Me + Poker + Drinking + The hours Im keeping = about 40 lbs overweight

[WackityWhiz]

I've put on a hefty amount in the last 3 years or so. Damn poker. I would be thrilled if I could motivate myself to lose about 40 lbs. It's definately going to be hard, but I think if I set my goal at around 2 lbs/week, I might be able to pull this off by the end of the year.

I weighed around 210 when I was in the best shape of my life. This was my sophomore year of high school. I was benching 280 and running a 4.8 40yard dash. Ever since I quit playing football, wrestling, and track, the pounds just keep coming.

And now that I don't work and just sit around and play poker and drink about 1-3 times a week, I'm finding it difficult to start my regression of lbs.

I just need to stay away from fast food and excercise a little. If any of you are overweight out there I'm sure you think about this all the time. What if you'd done 20 pushups and 50 situps every day for the last 6 months. Think of how much better you would feel.

I've tried the Atkins diet before and it's all just short term weight loss. I've never really pounded out the 2 lbs/week like I should. I'm going treat my weightloss goals just like I treat poker. Slow and steady, not gonna go for the big score right off the bat. We all know where that usually leads, no matter what you are doing.

NO FAST FOOD, LITTLE BIT O' EXERCISE, 2 LBS/WEEK TIL I LOSE 40 LBS....

[BreakfastBurrito]

2 lbs/week is a LOT. You may be able to keep that up for about 3 weeks before it becomes significantly harder. If I were you I'd just throw away the scale except for monthly check-ins. Concentrate on what you talked about, improving diet and exercising more. Working towards a fitness goal like say running a 10k in 50 minutes may be better than setting a weight goal.

[WackityWhiz]

thx ... god I'm so hungry looking at your avatar...

/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[swede123]

The burrito is correct. 2 lbs per week is not sustainable unless you are massively obese. Really aim towards better dietary habits, which include less drinking (alcohol has sooo many calories), and work your way up to a steady exercise regiment. As someone who used to be very athletic it may be hard to begin by taking long walks or riding an exercise bike for 30 mins at a time, but what you need is exercise that you don't mind doing day in and day out for a long time, so you don't want to burn yourself out by trying to run ten miles the first week you're going at it.

Good luck,

Swede

[Popinjay]

You need 3 things (in order of importance)

1- proper diet
2- weight training
3- aerobics

[ceyoung]

2lbs/week is very attainable. most people actually recommend that as a good goal to set for yourself.

[Alobar]

[ QUOTE ]


I've tried the Atkins diet before and it's all just short term weight loss. I've never really pounded out the 2 lbs/week like I should. I'm going treat my weightloss goals just like I treat poker. Slow and steady, not gonna go for the big score right off the bat. We all know where that usually leads, no matter what you are doing.

NO FAST FOOD, LITTLE BIT O' EXERCISE, 2 LBS/WEEK TIL I LOSE 40 LBS....

[/ QUOTE ]

You definately are on the right track. Dont waste any time on a stupid fad diet. Its s simple numbers game, calories in vs. calories out.

2lb/week (and have it all be fat) is actually a really tough and is the like the maximum fat loss you can realisitically expect to lose. So if you cant quite keep that pace, dont get down on yourself.

The biggest thing you can do, is quit eating crap. When you learn how many caloires are in soda and fast food compared to normal food, you will be amazed. So cutting these out from your diet is key. Its hard at first, but once you go like a week or two, you wont even miss it. (note: and dont replace fastfood with frozen pizzas and TV dinners, these are just as bad. Its time for some actual cooking to be done).

Exersise. Anything is better than nothing, but focus on areobics. Pushups and situps are good, but they wont help with weightloss. Cycling is one the best (if not the best) way to aerobic exersise. If you dont have a bicycle or access to a stationary, youve always got the option for walking/jogging. Which ever route you go, start out with a time you can easily manage. Say like "I will walk/run/ridebike/whatever for 15 minutes". Then after a few times, add 5 minutes to that total, then after a few times 5 more minutes, and so on. Ideally you want to work up to doing at least an hour at least 4 times a week.

Also importnat tho is you have to allow yourself a chance to cheat. Pick a day, and have that day be the one day a week you let yourself eat something thats forbidden by your diet. Dont be stupid and order like 15 large pizzas and eat them all (thats exactly the behavior that allowing yourself to cheat once in a while, helps you avoid).

You sound like you are pretty mentally ready tho, and realize that slow and steady wins the race, and its something thats going to take some time. So just hang in there, dont get down on yourself, and good luck!

[Anders_G]

Replace all beverages with water and exercise 30min a day (this can be something as simple as walking). A guy i know dropped 20kg this way in only a few months.

[Rushmore]

I have found that I am willing to do infinitely more aerobic exercize if I am able to do something else at the same time.

I find myself most effective when I make sure that my DVR (Tivo, whatever) is set to record some of my favorite stuff, then I can get on the treadmill or whatever while I get caught up on NYPD Blue, Law and Order, or Tom Goes To The Mayor.

I think the attention distraction makes the time go a lot faster.

Also, you may want to try phenylalanine or tyrosine, which are amino acids which have had a great effect on me. They give you a boost in energy and suppress the appetite a little bit, at least for me.

Good luck.

[Alobar]

[ QUOTE ]
2lbs/week is very attainable. most people actually recommend that as a good goal to set for yourself.

[/ QUOTE ]

There are 3500 calories in one pound of fat. To lose 2 lbs of fat in a week you have to have a 7000 calorie differential, or 1000 calories a day. 1K calories a day is a big difference. One your body notices. If you start to go higher than 1K a day, your body goes into starvation mode and starts burning other things besides fat for energy, which isnt good and definately inst good in terms of a trying to lose body fat.

[BreakfastBurrito]

2 lbs/wk is a 1,000 calorie/day imbalance which is a lot to be maintaining indefinitely. That may be a good goal for someone who wants to take off 10 pounds in 5-6 weeks, but for someone who wants to lose 40 the rate will have to drop to about 1 lb/wk at some point. 2 lbs/wk was the goal the doctors set for my aunt after having her stomach stapled.

[WackityWhiz]

I'm 20, moving away from home in August. I'll be responsible for buying my own food. Right now I live with my grandparents and I'd be lying if I told you there weren't snacks available 24/7.

I'm a big hamburger fan, I'll probably be grilling out a lot. Prob eat a lot of chicken breast, pork chops, and hamburgers. I wouldn't be surprised if I fixed spaghetti once every week or two. I'm going to add a lot of fruit and vegetables to my diet as well.

My diet now consists of...

Frozen pizza

McDonalds (Jack Black Special) - for those of you who haven't heard of this... you have to buy a double cheeseburger, mcchicken, value fry, and sweet and sour sauce. You have to peel the double cheeseburger in half so you have 1 piece of bread and 1 piece of meat on each side. You then put some french fries on top of each patty. You Then stick the entire McChicken in between the two halves of double cheeseburger. Then you dunk it in sweet and sour sauce. The sandwich should look like this... bread, patty, fries, bread, mcchicken, bread, fries, patty, bread. Now that's a sandwich.

Delivery Pizza
Grilling out
Fried Chicken
The occasion 'crock-pot' meal with pork, gravy, potatoes that my grandma loves to make
Chips

I would say I eat 5 pizzas a week on average. I realize this is NOT GOOD. I have a lil less than 2 months b4 I move out, maybe you guys could help me choose a better diet.

[turnipmonster]

yeah this is huge. my dad goes to this gym where they have a movie theatre with a bunch of treadmills instead of seats. very cool idea, especially for winter distance training which can be super boring.

[Alobar]

[ QUOTE ]
yeah this is huge. my dad goes to this gym where they have a movie theatre with a bunch of treadmills instead of seats. very cool idea, especially for winter distance training which can be super boring.

