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this is some poignant stuff here. what i am doing is basically paying attention to calories, trying to keep it under 1800 a day (which for me is a BIG drop) as well as exercise regularly. the places where i fall short are:

-i do not drink enough water
-i do drink too much caffeine
-i prefer a big dinner to a big lunch
-i do not eat often enough
-i have a snack (tho a healthy and reasonably low calorie one) after 10PM. i think this is the worst offender of them all. i have got to stop doing that!

i do think my intake is reasonable tho, lot of chicken breast, some fish and seafood, salads (with a little olive oil+vinegar), watery fruits (lots of grapefruit - i actually love it!) multigrain breads, brown rice, roasted turkey breast, etc. i could probably cut down on my salt intake. and i do allow myself one "bad" dinner a week, tho i do not do it to excess.

glad you liked the post shekky. sounds like you're on the right path.

i'll keep you posted about nighttime stuff - eating after 7 isn't recommended, but i don't know about you - i'm a nighthawk..usually working until 12 or 1 AM. I'm going to talk to the local supplement place b/c there is slow burning protein that we might be able to take at night. i have to eat something or i feel terrible in the morning (aside from the fact that as i mentioned before, the body will start to eat muscle at night to get energy as the muscle not only needs more energy, but since it has the most readily available energy, it gets 'eaten' first).

wrt to a snack, if you're not allergic to nuts, almonds are your best snack alternative if you can't have a proper one. they have the best combination of protein, carbs and fatty acids (according to my book :) i usually have a tight fistful or 2 with dried fruits (raisins, apricots etc...).

Cheers,
Keebler
 
Can I still join? I'm not looking to lose weight (well much) but I still want to keep the weight off and keep toning up (which I am doing now)
 
First off, good luck to everyone!

A couple of pointers...

1. Chew your food more than you do now...the longer you chew your food, the easier it is for your body to absorb it and the sooner your "I'm full" whistle goes off. You'll find you eat a lot less that way.

2. Drink a glass of water before you start to eat. Like Shecky mentioned, drinking water is one of the keys...but drinking before meals fills you up faster.

3. Protein Shakes and bars...depends were you are in the workout phase of your plan, but using protein shakes and bars that don't have too much sugar can help. In brief: you need protein to build muscle and you need muscle to burn fat.

4. Don't obsess on the scale #...again you need muscle to burn fat, muscle weighs more than fat...so if you are working out, don't be surprised if you scale numbers wobble a little.

5. Try to cut out white sugar, but more importantly cut out High Fructose Corn Syrup...HFCS doesn't send the same "I'm full" signals as regular sugar...that's why you end up drinking/eating more calories of a HFCS sweetened drink/candy than of one sweetened by regular sugar before you feel full.

I'd also recommend heading to the library or bookstore and leafing thru the Abs Diet book...don't waste your money buying it, it's not that complex, you can probably sit down and memorize the key points in 30 minutes. You don't have to actually follow the plan, but try and take away the simple points about nutrition and exercise.
 
A tip from someone who has lost weight: Sometimes you might mistake hunger for thirst so have a drink of water, wait and see if you are still hungry
 
My work made me sit through a two hour sales meeting today after work... serving lunch which was fried chicken and potato salad. And I was starving. I might have to make my start date tomorrow.:eek:
 
I want in.

I have been trying to get rid of less than 10 pound for 5 years, but never committed. I always sign in a gym, but lose interest after a week. Last time was 3 weeks ago. I signed a 6 months contract. Went there 4 times and stopped.

All I need is commitment and I am horrible at it. :(

My weight: 152 lb (69 kg)
Length: 173cm.

You might think I am crazy because I've got "the ideal weight for my height", but I've got a big belly. I want to get rid of it ASAP.
 
Metabolism sucks

I'm in. I used to be one of those "couldn't gain weight if I tried" people - staying at 5 foot 8 inches and 125 pounds. At 24, I jumped a whopping 60 pounds in 3-4 months. Complete change in metabolism.

