Losing weight in 2003?????

“I'm sorry, Nowslimmer, but I disagree. I think that 3-7 pounds a week is something that most people will only see in the first week. Also, that first week can often cause a big drop in metabolism. Better to exercise, control portion, stop eating the empty carbs and empty fats, and only lose 1-2 pounds per week. That is the weight that will easily stay off, if you have managed to increase your metabolism, not decrease it. I am looking for energy increase, and I won't get that if I seriously undereat. Every person is different, but in middle age, weight loss is all about metabolism.

I have been trying out a soy based version of a low carbohydrate diet, with lots of vegetables. I had serious sugar cravings at first, more so than in any other diet I have tried. So I have managed to keep off the five pounds I originally lost, even through the holidays, but not lose more yet. However, I feel like my shape is improving. That is what I want, a more lean, muscular look with the strength to do the activities that I want to do. I have a long way to go, but finally I feel that I am doing it the healthy way. The sugar cravings dropped off and I am slowly learning to fix lots of vegetables to have on hand so I don't eat the bad food while on the run.”

“I already lost eight pounds, but I can hardly recommend the technique. It was the bug from hell that took it off. When I get to hiking in the spring it should start to drop. My goal this year is to get out and walk more, both with and without a pack. The weight issue will follow.”

“One sure way to lose weight is snowshoeing. I forget the exact calories per hour it requires, but it is high. Right up there with cross country skiing. Even on level ground it easy to get a high heart and breaking trail uphill on your own takes loads of energy. A good dose of this weekly while the snow is here and you'll feel great and have legs with the strength of a frog by the time the snow melts.”

“LyndyS - You're doing great. You can be proud.

I am not recommending a loss of 3-7 pounds for everyone, or for anyone! That first week of a diet is always misleading as it seems to be mainly a water loss.

Over a short period, I don't think anything really much matters, unless the person has medical problems.

What you are doing, I would recommend to anyone. My main intention is to keep people from getting disappointed from not seeing enough result from a 3-day per week exercise program or whatever.

I, also, consider my exercise program as an activity, which helps keep me busy and away from snacking. For over two years I, finally, was able to maintain my weight, and my losses, as I moved closer to my goal. But this winter I blew it. I've gained back everything I lost in the fall. And I have not really eated a lot. But it has been enough. The main thing was that my activities were reduced. My exercise programs, except aikijutsu, were stopped because of an allergy. And I quit work. A year ago I hiked on Thanksgiving and Christmas Days. It helped. This year I did not. It hurt. I now have a hard road ahead as I try to recover. Right now I'm planning to return to the mountains before the end of February. It could be later. In the meantime I'm getting activities going again in an effort to hold my weight and come down a few pounds

Having quit work, I am in a transition period. My job helped burn calories, as well as being a major activity. I have my work cut out for me.

I'm a loser.”

“Feels great, I am able to ski better and longer. Can't wait to do anything, the energy levels are awesome.

What has worked for us is taking only a serving of what ever portion we have, whether it's only 2 strip of bacon, or 3/4 cup of peas or whatever. Basically each portion gives a bit of a standard in regards to calories. We noticed that cookie servings all varied from 1 to 6 cookies, but the calories for each cookie serving was about 150. We realized the suggested serving size helped greatly to limit calories, and much to our surprise, we are surviving quite nicely on those serving sizes, we are not starving.

We have the advantage of truly liking salads, which are low calorie and very filling. We do tend to loosely follow the new food pyramid, and keep an eye on total calories. We do eat just about whatever we want, but in much smaller portions than in the past. Fried food is just about completely out of our diet.

All kinds of things we are doing, but we only implemented them one at a time, made the transistion pretty easy and we think we can be happy eating like this. I know we do like the feeling after a meal when we don't waddle away with greasy burps...”

“You are not a loser, except a loser of pounds. I'm sorry to hear of your allergy problem. Something like that is frustrating because there isn't much that can be done about it. Hopefully it is a temporary flareup.