[/ QUOTE ]

wow, thats pretty kickass. Ive never heard of that before. does the place stay busy??

[turnipmonster]

yeah, it's not like a full size theatre but just basically a big room inside a gold's gym. they have a big movie screen in there though, it's very cool. I would love to have something like that but in nyc any gym that had it would be a million a month.

[Dangergirl]

[ QUOTE ]

Also importnat tho is you have to allow yourself a chance to cheat. Pick a day, and have that day be the one day a week you let yourself eat something thats forbidden by your diet. Dont be stupid and order like 15 large pizzas and eat them all (thats exactly the behavior that allowing yourself to cheat once in a while, helps you avoid).


[/ QUOTE ]
This is a great point and something you should most definitely do. It allows you to get the cravings out of your system and maintain your diet much longer.

Something else you might want to do is take your measurements with a measuring tape. Measure the chest, waist, arms, and legs. I say this only because sometimes your weight can mislead you, and you will lose only inches. Remember that muscle weights more then fat. The measuring tape is your friend.

[Alobar]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

Also importnat tho is you have to allow yourself a chance to cheat. Pick a day, and have that day be the one day a week you let yourself eat something thats forbidden by your diet. Dont be stupid and order like 15 large pizzas and eat them all (thats exactly the behavior that allowing yourself to cheat once in a while, helps you avoid).


[/ QUOTE ]
This is a great point and something you should most definitely do. It allows you to get the cravings out of your system and maintain your diet much longer.

Something else you might want to do is take your measurements with a measuring tape. Measure the chest, waist, arms, and legs. I say this only because sometimes your weight can mislead you, and you will lose only inches. Remember that muscle weights more then fat. The measuring tape is your friend.

[/ QUOTE ]

good idea. Also you may even want to take some pictures of yourself, that way youve got something to compare to in the future, it really helps with motivation when you can see how you used to look, and see how far youve come. Staring in the mirror everyday the change is so gradual you wont notice it, a picture can make the change very obvious and striking.

[-Skeme-]

[ QUOTE ]
What if you'd done 20 pushups and 50 situps every day for the last 6 months. Think of how much better you would feel.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm pretty sure this will do nothing towards losing weight. In fact, you'll add muscle. Doing pushups will build your arms up and situps will just put a layer of muscle over the fat. Not the way for a 6 pack. Cardio and eating properly is the way to go. I need to start running and cut out McDonalds.

I agree with the cheat day. It's a good idea. I've also heard eating lots of egg whites is great, too.

[Dex]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
What if you'd done 20 pushups and 50 situps every day for the last 6 months. Think of how much better you would feel.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm pretty sure this will do nothing towards losing weight.

[/ QUOTE ]

Wrong.

[ QUOTE ]
In fact, you'll add muscle.

[/ QUOTE ]

That is a good thing.

[-Skeme-]

Just doing pushups and situps will not cut your weight. I am nearly 100% sure you will JUST add muscle over your fat. And that is NOT a good thing. If you want to lose weight, adding muscle is not the answer, muscle weighs more than fat. Cardio and eating properly will reduce your weight, then lifting and doing pushups will add on muscle. I curl and press weights over my head, along with pushups, but I haven't lost weight at all. I'm still the same, just have stronger and more muscular arms.

[Ulysses]

First thing: Stop drinking sodas.

Second thing: Stop drinking alcohol. Or at least try your best to minimize this.

Reduce your intake by 2 pints of beer and 2 cokes per day and that's 600 calories per day you're getting rid of.

[-Skeme-]

How many calories are in one can of pop?

[Dex]

[ QUOTE ]
Just doing pushups and situps will not cut your weight. I am nearly 100% sure you will JUST add muscle over your fat. And that is NOT a good thing.

[/ QUOTE ]

Pushups and situps are exercise. Exercise burns calories.

Adding muscle will cause your body to burn more calories even when you're not exercising.

[ QUOTE ]
If you want to lose weight, adding muscle is not the answer, muscle weighs more than fat.

[/ QUOTE ]

Depends on your goals. Instead of indiscriminately "losing weight", perhaps a better goal would be "increasing the ratio of muscle to fat".

Anyway, if you were 300 lbs. at 4% bodyfat, I doubt anyone would say that you need to lose some weight. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Ulysses]

[ QUOTE ]
McDonalds (Jack Black Special) - for those of you who haven't heard of this... you have to buy a double cheeseburger, mcchicken, value fry, and sweet and sour sauce. You have to peel the double cheeseburger in half so you have 1 piece of bread and 1 piece of meat on each side. You then put some french fries on top of each patty. You Then stick the entire McChicken in between the two halves of double cheeseburger. Then you dunk it in sweet and sour sauce. The sandwich should look like this... bread, patty, fries, bread, mcchicken, bread, fries, patty, bread. Now that's a sandwich.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hard to believe you're fat.

[Ulysses]

[ QUOTE ]
How many calories are in one can of pop?

[/ QUOTE ]

I think about 150 in a can of coke. I'm sure the answer is readily available via Google.

[Alobar]

[ QUOTE ]
How many calories are in one can of pop?

[/ QUOTE ]

I think a 12 once can of soda has 150 calories

[Dangergirl]

[ QUOTE ]

good idea. Also you may even want to take some pictures of yourself, that way youve got something to compare to in the future, it really helps with motivation when you can see how you used to look, and see how far youve come. Staring in the mirror everyday the change is so gradual you wont notice it, a picture can make the change very obvious and striking.

[/ QUOTE ]
Alobar, again another great idea. Your pictures should keep you motivated throughout this thing. Especially when you start to see improvements.

[-Skeme-]

[ QUOTE ]
Pushups and situps are exercise. Exercise burns calories.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, but how many? If you are still eating the same and drinking loads of alcohol and soda, you aren't going to lose weight. What little calories are burned by your muscle will surely be added back on by your horrible eating habits.

[Alobar]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Just doing pushups and situps will not cut your weight. I am nearly 100% sure you will JUST add muscle over your fat. And that is NOT a good thing.

[/ QUOTE ]

Pushups and situps are exercise. Exercise burns calories.

Adding muscle will cause your body to burn more calories even when you're not exercising.

[/ QUOTE ]

Meh, the effect isnt much, and is more propaganda than anything. Im not saying you shouldnt lift weights (because you definately should), but as far as weight loss is concered lifting weights should be ranked way way way way lower than aerobics on the list of importance.

[-Skeme-]

I drank like 60 pops in the last month or so. I didn't put on any weight. I've stayed the same for a while. I'm about 5'7 and 150. Arms are somewhat muscular, legs are muscular, just getting a big gut. Sitting around playing poker and only eating fast food + food that comes in packages isn't good.

[partygirluk]

[ QUOTE ]
How many calories are in one can of pop?

[/ QUOTE ]

Coke has 41 caleries per 100 ml. So one 330ml can has 144.3 or so calories. Diet coke has 1 cal per can. So if switch two cans of coke per day for diet coke, that will lead to ~ 3/5 lb less weight gain/more weight loss per week. (3500 cal = 1 lb).

[-Skeme-]

I'll never drink Diet Coke. I should switch to juice or water. Let's say I run 15 minutes a day, 7 days a week. Either every week or every run, I add a little bit of length to my run. I eat 2 pieces of wheat toast, with butter, and juice for breakfast. Then I eat a lunch of like, celery or some sht. And dinner I eat something good for me, too. I'll also continue to lift weights and jumpwrope for certain periods of time each day. These periods are yet to be determined. Can I expect to lose a decent amount of weight?

[tbach24]

[ QUOTE ]
I'll never drink Diet Coke. I should switch to juice or water.

