To all .ORGers who are trying to lose weight and those who are losing weight

[D-Day V1]

I thought Id try and start up a thread where those of us who are trying to shed some pounds can lend each other support, and maybe encourage others to follow our lead.

I started my diet on Jan. 7th, weighing in at 260 lbs. and since then I have lost 13 pounds. Most of it has been due to not drinking pop, but Ive also began to watch what I eat, and have put myself on a 2,000 calorie a day diet. Good luck to everyone and let everyone know how youre doing

[Lord Eternos]

Not drinking soda, at least regular soda, is a very big difference maker. ocnsider this. You're on the treadmill for who knows how ling. You're sweating up a storm and burnt off about 200 calories. Well, that's ONE can of soda. Now if you didn't have that soda, those 200 calories would be burnt off the extra.

Anyways-advice from tiny guy that can't gain wait.....raisin bran, yogurt, and water.

[The_Robin]

I now have high blood preasure because of my weight, and that flew me into a fitness craze. My parents, and grandparents where all very large people, and on January 10th I decided I'm not going to die of a heart attack or stroke before I'm 30!

I was at 285lbs on Jan 10th, now I'm 274lbs, and very excited about it. I as well stopped drinking pop completly. I'm eating fat free turkey, fat free pringles, chicken, no skin, lean cuisine dinners(THEY SAVE ME!!) fruit, and of course veggies.

D-Day V1- feels pretty good don't it? I can ALREADY feel it, even this soon. I'm sure your the same way. I have more energy, and just feel better all together. Hopefully we can both keep on track, and lose all this crap that we carry around.

[D-Day V1]

I now have high blood preasure because of my weight, and that flew me into a fitness craze. My parents, and grandparents where all very large people, and on January 10th I decided I'm not going to die of a heart attack or stroke before I'm 30!

I was at 285lbs on Jan 10th, now I'm 274lbs, and very excited about it. I as well stopped drinking pop completly. I'm eating fat free turkey, fat free pringles, chicken, no skin, lean cuisine dinners(THEY SAVE ME!!) fruit, and of course veggies.

D-Day V1- feels pretty good don't it? I can ALREADY feel it, even this soon. I'm sure your the same way. I have more energy, and just feel better all together. Hopefully we can both keep on track, and lose all this crap that we carry around.

Im in the same boat as you. I was always eating out. I was getting tired a lot and I just started getting sick of eating fast food and the way it was making me feel. I did this on my own. My whole family is behind me. My friends and co-workers are supporting me too. Ive got a lot of "coaches" who will keep tabs on me.

Congrats The_Robin and keep it up. This is why I started this thread

[chamita116]

Great thread!

I'm starting the South Beach Diet tomorrow. I was on it for a week in December and began to lose weight quickly, but December's not a good month to go on any diet (unless it's the Candy Cane and Cookies Diet ). I'm also going to start walking 5 miles a day for 6 days a week, lifting weights 3 times a week, and going to yoga once a week. My goal is to lose 65 pounds by this time next year, if not sooner.

Good luck to everyone on reaching your target weight!!

[D-Day V1]

Great thread!

I'm starting the South Beach Diet tomorrow. I was on it for a week in December and began to lose weight quickly, but December's not a good month to go on any diet (unless it's the Candy Cane and Cookies Diet ). I'm also going to start walking 5 miles a day for 6 days a week, lifting weights 3 times a week, and going to yoga once a week. My goal is to lose 65 pounds by this time next year, if not sooner.

Good luck to everyone on reaching your target weight!!

How much weight did u lose on the South Beach Diet? Good luck to you as well.

[MattOnDemand]

Well done guys. Keep up the great work. When you hit those plateaus, just keep pushing yourself and don't give up.

Here's my story.
Late 2005, early 2006 was my weight-loss regime. I went from 250 to 185 (fat loss). Now I'm up to 197 with more muscle in my upper body.

My main eating habits stayed the same with these changes: not eat as much; eat smaller portions of food; no appetizers; I cut french fries completely; junk food once a week; if having pizza--get thin crust & finally switched to diet soda, and used that Tony Little Gazelle thing much more than he recommends (I used it 2 hours a day, everyday..... he recommends 30 min a day/every other day)

Today
I still use the Gazelle, and now a home gym that I bought myself. Also got the LASIK surgery, and now I don't look anything like I used to. It feels so damn good.

[D-Day V1]

Well done guys. Keep up the great work. When you hit those plateaus, just keep pushing yourself and don't give up.

Here's my story.
Late 2005, early 2006 was my weight-loss regime. I went from 250 to 185 (fat loss). Now I'm up to 197 with more muscle in my upper body.