Maybe you need another job, but one that you would enjoy. I've been thinking that I would like to work in a job that is much more physically active than the accounting jobs that I used to work at. I just haven't figured out what that job is yet.”

“Nowslimmer, I hope you are a great looser----- of pounds that is!!! The holidays are truly hell for us getting it under control. My sister, God bless her, remembered how much I like M&M's. Do you know that a 3 quart bowl holds just about 6 pounds of M&M's? And I never throw away anything edible. I finally mixed the remaining into my gorp and only use it for outings where I need the calories.

Good luck in 2003”

“I want to lose more but I don't know how much is realistic...

I weighed 205 last July, now I weigh 182. I am thrilled with that. It is a combination of dietary mods with LOTS of exercise, 5 or 6 days a week of really sweating, for at least 30-45 minutes. Last year I exercised a lot too, but the intensity wasn't there. Biggest/bst change in exercise this year: spinning classes.

Dietary mods:
- gave up white bread, eat whole wheat
- gave up butter, eat NON-hydrogenated spread at home and margarine when out
- gave up my afternoon snack, unless it is a PowerBar or similar
- drinking at least 64 oz water daily
- trying hard not to eat anything after dinner; that is the worst time to snack

So that's my recipe so far. I feel great, and don't look quite so bloated. And, I am able to run now, which I used to do many years back, and I enjoy.”

“Fritz, it's very noticeable with the pounds you lost. Keep it up, my man!”

“Instead of bagel for bkfst, whole wheat toast and oatmeal. Try to have some fiber with every meal.”

“So how's everybody doing today?

I passed on the birthday cake at the office today (first time ever!), and, instead of an afternoon cookie, ate a nice juicy pear. Also, at noon, did about 15 minutes on the arm bike, plus 2 arm and 2 leg weight machines.”

“Thanks Artex...partly inspired by you, you're doing great also!”

“Good job MartyB.

I decided to exercise every day. I know there will be one or two days a week that I can't and that will be OK because I still have all the other days. But I start each day with a plan to do SOMEthing....spinning class, hike, run, bike ride....whatever.”

“Wow - all the folks here are really inspiring. A few years ago I dropped almost 50 pounds and really increased my cordiovascular capacity. I went from being an office potato to a half-marathon runner (runner/walker). I was amazed that I could do that. However, I lost focus in the last year while my wife and I were having a baby and some of the weight has creeped back on. While losing the weight I was pretty intensely focused. I came up with a lot of helpful tips for myself.

I should say - I'm not as concerned about weight as I am about about fat. I would like get back to a 36" waist.

My biggest concerned now is why I gained some of the weight back? I need to make it stick this time. The whole lifestyle change thing.”

“HPM used to be a 32" waist and is upset that he's now at 36"! He was a bean pole when I first met him. At least now he has a butt.”

“I've learned that if you eat too many of the Atkins fake candy bars you get the runs.”

“wingding0, just what we wanted to know”

“Yeah, and watch out for those WOW potato chips! Wow is darn right, as in "WOW if I don't get to the bathroom right now I'll sh...". The warnings on the package, (yes, there really are warnings), advise that rectal seepage may occur if you eat too many!!! I can live without potato chips.

Lyra, you dork, barley juice=beer. ;) Hey, isn't all that juicein' really expensive? Doesn't it take ten pounds of carrots to make a quart of juice? Tell me about it please. Hey, have you ever seen the Juiceman's infomercial?! I love that guy!!! "Live food equals LIFE, dead food equals DEATH! Moohahahaaaa, look at my crazy eyebrows!!!!!"”

“The Iowa system is very similar to Weight Watchers.

FYI: Phil's Weight Watcher Page (be sure to check out the Helpful Hints page)

I go to about two WW meetings a month (as a Life Member, they are free). When I quit going, I slip too much. Some of us need a little more accountability and motivation to stay focused.”

“Yummy........rectal seepage.......I can sleep easy now......thanks........ ;)”

“So ya got oil seeping out yer butt!!”

