Weight Loss -- What works? And- Post your current weight/goals/progress- inspire!

[kaneboats]

Along with the New Year's thing and many of us thinking about boarding shape for the upcoming season I see a few others contemplating some weight loss attempts. So, what has worked for you or others you know in the past? What is your plan? What is your goal? Dare to post your current weight and your goal weight and give progress updates.

[moombadaze]

simple stuff so far-started last spring actually.
one beer everyother night -hardest so far-lol
stopped eating a big dinner-much smaller portions or would skip dinner all together and have a cheese stick and some toast
started having 2 slices of toast for breakfast and a couple eggs
lunch--try to stick with getting a small hamburger vrs the bigmac or whopper.
started walking at night with the wife--its really hit or miss we just try for everynight and if the kid needs help with the homework we dont walk-school first

when I started I was at 205lbs and felt crappy about everything
last summer I got down to about 180
this winter Im up to 190
shooting for 175 by july

this year we got hybreed bikes and are trying to ride about 7 miles everynight-again its hit or miss but we try

trying to get rid of all the "comfort food" in the house and not rebuy it, cause if its there we eat it.

[lsvboombox]

If u are somewhat athletic get yourself the insanity workout or p90x . I always do one or the other to start the new year. Always shed about 20-30 pounds and get some tone before summer..

In my opinion nothing beats exercise.

[sandm]

kicked soda today
started drinking water-really like kiwi/strawberry propel
beer-only light-one day a week
started on the elliptical today. should be up to 20 minutes a session by the end of next week(letting it adjust the incline) and will do 4x/wk by then.

208 currently and hoping for 190. anything below that will be a bonus :)
not a lot to lose, but amazing how they can creep up on ya when you get lazy and drink a lot...

my office passed a new rule a while back that bans food at your desk, so that will help.

[you da man]

In my opinion nothing beats exercise.

I agree, diet is just part of the foundation. I'm fortunate that my family has a fast metabolism so at 40yrs old I can eat what I want and how much I want without putting on bulging fat. With that said I still go to the gym 4-5 days per week, eat reasonably, and include 2-3 Body Pump classes. Treadmills and stationary bikes are very boring with most seeing minimal results. I've seen some really overweight people in body pump classes have fantastic results and the beauty is...you do what you can as long as you try the entire class...just keep trying it'll get easier and you can work harder as you lose weight, strengthen, and tone. So many people say they want to lose weight or just tone and add a little more muscle. I'm in no way a trainer or some hardcore body builder but what I've seen with Body Pump classes and the results in overweight people is great. A big part of Body Pump is about strengthening your core so you will see those results in 2-3 weeks. If your gym doesn't have Body Pump classes...they should.

[jmb]

I made sure that I bought a boat with enough horsepower to pull me at any weight. I can just about get as big as I want and that boat is going to pull me. Now I have found that with a little weight on me that my wakeboarding edging throws out quite a huge spray. Just some things to consider here. My 2 cent

[jmvotto]

Hit the gym three to four times a week. Cardio ob the amt or run plus light weight high rep station training. Love to cut back on beer. My nemisis. Maybe go ultra light. The micro brewery down the street is great but high carbs high calories. 215 like to be 185. I should start running again. Only way i have ever loat real weight but i hate it. I have p90x my teenage girls use it. I have yet to fire it up over the last year. Not really a new years resolution cuz i dont do them. This ia something i have been off and on again depending on work and family committments.

[viking]

Watch what you eat and exercise. It's really as simple as that. Live that way every day and it becomes a part of your lifestyle.
Been working out 4-5 times a week and eating 4-6 times a day for over 20 years. Sometimes I'm really good at it, sometimes I'm not.
But I can eat whatever I want typically and then just get back into the routine. Just eat less at each sitting (smaller portions) and eat more often. Best way to describe it is to "eat like an Elk" or "eat like a bear". Which one is more lean?

When I was in the best shape about 10 years ago before getting married I was going to the gym 6 days a week and eating 6 times a day. You can really put the food down and not gain FAT.
Metabolism has slowed as I get older but still in pretty good shape. Still going to the gym and doing P90X on days I don't make it.

Work out in the mornings on empty stomach will speed up your metabolism.
Eating smaller portions more often will speed it up also.
Really...........most of losing weight and keeping it off is what you feed your body and building muscle mass is the exercise. 70/30 if I had to break it out.

