Counting Calories

[stubeeef]

Well on June 4th I wieghed 220 pounds for the first time in my life, I was rapidly ballooning in to my first heart attack.

I said enough! (so did the Navy btw) And did the only thing I knew to do, count calories.

Physics 101, if I take in less calories than I use, I will use up my reserves to balance the equation. No *****! Today, after low but healthy calorie intake (many days at 800 calories or less) I am 187 pounds and falling. In 9 weeks I have lost 33#s!

I have more energy, more clothes (some are now falling off), more better times with the kids cause I'm not too tired to play.

I ate lots of fruit, took Bcomplex, a multi vitamin, a baby aspirin, 500mg C, omega3, and fiber supplements.

I feel great! and wanted to share my success. I am on the way to 165-175 pounds, nearly 50 pounds lighter, a 22% reduction in ME.

I wanted to share this, not as braging, but as hope. You see, it is one of the surest things in the universe. The sun will rise, apples fall to the ground (gravity), and less calories intake vs useage = wieght loss. It WILL work, It always will work, as long as you don't cheat yourself, lie to yourself, or kid yourself. The ONLY way it will not work is if you don't do it.

Good luck, and I applaud your efforts if you choose to try it.

 

[miloblithe]

Congratulations. I can only really imagine how hard that is to do and what discipline it takes, but I think at some point in the not too distant future I ought to find out. My bad knees would be a lot happier if they had 10-15 fewer pounds to support.

What was the baby aspirin for? Everything else sounds like the right way to do things.

 

[Frisco]

Congratulations!! That is great!

I know how hard it can be to lose weight. 800 calories a day--how the hell did you keep it so low? I always read anything under 1200 calories a day will impede your weight loss by slowing down your metabolism--so maybe what I have read is not entirely true, at least not for you. How many meals a day? Can you please give me an example of a typical days menu?

How much exercise was included, if any?

One other supplement I can recommend is Green Tea. I have heard by just drinking three cups of green tea a day you can lose 12 lbs in a year.

Any way Congrats!

 

[stubeeef]

A bowl of fresh fruit (we spent lots at the store on that) is about 150 calories.
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled (get rid of fat) with salsa is about 300 calories and very filling.
Lean Cuisine's that are 170 - 240 calories.
Light bread, light miracle whip (25calories vs 90 for mayo) and tomatos, makes a 130 calories tomato sandwhich ( a southern staple).
Gallons of water, I kid you not, I was always on the way to or from the bathroom.
I would have A cookie now and then, 2x a week. Edy's slow churn Ice, measured in a 1/2 cup scoop.
I measured lots of things, portion control is calorie control.
I never, never, never, ate anything after 7:30pm, often finished for the day btwn 5:30 and 6pm.
I never drank any calories ( a tip i got from someone here). The only calories I drank were 1 cup of coffee, 4 cal.
I did little excercise, I did not want to get hurt. I do some pushups and situps now.
If I was hungry, I would be happy, cause I knew I was losing weight at that time. I would then drink a lots of water. After salmon, chicken, or beef, I would drink 32 oz of water.
Water, water, everywhere.
Baby aspirin is something I have taken for a long time to ward off a heart attack. I will soon give it up as the omega 3's take over.

 

[iBlue]

i am actually happy you posted that - it sure makes it seem less complicated and annoying that it feels at times. diet is indeed a 4 lettered word.
i am admittedly not fat at all, but i'm originally from los angeles, where you can never be too rich or too thin so when my size 4 clothes don't fit i have a friggin hissy fit and become depressed. this is where i am currently, size 8 and that feels like twice my normal size. naturally i am made fun of for my neuroses but damnit, it's my opinion that matters.
weight does not shed off me as easily as it did years ago so i've been complacent about it all. it never comes off quickly enough either... you see:
instant gratification takes too long

but anyway, thank you - perhaps i should look at calorie intake more closely... seems more casual methods are not keeping me looking like my waify looking self.