“Last week I weighed in at a record 240 pounds. Bad foot had me unable to run or hike and frustration led to several months of inactivity. Bleeahh!

Anyway, I've decided to try Body for Life. It's a program where you have three short but intense cardio workouts a week and three pretty intense weight workouts. It also includes a strict diet eating six meals a day with equal portions of protein/carbs.

I did the first weight workout today and boy am I feeling it. I hope to eventually drop about thirty pounds. I'm sure my bad foot and knees would appreciate that on the trail.

Good job to everyone losing the weight! Stay focused. And best of luck to me.”

“We had a meeting again tonight. They showed us what a "serving size" is, in reference to the food pyramid.

I could hardly believe it!! Those serving sizes are tiny!! Maybe I just grew up thinking large amounts of food are normal, ya know, when you ma is cooking meals to feed eight hired hands there for haying or "cutting the pigs." LOL!!

Tonight they also mentioned how restaurants and fast food places have large servings... and then they still offer to "super size" it. That is NOT GOOD!!

Phil, I remember looking at your page before and being inspired.

Lyndy, we are NOT middle aged!! Phhhhhhht!!!

OK, tonight I also did 45 minutes on the elliptical trainer at the health club. OH!! Can someone tell me how "Boston Public" ended??? (something tells me the coach DID recruit the BB player.... and that he was just dating the principal's daughter to stay in good graces.... AM I RIGHT?!?!) I went to shower and hit the sauna then.... ahhhhhhhhhhh......!!!!!”

“Hey Lizs,

I interviewed a nutritionist once who explained that one serving of food should be about the size of your fist. I'll sometimes make a fist and put it over my plate to envision how much food should be there. It's not as much as I'd like it to but I also have kinda small hands for someone my size.

So what'd you guys talk about in the locker room tonight?”

“I had a feeling this group would have a bit to say on this subject, <G>

At my house we have a "push the scale past its elastic limit" ceremony, LOL... Kidding! Hmmmmmm... Well, I kicked the coffin' nails some time ago but I developed the classic 12-pound bulge they always tell you about. Yeah it kinda sucks but it was Well Worth It. (The near simultaneous ankle sprain didn't help a whole lot!)

Sooooo, I guess I could stand to lose about 20.”

“Now all we need is before pictures...as soon as I get my new digital camera next week I am going to post mine...Don't let me be the only one...Honestly, I think doing pics will help to mentally enforce the task at hand...I think we should also post our 6 month plans...The more detailed the planning the better chance we will have..That and keep each other accountable...I'm ready”

“lizs - Hang in there! I need to get back to the gym myself and want to drop back to where I was after the Mt. Whitney hike.”

“I found Phil's WW page inspiring as well. It's a reminder that - as backpackers we probably lean a little more toward "rugged individualist" and would like to be able to do these things on our own - but that sometimes it good to have some support from others.”

“Okay, Lizs, if I take the number of years that I am likely to live to, and divide it by two, then yes, we are probably not yet middle aged. BUT tell that to my body, because it sure is behaving like it is middle aged. I used to be able to lose weight really easy. I could drop 15 lbs in two weeks, like if I was moving and too busy to eat. Now I would pass out if I did that.”

“Tonight they also mentioned how restaurants and fast food places have large servings... and then they still offer to "super size" it. That is NOT GOOD!!
lizs

I avoid restaurants. I definitely will not enter a place that advertises, "ALL YOU CAN EAT."
I look for places that advertise, "All you should eat!"”

“So, by the time I went to class after work last night, and then to the gym, it was 9PM before I had a chance to have dinner. I know eating before going to bed is a no-no, but I was starving? What's a girl to do in that situation?

I guess the bright side is that I did make it to the gym. :)”

“Make sure you are getting a good breakfast and a good lunch. If it is a late dinner, make sure it is small and healthy. You won't feel hungry while you sleep. :)”

“I feel better this morning. I might try more salad and less fake chocolate.”