FWIW - that's my story :)

[rdlangston13]

24 year old male 6 ft tall 201 lbs as of this afternoon but that was with like 3 layers of clothing on (rig is freezing). i would like to be 180 again. My problem is I can't do cardio, mentally i cant do it. I hate it, bikes, treadmills elipticals ect. i HATE them. now if i could just play and hour of a football a day i would be good to go! i do weights regularly so i may just walk laps around the rig. I am cutting back on deserts a work (i usually eat 2-3 cookies after every meal, they are free and there, i cant help it) and coke (usually drink 6 or so a day). I have cut coke cold turkey for 2 months before and going from 6 a day to 0 a day yielded 0 results in my weight. now i just need to get off the couch when i am home on days off. i blame my girl friends work schedule for that!

[you da man]

You should add high intensity interval training to you weight training. Walking around the rig is better than nothing but it's almost nothing. I know you have plenty of stairs around there you can use.

[mmandley]

I did a pretty serious diet in 09 when we got the boat, when from 305 to 245 in 5 months. Gained it all back over 1.5 years.

1 Year ago now i was back at 300.
Last Spring i started trying to eat better and hit the gym 3 to 4 times a week lost 30lbs. I have managed to hold this off for 6 months even after returning to night shift and workouts have slowed to only 2xs a week.

I think if i focus and really pay attention to what i eat, how much i eat, and snack only on veggies or fruit i can get to my below goals.

Currently im at 5/9 275 and my goal is to reach 225 by summer, 200 is my goal as when i weighed this back in 97 my doc said for my build and muscle mass i was about perfect.

I have started by eating veggies, fresh only, lower my meat intake, no going out to eat, no processed food at home.
Work out routine starting Thursday when i return to work is 30 minutes eliptical and or 30 minutes bike, + weights routine.

[BensonWdby]

Years ago I did Nutrisystem and lost the 30 pounds a wanted. And gained it back in a couple years and then some. The problem with purchased prepared meals is that yo never really learn how to take care of yourself, even with their classes.

On Feb 14, 2010 I was 236 lbs at 5'10" - 54 years old - BMI charts said my max weight should be 179 so that was my goal.
I went to Slimgenics - it worked. I hit my goal in 3.5 months.
Why it worked:
1. It's expensive - They have some prepared snacks (not the meals) that you use as supplements 2 per day - that adds up - and teh cost of the program is high by many standards.
Why was expensive good? I balked at the cost, but once I committed I felt motivated to get my moneys worth.
2. They give you a list of what to eat - and only stuff on the list is allowed - but it is all grocery store food - so you get in the habit of buying the right stuff - and not buying the wrong stuff. It is kind of a protein oriented diet, 1200-1500 calories per day depending on your plan. Lots of veggies, minimal carbs. NO - booze, sugar pop, junk food. Also surprisingly some food you think would be OK is not on the list, not because it is bad, just to make the plan simple and to ensure they all work together to keep your metabolism working. Building good habits is important.
3. You can go in to the clininc as often as you want to get weighed and for moral support and advice if you are having problems.
4. During the diet there was only a 2 week time frame near the end where I got really hungry, but was able to get past it.
5. You record EVERYTHING you consume - you never lie to yourself. They review your food log - but they don't hassle you if you go off the plan, just help you deal with what you should do to adjust for the mistake.

They claim that on their plan you do not need to exercise at all - and I tend to believe them - in fact they almost increased my food plan when they found out I was excercising regularly.

Excercise -
1. Initially Elliptical for 30 minutes at level 5. By the end I was at 60 minutes at level 11-15.
2. After I had lost the first 15 lbs I started to include resistance training - mostly machines, some pullups and dips. I think resistance training is more important than I thought and probably should have included it earlier - for metabolic reasons.

What else helped?
1. I did not try to eat what the rest of the family had. I always made all of my own meals and did most of my own shopping.
2. I had a white board on the door to the garage with check boxes for every 5 lbs I wanted to lose. It was a reminder for me everythime I left the house, and it gave the family a way to participate, cheering for me each time I filled in a box. This is more importatn than you might think. I tried keeping a similar box score during maintenance but my wife got tired of looking at it and asked to take it down. Started gaining weight soon after that.
3. I had access to a cafeteria at work where I could build my own salad for reasonable price for lunch - that was a big help.
4. Stayed away from restaurants for the most part.

