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

[Caper]

Since my knee injury, almost 6 years ago I've gained close to 30lbs, I used to be very active. At 43 years of age I know it's not good for one's health. I have become the classic couch potato, not by choice, a lot of times I just have to get off my feet because of the discomfort. My biggest problem is trying to stay away from the fridge after supper . Everyday I tell myself this is it, time to crack down. Well tomorrow never comes and I have to admit it's not easy to break old habits.

After thinking about this for a while I thought it might be helpful to tackle this problem as a group, Overeaters Anonymous

Starting today I'm staying out of the fridge after supper, I'm setting my goal for one month, I know if I can get there I'll be on the right path. Right now I weigh in at 202lbs, I should be going in at around 160 - 165 for my height. This time next month I'll check back and record my weight.

If anyone else has been thinking about the same thing, join in. No complicated diets to follow just eat a little less and a little wiser. Here I go.

WEBMASTER EDIT: I MADE THIS TOPIC A "STICKY" TO KEEP IT AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE. LETS SEE HOW THIS THREAD DOES FOR THE MONTH OF SEPT. AND THEN DECIDE IF IT NEEDS TO BE A CONSTANT FIXTURE HERE OR NOT.

[chubbyjackson]

Well, I didn't get the name Chubby for nothing. At the beginning of August I gave sugar, wheat and cheese, and it's amazing. I feel much better and have a lot more energy. I still eat as much as I want, and there's still a great variety of good stuff even without those items. FWIW.

[David Barnett]

If you haven't already, give up soda or convert from regular soda to diet. Beer, unfortunately, is the enemy too.

Get some exercise. If you can't join a gym, at least go out and walk every day.

[Darrell]

Started back in June. I weighed 230 when I got married, see sawed up and down. I am committed to keeping it off now. I walk 3 times a week and go to the gym 2 times a week. I am now below 200 and heading to my optimum weight of about 195.

Good luck, but I too recommend exercise. Dieting alone is a long road. Doing both is the HOV lane. Maintaining is easy, once you are committed.

[ne4tt]

I travel for my job and do an hours worth of calesthentics in the room in the AM and PM.

I stay in nice hotels, but they don't maintain their gym equipment.

From 220#, presently 205#, 09 Sep 05

jamie

[Tim Armstrong]

My healthy adult weight ought to be 180lbs (I know this because that's what I weighed the last time I was in really good shape, back in 1984!).

I presently weigh 240 lbs!

I've started walking every day, and recently bought a sea kayak, which is a hell of a lot of fun and a pretty good workout. Gotta try to convince myself to eat less now...

Cheers, Tim

[Colo Springs E]

....at a mere 5 ft 6 inches, I clock in at.....

172 pounds!

[EDIT: MY bathroom scale says I weigh 166; while personally I don't think that's right, it is the scale I have easiest access to, so I'll use that one for our challenge. Either way, my goal is to drop 3-4 pounds within 2 weeks.]

People always seem surprised to hear me say that, so I think I (sort of) hide it ok, but I'd much prefer to be a little slimmer, "athletic" built. I don't care at all for a body-builder body, but I would like to tone up and slim down.

So here it is: On Sept 5, I'm at 172.

I'll weigh in two weeks from now, Sept 19. I'll shoot for dropping 3-4 pounds.

Here we go!!

[cvansickle]

Weight Watchers works! I did this myself in 2001, and dropped 50 pounds in six months. To date, I've kept most of it off. Actually, the wife and I are starting to do it again tomorrow.

The first week of two is a *****, as you're hungry ALL the time. Once you get used to it, it's painless.

If you have to travel a lot, it's a little harder. It is difficult to eat out and mind your points.

[Marc H.]

Weight Watchers.

I weighed in at 276 pounds on January 4th of this year. (I'm 6' 2")

I dropped 66 pounds, and have maintained my current weight for the past month or so.

Marc

[teledude66]

sept. 5th 2005....5'5" 257 lbs.

i live here so maybe this will help me out ...once i get in a routine i usually stay on it for about 3 months and lose really well but i get either bored or lazy and go off the "diet" ...well here's to the loss good luck everyone ...

[stantheman]

A "diet" in the modern lingo is a temporary thing and Ladies & Gentlemen let Me assure You the resulting weight loss is also temporary. And in many cases followed by a significant GAIN.
The right way to do it is simply: Change Your Lifestyle
For Good.
For Me - I became a Vegan.
Now - Two years ago I weighed 336 pounds.
This morning I was 223 pounds.
I do not exercise in fact I detest exercise in most forms with the exception of Chores. If You have
Chores You'll burn FAT.
Do I miss Chicken - Steak - Fish.
Nope - and I don't miss the associated heartburn either.
My goal for ideal weight is 175 - BUT - I'd like to get to
160 and eat back up to 170 and stay there.
When I can get back into a pair of 34's I'll be Home.
And 22 sizes smaller than My peak weight.
Staying outdoors is the biggest help of all.
I won't say the Brand Name - BUT - I eat a bowl of "Good Friends" with WHOLE MILK everyday at night.
I have a simple Breakfast of Coffee with 1 sugar and evaporated milk (blows Starbuck's away) with 4-5 slices
of Pane' Bread with Margerine sprinkled with Garlic Powder and Olive Oil then baked at 250-300 for like 20 minutes or until it's crisp. For Lunch either 2 tubs of LowFat Yoghurt OR an entre of Butternut Squash nuked
for 5 minutes.
I've become addicted to Diet Coke - 2 bottles or cans minimum everyday.
Improving Your Home or Apartment or helping friends do likewise will blow away any gym or stationary macheen.
That's how I'm doing and I've got 48 pounds more to go
but will probably drop 63 and then gain to get the look I want.
If I'm doing it and succeeding You can do it too.
All "exercise" ever did was make Me more hungry.
Chores is the best workout 'cause You're results are instantaneous.
The reason why I always failed in the past was because I believed in order to reach the goal I'd have to suffer which is completely wrong.

