If by guns you mean moobs, then this is good advice.
No, I did mean guns. He has a bunch of them (hence his name), and I would not want him to go "postal" on society because of his weight problem.
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Boy does it suck being overweight
- Thread starter glocke12
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No, I did mean guns. He has a bunch of them (hence his name), and I would not want him to go "postal" on society because of his weight problem.
You really could say the same thing to people who drink soda sweetened with sugar/sucrose. I don't think corn syrup has anything to do with it.
In a can of Coke in Canada, there are 42 grams of sugar. That's like 10 packets of sugar (approximately 4 grams per teaspoon), which is ridiculous even to think about. Many people take 1 or 2 pack (1 teaspoon) in their coffee and stop because they know how bad it is when they pour the sugar in themselves. However, people seem to have no problem drinking a Coke.
I don't care how the Coke is sweetened. That is a LOT of sweetener.......far more than you can easily burn off.
Soda is not good for weight loss.
Knew a lady who stopped drinking Diet Cokes and lost over 40 pounds.
Because sodas, especially diet sodas contain so much salt in them, they retain water in your body.
I was overweight at a time, and have decided to address the matter. After I had my daughter I was at a very unhealthy weight. So I went onf a diabetic diet, with exercise. So far it did help, and I am close to wearing my old clothes again. My issue is I can't seem to get off the weight plateau that I am on, although I am losing more inches off myself than weight. So I guess that is a good sign.
As far as calorie counting, I tried it, and it didn't do me much justice. I would still eat all the bad foods and wonder why I never lost any weight, like gummi bears, and chips. So I just never bought that stuff after a while, because even with calorie counting, I was still sabotaging my success. With the diabetic diet, I can't seem to get enough calories in me, since a lot of the foods I eat now curb my appetite. I am getting pushed to eat more, but I can't seem to do it. Like I said it all works out in the end though, I am seeing some results. A lot of sugar free fluids help a lot too with weight loss
No, I did mean guns. He has a bunch of them (hence his name), and I would not want him to go "postal" on society because of his weight problem.
dont jump to conclusions. its a combination of my first and last name. last name is locke, first name begins with g, 12 is my lucky number.
I do own alot of guns though, but none of them is a Glock....haha,..
and Id never go postal....I am a non-violent individual.
Supposedly drinking diet sodas increases your cravings for sweets - so even though the sodas themselves are sugar-free, you might find yourself jonesing for a Snickers or Little Debbie.
SlasherDuff beat me to it:
Also, the high salt content is definitely not good for your body.
Good point.
good to know as i tend to drink a little more diet cola than i should
imnot overweight but im gonna break that habit
Well that's my point. His friend could have lost 20 lbs because he/she stopped drinking soda, not because he/she stopped drinking soda with HFCS.
The part about HFCS isn't really relevant. The fact is that soda, regardless of what is used to sweeten it, is bad if you want to lose weight.
As long as your kidneys are functioning fine I don't see how this is a reason to gain weight in the long term. The levels of sodium and the amount of water in the body are controlled within rather narrow limits. It's not something that changes long term under normal physiological conditions.
An increase in salt intake will most definitely lead to an increase in water retention in the short term, however both the cardiovascular system and the kidneys will quickly sense the changes in blood pressure and osmolality and excrete the excess water/sodium. The only time the water retention would be significant would be if there were some heart failure, liver failure, or kidney failure.
That's not to say that diet carbonated drinks aren't bad for you if they contain a lot of salt or indeed a high salt diet isn't bad for one's health for other reasons. It's also possible that diet carbonated drinks do cause you to gain weight (I've never seen any evidence for this but it's not my field) but I'm not sure that the mechanism you suggest is plausible given some cursory thought. It's been a while since I did physiology
!Perhaps there's a dietician or renal physician around who can explain this better.....
I'm not overweight, not even close, but I do have some issues with food (food addiction) so sometimes I do need to lose some weight. So what I can suggest is:
- Try to find food that you love but that is low in calories. it's much easier to lose weight if you're still eating food that you love.
- Experiment different types of food so that you have a lot of variety in your diet. it's much easier to go back to eating bad food if you're bored with what you're eating
- As other suggested try to exercise more, even if it's just walking a bit more. If you can and have the time for it try to find some physical activity that you really enjoy doing. for me that is dancing, so now I do 3 to 6 dance classes a week.
