Weight Loss - Tips & Daily Check-in

[slimm44]

Re: Weight Loss - Tips & Daily Check-in

Day 1 - Back on the Grind

I took the last 3 weeks off for a few different reasons, but I'm hitting the gym as soon as I post this. 3 sets of either 15 or 20 on bench press and shoulder press for my chest day, followed by 30-45 minutes on the recumbent bike for cardio. I probably weigh around 220, but I haven't checked and probably won't for a few weeks. Will let you guys know how it goes today.

[mattsb84]

Re: Weight Loss - Tips & Daily Check-in

Day 1 - Back on the Grind

I took the last 3 weeks off for a few different reasons, but I'm hitting the gym as soon as I post this. 3 sets of either 15 or 20 on bench press and shoulder press for my chest day, followed by 30-45 minutes on the recumbent bike for cardio. I probably weigh around 220, but I haven't checked and probably won't for a few weeks. Will let you guys know how it goes today.

Why the recumbent bike? Lots of other options available (depending on your gym) that will give you better results in that 30-45min time span. Unless your legs are injured or you're rehabbing them of course.

[ODogg]

Re: Weight Loss - Tips & Daily Check-in

I'm back as well. Didn't eat much at all this weekend, I did have some pizza yesterday and also a few for breakfast this morning. I did drink too much on Saturday but hopefully since i ate very little it'll balance out.

[UNC_Pete]

Re: Weight Loss - Tips & Daily Check-in

Had a cheat meal yesterday 2 slices of mushroom pizza and light ice cream. Official weekly weigh in is tomorrow, today I sit at 347. Wanted to be at 345.something but still losing.

[slimm44]

Re: Weight Loss - Tips & Daily Check-in

Why the recumbent bike? Lots of other options available (depending on your gym) that will give you better results in that 30-45min time span. Unless your legs are injured or you're rehabbing them of course.

It's always worked well for me. I may alternate with it on some days and swimming and the eliptical on others. I was also thinking about seeing how long I can jump rope.

Which leg workouts are you thinking of? I don't like to run because I'm a little too heavy. If I lose about 20-30 pounds I may take it up, but it's too much stress on the shins and knees right now. I heard you're not supposed to run much if you weigh over 180 or 190.

[mattsb84]

Re: Weight Loss - Tips & Daily Check-in

It's always worked well for me. I may alternate with it on some days and swimming and the eliptical on others. I was also thinking about seeing how long I can jump rope.

Which leg workouts are you thinking of? I don't like to run because I'm a little too heavy. If I lose about 20-30 pounds I may take it up, but it's too much stress on the shins and knees right now. I heard you're not supposed to run much if you weigh over 180 or 190.

Yeah, its probably easier on the joints. I'm actually breaking from running now (im at 185ish) because somethings up with one of my legs, can only do around 3 miles before i have to stop. I did used to run at 220-225 and it's doable, but im around 40lbs lighter now and i notice a fairly large difference from what I was able to do then and now and the impact on my legs.

If you're trying to avoid high impact stuff, you can try walking on an incline, elliptical, stationary bike, stair climber, rowing machine and jump rope is also another good one. You already swim, so thats good, thats probably the least stressful of any cardio you'll find. The others are all fairly low impact on your joints, but you'll probably still burn more cals doing those then the recumbent bike. Plus, if you're sitting all day anyways (like most of us) you probably want something that gets you standing or at least out of the sitting position.

[DaveDQ]

Re: Weight Loss - Tips & Daily Check-in

It's going to take a long time. It didn't get there overnight.

I hear you. this is something that has taught me a lot. It's not just the gut. It's the absolute lack of strength in that area. When I look at different areas of my body, my lower back and stomach have to be the weakest. It's not as bad as it was though. that's the encouragement.

[slimm44]

Re: Weight Loss - Tips & Daily Check-in

Yeah, its probably easier on the joints. I'm actually breaking from running now (im at 185ish) because somethings up with one of my legs, can only do around 3 miles before i have to stop. I did used to run at 220-225 and it's doable, but im around 40lbs lighter now and i notice a fairly large difference from what I was able to do then and now and the impact on my legs.

