My weight loss thread... not a new years resolution

I wanted to start this thread in order to motivate myself in my personal challenge. Kind of like Pierce did with his smoking thread this almost acts like pier pressure. I wasn't going to make this at first because I know no one cares but that's what the block thread button is for so here I go.

MY BACK STORY
Like a lot of Americans I have been battling with weight problems my entire life. When I was in my early 20s I was 5'11" and 280 pounds. I started to exercise and eat right and I was down to almost 200. I stayed there for about a year and then slowly started to go the wrong direction. Over the next 8 years I ballooned up to 320 pounds. This was only last January. I started a diet and changed my lifestyle. It was all going good until our first son was born. There were some complications and we were in and out of the hospital for the first 4 months of his life. Thankfully he is 100% healthy now. So anyways, during these few months I went back to my bad habits and went completely off of my new lifestyle. I went from 320 to 280 in 3 months and I felt great about it. As I sit today I am back up to 297. After the experience that I had last year I feel that I am 100% capable at obtaining my goal this time and keeping it off.

MY ADDICTION
Most people look at fat people and wonder why they don't just stop eating or exercise and get in shape. What people don't realize is that fast food, pop, sweet tea, and sugar is all a drug. I am not just battling bad food but I am battling an addiction. Whenever I drive down a highway and see McDonald's my taste buds fire up and my brain tells me to stop. It is a battle every time I drive by a fast food place. I believe this is the addiction that is taking over my brain. I am ready to fight the addiction and get off of this "drug". I feel that this addiction that I have is equivalent to having an addiction to drugs, alcohol, or smoking. Being overweight is just as deadly if not more so than those 3 mentioned diseases. Being overweight leads to so many other health problems such as diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, and cancer just to name a few.

MY HEALTH PROBLEMS
All through the years I have been very active. Playing basketball, football, soccer, bowling, and disc golf. I always said that I would worry about my weight as long as I was able to do everything that I name at a very competitive level. I have always run well even as a big guy. Over the last year though I have noticed that my age is catching up with me. I will be 34 this week fwiw. I went to the doctor last month and he is very concerned about my blood pressure. He feels that my arteries are ok for now but says that they will become blocked very soon if I don't get this under control. BTW my blood pressure was 149/94. Yes I know, it is alarming. He told me that he will give me 90 days to get some weight off and see if my pressure drops. If not he is going to put me on meds. Luckily I am not pre diabetic yet but that is coming shortly as well. I have also started to have pain in my knees and legs. Obviously this is due to carrying around an extra 100 pounds of weight all the time. I have noticed this more recently especially when I am carrying my 30 pound son around.

MY GOALS
I want to lose 75 pounds by the end of the year. I actually need to lose more than that to get back to my goal weight. I am looking at changing my lifestyle for ever and not just for this year so if I stick to the plan the rest of the weight will come off in due time. I also need to get my blood pressure under control and preferably without meds.

MY PLAN
Last year when I started to lose weight I allowed myself 1 fast food meal a week. I think that was a mistake because when we were in and out of the hospital we just reverted back to it. If someone is trying to quit cocaine they wouldn't say its ok to just do it 1 time a week. So basically this is what I am going to do.
1. cut calories
2. replace junk food with fruits and veggies (I am aware that some fruits have a lot of sugar)
3. exercise every day

MY MOTIVATIONS
Other than the obvious things like living longer because I am healthy I do have a few built in motivations.
1. I have broken my 75 pounds into 4 quarters. If I meet my quarterly goals I am going to play in a $150 poker tournament. I love poker and generally do very well when playing but our gambling budget is so small that I don't get to play much.
2. I joined a website called dietbetter.com. You pay $25 a month and if you meet their goals then you win money. It is actually a pretty nice website IMO.

MY OBSTACLES
Again, other than over coming the food addiction there are a few times that it will be tough and they worry me the most.
1. My son is turning 2 and we are having a pizza party at my favorite local pizza place. It will be tough to not over do it that day. It is in March so hopefully I will be doing so well that the pizza won't even sound good.
2. My wife is pregnant with our second child so I am a little concerned that it may get quite hectic in April.
3. My co workers order to go at least 3 times a week. I am going to have a talk with them on Monday to let them know of my goals. I am going to request that when they order food that they don't even ask me if I want anything and to not give me their leftovers which they do now when I don't order.

I think they about lays everything out there. If you made it this far please wish me positive variance.

I ended up securing a 5-1 bet for $100 with my father that I can not get to 225 by Christmas of this year. I also have the 2 dietbet.com challenges going as well. My wife and I have outlined my poker reward as well. If I lose 12 pounds by Feb 11th then I will play in a $120 tournament that weekend.