“just don't give up the real stuff, winding0. :)”

“45 minute walk with hiking boots, in the sandy arroyo alternating with a 45 minute mountain bike ride will be my weekday aerobics with at least two hours of XC ski, hike or bike Sat and Sun.

I went from 225 to 192 following Covert Bailey, Fit or Fat a couple of years ago. Lost the discipline and now back to 210.”

“LOL!! i AM a dork, aren't i? i totally didn't realize barley juice = beer. the reason i was confused is, there's this stuff called barley green that comes in a powder, and you stir with water and drink. it's a part of the juicing thang, or at least i consider it to be. Tarpy's mom got us into juicing, and she eats the powder raw!

we get all organic fruits and veggies, so those are a little more expensive...but if you were to juice regular stuff, it's so concentrated that the pesticides would do you more harm than the vitamins would do you good.

to make about 10 to 12 ounces of juice (enough for both Tarpy and i), it takes one big apple, 3 carrots, one beet, and two leaves of kale. we've been wondering how much more expensive it would be to buy the juice, because cleaning the juicer every day gets to be a pain in the arse.”

“My favorite resturant is called La Shish, (middle Eastern) and has a juice bar...it's soooo good. Organic veggies up here are phreakin' outragously priced! We could juice during the summer, when we grow our own stuff though....thanks for answering my question!

Maybe he was talking about the barley green stuff, and I'm the dork! lol”

“i'm willing to bet we're both dorks. :-D

organic stuff here is getting to be pretty common-place, so it's really not all that more expensive than the other stuff. which is very good!”

“Ahhhh, barley juice..........”

“Sass, I went to a La Shish in Dearborn when in MI a couple weeks ago. Didn't have any juice (or barley "juice"), but had an awesome lamb and rice sandwich thingee and lentil soup. Yum!”

“One other thing. Interesting article here about why we have the urge to eat too much. It has to do with an instinct to avoid starvation from when we used to be cavepeople (and being chased around by lions, etc.). So it's not our fault!!”

“The rice at LaShish is awesome. So's that darn garlic butter stuff that comes with the pita bread. Yummy!!”

“one thing i never thought of at first but i soon learned was:
if you make yourself stay very disciplined for a while, eventually, you'll get to where your idea of slackin is what your idea of workin hard was at first.
like last night i took it easy. i did my normal 10 or 11 different weight lifing exercises for my chest(i do chest 2 days, biceps, triceps, shoulders 2 days, and back and abs 2 days a week) hit em pretty hard last night, then only ran for 25 minutes cause my legs are STILL SORE from my soccer game on friday night. i feel like such a wuss. anyway, back to the point, when i first started, running for 25 minutes was all i would do, and now that is taking it easy.
i thought what nowslimmer said earlier was interesting about one meal killing a whole month of exercise. it's true, too, i don't know about a whole month but you can wreck a lot of the work you've done in a very short period of time. it takes 2 minutes to eat a brownie but 45 to work it off. and eventually, that was one of the things i started to think about: if i eat this junk right now, this is what im gonna run off tonight, versus burning off something i've already got in me.
you have to be obsessive, well, at least in my case, i have to be obsessive, it's easy to lose sight of what you're trying to do.
you do get used to eating less pretty quickly, it's all a matter of changing your habits. at first i didn't think a person would be able to survive off of what i eat now. i eat about 1500-1800 calories a day, burning around 1000 on an elliptical machine every night. i never feel out of energy; quite the opposite, i feel full of energy all the time.
i've really been adding on to my workout lately, since i want to run in an adventure race in the summer. i typically come home from work and eat dinner then head to the gym and lift with whatever muscle groups im training that night. for back, chest, and shoulders, i do about 10-12 different exercises, and for biceps and triceps 4 or 5 each. i like to get into what i call the bonus round before i stop, which is when i cant' hardly lift the bar anymore.
tehn i jump on the ellyptical machine for an hour and leave the gym.
i pick up an orange juice on my way out and head to my buddy's house to run 3-5 miles before going home, getting a shower and sleeping very deeply for the night.
ok, im done now, sorry that was so long, i just get excited talking about it and sharing anything that might help someone else.
remember, it gets easier.”