 

[tobefirst ⚽️]

congratulations, stubeeef! Quite an accomplishment!

I've always wondered why people make losing weight so confusing with all the different diet plans and everything, when in all actuality, it's as simple as you said: expend more Calories than you consume. Granted, you want to make sure that you're still consuming all the vitamins and minerals that keep the body healthy, but it's really just an consume vs. spend equation.

The tip about not drinking calories is a great one. I love soda far too much to give it up, but even I realize how much weight I'm keeping on me by drinking regular (non-diet) soda. At 3500 Calories = 1 Pound, I probably maintain about 1 pound per week, just by drinking soda.

Again, Congratulations and keep up the good work!

(Perhaps you need to change the chocolate bar in your avatar with an apple or orange or something to reflect the weight loss!)

 

[devilot]

First off, congrats stubeef! That is quite impressive, and I am glad that you are already experiencing positive consequences; ie more energy to play w/ the kiddos, feeling better, looking better, etc.

but anyway, thank you - perhaps i should look at calorie intake more closely... seems more casual methods are not keeping me looking like my waify looking self.

I definitely know how you feel. Luckily, people up in nor-cal aren't as snobby about being thin... but you'd be so surprised at what a huge difference slightly modified behaviors will do for you. Over the course of the last two-three years (while being w/ my current bf) we both have gained over 15 pounds, mostly due to our lifestyle of eating out everyday for multiple meals and then plopping on our rears in front of the tv/comp. Enough was enough so we decided that during the school year, we would only eat out on the weekends and possibly once or twice during the weekdays. We both lost weight w/in two to three months. This tiny bit of a cutback was minor to our daily routine, but still reaped benefits.

Then you add other little modificiations (ie, no soda or if you do, diet soda), watering down fruit juices (yes, fruit is VERY high in natural sugars and calories-- which are much better than processed sugars, but calories are calories) and poof, we lost some more weight.

Hee, but summer... that's a whole 'nother ball game for us.

 

[stubeeef]

Lots to read and sift through on the web, but here are some more ideas i learned.

Cut caffine, which I did, 3 cups of coffee to 1/2 a cup. No headace either btw. Caffine hurts insulin production that you need to burn fat.

When I mix up fruit i go for as many colors as possible, grapes green and red, canalope, tangerines, pineapple, watermelon, blueberries (my fav), honey dews.

I eat lots of different foods, just not lots of food.

What do you choose to eat if you eat at night? Cookies? Pie? IceCream? Beer? Not only are these wrong choices while loosing weight, they are bad choices at night, where they are stored as fat cause you are sleeping.

I used to eat 20 cookies at night, with milk, I also had a stack of tums on my night stand. I used to eat pepcid ac too. I haven't had indegistion since June 4th btw.

 

[iBlue]

oh my god, that is not good news about caffeine! i love my morning coffee [grumbles under breath] i can cut a cup out, i drink 2 cups (big cups) but if i try to wipe it out entirely i am really exhausted all day and i get awful headaches. but, no soda or diet soda is no big deal for me. i think part of my thing might just be the nightly martinis i make myself. they are all varieties and have no calorie info other than the additives (cranberry juice, etc) i wonder... [scratches head]

(thanks devilot... we eat out a lot too i am sure this is another factor)

i get hardly any exercise, when i hear that dirty word i wash my mouth out with chocolate!
but i am also wondering if this is paramount to my success or failure. yes it SEEMS obvious but seriously, these were not factors for me in the past, i just ate a little less and stayed very skinny. (i posted a picture recently in the picture thread, almost as my motivation to be that thin again) so this is a whole new game for me, to actually have to put real effort into losing or keeping weight off.

ice cream is my favorite thing! i have been good not to eat it but the pounds are not coming off so it makes me just want to eat a whole pint of it in anger but i'll resist. i'm pissed that i can't fit into all my favorite summer clothes. i have inspiration, lets just see if i have the willpower...

well, thanks again stubeef, and congratulations on the success... i know it feels excellent. [thumbs up]

 

[devilot]

ooh, yes, how could I forget? Alcohol= empty empty empty calories!

