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

[captain gorgeous]

what happened to this thread then eh?

seems to have gone all quiet on waistband front. since one of the main reasons i've quit drinking is to lose weight i thought i'd let the "on the waggon" thread drop and join in with you guys up here...

*tumleweed drifts by

so where is everybody?

i'm guessing you're not all down at the gym?

p.s. it was one week with no alcohol yesterday for me. i'm pretty proud of myself.

[Vincent Caster]

Yeah, that booze will put on the weight.

I've been running about a half hour every morning, slacked off the last few mornings but getting my wind back and it feels good to break a sweat.

I need to get back to doing some PT - pushups, situps, squats, 8-count body builders etc. - got no equipment so it's all body weight stuff.

[Eric Karonen]

I continued my walking program through the holiday period. At the worst, I only put on a pound or two and that's after indulging in everything that was put in front of me .... prime rib must have been on sale this year!

Thank goodness for the warm winter. I've been able to get out walking more often. Combining the exercise with a sensible low cal diet means I'm back on track and come spring I'll be down to where I want to be .. not exactly slim, but the belly should be history!

Oh, great. More temptation. The Super Bowl's on Sunday and the Olympics are a week away.

[Caper]

after indulging in everything that was put in front of me

Ah the seefood diet plan :D :D

[Sarge]

Fitness isn't something that starts in January and ends in March. Fitness is a lifestyle, pride in yourself, setting a good example for your children, looking in the mirror and seeing your sweat and disipline paying off, not spending your life in and out of hospitals. The human body wasn't created to be lazy and take the abuse most people do to it. The human body is a remarkable machine, and when I see how people abuse it it makes me sick. Go for a walk, ride a bicycle, do push ups and sit-ups....anything but stuff your face and complain about not enough time, my back hurts, my doctor said....etc. You only have one body and one life...make the most of it.

[Eric Karonen]

Originally Posted by Sarge

Fitness isn't something that starts in January and ends in March. Fitness is a lifestyle, pride in yourself, setting a good example for your children, looking in the mirror and seeing your sweat and disipline paying off, not spending your life in and out of hospitals. The human body wasn't created to be lazy and take the abuse most people do to it. The human body is a remarkable machine, and when I see how people abuse it it makes me sick. Go for a walk, ride a bicycle, do push ups and sit-ups....anything but stuff your face and complain about not enough time, my back hurts, my doctor said....etc. You only have one body and one life...make the most of it.

Sir, Yes Sir! Go Steelers!

[Sarge]

now all you swinging #*%*#'s drop down and give me 20!

[Joe-Bob]

Well, I've lost the weight that I gained at Christmastime. I've started a diet, inasmuch as I'm being alot more attentive to what I eat. Next is a walking routine, and stretches. I hope to work up to full-blown exercise in a few weeks. I'll keep ya'll posted.

[captain gorgeous]

i fell off the waggon on saturday night after only two weeks without a drink.

and i don't think i've lost any weight.

balls

i'm back on it again now.

[xStonr]

I know this thread has been goin on for a while now, but just yesteday, my wife has got all of us here doing the weight watchers thing. And let me tell you, I'm hungry!

[captain gorgeous]

well - i don't think i really lost much weight really but it's hard to tell without any way of weighing myself. i still feel pretty out of shape. the main thing i did was cut right down on the drinking. cut it out totally for just under 3 weeks before caving. i've lapsed a couple of times since but nothing major. basically gone from drinking anything between a two or three and beers pretty much every night and regular serious drinking sessions to maybe a couple of beers once or twice a week tops. 3 beers which used to be a standard way to get warmed up before leaving the house on the weekend now constitutes quite a skinfull and will leave me feeling like a death warmed up the following day! ahhh the joys of lightweightism.

been trying to keep the diet sensible but not starvation-level or anything. been on cereals, yoghurt and muesli for breakfast with the occasional bacon sandwich (maybe once a week). lunch is usually bread and cheese with some fruit or a pretty big salad or maybe pasta from a local cafe. dinner is whatever's about. could be nothing, toast and marmite or be a 3 course meal. still avoiding takeaways and fatty fried food if possible. still crave it though...

but yeah so far i've been pretty dissappointed at the relative lack of progress. i figured this was due to my now mostly sedentary lifestyle, that and the fact that due to the dismal weather recently i've all but stoppped walking/cycling to work. took matters into my own hands last night and walked to the local pool. i used to be a very strong swimmer and still have a pretty good stroke. problem is that i'm so out of shape! anyway i managed 1km in about half an hour which i didn't think was bad for my first time back in the water in over 6 months (34 lengths of a 30m pool, mostly crawl with some breaststoke and a few prolonged breaks to catch breath!). i was distinctly red-faced afterwards and could barely lift my arms to get dressed. but within an hour i felt 100% better than i had in a long while. i'm going to rest up tonight and will be back there tomorrow morning!

how's everyone else getting on?

