263 replies to this topic

[CSC]

Mike Zeidler, on Oct 11 2010, 10:37 AM, said:

Evil Ash, on Oct 11 2010, 09:10 AM, said:

Mike Zeidler, on Jul 23 2010, 04:22 AM, said:

Holy CRAP! I'm not sure if I want to turn this into a weekly update, but this morning I was down to 383lbs! 'Twas truly the best birthday present! 50lbs in five weeks!  I think I plateaued for a bit around 408 (where I thought I was starting ironically) but in the past week I'm down quite a bit!

If this keeps up, I'll be around 300 by mid-September!  I can see now how people start getting an eating disorder, however I think I'll keep this up for another 5 weeks, see where I am and gradually phase in some actual meals prior to the vacation.

So what have you been doing to drop weight (which I assume you've done quite a bit of, even if your scale is a bit wonky)?

600-800 calories a day, tops.  

That is really grossly under what you need to be eating.  With as little as you're eating, you're going to be losing pretty much all the muscle you have along with the fat.  If you upped that to even 1200 a day you're going to see much better results.  Stick to that few calories for a week or two is fine - but it isn't going to work as a long term health plan.

[Beech27]

In general, the best diet advice I've ever heard is this: If you couldn't eat that way for the rest of your life, don't eat that way now. Basically, rapid, at all costs weight loss is ultimately unsustainable, and probably unhealthy as well. I should know. I took some pretty hardcore supplements (prohormones and thyroid modulators) along with my sever diet in order to achieve ~7% body fat. It worked. I was a pretty impressive specimen, if I can say so. But I wrecked my health for about a year, and am just now (almost) fully recovered. Now I'm still in good shape, mind you. I run a ton, which helps. And I eat food that, by most standards, is considered healthy. I'm also a vegetarian now. That started as a result of my digestive system not being able to digest large amounts of meat without pancreas and liver issues. I cut back, until I kind of found myself eating none. I felt much better, then started to hop on the more moral bandwagon as well.

But I'm rambling now. The point is, obsession about diet, on any level, can have disastrous results.

1. Just eat healthy. I think, based on my recent experiences, that this means eating mostly (if not exclusively) a plant based diet. Don't count calories. And don't rule out stuff (like meat) if you don't think you could live without it. Neurosis is not sustainable.

2. Do cardio. I'm a firm believer that the human animal is designed to run, and that we should do so. But then I also realize that running can be hell on joints and feet. Even still, ellipticals and stationary bikes work just about as well. The main thing is that you get your heart rate up for a while as many days as you can manage.

3. If the above sounds impossibly mundane, find some sort of physical activity you can commit to. Diet doesn't work well without exercise.

4. Don't do drugs. I won't tell you that they don't work, because they do. But the shortcut isn't worth it. Save your money. Save your organs.

Good luck to everyone, no matter their goals, no matter their progress.

[martysugar]

CSC, on Oct 11 2010, 03:26 PM, said:

Mike Zeidler, on Oct 11 2010, 10:37 AM, said:

Evil Ash, on Oct 11 2010, 09:10 AM, said:

Mike Zeidler, on Jul 23 2010, 04:22 AM, said:

Holy CRAP! I'm not sure if I want to turn this into a weekly update, but this morning I was down to 383lbs! 'Twas truly the best birthday present! 50lbs in five weeks!  I think I plateaued for a bit around 408 (where I thought I was starting ironically) but in the past week I'm down quite a bit!

If this keeps up, I'll be around 300 by mid-September!  I can see now how people start getting an eating disorder, however I think I'll keep this up for another 5 weeks, see where I am and gradually phase in some actual meals prior to the vacation.

So what have you been doing to drop weight (which I assume you've done quite a bit of, even if your scale is a bit wonky)?

600-800 calories a day, tops.  

