The Officialish FOFC Weight Loss Dynasty

[Dodgerchick]

Portion control is my biggest weakness.

[DaddyTorgo]

Portion control is my biggest weakness.

Shrink the stomach first, then portion control becomes less of a big deal. I think it's also a matter of like...knowing that you're not going to be without, ya know?

I mean...you don't have to eat 2 of XYZ just because there's two in front of you or because you're at the store...just eat one and then put one in your like "mental bank" to redeem at some point in the future, know what I mean?

I'm sure there's good like...literature or webpages or whatever out there about portion control.

[Blackadar]

Have you seen a doctor? There's a drug called phentermine that can really reduce your hunger. It also can have some serious side effects, so you're only going to take it for 1-3 months and only under supervision. That can help you with portion control and then everything else follows...

[hoopsguy]

Had my first "WTF???" weigh-in this morning, back up to 183.3. We had a good meal for Mothers Day, including a couple of glasses of wine and dessert, but I didn't expect to be up 5 pounds after a weekend that included a soccer game and a ton of running around chasing my daughter on her bike + yard work.

I'm sure a couple of pounds will come off in the next day or two, but that still puts me quite a bit past where I thought I was for this weekend - figured I would be 180, 181 tops. Weird and annnoying.

[Blackadar]

Had my first "WTF???" weigh-in this morning, back up to 183.3. We had a good meal for Mothers Day, including a couple of glasses of wine and dessert, but I didn't expect to be up 5 pounds after a weekend that included a soccer game and a ton of running around chasing my daughter on her bike + yard work.

I'm sure a couple of pounds will come off in the next day or two, but that still puts me quite a bit past where I thought I was for this weekend - figured I would be 180, 181 tops. Weird and annnoying.

I wouldn't worry too much about it. Your weight is going to fluctuate a few pounds (2-4) on a daily basis due to water retention and the particulars of your digestive cycle. For example, if you ate something particularly salty the day before - say a bag of popcorn - you may find that you've "gained" two pounds simply due to water retention. It's temporary.

[hoopsguy]

I know it is - and this is also why I try not to hit the scale more than a couple of times per week. I don't want to get obsessed over the number when I know it is fluid.

I was just surprised at a 5 pound difference between weigh-ins, when I had been reasonably good about what I ate (again, Mothers Day involved more bad foods) and got good exercise.

[hoopsguy]

So the bad weigh-in forced me to jump on the treadmill on a day that I was planning to take off - but my thighs weren't having any of it. Too much pain after running around for an hour playing soccer on Saturday and then chasing my kid on her bike all day yesterday.

I decided to bust out my wife's "30 Day Shred" video as an alternative workout, and as my own version of training wheels to see if I will have the discipline to follow a workout program like P90X. I don't want to make the financial investment in a series of videos until I know that I'll have the follow-through to do the work. P90X was what I had initially envisioned doing with my workouts this year, but the cardio and now the Shred videos are the first and second acts of this little play.

Blackadar, you had mentioned that you need weights for P90X. Are they the little 3 pound weight stuff that you would use for an aerobic workout or will I need to invest in some dumbbells? Just figured I would ask while I'm thinking about it ...

Oh, and not surprisingly the "Shred" workout was pretty hard for me the first time doing it. I haven't done any workout along those lines in the last 20+ years (going back to high school) so I struggled with stuff that didn't look like it should be that hard. Hope to see dramatically better results in a few weeks.

[JediKooter]

Portion control is my biggest weakness.

That is very hard. However, I just forced myself, but, I also live alone so I don't have any 'peer pressure' either. Fridays are my 'eat anything I want to' day. That way, if I'm craving something, I'll just have it on Friday. I drink a lot of water too and I have no soda at all in my house. Just water and gatorade. I also have a lot of pickles too. Zero calories, but, a bit high in the salt count.

I'm at 231 now, so hopefully by the end of the week I'll finally scratch that 229 mark on my scale.

[Blackadar]

So the bad weigh-in forced me to jump on the treadmill on a day that I was planning to take off - but my thighs weren't having any of it. Too much pain after running around for an hour playing soccer on Saturday and then chasing my kid on her bike all day yesterday.

I decided to bust out my wife's "30 Day Shred" video as an alternative workout, and as my own version of training wheels to see if I will have the discipline to follow a workout program like P90X. I don't want to make the financial investment in a series of videos until I know that I'll have the follow-through to do the work. P90X was what I had initially envisioned doing with my workouts this year, but the cardio and now the Shred videos are the first and second acts of this little play.

Blackadar, you had mentioned that you need weights for P90X. Are they the little 3 pound weight stuff that you would use for an aerobic workout or will I need to invest in some dumbbells? Just figured I would ask while I'm thinking about it ...

Oh, and not surprisingly the "Shred" workout was pretty hard for me the first time doing it. I haven't done any workout along those lines in the last 20+ years (going back to high school) so I struggled with stuff that didn't look like it should be that hard. Hope to see dramatically better results in a few weeks.

Jillian has some good workouts and her 30-Day Shred video is pretty strong. There's a lot of core strength moves and combo moves that aren't necessarily easy. I'll address the P90X materials requirements below, but if you're struggling with the first phase of the 30-Day Shred, I have a few alternate videos/sets to suggest beyond P90X. P90X is damn difficult - it pretty much started the "extreme" workout video craze. That's not to say it isn't really effective, because it is. But 30-Day Shred is pretty easy compared to P90X and you don't want to get discouraged. So here are a few alternatives as you build up to P90X (which I still highly recommend, simply because it works better than anything else I've done).

Tom Holland's Total Body Workout - $18 new from Amazon, weightlifting, cardio, crunches and pushups all in one 45 minute workout. It's from quite a few years ago, but it still remains the single best complete body workout I've ever purchased. It might be very good to put into a rotation with the 30-Day Shred workout because it will get you used to lifting bigger weights before tackling P90X. In fact, a lot of what you see in this workout you see in P90X (just a lot more of it in X!)

Atletica by Powerstrike - Ilaria's kettlebell-style workout is strength-based, but the moves are very different than what you'd normally find in a strength workout. Really different and an excellent "core strength" workout. Again, it could probably be put in with a 30-Day Shred rotation fairly easily.

P90 Master Series - Little known, these were done by Tony Horton between P90 and P90X. The cool thing is that you get sculpt, sweat, plyo and a couple of other videos for $60. So if you haven't made the investment in P90X, you can go with this series to see if you're going to like it or not. It's not as good as P90X, mind you - the production values aren't as high - but you'll see a lot of stuff in P90X that you see in P90 Masters. I don't much like the original P90 program, but I can tolerate the P90 Masters (and like X).

---

For P90X, you need sizable dumbbells. Depending on your strength, anywhere from 20-40lbs most likely. And you'll probably need a pretty decent set. For my own workouts, I use everything from 40s (lawnmowers) all the way down to 5s (weighted shoulder circles).

You could also get a few resistance bands of different resistances to sub out for the dumbbells. Someone is always on the bands during each workout to teach you the correct form. Personally, I've always hated resistance bands, but they are considerably cheaper than my pair of Bowflex Selecttech 552s.

Note that Beachbody will probably be releasing P90X2 (or P90XMC2) later this year. It will be tougher than P90X.

--

For anyone buying expensive workout sets (P90X, Insanity, etc.) on Ebay/ Amazon:
Be very, very aware that most of the used sets sold on Ebay or Amazon are bootlegs. The DVDs are usually of poor quality and don't last all that long, the chaptering may not work right or so forth. The sets look a lot like the real thing, with fully colored cases, the Beachbody graphics, etc. They're hard to identify, but the dead giveaway are the manuals. For example, a Chalean Extreme guide is 90 full-sized pages long, but the pirated version will have more of a half-sized pamphlet that runs 20 pages. Even apparently trusted sellers deal with these pirated versions, because many customers can't identify the real thing from a bootleg and give good feeedback. But then their DVDs go south or the indexes don't work and then they blame the product and not the bootleg seller.

[hoopsguy]

Thanks for a ton of good info there, Blackadar. When you talk about putting these in a rotation with another video series - are any of these structured in a way where it is supposed to be a set period of time devoted entirely to one workout program? I had thought that was part of the idea with P90X ... 90 days with pretty careful crafted workout routines for each day/week/month. Or am I completely off-base with that assumption?

[Blackadar]

Thanks for a ton of good info there, Blackadar. When you talk about putting these in a rotation with another video series - are any of these structured in a way where it is supposed to be a set period of time devoted entirely to one workout program? I had thought that was part of the idea with P90X ... 90 days with pretty careful crafted workout routines for each day/week/month. Or am I completely off-base with that assumption?

Some of these are structured to be THE workout program for a set period of time. P90X, CLX, Insanity, Cathe's STS, Peak, etc. are all designed to be your only fitness program for a set amount of time. You're completely on-base with that assumption.

However, that still doesn't mean you have to follow them exactly. For example, I modify P90X because I hate, hate, hate YogaX and I already have football practice on Saturdays. So I swap out the Yoga for either kickboxing, a HIIT workout or cardio endurance and skip the Saturday workout altogether. I've thrown in Insanity workouts into my P90X schedule by skipping PlyoX and doing an Insanity workout instead. On my P90X recovery weeks, I most definitely don't follow the P90X schedule. Instead, I do a helluva lot more cardio than the program suggests. Overall, I'm still doing P90X, but I am tailoring it a bit more for my needs/wants.

When I did CLX, that program has you take off Thursdays. I don't ever take weekdays off, so I always threw something in on Thursdays and skipped the non-essential Saturday workout. That kept the program working for my schedule.

So when I say work it in to your rotation, let's just say you decide to do Jillian's 30 day shred. Now if you follow her plan, you're doing the same workout for 30 days. Boring. Instead, you might do Jililan on M, W and F, but slide in Tom Holland and/or Atletica on Tuesdays and some cardio (treadmill, elliptical) on Thursdays. You'd probably get better results by changing things up a bit and you don't have to do the same workout (or listen to the same instructor) too many times.

There's a fine line there. You don't want to sub out the hard stuff too much or use it as an excuse to shelve a program altogether. But you may find you get better results and stay more motivated by keeping things a little more fresh than just following a strict rotation. Remember, most people who start a 60 or 90 day program never finish. So do what you have to in order to keep yourself motivated.

EDIT: One thing you'll find about me, I'm pretty familiar with the workout-at-home DVD scene. As a father of two, I don't have time, money nor the motivation to go to a gym. I hate monotonous roadwork (biking, jogging) and there's no way I'm doing that at 5:00 AM anyway. I don't have a workout bench nor any place to toss around heavy weights even if I did. So I really have only my elliptical, my dumbbells and my DVD player. As such, I'm a DVD-workout slave pretty much 5 days a week. So if you have questions about these programs, fire away...I've either done 'em or I know people who have.

[sabotai]

I know it is - and this is also why I try not to hit the scale more than a couple of times per week. I don't want to get obsessed over the number when I know it is fluid.

That's why I weigh myself every day and get a weekly average. Last week, I weighed 232.4 one day, but I didn't care. I didn't do anything special and the next day I was 229.2. Average for that week was 229.1 (Had I weighed 230.4 instead, it only would have made a -0.3 difference in the average). This past week, I averaged 227.4 and weighed anywhere from 226.2 to 229.0 during the week. May 5th, I was 226.8, May 6th was up at 228.2 and May 7th was down a bit 227.8.

As long as the average is going down, the day to day fluctuations don't bother me. One of the problems with weighing yourself once or twice a week is that you might weigh yourself on a particularly low day (dehydrated, etc.) and then freak out because your weight doesn't go down for a week or two because you were actually a few pounds heavier when hydrated normally. For instance, if I had just weighed myself on April 3rd and then not weighed myself again until May 2nd, I would think that I didn't lose any weight at all (228.8 on Apr 3rd, 229.0 on May 2nd). I wouldn't have known that April 3rd was a particularly low day for me and that May 2nd was a particularly high day.

Anyway, enough rambling from me. Just my take on it.

[DaddyTorgo]

Tis true sab.

[The Jackal]

That's a really good idea, average weights. I tried to make myself only weigh in a couple of times per week but I like doing it every morning, and then again if I bike that day. But the main thing is to not get discouraged for 1-2 pound fluctuations as long as your weight is holding steady/going down over the longer periods.

[sabotai]

Went to get fitted for a suit for my sister's wedding (in a week and a half). I was hoping to fit into the one I wore to my brother's 15 years ago but didn't quite make it. It was for the better though, I didn't like that suit and didn't think I looked good in it. I looked....bulky in it. Can't think of a better term.... This time the person there suggested an "Athletic cut" suit because I have broad shoulders and it looked pretty good. Much, much better than the old suit I have.

Makes me wonder how a suit will look on me if and when I get to around 180 or lower....hell, I might become a "suit person". I've been wanting to experiment with different fashion styles and whatnot. Even though I'm hardly a fashion person, it's one of the things that keeps me motivated. Being a fat person, there's really only one look available. The "hide the fat as best as possible" style......man, I'm sick of that style.

[DaddyTorgo]

Went to get fitted for a suit for my sister's wedding (in a week and a half). I was hoping to fit into the one I wore to my brother's 15 years ago but didn't quite make it. It was for the better though, I didn't like that suit and didn't think I looked good in it. I looked....bulky in it. Can't think of a better term.... This time the person there suggested an "Athletic cut" suit because I have broad shoulders and it looked pretty good. Much, much better than the old suit I have.

Makes me wonder how a suit will look on me if and when I get to around 180 or lower....hell, I might become a "suit person". I've been wanting to experiment with different fashion styles and whatnot. Even though I'm hardly a fashion person, it's one of the things that keeps me motivated. Being a fat person, there's really only one look available. The "hide the fat as best as possible" style......man, I'm sick of that style.

I know the feeling. My dress-up clothes are starting to fit again and I really enjoy pulling them out and putting them on. Hell, some of the pants are even too big at the moment, as are the necks of the shirts.

Great feeling - looking forward to being able to actually experiment with some fashions.

[DaddyTorgo]

Not going to be home until Friday morning (house sitting for parents) so we'll see how my weight it when I get home.

Brought all my food essentials with me - which is kinda silly, but what the hell.

[The Jackal]

Not going to be home until Friday morning (house sitting for parents) so we'll see how my weight it when I get home.

Brought all my food essentials with me - which is kinda silly, but what the hell.

Not really silly. When you're away from your routine and normal options is often when you stray out of convenience or peer pressure.

[Blackadar]

No major weight loss this week...maybe a half pound or so...but I'm continuing to put on muscle in my current P90X rotation. So even though I'm not losing, I am losing it in the right areas and gaining in the right areas. I just finished up the 2nd of the 3 weightlifting segments in P90X. Now I can look forward to a week of moderate workouts before I'm on to the final lifting push for 5 weeks (instead of the normal 4).

:banana:

[DaddyTorgo]

BOOYA!!

194.shitiforgotonthedrivetoworkbutitwas4or6

So that's basically -68lbs.

[The Jackal]

BOOYA!!

194.shitiforgotonthedrivetoworkbutitwas4or6

So that's basically -68lbs.

Awesome. How tall are you? We weigh pretty much the same now, I'd like to get between 185-190 but I'm pretty pleased.

[Blackadar]

BOOYA!!

194.shitiforgotonthedrivetoworkbutitwas4or6

So that's basically -68lbs.

:chickendance: :chickendance: :chickendance:

Ok, DT, what are your suggestions for losing that much weight and keeping it off? I'm down 50+ myself, but I always like to know what works for other folks. Especially in the way of diet, managing hunger, eating habits and so forth.

[DaddyTorgo]

Awesome. How tall are you? We weigh pretty much the same now, I'd like to get between 185-190 but I'm pretty pleased.

I'm 6ft even. The lightest I've been since HS was 178 (right after HS). That seemed a bit too light at the time, so I sort of set my goal for this round as "somewhere around 184," but I may actually push it and try to get down into the 170s actually. But my publiclly-stated goal is 182, as that would be 80lbs lost.

[DaddyTorgo]

:chickendance: :chickendance: :chickendance:

Ok, DT, what are your suggestions for losing that much weight and keeping it off? I'm down 50+ myself, but I always like to know what works for other folks. Especially in the way of diet, managing hunger, eating habits and so forth.


Congrats on the 50+ Blackadar - it's definitely not a cakewalk (mmm cake) so you have my respect!

[DaddyTorgo]

193.6 this morning

[Blackadar]

Where's that nice, long answer, DT? :)

Oh, and gratz.

[DaddyTorgo]

Where's that nice, long answer, DT? :)

Oh, and gratz.

it's coming - i got distracted by some other stuff that I should have done a while back for the Medieval II Total War mod that I'm a part of.

[DaddyTorgo]

:chickendance: :chickendance: :chickendance:

Ok, DT, what are your suggestions for losing that much weight and keeping it off? I'm down 50+ myself, but I always like to know what works for other folks. Especially in the way of diet, managing hunger, eating habits and so forth.

My suggestions...let's see. Let me approach by categories.

DIET:
My diet is fairly...restricted. Not in the sense of doing any sort of fad diet or anything, and I do give myself the freedom to cheat off of it, so it's more self-restricted I guess you'd say. I've been lucky so far in that I haven't had to get all calorie-counting (although I'm certainly calorie-aware). But I don't keep a daily calorie-log or Weight Watchers "Points" log or anything. I just know that my breakfast is in the neighborhood of 200-300 calories, my lunch is probably 400 or so, and my dinner will be around 300.

If I go out to eat I stick to salad or a lil chicken breast or plain grilled seafood - although every so often I'll go out and have some red meat.

Avoiding alcohol (unless I'm having drinks with someone for work, then it's one drink and nothing but veggies for the rest of the night), since alcohol decreases your metabolism by 30%.

But like I said - I do let myself enjoy eating too. Fri/Sat/Sun nights I have 2 pieces of pizza each night for dinner (from my favorite local pizza place). Then again, I only have one "brunch" type meal before that during the day, and potentially a midafternoon 100 calorie snack if the "brunch" was more a breakfast (Saturday).