If you're trying to avoid high impact stuff, you can try walking on an incline, elliptical, stationary bike, stair climber, rowing machine and jump rope is also another good one. You already swim, so thats good, thats probably the least stressful of any cardio you'll find. The others are all fairly low impact on your joints, but you'll probably still burn more cals doing those then the recumbent bike. Plus, if you're sitting all day anyways (like most of us) you probably want something that gets you standing or at least out of the sitting position.

When I was 20, I weighed 185 and ran 2 miles as a warm-up and 3 miles as a cool-down, 5 days a week. My cousin used to keep a log, I think we ran over 250 miles in a semester during college. I really like to run, but I have a partially torn ACL in my left knee and it flares up sometimes if I run on it a lot.

I should go on a strict diet for a month or two. If I do that and continue to hit the gym 5 days a week, I'll be where I want to be. Too bad I probably won't do that because I like cookies and pie and cake and burgers and pizza. We'll see, I guess. I'm not as zealous on fitness as I used to be.

[quaziemoto3]

Re: Weight Loss - Tips & Daily Check-in

Hey guys, thought I would join in on the convo. Two weeks ago I started weight watchers after weighing in at 271 (my heaviest). Today I weighed in at 261. That is 10 pounds in two weeks. It will level off quickly, but I am having good success. I am trying to get to 220 by September, although I don't know how realistic that is. Mostly I will just follow the plan and get some exercise.

[ODogg]

Re: Weight Loss - Tips & Daily Check-in

welcome to the show asuhelms! good luck, that is my goal weight as well, 220, i'm 252 right now, so i'm 32 pounds away. i started out at 305 so i've lost 53 so far. but it's taken me 2 years to lose that.

[ODogg]

Re: Weight Loss - Tips & Daily Check-in

My girlfriend asked me to write up some tips for her for grocery shopping so i just threw some random facts and ideas onto paper and thought I would share with you guys what has worked for me.

Fruits & Vegetables of course, don't get iceberg lettuce though when possible get fresh spinach (for salads) or other types of lettuce when possible (red leaf is good) as iceberg has no nutrients at all. Try new fruits you may not be familiar with. I recommend mangos, grapes and kiwis. Grapes are great when you freeze them and eat them as a cold snack.

*NOTE* For non-immediate consumption type fruits & vegetables always get frozen fruits & vegetables instead of canned if at all possible, the sodium is much less and the taste is far better. If you do get canned vegetables always rinse the vegetables before eating as it will help a lot with the sodium.

For snacks / misc:
Pumpkin seeds are a great snack my doctor recommended, they’re high in fat but it’s a good fat
Tortilla Chips w/Salsa instead of chips and sour cream dip are a much healthier snack
Planters lightly salted nuts (with sea salt)
Nature Valley granola bars (you can leave some of these in your car if you're out and about and get hungry to avoid fast food)
String cheese - light
1% cottage cheese (don't get nonfat as it doesn't taste too good)
Orville Redenbacher 100 calorie air-popped popcorn
Milk: Skim or 1% milk, never get Vitamin D, way too much fat
Canned meat: Canned tuna in water to mix with salads or make tuna fish
Canned chicken and salmon make good sandwiches as well mixed with a bit of miracle whip light and/or mustard & pickles

Condiments:
Miracle Whip light instead of mayo, although in general the less of any of this as a topping the better. If you are ok with mustard then mix in mustard so you can use less Miracle Whip Light.
Plochmans or a similar mustard, if you like mustard use it whenever possible as it’s ideal calorie-wise.
Dijon mustard (watch the calories though, most have hardly any but some are real high if they are sugar based)
For butter always use unsalted butter. Do not ever use margarine. Ever.
For bread look for Aunt Millie's bread, you can get the bread or the salad pita type pockets. I alternate but the bread tastes a bit better. Look for the words WHOLE WHEAT. If you hate wheat bread you can get Whitewheat branded bread at some places (Walmart). Never eat white bread as it’s processed and high in sugars.