Did it last? I lost 56 lbs. I am back up about 20. Mainly due to junk food - my weakness.
The good news is that I have a record of all of the food that I ate to lose the weight the first time and plan on using that same log to start losing again this week.

The important things are:
1. Admit you need to loose. Look at yourself naked in the mirror. If you like what you see - you are done. If not - then there is work to do. But don't lie to yourself.
2. Keep accurate records. If your weight goes up - try to understand why and adjust.
3. Never go back for seconds
4. You will give up some thing forever..

[rdlangston13]

You should add high intensity interval training to you weight training. Walking around the rig is better than nothing but it's almost nothing. I know you have plenty of stairs around there you can use.

like insanity? ive done that a few times but again, its boring as hell.

[KG's Supra24]

Look at yourself naked in the mirror.

This may be the only thing from the thread I go home and try :p

[dusty2221]

No David, no so much like insanity, but a workout something like this: 30 Seconds Brisk Walk, 30 Seconds Sprint, Repeat 7 More Times (8 Minutes Total)

That would be one session of HIIT cardio. The sky is the limit with the activities you can do, and it really tears you down to continue doing it.

On another note, a workout similar to this one is what my workout partner and I will be doing until the first weekend of April. This is designed to burn fat while maintaining the muscle that we put on over winter (not much since we pretty much took a break from September to now)
http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/density-giant-set-training-maintain-muscle-fat-loss.html

[sandm]

update 1-9
started on the 2nd.
down 2.5 to 205.5...

pretty happy so far. gave up almost all soda(had a coke at dinner sat night), only had beers a couple of nights and tried to cut out snacking. going through a lot of water. worked out 2x. goal this week is 4x..
first week is almost always the best. now it turns into a challenge..

anyone else???? :)

[newty]

Hoping to get down to 190 but realistically I'd be happy with 195. Started at 215 a week ago and am now at 208.

I really watching processed carbs and fats. The P90X nutrition guide is very helpful and works well. I can ony take so much Tony Horton before I throw something so I've been mixing weights running and small doses of P90X. Thinking about the P90X2 for a change of pace. Haven't convinced myself I need to spend the money.

[rdlangston13]

i got back on the rig jan 3rd and have worked out 5 days taking yesterday and today off cause every muscle in my body hurts. i stopped eating desert after every meal and i have no had a single coke since i have been out here. i also cut way back on my portion size at lunch and do not eat anything after 7 pm. ive dropped about 4 lbs so far but that is a pretty normal fluctuation for me. i once lost 6 lbs in 36 hours.

[you da man]

Reading about everyone trying to lose weight is so foreign to me cause all my life I've been a hard gainer meaning my metabolism is so fast I don't put on weight easily...not even fat. At 40yrs old and 6'00" I just busted 160lbs. I eat 3-4 sometimes 5 decent meals a day with 2 protein shakes in between there. I eat tuna straight out of the can daily, 3-4 boiled eggs (no yoke), plus a few basic workout supplement (creatine, glutamine, taurine, HMB, ZMA, and nitric oxide). I workout with weights 4 days a week and body pump twice a week. All this and I'm lucky to gain a pound a month...maybe 1.5 pounds. Losing weight is definitely much faster...I'm not saying easier but faster. It's a struggle for overweight people to manage their urges to cheat, to control their portions, and sometimes to exercise. For hard gainers it's hard to eat all the time (you almost stay full all the time) and actually it's hard to just prepare enough meals for that day and to sit down and eat. For me working-out is the easy part because I enjoy it.

[lsvboombox]

Egg whites and tuna is a pretty lean meal. If you are trying to gain weight eat something fatty..

[lsvboombox]

It sounds like you like to eat healthy, if you dine at fast food places I am sure you can add a few pounds. I was the same as you until I hit 30, then my metabolism slowed down. You best be careful if your metabolism does slow down you will blow up like a tick..

[you da man]

Egg whites and tuna is a pretty lean meal. If you are trying to gain weight eat something fatty..