That is really grossly under what you need to be eating.  With as little as you're eating, you're going to be losing pretty much all the muscle you have along with the fat.  If you upped that to even 1200 a day you're going to see much better results.  Stick to that few calories for a week or two is fine - but it isn't going to work as a long term health plan.

Last year my wife lost about 60 pounds and looks great.  But at first, when the weight started coming off, I saw her online food journal and realized that she was starving herself: as a father of two little girls, I made sure she nipped that behavior in the bud IMMEDIATELY.  She still lost the weight with exercise and a good diet, instead.

[Gonzo]

The most important tip that I can think of for weight loss? Track everything you eat. When you start making a list of everything you eat on a daily basis and say to yourself, "Man, I eat a lot of damn food," you'd be surprised how much less you eat.

I've lost about 15 pounds over the last three months, and a lot of it has to do with my use of The Daily Plate, which is on the Livestrong network. It helps you with safe, sustainable weight loss (1-2 pounds/week). You put in your weight and your lifestyle (sedentary, active, etc.), and your weight loss goal (maintain weight, lose one pound a week, lose two pounds a week. . .or if you're trying to gain weight, even), and it gives you a target calorie figure.

Me, for example. . .I was at 230 pounds when I started. My job (outside of going to the gym, which you can also track) is largely sedentary. The site told me that if I wanted to lose two pounds a week, I had to try to limit myself to right around 1,800 calories per day. That's net calories, subtracting the calories you burn working out from what you consume. The first time you punch in an extra value meal for lunch from McDonald's. . .1,350 calories for my personal fave from there. . .and you see the little thing that says "you have 400 calories remaining for today," you feel kind of crappy and avoid doing that too much. Of course, if you want to hit the gym for an hour and burn a bunch of calories, you can punch that in and watch that figure go back up.

Also, as somebody else said, don't underestimate the importance of cardio. Doesn't necessarily mean going out and running a few miles or whatever. . .I hate running, myself, but it's a necessary evil in my line of work. . .but the elliptical trainer is your friend, especially if you have bad knees or ankles or something. Even 30 minutes a day is good, and it doesn't necessarily have to be super intense, either.

[The Natural]

Beech27, on Oct 12 2010, 07:28 AM, said:

But I'm rambling now. The point is, obsession about diet, on any level, can have disastrous results.

1. Just eat healthy. I think, based on my recent experiences, that this means eating mostly (if not exclusively) a plant based diet. Don't count calories. And don't rule out stuff (like meat) if you don't think you could live without it. Neurosis is not sustainable.

2. Do cardio. I'm a firm believer that the human animal is designed to run, and that we should do so. But then I also realize that running can be hell on joints and feet. Even still, ellipticals and stationary bikes work just about as well. The main thing is that you get your heart rate up for a while as many days as you can manage.

3. If the above sounds impossibly mundane, find some sort of physical activity you can commit to. Diet doesn't work well without exercise.

4. Don't do drugs. I won't tell you that they don't work, because they do. But the shortcut isn't worth it. Save your money. Save your organs.

Good luck to everyone, no matter their goals, no matter their progress.

I echo all what you say.

Weight loss doesn't come just from just eating healthy, exercise has to come with it. If I still had access to a gym, I would have lost the weight quicker. Make use of what you have. I had two home steppers but the cables sheared off so I swapped that for a step I had and that's pretty much the reason why I've lost the weight I have. Before my tough period I was active and loved going to the gym and I'm fortunate that I like doing exercise. Some don't so try and find something you will enjoy doing.

I never treat myself to anything rather I congratulated myself mentally on a job done well SO FAR instead. Having lost the weight I want to treat myself to something for achieving my goal but honestly the best treat is the compliments you get from others and feeling better yourself for doing such a thing. Like Beech27 said, its different strokes for different folks. Don't feel disheartened if you treat yourself or you're not losing weight as quick as you like.

martysugar, on Oct 14 2010, 04:21 AM, said:

Last year my wife lost about 60 pounds and looks great.  But at first, when the weight started coming off, I saw her online food journal and realized that she was starving herself: as a father of two little girls, I made sure she nipped that behavior in the bud IMMEDIATELY.  She still lost the weight with exercise and a good diet, instead.