Breakfast is a 100-calorie English muffin and a little bit of "I can't believe it's not butter light," along with a smoothie that's 1 teaspoon of fat-free yogurt, one banana, a handful of frozen berries, and a quarter-cup or so of that tropicana 50 oj-ish stuff, along with a dash of skim milk to make it not too thick.

Lunch is a 250-calorie or so sandwich (100 calorie deli-flat bread, slice of deli meat (buffalo chicken), slice of cheese), along with fruit+veggie (carrots + clementines most of the time), a small handful of baked chips (half a serving size), and a half-serving of reduced fat nilla wafers (60 calories in 4).

Lately I've been very stuck (in a positive way) on Healthy Choice microwave meals for dinner. Pretty solid taste-wise, between 200-260 calories in most of them (some of the more saucy ones are just north of 300). It's not ideal, but my schedule gets me home around 7:30 most of the time it seems, so I don't want to have to take the time to cook at that point.

Snacks can be 100-calorie popcorn packs, a bit of dry cheerios, a handful of goldfish.

Every so often I have one of the small york peppermint patties (50 calories) when I need a chocolate fix. Weight Watchers makes some surprisingly tasty frozen desserts.

And I chew a lot of Stride gum.


MANAGING HUNGER:
I drink a ton of tea. Probably like 5 cups a day. Fills me up with liquid at a zero-calorie cost. Drink tea every couple hours. Two in the morning before lunch. One in mid-afternoon and one basically right around dinnertime. Fill my stomach up with liquid so I'm less hungry overall.

Snack on carrots (satisfying crunch), or fruit. 100 calorie popcorn packs if you gotta have some salt and something to fill your stomach.

Try to stick to a routine pretty good so my body knows when to expect food (insofar as that's possible).

In some respects as you know though, it's just about listening to your body. If my body says "I'M STARVING...FEED ME!!" then I'll eat something. I ate an extra organic granola bar yesterday for example, around 6pm when I went out to read before dinner.

EATING HABITS:
Well, like I said - drinking a ton of tea. Filling up on water at restauruants and at home all the time. Here's a good one I think I've suggested before -- eat veggies/salad FIRST. And not just first as you sit down at the table (although you can do that if you're eating slow enough), but like a good 30 minutes before you eat the rest of the meal (to the extent that's possible) in order to fill you up on that stuff rather than the other stuff.

I used to be a huge believer in the "don't eat anything within 4 hours of going to sleep" rule, but I've really relaxed that in practice (also because I stay up so late) and I let myself snack on a cup of dry cheerios and/or a handful of goldfish after dinner if necessary.

Portion control is obviously the huge thing. Shrinking the stomach down so that you need to eat less to be full. Hell...I can have one hot dog and call that a meal now. Or two slices of pizza instead of a full small pizza (although lately I've been thinking of cutting back to just one slice even). There's not really much I can say about that - it's painful while you're doing it obviously, because you're hungry, but it's sooooo necessary.

EXERCISE:
Nothing complicated here. 45 minutes (around 5.2 miles) of straight cardio on the elliptical (on the "weight loss" program where it varies the incline). High resistance on it (right now I'm at a "12" on the machines at my gym). 6 days a week (I take Sundays off).



So in summary...I guess a lot of it just comes down to willpower really. If I have the urge to go crazy (and yes I was craving McDonald's fries when I was at the mall yesterday), I say to myself "Listen...that isn't going to help you get thinner. Don't be a fatass idiot."

So yeah...self-deprication and willpower. Don't be afraid to call yourself out if you're going to do something stupid. But at the same time, give yourself little cheats. Just don't make your cheat "I'm going to go eat an entire pie/cake all by myself." Make your cheat like "I'm going to stop for a small size fat-free frozen yogurt after my salad for dinner."

And have people to cheer you on. I update my mother everyday around lunchtime (yes...I'm a mama's boy). It feels good to have someone else being like "you're awesome...i'm so proud of you."

There ya go. My thoughts.

[Blackadar]

WOW. I appreciate your willpower, DT, but that's a little extreme. I wonder if you're getting enough calories to fuel your body correctly. You're talking 900-1000 calories, which is literally starvation level. I agree portion control is entirely necessary, as is what you eat. But yowsa...I'm glad it worked for you, but my body doesn't function on that kind of minimalist diet, never mind I wouldn't want to do it.

Personally, I've just tried eating a lot more healthy at breakfast and especially lunch. So for example my lunch today was 1/2 of a turkey wrap from Jersey Mikes (they put cheese on it today, but I could do without), a bunch of fresh veggies and an apple. I'll eat less during dinner, too, but not at the calorie levels you're talking about. Hence the pork chop, the half of a sweet potato and some lightly steamed green beans for dinner.

You got more willpower than me, brotha! And I have no idea how you eat that frozen stuff...it tastes horrible.

---

From a fitness standpoint, I'd strongly suggest that you ease off the cardio and implement more weightlifting. Not only will you burn more calories long-term, you'll look/feel better. I like my elliptical too, but I'm far better off building at this stage rather than burning even though I'm not near my ideal weight. Case in point - I lost 45 pounds and while people noticed I'd lost some weight, it wasn't a big thing. I just finished the 2nd of 3 cycles with P90X and I've had a bunch of people ask me if I've lost weight recently, even though I've only lost 5 more pounds. It's how those pounds are getting shifted around that people noticed. My $.02 on that.

I'm focused less on the diet side and more on the workout side even though diet is 75% of your weight. I feel that if I work out hard and eat within reason, whatever my weight is it is.

[hoopsguy]

I'm nowhere near where you guys are in terms of weight loss, but I've tried to apply some of the same principles outlined in terms of portion control and food selection. However, that process just falls apart for me with lunch during the week. I've been pretty good about either having a bowl of raisin bran or a cinnamon raisin bagel for breakfast, along with a glass of orange juice. And I've been eating pretty small portions for dinner. But I get too many bad meals, and eat the standard portions, at lunch. I do IT consulting, and I'm rarely at the same client two days in a row. Some of the meals are with clients, but most of them are just me lacking the discipline to identify nearby places that offer healthy food and to choose appropriate portion sizes.

I also do a better job of tracking my fluids on the weekends than I do at work. It can be pretty hit/miss during the week, mostly dictated by how good a start I get to my day. I think this one is mostly a matter of firmly establishing habits; I'm not quite where drinking 50+ oz of water per day has become automatic.

[DaddyTorgo]

WOW. I appreciate your willpower, DT, but that's a little extreme. I wonder if you're getting enough calories to fuel your body correctly. You're talking 900-1000 calories, which is literally starvation level. I agree portion control is entirely necessary, as is what you eat. But yowsa...I'm glad it worked for you, but my body doesn't function on that kind of minimalist diet, never mind I wouldn't want to do it.

Personally, I've just tried eating a lot more healthy at breakfast and especially lunch. So for example my lunch today was 1/2 of a turkey wrap from Jersey Mikes (they put cheese on it today, but I could do without), a bunch of fresh veggies and an apple. I'll eat less during dinner, too, but not at the calorie levels you're talking about. Hence the pork chop, the half of a sweet potato and some lightly steamed green beans for dinner.

You got more willpower than me, brotha! And I have no idea how you eat that frozen stuff...it tastes horrible.

---

From a fitness standpoint, I'd strongly suggest that you ease off the cardio and implement more weightlifting. Not only will you burn more calories long-term, you'll look/feel better. I like my elliptical too, but I'm far better off building at this stage rather than burning even though I'm not near my ideal weight. Case in point - I lost 45 pounds and while people noticed I'd lost some weight, it wasn't a big thing. I just finished the 2nd of 3 cycles with P90X and I've had a bunch of people ask me if I've lost weight recently, even though I've only lost 5 more pounds. It's how those pounds are getting shifted around that people noticed. My $.02 on that.

I'm focused less on the diet side and more on the workout side even though diet is 75% of your weight. I feel that if I work out hard and eat within reason, whatever my weight is it is.

Yeah - I'll have to start building in some more weight lifting as I get down towards 180 to try to shift off some of the remaining belly-fat.

Nah...my calorie-count is more than that. I'll have a little dessert or something, or maybe 5 or 6 chocolate covered almonds, or a handful of chips from the kitchen at the office or whatever. And I underestimated the calories in my normal day up above I'm sure. It is probably in the like 1300-1400 calorie range though. And that's on my best days. I've been known to be worse.

And the Healthy Choice dinners...I dunno...they're not terrible. They've reformulated a lot of them I guess, and with the sauces they're not bad. Not the greatest ever, but they're edible certainly.

[DaddyTorgo]

I'm nowhere near where you guys are in terms of weight loss, but I've tried to apply some of the same principles outlined in terms of portion control and food selection. However, that process just falls apart for me with lunch during the week. I've been pretty good about either having a bowl of raisin bran or a cinnamon raisin bagel for breakfast, along with a glass of orange juice. And I've been eating pretty small portions for dinner. But I get too many bad meals, and eat the standard portions, at lunch. And that is where I have the most problems.

You had less to lose though. I guess for your lunch it's just all about willpower man. Just...get that bad meal and eat a half a portion...and then work up to getting a better meal eventually?

[The Jackal]

The only thing I'll say about healthy choice dinners, and for the most part they are very good options - but if you have cholesterol concerns make sure you look at the cholesterol (and more importantly the saturated fat) contents. As a society we're becoming a little overzealous with the cutting back on calories while not taking into account the saturated fat that can be packed into things.

Tea is a great thing, and I echo what DT said about it keeping you full. I should drink more tea - I've been drinking a lot of water lately and probably have more beer/scotch than I should, but I have been losing a lot of weight and don't feel like depriving myself of a few drinks when I'm depriving myself of cheese and so many other things. :)

[DaddyTorgo]

Yeah - good points Jackal as far as the Healthy Choice meals. I always make sure to check the full nutrition label.

Tea is excellent. I'm probably up to ohhh...5-6 cups on an average day.

And hey - if you're doing well then you deserve a drink or two.

Everybody tells me that I'm too draconian with how hard I'm going at this, but I just have the mindset of not giving myself an inch so that I don't have the opportunity to take a mile. But that's just me knowing myself, ya know?

[Blackadar]

I'm nowhere near where you guys are in terms of weight loss, but I've tried to apply some of the same principles outlined in terms of portion control and food selection. However, that process just falls apart for me with lunch during the week. I've been pretty good about either having a bowl of raisin bran or a cinnamon raisin bagel for breakfast, along with a glass of orange juice. And I've been eating pretty small portions for dinner. But I get too many bad meals, and eat the standard portions, at lunch. I do IT consulting, and I'm rarely at the same client two days in a row. Some of the meals are with clients, but most of them are just me lacking the discipline to identify nearby places that offer healthy food and to choose appropriate portion sizes.

I'm a consultant and also on the road quite a bit. If you drive to your clients a lot, do what I do - pack your lunch. Throw a turkey sandwich on wheat, some fresh veggies and an apple in a cooler and take it with you. If you fly, well...you're pretty well screwed. It's so damn hard to eat right on the road and often what you think is "healthy food" isn't anything of the sort.

[Blackadar]

Yeah - I'll have to start building in some more weight lifting as I get down towards 180 to try to shift off some of the remaining belly-fat.

Ok, if you have any questions, let me know. It sounds like you go to a gym, so you have a lot of options. My workouts are all in my living room.

One mistake many people make when lifting is they don't do it fast enough, or hard enough, or long enough in a gym circuit. As such, they don't build enough muscle or get their heart rate up high enough to also have a cardiovascular effect.

If they offer it, try a kettlebell class.

Nah...my calorie-count is more than that. I'll have a little dessert or something, or maybe 5 or 6 chocolate covered almonds, or a handful of chips from the kitchen at the office or whatever. And I underestimated the calories in my normal day up above I'm sure. It is probably in the like 1300-1400 calorie range though. And that's on my best days. I've been known to be worse.

That's still low, but that's better. If you lift, you may need to up your caloric intake (or at least your protein intake) a bit.


And the Healthy Choice dinners...I dunno...they're not terrible. They've reformulated a lot of them I guess, and with the sauces they're not bad. Not the greatest ever, but they're edible certainly.

More power to you, but I can't stand 'em. I have to have home-cooked food on a regular basis, which is my wife's job! :)

I really dislike frozen foods...except for Totino's Frozen Pizzas, but I haven't had one of those in a couple of years.

Oh, and I hate tea. Vile liquid. I drink water all the time, with the very occasional Sprite in a restaurant.

[DaddyTorgo]

[quote=DaddyTorgo;2471003]Yeah - I'll have to start building in some more weight lifting as I get down towards 180 to try to shift off some of the remaining belly-fat. ['/quote]

Ok, if you have any questions, let me know. It sounds like you go to a gym, so you have a lot of options. My workouts are all in my living room.

One mistake many people make when lifting is they don't do it fast enough, or hard enough, or long enough in a gym circuit. As such, they don't build enough muscle or get their heart rate up high enough to also have a cardiovascular effect.

If they offer it, try a kettlebell class.



That's still low, but that's better. If you lift, you may need to up your caloric intake (or at least your protein intake) a bit.




More power to you, but I can't stand 'em. I have to have home-cooked food on a regular basis, which is my wife's job! :)

I really dislike frozen foods...except for Totino's Frozen Pizzas, but I haven't had one of those in a couple of years.

Oh, and I hate tea. Vile liquid. I drink water all the time, with the very occasional Sprite in a restaurant.

I do go to a gym...got one right by the office. Actually had like 3 personal training sessions where I had the trainer set me up with a weightlifting routine so I've got sort of a good circuit to go back to, but will let you know.

More impressed you've managed to lose that much with all your workouts being in your living room. That's massively impressive. Kudos to you!!! Literally...have a Kudo bar. Haha.

Yeah...I was definitely upping my protein before when I was lifting...eggbeaters for breakfast instead of shake+english muffin being one example. And I do need to transition to some lifting and core-work once I get down to like 180 to get rid of the belly-fat I still have and try to flatten that out (which I've done once before, so that I was much more "straight-down" (not 6-pac, but just a straight line from chest on down with no tummy).

Yeah - it's strange that I don't mind the Healthy Choice meals. Don't get me wrong...I'd rather have home-cooked food, but being single and working till at least 6pm everyday (and then taking an hour at starbucks to sit and read and have a pre-dinner cup of tea, or at my parent's visiting them) means that I just don't have the inclination to cook at 7:30 when I get home. Sometimes I end up out for dinner, or sometimes I stay at my parent's and eat mom's food...but I prolly do at least 2 of the Healthy Choice meals a week, in a normal week.

So the Healthy Choice meals are alright. And they're definitely not harming the weight-loss, so that's a strong point in their favor.

Do I enjoy the hell out of them? Nah...that'd be a huge stretch. But they do the job.

Food as fuel vs. food as enjoyment I suppose. But I still get my enjoyment times. Really love my lunches and my morning shakes and my lil treats.

[The Jackal]

I've got my physical on Friday.. hoping the cholesterol has taken a huge dip with the loss of 35 pounds and the reduction of saturated fat!

[Blackadar]

I've got my physical on Friday.. hoping the cholesterol has taken a huge dip with the loss of 35 pounds and the reduction of saturated fat!

Good luck!

Reminds me of a doctor's visit a few years ago. I came in rather overweight with a family history of diabetes, heart problems, etc. So they did all the blood work on me, sent it out and then had me back in to discuss the results.

Doctor looks at me, shakes his head and says, "You need to lose some weight because..." and then glances down at the sheet. "Hmmm...blood sugar is fine".

Looks at me again and says, "You need to lose some weight because..." and looks over his sheet. "Cholesterol is really good."

"You need to lose some weight because..."...checks his sheet..."blood pressure is better than normal."

He does this routine a couple more times until finally he looks me square in the eye and says, "You need to lose some weight because...YOU'RE FAT!"

:lol:

[Blackadar]

[quote=Blackadar;2471200]

I do go to a gym...got one right by the office. Actually had like 3 personal training sessions where I had the trainer set me up with a weightlifting routine so I've got sort of a good circuit to go back to, but will let you know.

More impressed you've managed to lose that much with all your workouts being in your living room. That's massively impressive. Kudos to you!!! Literally...have a Kudo bar. Haha.

Gracias.

I actually find it easier to work out in my living room than in a gym. With two kids and the wife, my free time is rather limited. So every weekday morning, I wake up at 5AM and do something in the living room. P90X, my elliptical, Insanity, Atletica, kickboxing...something. Then I go take my shower and get ready for the day. It's become just the normal morning routine since it's done without any distractions from the family.

[The Jackal]

He does this routine a couple more times until finally he looks me square in the eye and says, "You need to lose some weight because...YOU'RE FAT!"

:lol:

hahaha

and thanks. I've been pretty strict with my diet this past year, so I'm expecting results. I have a history of high cholesterol in my family so I wanted to meet this thing head on earlier in life, and avoid taking any pills.

[The Jackal]

All my workouts are in my living room too - just on the exercise bike. Good ol' cardio. Occasional shadow boxing too. I don't like going to gyms, especially without having a car because I'm in the city.

[DaddyTorgo]

Good luck!

Reminds me of a doctor's visit a few years ago. I came in rather overweight with a family history of diabetes, heart problems, etc. So they did all the blood work on me, sent it out and then had me back in to discuss the results.

Doctor looks at me, shakes his head and says, "You need to lose some weight because..." and then glances down at the sheet. "Hmmm...blood sugar is fine".

Looks at me again and says, "You need to lose some weight because..." and looks over his sheet. "Cholesterol is really good."

"You need to lose some weight because..."...checks his sheet..."blood pressure is better than normal."

He does this routine a couple more times until finally he looks me square in the eye and says, "You need to lose some weight because...YOU'RE FAT!"