Dietbet.com weigh in 01/05/2014--- 298.4
Dietbet.com weigh in 02/07/2014--- 283.8
unofficial weigh in 02/16/14--- 282.0
unofficial weigh in 02/23/14--- 282.6

Quote: GWAE

I wanted to start this thread in order to motivate myself in my personal challenge. Kind of like Pierce did with his smoking thread this almost acts like pier pressure. I wasn't going to make this at first because I know no one cares but that's what the block thread button is for so here I go.

MY BACK STORY
Like a lot of Americans I have been battling with weight problems my entire life. When I was in my early 20s I was 5'11" and 280 pounds. I started to exercise and eat right and I was down to almost 200. I stayed there for about a year and then slowly started to go the wrong direction. Over the next 8 years I ballooned up to 320 pounds. This was only last January. I started a diet and changed my lifestyle. It was all going good until our first son was born. There were some complications and we were in and out of the hospital for the first 4 months of his life. Thankfully he is 100% healthy now. So anyways, during these few months I went back to my bad habits and went completely off of my new lifestyle. I went from 320 to 280 in 3 months and I felt great about it. As I sit today I am back up to 297. After the experience that I had last year I feel that I am 100% capable at obtaining my goal this time and keeping it off.

MY ADDICTION
Most people look at fat people and wonder why they don't just stop eating or exercise and get in shape. What people don't realize is that fast food, pop, sweet tea, and sugar is all a drug. I am not just battling bad food but I am battling an addiction. Whenever I drive down a highway and see McDonald's my taste buds fire up and my brain tells me to stop. It is a battle every time I drive by a fast food place. I believe this is the addiction that is taking over my brain. I am ready to fight the addiction and get off of this "drug". I feel that this addiction that I have is equivalent to having an addiction to drugs, alcohol, or smoking. Being overweight is just as deadly if not more so than those 3 mentioned diseases. Being overweight leads to so many other health problems such as diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, and cancer just to name a few.

MY HEALTH PROBLEMS
All through the years I have been very active. Playing basketball, football, soccer, bowling, and disc golf. I always said that I would worry about my weight as long as I was able to do everything that I name at a very competitive level. I have always run well even as a big guy. Over the last year though I have noticed that my age is catching up with me. I will be 34 this week fwiw. I went to the doctor last month and he is very concerned about my blood pressure. He feels that my arteries are ok for now but says that they will become blocked very soon if I don't get this under control. BTW my blood pressure was 149/94. Yes I know, it is alarming. He told me that he will give me 90 days to get some weight off and see if my pressure drops. If not he is going to put me on meds. Luckily I am not pre diabetic yet but that is coming shortly as well. I have also started to have pain in my knees and legs. Obviously this is due to carrying around an extra 100 pounds of weight all the time. I have noticed this more recently especially when I am carrying my 30 pound son around.

MY GOALS
I want to lose 75 pounds by the end of the year. I actually need to lose more than that to get back to my goal weight. I am looking at changing my lifestyle for ever and not just for this year so if I stick to the plan the rest of the weight will come off in due time. I also need to get my blood pressure under control and preferably without meds.

MY PLAN
Last year when I started to lose weight I allowed myself 1 fast food meal a week. I think that was a mistake because when we were in and out of the hospital we just reverted back to it. If someone is trying to quit cocaine they wouldn't say its ok to just do it 1 time a week. So basically this is what I am going to do.
1. cut calories
2. replace junk food with fruits and veggies (I am aware that some fruits have a lot of sugar)
3. exercise every day

MY MOTIVATIONS
Other than the obvious things like living longer because I am healthy I do have a few built in motivations.
1. I have broken my 75 pounds into 4 quarters. If I meet my quarterly goals I am going to play in a $150 poker tournament. I love poker and generally do very well when playing but our gambling budget is so small that I don't get to play much.
2. I joined a website called dietbetter.com. You pay $25 a month and if you meet their goals then you win money. It is actually a pretty nice website IMO.

MY OBSTACLES
Again, other than over coming the food addiction there are a few times that it will be tough and they worry me the most.
1. My son is turning 2 and we are having a pizza party at my favorite local pizza place. It will be tough to not over do it that day. It is in March so hopefully I will be doing so well that the pizza won't even sound good.
2. My wife is pregnant with our second child so I am a little concerned that it may get quite hectic in April.
3. My co workers order to go at least 3 times a week. I am going to have a talk with them on Monday to let them know of my goals. I am going to request that when they order food that they don't even ask me if I want anything and to not give me their leftovers which they do now when I don't order.

I think they about lays everything out there. If you made it this far please wish me positive variance.

Good luck...I will take any extra weight you want to give me. Only advice I can offer is: eat until your satisfied and not full. Oh and there has to be something better then Mickey D's that tastes just as good but better for you. Since MC D's went to Qing ovens to cook/reheat the burgers the are tasteless and dry, it sucks now to me.

Anyone that can take the time to make a goal oriented elaborate post like that, should defiantly have it in them to reach a goal.