Counting calories is not for everyone. But the reason it works for me is because I set the number of calories I can eat in one day and if I eat more I absolutely have to work out to burn the excess calories off, no matter how tired I am when I get home or how late it is. The idea of having to work out after going to work and to college is enough to keep me from eating stuff I shouldn't eat.
- Try to find food that you love but that is low in calories. it's much easier to lose weight if you're still eating food that you love.
- Experiment different types of food so that you have a lot of variety in your diet. it's much easier to go back to eating bad food if you're bored with what you're eating
- As other suggested try to exercise more, even if it's just walking a bit more. If you can and have the time for it try to find some physical activity that you really enjoy doing. for me that is dancing, so now I do 3 to 6 dance classes a week.
Counting calories is not for everyone. But the reason it works for me is because I set the number of calories I can eat in one day and if I eat more I absolutely have to work out to burn the excess calories off, no matter how tired I am when I get home or how late it is. The idea of having to work out after going to work and to college is enough to keep me from eating stuff I shouldn't eat.
I've also recently given up diet soda, and I've found that in addition to craving sweets less often, my teeth have become whiter.
All around soda is just not good for you.
Yup, the old 80/20 rule. Very effective if you stick with it and don't over do it on the weekends.
I was reading a interesting article about Diet soda recently.
http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20050613/drink-more-diet-soda-gain-more-weight
http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20050613/drink-more-diet-soda-gain-more-weight
And you don't think it sucks being underweight? seriously I would love to be overweight for once
BTW to lose weight exercise although in the end you may weigh more as muscle weighs more than fat but it is better than nothing.
I empathise with those who struggle with their weight, both through being overweight and underweight. My top bit of advice for you (apart form the CRUCIAl aspect of eating healthily ((just do it, you know it makes sense)) is to SWIM.
To OP: I've been running Triathlons for 3 years and I've seen people turn up at my club and be, frankly, heavily overweight. But they're determined. IF you get your heart rate up to a high level and swim at this high rate for 45 minutes regularly then you WILL lose weight. Swimming is great fun, fantastic to help you get fit and it certainly will help you lose the pounds. Also, your body will burn fat just being in the swimming pool keeping you cool.
Remember, keep your heart rate up (swim hard man!) even if it's difficult at first. You will get better. Join a club, that will help. And after you've finished, eat a bowl of cereal and some fruit. Good luck!
To OP: I've been running Triathlons for 3 years and I've seen people turn up at my club and be, frankly, heavily overweight. But they're determined. IF you get your heart rate up to a high level and swim at this high rate for 45 minutes regularly then you WILL lose weight. Swimming is great fun, fantastic to help you get fit and it certainly will help you lose the pounds. Also, your body will burn fat just being in the swimming pool keeping you cool.
Remember, keep your heart rate up (swim hard man!) even if it's difficult at first. You will get better. Join a club, that will help. And after you've finished, eat a bowl of cereal and some fruit. Good luck!
And you don't think it sucks being underweight? seriously I would love to be overweight for once
I know it's a case of "the grass is always greener," but if I were underweight I could buy clothes at any department store, climb stairs without getting winded, fit in a normal-sized car comfortably, sit in a booth at a restaurant, quite possibly not have high blood pressure, type II diabetes, or sleep apnea, fly on a passenger plane without using the seat belt extension, you get the idea.
I won't take anything away from those who are underweight and don't wish to be, because honestly if you believe that it's troublesome then it probably is - but for a handful of reasons I listed above, it does make some people kinda scratch their head as to why being underweight is so bad.
Apart from the above I see your point. The above I do not fit in a normal sized car due to my height and I have high blood pressure as well.
People are undeniably different, and we're discovering more and more about genetic differences in metabolism and weight gain/loss. Some people seem to swallow whole greasy meals every other hour and still stay razor-thin, yet someone else is eating extremely moderate portions of healthy, vegetable-rich meals with low sugar and can't shed a real pound of fat.
Raven, you may want to try purchasing a "weight gainer" shake mix from a sports store. These mixes are extremely heavy on the calories without being terribly unhealthy. Also, try putting on some muscle instead of just fat if you haven't already, since muscle may grow on you even when fat won't.
ORIGINAL POSTER Hacksaw:
Hey man, I can sympathize a bit with your situation, but I've never been fat myself. I have a bit of a belly I'm trying to get rid of, but I constantly remind myself "there are millions of men who'd pay a lot of money to look like I do." I'm no model of masculine health or fitness, trust me, but I just recently started a workout plan.