[/ QUOTE ]

Juice = Soda + vitamin

[-Skeme-]

Not all.

[Alobar]

[ QUOTE ]
I'll never drink Diet Coke. I should switch to juice or water. Let's say I run 15 minutes a day, 7 days a week. Either every week or every run, I add a little bit of length to my run. I eat 2 pieces of wheat toast, with butter, and juice for breakfast. Then I eat a lunch of like, celery or some sht. And dinner I eat something good for me, too. I'll also continue to lift weights and jumpwrope for certain periods of time each day. These periods are yet to be determined. Can I expect to lose a decent amount of weight?

[/ QUOTE ]

if you can stick to that, then yeah.

FYI, running burns roughly 600+ calories an hour. So a 15 minute run everyday for a week will burn about a 1/3 of a pound of fat a week.

and yeah like tbach said, juice isnt really any better for you than soda from a weight loss standpoint. Learn to love water.

[Dex]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Pushups and situps are exercise. Exercise burns calories.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, but how many? If you are still eating the same and drinking loads of alcohol and soda, you aren't going to lose weight. What little calories are burned by your muscle will surely be added back on by your horrible eating habits.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, yeah.

If you consume a massive amount of calories, you will gain weight. If you consume a massive amount of calories but do a few pushups and situps each day, you will still gain weight, albeit at a slightly slower rate.

The pushups and situps are exercise; they will burn calories and probably build some muscle. Whether this means that...
- you were losing weight; now you're losing it faster
- you were stable; now you're losing weight
- you were gaining weight; now you're stable
- you were gaining weight quickly; now you're gaining it slower
...depends on other factors, including your food/drink intake.

[-Skeme-]

Sounds good. I need to fine tune my diet and what I'll be eating. Some juice is good for you, right? Doesn't tomato juice or V8 offer lots of good stuff?

[BigD226]

[ QUOTE ]

My diet now consists of...

Frozen pizza

McDonalds (Jack Black Special) -

Delivery Pizza
Grilling out
Fried Chicken
The occasion 'crock-pot' meal with pork, gravy, potatoes that my grandma loves to make
Chips

I would say I eat 5 pizzas a week on average.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, definitely not good. The "Jack Black Special" alone probably accounts for all the calories you should be consuming in one day. If you were even just a little older, this sort of diet would've added on a LOT more than 40 lbs.

Someone already mentioned replacing all beverages with water...this a great first step. I would aim for at least 2 liters of water a day, maybe something like Crystal Light once in awhile to break up the monotony. Diet soda technically has no calories, but its not going to help you lose weight nor is it really beneficial to your health, so stay away.

Of course you should focus on bringing your calories down, but the main thing you need to do is bring your PORTIONS down and spread them out throughout the day. You don't have to starve yourself, in fact you should eat 5 SMALL meals a day with equal servings of protein and complex carbs, and keep it low fat. By a small meal I mean something like a 4 oz piece of grilled chicken, half a baked potato or small serving of rice, and some veggies.

You're gonna need to cut out the pizza, McDonalds, and heavy comfort foods altogether, except for on a designated cheat day once a week. The cheat day isn't a license to eat 3 pizzas or 6 hamburgers...eat whatever you want but be reasonable. Make your cheat day on the diet your only day off from exercising too.

Grilling out is a great idea, as long as it isnt hamburgers. Skinless chicken and just about any kind of fish will do. If you really crave a burger try out some bison or a turkey burger.

Cardio/aerobics are fine, but if you really want to lose fat permanently and feel better, you need to weight train. Not half-assing either, you need a structured program thats basic and intense and targets every area of the body equally. Don't be one of those meatheads that trains only the chest and biceps a few times a week and totally ignores his legs. Adding lean muscle mass will make you burn fat a lot faster and more efficiently.

Weight train 3 days a week, mixed with about 20-30 minutes of cardio 3 times a week, eat the 5 small meals, drink a ton of water, and you'll notice a difference pretty quick. Not just in your physique, but your overall health, energy, and mental well-being.

[TStoneMBD]

skeme im sorry to say this, but you dont know what youre talking about. youre not helping this guy by your posts in this thread.

[-Skeme-]

[ QUOTE ]
Not half-assing either, you need a structured program thats basic and intense and targets every area of the body equally.

[/ QUOTE ]

Is there anyway to develop a structured program to follow intently without the aid of a costly personal trainer?

[-Skeme-]

[ QUOTE ]
skeme im sorry to say this, but you dont know what youre talking about. youre not helping this guy by your posts in this thread.

[/ QUOTE ]

Just repeating what I've heard from personal trainers who do this for a living. I said just doing situps and pushups, while still eating horrendous foods like OP does, is not going to make you lose weight. I also said cardio and eating healthy is the way to shed pounds. Running, jumping wrope, riding a bicycle are excellent choices. Are you debating this?

[Alobar]

[ QUOTE ]
Sounds good. I need to fine tune my diet and what I'll be eating. Some juice is good for you, right? Doesn't tomato juice or V8 offer lots of good stuff?

[/ QUOTE ]

Meh. Im biased because water actually happens to be my favorite drink, so I dont get why people cant stand it.

So my biased person opinion is this. I think a can of v8 has 80 calories. Youd be way better off simply getting a good multivitamin, which is going to do alot more for you than a can or two of v8 juice. And save the calories you are wasting by drinking v8 juice (or any juice) and just drink water.

IMO, the single biggest thing most people could do to further weight loss would be to have the only drink they consume be water.

[tbach24]

V8 (http://www.v8juice.com/nutrition.aspx)

[Alobar]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Not half-assing either, you need a structured program thats basic and intense and targets every area of the body equally.

[/ QUOTE ]

Is there anyway to develop a structured program to follow intently without the aid of a costly personal trainer?

[/ QUOTE ]

the bookstore (or library) is your friend. You can get the info from the internet was well, but I think you are better of and much faster just going and reading some books, as for whatever reason its hard to find a concentrated area of information on the internet when it comes to this subject. (at least in my experience)

[tbach24]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Sounds good. I need to fine tune my diet and what I'll be eating. Some juice is good for you, right? Doesn't tomato juice or V8 offer lots of good stuff?

[/ QUOTE ]

Meh. Im biased because water actually happens to be my favorite drink, so I dont get why people cant stand it.

So my biased person opinion is this. I think a can of v8 has 80 calories. Youd be way better off simply getting a good multivitamin, which is going to do alot more for you than a can or two of v8 juice. And save the calories you are wasting by drinking v8 juice (or any juice) and just drink water.

IMO, the single biggest thing most people could do to further weight loss would be to have the only drink they consume be water.

[/ QUOTE ]

Agreed. You can take multi-vitamins to make up for the lack of vitamins in your water. Also, eating fruits instead of potato chips is good.

[Alobar]

[ QUOTE ]
V8 (http://www.v8juice.com/nutrition.aspx)

[/ QUOTE ]

wow, talk about a total propaganda page, heh.

[tbach24]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
V8 (http://www.v8juice.com/nutrition.aspx)

[/ QUOTE ]

wow, talk about a total propaganda page, heh.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, I didn't notice anything I didn't already know. Haven't the FDA came out and said that the food pyramid sucks?

[BigD226]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Not half-assing either, you need a structured program thats basic and intense and targets every area of the body equally.

[/ QUOTE ]

Is there anyway to develop a structured program to follow intently without the aid of a costly personal trainer?

[/ QUOTE ]

Definitely. There are a number of programs freely available on the internet, and there are some good books out there. Do some research.

For example, if you can look past the advertising for his overpriced supplements, Bill Phillips' book "Body for Life" has an awesome weightlifting/cardio program, especially if you're just starting out.