[Cooper]

i need to get it all out. i stayed away from this thread for a long time. it is hard to admit that you are overweight, even when it's obvious to you and every body else. on Jan 11, i was about 100 lbs. overweight.

but . . . since Jan 11, i have lost almost thirty pounds. some would say that's too much too quick, but when you're 100 lbs. overweight, there is no such thing as unhealthy weight loss.

i set a limit of 1200 calories per day. if i go over a little bit, no big deal. but i don't go over by a lot, maybe 10-20 calories at each meal.

i get 20 minutes of aerobic exercise every single day. this includes days that i have worked until 6, been at school till 11, come home and had to walk 20 minutes in the 15 degree weather. this also includes the day i had my wisdom tooth taken out.

now, 1200 calories is not a lot. i have a system that allows me to eat more: i burn it off BEFORE I EAT IT. going out to dinner? figure out what you'll eat before you get there and do enough exercise to cancel out the extra calories.

that's the basic plan: 1200 calories, 20 minutes of cardio, burn off any extra before you eat it.

since Jan 11, i have not cheated ONCE. i am more proud of this than the weight loss itself. i didn't think i had the discipline do it. but i do, and i will continue to do it until i am at my ideal weight.

in addition to the basic plan, i'm weight training and playing volleyball. this has obviously sped my weight loss up considerably. i'm only able to do this because i had some extra time this semester and needed the easy credit hours.



to those who read this thread and are wondering if you should try to lose weight: do it. get serious about it. you will be amazed at how quickly your life improves. i look way better, i feel WAAAAY better, i have lots more muscle definition. my back doesn't hurt anymore, my knees don't hurt, i don't wake up wondering if i'm bleeding internally anymore.

the best part about it all is the renewed faith in myself. i didn't believe i could do this. and honestly, i couldn't. the only explanation i have is that the Good Lord is giving me strength that i have never known before. perhaps He wants me to live past 45.


some advice for anyone trying it: the first few days will be hell. after that, your body will adjust. this is why excercise is so important; it keeps your metabolism up and tells your body that you want it to keep burning calories even though it isnt' getting enough.

find something you can eat until you're full. i found sugar free jello cups. at 10 calories a pop, it's pretty much negligible. after four or five, i'm done with jello for the day.

eat good food. no reason to eat broccoli every night. a calorie is a calorie. eat a big ol' subway sandwich.

that's my experience. i hope someone can benefit from it.

[Geyser]

I posted in this thread early on and was planning on doing my best to lose a bunch of weight (getting down to an ideal weight, depending on the sources, would require me to lose anywhere from 30 to 60 pounds). So after the holidays, my wife and I both tried hard. We made menus for the week, brought our lunches to work instead of going out, monitored each other and gave each other a hard time when we ate poorly, etc. Strangely enough, we didn't have a scale at home so neither of us knew how we were truly doing. Of course the efforts faded a little over time but I was sure I had progressed nicely. We finally got a nice scale last week that lets you set up user profiles and saves the date and weights for you. I had actually gained weight. I clocked in at 240, my heaviest weight ever?!?! On a positive note, she had lost a bunch of weight (which is nice for both of us, wink wink).
It's sad because I know what my main problem is. I used to be a very good athlete and had an awesome metabolism. Now it has slowed, but I still eat like I could 10 years ago. Even worse, is that when I start to get regular exercise, my metabolism kicks back in and I crave food and I usually end up gaining weight, despite exercising more. So I'm back on the "food" wagon, watching what I'm eating, drinking diet soda, and eating smaller, more frequent meals. I also bought a pedometer and am tracking my steps. I'm trying to go for that 10,000 steps per day program but I'm finding that that is a LOT of walking. I've hit that number a few days, but it's averaging out to be about 5500 overall. As of this mornings weigh-in, I'm down to 232 so I'll take it. I'm going for 200. I know that sounds heavy to some guys, but man I would feel good if I could get there. Even reading/writing in this thread makes me inspired.

[Tele wiz]

I can recommend the "South Beach Diet". I strictly followed that diet for two weeks. I lost 9 pounds. I strayed away from the diet and I have not gained those pounds back. Look at the book and consider it.