My main eating habits stayed the same with these changes: not eat as much; eat smaller portions of food; no appetizers; I cut french fries completely; junk food once a week; if having pizza--get thin crust & finally switched to diet soda, and used that Tony Little Gazelle thing much more than he recommends (I used it 2 hours a day, everyday..... he recommends 30 min a day/every other day)

Today
I still use the Gazelle, and now a home gym that I bought myself. Also got the LASIK surgery, and now I don't look anything like I used to. It feels so damn good.

Wow, great story.

[MattOnDemand]

Yeah, after losing a bunch of weight in a short amount of time, you're gonna find occasionally, you'll hit a "plateau", and you can't seem to lose anymore weight. Basically that's telling you, your body has become adapted to the changes and you need to make modifications to whatever it is you are doing.

It's like the Borg.

Do something your body wouldn't expect.

Also, it's highly recommended to do cardio-workout everyday.

[Captain Wow]

It's good to know good old-fashioned dieting still works for people after hearing about how it's useless over and over again. I, myself, could stand to lose around 35-40 lbs. My wife wants to buy a treadmill with the tax refund (even though we don't have a spot for it) and believe me, I could really use one. I've struggled with my weight all my adult life. My lowest weight was in November of 1993 when I weighed 153 lbs. I now weigh about 200 so I'm looking to get back where I was. But that's hard to do when I'm convinced that pizza and Mountain Dew are evidence that God loves us.

[D-Day V1]

When you went from 250 to 185, what did u do?

[The_Robin]

When you went from 250 to 185, what did u do?

"My main eating habits stayed the same with these changes: not eat as much; eat smaller portions of food; no appetizers; I cut french fries completely; junk food once a week; if having pizza--get thin crust & finally switched to diet soda, and used that Tony Little Gazelle thing much more than he recommends (I used it 2 hours a day, everyday..... he recommends 30 min a day/every other day)"


That's a awesome story. Good luck to everyone.

[Rainbow Brite]

I don't really need to lose any weight, but I'd like to tone up a bit before my wedding in May - so my fiancé and I joined the YMCA It's nice when you have someone to work out with - keeps you motivated and less likely to pack it in after 15 minutes I'm hoping they offer some aerobics classes that aren't too difficult for me.

[krosfyah]

well I'm trying to get my abs up and trim down the waist line. - my family has thick waists so it's genetic - even when lean our waists aren't all that small. so I've gone semi vegetarian (made a thread on it but that's for other reasons too) I am changing my weight routine to add more compund exercises. eg instead of just doing a dumb bell lunge, I do a bicep curl at the end of the lunge, instead of just dumb bell squats I add in a shoulder press with it etc. things like that that will really make me work. also at work I get off the elevator 5 floors early and walk the rest of the way up. then at lunch I walk ten more flights. (the building is 40 stories it's winter - I' not walking up all those flights with my cold weather gear on )

so I've changed my eating habits, enhanced my weight routine, and started some stair stuff. also I'm trying not to stress myself out. that cortisol can be a jerk!

[ChemicalChemical]

If you have the willpower of a Green Lantern then South Beach is so easy.

I've had no trouble. And I don't even miss bread. Who am I kidding, of course I do. After the first phase you can indulge occasionally. I usually don't just because I still want to lose a lot.

And I'm totally in love now so I never want to eat so it's a double whammy!

I need to start a workout routine but it's hard because of my schedule. Ideally I'd like to go running in the morning but I'd have to get up so early to still be able to shower, fix my hair and eat. I thought about taking a P.E. class at school but I don't really want to shower here or have to wait until I get home. I should just ride a bike to school.

Anyway, I've lost a lot but I don't know how much because I didn't want to weigh myself when I started. All I know is that my skinny jeans fit me loose already and I've gone up four belt notches already. Should that be "gone down?" I'm wearing it smaller now.

[JVS3]

If you want an athletic body, you gotta be an athlete.
Lots of exercise; strict diet; hard training.

If you just want to be healthy and in shape, you gotta be disciplined but not insane.

Regular exercise, that should be enjoyable and fun, not a chore.
3 or 4 times a week, 30 minutes a day, doing stuff you enjoy... brisk walks, jogs, high rep weight training, etc.

And, monitor your foods... keep a journal. That's one of the biggest favors you can do yourself.
Once you figure out what you're eating each day and know your calorie / fat intake, you'll be able to make some beneficial changes to your diet.
Eating smart doesn't have to be miserable. You can still enjoy all the foods you love, just in moderation.

Rainbow Brite suggested something a long time ago that was one of the best suggestions I ever read:
Don't keep food in your house that you shouldn't eat.
The temptation is too great. Only buy stuff that you need.

I'd love to have a ripped, athletic body.
But my lifestyle isn't indicative to that.
So, I am fine with just being in shape.
I watch what I eat, and excercise, and everything is okay.