For breakfast:
Weight Control Oatmeal - either get the variety pack or Maple Brown Sugar. Mix in frozen blueberries or strawberries on occasion to mix it up.
Honey Nut Crunch Cheerios w/frozen fruit (unsweetened, make sure there is no ADDED sugar) and if not sweet enough add 1 Splenda
Eggs – always buy brown and/or organic eggs when possible and buy egg whites to mix in with the regular eggs as well. 1 egg with some whites is better than 2 regular eggs. Egglands Best is what I buy if I can find them for cheap and/or on sale.
Turkey sausage links or low-sodium bacon is nice but it should be an occasional treat and not an everyday breakfast.

In general when I make eggs I make an omelet: mix 1 egg with egg whites, mushrooms, red or green onions, peppers and cook, then add 1 slice of lowfat cheese and flip the egg over top the cheese to complete. Add salsa – it works well on eggs, omelets (salsa is also great on baked potatoes instead of butter by the way!)

For lunch:
For any deli meats get as lowfat (96% of higher) and as little sodium as you can. In general the order of preference is: turkey is the best, then chicken breast, then roast beef and ham, then everything else, avoid all heavily salted meats like pastrami, pepperoni, salami, etc – See below for more ideas on sandwiches

Sandwiches: Using low calorie (light) wheat bread pile on the lowfat deli meat with lettuce, banana peppers, tomatoes, onions, whatever vegetables you can fit on there that you like (the more the better). Use mustard, Dijon mustard or if you want mayo then use the miracle whip light (sparingly though). If you like vinegar and oil it is the ideal sandwich topping and works well with the vegetables and especially on ham if you're not a fan of mustard. If you want a PB&J sandwich get sugar free fruit jams with real fruit and mix with Natural peanut butter on wheat bread for a great PB&J sandwich. Make sure to get the natural peanut butter and not some light branded peanut butter.

Grotons fish 2-per-pack are good to eat, they do not have any breading. They cook in the microwave so it’s a good item to take to work.

Green giant individual servings of frozen vegetables are great for taking in your lunch as well.

Lean pockets are good but should be an occasional treat. They are heavily processed food (avoid heavily processed foods whenever possible)

For any cheese products just try to get 2% cheese. Avoid non-fat cheeses as they are not very good tasting or filling. Kraft 1% swiss slices are good too if you like swiss.

Campbells Healthy Request lower sodium soups are good. I know there are other brands that are a bit healthier but they just aren’t as tasty of filling IMO.

For dinner:
Hot dogs: Hebrew National All-beef franks cooked in water on the stove (not in the microwave). Chop up pickles (rinse first) and mix with mustard and/or onions for the topping, serve on a whole wheat bun.

Pizza: mama mary's or boboli's 8" pizza crusts (mama mary's tastes better but has much more fat) w/whatever low cal sauce (should be able to find one in a small glass jar around 40 calories), 1% cheese, oregano, garlic powder, turkey pepperoni *or* ground sausage turkey plus whatever vegetables you like on your pizza (the more the better). Put sauce on, then garlic powder, oregano and dash of parmesan cheese, then turkey pepperonis and everything else. The secret to this is to put just a dash of cheese on the pizza, then cook it in the oven, then add a dash when it comes out, you can get away with much less cheese that way (and cheese is where most of the calories comes from on this).

Fried Chicken Strips: Get chicken breasts, cut into strips. Get some Kelloggs Corn Flakes, pour into a plate. Crush the corn flakes by rolling a can over them. Dip each chicken strip into lowfat milk & extra virgin olive oil mixture. Roll the chicken strip in the Kellogs crushed Corn Flakes mixture. Put strip on sprayed cookie sheet and cook in oven @ 425 for 20-25 minutes until chicken is cooked thoroughly. Tastes great, just like fried chicken! Dip in Dijon mustard or BBQ/hot sauce.

Chili: chili is great to make in a crock pot *or* on the stove, tomato juice, tomato paste, chili powder, diced or whole tomatoes, 3 kinds of beans you like (black beans recommended), green/yellow and red peppers, whole mushrooms, red onions and ground turkey if you want meat. I just cook the meat in a pan, throw it all into a pot and warm up, or leave it all in a crockpot while i'm at work.

