmorrison]

I have struggled with my weight nearly my entire life. My happiest point was back in 2002, when I was 152 and 6'0". Everything fit and I was in great shape, if not a bit underweight (that was a first!). I was walking to the track where I would powerwalk 2 miles 6 days a week, and then walking from class back to my dorm and then to work (which was also on the college campus). So all in all, I was probably walking about 6 miles a day.

Then I met the young woman who would become my wife. All the time I used to spend exercising was now spent with her, because she's my inamorata and my best friend. She's stick thin and can eat anything...I can get fat just from watching her eat. Well, I'm about 204 now and I've started powerwalking 5 days a week again. I'm taking appetite suppressants so that I don't overeat and I'm trying to eat as healthy as possible.

I'm working on my upcoming EP after years of doing the band thing without getting anywhere (they're really no music scene in South Florida). I need to be back around 160-165 to look great and I won't be taking pictures for the disc until I do so. I've put myself on a 6 month goal. I am determined to get back to my optimal weight by December, come hell or high water.

[Hiker]

-4 since Memorial weekend, and counting. 25 lbs. to go if it's going to be down to the ideal of 180. Motivating activity, going to pool and realizing my excess needs to go...

[Slow Reflexes]

Originally Posted by edd677

Am I the only one here with the opposite problem? lol
...Just starting to get back up to 135... would love to get back up to 150+...

That was me at your age. All you have to do is hit 30 and get a sit-on-your-ass job.

I'd worked my way up from 132 up to 150 over the course of 8 years or so of trying, then I got a sit-down job and ended up at 195 with no trying at all. I'm back down to 180 now... still skinny by most people's standards (I'm 6'6"ish), but I could handle dropping a good 10lbs and be in much better shape.

Workin' on it... really, I need to gain muscle worse than I need to lose fat, but if I could do both and end up at the 195 again I'd be doing great.

[bandeapart]

I feel like a jerk talking because I've never been fat, or even chubby, but have had 20 extra lbs. on me, yet I was somehow still on the slim side. I'm 6'2, and I was 180 lbs, so I had a little belly and handles... nothing severe, but I decided that I wanna be happy with my body... to me, that means having the rock and roll skinny look without the heroin or without starving myself. I do like looking skinny, but also fit, not like a junkie or sickly.

I've since cleaned up my eating, no fast food at all, no processed foods, no extra oils, no dairy, less salt, less sugar, basically - pure, organic, whole foods. The only dead item I now consume is fish, and it must be a healthy fish that is prepared properly (grilled, poached, baked) - not fried or pan fried.

I just want to recommend this to everyone, I've never felt better in my life. I used to get sick every few months, I haven't been sick in the year that I've made this change. I'm also now 162 lbs. instead of 180 where I was at. My goal is 156 which would put me at a 20 BMI which is at the low end of a healthy BMI. Healthy is considered 20-25, some sources claim that as low as 18.5 is healthy, but I couldn't imagine weighing that little, I'd feel anorexic like that.

Anyways, it's tough to do at first, but once you re-train your taste buds to taste and appreciate our God given food as opposed to the processed garbage that most live off of, it pays off on it's own. When your mouth waters at the thought of fresh spinach and a perfectly ripe, raw avocado, something is definitely going right.

For exercise, I really recommend an eliptical. I used to run 6-8 miles with little to no results - but 30 - 50 mins on the eliptical gives me quick results. The workout is low impact, so therefore good on people with foot or knee problems, and it does not leave you beat feeling like running often does.

I also recommend getting a journal and writing everything that you take in - maybe even write the calorie content of everything. You can find calorie counts for nearly everything on caloriecounter.com. It basically makes you feel accountable for yourself and what you're taking in instead of lying to yourself.

Reward yourself at the end of the week by having a 'free' meal. This will: a.) help to keep you from binging. b.) help to keep you from going completely opposite of your healthy eating habits once you've reached a lower weight. c.) teach you better moderation habits.

Anyways, I just wanted to share what has worked for me in the hopes that it may help anyone looking for the help.

My last advice is, NEVER go on a diet, diets don't work, make a lifestyle change, not a temporary change.

[teledude66]

Haven't been on the board in awhile, let alone visiting this thread. However I made myself a committment around the first of the year to really get myself in shape. My son is a rising senior in high school and I was sitting at Sr. night for band at a football game when they bring the parents on the field. I sat there thinking I didn't want to go out there with him being 5'5" and that big around...lol. I gave it a good run, but wasn't getting anywhere, I told my Dr. what I was doing, weight lifting, walking/running, eating right, nothing was happening. He prescribed me Phentermine, which kicked my metabolism in gear and supressed my appetite. Since February I'm down from 282 lbs to 245lbs. Istarted out doing a mile in 20 to 25 minutes, the other day I did my personal best of 1 mile in 12:15. Some people think meds are cheating, but I'm sorry when you're 42 and your metabolism has never been great sometimes you needs help. Something else I'm doing is increasing my fiber and protein intake. I read the labels for those two items and carbs and fat last. If you bring in a lot of calories that are mainly fiber and protein thats a good thing, you need energy.