[sneakyjapan]

bit on the chunky side there cape man? heeheehee. my weight fluctuates one to 3 kilos and I exercise regularly, have been for almost 30 years now. the cool thing about exercise is, the more you do the better you feel...and look...so you just want to do more. but that combined with proper diet is the key, and the reason my weight is up and down is I don`t always eat right. dang jelly beans. so...what are you gonna do with your speedo?

[ye olde fretmonkey]

5'11", 225 pounds!

But...I work out like a fiend all the time. Low b/p, low cholesterol, low pulse rate, strong like bull.

I'd like to see 200 again someday, though.

[Caper]

Ah it's great to see you guys take me up on this challenge. A lot of good advice here, it is really appreciated. As far as the speedo's go, it's the price to pay Pete :D .

[genelovesjez]

Originally Posted by stantheman

My goal for ideal weight is 175 - BUT - I'd like to get to
160 and eat back up to 170 and stay there.

Congratulations on the progress you've made so far. Nevertheless, I'm curious - why do you want to go down to 160, then back up to 170?

Also, I just assumed that vegans wouldn't drink milk or eat yoghurt, but I admit I don't know very much about it.

And finally, I would encourage you to exercise. Hopefully you're getting enough exercise from your chores, but being fit is far more important to your health than being thin.

[petebradt]

I'm in Sept 5, 6'3 280. I'll checck in on the 19th and let you know. I need to get my BP down before i can join the company gym, vbut once i do that, I should do even better. In the meantime, it's up and out early for a 3-4 mile walk, with my iPod.

[tlecstr]

I have always been very athletic, and had a good athletes build. When I got married, my new mother-in-law was the manager of a bakery, so i gained about 20 in the first couple of years. I always had a physical job, and then I changed to a office job that put me at a desk with very little excercise. In 2 1/2 years I gained 50 lbs.
I am now back to doing physical work, and have lost 23 lbs., but I seem to be holding steady. So, I now have a new gym that has opened up in my neighborhood, and memberships are very reasonable. I now have a goal, I will lose 20 lbs by next summer, and when I reach that I will set a new goal.....baby steps...lol

[moonshiner]

Over the past 4 months or so, I have managed to loose around 25 lbs... One of the biggest things I did was I tried to eat less... I used to eat a lot... I was extremely active, so I needed the fuel. When I quit smoking I lost weight and then after a back injury I "ballooned" out, as it were. So.. I've gone from about 210 to now, around 185.

Having a dog that requires lots of walks also helps for me... as well as having yards and yards of dirt to move. So, whatever your exercise regimine is, do something. Get moving. Especially on days when you don't want to, those are the days you need it most.

Good luck to all of you... I know how hard it is..

Take it slow and easy.. There is no need to rush it...

Edit... I just weighed in at 182 this morning... Did some excersizing over the weekend with the pup-pup...

[Colo Springs E]

....ran for about 25 minutes, did jumping jacks, stretched and used small (8#) hand weights afterwards.

Will eat a bowl of Total with Raisins for breakfast. Lunch is always my downfall, as I'm hungry and on the go. Let's see if I can avoid fast food today.

-E

[Joe-Bob]

I need to lose a bunch, too. So far, I haven't found any way to do it. I hate rabbit food.

I had to sell my full-size jazz box. It was just getting too far away :x Unfortunately, my arms aren't growing at all.

[gls500]

In 2004, I went from 250 to 208 by changing my diet completely and exercising (I'm 6'3 with a pretty big build). It was something like weight watchers, but I didn't count points. I cut out foods with High Fructose Corn Syrup, trans fats, and anything I couldn't pronounce, when I could avoid it.

In december I had a bad ankle injury (that's still swollen today), so the workout was limited, and I had my daughter in late march - which has meant that we haven't had time to cook and have had a lot of takeout. I'm back up near 230.

I hit the bike this morning, so I'm in. Weights tomorrow. Time to get back on track.

[agent2x4]

I have Crohn's disease which flares up about 2-3x a year. It's not uncommon for me to lose 20-50 lbs at a crack because of it. I try to keep a few extra lbs on...I'd hate to be already "thin" and go through a session of it.

I'm 6'2" and weigh about 245...but have weighed as little as 160 during a severe bout that included surgery. I looked like a refugee.

I used to powerlift back in the day and still try to maintain some muscle, but as I get older (42 now) I do much more toning and wayyyyyy less mass producing.

Good luck with your diets folks!

[lewis]

In February I was 245 and decided it was time for a change. Since then I've quit bread and soda (yes, even diet). Now a few months later my 38" waist pants are quite baggy. I haven't weighed myself but I do have a physical next week and will report back then.

[CharlieO]

I know that it's no longer "fashionable" to be on the Atkins diet, but it works for me, and it addresses my diet problem directly. I am addicted to refined carbohydrates like crackers, pasta, bread, chips, etc. With the Atkins diet I was able to lose the craving for carbohydrates after the first couple of days. From that point on the diet was incredibly easy for me.

A little more than 2 years ago I weighed 180 pounds, having gained 30 pounds since I got married and stopped working out 8 years earlier. With Atkins, I dropped to 145 in about 5 months. I stayed between there and 150 for more than a year, but I gave up following the diet a year ago and now I weigh 160. I'm 5'7"and I think that my ideal weight is around 145, so that's what I'm shooting for. I had planned to start today because I have a doctors appointment today, and I'm going on vacation in a few weeks. I'd like to lose 5-7 pounds by the end of the month.