I like hiking for exercise. Its easy to set realistic goals each time. Get to the top of that mountain.

Diet and Exercise OR Exercise and Diet. Whichever you choose.

But learn the little tricks. Have the plastic container of lettuce and stuff along with its little plastic cup of vinegar and stuff with you. So just say no to coworkers is easy: No thanks, my wife packed me a salad.

Learn which roads don't have fast food places on them.

Get in the habit of stairs versus elevator and parking five rows back from anything.

I would get into a pool and swim or walk in it. Low gravitational stress and will add muscle for a while until your body gets used to it. Everything else I completely blame on diet with emphasis on what it's made of. Honestly I think it's all poison the food we eat with everything artificial. One more tip would be to buy some new shoes since worn shoes will cause pain in legs knees and back. On your journey, just remember everyone can do it and you're no different.

GWAE DO IT ! beautiful wife and 2 kids would like you to stick around.

Onenickel is right about swimming being the best and least stressful form of exercise. Just make sure nobody named Ahab is hanging around the pool.

A change of 750 Calories a day (from your usual) = 75 lbs/year. This is not undoable. It's one fast food meal a day. Or cutting out soda and adding a bit of exercise. Don't get overwhelmed by the goal either. Any progress is progress you won't have to make next year or the next. The best advice I have for dieting is to ALWAYS BE PREPARED. You should have a stash of healthy good food and gum and whatever else you need EVERYWHERE YOU GO. You should have healthy choices at your work, in your car, and plenty of stuff at home in to-go containers and plastic bags. The fastest food, it's right in your fridge already! And how can you rationalize stopping for fast food if you have a cooler with good foods already in your car? How can you rationalize driving to get fast food if you have several lunch options in the fridge at work?

Look up the 12 steps and go to AA meetings if necessary. Looks like you're at step 1 already: Admitting that you're helpless and your life has become unmanageable. Fast food is an addiction and relapse is a part of recovery. Someone I know used to have a sponsor who would say, 'If you get a flat tire, don't get out of your car and slash your other three tires.' Good advice.

Maybe it's dietbetter.com, but my sister joined a website where if she didn't log workout hours daily she actually had to pay money to other members on the site. It's a predetermined amount that you set. Here, I found it: http://www.gym-pact.com/ , very motivational to workout when everyday there is $5 on the line. If you're used to spending $10/day on fast food, it isn't that bad to wager $5/day on a workout everyday, which you don't have to pay if you do your set routine. Nice little phone app too.

And you have the best workout available to you: Spending time with your kid(s) can be the most rewarding way to burn calories. Making health a family value will also go far in protecting your offspring from having the same problems as you seem to.

Anyways, I wish you the best! It's a good time of year for it. Shop around a number of gyms (of course they'll give you week passes), and plan, plan, plan.

For swimming the most important thing to do is to get the timing of your breathing down. Like if you're doing freestyle you want to take a breath every other stroke. Trying to take a breath every stroke will create a lot of extra work for you since your motions won't be as fluid. You only want to take a breath on one side not both.

Good luck to you, and trust me it's not that hard. How I lost 50lb was to count every calorie, and be completely honest in logging what type of workout you did so you can free up calories. I still ate at McDonalds but it would be my only meal if I was close to my daily intake, and of course any meal from fast food will put you close.

I tried working out first thing in the morning, but I cannot muster up the strength and willpower to get it done so I changed it to after work and it made a big difference since I was able to stick to it because I was already out and about. As of right now I live 1 mile from a free gym at PH but I still work out at another gym where I play.

Get rid of soda!!!! It's empty calories that do you no good, only satisfy your craving for sugar. Find ways to cut out calories by lessening your intake of empty calories. Convert to diet if needed, even though that's still not good for you. Cutting out soda = more calories to eat. I would rather eat then drink to feel full, unless it's a protein shake for after workouts.

Find food that fills you up for low amounts of calories: broccoli, nuts (I like cashews, unsalted), chicken breast, etc. Don't end up switching strictly to salads, you'll feel hungry and defeat the purpose of dieting if you are starving all the time. Load up on broccoli and beans at a buffet (if you hang out in casinos like I do) as fullness will prevent you from stopping by fast food. Avoid Chinese food since it makes you hungry in an hour lol.

Eat a lot of nuts and keep active. If you don't eat a lot of fruits and vegetables right now its not very realistic thinking you will be able to immediately switch to them. Try to phase out soda for lite fruit juice.

Quote: rudeboyoi

Eat a lot of nuts and keep active. If you don't eat a lot of fruits and vegetables right now its not very realistic thinking you will be able to immediately switch to them. Try to phase out soda for lite fruit juice.

Thank you every one for your words of encouragement. A few things that I have already done.