[-Skeme-]

Okay, so research seems to be the key. I'll try and rent that book.

Also, are these foods bad?

-Kraft Macaroni & Cheese
-Celery w/ peanut butter
-Progresso chicken noodle soup (too much sodium?)
-Toast w/ a little butter (or w/ honey)
-Bagel with cream cheese
-Cracklin' oat bran (I hear Cheerios w/ strawberry is good)
-Peppered turkey sandwhiches (mayo, mustard, lettuce, wheat bread)

What foods do you guys normally eat? Thanks.

[tbach24]

Mac & Cheese and Bagel w/ cream cheese are the only one's that jump out as bad to me.

Edit- at school I gained 20 pounds because I basically ate everything I ever wanted. Like you, I initially only grew a gut, but soon the fat grew in other places.

I now lift 3-4x a week and run everyday.

My diet is like:
breakfast: eggs or some healthy cereal (HNC)
i have a couple snacks until dinner (popcorn, fruit, bagel w/o topping or something like that)
dinner: salad and something like fish or chicken

edit- if you're going to have some type of bread product, wheat >>> white, although I have no clue why

[WackityWhiz]

[ QUOTE ]

Weight train 3 days a week, mixed with about 20-30 minutes of cardio 3 times a week, eat the 5 small meals, drink a ton of water, and you'll notice a difference pretty quick. Not just in your physique, but your overall health, energy, and mental well-being.

[/ QUOTE ]

yeah, I made a promise to myself that I would eat zero fast food for a month (that was on june 4th) I'm going to stick with this goal too. I have a membership to the ymca that I don't use much, I'm going to start going there.

Right now I'm 5'10" 255lbs. I still have a rather muscular body structure, just have gained a lot of weight. I'm really confident that I can get down to 210-215 by the end of the year. I will feel SOOOOO much better about myself. I'm sure the gf will be happier as well, since we met when I was a junior in high school and I was in shape then.

I'm definately going to use the measuring tape as well as take pictures.

If i do happen to start losing, I'll post my before and after pics of my ::cough cough:: dead sexy ::cough cough:: body /images/graemlins/cool.gif

my measurements as of now are...

left bicep flexed = 16 inches
right bicep flexed = 16.5 inches
chest = 47 inches
waist (around stomach) = 47 inches- this number disgusts me
hips/ass = 46 inches - disgusting
left thigh flexed - 27 inches
right thigh flexed - 28 inches

[-Skeme-]

I think I'll keep a log of my eating habits, excercises and weight at the end of the day, too.

[turnipmonster]

cracklin' oat bran and mac and cheese are both very fattening. stick to whole grain cereals with not much fat, just look at the labels and compare. if you really want to do it right you should make your own granola.

also, if you eat the non powdered kind you can get mac and cheese made with 2% milk instead of whole which has like 1/2 the fat and tastes the same. reduced fat peanut butter tastes the same as well (at least to me).

--turnipmonster

[-Skeme-]

Damn, that sucks. Cracklin Oat Bran is my passion in life. What about Honeycomb?

[TStoneMBD]

no im not debating this, because you changed your standpoint by twisting your words. you originally said that doing situps and pushups wont help you lose weight, but will only add a layer of muscle on top of the fat, and that muscle weighs more than fat so that doing situps makes you gain more weight.

this is ridiculous. firstly, we arent talking about weight. we are talking about fat. the guy wants to look better and be in better shape. hes not trying to make the lightweight division. secondly, doing situps is not going to add a layer of muscle ONTOP of fat. it takes fat and turns it into muscle. this means that he has less fat to burn and when he does burn the fat he will look much better. muscle also burns fat because more oxygen is pumped there.

[Alobar]

[ QUOTE ]

-Kraft Macaroni & Cheese

[/ QUOTE ]
yeah, this is a no brainer /images/graemlins/smile.gif
[ QUOTE ]
-Celery w/ peanut butter

[/ QUOTE ]
notyhign wrong withthis, tho peanutbutter is fattening so dont over do it (its the good kind of fats, but its still something you want to moderate)

[ QUOTE ]
-Progresso chicken noodle soup (too much sodium?)

[/ QUOTE ]

quit eating food from a can or packet

[ QUOTE ]
Bagel with cream cheese

[/ QUOTE ]
definately lose the cream cheese
[ QUOTE ]
-Cracklin' oat bran (I hear Cheerios w/ strawberry is good)

[/ QUOTE ]
duno, never heard of it, is it cereal?
[ QUOTE ]
-Peppered turkey sandwhiches (mayo, mustard, lettuce, wheat bread)

[/ QUOTE ]
lose the mayo

[ QUOTE ]
What foods do you guys normally eat? Thanks.

[/ QUOTE ]

Im pretty boring and eat the exact same thing for breakfast everyday. A bowl of oatmeal, with a slice of peanut butter bread, and a glass of OJ (the one time I drink something that isnt water). I do all my own cooking. grill lots of chicken (george forman grill is the [censored]), I eat lots of rice and pasta. Ill get meats from the deli (the actual counter, not the prepackaged crap) and eat sandwiches. I eat eggs. I grill porkchops and fish. Ive got a lowfat cookbook that I make meals out of. Cooking gets hyped as being hard, but its really really simple, much cheaper and way better for you than the alternatives.

[Jeff W]

[ QUOTE ]
I'll never drink Diet Coke.

[/ QUOTE ]

Try diet pepsi and diet dr pepper. I was a horrible sugar soda addict(as much as 12 cans/day at my "peak") for my entire life and I refused to drink diet soda. I switched to diet earlier this year. It can be done.

[WackityWhiz]

here is how I looked when I was in the best shape of my life...

www.xanga.com/wackitywhiz (http://www.xanga.com/wackitywhiz)

would really like to get back to that... but I'd settle for anything close.

[-Skeme-]

[ QUOTE ]
you changed your standpoint by twisting your words.

[/ QUOTE ]

No, I didn't. I've been told by more than one physical trainer that just doing situps will just make your stomach stronger, not get a 6 pack. I don't know if it's true, I'm just saying that it's what I've been told. I didn't literally mean a huge muscular stomach acting as a defense shield for your layer of fat. I meant it'll turn into a strong stomach, just not lean and muscular like a 6 pack.


[ QUOTE ]
firstly, we arent talking about weight. we are talking about fat. the guy wants to look better and be in better shape.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm pretty sure he said he's already still somewhat muscular and strong, but he's just gained a lot of weight. His goal was to lose weight, and I said just doing situps and pushups won't do that, you'll add muscle. Doing lots of pushups will tone your arms, but I don't think they'll make you drop weight.

[TStoneMBD]

right now i pretty much eat quiznos every day, but im pretty certain its healthy for me. their online website doesnt have a good nutritional facts page, but i think its low calorie. i get the chicken carbonara every day, which is grilled chicken breast, mushrooms, bacon and a little bit of cheese with lowfat alfredo sauce on wheat bread.

[-Skeme-]

[ QUOTE ]
Try diet pepsi and diet dr pepper. I was a horrible sugar soda addict(as much as 12 cans/day at my "peak") for my entire life and I refused to drink diet soda. I switched to diet earlier this year. It can be done.

[/ QUOTE ]

Have you lost any weight from the switch?


[ QUOTE ]
Im pretty boring and eat the exact same thing for breakfast everyday. A bowl of oatmeal, with a slice of peanut butter bread, and a glass of OJ (the one time I drink something that isnt water). I do all my own cooking. grill lots of chicken (george forman grill is the [censored]), I eat lots of rice and pasta. Ill get meats from the deli (the actual counter, not the prepackaged crap) and eat sandwiches. I eat eggs. I grill porkchops and fish. Ive got a lowfat cookbook that I make meals out of. Cooking gets hyped as being hard, but its really really simple, much cheaper and way better for you than the alternatives.