:lol:

Haha...nice story. I find that a reasonable helping of reminding myself that I'm still fat is actually useful in motivating me. Now given, I'm not AS fat as I was, but it's still helpful.

I need to make a doctor's appointment with my GP. Actually I might need a new GP...my old guy has moved into offices in the city.

[DaddyTorgo]

193.2

Shooting for the 192's by tomorrow...

[DaddyTorgo]

193.2

Shooting for the 192's by tomorrow...

well fuck me sideways

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1980852/IMAG0022.jpg

That's better than I was expecting. Getting down towards my goal...minimum of 10lbs left to go, maybe more like 15. I'm still at a not-tight-but-not-loose 36 waist, and it'd be really great to get that down to a 34...although working out and doing core exercises to get rid of the rest of the belly fat will doubtless aid in that too.

[The Jackal]

Awesome!

[DaddyTorgo]

Getting to awesome. Not quite there yet. A job partially-finished is a job incomplete! Must...remain...vigilant.

Thanks though!! I'm definitely happy!!

[Blackadar]

DT, just curious...how tall are you?

[DaddyTorgo]

DT, just curious...how tall are you?

I don't think you have to preface that with a "just curious" Blackadar - not like we're holding anything back here.

I'm 6ft even.

Take after my father's side of the family with a barrel-chested build rather than a skinnier build though.

[The Jackal]

Getting to awesome. Not quite there yet. A job partially-finished is a job incomplete! Must...remain...vigilant.

Thanks though!! I'm definitely happy!!

You have a right to be happy, I'm sticking with awesome. I didn't think there was much risk of you seeing this as a reason to slack off. I'll come up with a super badass adjective for when you reach the ultimate goal. Though we both know maintaining is the hardest part.

[DaddyTorgo]

You have a right to be happy, I'm sticking with awesome. I didn't think there was much risk of you seeing this as a reason to slack off. I'll come up with a super badass adjective for when you reach the ultimate goal. Though we both know maintaining is the hardest part.

Hehe.

Yeah - maintaining is tough. I'm optimistic now though, as last time I was this light I had a lot of life-changes going on with college and all that weren't conducive to maintaining, and I'm in a much better place for maintaining now.

[Blackadar]

I don't think you have to preface that with a "just curious" Blackadar - not like we're holding anything back here.

I'm 6ft even.

Take after my father's side of the family with a barrel-chested build rather than a skinnier build though.

Actually, I was going to say you must be pretty skinny to be 6ft and 192. :D

Then again, I'm built a bit like a tank - a 50" chest with a waist that's the same as yours and so I think most people are thin. I'm about 20lbs heavier and shorter than you are, but with the same waist size. As such, I hate BMI with a passion...I can have a body fat % under 15% (which is considered better than average) and sill be considered "obese" from a BMI standpoint. :banghead:

[DaddyTorgo]

I wonder what my chest is...hmmm.

[Blackadar]

Since we haven't had a post in this thread for 4 days...

211 this morning. I'm quite good with that, considering I've been slowly edging down from 212.5 (scale goes down to a half pound) since a week and a half ago. That means my weight loss journey started in March, 2010 has now reached no less than 54 pounds. I'm in my 40s and haven't been this light since I was in my 20s. Even my 10-15 year old "skinny" clothes are starting to get a little big, except in the chest/arms/back, where they're starting to fit a bit tighter.

Now that I'm on to the 3rd circuit of P90X and therefore strength training more than I did last week, I may stall out for a week or two. In fact, it wouldn't be a surprise to gain a pound or three over the next couple of weeks, though I hope not. Still, I knocked out 260 pushups this morning, so that has to count for something.

[DaddyTorgo]

Lil bump up to 194 this morning, which I wasn't happy about - but I ate a ton of fruit yesterday, so I'm sure it will bounce back down -tues/weds seem to be my "loss days" anyways.

[hoopsguy]

I've been staying +/- 1.5 pounds around 180 for the past 10 or so days, but I think the overall appearance is getting a little better. I'm fitting pretty comfortably into some 33" pants today and I think the videos + running + soccer are starting to have a little impact on muscle definition. Beyond the natural "I'm looking better because I'm working out" trick that your mind wants to play on you by the middle of the first week of exercise :)

[DaddyTorgo]

Nice. I want to get into a pair of 34" pants. I'm in 36ers right now, and they're not exactly loose yet though. Might have to think that 34 will be realistic when I reach my end goal.

In fact, maybe I should buy a pair of 34" pants and declare fitting into them to be my end goal??

[Blackadar]

Nice. I want to get into a pair of 34" pants. I'm in 36ers right now, and they're not exactly loose yet though. Might have to think that 34 will be realistic when I reach my end goal.

In fact, maybe I should buy a pair of 34" pants and declare fitting into them to be my end goal??

When it comes to weight loss, there is no end goal...just a continuation of the journey.

[DaddyTorgo]

When it comes to weight loss, there is no end goal...just a continuation of the journey.

Fair enough. Poor choice of words on my point. "Declare that a milestone whereupon I can transition from weight loss to weight maintenance" would have been a better phrase.

[Blackadar]

Fair enough. Poor choice of words on my point. "Declare that a milestone whereupon I can transition from weight loss to weight maintenance" would have been a better phrase.

Excellent description. "Fighting weight" would also work. :lol:

I'm focused more on fitness and less on diet, though both are important considerations. You're focused more on diet and less on fitness, though both are important considerations. I think diet makes up 75% of any weight loss so you're probably doing it more of the "right" way, but it shows that there's more than one way to skin that cat.

[DaddyTorgo]

Excellent description. "Fighting weight" would also work. :lol:

I'm focused more on fitness and less on diet, though both are important considerations. You're focused more on diet and less on fitness, though both are important considerations. I think diet makes up 75% of any weight loss so you're probably doing it more of the "right" way, but it shows that there's more than one way to skin that cat.

No worries. So much of it is psychological - as long as it's working for both of us it's all good!

[DaddyTorgo]

As predicted...back down to 193.0. Looking forward to presumably being back in the 192's tomorrow.

[Blackadar]

Sweet DT!

Milestone weight for me today. 210 after doing Plyo this morning. Bill Clinton was in office the last time I weighed 210 pounds.
:party:

Of course, I have two birthdays to attend (one of them my own) with the commensurate cake, steaks, etc. coming up this long weekend. Chances of me staying at 210 through the weekend are slim and none.

[hoopsguy]

Sweet DT!

Milestone weight for me today. 210 after doing Plyo this morning. Bill Clinton was in office the last time I weighed 210 pounds.
:party:

Of course, I have two birthdays to attend (one of them my own) with the commensurate cake, steaks, etc. coming up this long weekend. Chances of me staying at 210 through the weekend are slim and none.

My daughters birthday party led to me eating about 5 pieces of cake over two days and drinking at least one bottle of wine (adults partied hard that night after kids were in bed). It took about two days to normalize again after that weekend binge.

[DaddyTorgo]

Woot!

191.4.

[Blackadar]

Half pound up at 210.5. Oh well, no biggie.

Not surprising, given the pushups/pullups/weights on Monday and the weights today.

[DaddyTorgo]

Half pound up at 210.5. Oh well, no biggie.

Not surprising, given the pushups/pullups/weights on Monday and the weights today.

half pound is no biggie. muscle is good anyways!

[Blackadar]

half pound is no biggie. muscle is good anyways!

It's fine. Plus, I feel good...I just turned down an offer to go out for Chinese one someone elses dime to stay in the office and eat my steak salad, pear and banana. :D

Actually, to be truthful...I think I'd prefer the steak salad over the Chinese food at that place anyway...

[DaddyTorgo]

190.8...

Upped my resistance on the elliptical from 12 to 13 two days ago and kept my pace the same. Two days ago when I did it it was fine. Yesterday (maybe because I was like 1.5 hours later than usual working out?) it absolutely kicked my ass. I couldn't even finish...came up like 4 minutes short of my 45 minutes, and that was after taking a couple extra short breaks in the middle.

Looking forward to seeing how today goes.

[cschex]

I'm a newcomer to this thread, and to weight loss in general, but it's past time. I'm not sure what has finally gotten me to this point, but I just turned 30 last month and I weigh ~250 lbs. I don't like the way I look or feel.

The two main issues are (unsurprisingly) diet and exercise. My diet isn't necessarily bad, but my portions are much too large. Also, I do virtually no exercise, due to a combination of laziness and very bad knees. I want to look good and not be embarrassed to be out with my wife in public (she is on the low side of her ideal weight) and also change my habits enough so I am healthy to enjoy my life with her and my daughter (who is 4). I'm posting this because I've been reading a lot of this thread the last few days and feel that there are a lot of good suggestions and reinforcement here. Also, I will probably have a ton of questions, especially regarding exercise.

Due to financial/other situations, a home workout DVD would probably be the best way for me to get in regular exercise. What might be a good suggestion for someone who is pretty out of shape and has not regularly exercised in a long time to start with?

[DaddyTorgo]

I'm a newcomer to this thread, and to weight loss in general, but it's past time. I'm not sure what has finally gotten me to this point, but I just turned 30 last month and I weigh ~250 lbs. I don't like the way I look or feel.

The two main issues are (unsurprisingly) diet and exercise. My diet isn't necessarily bad, but my portions are much too large. Also, I do virtually no exercise, due to a combination of laziness and very bad knees. I want to look good and not be embarrassed to be out with my wife in public (she is on the low side of her ideal weight) and also change my habits enough so I am healthy to enjoy my life with her and my daughter (who is 4). I'm posting this because I've been reading a lot of this thread the last few days and feel that there are a lot of good suggestions and reinforcement here. Also, I will probably have a ton of questions, especially regarding exercise.

Due to financial/other situations, a home workout DVD would probably be the best way for me to get in regular exercise. What might be a good suggestion for someone who is pretty out of shape and has not regularly exercised in a long time to start with?

Welcome to the journey!!

I was the same as you like 9 months or so ago...just over 30 and just over 260. So it can be done! Looking forward to whatever help and support we can give you. We have some good home-workout-warriors here I know, so I'll leave that to them.

[Blackadar]

I'm a newcomer to this thread, and to weight loss in general, but it's past time. I'm not sure what has finally gotten me to this point, but I just turned 30 last month and I weigh ~250 lbs. I don't like the way I look or feel.

The two main issues are (unsurprisingly) diet and exercise. My diet isn't necessarily bad, but my portions are much too large. Also, I do virtually no exercise, due to a combination of laziness and very bad knees. I want to look good and not be embarrassed to be out with my wife in public (she is on the low side of her ideal weight) and also change my habits enough so I am healthy to enjoy my life with her and my daughter (who is 4). I'm posting this because I've been reading a lot of this thread the last few days and feel that there are a lot of good suggestions and reinforcement here. Also, I will probably have a ton of questions, especially regarding exercise.

Due to financial/other situations, a home workout DVD would probably be the best way for me to get in regular exercise. What might be a good suggestion for someone who is pretty out of shape and has not regularly exercised in a long time to start with?

Welcome to the club!

I hope you really, really take this to heart - you can be the source of your own inspiration story. I know it sounds corny as hell, but it's the truth. I was right there with you a bit over a year ago (though I'm in my 40s). In excess of 265 pounds and sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Fast forward a bit over a year (1yr, 2mo) and I'm down 55 pounds. I might have 20 or so pounds to go, but I'm in pretty good shape now. All my 10+ year old clothes fit. My fat clothes have been long packed up. I look better, feel better, act better and frankly I'm finding that many people respond to me better. My main thing has been exercise first and diet second, but I've been slowly morphing into making my diet just as important and that's why I'm still losing pounds.

So believe in yourself, alright? It ain't easy, but it's entirely doable if you really want to do it.

Now, on to the workouts.

I spent my first two months huffing and puffing on an elliptical.

As for home fitness DVDs, there's a bunch out there and it all depends on what you like. I'd suggest starting out making sure you're getting plenty of cardio in whatever you do.

The first fitness DVDs I used after doing the elliptical were the very old P90s - the originals. The production values are lower and they get boring since you're doing the same two videos each month. But you alternate between cardio and weights each day, they do provide results and they're doable by anyone.

If you want something a little more cardio-based, the old Turbo Jams are still pretty good and you can get the basic TJ set on Amazon for around $30. If you really like to dance, Zumba Exhilarate is out there for around $90, though I wouldn't do that one - it's most definitely not my style. The Tae Bo series is pretty damn good for virtually all fitness levels and to this day I like Billy Blanks' style. Plus, I feel less conspicuous kickboxing rather than dancing and it's even better with a pair of one-pound weighted gloves.

If you're really geared up to try something more "manly", you could always try something with kettlebells (www.skoggsystem.com). You'll work both cardio and strength at the same time, but you better make sure your form is good or you could easily hurt yourself. The cost of equipment is a bit higher, but kettlebells are one helluva workout.

Any insight into what you might want to do may jog my memory to suggest other programs. Also, I have a bunch more intermediate and advanced programs in mind when you want to give one a shot. But do yourself a favor and don't go all-in on one of the more "extreme" or "advanced" workout systems. You won't do yourself any good trying to do P90X or Insanity or Rushfit at this stage. You're far more likely to get discouraged and quit (or worse, injured).

Good luck and keep us posted.

P.S. - One last recommendation. I don't know if you have kids or not. I do. So the only time that's truly "mine" is my workout time at 5:00 AM. It sucks getting up that early, but that's the only time I know for a virtual certainty (unless I'm traveling on business) that I won't get interrupted or distracted. Find your workout time, make it yours and only your time. For me, there's no way to workout at night because of the kids/distractions/tv/computer games/wife/etc. But at 5:00AM, it's just me. It took 3 months for me to get used to waking up that early, but now it's just my routine. Get up...workout...shave...shower...get dressed...eat breakfast...go to work.

[cschex]

Thank you both very much for the responses. This morning I weighed myself at 251.4 and did 15 minutes of alternating lunges, jogging in place, and sit-ups. It's not much, but my goal for starting is to get myself used to waking up and being active. Blackadar, I have a 4 yrd old daughter so the morning really is the best time for me. I go into work at 7AM so I would have to be up and working out by 5 at the latest. Thankfully, my job is 10 minutes away.

I am really refocusing on the diet/portion control, counting calories and making sure I am getting a lot of water/tea. For exercise, I'd like to get an elliptical machine or stationary bike. Does anyone have any brands they would recommend or sites to look at for solid reviews? Also, what type of scales do you use to weigh yourselves? I want to have something that will accurately measure how I'm doing.

[DaddyTorgo]

I'm no expert on brands of ellipticals, since I just use the gym here by our office unfortunately. You're definitely right in starting the exercise off slow -that's what I did in the beginning too...started with like 14mins on the elliptical, then moved it up to 28...then 45...then started upping the resistance. It's all about not making yourself hate the exercise (as most overweight people do I think we can all agree) initially.

As far as scales...I went and got a scale that measures all sorts of things beyond just weight. Damnit...what's the brand of it again. It's awesome. Oh yeah, its' an Omron HBF-514c. Will run you $65 or so, but will measure weight, body fat %, skeletal muscle %, BMI, visceral fat, body age, resting metabolism. It's one of my best friends now.

Focusing on diet & portion control will yield you good early results - particularly once you get through the rough part where you shrink your stomach so you need less food to feel full. Don't starve yourself though - as I'm sure it sounds like you know (seems like you're going about it sensibly). The key, as with all things, is to make it through the first 4 weeks in order to make the new things you're doing part of your routine so that you can maintain them long term.

We're a very supportive thread I think you'll find!

Looking forward to following your journey!!!

[DaddyTorgo]

190.0 this morning! Weekends are usually my eat-less-healthy days, so I don't anticipate being < 190.0 until say Tuesday/Wednesday of next week, but damn it feels good.

8lbs till 80

[Blackadar]

So you're also going to be a 5AMer. It gets easier after a while. Gratz on starting! Just remember that it took a long time to get to where you are now and it will take a long time to fix. It's the journey, not the destination. As such, make your dietary choices with that in mind. Not many people can do what DT does diet-wise and stick with it. I know I couldn't.

As for elliptical machines, I just went to Dicks Sporting Goods and found one where the stride felt "right". I really don't have many recommendations on equipment. I like my Selectec 552 dumbbells for what that's worth.

I use my normal home scale purchased from Walmart or Target. I don't care much if it's off by a pound or two so long as it's consistent.


PS - Gratz DT!

[cschex]

249.4 this morning, after a good day yesterday. Did about 20 minutes of alternating jogging/running with lunges this morning. Went to the local store to try out a few machines, found a recumbent bike that I think we will get but they didn't have it in stock so we will go to another location tomorrow that has it and get that. Helped some friends move for 4.5 hours so go a lot more activity than I normally do.

Most importantly, the last two days I have avoided "grazing" during the day on high-calorie snacks, instead staying out of the kitchen, grabbing fruit instead, and keeping full on water and tea. I really feel that if I can cut those things out, it will make a big difference in being successful.

[DaddyTorgo]

*cough*

189.2 yesterday morning.

lil blip up to like 190.something this morning, but that's alright.

[DaddyTorgo]

249.4 this morning, after a good day yesterday. Did about 20 minutes of alternating jogging/running with lunges this morning. Went to the local store to try out a few machines, found a recumbent bike that I think we will get but they didn't have it in stock so we will go to another location tomorrow that has it and get that. Helped some friends move for 4.5 hours so go a lot more activity than I normally do.

Most importantly, the last two days I have avoided "grazing" during the day on high-calorie snacks, instead staying out of the kitchen, grabbing fruit instead, and keeping full on water and tea. I really feel that if I can cut those things out, it will make a big difference in being successful.

Those things you mentioned in the last paragraph will absolutely make a significant difference alone. Already starting to lose a little hmm? Excellent!!

[DaddyTorgo]

Grrrr!!! Strange bump up over the weekend to 192. Kinda pissed off to be honest. Didn't change anything diet/exercise wise. Maybe drinking a lil less tea than usual?