Not as a meal...in addition with my meals. Believe me, I'm not a strict healthy foods only eater. I do eat a fast food meal or snack 2-3 times per week and one or two sodas a week (I have a weakness for a good fountain soft drink ever now and then)...which I think is reasonable. My goal is not gaining fat as weight.

[you da man]

It sounds like you like to eat healthy, if you dine at fast food places I am sure you can add a few pounds. I was the same as you until I hit 30, then my metabolism slowed down. You best be careful if your metabolism does slow down you will blow up like a tick..

If I dine on fast foods a lot, my mid-section tends to get soft and nowhere else...not exactly where I'd like the weight lol. My friends say the something about my metabolism. They said it'll slow down at 30, then 35, and now I'm at 40 and can still eat 2 footlong coneys from Sonic or 3 Big Macs and not think twice about it lol. Maybe someday but my dad passed away at 66 (emphysema and COPD after 17yrs of not smoking) and he was lean still drinking whole milk, eating ice cream, etc etc. My mother is Asian so I'm blessed with that metabolism.

[sandm]

be glad you are that way and enjoy it, but support the rest of us fat americans that are doing our part to make this country the most obese.. :)

sure wish the govt would step out of trying to regulate nutrition. how many really look at the calorie count when eating out. we all know what's good and bad for you. what we need are some good old fashioned parenting. quit buying fast food, go to the grocery store and learn how to cook. mcdonalds used to be a treat monthly when I was a young lad. seems that for some kids today, it's a 2-3x weekly meal...

[rdlangston13]

At 40yrs old and 6'00" I just busted 160lbs.

i was 165....in 9th grade

[rdlangston13]

people talking about eating fast food 2-3 times per week amazes me. i eat it like 2-3 times per day haha. usually cook at home 2-3 times per week. i HATE cooking and doing dishes

[you da man]

i was 165....in 9th grade

I was 124lbs 5'8"-5'9" at 18yrs old in college...lol.

[you da man]

people talking about eating fast food 2-3 times per week amazes me. i eat it like 2-3 times per day haha. usually cook at home 2-3 times per week. i HATE cooking and doing dishes

As a single person I find it easier to cook twice per week but prepare all my meals for the next 2-3 days per cooking session. I'll cook 2-3 different types of meats and choose various veggies and a bean of some sort as extra protein with each meal. All meals are placed in divided plastic storage plates and I take 3 to work. I eat breakfast around 7am then have a prepared meal at 10am, 1pm, and 4pm...give or take. Along with a protein shake in the a.m. and another in the afternoon. All my meats are steamed or grilled...I never fry at home. It's not that this choice of cooking is a chore to me...having an Asian mom I just ate pretty healthy anyways only having a few traditional southern foods my mother learned how to cook (pot roast, meat loft, etc). Like someone else said, McDonalds or Pizza Hut was a monthly treat.

[rdlangston13]

i eat freebirds at least once a week when i am home, thats my treat mmmmmmhhhhhhhmmmmmm freebirds!!! :o

[moombadaze]

down 2 pounds so far, 5 miles on the bikes tonight afterwork.
Does walking behind the damm lawnmower for 2 hrs count as exercise?



David, what are freebirds?

[rdlangston13]

I feel sorry for those of you who are deprived of a local Freebirds.

http://www.eatdrinksetx.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Freebirds-World-Burrito.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/rachellacy/freebirds.jpg

http://www.barryswensonbuilder.com/Portals/31359/images/restaurant%20space%20for%20lease%20san%20jose.jpg

[you da man]

i eat freebirds at least once a week when i am home, thats my treat mmmmmmhhhhhhhmmmmmm freebirds!!! :o

The Freebirds near me has too much lime in the rice. Never had that at 2 other Freebirds I've ate at. I'm kind of a Chipotle guy mtself

[rdlangston13]

The Freebirds near me has too much lime in the rice. Never had that at 2 other Freebirds I've ate at. I'm kind of a Chipotle guy mtself

too much lime in the rice???? i dont even know if my taste buds would notice such a thing. simple fix, add more other stuff to drown the limey rice out

[wolfeman131]

yeah, like a cold beer!

the Chipotle we frequent serves nice, cold suds.

[rdlangston13]

yeah, like a cold beer!

the Chipotle we frequent serves nice, cold suds.

freebirds serves beer as well. AND margaritas!