[/ QUOTE ]

I should look into these lowfat cookbooks.


[ QUOTE ]
here is how I looked when I was in the best shape of my life...

www.xanga.com/wackitywhiz<br (http://www.xanga.com/wackitywhiz<br) />
<hr /></blockquote><font class="post">[/url]

[/ QUOTE ]

Damn, pretty buff.


[ QUOTE ]
right now i pretty much eat quiznos every day, but im pretty certain its healthy for me. their online website doesnt have a good nutritional facts page, but i think its low calorie. i get the chicken carbonara every day, which is grilled chicken breast, mushrooms, bacon and a little bit of cheese with lowfat alfredo sauce on wheat bread.

[/ QUOTE ]

I eat Subway a lot. The roasted chicken is my meal, I think it's the most fattening, though. I hear Quiznos is great, but none are around me.

[Ulysses]

[ QUOTE ]
quiznos every day ... i get the chicken carbonara every day

[/ QUOTE ]

(description from Quizno's)

Chicken Carbonara
Chicken, bacon, mozzarella, mushrooms, Creamy Bacon Alfredo Sauce

I suspect that is a lot worse for you than you think.

[Alobar]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
quiznos every day ... i get the chicken carbonara every day

[/ QUOTE ]

(description from Quizno's)

Chicken Carbonara
Chicken, bacon, mozzarella, mushrooms, Creamy Bacon Alfredo Sauce

I suspect that is a lot worse for you than you think.

[/ QUOTE ]

yeah but its toasted. That makes up for it right?

[tbach24]

also, eat boca burgers instead of reg hamburgers. theyre vvvvvvvvvvv good

[BigD226]

[ QUOTE ]
Okay, so research seems to be the key. I'll try and rent that book.

[/ QUOTE ]

The book I mentioned also has some solid diet guidelines, fyi.

[ QUOTE ]
Also, are these foods bad?

-Kraft Macaroni & Cheese

[/ QUOTE ]

Terrible.

[ QUOTE ]
-Celery w/ peanut butter
-Progresso chicken noodle soup (too much sodium?)

[/ QUOTE ]

Not too bad...go light on the peanut butter. Soup does have a lot of sodium, at least the canned ones, but as long as you're not eating it every single day it should be ok. If you really like soup and aren't addicted to Progresso, try Campbell's Chunky for canned soup (usually has more meat, therefore more protein), or try to find some homemade recipes that include a lot of chicken and vegetables.

[ QUOTE ]
-Toast w/ a little butter (or w/ honey)
-Bagel with cream cheese

[/ QUOTE ]

Bagels are awful for you, and cream cheese should be obvious. Toast is fine, but avoid white bread. I've found the newer "light" breads are actually pretty good...they're lower carbs and only like 40 calories a slice. Either way, go for wheat or multigrain bread for toast and sandwiches.
Butter is high in calories, so you need to use it sparingly...if you've never tried it before, try a substitute like I Can't Believe its not Butter...they're actually not bad at all. Low fat cream cheese is ok once in a while too.

[ QUOTE ]
-Cracklin' oat bran (I hear Cheerios w/ strawberry is good)
-Peppered turkey sandwhiches (mayo, mustard, lettuce, wheat bread)

What foods do you guys normally eat? Thanks.

[/ QUOTE ]

Cereals like shredded wheat, Special K and Oat Bran are good, but the thing to remember is that they are carb-heavy and you really should have protein to balance it out (the milk isn't enough!). Have a small bowl with about 1 cup of the cereal with some fruit, but have some egg whites or even some low-fat ham or sausage on the side to get your protein.

Turkey sandwiches are great, just be careful not to have too much bread in your diet. Another idea would be turkey wraps using lower-carb wraps. Cut out the mayo.

Here are some of the main things I eat, but I'm always looking for new things and different ways to prepare them for variety's sake.

Proteins: egg whites, skinless grilled chicken, low fat turkey breast, ham, trimmed pork, lean beef, low-fat cheese, all kinds of fish especially tuna and salmon.

Carbs: brown or wild rice, light wheat bread, baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, whole wheat pasta, nuts, anything with whole grains, beans, popcorn, veggies and fruit.

[Alobar]

ugh....why are people still so carb concious. When will this stupid fad die already?

[turnipmonster]

the creamy bacon alfredo sauce sounds like it just melts the pounds away!

[BigD226]

[ QUOTE ]
I think I'll keep a log of my eating habits, excercises and weight at the end of the day, too.

[/ QUOTE ]

I can't believe I forgot to mention this before...keeping a detailed log of your workouts and what you eat is *extremely* important. At least as important of keeping track of your poker stats. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

It's also a great source of motivation when you look back at workouts you did 2-3 weeks ago and see hard evidence of the progress you're making. Everyone should do this.

[WackityWhiz]

thx BigD, ima stick to your diet plan.

I appreciate it more than you can imagine. I feel thinner already

[BigD226]

[ QUOTE ]
ugh....why are people still so carb concious. When will this stupid fad die already?

[/ QUOTE ]

What fad do you speak of? Too many carbs, especially starches and simple carbs, add pounds pretty fast. They manipulate your blood sugars so that you can't burn fat as efficiently even if you try, and lower your metabolism. They don't build lean muscle mass, either.

No one is advocating a fad like Atkins where "carb conscious" = no carbs at all. A healthy *balance* of proteins and complex carbs is the way to go.

[BigD226]

No problem. Best of luck.

[Alobar]

you do realize that most of the calories you consume in a day, should come from carbs

[-Skeme-]

Same. I'm the type who needs a SPECIFIC schedule, too. No room for random foods. I'm gonna try and devlop a specific schedule to follow and a strict eating regimen. Also keeping a sleeping schedule, something I've never been able to do (lead to me dropping out of HS), should help me stay on track with eating/excercise.

[Jakesta]

Drink Crystal Light. That's what I drank when I dieted, and it's fantastic. It's only 5 calories per 8 oz glass, which is nothing. Even if you want to drink a ton of it, it's only 50 calories per day. I would drink a combination of Crystal Light and water if I were you.

Also, as others have said, cut out the alcohol and soda entirely(diet soda is ok).

Buy things like light bread(40 calories per slice instead of 80). It's more expensive but if you can afford it then it's a good idea, since it's not any less filling. And buy fat-free cheese. It tastes just as good as regular cheese, is just as filling, and it's only 30 calories per slice instead of 70. You can still have fun eating most of what you want to eat, but just do it sensibly.

[Dangergirl]

[ QUOTE ]
I think I'll keep a log of my eating habits, excercises and weight at the end of the day, too.

[/ QUOTE ]
Try using this as it will show you a breakdown of carbs, protein and fat. It is a free service and you can even add custom foods. If you hit a plateau one week you can look it over and see what might have been the problem in your diet.

www.fitday.com (http://www.fitday.com)

[-Skeme-]

That's awesome as hell. Thanks, I'll check it out.

[Jeff W]

[ QUOTE ]
you do realize that most of the calories you consume in a day, should come from carbs

[/ QUOTE ]

According to whom?

[Alobar]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
you do realize that most of the calories you consume in a day, should come from carbs

[/ QUOTE ]

According to who?

[/ QUOTE ]

people who know anything at all about the subject

[Voltron87]

alobar is right. cutting carbs is generally not a good way to lose weight. start excericising and cutting out useless calories, and carbs arent useless calories.