[Smokin' Joe Picante]

It's the ONLY thing I've read that made the light truly go on for me in terms of what I should and should not eat, and why. I've lost 20 plus pounds over 4 weeks, and still going. I'm never hungry, easily avoid temptations, and I have more energy at 38 than I've had for at least a decade. And that's without exercise, which starts next week with my new YMCA membership.

Highly recommended.

[captain gorgeous]

get a bike!

got a new bike back in jan-feb (can't remember when exactly) and it's done wonders for the old love-handles!

[woodman]

i took early retirement from my job 2 months ago and i've already lost 7 pounds! staying active in the yard, playing more, and not eating as a reaction for stress... naturally this won't work for everyone, but i can certainly recommend the lifestyle!

[getbent]

At this point last year I was very ill (later to be determined as a variant of the asian flu) during the testing phase I had to have everything checked and finally I got better on my own... I have a great GP and she told me "you are really healthy except for being a fat b@st@rd....drop a few pounds and you'll be set. I started running, biking etc, my ultimate goal being 100 lbs and to run in this years Bay to Breakers race. I'd always been an athlete, but I'd just gotten busy with work and kids etc... Anyway, it is a year later! I've lost 72 pounds and I completed the B2B today in less than an hour and twenty minutes! Small steps! very small, determined steps! that race is the wildest thing I've ever seen.... Lots of naked people running... oh my.... men and women and several naked elvises.

[Mark N]

After coming home from Florida at Christmas time, I was a wreck. I couldn't stand myself anymore. I am 5'10 and was likely tipping in at around 235 and it was all in the upper body, I turn 35 this year and I am a "ah hem" smoker. I am trying to quit that damn habit but I am working on the weight first. I started going to the gym in January, I got a 6 month pass for the price of 3 so what the heck. I am one of those characters who feels if I pay for something I am going to use it so the gym was a great idea. I have been going three days a week for about an hour each time, combining weights and cardio (more weights than cardio, it's so damn boring that cadio thing) but I have lost a good 25 pounds of flab. The man boobs have gone, got a nice tight chest starting, arms are getting bigger, slowly but surely, I can see my....toes, yeah that's it, my toes again and I can see my belt without having to roll up my belly to see where the hole is...LOL. I dropped two, almost three belt holes as well.

Keep up the great work everyone!!

I do feel so much better than ever, kind of like when I was a teen...and I am getting good compliments which I haven't got for 20 years! Makes ya feel great

[firefrets]

I'm glad you posted this. :D
I'm 37,and from an early age,was relatively thin,but not skinny.I alway's wished i would get a bit...well, FATTER.
Then one day,the good lord sent me an accident form,and my back went boing. I couldn't do the same job,so became..oh oh...YES..a TAXI DRIVER!!!!! aaaaaaaaaaaargh,i hear you say;throw him out!
I soon got my wish.A tubby belly and a good excuse not to do situps. My pc sit's right beneath a food cupboard,and worst of all,the one that contains biscuits and cakes.The taxi job gives me more time,and as the pc has made me hungry for free knowledge,it's getting much too much use.I'm now about 14 1/2 stone,or 200lb's,and at the time of accident,weighed in at about 12 -13.I've noticed when i'm sitting down,my guitar is now at a different angle than it used to be,whilst on my lap. At the same time ,i've noticed left wrist ache,and figured the new angle was causing this.I'm no fatty,but i reckon my belly is GETTING in the way,lol.
I should stand up all the time,but hey..remember my bad back,lol.
Is it gonna get worse if i'm not carefull,to the degree where my Belly is gonna get me,and my playing?
Sax players,do not have this problem,lol.

[jacksonmoon]

I lost 10 kilograms in 12 weeks with the CSIRO well being diet. Look it up on the internet. It is red meat heavy, but if you substitute some of the meals with fish, chicken or soup it's great and you don't even know you're on a diet.

My wife lost 8 kilogram and she's looking great. Now if I can just grow some hair on my head .....

Also, golden rules, drink lots of water, exercise, look out for any change in health and play your TELE!

[collinsman]

I lost 55 lbs running, then my knee starting hurting big time, so 1 1/2 yrs later I've gained it all back. I used weight watchers along with the running and in 6 months 55 lbs gone. Somebody Help Me !!

[getbent]

Originally Posted by collinsman

I lost 55 lbs running, then my knee starting hurting big time, so 1 1/2 yrs later I've gained it all back. I used weight watchers along with the running and in 6 months 55 lbs gone. Somebody Help Me !!