1. dumped out 1 just opened 2 liter of pepsi, gave away the unopened one.
2. I spent $27 on fruits and veggies. I do most of the cooking at home and I do prepare veggies already and when I did my diet last year I took a small bag of carrots and celery for my snack. Of course there was no ranch to dip it in.
3. I purchased a case of diet caffeine free cherry coke. I know the research shows that the ingredients in diet pop are very bad for you but I wanted a crutch just in case I had a moment of weakness. I also purchased sugar free apple juice and cranberry/grape juice. I am allowing myself 1 8 ounce glass of calories for dinner each night.
4. I purchased some walnuts to put in my diet. Since my blood pressure if of concern I figured nuts should be added.
5. purchased fish oil pills and vitamins for men.
6. purchased a bunch of shrimp and some other sea food. I love sea food so this will give me a good reason to make it. Of course it will be made without butter. I actually like well prepared sea food that is made without all the extra fat.

I am so motivated at this point that it is ridiculous. I think I have had my ah ha moment.

I wish you success and look forward to your progress reports.

My advice is the same as what everyone else is saying. Exercise everyday, eat less, and eat healthy. It is easy to say but hard to do.

If you're cooking a lot of veggies, get a wok and a quality cutting knife. The knives with those grooves on the side. I forget what they're called.

I lost 30 lbs in the last 6 months. I was also motivated when I realized my blood pressure had gotten out of hand. At first I restricted calories and increased micronutrients with a CRAN/life extensionist's mindset. I lost 7 lbs with some effort and went to a high fat(60%+) diet. Things got easier from there. I take caffeine after waking and with my first meal; and I take a good multi-mineral with my second meal and before bed. (AFAIK, caffeine's effects are strongly influenced by whether you are a CPY1A2 fast metabolizer (I am), so it may not be for everybody with medical problems.)

Edit: I really like the Fish oil and Walnut additions. Personally, I also focus on quality magnesium for blood pressure. The standard "I'm not a doctor" disclaimer applies.

I had lost just under 100 pounds a couple of years ago in fairly short order and without additional exercise. This is somewhat an oversimplification, but it was just eating 3 meals a day with the portion of food being no larger than the size of my hand. The nice thing was I ate whatever I wanted. It was just in small portions. Hell, the wife even was making me Haagen Dazs shakes to try to stem the losses.

BTW GWAE, Good Luck! I'm sure that you'll succeed.

After responding to your post yesterday, I have been researching www.gym-pact.com, 'Pact' as it is now called. Seems there is some functionality issues and many people have complained, coupled with their lack of customer service and decreasing returns, I might wait until they sort things out to join. I'm not sure I would recommend it. Since this is a gambling site, I thought on the other hand you might want to look at this: http://www.dietbetter.com/ , another social media weight-loss site that allows you to win money for losing weight with as little as $10 on the line. In fact, you could set up a game for a group of people (like people on this site, or people that you work with) and whoever makes their goal wins the pot. Looks like they have 4% (body weight) in 4 weeks or 10% in 6 month challenges as their two main challenges. Everyone who completes the challenge sucessfully splits the pot. One completed challenge I looked at the people bet $25, there were 210 winners who won $44 after the site fees. Another contest bet $40 and winners got $60. It looks pretty motivational. (Honestly I think I'm going to do this.) Pretty interesting the places technology has taken us.

Quote: drussell0208

After responding to your post yesterday, I have been researching www.gym-pact.com, 'Pact' as it is now called. Seems there is some functionality issues and many people have complained, coupled with their lack of customer service and decreasing returns, I might wait until they sort things out to join. I'm not sure I would recommend it. Since this is a gambling site, I thought on the other hand you might want to look at this: http://www.dietbetter.com/ , another social media weight-loss site that allows you to win money for losing weight with as little as $10 on the line. In fact, you could set up a game for a group of people (like people on this site, or people that you work with) and whoever makes their goal wins the pot. Looks like they have 4% (body weight) in 4 weeks or 10% in 6 month challenges as their two main challenges. Everyone who completes the challenge sucessfully splits the pot. One completed challenge I looked at the people bet $25, there were 210 winners who won $44 after the site fees. Another contest bet $40 and winners got $60. It looks pretty motivational. (Honestly I think I'm going to do this.) Pretty interesting the places technology has taken us.

I have already joined dietbetter.com. My challenge starts on Jan 7th I think. I did the $25 6 month one.

At first I really liked the gym pact one until I read further. It seems like you are wagering a lot more than you would ever win. It looks like if I had 2 bad weeks it would take 12 good weeks to get that money back.

I wonder with these sites what's to prevent people from lying just to not lose their own money or get others money. Do you have to weigh-in at a specific location or have a doctor sign off or anything? I like contests based on the honor system but also know that there will always be those out there that will try and game the system.

Either way I see people getting weight loss regiments together to coincide with New Years so I wish you guys luck.