I maxed out at 200 pounds, but I've stabilized at 183-185. I've been there ever since.

I actually felt really good at (and looked the best at) 150 - 155.

And my heart and lungs functioned much better before the change. I can't believe I used to be able to jog 4 miles. Of course, I was doing janitorial work then. A 16-hour a day desk job will kill you. :)

Anywho - I'm in. I've actually been working on it for a week now, starting slowly by forcing myself to drink water. (OK, so Crystal Light at half strength is helping with the taste.) And making Turkey sandwiches at work instead of eating out of a can. And kicking a ball around under my desk. ;)

Good luck to all of us!!!
 
I'm not sure if I am in, but I'll certainly cheer you all on. I've lost 33% of my weight in 11 months. I slowed down in the last 3 months due to three surgeries in those three months slowing me right down. BUT I admire those who are in this and I think you'll all do great.
 
oh... and here is my "before" pic: :D

Fat_bastard.jpeg

LOL! You must be my long lost brother! :)
 
Should I be in?

Age: 17, soon 18. April 27th to be exact
Height: 5"8
Current Weight: 155-160
Target Weight: 135-145
Target Date: May-June

Basically I want to loose my flabby stomach and tone up.

I only eat maybe two or three meals a day and then snack on little stuff like grapes. I exercise with some dumbbells in my living room and I do regular and incline push up with my feet on a couch or bed and I try to do all this 4-6 times a week. I don't really run but i'm going to start. I use to be super super skinny then in 9th grade I torn my ACL and was in the bed for months and I gained weight.

I was at 180 back in November and I don't know what i'm doing but I lost that much weight. I hoping to loose a little more weight and tone up by summer. I would like to have some muscle show so i'm considering getting some protein shakes to help with that. Any advice you would have would be great! Thanks
 
I'm in as well. I'm 5'6 and weigh 195lbs. Yes that seems like alot, but I've been lifting weights for about 8 years now so I have tons of muscle mass. I've dropped about 15 lbs already (I was at 210 ), but ideally I want to get to 175. At that weight I was pretty much ripped and in outstanding shape. I live in miami beach (In my mind the most self-conscious city in the sense of how you look) and down here image is everything. Sad, but true. I've been dating my girlfriend now for about 2 years and her mother is a personal trainer so I've heard it all about diets. Let me be the first to tell you that THE LEMONADE DIET IS A COMPLETE HOAX!. Well it does work, but in a HORRIBLE WAY. My friends do it all the time (they are models, and body builders) and people it is only a TEMPORARY weight loss solution. You lose about 15-20 lbs, but the first 6-10 is water weight, and then after the "Lemonade fast" you tend to gain back another 10 lbs. Its only good temporarily. What people dont understand is that if they wanna lose weight you need to do it the right way. And the way it starts is by changing your lifestyle. I have been in GREAT, 6-PACK AB'S SHAPE, to now having a beer belly with no abs in sight. Its all about your lifestyle. I remember that when I was in great shape I drank no cola's for like 6 months (i remember forgetting what pepsi tasted like) and the same thing went for fast food, cakes, all that junk. You forget what it taste like, so you dont crave it. I'll be real active in this thread because I feel like I know a lot about weight loss and dieting. Here are some of my tips (these have worked for me and WILL work for you):

-Losing weight is 75% diet, 15% cardio, and 10% mental

-Do cardio in the morning on an empty stomach. What happens here is that your body uses carbs first for energy, then resides to fat as the last option. In this case on an empty stomach your body will rely on fat, because there hasnt been anything in your stomach for the past couple of hours (hopefully if you didnt eat that burger or snack at 3 AM). Think about it like this as well: If you do cardio at night, your body will use ALL the carbs you've been putting in your mouth through out the day, it probably wont even get to using fat as energy.