When your knee is better (and go to a sports medicine guy to have it checked out) go to a good, reputable running store and have them fit you for running shoes... rotate your shoes (you need at least 2 pairs) and crosstrain... swim, rollerblade, ride your bike, lift weights.... and create a program that keeps you interested... get an ipod (this has been my saving grace!) it makes the workout go easily... and consider a good heartrater monitor so that you work smart and efficiently... learn your rhythms and learn to know what your heartrate is so that you manage your workout.

Last, if you can't do any of that... WALK an hour a day at a brisk pace. Exercise in the early am if you can, it helps you create a pace for your body for the whole day.

Good Luck! Hang in there!

[Rizo]

I hear ya guys... I'm younger than a lot of you but after college I put on some pounds. In high school I was chunky, but by sophmore year of college I was at 155lbs and 5'9''. How, I have no idea... I ate pizza, burgers and friend chicken all the time and drank waaaay too much beer. I gained about 20 or 25lbs after college and I'm trying to get rid of it this summer. I'm doing a little carpentry work and counting calories, in the past 2 weeks I've lost 7 pounds. In the next month or 2 I hope to down to about 160 which would be fine by me.... For me, I'm cutting back portions, drinking diet soda, no (or very little) beer or sweets, and eating a lot of cereal and salad (fat free vinigrette dressing- not bad at all) which is pretty filling for it's calorie content. Just watch the condiments, like salad dressing and mayo as they're really high in fat/calories and useless calories like pop and beer and ice cream and things. I'll check in a couple weeks and give an update.

Glad I'm not alone in this...

[collinsman]

Originally Posted by getbent

When your knee is better (and go to a sports medicine guy to have it checked out) go to a good, reputable running store and have them fit you for running shoes... rotate your shoes (you need at least 2 pairs) and crosstrain... swim, rollerblade, ride your bike, lift weights.... and create a program that keeps you interested... get an ipod (this has been my saving grace!) it makes the workout go easily... and consider a good heartrater monitor so that you work smart and efficiently... learn your rhythms and learn to know what your heartrate is so that you manage your workout.

Last, if you can't do any of that... WALK an hour a day at a brisk pace. Exercise in the early am if you can, it helps you create a pace for your body for the whole day.

Good Luck! Hang in there!

Thanks for the tip...

[getbent]

Amigo,

Just know we are out here rooting for you! When I think about how hard that struggle is, it is hard to do on your own... so at least in a cyber way... there are many of us who are rootin' for you...

If you can find someone to train with that is great... My schedule is just too crazy to saddle anyone with so I have to do it alone... but a neighbor is a marathoner and he and a woman I work with sent me to the running store... man! they video tape you running and analyze your stride etc and make sure you have the right shoes... like running on pillows! no shin splints and no bad knees (which in college when I played baseball I had my knees drained probably twice a month so knee problems initially contributed to me getting out of shape) Now I feel better than I did at 25 (20 years ago!)

So, hang in there... I'll ping you in a few weeks to see what kind of progress you've made! Stick to it!

[Joe-Bob]

Well, I finally have something to report. The Mrs. and I have been trying to eat better. We cut out sugar, and eat much more sensible portions. We're also trying to be careful about our carbs, and whole grains and stuff.

I lost 8 pounds so far! Which is good for me, as I haven't lost in such a long time. I can't wait to lose even more.

[LOTF]

Originally Posted by 0le FUZZY

<li>Dew watt chew kin but behave yer bad seffs. Jes be happy and fill erry day with watt makes yew happy. Bad thangs kin happin no matter watt (or in spite of watt) yew eat.
<li>I gar-on-tee won thang, yew ain't a gonna cee me runnin up and down the ray-road track a wearin out my liddo body.

Amen, Fuzzy! "Eat well, exercise, die anyway."

I started using an electric wheelchair 10 years ago after using a manual for most of my previous life. I imagine I gained 50 lbs. from doing so. To balance that, however, my elbow stopped hurting all the time from pushing a chair. Now I play guitar regularly again and that makes me happier than dragging myself all over Tempe under my own power ever would.

I'd rather live another 10 years and have fun than another 30 worrying about my health. But that's just me and I might be crazy.... :P

[Joe-Bob]

Update:

5 more pounds gone!

[zane]

I use to be a workout fool in my younger days...karate,kung fu,running ,weightlifting....then I gained 100 pounds about 10 yrs ago, when I was driving a big truck over the road...then I got the news I was type II diabetic...well the Doc has been on my but to loose weight ...so it finally got through to me...
I bought me an exercise bike a couple-o-weeks ago...been riding every day about 45 min....well I started feeling purty good ,so I bought myself a bowflex...I use to like to use cables when I was a gym rat....so I thought a bowflex would be cool....I'm hoping to drop the 100 pounds ,my pants are allready getting loose....
So I'm on my way to "slimville" .... ;^)

[vic108]

Man! I thought this thread was about those funky
donut tires that come with new cars......