Edit: Ah I found the page. They say you have to be in front of a mirror with the scale and then have a downward shot with your feet on the scale + a personal weigh in word. They also have referees that look over accounts. Seems pretty on the up and up. Also like that you can never lose money either if you hit your goal. Worse you can ever do is break even.

Just started mine. Instant oatmeal breakfast, raw veggie lunch (with ranch for cryin out loud), whatever for supper. 18 hours in, no reportable results, though I feel a bit skinny.

Quote: Perdition

I wonder with these sites what's to prevent people from lying just to not lose their own money or get others money. Do you have to weigh-in at a specific location or have a doctor sign off or anything? I like contests based on the honor system but also know that there will always be those out there that will try and game the system.

Either way I see people getting weight loss regiments together to coincide with New Years so I wish you guys luck.

Edit: Ah I found the page. They say you have to be in front of a mirror with the scale and then have a downward shot with your feet on the scale + a personal weigh in word. They also have referees that look over accounts. Seems pretty on the up and up. Also like that you can never lose money either if you hit your goal. Worse you can ever do is break even.

Sounds like someone could still scam this.

Quote: Perdition

I wonder with these sites what's to prevent people from lying just to not lose their own money or get others money. Do you have to weigh-in at a specific location or have a doctor sign off or anything? I like contests based on the honor system but also know that there will always be those out there that will try and game the system.

Either way I see people getting weight loss regiments together to coincide with New Years so I wish you guys luck.

Edit: Ah I found the page. They say you have to be in front of a mirror with the scale and then have a downward shot with your feet on the scale + a personal weigh in word. They also have referees that look over accounts. Seems pretty on the up and up. Also like that you can never lose money either if you hit your goal. Worse you can ever do is break even.

yeah it seems like it is pretty legit. I also read that if the referee thinks there is something fishy they will make you go to walgreens and the pharmacist can apparently sign off on your weight based on their scale. I am sure there is a cost if they make you do that so that would kinda suck.

Quote: AxelWolf

Sounds like someone could still scam this.

You are probably right however I don't think the payout is worthwhile to scam. I am sure out of the 600 people on this segment there will be a handful of people who scam but I don't think the numbers of scammers are overwhelming.

All great advice so far, especially about the swimming, try to limit your high impact exercises which is going to give your knee problems. For your cardio try riding a bike instead of running or an elliptical machine until you lose a decent amount of weight. The best advice I can offer you, find the book "The Nutrient Timing System" this book is excellent, written by two doctors about proper nutrient uptake and times for those nutrients. This will allow you to lose weight in a healthy manner while building muscle. Every pound of muscle you can put on will help you reach your goal because muscle burns calories faster than fat tissue. Also don't get discouraged if you have a moment of weakness, rather than chastise yourself about it, try and figure out why it happened and what you can do next time to prevent it. Make sure you do a lot of exercises that work out your core, a strong core is fundamental to a healthy body. Someone earlier said get new shoes, this is a fantastic recommendation and if you can find a local running/triathlon store, they usually have very knowledgeable people who can study your gait and properly fit you for a pair of shoes. Frozen grapes make an excellent healthy snack and help take the hunger edge off, if you can not give in to the urge it will pass in about 20 min. Finally, be very careful about over training, yes you want to get out the gate running and start losing pounds fast but if you don't pace yourself, you can sideline yourself with an injury, or get fatigued from over training which can cause a major setback for your weight loss goals. From what it sounds like you are very motivated and have your head in the right place, good luck on your journey and you know we are here for you along the way.

Quote: GWAE

You are probably right however I don't think the payout is worthwhile to scam. I am sure out of the 600 people on this segment there will be a handful of people who scam but I don't think the numbers of scammers are overwhelming.

You would be surprised, WWBDD? What's a free banana and coffee worth?

Quote: Transcend

Someone earlier said get new shoes, this is a fantastic recommendation and if you can find a local running/triathlon store, they usually have very knowledgeable people who can study your gait and properly fit you for a pair of shoes.

I disagree with over spending on shoes. Get a pair of comfortable training shoes that don't cost too much. Use them for three months to find your perfect sport and training, get into the groove, THEN spend on the shoes, or swimming kit, or technical shirts. Use that as a reward. Expensive runners while still working upwards are wasted and can stop you learning to develop your own pace/gait. -Personally- I run and train with minimalist shoes with little to no support. Taking it slowly I've built up to half marathons effectively barefoot, and have strong foot muscles now, which help all over the place.

That's just me.

Quote:

Finally, be very careful about over training, yes you want to get out the gate running and start losing pounds fast but if you don't pace yourself, you can sideline yourself with an injury, or get fatigued from over training which can cause a major setback for your weight loss goals.

This. Don't plan to train every day. Plan to do it X days per week. Have at least one day off, and start slow and build up. Don't be frustrated by how little you can do.