And no, hard alcohol does not have fewer calories. Sigh.

 

[gwuMACaddict]

EXCELLENT POST! congrats on the weight loss! i've found it's hard to keep the 'after college' pounds off, working to reduce my own caloric intake as well... you'll definitely be some positive motivation

 

[iBlue]

ooh, yes, how could I forget? Alcohol= empty empty empty calories!

And no, hard alcohol does not have fewer calories. Sigh.

damn it, how could you be so mean to me?!

(been throwing lots of rocks today)

i will have to do a search and figure out what Vodka and Cointreau have, those are the two most used liquors in my house. (cosmopolitans)

why is everything that's "fun" bad for us? what a cruel joke.

 

[emw]

Awesome, stu! I was at about 195 last year, and decided it was too much for me. I'd always exercised, but with 2 small kids, it wasn't enough to fend off the crap I'd started eating.

It took a couple of months, but I worked down to about 180, which is better for my frame (I'm 6' 1"). I've managed to keep it off for the past year. Your post sums it up brilliantly - don't eat so damn much and get off your butt.

BTW - anyone else see where the Atkins company filed for bankruptcy?

 

[iBlue]

so everyone knows, (i just looked it up) ...
one ounce of hard alcohol (vodka, gin, whiskey, rum, etc) is about 70 calories
the cointreau (orange brandy of sorts) i was talking about is 80 calories per one ounce serving.

then i factor in the cranberry juice (and lime) and i think i'm making myself 300 calorie drinks every night.

i'm seriously bummed. i'd rather not eat lunch

 

[stubeeef]

so everyone knows, (i just looked it up) ...
one ounce of hard alcohol (vodka, gin, whiskey, rum, etc) is about 70 calories
the cointreau (orange brandy of sorts) i was talking about is 80 calories per one ounce serving.

then i factor in the cranberry juice (and lime) and i think i'm making myself 300 calorie drinks every night.

i'm seriously bummed. i'd rather not eat lunch

You have just conquered weight loss, the biggest thing is KNOWLEDGE! As stated in Animal House, engraved at the base of the statue of Mr Faber, "Knowlege is Good".

Once you know where the bad is in your diet, not just guess, then you can take care of it. I bet you are looking for low cal cranberry juice right now. BTW cranberry cocktail is more than cranberry juice if I remember.

It is not just the calories in alcohol that are the problem, the liver burns alcohol instead of fat for fuel. Therefore it stores the fat, making a fatty liver. But everything is moderation is how I have approached my diet.

Now and then I will open a can of veggies and eat the whole can as a meal. Or have a lean cuisine, or cook some fish or chicken. I eat all day sometimes, I have tangerines and apples out, I eat all I want.

 

[michaelrjohnson]

Ugh. I'm in the same boat. Except, over the past year, I ballooned to a whopping 250. {sigh} It sucked, still does. I've been "committing" to lose weight every week since last year. Only 2 weeks ago did I actually do it.

I determined the same thing as you: count your calories and portion your food! I'm not nearly as low as 800calories/day, but probably not far off of 1200. I consume no measureable amount of fat in a day. I stretch, do crunches, and pushups daily. 3x weekly I go for a 10+ mile bike ride (builds muscle, keeps heart rate at a steady [slightly above] fat burning level). H20.

The result? In the last 2 weeks, I have lost 6 pounds. And in my infinite geekiness, I have a spreadsheet. It plots my current weight against my "predicted" and "desired" paths to show me visual progress.

I dont' know how I'm going to do. I want to be at most 200 pounds by January 1, 2006. I'm trying to be reasonable, but I have to get this weight of now. Not for any other reason than I shouldn't have gained in the first place. I'm sick of myself looking the way I do. I have two wardrobes: "fat" and "ideal". I have to cart both wardrobes around when I move, and I just want to get rid of the "fat" wardrobe forever. (BTW, at 250, I hardly fit in my "fat" wardrobe)

I'm not sure where this post was going, but I guess I had to share.