Seriously - the hydration has to be it. If anything I ate really well this weekend - certainly nothing more than normal (well except for one beer on Friday night).

[hoopsguy]

End of month update - 179.3 represents a loss of 1.2 pounds on the month.

I was having a pretty good month until the last week. Weight had gotten as low as 177.1, but Memorial Day plans and hectic work hours kept me from getting workouts in for a couple days. That, plus a couple too many beers pushed my weight back up a little bit.

I'll be working on the 5AM thing this month so I can be more regular about the "30 Day Shred" video. I want to do level 2 at least 12 times this month after doing Level 1 maybe 7-8 times in May. I'm also going to adopt the journal approach for my exercise and eating, something I've only done for running up to this point.

All in all, not happy with the number today but feeling OK about the progress over three months. I'm down 9 pounds out of the 23 that I want to lose (25% of time elapsed) so I'm tracking OK towards the larger goal. I'm down about 1 1/2 sizes on my belt since the start (2 when I squeeze it a bit, but I've only done this once or twice) and I'm starting to see something resembling muscle definition when I look in the mirror.

That said, I'll be mad at myself if the 7/1 post doesn't have me under 175.

[Blackadar]

Back up to 212 this morning. Not surprising, since my weekend was filled with prime rib, pizza, birthday cake and far too much "grazing" even though I did work out. The trend back downward begins today...

[cschex]

249 flat this morning, which I'm fine with since I forgot to weight myself until after I had worked out on the bike for 35 minutes and consumed 24 oz of water. Considering that's almost 2.5 lbs from where I was 5 days ago, I;m feeling positive so far. Most importantly, my diet hasn't changed very much. Had pizza last night (we make our own) but just two slices and avoid a "side" with it. I have a handy print out on portion size comparisons that puts the size in real world terms (a fist, a deck of cards ,etc) and it is eye level on my fridge so I can't miss it when going to get something to eat. I'm getting a set of resistance bands tomorrow to start adding some strength workouts to my cardio.

[DaddyTorgo]

249 flat this morning, which I'm fine with since I forgot to weight myself until after I had worked out on the bike for 35 minutes and consumed 24 oz of water. Considering that's almost 2.5 lbs from where I was 5 days ago, I;m feeling positive so far. Most importantly, my diet hasn't changed very much. Had pizza last night (we make our own) but just two slices and avoid a "side" with it. I have a handy print out on portion size comparisons that puts the size in real world terms (a fist, a deck of cards ,etc) and it is eye level on my fridge so I can't miss it when going to get something to eat. I'm getting a set of resistance bands tomorrow to start adding some strength workouts to my cardio.

Awesome cschex!

Where's thye print out on portion size from? Link?

[DaddyTorgo]

191.4 today. So heading back down. Fucking jump up. Maybe I've got a lot of stuff backed up in my colon?

[cschex]

Awesome cschex!

Where's thye print out on portion size from? Link?


http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/portion/servingcard7.pdf

Obviously doesn't have calorie info, but a really good way for me to visualize and keep myself in check. My wife found it while looking on that main website.

[DaddyTorgo]

Cooool - thanks!!

[The Jackal]

DT there are often minor fluctuations in weight, its important not to read too much into day to day fluctuations especially if you are keeping your routine similar.

I broke my diet pretty hardcore on my trip to Montreal but walked so much around the city that I actually lost a little overall.

192.8 today

Most importantly though, don't think I posted after my physical results, but my cholesterol went down 15 points and the bad went down 7, so I'm pleased with the progress.

[DaddyTorgo]

Yeah - I know Jackal...it's just...disappointing. I like seeing the numbers going steadily down.

Oops...had only a half sandwich for lunch and then a half sandwich for dinner. Of course I also had maybe 2/3 of an order of fries from 5 guys along with the half sandwich for dinner. Now I feel fat.

[DaddyTorgo]

I broke my diet pretty hardcore on my trip to Montreal but walked so much around the city that I actually lost a little overall.

192.8 today

Most importantly though, don't think I posted after my physical results, but my cholesterol went down 15 points and the bad went down 7, so I'm pleased with the progress.

All great news!!

[Blackadar]

After a day of eating sensibly -

Breakfast:
Bowl of bran cereal

Lunch:
Half of a roast beef wrap
Fresh veggies (carrots, celery, radishes)
Pear

Snack:
1 cracker, 2 slices of sharp cheddar cheese

Dinner:
Marinated grilled chicken breast
Corn on the cob
Steamed green beans
Orange

and a rather spirited workout this morning (over a mile of hill running follow by 30 minutes of a cardio DVD), I'm back down to 209.5. That's encouraging. Of course, the running and squat jacks will make it tougher on my legs and back workout tomorrow...

[DaddyTorgo]

190.2

[Blackadar]

Keep going DT! The weight you're at is what I'm establishing as my goal weight. I haven't been under 200 pounds since 1995, so that gives you an idea how difficult that goal is. I'm not sure how possible that number really is, but it's always good to have targets and it's only 20 more pounds away. Given that I've already lost almost 3x that amount, it doesn't seem like an insurmountable number.

I'm at 209 this morning, which means that it didn't take long for me to lose the weight I gained over the weekend. My legs (all the up to my butt) are extra-sore today after doing all that hill running yesterday combined with the one-legged squats, wall squats, lunges, calf raises and so forth today.

Two more weeks of P90X left...thank goodness, because the Legs and Back routine is starting to give me nightmares.

[spleen1015]

I think I should look at the Dynasty forum more often. I had no idea this thread was here...

A lot of you guys have done an awesome job. Keep it up.

Let me tell you guys my story and maybe you have some advice that I haven't gotten before because I need some help.

In September 2009, my company started a Biggest Loser contest. At the start of the competition, I weighed 285. At 6'3, that's not huge, but is it still fat as hell, right?

I was hell bent on winning this contest. I knew that I needed to lose weight and I am competitive to a fault. I have to win at everything. Even the drive home is a contest for me every day. Yeah, it is that bad.

Anyway, I needed up losing 60 lbs in 3 months and won the contest with a finishing weight of 223.8 for the final weigh in that December.

Pretty much as soon as the contest was over, I quit working out 6 days a week, started eating crap again.

Today, my weight is staying in the 255-260 range. I go in waves where I'll eat well and exercise for 2 weeks then my knees will start to hurt and I'll quit.

I think about this crap every single day. I tell myself every day that today is the day that I turn it all back around and I never do.

Have any of you guys gone through anything similar?

[hoopsguy]

Nothing as dramatic in terms of weight loss/gain, but I've seen my weight move from 170 up to almost 190 over a couple of years. Just a slow and steady gain when I wasn't putting any meaningful/sustained effort into diet or exercise. And I certainly told myself a number of times that I needed to get started with losing weight, but thinking and doing are two very different deals.

The good news is that once you do decide to start, and you put in some kind of self-tracking mechanism, that you know you'll be able to see the weight come off. You've done it before and you can certainly do it again. But this time you'll be doing it for yourself, rather than for a competition where others are charting your results.

The knees shouldn't have anything to do with "eating well" or portion control. And I'm guessing there are some folks here who might be able to provide some ideas on how to manage the injury/pain challenge.

[DaddyTorgo]

Keep going DT! The weight you're at is what I'm establishing as my goal weight. I haven't been under 200 pounds since 1995, so that gives you an idea how difficult that goal is. I'm not sure how possible that number really is, but it's always good to have targets and it's only 20 more pounds away. Given that I've already lost almost 3x that amount, it doesn't seem like an insurmountable number.

I'm at 209 this morning, which means that it didn't take long for me to lose the weight I gained over the weekend. My legs (all the up to my butt) are extra-sore today after doing all that hill running yesterday combined with the one-legged squats, wall squats, lunges, calf raises and so forth today.

Two more weeks of P90X left...thank goodness, because the Legs and Back routine is starting to give me nightmares.

You'll get there!!

I haven't been this weight since probably...college. So yeah...10 years ago at best.

Feels great though - feel so healthy and full of energy as compared to my old self. I'm confident you can do it - I think the last leg is extra tough though, particularly because you can see the finish line in sight, ya know?

[DaddyTorgo]

I think I should look at the Dynasty forum more often. I had no idea this thread was here...

A lot of you guys have done an awesome job. Keep it up.

Let me tell you guys my story and maybe you have some advice that I haven't gotten before because I need some help.

In September 2009, my company started a Biggest Loser contest. At the start of the competition, I weighed 285. At 6'3, that's not huge, but is it still fat as hell, right?

I was hell bent on winning this contest. I knew that I needed to lose weight and I am competitive to a fault. I have to win at everything. Even the drive home is a contest for me every day. Yeah, it is that bad.

Anyway, I needed up losing 60 lbs in 3 months and won the contest with a finishing weight of 223.8 for the final weigh in that December.

Pretty much as soon as the contest was over, I quit working out 6 days a week, started eating crap again.

Today, my weight is staying in the 255-260 range. I go in waves where I'll eat well and exercise for 2 weeks then my knees will start to hurt and I'll quit.

I think about this crap every single day. I tell myself every day that today is the day that I turn it all back around and I never do.

Have any of you guys gone through anything similar?

I was down at like ~210 a couple years back before things went sour with Ohio-girl, then ballooned back up.

The best part about being in that situation spleen is that you know that you have the willpower and you know that you know how to lose that much weight, so you can definitely do it again.

Sounds like you just need to have the willpower to make the dietary changes (you know what they are), and then find an exercise routine that won't murder your knees (were you running? could you bike or do elliptical?) so that you can keep at it longer term.

I honestly think it's easier once you've lost that much weight one time, because in a sense your body already knows what you're doing, so you're not like...confusing it or freaking it out. It knows how to react and it knows what you're trying to do. Or so I tell myself.

[Blackadar]

I think I should look at the Dynasty forum more often. I had no idea this thread was here...

A lot of you guys have done an awesome job. Keep it up.

Let me tell you guys my story and maybe you have some advice that I haven't gotten before because I need some help.

In September 2009, my company started a Biggest Loser contest. At the start of the competition, I weighed 285. At 6'3, that's not huge, but is it still fat as hell, right?

I was hell bent on winning this contest. I knew that I needed to lose weight and I am competitive to a fault. I have to win at everything. Even the drive home is a contest for me every day. Yeah, it is that bad.

Anyway, I needed up losing 60 lbs in 3 months and won the contest with a finishing weight of 223.8 for the final weigh in that December.

Pretty much as soon as the contest was over, I quit working out 6 days a week, started eating crap again.

Today, my weight is staying in the 255-260 range. I go in waves where I'll eat well and exercise for 2 weeks then my knees will start to hurt and I'll quit.

I think about this crap every single day. I tell myself every day that today is the day that I turn it all back around and I never do.

Have any of you guys gone through anything similar?

I don't know if I'm telling you anything that you haven't heard before.

1. 60 pounds in 3 months is too much, too fast. Congratulations on doing it, but that probably wasn't all that good for you. The only way to lose that much is to crash diet and you can't keep it off that way. Long-term weight loss is all about lifestyle changes that you can live with and/or grow into over time to develop habits.

For example, I'm not a big veggie eater, but when I started my weight loss over a year ago I started force-feeding myself fresh veggies for lunch. Now, if I go 2 or 3 days without them, I find myself craving a fresh carrot or stick of celery. It took many years to develop your current eating habits that contributed to your current weight. It's going to take a while to develop habits to help you lose that weight. So give yourself that time and don't focus on crash diets. What DT does is tremendous, but I don't know many people who can keep up what he's doing for very long. He's most definitely the exception.

2. If your knees are hurting from exercise, find a different exercise and/or just work through the pain. At 260 pounds, I couldn't do plyometrics. I did non-impact exercises like my elliptical and a lot of kickboxing. When I started to do a bit more higher-impact stuff, I was in agonizing pain because of my feet. I just had to work through it and the stronger my supporting muscles got and the less I weighed, the less the pain became. I still feel it occasionally, but not anything like what it used to be.

3. Make your exercise part of your routine. I preach this constantly because it's the only thing that's ever worked for me. Hence I'm up at 5:00 AM every weekday to workout before the wife/kids are up. You have to find a time that's yours and will always be yours. It takes 2-3 months to build a habit like that, so make sure you find a time that will always be available to you for that long of a time. When it becomes part of your routine, the excuses just go out the window.

4. As for excuses, make yourself very active on one or more fitness forums and DON'T LET YOURSELF OFF THE HOOK by not visiting them! Post your results on a daily basis. Sometimes just perceived peer pressure and/or encouragement can keep you motivated enough to break through that wall.

5. Find your inspiration where you can get it. For example, check out the video (lower right-hand corner) on this website. This one keeps me inspired! Ben Does Life. (http://bendoeslife.tumblr.com/)

Remember, the journey begins with a simple step. That simple step could end up making that journey your own source of inspiration. Just take that step and see where it might lead you...

[DaddyTorgo]

Hey - I'm not crash dieting though Blackadar - I just made drastic dietary changes all at once (sensible ones) and really rationalized my portions and display an iron-will in sticking to it. And now it's become a part of my lifestyle. Similar to you - if I don't have at least two big servings of veggies a day, as well as 1-2 big servings of fruit (excluding my fruit shake in the morning), I don't feel right. I start craving carrots, or grapes, or bananas - rather than before when I'd crave chocolate or sugar or salty carbs. For a guy who's 190lbs I probably eat ridiculously small amounts. I'm having lunch right now for example (big container of raw carrots, 250 calorie or so sandwich, 120 calories or so of salty+sweet goodies) and that will fill me up basically until 8pm (realistically probably later, but I gotta eat dinner at a reasonable hour). You keep commenting on me like I'm extreme-dieting and I'm really not.

Exercise is absolutely key. As Blackadar said - find something you can do at your current weight that won't bring pain to your knees, and just stick with it. 6 days a week is probably good...figure if you can burn 500-600 calories doing that each day you're creating a 1lb/week calorie deficit right there, even without altering your eating habits (3500 calories burned = 1lb). Then you can adjust your diet to lose another 0.5-1lb/week.

When I did weight watchers way back when they always said that the maximum you could lose at a sustainable pace and keep off was like 2lbs/week. Initially you'll see more than that come off of course, but that would be a long-term average.

Now that might be a bit high, but I think you could certainly shoot for 1.5-1.8 lbs/week just based on getting that amount of exercise above plus dietary tweaks.

[Blackadar]

Hey - I'm not crash dieting though Blackadar

I didn't mean to make it sound that way. Your diet is healthy and isn't a crash diet. It's just very strict and most people can't hold to that for very long, especially if they suddenly start dieting like that. I give you major props for having the willpower to stick with it. :thumbsup:

You're right though - just a 1/2 pound a week with exercise (4 sessions, 500 calories burned per session which equates to around 1 hour per session of pretty solid exercise), 3/4ths of a pound a week with diet and you're talking real weight loss at about 6 pounds per month...

[DaddyTorgo]

I didn't mean to make it sound that way. Your diet is healthy and isn't a crash diet. It's just very strict and most people can't hold to that for very long, especially if they suddenly start dieting like that. I give you major props for having the willpower to stick with it. :thumbsup:

You're right though - just a 1/2 pound a week with exercise (4 sessions, 500 calories burned per session which equates to around 1 hour per session of pretty solid exercise), 3/4ths of a pound a week with diet and you're talking real weight loss at about 6 pounds per month...

Fair enough - fair enough. :D

Yeah...and you could prolly push that to 3/4lb per week with exercise easily if you do 6 days/week, which spleen mentioned he had done before. another 3/4 or so with diet and portion control and bam...1.5lbs/week brings you 6lbs/month, which is quite solid.

[cschex]

246.8 this morning, 9 days after weighing in at over 251.

[DaddyTorgo]

246.8 this morning, 9 days after weighing in at over 251.

Good start. That's the initial water-weight coming off - it won't continue to go at that rate, but it's definitely a nice motivating start.

[DaddyTorgo]

190 even this morning.

[spleen1015]

Alright guys. I am going to join this thread. My quest starts tomorrow. I weigh 257.8 tonight.

I bought a bodybugg back in March that I used for about a month. I am going to start using it again tomorrow. Wish me luck! :thumbsup:

[DaddyTorgo]

Seems like a lot of us started around the same weight. Is that the average weight of text sim forum posters then?? LOL

Welcome Spleen!!!

[Blackadar]

209.5 this morning. I'm a bit disappointed with that number considering my weekend diet was good and I got in my exercise, but it might be simply due to water weight or something. Shorts seem to fit a little better though, so it also just could be muscle mass.

On my last couple of weeks of P90X now...did 270 :eek: pushups this morning in a variety of styles along with the weights and the pull-ups.

Alright guys. I am going to join this thread. My quest starts tomorrow. I weigh 257.8 tonight.

I bought a bodybugg back in March that I used for about a month. I am going to start using it again tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Welcome! I had to look up what a bodybugg was...interesting piece of hardware.

[Blackadar]

209 this morning. I guess I've finally lost the weight gain over Memorial Day weekend.

[DaddyTorgo]

190 flat this morning. Was 191 yesterday morning. Hoping that on my "weight loss days" today and tomorrow I manage to push myself back down to the like 188 range again.

[cschex]

246.8 again this morning, but ate more unhealthy than I had been on Sunday so that didn't surprise. Most importantly, feeling really good about exercising and am not feeling consistently hungry despite eating less

[Blackadar]

246.8 again this morning, but ate more unhealthy than I had been on Sunday so that didn't surprise. Most importantly, feeling really good about exercising and am not feeling consistently hungry despite eating less

Keep on going!

The trick for me is every morning just keep pushing play. That's what I tell myself - keep pushing play. No matter what, just hit the "play" button on the DVD and do my workout. Once I've done that, the rest of the day is mine.