Quote: thecesspit

I disagree with over spending on shoes. Get a pair of comfortable training shoes that don't cost too much. Use them for three months to find your perfect sport and training, get into the groove, THEN spend on the shoes, or swimming kit, or technical shirts. Use that as a reward. Expensive runners while still working upwards are wasted and can stop you learning to develop your own pace/gait

I would normally agree but he already stated he has knee problems and if he gets an inferior shoe that may not fit his gait it could cause further damage or do him a disservice, that or there could be something in his gait causing his knee problems, he may just need to change his gait and not buy new shoes.

Quote: GWAE

I have already joined dietbetter.com. My challenge starts on Jan 7th I think. I did the $25 6 month one.

At first I really liked the gym pact one until I read further. It seems like you are wagering a lot more than you would ever win. It looks like if I had 2 bad weeks it would take 12 good weeks to get that money back.

I have joined the 10% in 6 months one as well. You can join multiple ones at a time so I'm doing a 4 week one (started today) to kick start. I might do 2 or 3 of the 4week contests in a row to pay for the remaining 6 month fees. Hopefully it won't encourage a lot of crash dieting or anything. Name on there is Deborah R. (Picture is from a while ago though). Anyways, good luck.

Quote: GWAE

I joined a website called dietbetter.com. You pay $25 a month and if you meet their goals then you win money. It is actually a pretty nice website IMO.

I'm not sure if you found this site from my previous post or on your own elsewhere, but you motivated me to signup as well. I joined the 6 month challenge and I am waiting a few days to try to find a 4 week challenge that starts on the same day (Tuesday.)

I started off last year at 332 and by August was down to ~250. I kept going to the gym but my eating habits gradually got worse and now I'm back to ~270. I'm hoping to reach 200 by the end of this year, but it gets tougher as more fat comes off and more muscle builds up. Ultimately the actual number of pounds doesn't matter, it's really what I feel/look like so the 200 isn't a steadfast goal.

Quote: drussell0208

I have joined the 10% in 6 months one as well. You can join multiple ones at a time so I'm doing a 4 week one (started today) to kick start. I might do 2 or 3 of the 4week contests in a row to pay for the remaining 6 month fees. Hopefully it won't encourage a lot of crash dieting or anything. Name on there is Deborah R. (Picture is from a while ago though). Anyways, good luck.

I didn't realize you could. I actually joined the other 6 month one as well. It starts at the end of Jan. I may join the next one as well when it is released.

However, my diet has gotten off to a bad start. My birthday was on friday and my parents always make me a dinner. I told my mom that I was on a diet and she said ok just eat less. She always make lasagna, garlic bread, and a salad. Then topped off with a dairy queen ice cream cake. Then my MIL had us over for dinner as well. Again i told her I was on a diet and she replied by saying diets are dumb and don't work. Just eat what you want because you only live once. This of course is coming from a 300 pound woman as well.

So at any rate I have not had any pop or sweet tea yet this year so that is a win. I also have not been able to exercise other than walking at the mall because of this nasty cold that I have been battling. Today was the official weigh in for dietbet.com so I am ready to get this thing rolling. I have also updated the first page with a picture. I tried to look mean that way I could be like those weight loss commercials when they show you a before and after. The before always looks like a depressed person and the after is always so happy.

If you are sick you should really just take it easy, walking will only do you more harm than good right now. I know you want to get started right away but you are more than likely causing your cold to last longer and keep you from doing as much as you could be. Get better and one you are no longer sick consider it a fresh start for everything. Just my opinion.

Quote: Transcend

If you are sick you should really just take it easy, walking will only do you more harm than good right now. I know you want to get started right away but you are more than likely causing your cold to last longer and keep you from doing as much as you could be. Get better and one you are no longer sick consider it a fresh start for everything. Just my opinion.

thank you for your advice. I am feeling much better today but I am going to just lay around and watch football. Tomorrow morning is supposed to be something like -12 degrees so I am going to relax for half of the day tomorrow as well. I will be in full swing Monday afternoon.

You can do it GWAE - we are rooting you on!

Good luck man, how is it going so far? Let me add my story, since this thread seems to be going that way...

I'm trying to get from 225 down to 205ish. After I blew out my knee in March and couldn't play Ultimate any more, I put on a few pounds (although not really that many, considering). My brain had no mental model for getting exercise other than playing Ultimate, which I still can't do for about another month. Starting about mid-November I started getting serious about rehabbing the knee and getting more exercise: riding my bike to the gym, lifting weights, then bike to work and then home Tues-Thurs. Sunday gym and lifting but shorter bike ride due to no work. M-W-F sometimes ride the bike to work, sometimes not.

The problem with weightlifting is if you are going heavy, low-rep (which I am doing), you will build muscle weight and the scale won't really move for a while, even if you are losing fat. So for more than a month the scale didn't change, even though my fiance said I was looking skinnier.