That's the other side of the spectrum. It can easily turn into an obsession, I know people who have done that and I didn't. Marty like beech27 (and hopefully your's truly) nailed it on the head, exercise with a good diet will yield results.

Hope all that helps people. Good luck in your goals.

[IWAManiwa]

My girlfriend really wanted to join a gym, so we joined SnapFitness a few weeks ago, to get the free enrollment for the New Year Resolution specials they had going on. It's a smaller gym but it's perfect for us. 24 hours, which works for our schedule (we work overnights) and the staff is super nice. We went 3 or 4 times last week and I gotta say, so far, I'm loving it. I've already lost 4 lbs, I'm sure most of it was water weight but that just motivated me more. We have other plans tomorrow and will probably skip the gym and I found myself kinda bummed out, haha.

[CSC]

Well...Almost all the weight I've lost last Summer, I've put back on.  I was back up to almost 270 so the yo-yoing continues.  Laziness and McDonalds are an easy combo.  I have a race coming up in the month that I need to be in relatively good shape for, so I'm hoping to lose 30 pounds in the next 30 days.  I know it's not the most healthy way to do it, but I need some sort of gimmicky motivation to help me get started.

[Oatz]

I dunno if this has been said but you really shouldn't be eating less than 500 calories your mantenaince level. Body basically enters starvation mode and you start losing muscle as well, and you end up looking like crap. Key here is just lose bodyfat. most people can lose wieght easily just cutting soda and fast food. Another good strategy is a high protein diet (fish, eggs, cottage cheese, turkey/chicken breasts, its delicious and healthy) and cutting most of the bad carbs like cheap cereals, potatoes and rice. Basically the whole diet of some people. Not drinking your calories is a good move as well, even natural orange juice isn't that good for you.

http://www.liamrosen.com/fitness.html

this is by far the best guide out there. take a look if your goal is look good.

[Reggie20x6]

This link provides a guide to the various fasting diets out there.
http://www.leangains...roaches-to.html

I've tried IF (which is what the author of that link pushes) and I am currently on The Warrior Diet. I have 1-2 small meals during the day (typically some Almond Milk w/Casein Protein Powder or Greek Yogurt) and then I eat all of my calories within a 1-2 hour window at night (usually after I lift). When my goal was to lose body fat, I dropped 12 pounds in five weeks - I know that's short of your 30/30 goal, but I didn't have much fat/weight to lose, and I didn't want to sacrifice lean mass for accelerated weight loss.



Other diets out there to research are...
The Paleo Diet -- http://thepaleodiet.com/
Keto -- http://www.keto.org/
The Anabolic Diet -- http://stronglifts.c...lic-diet-guide/
The Velocity Diet -- http://velocity.t-na...locity-diet-3-0

Not sure what your schedule is, what kind of activity/stress level is in your life, how hard it is for you to follow a strict plan, budget, etc. Lots of variables out there that make it tough to give you a solid diet/workout plan recommendation.

[CSC]

I find all these diet plans funny, when really all you need to know is to eat less and exercise more.  I think most people jump into overly complicated diets, get overwealmed by trying to strictly following them and give up because of it.  I've done this before, and the only two rules I really follow are portion control and not eating anything after dinner.  I still eat the same crap I always do, just less of it.  Do that, ramp up the workouts and losing 30 pounds is pretty simple.

[Reggie20x6]

I misread your original post as *asking* for a gimmicky eating style to get you started - not that 30/30 before a race was your gimmick.

My bad, as the kids say on the streets.

[CSC]

Reggie20x6, on Apr 17 2011, 11:08 AM, said:

I misread your original post as *asking* for a gimmicky eating style to get you started - not that 30/30 before a race was your gimmick.