-Drink a gallon of water a day

-Forget about all those diet-cola's, and diet this and that. They are LOADED with Aspartame. THATS why it taste "so good"

-Lower your sodium intake (Next time your in the grocery store, compare the sodium contents of a can of vegetables, to a bag of frozen vegetables.) Amazing isn't it? High sodium levels in your body retain liquid, you dont want that. ANYTHING in a can has huge AMOUNTS of sodium in it. I havent bought anything canned in 3 years. (only during hurricane season here :rolleyes: )

-Don't let your psychological needs interfere with your nutritional needs. (Please dont eat that huge bowl of ice cream when your sad, why would you do this to your body?)

-Forget about all those diet pills, they are worthless.

-Try to eat a high protein, low-carb diet. This is mother of all tips. Dont follow the atkins diet, but KIND OF look at the south beach diet. The difference between both is that the SoBe diet tells you to eat SMART carbs, where as the atkins shuts you off. Thats why you see so many people yo-yo in their weight with the atkins diet. (sorry for you veggies out there, I know NOTHING about vegetarian diets)

-Eat complex carbs, not simple carbs.

-Make your weight loss goals REALISTIC. Dont try to lose those 10 lbs in 2 weeks before that big party. Thats the wrong attitude. You need to go in this as a long-term goal rather than a short, quick fix.

-Weigh yourself with the same scale, at the same time of the day. I normally do it first thing in the morning. And this is a biggie: DONT WEIGH YOURSELF EVERY DAY!. This is a huge setup for disappointment. You have to realize that you will lose about 4-6 lbs in the first week, but remember that its water weight first. The fat loss starts coming in 2 weeks after, and it will come slow, but it will come.

-Try to eat 6 meals a day. The more frequent you eat, the faster your metabolism will go, the more weight you'll lose.

-People have lost weight before you, and people will continue to lose weight after you. So why cant YOU DO IT?

-Go the mall and buy a shirt you want to fit in a couple of weeks. It might not fit tight today, but it will fit you in the future. Look at the shirt everyday your feeling lazy and dont want to exercise or eat right.

I got so many more tips but I'm getting tired of typing. Feel free to ask me whatever questions you may have. I'm in the process of writing a blog to document my weight loss. I'll post my diet on here, and also my before and after pics. I'm not embarrassed at all. You need to face the truth.

In addition I've always had one motto to go by in weight loss. If you dont lose weight, its because YOU DONT WANT TOO. You have to be strict and dedicated. No exceptions, no excuses.

Edit: Here is my diet/routine:

- Wake up at 6:30 am, and do 30-45 minutes of cardio AND weight train.

(1) 9:00am- 1 Pocket of plain oatmeal in water , 2-4 Egg whites, 1/2 grapefruit.

(2) Noon - 1 yogurt AND ½ cup of pineapple, OR 1 PROTEIN BAR. (I try not to eat the protein bar everyday because of its high sodium content, 330 grams, but sometimes I'm running around school and its tough to sit down and eat my yogurt)

(3) 3:00pm- White meat (Chicken OR Turkey OR Fish OR Tuna)- No skin on chicken, 1/2 Sweet potato, veggies, small salad.

(4) 6:00pm- Protein shake (2 scoops) in 10oz water.

(5) 9:00pm- White meat (Fish ONLY) With salad, or veggies (Green veggies)

(6) 11:30pm (Before going to bed) - Protein shake (1 scoop) in 10oz water.

- This diet was given to me by my girlfriends mom (who is a personal trainer), and it works great. People actually pay her to write diets for them, and I get them for free =). Again this works for me, but it might not work for everyone.

-Everything in that diet that I eat is pretty consistent, instead of the 3:00 pm (Lunch) and 9:00 pm (dinner) meals. I eat chicken one day, and tuna the next, etc. I switch it around a bit. Notice how there is no red meat there? red meat retains liquid, remember thats a big no-no.