This morning, the scale finally moved from 225 to 223. Wooo! I'm hoping to keep up with the biking and lifting and return to playing Ultimate in the spring. Also my fiance wants to lose weight for our wedding, so she is cooking pretty healthy these days. I'm optimistic about my goals.

Quote: aceofspades

You can do it GWAE - we are rooting you on!

That picture seems like something Joel Osteen would say.

Thanks for all the well wishes. I have been doing pretty well this week. Today was a tough one though . On wednesdays I leave my office and visit some clients. Normally for lunch I would stop at Mcds and get a double cburger, fries, and sweet tea. Today before I left I ate my carrots and cellery snack and drank a bottle of water so I wouldn't be hungry. So I got in my car and when I passed Mcds I almost stopped. Like I mentioned in my OP I think my problem is partly addiction so even though I was not hungry my brain wanted the food. I closed my eyes and powered through the feeling and drove on by. Btw I was at a stop light when I closed my eyes.

I felt great when I got back to work that I did not stop. Then moments after I got back my co workers asked if I wanted anything from Panera. They actually have a few healthy options but I declined and powered through the day.

About an hour later my wife called me all upset that she got in a fight with her mother bla bla bla. We have some giftcards from Christmas so she wanted me to stop at Applebees to pick up food because she didn't feel like cooking. When I called to order our food I had to again fight with myself to not order bad food. I did succeed and ordered their weight watchers lemon parm shrimp something rather. It only has 490 calories. I am eating it right now as I type and it is pretty good.

So all in all it has been a tough day but I have made it through without any hiccups. Some of you may think this addiction thing is silliness. I can't explain what happens in my brain when there is food around but it is like it just takes over and I can't control it.

Quote: AcesAndEights

Good luck man, how is it going so far? Let me add my story, since this thread seems to be going that way...

I'm trying to get from 225 down to 205ish. After I blew out my knee in March and couldn't play Ultimate any more, I put on a few pounds (although not really that many, considering). My brain had no mental model for getting exercise other than playing Ultimate, which I still can't do for about another month. Starting about mid-November I started getting serious about rehabbing the knee and getting more exercise: riding my bike to the gym, lifting weights, then bike to work and then home Tues-Thurs. Sunday gym and lifting but shorter bike ride due to no work. M-W-F sometimes ride the bike to work, sometimes not.

The problem with weightlifting is if you are going heavy, low-rep (which I am doing), you will build muscle weight and the scale won't really move for a while, even if you are losing fat. So for more than a month the scale didn't change, even though my fiance said I was looking skinnier.

This morning, the scale finally moved from 225 to 223. Wooo! I'm hoping to keep up with the biking and lifting and return to playing Ultimate in the spring. Also my fiance wants to lose weight for our wedding, so she is cooking pretty healthy these days. I'm optimistic about my goals.

Yeah I have a friend that went through the same thing. He couldn't lose weight but he dropped 2 pant sizes. Personally I couldn't care less what the scale said if I was wearing a size 32 pant.

Have you thought about getting something you like a lot but maybe cutting it in half and giving your wife or someone else the rest? Maybe having less of the things you like will make the path easier. I don't know if that would help any or make things worse.

Quote: Perdition

Have you thought about getting something you like a lot but maybe cutting it in half and giving your wife or someone else the rest? Maybe having less of the things you like will make the path easier. I don't know if that would help any or make things worse.

I did think about that and when we go to restaurants we always get an app and then split a meal. The one meal that we both like from Applebees is the chick fajita rollup. It comes with a mexi ranch dipping sauce and fries. Even splitting it in half it would still be like 750 calories. I elected to go with the shrimp which like I said was pretty good. Next time we go there I think I will get that again.

Well either way good luck. How often do you have to check in for the site? Is it once a month or just one time at the end of the 6 month challenge?

Quote: Perdition

Well either way good luck. How often do you have to check in for the site? Is it once a month or just one time at the end of the 6 month challenge?

It is 1 time a month for the official measurement but you can check in unofficially any time that you want. I plan on doing it every Sunday morning.

I talked 8 people into joining the site and there is no way in hell any of them are going to lose anything. I figured it was +ev to get some more people who will fail adding money to the pot.

Veggies..... certain veggies are loaded with 'bad' starch... peas, corn, potatoes...
Others are low in 'bad starch'... brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli

Fiber... Eat LOTS of high fiber foods.... Whole grain bread, not white.... Brown rice, not white... Barrilla pasta, not other brands...

6 small 'meals'... never a giant one....

NO calories from sugar... no SUGAR..... AVOID SUGAR.....

Good luck!!!!!!

Quote: GWAE

I did think about that and when we go to restaurants we always get an app and then split a meal. The one meal that we both like from Applebees is the chick fajita rollup. It comes with a mexi ranch dipping sauce and fries. Even splitting it in half it would still be like 750 calories. I elected to go with the shrimp which like I said was pretty good. Next time we go there I think I will get that again.