Don't get discouraged when your weight doesn't budge for a while because that's going to happen from time to time. My guess is that you may level out at 240 or 235. It's natural. I've been doing this since March 2010 - 16 months now - and it's taken that long to lose 56 pounds. I stalled out at 220 for almost 4 months (talk about discouraging!) and I've been stalled at 210 for about a month or so. But rather than just concentrate on weight, I'm also gauging how clothes fit and so forth and there's no doubt I'm still losing inches in the right places and gaining them in the right places, so the weight is secondary for me.

[spleen1015]

I weighted 252.8 on the scale this morning. That's not as good as it sounds since it was right after I showered following a workout. It was also in the morning and I weigh 257.8 Sunday night.

I am planning on working out again tonight. My company is having free food all day today and I know I'll eat more than I should, so I want to burn a few extra calories tonight.

[Blackadar]

I weighted 252.8 on the scale this morning. That's not as good as it sounds since it was right after I showered following a workout. It was also in the morning and I weigh 257.8 Sunday night.

I am planning on working out again tonight. My company is having free food all day today and I know I'll eat more than I should, so I want to burn a few extra calories tonight.

Always weigh yourself the same time every day, naked. That way you remove as many extraneous variables as possible to get a consistent trend.

207 for me this morning. My diet was good yesterday, but I'm at a bit of a loss to explain that large of a loss in just a day. Water weight, perhaps.

[DaddyTorgo]

Yep - same time every day, naked as a jaybird spleen. I do it right after I get up in the morning, before eating breakfast.

189.8 this morning. Fighting off that random +4 pounds that I put on and getting back into the 180s is a great feeling!

[DaddyTorgo]

As for the free food - aaak! Avoid avoid avoid!!! Or you could load up on whatever is most healthy - any veggies around?

[Blackadar]

As for the free food - aaak! Avoid avoid avoid!!! Or you could load up on whatever is most healthy - any veggies around?

Congrats on getting back into the 180s.

Totally agree with you on the free food thing. You just have to avoid that crap like the plague. No partaking in office birthday cakes, free cookies, Starbucks runs, etc.

[spleen1015]

As it turns out, there wasn't free lunch. So, I'm buying a salad and some fruit from the cafe.

Quick question, how tall are you guys?

[hoopsguy]

I've been fluctuating between 177-180 for almost a month now. My exercise routine is getting compromised more than it should as a result of job/home life intrusions (fairly legitimate time consumers) and my inability to get the 5AM thing off the ground (me being weak, more or less). I want to be able to do that for the videos, but I'm going to have to find evenings/weekends for the treadmill - my daughter won't sleep through that.

As far as height, I'm 5'9".

[DaddyTorgo]

As it turns out, there wasn't free lunch. So, I'm buying a salad and some fruit from the cafe.

Quick question, how tall are you guys?

Good man spleen! I'm 6 feet even.

[DaddyTorgo]

Congrats on getting back into the 180s.

Totally agree with you on the free food thing. You just have to avoid that crap like the plague. No partaking in office birthday cakes, free cookies, Starbucks runs, etc.

Thanks Blackadar. Still not sure what made me leap up - maybe I've been eating too many strawberries...but damn they're just so yummy. Still...1/2lb a day probably isn't the best idea. LOL

Yeah - avoid all that stuff. Or take very small portions and eat it very very slowly. Like uber-slowly.

Starbucks is fine - as long as you're just getting tea, or unsweetened iced coffee (that you don't dump a ton of cream into). But watch out for everything else.

[DaddyTorgo]

189.4 this morning. Baby steps downward.

Maybe it's hotter so I'm drinking more and more hydrated? Is that legit? Haha

[Blackadar]

Still at 207 this morning. Given the 2 pound drop a couple of days ago, I'm happy just to maintain that loss, especially after lifting yesterday. Today was all about pure cardio. Tomorrow is a mix.

[Blackadar]

Still at 207 today.

I'm dragging ass though. Today's Legs and Back was just about torture. My heart rate was far too high, everything was far too painful and I'm stiff and sore. Let's hope there's some reward for sticking through it, because it would have been easy to give up and quit today.

[spleen1015]

254 this morning.

My workout motivation isn't very high right now and I don't have it mentally to pus myself and have a really good workout. :(

[RPI-Fan]

254 this morning.

My workout motivation isn't very high right now and I don't have it mentally to pus myself and have a really good workout. :(

Dude, do not worry about having a "really good workout". JUST DO SOMETHING. That is so immensely better than doing nothing at all that I cannot even put it into words.

[hoopsguy]

Three straight days in the 177 point something range, with minimal exercise. The work schedule is just crushing me right now, and the home life won't get better next week with my wife traveling while I'm home on kid duty. It is starting to feel a bit like the semi-wasted month that was April (injury limited my exercise), which means I have to keep focusing on making better decisions with diet if I want to make any progress.

[DaddyTorgo]

Back down to 188.2 (-74). My initial goal when I started this was to get down into the low 180's (say 182 so that'd be 80 pounds lost).

So that's my first goal. I'm considering the idea of going a bit lower, like down into the 170's. I also need to start doing more "core" work to get rid of the remaining belly that I have, but I don't want to even start that until I get down to 80lbs lost.

Might be tight, but it's possible I could make 182 within the next 3 weeks (when my sis and my nieces come back home for a month). My lil niece telling me that I was fat was a key motivating driver in starting all this, so that'd be kind of a nice thing.

[DaddyTorgo]

254 this morning.

My workout motivation isn't very high right now and I don't have it mentally to pus myself and have a really good workout. :(

At this stage even a mediocre-workout is better than no workout. Your body isn't as used to exercise as it will get to be, so you'll still make a dent.

Don't despair.

[DaddyTorgo]

Still at 207 today.

I'm dragging ass though. Today's Legs and Back was just about torture. My heart rate was far too high, everything was far too painful and I'm stiff and sore. Let's hope there's some reward for sticking through it, because it would have been easy to give up and quit today.

Seems like I have those days every so often too. Totally at random I'll be like "whoa today kicked my ass and I did nothing different workout-wise." Or "Oh shit man...I need to take an extra break in the middle of my cardio."

It's weird.

[cschex]

As of this morning, down 7.5 lbs from my initial "start" weight. Been doing 35-45 minutes of cardio every day the last two week, started introducing weight training with resistance bands this week (I got a set with different strengths so I can build up as I develop muscles). Most importantly, every day I'm motivated to get up and do this and not making excuses as to why I can't exercise today

[DaddyTorgo]

As of this morning, down 7.5 lbs from my initial "start" weight. Been doing 35-45 minutes of cardio every day the last two week, started introducing weight training with resistance bands this week (I got a set with different strengths so I can build up as I develop muscles). Most importantly, every day I'm motivated to get up and do this and not making excuses as to why I can't exercise today

There ya go - sounds good cschex!!

7.5lbs in 2 weeks is a good start. It'll probably slow down fairly soon, but it's always nice to see that first chunk drop off!

[Blackadar]

Seems like I have those days every so often too. Totally at random I'll be like "whoa today kicked my ass and I did nothing different workout-wise." Or "Oh shit man...I need to take an extra break in the middle of my cardio."

It's weird.

I've had those days....this was worse. I think it's a combination of a pulled back muscle (I had it before I did Legs & Back today), fatigue (lack of sleep due to thunderstorms), end-of-week muscle soreness and allergies. I couldn't catch my breath, my heart rate wouldn't come down like it normally does and everything hurt. Regardless, I stuck it out today, though I just took an Advil for the first time in 6 months. I hope this is just temporary since I have football practice tomorrow and don't want to run wind sprints sucking air through a straw.

Speen, you just gotta work through it, even on the days you don't want to. Just keep pushing play, man...keep pushing play.

[Dodgerchick]

195.8

haven't done shit exercise-wise in about a week, I feel yucky.

[Dodgerchick]

Antmeister and I have been incorporating more juices into our diet. By juices I mean juicing fruits and veggies. We've been having a Green Lemonade for the past few days. Here's the recipe if anyone is interested:

Green Lemonade

Makes 1 serving

1 head romaine or celery
5 or 6 stalks kale (any type)
1 to 2 apples (Fuji is the best)
1 whole lemon
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh ginger (optional)

Process the vegetables through the juicer by admitting one vegetable at a time through the mouth of the juicer. The fiber will shoot out of the juicer into one container while the spout will eject the fresh juice into another container. Pour into a large glass and drink! The lemon really cuts out the ‘green’ taste that most people try to avoid.

We tried celery and it had a crazy celery aftertaste. Tried it with lettuce this morning and it's MUCH better.

[hoopsguy]

Three straight days in the 177 point something range, with minimal exercise. The work schedule is just crushing me right now, and the home life won't get better next week with my wife traveling while I'm home on kid duty. It is starting to feel a bit like the semi-wasted month that was April (injury limited my exercise), which means I have to keep focusing on making better decisions with diet if I want to make any progress.

semi-related note - I got the job offer I've been chasing. The remainder of the month will be spent busting my hump to wrap up all the loose ends on client projects for my current company. But I'm hoping/expecting to get off to a good start in July with the 5AM routine while working for my new employer.

[DaddyTorgo]

Congrats hoopsguy!!

[spleen1015]

251.0 butt ass naked this morning. :)

I was a little surprised. Last night, I ran/walked about 2 miles. Felt good afterwards.

I am doing the Air Force Half Marathon in September. I want to get down to 240 before I start to seriously train. That was the weight I was at when my wife and I ran a 5K a month from March-November last year.

[Dodgerchick]

251.0 butt ass naked this morning. :)

I was a little surprised. Last night, I ran/walked about 2 miles. Felt good afterwards.

I am doing the Air Force Half Marathon in September. I want to get down to 240 before I start to seriously train. That was the weight I was at when my wife and I ran a 5K a month from March-November last year.

Awesome spleenie!

[Dodgerchick]

195.4

Zumba today. What an awesome workout, I really like this new instructor. She incorporates pushups and jumping jacks in her routine, none of the other instructors do that. Felt great to go back again.

A few gals I know wanna start the C25K training program and I'm gonna go to support them... and to get my butt back into running as well.

[DaddyTorgo]

186.8 today! Gettin closer to where I want to be!!

[spleen1015]

251.0 again today. I'm not disappointed. I've had a good week.

[hoopsguy]

Up to five straight days in the 177-something range. I'm starting to believe that my scale doesn't have 176 in its range of numbers.

[Dodgerchick]

194.6 yay!

[DaddyTorgo]

Real World update - went to Macy's today and played around trying on jeans.

I can actually wear Slim/Straight cut jeans in a 33 waist. 34 feels a bit more realistic (as in "not-tight") but 33's fit.

Fucking A. 9 months ago I was tight in 40's and comfy in 42's.

Fucking awesome.

[hoopsguy]

That is crazy and absolutely terrific, DT.

[DaddyTorgo]

That is crazy and absolutely terrific, DT.

It made me so :D. I actually went from Macy's to JC Penny's and tried on a bunch of pairs of jeans in both stores just because I could and because I had like...style-options.

Thanks Hoops!

[spleen1015]

252.2 this morning. I jumped back up a little and I think it is because I was a little dehydrated when I weighed that 251. The good news is I lost 5.6 pounds last week.

Just keep plugging away!

Thanks for the inspiration guys!

[Blackadar]

207 after a lousy dietary weekend. Took the kid to see Super 8 this weekend (good flick, btw) and he wanted a popcorn. He didn't eat much of it and ended up giving it to me and it smelled sooooooo good that I ate the rest of the bag. That started the munchie cycle and the diet went out the window for the rest of the day.

I'm playing in pain (lower back/hamstrings) right now. I couldn't hardly move on Saturday night. I know I'm not injured, but I'm more than just a bit gimpy. Thank goodness today's workout was all about Chest and Shoulders, so the aching parts got a rest. Tomorrow is Plyometrics though, so I hope those areas rebound quickly.

[DaddyTorgo]

Back up to 189.2

Something I'm doing on the weekends apparently isn't helping. But I'm not doing anything differently than I always have been.

Grrrrr.

[Dodgerchick]

194.6 yay!

193.6

woot!

[Dodgerchick]

It made me so :D. I actually went from Macy's to JC Penny's and tried on a bunch of pairs of jeans in both stores just because I could and because I had like...style-options.

Thanks Hoops!


Hah, that's awesome!

[Dodgerchick]

207 after a lousy dietary weekend. Took the kid to see Super 8 this weekend (good flick, btw) and he wanted a popcorn. He didn't eat much of it and ended up giving it to me and it smelled sooooooo good that I ate the rest of the bag. That started the munchie cycle and the diet went out the window for the rest of the day.


I hate it when kids do that. "Mommy, here, I don't want anymore". What am I a human garbage disposal? Jeez :confused:

[DaddyTorgo]

Way to go DC!!

[DaddyTorgo]

Interesting article I just saw linked on lifehacker

http://www.mensjournal.com/everything-you-know-about-fitness-is-a-lie

[spleen1015]

252.2

Holy weight fluctuation, Batman.

247.0 this morning. I think there is a reason you shouldn't weigh yourself every day.

Have you guys seen anything like this before?

[Blackadar]

Way to go, spleen! I've not had a 5 pound loss like that, but 3 pounds wasn't uncommon if I ate something I wasn't supposed to (like a lot of pasta) and it took a couple of days for it to work through my system.

206.5 this morning for me, which isn't too bad considering my diet the last few days. The wife hasn't been kind on her dinner choices lately - pork chops, lasagna, fried rice, hot dogs and so forth have been on the menu the last few days. We're getting back to grilled chicken tonight.

[spleen1015]

I got on the scale again about 20 minutes later and I was at 251.6.

I'm thinking that maybe I wasn't standing on the scale correctly the first time.

I'll be back below 250 by the end of the week. That will be cool.

[Blackadar]

Interesting article I just saw linked on lifehacker

http://www.mensjournal.com/everything-you-know-about-fitness-is-a-lie

Meh. Sorry DT, but I didn't find his search for the Holy Grail of workouts all that compelling or informative. Yeah, if you never lift or do squats, then you're not going to be able to squat all that much. This isn't any great revelation. On the other hand, if you do squats every other day you're going to be able to do a lot of weight after a while. Again, no surprise.

As for just the basic lifting, contrast that article with the thoughts of Marv Marinovich (who trains Troy Polamalu, among others), who says the least fit guys in the gyms are usually the guys who can lift the most weight. Why? Because they're not that explosive and they don't move very well. Troy doesn't lift more than 20lbs during the offseason, yet he was the DPOY in the NFL last year.

Troy Polamalu's offseason training secret: never lift a weight over 20 lbs. (http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/troy_polamalus_offseason_training_secret_never_lift_a_weight_over_20_lbs/269244)

I don't think that there's any one-sized-fits-all workout program for anyone. Personally, I get something out of lifting (though I want to start lifting heavier, hence a likely upcoming kettlebell routine). I get something out of doing cardio. I get something out of doing plyo. I get major benefits from running sprints in football. I think you find something that works, do it for a while all the while increasing intensity and then shift to something different that still works for you. That's how I'm approaching it and I'm pretty happy with the results.

[DaddyTorgo]

Meh. Sorry DT, but I didn't find his search for the Holy Grail of workouts all that compelling or informative. Yeah, if you never lift or do squats, then you're not going to be able to squat all that much. This isn't any great revelation. On the other hand, if you do squats every other day you're going to be able to do a lot of weight after a while. Again, no surprise.

As for just the basic lifting, contrast that article with the thoughts of Marv Marinovich (who trains Troy Polamalu, among others), who says the least fit guys in the gyms are usually the guys who can lift the most weight. Why? Because they're not that explosive and they don't move very well. Troy doesn't lift more than 20lbs during the offseason, yet he was the DPOY in the NFL last year.

Troy Polamalu's offseason training secret: never lift a weight over 20 lbs. (http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/troy_polamalus_offseason_training_secret_never_lift_a_weight_over_20_lbs/269244)

I don't think that there's any one-sized-fits-all workout program for anyone. Personally, I get something out of lifting (though I want to start lifting heavier, hence a likely upcoming kettlebell routine). I get something out of doing cardio. I get something out of doing plyo. I get major benefits from running sprints in football. I think you find something that works, do it for a while all the while increasing intensity and then shift to something different that still works for you. That's how I'm approaching it and I'm pretty happy with the results.

Valid points. There's definitely about 80,000 different ways to go about workouts. And I'm for sure not about to change what I'm doing at the moment - or for that matter wholeheartedly embrace everything from this article when I work myself more back into lifting.

I dunno - just thought it was interesting and figured I'd share something other than my typical daily check in.

188.2 this morning. There's definitely something weird going on...this coming weekend I'm really going to dial in on the diet and make sure there's no excess calories slipping in (although i dunno how there would be that many), and also I think it's time to kick the resistance level on the cardio up another notch. Really get these last 6+ lbs gone.

[The Jackal]

I've been stuck wavering between 193-196 for awhile, I think I'm gonna cut my alcohol consumption in half or so. Want to get below 190!

[DaddyTorgo]

Alcohol is a killer. One drink can put a significant dent in your metabolism (I've heard 30%, but I think that depends on what the drink is and all. I just like to tell myself that high to encourage myself not to drink).

[hoopsguy]

Alcohol - I've cut my beer consumption down to about a six-pack per month. I've never been a big beer guy, but this time last year I was probably more in the six-pack per week range.

However, wine is a bigger "problem" in our house. My wife and I both enjoy a good bottle of wine and we probably have 2-3 bottles per week, with me doing half of that drinking.

At this point, I think booze is far from my biggest problem. I need to find more consistent opportunities to exercise first, and then can worry about cleaning up smaller "sins" like the wine consumption. But I am taking off a week right now (easier with wife out of town, she opens most of the bottles :) ) to see if that can help me get off the 177 plateau I've been stuck on for the entire month.

[Blackadar]

At this point, I think booze is far from my biggest problem. I need to find more consistent opportunities to exercise first...

What kind of opportunities? Is there anything preventing you from exercising consistently at 5AM every day or something like that?

[hoopsguy]

Right now, the biggest problem is work has me staying up past midnight. I'm in my final 3 weeks with the current company, while also trying to ramp up for new technology stuff I'll be doing with my future employer.

