“How long can you wait to lose weight?â€

[WordsintoHarmony]

I never thought going to high school that one day I would have a problem with being over weight. In high school I maintained my body weight between one hundred and fifty five pounds to the total max of one hundred and seventy five pounds even in my early twenties my weight stayed within this perimeter.

In my mid and later twenties I was then up to one hundred eighty five pounds to one hundred and ninety five pounds. And then I got up to 204 pounds. That was in 1998. Since then I have been above two hundred plus pounds. At least being a man that is not too bad.

My weight then shifted back and forth from 205 to 225 in 2005. I was in the hospital and was on the IV. Since I was not eating much I went back to 185 pounds.

But I did not like the feeling of starving as I did in the hospital. I was in more of fear to go hungry than I was to over eat. So I ate without counting anything at all. I eventually got over three hundred and thirty something pounds. How did I get up there? One simple and yet funny answer I ate my way to this weight . Yeah you got to kind of not take this too hard. Because I think when you get older it is harder to lose weight than it is to gain weight. In that case it is a long trip on the way down losing this.

My weight has been jumping a few pounds up and a few pounds down. Now I know why it is so important with what you eat. In high school there were almost no rules. But also back then I was always on my feet active most of the day till I went to sleep. My life is not as active now and I wish it could be more active. Not having any extra money at this time is not of help. I could for example join the fitness club.

It’s tough being motivated here at home. The machines at a fitness place give me more of a reason to at least get on a stationary bike. Even at least sitting down on one of those your legs are moving about taking off calories. I like to lift weights also but I am not as propelled as I was before. As to how much I used to lift if I knew someone else who also wanted to exercise I may be a bit more eager on this.

My last weight check was three hundred and twenty four something point. The fraction of a pound is actually helpful to let me know if I need to go up or down The weight scale is only your best friend only when the scale agrees with you . What happened to Richard Simmons? Get that guy back on TV .

[FONT=&quot]How about you? Is anyone here dealing with any weight issues? What are you doing to try to keep your weight down? I mean what kinds of food and what kinds of activities do you apply to taking off the calories or fat? Whether you are succeeding or not it is ok to share this. You’re not alone at all. Being over weight is one of the most common things a person is dealing with. Even those bothered by ten or twenty extra pounds it feels better to talk about and knowing you have friends like at this forum who are also trying to work on this. Who would like to share? And sorry but no free Jenny Craig or lean cuisine offers coupons here in this discussion. Let’s talk our way of cutting down the fat.[/FONT]

 

[WIP]

I am 53. When I graduated high school I weighed about 170. I could and did eat like a horse and never gained a pound until I got into my 30's. Back in January I weighed 230+. I had hovered between 225 and 230 for years. In February I was diagnosed with type II diabetes. To combat that condition I had to make some changes in my diet and exercise plans.

My weight loss program is as follows.

I began by creating a spreadsheet to chart how many carbohydrates I consumed in my diet. Every time I ate something no matter what it was or when it was, I recorded the time and grams of carbohydrates consumed. My goal was to limit my carbs to a maximum of 45-50 grams at any one meal and a maximum of 15-20 for any one snack. This was based on three main meals per day and no more than one snack between. The basic idea is two-fold. First, limiting my total daily intake of carbohydrates to less than 200. Second, to spread the amount of total carbs throughout the day rather than ingesting them in large lump sums.

My diet also changed to include more low starch vegetables, fruit, and protein. This was done by following a visual where I divide my plate into three parts. Half of my plate is consumed by vegetables and fruit, 1/4 of my plate included protein such as lean meat, and finally 1/4 of my plate is consumed by starches such as potatoes, pasta, etc.

In addition to my dietary changes I also began to increase my regular exercise by taking a brisk walk for a minimum of 20 minutes every other day. Sometimes I'd go farther or more often but I tried my best to stick with the plan.

It worked. My weight has stabilized around 195 pounds for the past month, the weight loss coupled with my diet and exercise has stabilized my blood glucose to within normal parameters, and today my doctor told me to stop taking my medication for a while and continue my diet and exercise to control my diabetes.

Along with my blood sugar, my blood pressure has also been steadily dropping to more normal levels. Another wonderful side effect.

 

[Fembot]

Before doing anything that I or anyone else recommends, you should consult with a doctor.

I am trying to lose a little weight right now. I have started exercising again after about a year and a half of just brisk walking once in a while and standing a lot at work.

My diet includes staying away from fast food. I try to cook my meals in advance so there is no chance to spazz out and snack. I have:

Breakfast: yogurt and granola, an egg, oatmeal or some fresh squeezed juice

Lunch: a salad with chicken or shrimp, vegetable stir fry or smoothie

Dinner: a lean protein with veggies

I try to have two snacks in between those three meals. Like nuts or some fruit. The key is to have as little non processed food as possible.

My exercise routine: 30 mins or more of running 3 times a week. On the fourth day, I like taking a spinning class because it's an intense cardio workout which will help not only my heart but my body burn calories fast. Another metabolism booster is lifting weights-be careful not to over do it because you'll just bulk up and not get smaller. If you don't have a gym membership, then try elastic bands, tae bo, abs and other dvds at home with free weights.