I've been able to maintain a decent 190 to 195lb body weight by simply watching what I eat and excercising.
I eat out maybe once a week.
And even then, I try to watch what I'm eating.

[Baena]

To JVS3 one must listen... Much wisdom he has in such matters... [insert Yoda icon here]

I'm not necessarily looking to drop weight, I'm sure it'll happen as I train, but I did commit to a "sprint" Triathlon this summer. (half mile swim, 12 mile bike, 5k or basically a 3 mile run.)

I'm more or less running a 5K about 4-5 days a week. ('twas a warm morning here, just two degrees above freezing.)
I'm sprinkling in some light weight work, pushups, situps and yoga throughout the week.
When it warms up I'll be adding the biking and swimming to the mix as well.

My struggles are with the food. I'm an "easy keeper" with a decent "winter coat" still. So I need to be better about my portions and the amount of "bad foods" I eat. Replacing them with more fresh greens n' fruits, whole grains and such.

[Karen_Leslie]

If you want an athletic body, you gotta be an athlete.
Lots of exercise; strict diet; hard training.

If you just want to be healthy and in shape, you gotta be disciplined but not insane.

Best piece of advice ever! Too much of the advice you encounter about getting in shape and losing weight seems to assume that you're trying to become ironman/woman: Washboard abs! Drop 5 sizes! In reality I think the super-athletic lifestyle isn't realistic for most people, but a healthy lifestyle with reasonable choices and light exercise is maintainable for almost everyone.

One thing I've learned over the years; take every piece of advice you hear on this matter with a grain of salt, even if it comes from a source with a lot of credibility, because everyone's body is different and only you can really find out what's right for you. For example, last night I went out and got this huge piece of ice cream cake for dessert, which every diet guru in the world will tell you to avoid like the plague. However, I LOVE sweets and I'd rather have a great dessert every now and again and then skip it for a couple of days rather than eat something mediocre because I'm trying to 'watch myself'. Furthermore, if I deny my sweet tooth for too long, it messes with my concentration, and my being able to meet my goals is so much more important than being maybe 5 pounds thinner. Sometimes I want to lose a few vanity pounds just because, but I'm not overweight and I think it's because I've accepted which things I don't want to live without and I usually adjust for them automatically.

Because of this I'm skeptical of any official diet, because I think the best diet for YOU always has to be based on your individual needs. That said, it's possible to find a diet that happens to work really well for you, so best of luck to everyone who's trying one out. If it doesn't work for you, just find something else that does.

[krosfyah]

everyone's body is different and only you can really find out what's right for you.

Because of this I'm skeptical of any official diet, because I think the best diet for YOU always has to be based on your individual needs. That said, it's possible to find a diet that happens to work really well for you, so best of luck to everyone who's trying one out. If it doesn't work for you, just find something else that does.

this too is GREAT advice. when I first started working out I did the SAME stuff my friends were doing and saw NO results in me but tonnes in them, I had no idea why - we did the same stuff, but as I learned more about weights and my body I found a routine that really suited my needs and showed me the gains and losses I wanted.

for ME working out alone is the best bet, others slow me down as they give me bad (for me) advice and just plain get on my nerves.

[MattOnDemand]

for ME working out alone is the best bet, others slow me down as they give me bad (for me) advice and just plain get on my nerves.

That's why i've built a small home gym for myself in my basement.

[Divia]

oh the holidays killed me!!!

So yes add me to the list. iw as doing great and then..the holidays.

[carlo]

i just need to lose a little spare tire i gained the past few months.. and more toning.. spring is almost here.. so i gotta get the ball rolllin again to look good as aways

good luck to all you guys... losing weight is tough, but be determined and you will see the pounds come off and when it happens its a great feeling

another way to really get you in the mood to get ur butt working out is just tick urself off on how bad you look, throw away all the junk food you have or give it away. believe me its not worth having food to make you fall of the pound wagon. drink water.. water and lots of water.

dont eat bread or heavy carbs after 7 pm.. so you might want to watch ur dinner intake thats the killer, major weight gainer waiting to happen.

[Divia]

I have no junk food in the house because I'll eat it. I wont lie. I'mm addicted to choclate. I can't say no..I only say yes yes yes!

[JVS3]

Yeah, I'm real bad about the junk food.
I can't have it in the house.

If someone gives me cookies as a gift, the cookies are every meal until they are gone.

[gnewton34]

My mom makes me so mad. I'll buy healthy food to be on a diet and then she'll turn around and make a plate full of peanut butter fudge I swear I think she tries to sabotage me on purpose sometimes because I lose weight fairly easy when I put my mind to it but it's really hard for her to lose weight.