I suggest muscle training. Yea, you'll feel totally out of place on those machines with your extra flab, but muscle burns calories... lots of calories. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn, and thus the more you can eat without gaining weight. Remember, you aren't there to look good for the girls or impress other guys, you're there to get into shape, feel better for yourself, and look better for yourself (primarily). Don't look at other people at first, otherwise you'll feel ashamed and want to leave. It's the same with us scrawny guys... like me.. we feel like people are laughing at us little toothpick guys trying to bench 85lbs. Over time, I was able to get that up, but it's been years since I last worked out.
Anyway, don't go for those crap shake diets or counting point systems or no-carb or any of that stuff. Research about healthy eating on the internet... research, research, research. Start finding and printing out lots of healthy recipes, and keep them in a binder. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are your best friends. Learn to make them in recipes with salsa, lemon-herb dressings, and pasta sauce. Adding rice is a quick and easy way to get some carbs in.
Workout three times a week doing muscle workouts. Your first time you might need to skip the second workout due to muscle soreness, but don't dare skip the third workout. If you can afford it, pay for a trainer at the gym and just make sure he or she knows that you aren't there to bulk up with heavy muscle, just want to get in shape through some muscle building.
Stay at it, eat healthy, even if you have to eat a lot, don't fall for those "low-fat" lies that desserts tell you -- your enemy is too many calories, no matter what kind they are, but if you have to eat them, make sure they're good calories with protein and other nutrients.
Replace all your drinks with water and tea. Avoid fruit juice, it's just like soda in terms of extra calories and sugar (just a slightly better type of sugar). Want fruit juice? Eat an orange or some grapes.
And keep alcohol consumption to a minimum! Seriously, alcohol is a huge contributor to excess fat in a lot of people. They don't have the term "beer belly" for nothing.
So, eat healthy w/o starving yourself, avoid empty calories and soft drinks, workout three times a week building muscle, do a lot of aerobic exercises you can enjoy, get a personal trainer, and stay at it.
Hard to argue with success.
Of course, this is for maintenance. To loose weight you must do more.
glocke, the most important thing is diet and exercize. I know it's tough, but make those two changes in your life, make them permanently, and you'll go back to a healthy weight. It won't happen overnight, but it will happen. You probably know already, but I'm 41, 6'3" 195# with a 32" waist. I look better now than I did in my 20s.
I recommend you talk to your doctor for advice as well as continuing what you've started already. Then find someone you either know, or someone at your gym who looks like what you want to look like, and ask them to give you advice. If you know anyone in the armed forces, they should be able to help you a lot. That's where I got advice, and it's very effective.
If you think being underweight has no health risks, you're wrong. When I weighed 142# at 26 years old, my doctor told me I was at risk for heart attack because my body was having a difficult time maintaining body temp. People would make horrible comments to my face, saying that I looked "sick". If you think being underweight is some sort of picnic, give it a try sometime. I guarantee you it's not. It's also extremely difficult to overcome. It takes years, not months- and lots of attention paid to diet and exercize. The discipline it takes is very long-term. The grass is not greener on either side, it's about the same if not brown.
I recommend you talk to your doctor for advice as well as continuing what you've started already. Then find someone you either know, or someone at your gym who looks like what you want to look like, and ask them to give you advice. If you know anyone in the armed forces, they should be able to help you a lot. That's where I got advice, and it's very effective.
If you think being underweight has no health risks, you're wrong. When I weighed 142# at 26 years old, my doctor told me I was at risk for heart attack because my body was having a difficult time maintaining body temp. People would make horrible comments to my face, saying that I looked "sick". If you think being underweight is some sort of picnic, give it a try sometime. I guarantee you it's not. It's also extremely difficult to overcome. It takes years, not months- and lots of attention paid to diet and exercize. The discipline it takes is very long-term. The grass is not greener on either side, it's about the same if not brown.
Oh it definitely is. I've (deliberately) put on 2 stone since April last year and I kinda miss being thinner, just as much as I was desperate to put the weight on last year.
I didn't eat more I just stopped walking. For years I've held off weight from 12 mile walks once a week, walking to college (3 miles away), walking to girlfriends (8 miles away). I never weighed more than 9 and a half stone.
And that's all I have to offer- more walking.