The Officialish FOFC Weight Loss Dynasty

[Dodgerchick]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

It made me so . 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]

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

[DaddyTorgo]

Way to go DC!!

[DaddyTorgo]

Interesting article I just saw linked on lifehacker

http://www.mensjournal.com/everythin...tness-is-a-lie

[spleen1015]

Originally Posted by 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]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

Interesting article I just saw linked on lifehacker

http://www.mensjournal.com/everythin...tness-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.

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]

Originally Posted by Blackadar

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.

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]

Originally Posted by hoopsguy

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.

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]

Originally Posted by 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.



It feels good to see the weigh falling off again.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by 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.

way to go blackadar!!! congrats!!!

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

way to go blackadar!!! congrats!!!

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]

Originally Posted by 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....

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

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by 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....

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]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by Blackadar

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]

Originally Posted by hoopsguy

.

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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.