[Phoenix1010]

[ QUOTE ]
also, eat boca burgers instead of reg hamburgers. theyre vvvvvvvvvvv good

[/ QUOTE ]

I love the Boca. Calling it v good is a bit of a stretch though. If you put two Boca burgers in a bun, add tomatoes, pickles, and ketchup (maybe some lettuce or onions if you're so inclined) you have a very passable burger. It will never match up to a double quarter pounder, which I've been missing desperately for about 8 years now, but it gets the job done.

[Jeff W]

There is no need to be defensive. I was asking a legitimate question.

I am not a low carb zealot, but I have done extensive reading on the subject and I have a degree in physics, so I am not a sheep who is fooled by hucksters peddling shoddy statistics and false conclusions. It is my understanding that minimizing Glycemic Load(related to Glycemic Index) has strong health benefits. Enriched flour-based bread products, potatoes and other high GI foods would be eliminated from healthy diets.

That being said, no matter what type of food you eat, as long as you maintain a caloric deficit, you will lose weight. Whatever works is the best diet.

[Jakesta]

Morningstar Farms > Boca

[Jakesta]

Jeff W,

Do you honestly believe that eating a ton of eggs and meat is healthy for you, even if it is low carb? It's not. It puts a lot of strain on your heart. And Dr. Atkins was very overweight when he died. His diet is a total sham, made for Americans who want to find the easiest way to lose weight. But they're putting their health at risk by doing his diet. Low-fat is the way to go, not low-carb.

And there is nothing wrong with bread. Alobar was 100% right when he said all that matters is that your calories in don't exceed your calories out. It doesn't matter if you eat a bunch of ice cream, a bunch of potatoes, or a bunch of eggs. If you are eating less than you are putting out, then you will lose weight. But it's important to eat healthy food, regardless of calories.

[Jeff W]

[ QUOTE ]
Jeff W,

Do you honestly believe that eating a ton of eggs and meat is healthy for you, even if it is low carb? It's not. It puts a lot of strain on your heart. And Dr. Atkins was very overweight when he died. His diet is a total sham, made for Americans who want to find the easiest way to lose weight. But they're putting their health at risk by doing his diet. Low-fat is the way to go, not low-carb.

[/ QUOTE ]

Please actually read my post next time.

Edit: Also, I think the Atkins diet is unscientific and has nothing to recommend it over a more balanced approach. Atkins fervently and foolishly believed that ketosis was responsible for improved weight loss.

[Jakesta]

I did, and you are peddling the Atkins crap in this thread:

"It is my understanding that minimizing Glycemic Load(related to Glycemic Index) has strong health benefits. Enriched flour-based bread products, potatoes and other high GI foods would be eliminated from healthy diets."

I've read Dr. Atkins's book, and he says the exact same thing in there.

[BigD226]

[ QUOTE ]
you do realize that most of the calories you consume in a day, should come from carbs

[/ QUOTE ]

You do realize that this is an awfully popular misconception?

[Jeff W]

You are ignorant. Please put me on ignore so I don't have to waste any more time defending myself from your simple-minded attacks.

[Alobar]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
you do realize that most of the calories you consume in a day, should come from carbs

[/ QUOTE ]

You do realize that this is an awfully popular misconception?

[/ QUOTE ]

no its not. Its simple fact

[BigD226]

[ QUOTE ]
Drink Crystal Light. That's what I drank when I dieted, and it's fantastic. It's only 5 calories per 8 oz glass, which is nothing. Even if you want to drink a ton of it, it's only 50 calories per day. I would drink a combination of Crystal Light and water if I were you.

[/ QUOTE ]

Totally agree. My gf got me on the Crystal Light wagon. I wouldn't advocate drinking "a ton" of it because it does have the artificial sweeteners in it, but it's a great way to increase your water intake while giving you something with a little flavor. I typically drink about 2 liters of pure water every day, and a glass or 2 of CL.

Another great thing are flavored seltzers. No calories or sweeteners, they're naturally flavored. If you're a soda addict, mix a little seltzer in with some CL and you'll never miss the soda.

Most people think diet soda is ok, but it doesn't really count toward your water intake while CL does. Plus, its loaded with artificial sweeteners, which can slow down your weight loss.

[Alobar]

[ QUOTE ]
There is no need to be defensive. I was asking a legitimate question.

[/ QUOTE ]

sorry, I obviously took your post the wrong way

[Phoenix1010]

[ QUOTE ]
Morningstar Farms > Boca

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree. Morningstar isn't vegan though, so it's off my list. I do suggest Morningstar over Boca for non-vegans, and this one is really not close. Morningstar chik nuggets are also good.

[Jakesta]

Ah, yeah, true. I didn't know you were vegan. My bad.

[Jakesta]

[ QUOTE ]
You are ignorant. Please put me on ignore so I don't have to waste any more time defending myself from your simple-minded attacks.

[/ QUOTE ]

I understand that you are mad. Atkins is like a religion to some people, and you probably think that I'm blaspheming the name of your god or something.

[Jakesta]

Nutrasweet does not slow down your weight loss, Big D. It can make you a little bloated but it is not permament weight gain. It comes off in the morning when you wake up.

[BigD226]

[ QUOTE ]
Jeff W,

Do you honestly believe that eating a ton of eggs and meat is healthy for you, even if it is low carb? It's not.

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually, its very healthy if its low-fat (egg whites without yolks, grilled chicken, etc.), but it does need to be balanced with *good* carbs, not just any old carb like Alobar says. Believe it or not, there's a huge difference in the varieties of carbs.

Atkins is crap because its only a short-term solution. I don't really know how much strain it puts on your heart if you do it *correctly* (most people don't)...there's as much science saying its ok for your heart as there is saying its awful. But the problem is that no one can stay on Atkins for very long, and even if they do, its easy to plateau on it. And again, most people don't do it right anyway.



[ QUOTE ]
Low-fat is the way to go, not low-carb.

[/ QUOTE ]

Low-fat + good carbs + protein.

[ QUOTE ]
Alobar was 100% right when he said all that matters is that your calories in don't exceed your calories out. It doesn't matter if you eat a bunch of ice cream, a bunch of potatoes, or a bunch of eggs. If you are eating less than you are putting out, then you will lose weight.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not trying to be a dick, but this is so wrong in so many ways. Unfortunately this is what most people believe, and why most diets don't work.

Yes, you'll lose pounds if you burn more calories than you take in, but if you're not eating in a balanced and healthy way you're going to lose more muscle than fat, and you won't be very healthy.

Eating nothing but ice cream or potatoes as long as you burn enough calories will take some pounds off, but see how crappy they look and feel after a few weeks of doing that. They'll be lighter on the scale, but they'll also have zero energy, rapidly decreasing strength, and in general feel like a pile of dogsh!t.

[ QUOTE ]
But it's important to eat healthy food, regardless of calories.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's really not that hard. Healthy food + rigorous exercise = a healthy person.

[TimM]

I have been using an Atkins like diet on and off for over 4 years. Something like 9 months on it, and I get bad for 3 months, every year. Never read the book, but I pieced it together from stuff on the web. I am down 65 pounds from my peak weight of 295 from March 2001 (I am 5'10"). I'd like to get that to 100 lbs. lost, maybe I will post a before and after, if I haven't destroyed all of the before pics.

I see my doctor every three months for blood pressure monitoring and medication (pre-existing). I have blood tests every year and my numbers (cholesterol, triglycerides, etc.) are always good.

I feel a low carb diet provides me with a few advantages. First, the food is very filling. 2000 calories of mostly protein and fats will keep you from being hungry much longer than 2000 calories of mostly carbs. Second, while yes, calories in vs. calories burned are all that matter, in ketosis, the state you go in when forced to burn mostly fat for energy, some of your fat calories are leaving the body unburned in the form of ketones in the urine. So now maybe your 2000 calories is more like 1800 or less. When you are on a diet that burns mostly carbs and just enough fat to make up for the deficit in calories, you don't get this little benefit.