-Don't get me wrong people, that diet isnt the best tasting diet. It's not as good as that fat burger, or that huge pasta dish. But you know what, YOU NEED TO SACRIFICE. It's all about sacrifice. Put it like this, when your eating all those nasty, fat foods, they might be GREAT FOR YOU, but HORRIBLE FOR YOUR BODY. Now it's time to flip things around. That diet might be HORRIBLE FOR YOU, BUT GREAT FOR YOUR BODY. Yes, you WILL GET USE TO EATING RIGHT, and let me tell you my friends there is nothing better in this world, then FEELING HEALTHY AND BEING HEALTHY.

This is the protein shake I use. It's Champions whey protein with 28 grams of protein and 2 carbs PER SERVING. It is the BEST tasting protein shake out there (I have tried them all). Even my 4 year old niece loves it, it taste that good.

This is the yogurt I eat

These are the protein bars I eat..(when i have too)
 
Aj Muni: I'm 17 and I use to eat a lot and just ate whenever I was bored. Now I eat maybe 2 meals a day with snacks and i've been losing weight but I don't watch what I eat and I drink orange juice, water, diet cokes and i'll throw in a regular coke every now and then. How am I do this? I just don't understanding how i'm losing weight. I lift some dumbbells and push ups and ab stuff but I just don't get it. Any help man?
 
Aj Muni: I'm 17 and I use to eat a lot and just ate whenever I was bored. Now I eat maybe 2 meals a day with snacks and i've been losing weight but I don't watch what I eat and I drink orange juice, water, diet cokes and i'll throw in a regular coke every now and then. How am I do this? I just don't understanding how i'm losing weight. I lift some dumbbells and push ups and ab stuff but I just don't get it. Any help man?

Ahhh..the greatness of being young. Even though I'm 25 and consider myself old, the younger you are the faster your metabolism is. The older you get, the slower it gets, hence adults have trouble losing weight. You need to eat more frequently. Its such a huge misconception that people think "I'll only eat once today". This is wrong in so many ways. Your body is the ultimate factory. Your body requires you to feed it certain nutrients on a daily basis. If you only eat once, say that super sized mcdonalds meal, your body will hold on to all those nasty fats and carbs because you arent eating the right carbs, and your body is begging for carbs and nutrients. If you eat high fats and nasty food, your body gets used to them and starts to store them (You store that nasty saturated fat, instead of the fatty acids that are good for you, which you get from, say fish(omega-3,6). The human body is so amazing.
 
<snip long post>

Just a couple points:

The difference between complex and simple carbohydrates is actually more straightforward than you make it out to be. Complex carbs are found in grains, vegetables and so on. You'll be eating complex carbs if you have oatmeal, beans, potatoes (including fries), pasta and so on.

Simple carbs are 'free sugars'. Refined and added to processed food, see candy, soda, desserts. Basically you want to limit these, and have a good portion of your energy coming from carbohydrates.


My second point is regarding the diet you lay out in your post. Damn dude, you're bombing your kidneys and liver with protein. Your diet is almost all protein! Maybe 10-15% of the calories in a healthy diet should be protein. 1 gram of protein is 4 calories of energy.

The reason the diet 'works' is the same reason that Canadian fur trappers used to die in the wilderness from only eating rabbits. Rabbits are entirely lean (no fat) and have no other nutrition. Ultimately the body starves on a diet only of protein. Protein is used to repair muscles and other tissue (good), and then your liver converts excess protein into glucose (sugar) for energy/storage. This leaves a lot of waste products for your kidneys to deal with. There's no reason to slam your liver and kidneys like that, when you could be getting the energy from carbs.

The fact that your carbohydrate intake is so low is, IMO, nothing to be proud of. It's simply bad for your body. With that much aerobic workout in the morning, carbohydrates are the ideal fuel.

I've always felt that a well rounded diet, with a balance of carbs, protein, fruit/vegetables, allowing a little fat from time to time and limiting sweets is the key to living healthy, losing weight and being fit. Seems to me that too many people think that making drastic dietary changes is the key to losing weight, while really eating a balanced diet and slowly reducing portions will shave your weight off step by step.