I think the 5AM thing will be a whole lot easier for me when I'm able to get to bed earlier and get the 6-7 hours of sleep that I'm used to getting. 5AM still isn't really in my DNA, but if I go to bed earlier I know I can start creating a routine to get up at that time.

[cschex]

I have to say, the 5AM is working really well for me. Have had 16 straight days on the bike and am now doing weight training 4x a week. I will probably start incorporating workout videos at some point in the next month or so.

241.8 this morning

[hoopsguy]

I'm jealous of being able to do the bike at that hour. I've got a treadmill at home, but we don't have a basement. If I do that downstairs, my daughter is up before the first minute is up.

Workout videos are an option at 5AM - as long as I keep the volume low I'm able to sneak those in most of the time.

[DaddyTorgo]

187.2 this morning. Upped the resistance of my cardio like I said I would.

[Blackadar]

206 this morning, which means I've lost 6 pounds already this month. Of course, I had gained 3 over Memorial Day weekend. :D

Down to two workouts left to complete my 90 day P90X rotation. That shit really works...

[Blackadar]

205 this morning. That's 60 pounds down.

Unfortunately, this may be my low water mark for a while. I'm traveling on business next week, then getting on a cruise ship for a week. It's going to be tough to stick to the diet (I'll get my workouts in, though) during this time.

[spleen1015]

I got on the scale again about 20 minutes later and I was at 251.6.

I'm thinking that maybe I wasn't standing on the scale correctly the first time.

I'll be back below 250 by the end of the week. That will be cool.

So, yesterday, I get on the scale it is shows 251.0. A little more than half a pound in a day is alright.

This morning, the scale said I was at 248.2, almost 3 pounds. I weighed myself 3 times just to make sure. 20 minutes later, I got back on the scale and it read the same thing.

:D

It feels good to see the weigh falling off again.

[DaddyTorgo]

205 this morning. That's 60 pounds down.

Unfortunately, this may be my low water mark for a while. I'm traveling on business next week, then getting on a cruise ship for a week. It's going to be tough to stick to the diet (I'll get my workouts in, though) during this time.

way to go blackadar!!! congrats!!! :D

[Blackadar]

way to go blackadar!!! congrats!!! :D

Thanks amigo! Even though it may be a while due to the cruise, I can't wait until I'm under 200. Last time that happened, Bill Clinton was just settling into his first term.

[spleen1015]

60 pounds is something to be proud of man. Good job.

[hoopsguy]

Congrats on the nice round number, Blackadar.

After ten straight days in the 177 range, I checked in at 176.8. Hoping this next pound comes along a bit faster than the last one :)

[DaddyTorgo]

187.0 this morning. So I seem to be creeping down about 0.6lbs/day lately, which is cool.

[Blackadar]

Ya'll are doing great and thank you!

205 again this morning, which doesn't surprise me since we had "normal" pasta last night rather than whole wheat. But the fact that I didn't gain anything shows it wasn't just water weight, so I'm happy about that.

However, I do get to celebrate today. I finished up my own personal P90X rotation today. It’s been a long road and I can sum up P90X with the following progression of my thoughts during the program:

Day 1: Oh God, I’m going to die doing this!
Day 90: Oh God, I’m going to die doing this!

I know now what the “P” stands for in P90X. It is 90 days of Purgatory. Of course, considering that P90X is comprised of many different workouts, I developed a running internal monologue during many of the ones I saw most. Things such as:

Chest and Back – Tony Horton talks about a “Variety of grips and hand positions”. Yes, there is a variety, Tony - painful, more painful and I’m going to blow out my spine through the top of my head. “Pace yourself” – ok, I’m going back to bed, wake me for Round 2. Why in God’s name did I do 140 pushups in Round 1, knowing that I have to do Round 2?

PlyoX – “We’re going to get airborne”. Not without some NASA jet-thrust propulsion packs attached to my ass, buddy. “Get your little bucket ready”…so you can puke into it. “No one said this was easy.” No one said that I’d have a heart attack jumping around in my living room, either. “The Mother of all workouts”…because it makes you cry for your Momma.

Shoulders and Arms – I don’t remember a damn thing Tony says in this one. I’m too busy gazing at Dreya Weber’s pigtails to concentrate on anything else. Wait, was I supposed to actually work out?

Back and Biceps – “Double back, double biceps”…so you can hurt more for the next 2x2=4 days. The “strip set curls” at the end just stripped me of all dignity when I couldn’t finish lifting 15 pounds on the last set.

Chest, Shoulders and Triceps – Who in their right mind saves plyometric push-ups for the end of a workout? I did more than a few face plants on those to the point it looks like I got a nose job.

Legs and Back – “We’re going to do wall squats. We’re going to stay here for 90 seconds”…or until our quads explode through our kneecaps, whichever comes first. If the CIA had used these as part of their advanced interrogation techniques, we’d have caught Bin Ladin years ago. “Sneaky Lunges” showed me that my days of being a cat burglar are long over. “One legged squats” – well, the poor coffee table learned the hard way how good my balance is, though the duct tape around the leg is a constant source of mirth for my 11 year old, a fact he reminds me of quite often now.

---

Seriously, I worked my backside off. I modified the program a bit, subbing out a few things:

Yoga X (Thursdays) – I’ve tried this twice and gotten hurt twice, so never again will I attempt YogaX. I subbed out KenpoX, other kickboxing DVDs, elliptical, jogging and Peak 10 Cardio for this despicable routine.

Ab Ripper X – It takes too much time, hurts my back and is massive abdominal overkill…not to mention I’m always doing abs when I’m already exhausted. So I skipped this and then realized around the end of phase 2 that I wasn’t getting enough ab work, so I subbed in my own series of 100+ crunches from there on out.

KenpoX (Saturdays) – I was out at football practice running wind sprints, so Kenpo would have been a lot easier. On days the weather was bad, I was doing Tabata workouts over the slow-paced Kenpo.

Recovery Week – This was my time to get away from Tony, so I’d do Peak 10 Cardio, Atletica, my elliptical, Turbo Jam, jog and only do Core Synergistics once. Getting away from Tony for the majority of the recovery week was very helpful in keeping me going.

Even with the substitutions, I have no qualms about saying I completed the 90 day P90X rotation. With the exception of the Ab Ripper, the stuff I subbed in was at least as difficult as the stuff I subbed out and I modified (something Tony recommends!) where I needed to do so to keep going.

But for the rest of it, I’d do it all the way through and with virtually no modifications. When it was time to do Plyo, I jumped. When it was time to lift, I went as heavy as I could. When it was time to do push-ups, I did my maximum (270 total during my last Chest and Back routine).

The results were fantastic – better than any program I’ve done. I had previously lost 45 pounds and I had heard a few remarks about me losing weight. I lost another 15 pounds on P90X (that’s 60 and counting!), but the reshaping of my body was so tremendous that I got more compliments about losing a lot of weight while doing P90X than I did when losing 3x the weight! Really, my entire upper half has been transformed, with me losing inches off my waist while adding considerable size and definition to my arms and my chest. In particular, my pectorals have really gotten larger and more solid. I’m barrel chested anyway, so I look pretty big now in my upper body, which also probably helps make my waist look smaller. I actually can wear a tank top now and look pretty respectable in it. I don’t have a 6 pack or anything, but that’s because I’m not slim – I still have a way to go on that. My legs are a bit prettier, but they’ve been solid and I’ve worked those more than the P90X routine calls for with my cardio Thursdays and football Saturdays.

However, I don’t want to do it again anytime soon and I don’t see myself ever doing another full rotation. Essentially, I’m looking at the same 6 DVDs for virtually 90 days and that gets old. I’ve grown to detest Legs and Back, despite the appearance of Dreya, because I don’t feel I’m getting a lot of growth there. The rather awkward lunges during this routine put stress on my knees, which is atypical for me. So I could see myself doing an upper body/plyo rotation on M, T & W and doing something else for legs later in the week like Supreme 90’s leg routines.

P90X - It works...if you can live through it.

[Dodgerchick]

I love coming back to this thread reading everyone's accomplishments.

194.6

Looks like I went up a lb. Antmeister and I went out yesterday and I just had to have a little bit of junk food (fries in this case, no ketchup). We did order a delicious appetizer that we shared - Falafel with pita bread and a bunch of veggies. I'll probably end up ordering that as a meal instead for next time.

[cschex]

240.6 this morning. Exactly 3 weeks in and down just over 10 lbs. Needless to say, I know this is weight loss rate is unsustainable, but it feels good and more importantly, the exercise is sustainable

[jeff061]

Slowly down to 245, from 270 maybe 5 months ago or so.

So with my new job I travel a lot. As in I've been employed for 5 weeks, and 4 of those weeks I've been staying at a hotel Mon-Fri. I had started eating pretty damn healthy, but I've come to realize I eat like shit on the road. Being able to try restaurants I ordinarily wouldn't on the company dime is to tempting. Not to mention that I tend to drink more beer when I'm eating out.

Need to change up my mindset to something I can stick with.

[PilotMan]

Alright guys and gals. I have been here before and am back again. It's Father's day, and I need to give my family more by dropping some of this extra tonnage. First off, I generally well until I hit a comfort mark, then drop off like a cliff. But I need to do better. I'll be 36 here in a few weeks and my knees are starting to ache. That's something that I have not had a problem with in the past, and it scares me a little because my Mom had bad knees and had 2 surgeries last year on them. I know if I can seriously lose the weight it will help me greatly.

I have multiple problems with eating. I like to eat a lot of bad food and I don't like much in the way of healthy foods. Simple enough. :) I eat when I am bored and have a terrible sweet tooth. I weighed in at 289.8 this morning, and while it's still a few pounds below my all time high, it doesn't feel good. I need to get serious about this though, and soon. I carry the weight well (being 6'4" helps) but when it comes to losing it, I look pretty much the same (which sucks). I know that Karate with my son would be much easier with 50 or so pounds off too.

I don't do much regular exercise, but go in spurts. Keeping a regular routine is the hardest thing so far. I think if I can start small, that I can be successful. I gotta be able to do this....

[hoopsguy]

My weigh-ins are pretty boring lately, but at least are slowly trending down.

176.4 today, which is a new low and marks the 4th straight day in the 176 pound range after being in the 177s for the majority of the month.

Good news is that the weight is going in the right direction, and I should be set up for a really good week of exercise. Our daughter is staying with in-laws, so I'll easily be able to work out at night (my preferred time). Bad news is that my wife and I plan to do some fine dining while the kid is away, so that might work against me a bit over the next 6-7 days.

Best of luck to jeff and PilotMan with their weight-loss efforts.

[DaddyTorgo]

Ugh. 189.0 again this morning.

I just can't seem to shake these last few pounds. I was exceedingly good this weekend. Went to an engagement party and just ate fruit & veggies and a bit of grilled chicken on Saturday, along with my usual smoothie-breakfast.

Ate my usual brunch meal yesterday and then had maybe 1/3 of a chicken sausage and maybe 1/4 cup of baked beans, bunch of salad, and 2 slices of french bread for dinner.

There is absolutely zero reason why I should have actually put weight back on this weekend. Worked out and everything.

Hella frustrated. Grrrr.

Maybe I should look at changing up my workout to get through these last few pounds.

[DaddyTorgo]

Alright guys and gals. I have been here before and am back again. It's Father's day, and I need to give my family more by dropping some of this extra tonnage. First off, I generally well until I hit a comfort mark, then drop off like a cliff. But I need to do better. I'll be 36 here in a few weeks and my knees are starting to ache. That's something that I have not had a problem with in the past, and it scares me a little because my Mom had bad knees and had 2 surgeries last year on them. I know if I can seriously lose the weight it will help me greatly.

I have multiple problems with eating. I like to eat a lot of bad food and I don't like much in the way of healthy foods. Simple enough. :) I eat when I am bored and have a terrible sweet tooth. I weighed in at 289.8 this morning, and while it's still a few pounds below my all time high, it doesn't feel good. I need to get serious about this though, and soon. I carry the weight well (being 6'4" helps) but when it comes to losing it, I look pretty much the same (which sucks). I know that Karate with my son would be much easier with 50 or so pounds off too.

I don't do much regular exercise, but go in spurts. Keeping a regular routine is the hardest thing so far. I think if I can start small, that I can be successful. I gotta be able to do this....

I'm pullin for ya bud! I bet we can figure somethin out for you - welcome back!!

[Blackadar]

Ugh. 189.0 again this morning.

I just can't seem to shake these last few pounds. I was exceedingly good this weekend. Went to an engagement party and just ate fruit & veggies and a bit of grilled chicken on Saturday, along with my usual smoothie-breakfast.

Ate my usual brunch meal yesterday and then had maybe 1/3 of a chicken sausage and maybe 1/4 cup of baked beans, bunch of salad, and 2 slices of french bread for dinner.

There is absolutely zero reason why I should have actually put weight back on this weekend. Worked out and everything.

Hella frustrated. Grrrr.

Maybe I should look at changing up my workout to get through these last few pounds.

Give it time. You probably just hit one of those plateaus that happen and you just have to be patient for a couple of weeks. You've been dropping pretty consistently and it's about time for one of those two week plateaus (or in my case, 3 months at 220 pounds).

205 again this morning, but given that I absolutely pigged out on sheer garbage after dinner last night that's not too horrible. I had a massive case of the munchies after dinner and that led to Cheese-Its, Grapes, Dirt Cake and Peanuts. I haven't done that in a while and I'm not feeling all that great today. Oh well, I just have to get back on the horse after I've been knocked off...

My bigger problem is that I really must have screwed up my body the last couple of weeks working out. My hamstrings/groin are still off and I'm really stiff in the lower back. So I did a "light" workout day this morning and I might try for a little more cardio tonight if I'm feeling up to it. I really feel pretty beat up right now and I don't like that since I'd like to do Atletica on Wednesday, but it's a helluva workout on the lower back and I don't know if I can handle it right now. I'm taking a break tomorrow anyway since I'll be on the road on business, so maybe the rest day will help.

[Blackadar]

Alright guys and gals. I have been here before and am back again. It's Father's day, and I need to give my family more by dropping some of this extra tonnage. First off, I generally well until I hit a comfort mark, then drop off like a cliff. But I need to do better. I'll be 36 here in a few weeks and my knees are starting to ache. That's something that I have not had a problem with in the past, and it scares me a little because my Mom had bad knees and had 2 surgeries last year on them. I know if I can seriously lose the weight it will help me greatly.

I have multiple problems with eating. I like to eat a lot of bad food and I don't like much in the way of healthy foods. Simple enough. :) I eat when I am bored and have a terrible sweet tooth. I weighed in at 289.8 this morning, and while it's still a few pounds below my all time high, it doesn't feel good. I need to get serious about this though, and soon. I carry the weight well (being 6'4" helps) but when it comes to losing it, I look pretty much the same (which sucks). I know that Karate with my son would be much easier with 50 or so pounds off too.

I don't do much regular exercise, but go in spurts. Keeping a regular routine is the hardest thing so far. I think if I can start small, that I can be successful. I gotta be able to do this....

Well, you're starting off with the right attitude! Actually, you can do this.

It might help to have a plan to start. Nothing ironclad, but something like a roadmap for the first little bit or so. So here are some questions you might want to answer (here, if you want advice...privately if you don't) to get you started:

1. When can you make a consistent time to work out that will always be yours? How much time do you have? How much do you want to push yourself?

2. What do you like to do to work out? Do you have any injuries that preclude you from doing certain types of workouts? You mentioned Karate...when/how do you do that? What workout equipment do you already own?

3. What simple and specific dietary changes can you make right now that can help you? Can you give up sodas? Starbucks lattes? Whole grains instead of anything that starts with enriched white flour? Veggies and fruits instead of Little Debbie Snack cakes?

4. What factors do you think will get in your way of achieving your goals in weight loss and/or fitness? Time? A household enabler who keeps buying those Little Debbie Snack Cakes? Business travel?

5. What do you do right now that works that you can build upon?

Just some thoughts/questions on stuff that I've had to deal with over the last 14 months...

[PilotMan]

1. When can you make a consistent time to work out that will always be yours? How much time do you have? How much do you want to push yourself?

Time is inconsistent. Today I have the whole day, but some days it's either the morning or night. Sometimes my workday is so long all I want to do is shut down for the day. Inertia is my enemy. I sit a lot, and whittle away my time on other things. I want to push myself but I fear going off too fast then burning out.

2. What do you like to do to work out? Do you have any injuries that preclude you from doing certain types of workouts? You mentioned Karate...when/how do you do that? What workout equipment do you already own?


Historically I have played sports but that has gone away. My best results were playing indoor soccer. My schedule doesn't allow for any sort of regular day off or anything of the sort. I can't commit to anything scheduled. I used to swim, but hotel pools are usually too small or too crowded to be much use. I have tried TaeBo and kickboxing, which I like, but haven't stuck with. I have enjoyed some Pilates and Yoga, but again don't stick with it. My biggest problem seems to be my knees. More pain now, but I have never been really good at lunges, deep knee bends or squats. I try and make Karate about once a week (we have it twice, but it's more for me to support my son than anything). I sweat pretty good and really enjoy it. My workout equipment...hmm. Sometimes I have access to some really awesome workout rooms, other times nothing worth using. At home, we have a very good treadmill that I use occasionally, a reasonable workout space and I also have a heavy bag that I use to work on kicks, punches and combos. I like ellipticals and treadmills. I worry about running, but know that I should be able to do it. I have a couple of dumbbells but no bench. In the past I have done situps and pushups, and I know that my core could get some better work.


3. What simple and specific dietary changes can you make right now that can help you? Can you give up sodas? Starbucks lattes? Whole grains instead of anything that starts with enriched white flour? Veggies and fruits instead of Little Debbie Snack cakes?