[PapaBeef]

Here's my deal:
I'm 6'3" & except for a time when I was 18 years old & working at a fast food place, stuffing my face constantly & ballooning from around 150 to 220, I was always on the lean side.
I quit that job & started doing maintenance work & dropped all the extra weight.
When I got married, 30 years ago I was still around the 150 mark.
I felt like a skeleton & wanted to build a little muscle. I took up boxing & eventually built up to & maintained a solid 170 for years.
All of a sudden, around 5 years ago I started noticing a bit of a spare tire.
I stepped on a scale & realized I was around the 200 mark for the first time since I was working at the fast food place.
I didn't really care at the time. But looking back, that would ave been a good time to pull in the reins.
A few months after that, I had knee surgery which kept me off my feet for a little while.
When I was able to get back to work I took on a job for a good friend who would feed me lunch & dinner every day.
The problem was I didn't cut out the lunch & dinner I would eat before they came home & after I left there.
All of a sudden...BANG!...245!
So I finally finished the job & cut out the 2 extra meals a day and started walking 5 miles a day with my wife & drinking water instead of beer & soda.
I got back down to 205 in a couple of months & felt pretty great for a while.
Then early last June I started feeling not quite so great.
It was really crazy hot for that time of year...at least 90 every day. So I thought it was the heat. But when I noticed I was running a low grade fever for about a week I went to the doc & found out I had leukemia.
I went into the hospital just over a year ago & stayed there for 5 weeks, then did the chemo until December with a couple additional stays in the crap hole.
The funny thing is, I left the hospital at the end of July weighing 217...11 lbs more than when I went in...And I've been gaining weight ever since.
About a month ago, I weighed in at 268 & decided I needed to get serious about loosing a few lbs.
I started walking again whenever possible & cut back on my portions. And two weeks ago I weighed in at 261.
I hope to get back to 205 or less eventually. But I can only exercise so much without getting completely out of breath & dizzy.
That's due to the medication I'm still taking, which caused my stomach to swell up & become a built in obstacle.
But I was in a 34" waist when I went in. Then I went to a 44" which now will fall right off without unbuttoning them. So I guess I'm headed in the right direction.
I still love to eat. And I cook, which is a serious passion of mine, and which allows me to know what I'm eating, but also can be a negative if I don't make certain healthier substitutions.
I can't be as active as I was 30 years ago. And my metabolism has slowed considerably. But fortunately, it looks like as long as I adjust my portions and stay as active as I can the weight will come off in time.

[jkingma]

Time for a check in.

I started out in January at about 233#. My goal was to be down to 210# or less by the time I go on holidays.

I am leaving Friday evening and this morning I was 212#. Another 2 pounds in 2 days is pretty much out of the question.

I'm sure I will gain a few pounds while I'm away, but I'll be back at it when I get home. Maybe I can get down to 200# by the end of the summer... if I stay away from the Guinness.

[Empty Pockets]

Hey, I kicked Anorexia'a ASS! 6' 260 lbs. 51 yrs old. My youngest son (21, 6'5", 250) and I just started the P90X program you see on TV. 1 week in and I have more energy than I know what to do with. His goal is to get "buff" (duh...no kidding), I just want to get back into 36 or even 38 jeans and not be worn out when I walk a bit. I have high hopes for this workout. Life changes will make it a success. GOOD LUCK GUYS!

[Empty Pockets]

You know, I have this little fear that when I get to my target weight (195 from 260) that I will have these bags and flaps of loose skin hanging all over me. At 51 I realistically do not expect the skin to be as forgiving of this weight loss as it was 25 years ago. Right? Wrong? What has been the experience of you other big guys? Anything to do about it?

[PapaBeef]

Originally Posted by Empty Pockets

You know, I have this little fear that when I get to my target weight (195 from 260) that I will have these bags and flaps of loose skin hanging all over me. At 51 I realistically do not expect the skin to be as forgiving of this weight loss as it was 25 years ago. Right? Wrong? What has been the experience of you other big guys? Anything to do about it?

No problem.
Just pull it all around back & have someone tie it there with kitchen twine.
You'll look ripped...
at least from the front.

[Tele Joe]

I'm in. I am 6-4 and weigh 219 with a 38 inch waist. It's the spare tire that bothers me. I'd like to get under 200 and get my waist down to 34.

[Qrious]

Hello all. Wow, this is a very popular thread!!

I read through a good majority of the comments, not all of them, so forgive me if someone has already pointed this out. I do think it's important to point out that the type of weight you're carrying makes a difference….meaning muscle mass vs. fat.

My point, I guess, is if you're working out, while you might be loosing fat, you're gaining muscle. As such, when you step onto a scale, you may not notice a difference because it's a wash. I was always told that it's primarily the belly fat that will do you in, in terms of health conditions.

Laying off/cutting back on the sugar is a MAJOR step in the right direction. As always, before starting any diet or workout regimen, it's a VERY GOOD idea to consult with your physician. He'll probably tell you that health and weight control is a lifestyle and life long endeavor, not just a diet.

Just my 2 cents

[Guitar_Ninja]

Last Fall I weighed in at around 170lbs. Lost about five of that that fall, then gained most of it back over Christmas. Started eating better and exercising again in the New Year. Weighed in today at 145.

I was originally going to stop at 150, but I figure I'm not really doing anything too severe to my body, so I may as well see how far I can go. Not losing muscle mass either, just fat, so no reason to stop I suppose.

[raf]

OK. Count me in. I am about 6'-1" and 248#. I have been talking about losing weight for a few years, I just need to belly up & do it I need to get to 195#.