My bad, as the kids say on the streets.

No worries - Any help is always appreciated.  Just quickly looking over the links, there is a lot of good info in there and that will probably help me out down the line.

[Oatz]

CSC, on Apr 17 2011, 07:03 PM, said:

I find all these diet plans funny, when really all you need to know if to eat less and exercise more.  I think most people jump into overly complicated diets, get overwealmed by trying to strictly following them and give up because of it.  I've done this before, and the only two rules I really follow are portion control and not eating anything after dinner.  I still eat the same crap I always do, just less of it.  Do that, ramp up the workouts and losing 30 pounds is pretty simple.

Those kind of diets like carb cycle are good if you are already lean but want to go the extra mile and lower your bodyfat under 10% imo.

[CSC]

Oatz, on Apr 17 2011, 01:36 PM, said:

CSC, on Apr 17 2011, 07:03 PM, said:

I find all these diet plans funny, when really all you need to know if to eat less and exercise more.  I think most people jump into overly complicated diets, get overwealmed by trying to strictly following them and give up because of it.  I've done this before, and the only two rules I really follow are portion control and not eating anything after dinner.  I still eat the same crap I always do, just less of it.  Do that, ramp up the workouts and losing 30 pounds is pretty simple.

Those kind of diets like carb cycle are good if you are already lean but want to go the extra mile and lower your bodyfat under 10% imo.

I can't wait to have that problem.

[TimLivingston]

A lot of it is mental. I was down to about 270 lbs. (down from about 310) back in September when I was really working at it, and that was with a good diet and a lot of exercise (at least an hour a day five times a week), but things can either get boring or uninteresting and it can kill ya. For instance, I was doing really well about a month ago, but then I started making excuses not to do it and I started putting on the weight again. And it definitely shows. It's something I've been battling with basically all my life, and I'm realizing the most important thing is to make it your main focal point. It can set the tone for whatever you do in a day.

[Lethal_Striker]

Drink a gallon of water a day, it flushes all the crap out of your system.  Plus it stops you from drinking so much soda or any other drinks with so many calories.

[The Natural]

CSC, on Apr 17 2011, 07:03 PM, said:

I find all these diet plans funny, when really all you need to know if to eat less and exercise more.

That's how I lost 54 pounds. I had small portions of the good stuff and very little of the bad. Losing weight is one of the hardest things I've ever done as it's both physical and mental.

[Mike Zeidler]

Man, the crappy thing about starting out really heavy is that you can lose what most would consider a good amount of weight, and nobody notices.

I just have to remind myself that if you have a grove of 433 trees and you cut down 51 of them, nobody's really going to notice, but it's better for the grove in the long run.

[Joe Lucia]

I started my quest to lose 100 pounds, which I've put on over the course of about three years, on Sunday. I'm working out every day, eating a lot better, and I've nearly cut the drinking totally (have had one beer since I started on Sunday, and that was at dinner with dad last night when I normally put back three). This is going to be hard, and it's going to totally suck, but it's necessary for me to do.

[BELANGIA]

I've been up to about 250, down to about 175 from there and eventually back up to about 230 and now just under 200 again.  Pretty much the easiest start to losing weight for me both times was just cutting out fast food and soda.  I don't even bother with any carbonated drinks and just stick with water and tea.  And really I don't dine out at all except for maybe once throughout the weekend if that.  The food most places serve just isn't very good for you.  The gym I go to is 24hrs too and that helps because I can't really justify any excuses to myself for not going since I can go when it's convenient for me.  And to further motivate myself, I've got a couple friends coming in September and we're running a half marathon together which I've already signed up and paid for so I'm kind of stuck training for that anyway.  It can be a pain in the ass on days where you're not having a good day or you're tired and just want to chill out when you get home but don't want to not go to the gym either but man you just feel a hell of a lot better if you just go.