I started packing food for some trips and that seems to help. My biggest problem is eating chips and peanuts every day. I drink a couple diet sodas each day, especially when I am working. I almost never drink fully sugared drinks. I don't drink coffee. I know that the snacking should get cut out and the water intake increased. I can be smarter about my food choices and certainly go for more salads and grilled chicken.

4. What factors do you think will get in your way of achieving your goals in weight loss and/or fitness? Time? A household enabler who keeps buying those Little Debbie Snack Cakes? Business travel?

When I work out, inevitably I end up asking myself why I am doing this? My wife and I have already talked about cutting the sweets in the house, but she loves to bake and almost always have homemade cookies around. Convenience seems to be my biggest enemy. That and money. Why pay 9 bucks for a small salad at the airport when I can get 2 hamburgers from mcd's for 3 bucks? Primarily why I started packing some food. I have been packing tuna salad, and noodle bowls. Mostly stuff that's alright if it isn't refrigerated all the time because you just never know when fridge will be available. Also, I worry that the food gets repetitive. Like I said, I am not a big fan of many fruits or veggies. So things can get overdone.

5. What do you do right now that works that you can build upon?

I don't know honestly. My confidence in my ability to make the change isn't really high. I have been able to drop weight in the past, but I seem to have a really self defeating attitude about it right now. It's just getting over this initial inertia and changing my eating habits that needs to change right now. If I could get into a regular routine I could make it, but getting started and having a plan of action seems to be almost overwhelming.

Thanks for the advice. I really lack support outside my immediate family. I know this is a great place to get going. I am certainly willing to be open and honest about everything.

[Blackadar]

Ok PilotMan, that clears things up a bit.

1. It sounds like your schedule is all over the place. I'd suggest working out first thing in the AM if you can and plan around the days you can't. As you said, when you get home sometimes you just want to shut down (not to mention the demands at home with kids). By going with the first thing in the morning, you can at least guarantee your workouts some of the time.

2. Ok, as a real road warrior, programs like P90X or Rushfit are out because there will be too many days missed. You already know what hotels have to offer (ellipticals, treadmills and the occasional stationary bike). I'd supplement in an exercise band or two (easy to pack), pushups and crunches to work your upper body as well. There's a number of variations on pushups to work different muscles and the bands will help with biceps/triceps/deltoids. This is what I did when I was on the road a lot more and it definitely helps. I didn't get P90X-style results from it, but it helped me to stay toned when I couldn't otherwise get near weights.

I'd also ask the hotel if they had any gym passes. Many of them do and you can get access to some decent health clubs for a few bucks with their pass.

For your home workouts, I'd recommend something with kettlebells as a good, all purpose workout. You'll get strength and cardio with those and it may help with knees and lower back. Between KBs, karate, an exercise band and the road elliptical machines, you'd have a pretty complete routine. You may also want to look into the Powerstrike DVDs from Ilaria for your kickboxing stuff.

3. Dump the diet sodas. There's research out there that suggest the chemical reactions in the brain make you want to eat. I know that my snacking habits changed quite a bit when I dumped them, so I'm convinced there's something to those studies.

Drink your water instead. When I go on the road, I always find a drug store near my hotel and pick up a 6 pack of water. It helps to avoid making the late-night runs on the snack and soda machines in the hotel and gives me something better to drink than the processed juices on the hotel breakfast bar in the morning. And yeah, it took me a good 2 months to get used to the "taste" of water again.

4. Eating right on the road will be your biggest challenge. It's almost impossible. But that doesn't mean that you can't mitigate the damage. :)

Those salads that you think are good for you? They often have more calories and fat than a hamburger! Depending on how you fix it, the tuna salad and the noodle bowls aren't doing you any favors either. The rule of thumb I use when on the road is that I go for the stuff with the freshest ingredients possible but not salads (unless I can fix it myself at a salad bar)! Salads are often loaded with calories, never fill me up enough and I end up snacking later anyway. So it's the worst of all worlds! I'll eat at Subway or places like that and if I'm forced into the occasional hamburger, I'm ok with that. I'll get a small one and find something to fill me up beside the french fries.

If you can pack meals, I'd suggest things like turkey wraps and fresh fruits. If you can pack snacks and dried goods, I'd look for a meal bar that you think is ok and maybe carry some beef jerky - the protein will be better than the carbs. Almonds are another good choice. If you can get into the habit of eating fresh veggies, you may find your body starts to crave them. I'm not a big fan of 'em, but after a few months of eating them my body started having weird cravings for fresh veggies if I didn't get 'em.

You may have to sit down and have a heart-to-heart talk with the wife. I had to with mine for very much the same reasons. She was doing it out of love, but ultimately she was becoming an enabler. I had to tell her that and it hurt her feelings at first, but she realized that she was an enabler and has slowly migrated towards helping and not hurting my dietary goals!

5. We're here for moral support and advice. Remember, that it took a long time for you to get to 300 lbs. It's going to take a while to get rid of the weight. So if you can approach it like a journey and not a destination, you'll have a better chance of success.

I hope something in this helps! These are just my ideas and what works for me may not work for you. So take what you can use and forget the rest. There's many ways to get to the same destination as long as you're willing to make the journey!

[spleen1015]

So, I had a bad weekend. I don't know how bad, but... 253.8 on the scale this morning.

There's got to be something going on. There is no way I over ate 5 pounds in 2 days. That's just not possible.

I'm back on it today, but I go on vacation starting Friday and I don't know how well I will do.

It seems like whenever my routine gets broken, that's when I revert back to some old habits.

[DaddyTorgo]

Yeah - well I switched up my routine just a little. Did 21 minutes of "low RPM + high resistance" on the elliptical (around 130 RPM) followed immediately by 21 minutes of "high RPM + lower resistance (4 ticks lower)" (around 170 RPM). So I'll do that for a couple days and see if it makes any difference (anerobic vs. aerobic and trying to get both).

[DaddyTorgo]

I don't know honestly. My confidence in my ability to make the change isn't really high. I have been able to drop weight in the past, but I seem to have a really self defeating attitude about it right now. It's just getting over this initial inertia and changing my eating habits that needs to change right now. If I could get into a regular routine I could make it, but getting started and having a plan of action seems to be almost overwhelming.

Thanks for the advice. I really lack support outside my immediate family. I know this is a great place to get going. I am certainly willing to be open and honest about everything.

You know we're always willing to help out man. Hell...if my mopey and morose ass can do it I have full confidence that you can too. Feel free to hit me up next time you're in town or anything and absolutely exploit the hell out of the people in this thread - we have a wide range of people doing a wide range of different things with different goals and situations - somebody out there will have something to say that will resonate with you I'm sure.

And we're totally non-judgemental too...which is cool.

[DaddyTorgo]

So, I had a bad weekend. I don't know how bad, but... 253.8 on the scale this morning.

There's got to be something going on. There is no way I over ate 5 pounds in 2 days. That's just not possible.

I'm back on it today, but I go on vacation starting Friday and I don't know how well I will do.

It seems like whenever my routine gets broken, that's when I revert back to some old habits.

It's probably just a hydration thing, maybe a backup in the umm...internal plumbing a bit too. I wouldn't worry too much about it to be honest.

Keep plugging away with what you were doing. If you want you can make a complete list of everything that you ate this weekend and identify anything that was "out of the ordinary" and try to track down its nutritional info...not necessarily so that you can "blame" stuff, but more because it's just a good opportunity to continue to educate yourself about what you're putting in your body.

[hoopsguy]

For me, portion control at meals has absolutely been the biggest change. I definitely have meals where I'm left hungry a couple of hours later but the key there is to not snack on stuff that is going to wreck what you're trying to accomplish with the smaller portions (and hopefully somewhat healthier meals). I tend to rotate between carrots and raisins as my between meal snack - either one is a lot better than loading up on nachos with cheese or something along those lines.

There are a lot of different ways to hit your goals, but they all involve finding a combination of exercise + diet that are better than whatever you are doing currently. Trying to enact dramatic change all at once can be overwhelming, and it doesn't help you much if you can't sustain a routine. I know that has been a major issue for me in the past, so I suspect that is true for others as well.

[DaddyTorgo]

3. Dump the diet sodas. There's research out there that suggest the chemical reactions in the brain make you want to eat. I know that my snacking habits changed quite a bit when I dumped them, so I'm convinced there's something to those studies.

Drink your water instead. When I go on the road, I always find a drug store near my hotel and pick up a 6 pack of water. It helps to avoid making the late-night runs on the snack and soda machines in the hotel and gives me something better to drink than the processed juices on the hotel breakfast bar in the morning. And yeah, it took me a good 2 months to get used to the "taste" of water again.

4. Eating right on the road will be your biggest challenge. It's almost impossible. But that doesn't mean that you can't mitigate the damage. :)

Those salads that you think are good for you? They often have more calories and fat than a hamburger! Depending on how you fix it, the tuna salad and the noodle bowls aren't doing you any favors either. The rule of thumb I use when on the road is that I go for the stuff with the freshest ingredients possible but not salads (unless I can fix it myself at a salad bar)! Salads are often loaded with calories, never fill me up enough and I end up snacking later anyway. So it's the worst of all worlds! I'll eat at Subway or places like that and if I'm forced into the occasional hamburger, I'm ok with that. I'll get a small one and find something to fill me up beside the french fries.

If you can pack meals, I'd suggest things like turkey wraps and fresh fruits. If you can pack snacks and dried goods, I'd look for a meal bar that you think is ok and maybe carry some beef jerky - the protein will be better than the carbs. Almonds are another good choice. If you can get into the habit of eating fresh veggies, you may find your body starts to crave them. I'm not a big fan of 'em, but after a few months of eating them my body started having weird cravings for fresh veggies if I didn't get 'em.


I'll second what Blackadar said. Water water water. Water is your friend. It can taste kinda funny at first to get used to drinking it again, but I swear...now there's nothing I'd rather drink than a nice glass of freezing cold water.

As far as eating healthy on the road - nutritional info. Nutritional info is your friend. If it's not there on the menu, ask for it. If they can't give it to you...eat somewhere else preferably. And if you have to eat there - go with the plainest, simplest, freshest thing you can (without sauces/dressing). Most places I'm sure you can find some variant of a grilled chicken breast these days.

Salads at restauruants can be bad (particularly the crazy ones at the chain restauruants that have all sorts of meats+cheeses+dressings+etc). But if you hold the dressings (and go with lemon juice) or get a low-cal dressing and potentially add a bit of protein (chicken, meat, or shrimp) they'll usually check in at less than 400 calories (which is absolutely fine as long as that's the main component of a meal and you don't do a salad+a ton of high-calorie stuff with it).

I'll also second what Blackadar says about craving fruits + veggies. It can take a long time to get to that point...a real long time for some people, but I absolutely like...fiend-out these days if I don't have fruits+veggies at every meal. It's weird as hell.

Veggies are great because they really do a great job in filling you up. So I always try to eat them first. Fruits are great because you get that sugar + sweetness in a more natural form that's better for you. So they'll give you that sugar-rush in a healthier way.

Oh yeah - and portion control - which I'm not sure Blackadar mentioned. That will make a huge difference. For you I'd probably say just like...start decreasing your portion sizes more gradually? Don't go all super-strict on it right away - I think that works better. But as you cut down your portions and eat more filling, nutritious food you'll find it takes less and less food to fill you up.

I'm probably slightly freakish on this as Blackadar and others would point out, in how small I've got my stomach shrunken down to. No need for you to aim for that far - just start bringing it down to something more sensible. That will do amazing things for your weight loss in and of itself.

And drink a ton of water. I like to say that if you're seriously trying to lose weight your urine should be clear basically all the time (no idea if that's medically true or not, but I use it as my barometer of hydration). The water will fill you up and cause you to eat less.

I make it a point to have a cup of tea like an hour before meals - try to fill me up before I even consider eating.

[DaddyTorgo]

.

There are a lot of different ways to hit your goals, but they all involve finding a combination of exercise + diet that are better than whatever you are doing currently. Trying to enact dramatic change all at once can be overwhelming, and it doesn't help you much if you can't sustain a routine. I know that has been a major issue for me in the past, so I suspect that is true for others as well.

This is very true. Start with small changes - particularly if you're feeling "low willpower" right now. And then you can just keep adding on the small changes and seeing results, and as you start feeling more "high willpower" you can push to bigger changes.

[DaddyTorgo]

188 this morning. Strangely didn't lose anything while sleeping last night - not a fan of that, but not going to overreact to one day and will continue with this slightly different cardio workout for this week.

[rowech]

At the encouragement of DT, I'm checking here. About 1.5 years ago, I weighed in at 308. I now weigh 248 for a loss of 60 pounds. I have always been a heavy kid, teenager, adult but never to the point I had got to. Now, I'm stuck. Haven't budged (weight or body fat%) in almost seven weeks and it's getting very frustrating.

Exercise wise:

M-W-F -- weight training, 3 sets of 12 on all exercises, and then 30 minutes on level 10 of the gym's elliptical machine.

T-T-S -- running, typically all on an incline of four. Two minutes at 3.5 and then a sprint at speed 8 for a minute. I do 10 sets of that and then finish off the 3rd mile on a jog. I switched it up a bit today by doing only 8 sets and then running two miles on top of the two that were from intervals.

Food wise, I've made a lot of adjustments and just can't see anywhere else to make any more. I have one coke zero a day. I know ideal is none but I don't think one a day is causing my stagnation. I easily drink 100 ounces of water a day on top of that and could understand it if I was drinking down a liter of pop a day. My dinners are always well balanced. I get one nice treat a week, usually on Satuday night, and lunches/breakfasts are reasonable.

When I add up all the calories I'm taking in and how many I'm burning out, I should be losing a pound a week and it ain't happening. Someone said I'm working out too much. Is that possible? I didn't switch to this six day routine until I had already lost all my weight. Up until then, I was just doing three days a week with no weight training.

I'm at a weight I haven't been in 15 years and it feels great, but there's more to do, I'm willing to do the work, and it just ain't happening. In the past when I hit plateaus I busted it with a harder workout but I don't think I can do that right now. Doing 4-5 miles every day, whether on the treadmill or the elliptical seems to be my limit at this point. I can finish, but it's a struggle to.

Any advice?

[DaddyTorgo]

60lbs rowech?? Damn...that's impressive. Maybe switching up your workout somehow? That's what I'm toying with to try to bust through this lil mini-plateau I'm in.

Or maybe at some point you consider getting professional advice. I thought about that during my last plateau, going in to see someone who specializes in this type of stuff and paying them to give me a solution to get things going again.

I'll ponder on the info you've given above tonight and tomorrow and see if I don't have any ideas...

[DaddyTorgo]

187.4 this morning. So that's nice.

Thinking on rowech's situation.

[hoopsguy]

So after 2+ weeks of weighing in at 176-177 I found myself at 174.5 this morning. Very pleased, but suspect this might be an outlier and that I'll be back up two pounds again tomorrow.

Rowech, I assume that you are working out at a gym? If so, I'm guessing this might be time to shuffle up your workout routine. I would try to meet with a personal trainer and see if they can give you some advice on how to proceed. I'm definitely not the right person to recommend the changes that you likely need to make, given that your commitment to the process exceeds mine in both duration and results.

[rowech]

So after 2+ weeks of weighing in at 176-177 I found myself at 174.5 this morning. Very pleased, but suspect this might be an outlier and that I'll be back up two pounds again tomorrow.

Rowech, I assume that you are working out at a gym? If so, I'm guessing this might be time to shuffle up your workout routine. I would try to meet with a personal trainer and see if they can give you some advice on how to proceed. I'm definitely not the right person to recommend the changes that you likely need to make, given that your commitment to the process exceeds mine in both duration and results.

I switched it up yesterday. Picked up .5 pound. I'm trying not to be frustrated but going on two months now. If I was at 225, I would live with it a bit easier but I feel like I've come so far and if I can't break through this, it's going to be all for not.

It's bizarre but there is a part of me that wonders if working out six days a week (3 days lifting/elliptical and 3 days running) is somehow having an adverse affect where my body doesn't know what's hitting it.

Just at a loss right now.

[PilotMan]

I weighed in this morning at 284.8, which is down 5 pounds since Sunday. This is very typical for a first week so I'm trying not to get too excited about it, but it does feel like progress. I have been on the road since Sunday, and I have tried to cut out the bad snacks in the plane. Also, I haven't had a soda since Monday. I won't lie, it's been a challenge. Every day, in fact, every 30 minutes seems like a challenge. Thanks for the advice guys. I appreciate the time and thought on it.

[Blackadar]

No weight check-in for me for a while. I've been on the road on business and tomorrow morning I leave to drive to FL for my cruise.

I'll post the inevitable damage when I get back. Vegas odds-makers have the line at +7 (lbs).

[rowech]

In a fit of rage over lost weight, I just set my mind to running a 10K this morning. Never done it before, all flat treadmill which is easier than running outside on an 80 degree day. My previous longest run was 5 miles. Now though I can say that I ran a 10K. Took 67:41 but I did the damn thing.

[DaddyTorgo]

I weighed in this morning at 284.8, which is down 5 pounds since Sunday. This is very typical for a first week so I'm trying not to get too excited about it, but it does feel like progress. I have been on the road since Sunday, and I have tried to cut out the bad snacks in the plane. Also, I haven't had a soda since Monday. I won't lie, it's been a challenge. Every day, in fact, every 30 minutes seems like a challenge. Thanks for the advice guys. I appreciate the time and thought on it.

Hey - we both know it's a typical first week, but you should absolutely celebrate the progress and the loss and use it to fuel the fire of your resolve.

Cutting out soda cold-turkey like that is tough I'm sure (I'm lucky I was never a huge soda guy), so kudos on that!!

Just keep fighting the good fight man, and if your resolve starts to waver and you start craving something you know intellectually you shouldn't have just like...distract yourself. Remove yourself away from temptation ya know (although I'm sure in airports that's damn near impossible).