Spaghetti: Spaghetti is good made much like the chili above but utilize the canned spaghetti sauce (not in a glass jar, the low cal canned sauce) with the above vegetable and meat ingredients. For the pasta always get Dreamfields low-carb pasta. Utilize excessive amounts of sauce and minimal pasta in each serving.

Salads & Salad Dressings: Throw in whatever vegetables you want, avoid bacon bits, avoid croutons. A boiled egg helps create taste. If you desire some sort of crunch instead of bacon bits or croutons get 2 crackers and crumble into the salad. For the dressing buy a bottle of extra virgin olive oil. Buy a bottle of red vinegar. Combine and use on salad with oregano seasoning to season. Or if you really want to use store bought dressing then get the low calorie vinaigrette or a light italian dressing. Any clear-based, lower fat dressings are the best. Avoid fat laden dressings such as 1000 islands, as they defeat the purpose of a low calorie, low-fat salad.

Drinks: Water - as much as possible, flavored water with Sucralose, Crystal light is ok but don't go crazy with it as it has aspartame, Ocean Spray Diet Cranberry Juice (15 calories per serving I believe), Aizona Diet Green Tea, if you want a cola drink then RC Diet Cola is the best as it doesn't use aspartame (it uses sucralose), homemade tea sweetened with a sucralose based sweetener (Splenda). Don't use Sweet & Low or Equal if possible (they have aspartame which you should always avoid).

For Desert: eat fruits whenever possible to satisfy a sweet tooth, yogurts (the low cal yogurts) are good for mixing with fruit, other ideas are low calorie popsicles (25 to 40 calories per serving), weight watchers ice cream (get individual serving sizes when possible as its good portion control). Another idea is to get the flavored light branded cool whips and freeze them, then eat them like ice cream (I believe they have a chocolate flavored cool whip as well). There are also Smuckers fudge topping which is sugar free to put over Cool Whip or weight watchers Ice cream that tastes good (it may have a very, very slight bitter aftertaste but it's subtle). If you get any chocolate get dark chocolate and avoid milk chocolate. Another idea is to get weight watchers ice cream, coat with sugar free topping, add bananas, chopped nuts and you have a great tasting, low calorie banana split.

Miscellanous info:
Don’t add extra salt to your food when at all possible as most foods we buy now in stores are loaded with salt. Rinse foods whenever possible to rinse off sodium. Try using oregano and/or potassium based salts which have 60 to 90% less sodium. Also consider Mrs. Dash products.

[Jonesy]

Re: Weight Loss - Tips & Daily Check-in

sodium.

Fried Chicken Strips: Get chicken breasts, cut into strips. Get some Kelloggs Corn Flakes, pour into a plate. Crush the corn flakes by rolling a can over them. Dip each chicken strip into lowfat milk & extra virgin olive oil mixture. Roll the chicken strip in the Kellogs crushed Corn Flakes mixture. Put strip on sprayed cookie sheet and cook in oven @ 425 for 20-25 minutes until chicken is cooked thoroughly. Tastes great, just like fried chicken! Dip in Dijon mustard or BBQ/hot sauce.

I've done those before, they taste fantastic!

After a couple of weeks of being good during the week then slipping up big time on the weekends i need to step my game up. I often eat out of boredom rather than hunger on the weekends so i really need to watch that as it's killing my progress. I think once i reach my goal i'll be able to have a fair few treats etc on the weekend but i just seem to stay the same weight but i can't afford to do that while i'm trying to lose. Gotta stop drinking so much booze on the weekends as well, that can't be helping....

[Sting]

Re: Weight Loss - Tips & Daily Check-in

Those chicken strips with the corn flakes sound really good.

[Jonesy]

Re: Weight Loss - Tips & Daily Check-in

I've done it with fish as well and it works equally well. Popped some slices potato in the oven with some paprika and salt and you've got a healthy version of fish and chips with about one third the cals.

[stewaat]

Re: Weight Loss - Tips & Daily Check-in

Odogg she's your gf already? Damn you move quick!