[wolfeman131]

those GIANT ones like in San Antonio?!?

that's some good looking eats. I'll have to give it a try next time I'm in TX.

[rdlangston13]

those GIANT ones like in San Antonio?!?

that's some good looking eats. I'll have to give it a try next time I'm in TX.

not as big as the Texas sized margaritas from Ritas no

[sandm]

for a weight loss thread, this sure went south quickly :)


and daze, quit rubbing it in for those of us that have not started a lawnmower in 4 months....

[rdlangston13]

just stepped on the scale this morning, it kind of hovered between 196 and 193.5 due to the seas outside so im going to say 194.5! thats like 4 lbs in a week

[kaneboats]

those GIANT ones like in San Antonio?!?

that's some good looking eats. I'll have to give it a try next time I'm in TX.

I think I'm in Dallas in early-mid Nov. for a couple of days. Have to try it out.

[kaneboats]

That reminded me of some awesome barbecue at a gas station type place in Austin. This is some good stuff. BBQ and Cold beer at the gas station. LOL!

http://rudysbbq.com/page/home

[you da man]

for a weight loss thread, this sure went south quickly :)


and daze, quit rubbing it in for those of us that have not started a lawnmower in 4 months....

Better step up the exercising and diet before your belly goes south...lol

[you da man]

That reminded me of some awesome barbecue at a gas station type place in Austin. This is some good stuff. BBQ and Cold beer at the gas station. LOL!

http://rudysbbq.com/page/home

Oh yes...Rudy's!!! A Texas favorite and great food for a chain restaurant. Parking lot is usually trailer friendly too.

[cab13367]

Along with the New Year's thing and many of us thinking about boarding shape for the upcoming season I see a few others contemplating some weight loss attempts. So, what has worked for you or others you know in the past? What is your plan? What is your goal? Dare to post your current weight and your goal weight and give progress updates.Two years ago at about this time, I weighed almost 190lbs and although I was playing basketball once a week and hockey once a week, I was also eating too much and it showed. I could also feel the extra weight slowing me down in both sports. So I made up my mind to lose 20 lbs. It’s really just simple math – a 3500 calorie deficit equals a one pound weight loss so if you burn 500 calories more each day than you eat, you will lose a pound a week.

So I downloaded sparkpeople on my iphone (free) and bought cheap a digital food scale. Using sparkpeople, I counted every calorie I consumed and every calorie I burned and set a goal for a 1000 calorie deficit per day. The sparkpeople app makes this easy because it has calorie information for just about every food imaginable, and calorie burn info for just about every activity. I also added a third cardio activity each week – running for about an hour.

It worked. I ended up losing 30 lbs pretty quick and got down to 160. I then realized that I was now too skinny so I started lifting weights again. I used to be a gym rat in my younger days but had not touched a weight in about 20 years. I signed up at a gym and started lifting weights 3X a week (upper body only) and continued to play hockey and basketball regularly, plus mountain biking and running here and there. I am now between 170-175 and in as good a shape as I was when I was in my 20’s (I am 48 ).

So that's my success story. You can do it kane!

[rdlangston13]

I think I'm in Dallas in early-mid Nov. for a couple of days. Have to try it out.

a bit far off but there is one on lovers ln and greenville ave.

[rdlangston13]

That reminded me of some awesome barbecue at a gas station type place in Austin. This is some good stuff. BBQ and Cold beer at the gas station. LOL!

http://rudysbbq.com/page/home

there is also a rudys in the woodlands and they just broke ground on one about ummmm 2 miles from my house

[cab13367]

That reminded me of some awesome barbecue at a gas station type place in Austin. This is some good stuff. BBQ and Cold beer at the gas station. LOL!

http://rudysbbq.com/page/home

I was in Austin over the holidays and we ate at that exact Rudy's at the gas station. Good stuff! We also ate at Salt Lick and I thought that was even better.

[sandm]

cab..

ex did sparkpeople and several at work using it.. great program...

[rdlangston13]

I was in Austin over the holidays and we ate at that exact Rudy's at the gas station. Good stuff! We also ate at Salt Lick and I thought that was even better.

all the rudys have gas stations

[kaneboats]

Well I was on a work trip to Austin and got talked into going there by some stuffy work guys. We walk in and there's a 40 foot tub of ice filled with different beers. I think we bonded as a team over that one.