(Obviously different people have different needs, but I speak generally)


I do agree, however, that the Lemonade thing is total BS. So you live on sugar for a week, somehow you're being cleansed when you take laxatives with nothing in your digestive tract? :rolleyes:
 
I have been trying to get rid of less than 10 pound for 5 years, but never committed. I always sign in a gym, but lose interest after a week. Last time was 3 weeks ago. I signed a 6 months contract. Went there 4 times and stopped.

Then go back... you've got another 5 months on the deal. Why stop now?
The trick in the gym is to make it interesting for the first few weeks. Don't try for those programs that the staff give you where you end up spending 90 minutes in there to complete it. Try going little and often - fit it into your commute home 3 or 4 times a week but get in there, work out and get back out again within the hour. It becomes a habit, you won't get home that much later since you'll miss the major bit of rush hour. Vary the machines that you use, vary the weights, consider a class. The Nike+ kit is actually fun in terms of getting you onto the treadmill and keeping you trying for goals.

AJMuni - I'd agree with some of what you're saying but not all of it. There are as many experts saying work out after eating as beforehand - the work out at night brigade say that your body eats muscle before fat if you work out first thing, the work out in the morning brigade says the opposite. I'd suggest if people are trying to get back into exercising to do whatever is most convenient to them - to help them stick to it. If you're not a morning person, getting up an hour earlier to do cardio just ain't going to happen.

I'd also disagree with the amount of protein that you're eating and your timings. You're getting up at 6.30 but not eating anything until 9. That's pretty much skipping breakfast - and you're eating very late at night assuming that you're going to bed around midnight. It's obviously working for you but I'm not sure it would go for anyone.

OutThere - there are a few more differences between complex and simple carbs. White pasta, white rice, white bread, processed potato are pretty much simple carbs - it's basic starch with little for the body to work on. Making them wholegrain so that the body has some fibre to work with makes them complex carbs.
 
Applespider & OutThere...You guys are right, my diet does seem high in protein, but I stick to whatever works, and has worked for me in the past. Remember I do have a lot of muscle mass so I do need protein. I normally eat like that during my first weeks of training, then I loosen it up a bit. The diet does seem like low carbs, but I feel like I get enough carbs from the oatmeal, grapefruit, sweet potato, veggies, and salads I eat during the day. In addition I put that diet up there so people can get an idea what healthy eating looks like. Most people want to do diet, but don't have a clue how to. I would recommend someone to wants to start to speak to their physician or nutritionist.
 
OK People - its monday AM. time to post your results:

i was down to 286.2 this AM, a total loss of 13.6 lbs so far.

how about the rest of you?
 

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Current weight: 232

My stats: 6'4", 232#

I got up to 270# 3 years ago during grad school and finally started working out again and moved it down to 250-255, where it hovered until last year when I trained for (and completed :D) a 50K run. I got down to 227, but then slacked off hard during the holidays, letting it get back up to 241.

I'm back on track now and here's my progress for the last month:
 

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Can I Join?
I really don't need to lose too much weight but a few pounds here and there couldn't hurt I guess.
Start Weight: 129.00 lbs today (3/26/07)
Goal Weight: 125.00 lbs (may change)
I actually look and feel good (I think so anyway :rolleyes: ) now but I want to get rid of some extra body fat. I am 5' 6" tall. I plan to get plenty of exercise (Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu) and eat better. I have worked pretty hard to get to my current weight from 150 lbs for a while, but I still want to join.
What worked for me was that I pretty much eat what I want (within reason of course!) but consider the portions and their size. Like they say, Everything is good in moderation!
Cheers,MM:apple:
 
OK People - its monday AM. time to post your results:

i was down to 286.2 this AM, a total loss of 13.6 lbs so far.

how about the rest of you?
You're doing great shecky!

I am at 231 down from 239 (lbs. not kilos!) I was bad all weekend, but I surfed for six hours on Saturday and that must have helped.:eek: Back to the rigid South Beach diet for the next week. I love meat!:D
 
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