That's the meal I typically get from there too. And I just double checked the nutritional value of it. No wonder I am full when I am done! I am really shocked it was almost 1500 total w/the fries. I don't use the dipping sauce though, so that's 140 Calories less.

Obviously eating out can be a struggle with a diet. Best of luck!

I have 2 things to say about weight loss. Jump Rope. Wii.

Wii has some awesome fitness games, Wii fit, has a weigh in, planner, progress tracker and trainer that's detailed its fun with different fitness games at different levels. My GF said you do get a good work out and has fun challenges.

GWAE, Good luck to you. I am always trying to maintain my weight due to the adventure racing that I do. My advice is to drink tons of water all day long. If you can drink an entire glass right before a meal you will feel full while only eating about half the amount of food. One other tip that I find useful is to drink some green tea throughout the day. This seems to curb my appetite for a few hours.

I know you will be successful, you have all the motivation that you need right at home in the form of a family. Looking forward to your progress reports.

Slack

Good luck GWAE. One of the best men in my wedding started a diet after my wedding in march. He was a 330 and got down to 215 and he didn't even really exercise much. It can happen to you too. Stay strong

Quote: AxelWolf

I have 2 things to say about weight loss. Jump Rope. Wii.

Wii has some awesome fitness games, Wii fit, has a weigh in, planner, progress tracker and trainer that's detailed its fun with different fitness games at different levels. My GF said you do get a good work out and has fun challenges.

My wife and I just played two silly games on the Xbox about 3 weeks ago, just for fun with our friends kids......

It was amazing how much of a workout it was especially the athletic game. You run, jump and throw just as you would in real life!

I couldn't agree more that this is a good way to get your body into an aerobic state which will lead to easier workouts in the gym I believe!

Good luck all with their weight loss goals for the year. I have a goal too but my head is not quite there yet. I'm 215 and I need to get down to about 195.

All the best!

Losing weight = more calories out than in, through diet and exercise. With diet contributing 80 % and exercise the other 20 %.

At 300 lbs your daily metabolic rate( # of calories to maintain weight) is 3000 cals per day ( BMR=bodyweight X 10)

I would start w/ your diet at 2000 cals ( no more than 3 grams of fat in anything you eat-fat is your enemy !)

Gram of fat = 9 cals ! Enemy !!!:(
protein/carbs = 4 cals -Friends !!!!:)

Next I would try and burn 500 cals per day walking on a treadmill, and eventually increase that to a 1000 as your fitness improves-which it will, you will be surprised what your body can do !!:)

That would create a 1500 cal deficit each day t !! A lb of fat is = to 3500 cals. So you could lose around 3-5 lbs per week, especially when you 1st start. As you lose weight you would need to adjust your diet/exercise to create that same deficit .

A simple diet plan could be:

Breakfast: protein shake/fruit -250 cals

Snack- fruit/salad( no dressing) 100 cals

Lunch- salad/lean protein ( tuna, chicken breast, or pork loin) 600 cals

Snack: protein shake/fruit- 250 cals

Dinner: salad/lean protein 600 cals

Snack: sugar free pudding/fruit 200 cals


Exercise: begin walking on treadmill 30 min. per day, light intensity and increase time/intensity as you get stronger- working towards a goal of an hr. per day.

Weight loss is not easy but not complicated. It takes a plan, dedication and commitment !

I work in the health/fitness industry and would be happy to speak w/ you further if you are serious . PM me.

There are NO quick fixes, just hard work !!

Best of luck, GWAE!

I ballooned after breaking my ankle, but have since lost about 40lbs. I'm now 6'4" 196lbs, with a goal of 185lbs. Without a doubt, my number #1 recommendation is education. For me, it came in the form of the free app myfitnesspal. It's super easy to use, has a barcode scanner, and has been incredibly accurate. I also used runkeeper as a pedometer.

The reality is that there are about 3,550 calories per pound. I tracked literally every food that I ate for almost 18 months, now I can track estimate all calories very accurately. In my case, I also learned that I burn about 120 calories walking an 18 minute mile and about 160 calories running a 9 minute mile.

I would not go cold turkey, but, rather, gradually start where you can cut calories. For example, I replaced my beloved Carnation Instant Breakfast with almond milk, saving about 200 calories per breakfast, which resulted in an annual savings of 20lbs, all things else equal. I also realized that I need MUCH less butter on/in foods than I ever had imagined and, at 105 calories/TBSP, that added up, too. I replaced bbq sauce with dry jerk seasoning, which saves about 35 calories per chicken breast, etc.

I think that it takes about 3-4 weeks to really break the cravings for sweets, fast food, and over-sized portions.

If you are on this forum and like poker, then I'd advise you to study up on calories and the utility that they provide. From there, just make it a math problem.

How was the Sunday weigh in?