:thumbsup:

[DaddyTorgo]

In a fit of rage over lost weight, I just set my mind to running a 10K this morning. Never done it before, all flat treadmill which is easier than running outside on an 80 degree day. My previous longest run was 5 miles. Now though I can say that I ran a 10K. Took 67:41 but I did the damn thing.

fuck yeah you did! way to go dude!!!

:jawdrop: :bowdown:

[rowech]

And what do I get for running 6.25 miles? That's right...a gain of a pound. WTF is going on right now?

[DaddyTorgo]

And what do I get for running 6.25 miles? That's right...a gain of a pound. WTF is going on right now?

That's frigging irritating. Reminds me of when I did the Walk for Hunger and didn't end up losing any weight that weekend.

Did you maybe hydrate more than usual so it's water-weight?

[PilotMan]

I know from history that my weight can vary by 3 pounds up or down on just about any given day. It's the trend that I need to be careful of.

[The Jackal]

1) water weight

2) muscles weigh more than fat, and running that much develops muscles

[DaddyTorgo]

186.4 this morning. That's back to -76lbs overall. Which is where I was before I gained that 3lbs a couple weeks back. Looks like the new exercise routine is being effective.

Heading back down towards my next checkpoint/ultimate goal of -80ish lbs.

[DaddyTorgo]

185.8!

New low. Gettin down to where I want to be...

[rowech]

I've been doing some reading and have some questions. Here are my numbers from my scale...while not perfect, it surely is in the ballpark.

Now weiging in at 251.4 with 28.4% body fat and right about 50% water.

Prior to starting to lift weights my numbers were 248 with 29.3% body fat, not sure about water.

From what I've read, that water percentage is way too low. Does anyone kno enough to say for certain that's a problem?

From what I've read, it's important to have weight training and cardio part to exercise but I'm wondering if I shouldn't be weight training at all given the fact I still want to lose weight? Can I lose weight if I'm lifting or is that chasing windmills?

[DaddyTorgo]

Was down to 186-flat/185.8 on Saturday morning. Up to 186.8 after yesterday - which isn't a huge surprise as it wasn't the most disciplined food-weekend, but there might also be some daily fluctuation in there. We'll see.

[DaddyTorgo]

I've been doing some reading and have some questions. Here are my numbers from my scale...while not perfect, it surely is in the ballpark.

Now weiging in at 251.4 with 28.4% body fat and right about 50% water.

Prior to starting to lift weights my numbers were 248 with 29.3% body fat, not sure about water.

From what I've read, that water percentage is way too low. Does anyone kno enough to say for certain that's a problem?

From what I've read, it's important to have weight training and cardio part to exercise but I'm wondering if I shouldn't be weight training at all given the fact I still want to lose weight? Can I lose weight if I'm lifting or is that chasing windmills?

You'll get different views on this on here. You can certainly lose weight while lifting though, so in a "yes/no" world the answer is yes.

All the weight I've lost I've done through cardio to-date (although to be fair I've been increasing resistance on the elliptical to keep building the leg muscles as I go, and monitoring my skeletal muscle %). Someone like Blackadar has lost a ton through lifting weights/other excercise type programs.

I personally think if you're just lifting weights it's going to be difficult to lose the weight at a pace that's going to keep you motivated precisely because you're going to be building that muscle mass (although you'll be reshaping your body, which is nice).

I think in a perfect world you want to do a good deal of cardio, but also work in some strength training so that you continue to build lean muscle mass. The problem with doing all-cardio is that you can start to burn your muscle rather than your fat, so if you do some strength training you'll keep the skeletal muscle percentage relatively consistent while burning off the fat.

My approach to it, frankly was "I have 80 pounds to lose. That's a ton of weight! I'm going to do straight cardio and try to burn off a ton of the weight and get down close to my goal weight, and then work back in the strength training as I reduce cardio in order to have a long-term exercise program."

I knew that I wanted to keep seeing consistent weight loss on the scale in order to keep myself motivated, and that if I messed around with building muscle mass at the same time it would be too easy to justify overeating, or cheating on my food consumption, or seeing the numbers on the scale going in the wrong direction. I've toyed around with lifting weights at a couple points within the process (and adding more protien back into my diet to assist with building the muscle) and found that at least for me it tended to cause me to plateau. And I wasn't comfortable with even like...temporary plateaus on the way down.

I started right around where you are now. And now I'm maybe...4-8lbs away from working the strength training back in to things and establishing my long-term program. In 10 months. Despite a couple of plateaus (probably a month's worth of plateaus total).

I think the key is really finding a program that works for you personally, that will keep you motivated to do it everyday with 100% effort. For me personally that's cardio, because once I get on that elliptical and set the program...I commit myself 100% to finishing the program. No stopping early or dialing down the intensity...I power through that shit. Whereas with weights, with me personally it was too easy before to say "man I can't lift this damn weight another time. So what if I've only done 6 of my 10 reps? I hurt."

Pretty sure that whichever side of the "cardio vs. strength" debate we come down on we can all agree that it's about finding something that you can commit to with 100% enthusiasm on a regular (ideally daily) basis.

Does that help at all? I gotta go to the gym and rip out my cardio now. 21 minutes of high-resistance (14) and lower RPM (130ish), followed after a 5 minute water break by 21 minutes of lower-resistance (10) and higher RPM (170ish).

[Dodgerchick]

In a fit of rage over lost weight, I just set my mind to running a 10K this morning. Never done it before, all flat treadmill which is easier than running outside on an 80 degree day. My previous longest run was 5 miles. Now though I can say that I ran a 10K. Took 67:41 but I did the damn thing.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!! Fucking awesome man, you go!

[DaddyTorgo]

185.4

New low. Now to keep the trend going downward/steady over the weekend.

[cschex]

238 even this morning, down 13.2 lbs in just over a month. I'm having to wear a belt with my jeans or they are actually slipping off.

[DaddyTorgo]

I'm having to wear a belt with my jeans or they are actually slipping off.

Best feeling ever.

I had to bury all my "fat clothes" in my closet and I'm down to only 1 pair of jeans and 2 pairs of shorts that really fit (along with a new pair of khakhis and a new suit). And now i'm at the point where I have to wear a belt with the jeans and shorts (because they're 2-3 sizes too big also).

Loving it. Hmm...maybe I'm addicted to losing weight? :confused:

[hoopsguy]

End of month update - 179.3 represents a loss of 1.2 pounds on the month.

I was having a pretty good month until the last week. Weight had gotten as low as 177.1, but Memorial Day plans and hectic work hours kept me from getting workouts in for a couple days. That, plus a couple too many beers pushed my weight back up a little bit.

I'll be working on the 5AM thing this month so I can be more regular about the "30 Day Shred" video. I want to do level 2 at least 12 times this month after doing Level 1 maybe 7-8 times in May. I'm also going to adopt the journal approach for my exercise and eating, something I've only done for running up to this point.

All in all, not happy with the number today but feeling OK about the progress over three months. I'm down 9 pounds out of the 23 that I want to lose (25% of time elapsed) so I'm tracking OK towards the larger goal. I'm down about 1 1/2 sizes on my belt since the start (2 when I squeeze it a bit, but I've only done this once or twice) and I'm starting to see something resembling muscle definition when I look in the mirror.

That said, I'll be mad at myself if the 7/1 post doesn't have me under 175.


Weighed in at 178.9 this morning, which is about the highest I've weighed all month and up 2.5 pounds from yesterday. Pretty disappointing, given that I spent virtually the whole month in the 176-177 range and had dipped under 175 for a little while. I understand the whole variance thing, but still annoying to have happen on the monthly weigh-in.

Working out was basically shot this month, so the very slight gain was purely driven by some dietary discretion. Soccer is also over now, so I'm going to find my way back onto the treadmill and hitting up the videos. If this doesn't help get me to commit to 5AM in a meaningful way, I don't know what will.

[hoopsguy]

Weighed in at 178.9 this morning, which is about the highest I've weighed all month and up 2.5 pounds from yesterday. Pretty disappointing, given that I spent virtually the whole month in the 176-177 range and had dipped under 175 for a little while. I understand the whole variance thing, but still annoying to have happen on the monthly weigh-in.

Working out was basically shot this month, so the very slight gain was purely driven by some dietary discretion. Soccer is also over now, so I'm going to find my way back onto the treadmill and hitting up the videos. If this doesn't help get me to commit to 5AM in a meaningful way, I don't know what will.

Hmm, re-weighed in this morning at 176.2 right before stepping into the shower. Checked it twice, same result both times. This just adds to my general distrust of this scale, but I'm banking this result because it makes me feel better (I was pretty darn strict on diet this month) and also because it is more consistent with everything I saw for the 30 days than the weight reported above.

So down 3.1 pounds for the month, which is pretty consistent with what I've done in earlier months of dieting.

I suspect I won't have more 3 pound months solely on diet, and that future productive months will have to be driven by markedly increased exercise. I'm about halfway to my goal weight for next March, but it has obviously been the easier half and I still haven't radically altered my exercise routine to where it is habit. More like fits and starts. That is a mix of good/bad news, I suppose.

Anyway, (pre) 5AM workouts will start next Tuesday in conjunction with starting my new job. Just trying to work out how early I'll need to be up to do all morning stuff for me + kid while catching a 6:45 AM train. Glad I have 3 days to rest this weekend before starting :)

[Blackadar]

Wow, this thread got a little slow.

I'm back from vacation, up 5 pounds at 209. It just goes to show how important diet is since I worked out like a champ while on the cruise ship but still gained weight. Oh well, back to the real world and more dietary controls...

[cschex]

237.4 this morning. Weight loss slowing down as expected, will probably be increasing bike resistance level again this week

[Dodgerchick]

194.0

Went on a mini-vacation and tried to stay on track as much as possible, but did eat stuff I shouldn't of. Last exercise was Zumba on Thursday. I think the hardest thing for me is eating late at night.

[The Jackal]

Damned mini-vacations! I had way too much picnic food (read: meat, mayo) this weekend, though I didn't seem to gain much weight. Hovering around 190. Being forced to remove alcohol from my diet because of some steroids/anti-inflammatory medicine I'm about to take for my back, so the weight should keep going down!

[Blackadar]

Damned mini-vacations! I had way too much picnic food (read: meat, mayo) this weekend, though I didn't seem to gain much weight. Hovering around 190. Being forced to remove alcohol from my diet because of some steroids/anti-inflammatory medicine I'm about to take for my back, so the weight should keep going down!

Sorry about your back, but forgoing alcohol should help your weight.

208 this morning. That's now +4 from my cruise, so I'm not happy. Considering I weighed in at a whopping 212 the day I returned, that's also -4 from my high point....so I'm not entirely displeased either. I'll probably go hiking this weekend and that's always good for another pound or two.

[DaddyTorgo]

Seem to be on a stupid plateau right around the end here - might be that changing up my workout the way I did didn't really help or something. Not really gaining or losing at the moment - just within a narrow little band over the last week or so.

186.2.

Want to see it down below 185 before the weekend.

Had a salad for dinner last night, but also 3 pieces of (restauruant) garlic toast - I probably should have held off on the bread I guess, maybe that would have had me down in the 185.somethings.

Had a salad earlier this week also. If this plateau persists for another week or so then I'll think about really changing up the workout to get these last 3-8lbs off.

[Dodgerchick]

192.8

Back on track

[DaddyTorgo]

Well i got impatient and tweaked it today. 49 minutes at lower resistance (#10) and higher RPM (170-180) the whole time.

We'll see how that lends itself to results.

[Blackadar]

209 this morning. Grrr...:mad:

[DaddyTorgo]

Well...changing up my workout seems to have helped.

184.6 this morning. New low. And into the 184s before the weekend too, which was what I wanted.

Hooray.

[hoopsguy]

175.3 today, put on a couple of pounds over the 4th but I've gotten semi-regular workouts in this week and had pretty good discipline. I'm also planning to take workout gear for our family vacation this weekend, something I probably would not have done even last month.

I started my new job this week. I'm trying to avoid falling into bad eating habits; there are some pretty healthy options close to the office. Lunch has been the one meal where I've lacked discipline, so if I can even marginally improve here I think it will pay dividends.

[The Jackal]

188.4 today, headed in the right direction.

[Dodgerchick]

192.0

Lost 2 lbs. in 3 days, very happy right now. For breakfast I have about 30 oz. of green lemonade and snack on fruits, veggies and nuts til lunchtime.

[DaddyTorgo]

Nice DC!!!

184.4 today...maintaining.

Might have overeaten a tiny bit today - we'll see.

[hoopsguy]

No weigh-ins on vacation today, but had a good day.

Got up and ran for maybe 15-20 minutes ... outdoor is obviously different than the treadmill. I'm sure my pace was all wrong, as I wasn't able to run as far as I wanted to go. But I'm glad I got out and got some exercise.

Then I was at the water park for about 3.5 hours with my daughter. I love stuff like that, so it is nice to have my kid as an excuse to get out there on rides like this :) But it was also nice to feel better about how I looked without a shirt on. I'm certainly not all ripped up, but having shed 13 pounds over the last four months made it more comfortable to be running around in just swim trunks. It was one of the nice payoffs for the effort I've put in losing weight since March. Hopefully the next vacation a year from now is even more gratifying in that respect.

[Dodgerchick]

Nice going DT and hoops!

189.8

Haven't been under 190 since December. Im gonna go shopping for a few outfits after every 20 lb loss, I have 10 lbs to go.

[The Jackal]

But it was also nice to feel better about how I looked without a shirt on. I'm certainly not all ripped up, but having shed 13 pounds over the last four months made it more comfortable to be running around in just swim trunks. It was one of the nice payoffs for the effort I've put in losing weight since March. Hopefully the next vacation a year from now is even more gratifying in that respect.

I can echo this sentiment, spent the day yesterday at the beach and I'm about 35 pounds less than I was last time I was going around shirtless. Even though there's still a bunch of ripped, tanned guys walking around, no longer do I feel self conscious about the gut!

Hovering around 187-190 right now, haven't been able to exercise at all much lately while recovering from this pinched nerve. Only two days of steroids left than an indefinite time on a special anti-inflammatory. Got 15 minutes in on the bike today, going to buy a few free weights to work on this supposed "pectoral atrophy" that I have too. Almost at my target weight of 185, I figure I can maintain between 180-185 and enjoy food/drink in moderation. Still have to watch the saturated fat for my cholesterol but I'll be very interested to see where it's at by the end of the year.

Keep up the good work everyone!

[DaddyTorgo]

I can echo this sentiment, spent the day yesterday at the beach and I'm about 35 pounds less than I was last time I was going around shirtless. Even though there's still a bunch of ripped, tanned guys walking around, no longer do I feel self conscious about the gut!

Hovering around 187-190 right now, haven't been able to exercise at all much lately while recovering from this pinched nerve. Only two days of steroids left than an indefinite time on a special anti-inflammatory. Got 15 minutes in on the bike today, going to buy a few free weights to work on this supposed "pectoral atrophy" that I have too. Almost at my target weight of 185, I figure I can maintain between 180-185 and enjoy food/drink in moderation. Still have to watch the saturated fat for my cholesterol but I'll be very interested to see where it's at by the end of the year.

Keep up the good work everyone!

This is me too. Was in the pool the other day here at my complex and actually didn't feel self-conscious!!

Also sort of my plan to have a target weight between 180-185 and enjoy in moderation. Feel like I'm just about there - want to get down a smidge below 180 and then build some muscle up.

184.2 this morning.

[Dodgerchick]

189.0

yay!

[Blackadar]

Congrats on breaking 190 Dodger!

209.5 this morning. I haven't been able to get back into the proper diet mode since I got off the cruise. After the cruise, each of my kids went with a set of grandparents, so we've been eating out a lot. It's hard to lose weight eating wings, Italian and Japanese food. Stuff has been conspiring to get me - like my wife ordering Tiramisu at Carrabbas or going to the ice cream store after eating Japanese and finding out their "regular" seems like about half a gallon of ice cream only after ordering it. Snacking has been my enemy lately too - too much trail mix, chocolate, etc., which stems from the that stuff being so available on the cruise.

I haven't stopped working out, so it's not a total loss, but it's time to get back on the bandwagon. :banghead:

[DaddyTorgo]

Was down to 184.2 the other day. Missed my workout yesterday (but didn't eat bad at all), up to 186.8 today.

Seem to be yo-yo-ing in this same range. Hopeful that with a workout today and also working out both days this weekend (since yesterday was my day off for the week) that I'll be able to hit new lows though.

Eating has been good, so I dunno.

[The Jackal]

Water weight, probably.

[The Jackal]

And congrats DC!

[DaddyTorgo]

Water weight, probably.

Most likely. I don't tolerate weight gain well these days. :D

[hoopsguy]

Back down to 174.6 this morning.

It took a couple of days to shake off the impact of eating at Kopps on the way out of Wisconsin. They have the best burgers I've tasted, and since it was my first time there in about 6-7 years I ordered the double cheeseburger. I'm guessing that was close to a pound of heart attack, and I felt guilty slugging through the last third of it but it was so damn good. I felt so guilty that I didn't order their delicious frozen custard, but when my daughter was full I ended up eating about 2/3 of her scoop. So the scale was not friendly on Monday :)

[Blackadar]

209 this AM.

At least the needle is pointing back in the right direction.

[DaddyTorgo]

183.2 this morning!! 79lbs!!

[hoopsguy]

175.5 this morning, which is a little higher than I had expected to be this morning. I had a pretty disciplined day of eating yesterday and got a ton of exercise, so I was definitely hoping to see the weight down rather than up a pound.

Oh well, doing the right things long term will result in good results even if the short term reading on the scale isn't where I wanted it.

[DaddyTorgo]

183.4 this morning.

Thinking I should be in the 182's tomorrow morning, which will be 80lbs and is essentially where I want to be at. Now I just need to tone things up a bit more (which will involve losing another 4-6 lbs just so that I have some room to put some muscle-weight back on and end up at like 180-182).

[The Jackal]

Awesome DT.