Anyway, low carb is not for everyone. If you can't stick to it for long periods, there won't be any benefit. I know from experience that if I get weak, and have a pint of Ben and Jerry's one day, it takes about a week to get back on track and start losing again.

[Jakesta]

What fun is a diet where you can't have any artifical sugars? The nice thing about being on a low fat diet is like someone else suggested, you can treat yourself to something sweet once a week, like a piece of cake or a pint of Ben and Jerry's. You can't do that on Atkins.

[Jeff W]

[ QUOTE ]
I feel a low carb diet provides me with a few advantages. First, the food is very filling. 2000 calories of mostly protein and fats will keep you from being hungry much longer than 2000 calories of mostly carbs.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is the best attribute of low-carb diets.

[ QUOTE ]
Second, while yes, calories in vs. calories burned are all that matter, in ketosis, the state you go in when forced to burn mostly fat for energy, some of your fat calories are leaving the body unburned in the form of ketones in the urine. So now maybe your 2000 calories is more like 1800 or less. When you are on a diet that burns mostly carbs and just enough fat to make up for the deficit in calories, you don't get this little benefit.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd have to look for good journal articles on this, but it is my understanding that the effects of ketosis are overrated.

Regardless of whether you burn carbohydrates immediately or fat, eventually a caloric deficit should induce you to burn approximately the same amount of stored fat.

Ex: You consume 200 calories of fat and burn 200 stored calories of fat. The 200 you consumed will have to be stored anyway unless it is burned, so your net is 0 calories. If you consume 200 calories of carbohydrates and burn it all, you still have a net change of 0.

I could be wrong. It has been a couple years since I have done significant reading on diet/nutrition.

[ QUOTE ]
Anyway, low carb is not for everyone. If you can't stick to it for long periods, there won't be any benefit. I know from experience that if I get weak, and have a pint of Ben and Jerry's one day, it takes about a week to get back on track and start losing again.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've heard this before and it simply cannot be true. If you consume less calories than you expend, you will lose weight. Your body doesn't remember that it had a bowl of ice cream last thursday when it is searching for calories to fuel your metabolism.

[RunDownHouse]

You can't equate white bread with wheat bread, Jakesta.

And you're an idiot, by the way.

[Jakesta]

When did I ever equate white bread with wheat bread? Everyone knows that wheat bread is healthier, because it doesn't have the complex carbs. But you can't have wheat bread on Atkins, either.

[WackityWhiz]

atkins is really a short term solution for most people. I did it a few years ago and went from 230 to 210 in 2 months. When I stopped the diet, I gained back the 20 plus another 10.

Now it's time to do it the right way, which is also the hard way unfortunately.

[cocked&locked]

When it comes to weight loss threads here, much of the advice is bad and the information incorrect. It seems that several posters are inevitably saddled with the task of correcting all of the poor advice and helping the OP weed through the crap.

The number 1 thing is to "not be results oriented" when it comes to getting on a scale. Don't worry about weight loss - worry about improving your body composition. Just concentrate on doing the right things, and everything will fall into place. Contrary to what some others have stated, you can safely and effectively lose 1.5 to 2 lbs of fat per week. Your net loss might not be that though. If you are doing things right, you will be increasing your muscle mass. Since muscle weighs more than fat, you might actually gain a few lbs, while losing fat. As you increase your muscle mass, you will raise your metabolism. Once you increase your muscle mass and metabolism, your body will burn more calories and fat all day long - even when you are doing nothing. The key is getting the muscle mass and metabolism up- even if this means that you gain weight. In the end, you will lose fat. I'm sure you've seen 6'0" 200 lb guys that look like hercules and others that look like tubs of goo - remember that.

Concentrate on increasing your muscle to fat ratio and your body will take care of the rest. Include weight training and cardiovascular training in your workout regiment. The key with food is moderation. Don't eat pure garbage that has no healthful benefits. If you get into a habit of turning down garbage, it will become easier to do so. Lets face it, you know what's no good for you - man up and turn it down! Get rid of simple sugars and booze, reduce your fat intake (especially from crappy - non-nutritional foods), and eat in moderation.

Try to adopt a workout schedule and diet that you will be able to somewhat maintain after you attain your desired body composition. Obviously, you should be more strict about your diet and workout schedule in the beginning during your weight loss phase because 1) it is new and you need to discipline yourself and 2) you are initially trying to lose (edited to include the word "bad" right here)weight. After you attain your goal, it is ok to splurge now and again, but make sure that it doesn't become habitual. Once you get to your desired body weight/composition, you must continue to do the right things.

Oh, and by the way, Atkins (as you have mentioned) is crap. I immediately dismiss anybody that takes this route as one who is looking for a quick fix and has no idea about how the body works. It actually angers me to a point, that people take this route. It is horrible for the body, and is only temporary.

By the way
- carbs are not the devil - if you are excersising properly, you need them. You don't need to overeat them though.
- whole-wheat based carbs are usually better than their white counterparts because of the reduced spike in insulin.
- fat never "turns into muscle" - you can burn fat and replace it with muscle, but there is no morphing going on there.

[TimM]

[ QUOTE ]
Regardless of whether you burn carbohydrates immediately or fat, eventually a caloric deficit should induce you to burn approximately the same amount of stored fat.

Ex: You consume 200 calories of fat and burn 200 stored calories of fat. The 200 you consumed will have to be stored anyway unless it is burned, so your net is 0 calories. If you consume 200 calories of carbohydrates and burn it all, you still have a net change of 0.

[/ QUOTE ]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketosis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atkins_diet

When you burn almost all fat, your body is forced to eliminate some of the calorie containing ketones in the urine. I have the test strips (Ketostix) that measure this. So you have calories leaving the body without providing any energy. Drinking a lot of water is very important on this diet.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Anyway, low carb is not for everyone. If you can't stick to it for long periods, there won't be any benefit. I know from experience that if I get weak, and have a pint of Ben and Jerry's one day, it takes about a week to get back on track and start losing again.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've heard this before and it simply cannot be true. If you consume less calories than you expend, you will lose weight. Your body doesn't remember that it had a bowl of ice cream last thursday when it is searching for calories to fuel your metabolism.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's probably just a water weight thing. Storing glycogen requires water. When you first go on a low carb diet, a lot of the early losses are water weight. You do still need to keep calories low to continue to lose weight. It's not like you can really eat all the fat and protein you want, as some claim.

I do want to get off of this to a more balanced diet once I get down to a good weight. I am somewhat concerned about possible long term effects, but I know the weight loss is more important. The long (and short) term effects of being overweight are worse, and this is the only thing working for me.

There is also not a lot of variety in what I eat. I literally have dreams about eating the foods I can't have. Eating out is also bad. I'm definitely a "clean your plate and don't waste food" kind of person, and it's hard to order anything in most places without getting bread, potatoes, pasta, etc. - carbs in the worst form they come.

[Jakesta]

Great post, cock and locked. Maybe that will inspire Jeff W to stop posting in this thread.

[zephed]

My gf makes these great pizzas. Instead of dough, you use pita bread. Split it in half so that there are two circles of bread instead of one. Use a light sauce and cheese, and put chicken on it. Bake it so that the bread gets a little crispy and everything is cooked. I think there's garlic on the chicken.

I can get you the recipe if you want.

[Jeff W]

I don't deny that you go into ketosis when you deplete the glycogen in your liver. What I am not sure of is whether this effect makes a significant difference to weight loss--I tend to doubt that is is.

Unfortunately, the research on ketogenic vs. traditional diets is sparse at best and I no longer have access to my alma mater's journal subscriptions.