6' 1 & 3/4" and 210 lbs.

Moved to California for 2 years and lived off of zucchini and rice for
7 months while looking for work and spending all my money on rent.
Even after I found work, rent was so expensive, I ate frugally.

If it wasn't for an old Japanese lady across the street that owned
a health food store coming by with goodies now & then, I think I
would have starved.

Went to bed MANY nights hungry - weird feeling because I was in
my mid 30's at the time. Got down to 173 lbs. The starvation diet
really works but I don't recommend it.

[benbo]

Well, thanks for the inspiration. I went on the south beach diet a few week ago and have dropped over 10 lbs and a few waist sizes as well.

Now I have to shop for some smaller size pants.

[lewis]

On Saturday I accomplished a 120 mile bike ride in 10 hours through the beautiful mountains of Colorado.
Two years ago, 35 pounds ago, this would not have been possible. Already making plans to do it again next year.

[Cooper]

Hey y'all. I'm glad to see this thread is still going.

I haven't really lost any more weight. My diet was a little intense and caused me to plateau, and I was fine with that, as it coincided with my first gallery opening, graduation, a trip to the beach, and my best friend's wedding . . . all events that required mass consumption of food and drink!

After all that, I expected to gain a little (or more) back. Stepped on the scale and . . . nothing. Same weight as when i ended the crazy diet. Fifty pounds from my starting point, still about fifty to go. So I took it easy for a few weeks, at whatever I want, then stepped on the scale again . . . still no change.

The catch: I've been running a mile five days a week. And I walk the same mile on the weekends. I've been eating literally whatever I want. The scale doesn't move.

This is encouraging, because I know that if I keep the exercise up, I can always stop the diet and maintain my weight. I do still want to return to the intense regimen and drop the rest of these pounds, but it's comforting to know I can take a break and keep them off.

As far as the running goes: it's pretty amazing. Yesterday I ran two miles, though not all at once. It puts me in such a good mood. Granted, it took me six months to work up to the mile a day thing, but it was worth it.

Good luck to you all.

[Joe-Bob]

Well, as of this morning, I've lost 20 1/2 pounds this summer.

So far, I'm diggin' it!

Still got a ways to go, though.

[david henman]

A. all diets cause you to gain weight

B. the only method that works is a radical lifestyle change:

1. exercise
2. eat only fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and legumes, along with protein (meat, fish eg).

i've lost 25 pounds since january. it was easy for me, because i live alone.

the difficult part is shopping. you have to learn to read and interpret labels, and completely avoid entire aisles. and, you have to learn to prepare your meals...

eating properly is anarchistic. we are literally brainwashed, from birth, to consume as much fat, sugar, starch and other poisons as possible. to do otherwise is considered to be "not normal", so be prepared to be castigated from mainstream society. most people only pay lip service (er...sorry...) to the concept of eating properly.

good luck!

the benefits go far beyond weight loss. at 58, i have my youthful energy back, after decades of lethargy. i feel amazing. chronic health issues virtually disappeared (indigestion, poor bowel movements, headaches, etc etc etc).

-dh

[petebradt]

Well, I got off to a really late start with this because I'm a *ing procrastinator, but I bought a stationary recumbent exercise bike tonight and I start sweating first thing in the morning. It'll take a while and I have probably triple digits to lose, but I can do it. After I get in enough shape that I can work out in the company gym, I'll alternate between my bike. But I need to lose 25 and get 20 points off my BP before I can do that. I might even be able to have a sex life again.

But I'm gonna do it. I'll probably b*tch and moan about how I hate not being able to have pizza, but I can have the sauce on veggies adn chicken, so it won't be that bad. And I can have RIBS!

P.s. Hoodia works pretty well to curb appetite. Harmless too.

[shakedancer]

Man, that tall burger looks really good!!! I'm a thin guy so I can do those once in awhile. Pete, good luck!!

[petebradt]

Well I was only on level 2 but I got 45 minutes in. I feel tired but good. Been tired since i got off the bike. Sure helps to have an ipod on shuffle when I'm going...I'm drinking a ton of water and I've had two small batches of prunes so far today. I'll start using a scale in two weeks. I plan to go 45 min every day, no breaks.

[collinsman]

I srarted and lost 10 lbs the first two weeks, and then gained 1 lb the third week, probably due to some heavy partying at the Twins game...