If you want to lose weight faster, you can drink fresh squeezed juice two times for the day and have the third meal be a very well balanced low fat meal. Your last meal being had before 8 pm. My favorite juice for this is a green juice that tastes much like lemonade. I make it with spinach, kale, parsley, celery, apple, lemon and ginger. It's very energizing and tastes great. The best part is that you won't feel like you're starving yourself but you will notice a difference. This 2/3 juice diet should be done for atleast a week. Then you can have one day a week that you eat whatever you like as long as you don't carry over those bad habits to another day.

If you have any questions about these routines, then you should search youtube for videos on "fat burning foods" "super foods" low fat recipes, whole foods, juice fasting and healthy weight loss. Hope that was helpful...

Good luck to you

 

[tim-from-pa]

I think a lot of weight issues are a form of "over-weight starvation". Too much processed food and not enough basic foods with proper nutrition. And to top it off most of the advice out there, while they tell you to shun processed foods, don't seem to know such foods from some natural foods. When they hear words like "cholesterol" or "saturated fats" or "salt" they cringe like Dracula at the cross or garlic. So, I've seen mostly bad advice telling you to limit even natural foods because there "too much saturated fat" in it or whatever other bogus advice there is.

When one thinks of it, the advice out there seems to be "exercise more and stay away from ....." and they never tell you what you can eat and even if they do, I find it just as bad. Whenever we limit anything we risk deficiencies --- we need saturated fats to process fat soluble vitamins which I'll bet my next pay check many of the dieters out there are lacking in, and hey, if you lack them, you're going to get sick and be a sicker, thin person than a fat slob who has all their nutrition. Plain and simple.

I'll pick on one nutrient that many people lack in: vitamin D. Best source: Cholesterol and UVB sunshine. Hey? Isn't that what we're supposed to avoid and limit? Yes, and I'll bet that those who do are very deficient. And without vitamin D, one's going to get heart disease and cancer more easily. Why to we avoid cholesterol and sunshine and thus lack vitamin D? To prevent heart disease and cancer or course! :toofunny I never cease to be amused at those corralled at such circular reasoning and then wonder why they are still fat, sick, or whatever. It's common sense, at least to me.

 

[Fembot]

God gave us everything that we need. So, ofcourse it makes sense that natural is always going to be better!

 

[WordsintoHarmony]

Thanks for telling me about some of these diets and routines. My diet is not too bad. My weight is not climbing up any further. But it also is not going down either. I know my problem is that I need to be active. My problem with eating in the past is eating way too much over my limit. My cut in eating I am not climbing. But not being active enough the fat I do is not going away.

I wish I had some money to join the fitness club around here. I have a hard time getting and staying motivated doing these things at home. At least only if I could have a friend that was into this that came over at least for a while to exercise.

Believe it not I have been a weight lifter. It’s kind of how I got into the habit of eating a lot. But since I have not lifted for a while this kind of eating and low activity can make me gain weight easily. Now I used to have a work out partner in Calif. He still lives out there and I live over here. He makes good money and no problem for him to get to the fitness club. He also does the spin class and also likes that one. If I had a decent stationary bike at home and a treadmill I would use them. I can only do what I can for now. But as I said without not having too much it is hard to stay motivated. I got used to the idea of using machines and weights to do this. It’s kind of boring when you don’t have this stuff. And it’s kind of boring when you also don’t know anyone living around you into this. When I get back to Calif. sometime by next calendar year I will be getting back in the Gym. For now I am stuck trying to get myself worked up. This basic way even when I was growing up living in a house with a garage we had more stuff to work with for more enjoyment. Too bad there is not places that done this kind of stuff. If there is I never heard of this. Thanks again for advice your friend qwest

 

[Fembot]

Thanks for telling me about some of these diets and routines. My diet is not too bad. My weight is not climbing up any further. But it also is not going down either. I know my problem is that I need to be active. My problem with eating in the past is eating way too much over my limit. My cut in eating I am not climbing. But not being active enough the fat I do is not going away.

I wish I had some money to join the fitness club around here. I have a hard time getting and staying motivated doing these things at home. At least only if I could have a friend that was into this that came over at least for a while to exercise.

Believe it not I have been a weight lifter. It’s kind of how I got into the habit of eating a lot. But since I have not lifted for a while this kind of eating and low activity can make me gain weight easily. Now I used to have a work out partner in Calif. He still lives out there and I live over here. He makes good money and no problem for him to get to the fitness club. He also does the spin class and also likes that one. If I had a decent stationary bike at home and a treadmill I would use them. I can only do what I can for now. But as I said without not having too much it is hard to stay motivated. I got used to the idea of using machines and weights to do this. It’s kind of boring when you don’t have this stuff. And it’s kind of boring when you also don’t know anyone living around you into this. When I get back to Calif. sometime by next calendar year I will be getting back in the Gym. For now I am stuck trying to get myself worked up. This basic way even when I was growing up living in a house with a garage we had more stuff to work with for more enjoyment. Too bad there is not places that done this kind of stuff. If there is I never heard of this. Thanks again for advice your friend qwest

Run or speed walk in your neighborhood. Get kettle bells for your arms and do squats for your legs. No excuses.... I have a friend that does YouTube vids for at home workouts. Then you can do one a day at home. Let me know if you'd like the link.