 

[stubeeef]

dude that is great, you are on the way. I did the 800 cal thing cause I had a navy deadline to make, I made it faster than planned by 4 weeks!

You do what you are doing, it is far better to do it slower. As you know the weight comes off fast at first, you platuea some along the way, but fight through it, it is a fact, the more you stick with it the more you will lose.

keep us posted, and above all, don't lie to yourself about what you are eatting, you only cheat yourself, no one else!

 

[iBlue]

[thumbs up]

or like G.I. Joe said :"knowing is half the battle" - indeed!

sure will make me either think twice about my choices, or really enjoy them when i make the inevitable "bad choice"

thanks again man, (to everyone) this is more helpful than you know.

 

[michaelrjohnson]

dude that is great, you are on the way. I did the 800 cal thing cause I had a navy deadline to make, I made it faster than planned by 4 weeks!

You do what you are doing, it is far better to do it slower. As you know the weight comes off fast at first, you platuea some along the way, but fight through it, it is a fact, the more you stick with it the more you will lose.

keep us posted, and above all, don't lie to yourself about what you are eatting, you only cheat yourself, no one else!

Thanks for the encouragement, I appreciate it. The worst part, is that about 3-4 years ago, I did weigh what I want to weigh again. I had lost a bunch back then, but I got lazy. I never really had a plan. I'm hoping to reach my target weight (for the second time in my life) and keep it close to there. I have a more active lifestyle now, and determination. Hopefully that will keep me afloat!

 

[Lau]

I'll drink to that! Hey, also means that the alcohol will hit you harder and faster. Who could complain?

Wahey! Good stuff. There's nothing like a beer at lunchtime, before you've eaten lunch. Floaaty.....

On a (marginally) more calorie friendly point, I believe wine (preferably red) is supposed to be the best thing to drink if you're on a diet. Has health benefits and suchlike*, and isn't as sugary and calorific as beer or mixers.

*Incidentally, if this is tre, I am so healthy

 

[iBlue]

Wahey! Good stuff. There's nothing like a beer at lunchtime, before you've eaten lunch. Floaaty.....

On a (marginally) more calorie friendly point, I believe wine (preferably red) is supposed to be the best thing to drink if you're on a diet. Has health benefits and suchlike*, and isn't as sugary and calorific as beer or mixers.

*Incidentally, if this is tre, I am so healthy

well that's good news [whew] finally

i could do up some merlot mmmmm...

 

[devilot]

On a (marginally) more calorie friendly point, I believe wine (preferably red) is supposed to be the best thing to drink if you're on a diet. Has health benefits and suchlike*, and isn't as sugary and calorific as beer or mixers.

Red wine is defintely better than white (too bad for me, I hate the "fuzzy" tongue I get when I drink red). It does offer some health benefits; anti-oxidants, blah blah blah, but nothing you couldn't get from a healthier source. I just checked a couple of different sites for calrories in red wines in general; not looking too great. A medium glass (5-8 oz) has about 180 calories, the bulk of those coming from alochol (~150 calories), the rest from carbs.

 

[stubeeef]

My daughters wanted me to add this,

"We can now reach all the way around daddy when we give him a hug!"

Now that is a great reason to lose the fried cheese and icecream i have been carting around!

 

[stubeeef]

I have not once counted carbs. I do make sure I get protein, but I don't count carbs. I have alcohol on special occasions, like my wife's b-day, fourth of July I had 6!
I make allowance for special occasions and treat myself during them, just not everyday.

 

[ham_man]

800 calories?!?! 1200 calories?!?! That is borderline anorexic fellas. You could be doing yourself some severe damage. Eat lean and eat often, in small portions. But for Heaven's sakes don't starve yourself...