[Blarg]

[ QUOTE ]
I'll never drink Diet Coke. I should switch to juice or water. Let's say I run 15 minutes a day, 7 days a week. Either every week or every run, I add a little bit of length to my run. I eat 2 pieces of wheat toast, with butter, and juice for breakfast. Then I eat a lunch of like, celery or some sht. And dinner I eat something good for me, too. I'll also continue to lift weights and jumpwrope for certain periods of time each day. These periods are yet to be determined. Can I expect to lose a decent amount of weight?

[/ QUOTE ]

That's the exact opposite of how you should be loading your calories. Eat like a king for breakfast, a prince for lunch, and a pauper for dinner.

That gives you the biggest initial energy boost, when you need it most, after your "fast" from sleeping + the length of time since dinner/snacks. And it gives you all day to metabolize your nutrients and burn off the the calories. If you eat your heaviest meal late in the day, you have the least time to burn off your calories, and for most people, it's the most inactive time of their day, too, so their bodies demand on those calories is less per hour, too.

Lots of people, maybe most, are used to a doughnut or some crap for breakfast and then gorging at dinner, but it's really the worst way to go. You want to have the time to thoroughly digest your food, and to be reaping the energy benefits of your food, and burning off its calories, all day.

[Blarg]

Jeez, I'm surprised your grandparents don't just beat you with belts and back the Plymouth over you a few times a night, and just be done with it. Letting you eat like that is just plain wrong.

Much as it pains me to say it, since pizza is one of my all-time favorites, you're going to have to put it aside. Try not to fry your food. For god sake eat some more roughage(vegetables, etc.) before you give yourself ass cancer. Forget McDonalds. That stuff is a flying sidekick to the heart and blood vessels, and dripping with the worst kinds of fat. And in general, try to replace most of that red meat with chicken or fish -- unbreaded, unfried. Take the skin off chicken and there's almost no fat at all.

Not drinking soda cuts a huge amount of calories out, too. That's what's keeping a little rind on my belly right now; I've been a Coke nut for years. I figured it was one of my few indulgences, so what the hell. But I've gotten to the point where I drink way, way, way too much of it. I'm cutting back, and feeling better.

I was pretty sick a few months back, and my diet got really sparse and simple. I lost a good amount of weight. As I got better, I broadened my diet, but didn't really gain weight until I added soda in again. Then started getting squishy around the gut right away -- like, incredibly quickly.

Water's better, and most people drink too little. It's good all the way around to get into a water habit and drink plenty of it. Being well-hydrated can have a positive effect on mood, too.

Be sure to take a multi-vitamin.

And I agree on having one day a week where you indulge yourself. Not like a disgustingly crazy hog or something, but having Saturday as pizza night or something does a whole lot to let you feel okay about having a stricter diet all the rest of the week. It's a major psychological boost that really works.

Also, as people say, exercise is important, but way more important than which exercise you do is that you exercise at all. No exercise does you good if you don't bother doing it. So I'd advise getting a good part of your exercise, maybe most of it, by doing something you find fun and want to keep doing. Like, maybe you really like body-surfing, or rollerblading, or tennis or handball, or basketball, or hiking -- doesn't really matter what, too much. It just matters that you're happy enough doing it to keep doing it regularly. The nice thing about taking up a sport to get your exercise instead of just doing some exercises you maybe hate is that sports make you feel like you have real goals you can see and enjoy -- like being able to bike farther, or well enough to keep up with some good bikers you see around, or up a hill that always seems really hard to you, gives you a goal to shoot for and a real feeling of accomplishment as you slowly get closer to whatever goals you dream up. Some people love the competitiveness aspect too, and that really helps drive them each time It's hard to get that same feeling of accomplishment from looking at the LCD on a treadmill at a gym, or lifting a dumbell, for most people.

You can do yourself a lot of good, if you want to. It's the wanting to that's the hard part. If you've got that down, you'll make lots of progress. If you kid yourself about what you really want, you'll stay just as fat, but just be more frustrated.

[TimM]

It may not be a significant amount. I was searching around and found a site that also pointed out that converting protein to glucose costs almost 40% of the calories, but again, without mentioning how much of this is done, we don't know how significant this is either.

At this point, I don't care why it works, just that it works for me right now. At the time this diet was hot, say, late 2000, I had seen several people who had lost huge amounts of weight on it. I had never tried to control my weight before that, and it was insane how much I was eating.

Maybe something else would have worked for me too, but I saw results others were having, and I liked the idea of a diet with less hunger. I spent about 3 months reading the web and message boards before I started the diet. I figured it was worth a shot and that I could stick to it. The funny thing is, after some early success, the idea that I knew how to lose weight quickly if I wanted to also allowed me to go off the diet and not worry about gaining some back. But now I'm determined to give it one more shot to reach a good weight without any setbacks.

I certainly don't agree with cocked&locked that "anybody that takes this route as one who is looking for a quick fix and has no idea about how the body works." This is certainly not the case for me, although there are plenty of people who go from fad diet to fad diet and fail on all of them, low-carb included.

[Voltron87]

the quality ratio of blarg's posts is so freakin high

[tbach24]

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Morningstar Farms > Boca

[/ QUOTE ]

You don't have tastebuds.

[tbach24]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
also, eat boca burgers instead of reg hamburgers. theyre vvvvvvvvvvv good

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I love the Boca. Calling it v good is a bit of a stretch though. If you put two Boca burgers in a bun, add tomatoes, pickles, and ketchup (maybe some lettuce or onions if you're so inclined) you have a very passable burger. It will never match up to a double quarter pounder, which I've been missing desperately for about 8 years now, but it gets the job done.

[/ QUOTE ]

No, it's vvvvvvvvvvv good. Ketchup, yellow mustard, and relish is all you need. Maybe minced onions. Add in a nice salad w/ lite Newman's italian, and you have the perfect meal, which I just consumed.

I think that real hamburgers are often too dry.

[Blarg]

[ QUOTE ]
atkins is really a short term solution for most people. I did it a few years ago and went from 230 to 210 in 2 months. When I stopped the diet, I gained back the 20 plus another 10.

Now it's time to do it the right way, which is also the hard way unfortunately.

[/ QUOTE ]

You can't blame the diet for that. You yourself say you stopped it.

Doing it the right way means not dieting at all, but making an actual honest to god real, permanent lifestyle change. Dieting is for idiots, basically.

If you have an unhealthy lifestyle and keep going back to it, you will have an unhealthy life, maybe spiked by periods of dieting where you are even less healthy! And considerably more gullible, stressed out, and unhappy. And you will be constantly training your metabolism to store fat up for periodic crises, as well as losing muscle, which again means burning fewer calories and getting fatter. Dieting is just a really unhealthy quick-fix and a big strain on te mind and body, when what we really need is to just eat reasonably in the first place.

[WackityWhiz]

I think the main reason (i should say i know the main reason) that I gained my weight is because I don't have sports to rely on anymore. I was almost always involved with after school sports. I go from being in football, wrestling, and track to poker, bowling, and golf. However, when I was in all those sports, my bank account was always in the triple digits. I guess I took the good with the bad because poker made the ol bank account bulge.

Just kinda let myself go and it's time to get on the right track.

[Blarg]

Yeah, one thing or the other does that to most of us. Time eventually wears away at all of us and changes our metabolism, too, even if our habits haven't gotten any worse.

Luckily, just like we can slowly go wrong and have it add up, it works the other way too, and it's never too late to start making things slowly better, and enjoying how it all adds up on that end, too.

[Subfallen]

Why listen to these suckers who have no idea what a real workout looks like? One linky, a new you: linky. (http://www.crossfit.com/)

Welcome to hell.