“Hush up about the garlic butter willya?

LOLOL”

“yeah, sorry, as soon as i posted that i realized what i had just tempted you with!”

“But exercise makes me hungry! <G>”

“smileygirl, if you didn't pig out too much ... hehee... you could be OK. They have told us at these meetings that eating a little bit after exercising is alright, something about it helps the effect of burning fat continue longer... Or something like that!! Maybe someone else can elaborate.

Mediaman, just watch when you're equating hand size with a serving size. You may have small hands for a guy, but compare them to any gal's. (also, watch for the locker room update TONIGHT!! lol)

Lyndy, we are the same age and there's no way in hell I'm middle age. NEVER GONNA BE MIDDLE AGE!!!
Nope!! nada!!!! LOL... To me saying you are middle age is like sayin, alright, time for life to slow down now. So you're never gonna hear me say it. And my attitude is in my teens, OK, maybe 20s!!! lol”

“."i eat about 1500-1800 calories a day, burning around 1000 on an elliptical machine every night"
ductape

After the 1000 burn-off, you're left with 500 to 800 for living. They jump on me for going a little further down in intake, while mtn. bp'ing. But I'm healthier now than when I started this stuff 10 or more years ago.

"you do get used to eating less pretty quickly, it's all a matter of changing your habits"
ductape

It is my conclusion that, as one ages, a little less intake is required each year to hold statue quo.

And I have heard that if you do something everyday for three weeks, you will form a habit that will be hard to break.

I'm going to have to check out elliptical machine. ”

“Things I've noticed about weight loss/dieting over the years:

1. Diets suck. 1/2 c cottage cheese, broiled chicken, grapefruit and all the carrots I can eat a day just doesn't cut it. I need real food. I've found that if I eat normally but in smaller portions, the weight comes off more easily, albeit more slowly. This is actually better because I'm not as prone to putting it back on.
2. I have to stop drinking alcohol (temporarily) if I want to lose weight. If I feel the need to drink I sip a glass of wine (not beer) with dinner.
3. I have to exercise. I do 15 minutes a day on a bike trainer (set it up in my living room with my regular bike, it acts like a stand holding the back wheel up, they're about $180), situps, and some weightlifting w/ 10 lb weights. Sometimes aerobics on top of that if I'm feeling especially strong or I take my dog for a quick 20 minute run/fast walk. Also, it's amazing how well of a workout you can get cleaning the house (especially vacuuming) or washing/waxing the cars. A good way to tell it's working is that I break into a light sweat when I workout but can still breath. So yeah, that's about 45 minutes of cardio. I said I do this everyday, but if I don't feel like it, I often skip the whole thing and just make a bowl of popcorn and veg out in front of the TV.
4. Which reminds me, plain popcorn is an excellent snack. Junk food, like potato chips or anything fried and/or cheesy, is evil. Don't eat it. Don't buy it. Also, don't go through fast food drive thru's. This is not real food and there are so many other things that taste better. Seared salmon with a small amount butter/lemon juice and roasted garlic on top, for example, is 10 times more delicious as any fast food meal I've ever had. And later, you won't feel like a bloated egg after eating it.
5. I don't train for marathons. I have screwed up my ankles, knees, pulled muscles, hurt my back, etc. trying too hard to train for something out of my reach. Then I'm out for 6 mos. I'm a backpacker not a marathon runner. I don't even like running.
6. I find someone to work out with and/or hang out with young good looking people. This always inspires me to work out, I don't know why.

I don't know how much I weigh because I threw out my scale years ago. All I know and care about is whether I fit into a size 6 pair of Levi 501's I have from highschool. If I do I'm happy. If not, I rigorously apply principles above. It works for me.”

“And my attitude is in my teens, OK, maybe 20s!!! lol"
lizs

I thought middle age was the excuse for the roll around the middle. .................... «« grinning »»”