Losing Weight

[RiggoForever]

I lost about 30 pounds over the last 6 months and was all proud of myself because I thought it was because of my new eating habits and exercise routine but it turns out I'm having some medical problems and the weight loss may have been sped up by it. It figures.

Sorry to hear that, I hope whatever it is works itself out and things get better for you.

 

[WV Cowboy]

I have not gotten any of those emails...maybe your wife is sending them to you.

Seemed like a coincidence to me that I should start getting those type of emails right after posting in a thread dedicated to just that.

Oh well.

 

[Yeagermeister]

I lost about 30 pounds over the last 6 months and was all proud of myself because I thought it was because of my new eating habits and exercise routine but it turns out I'm having some medical problems and the weight loss may have been sped up by it. It figures.

Same thing happened to me before I was diagnosed with diabetes.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

Seemed like a coincidence to me that I should start getting those type of emails right after posting in a thread dedicated to just that.

Oh well.

Maybe someone here emailed them to you.

But it is not the site doing it.

 

[silver]

whatever you do, see a doctor first. an unsupervised diet regimen can do more harm than good to your internal organs.

 

[Gibby!]

Its possible for your body to still want to be in fasting mode even when there is still alot of fat left to burn? I mean I can understand it trying to hold onto every calorie for someone with no fat...but isn't the purpose of fat to be long term energy storage for when we don't eat?

That's good question and someone will hopefully correct me if I am wrong, if your not fueling your body, your body slows down it's consumption of stored energy to preserve itself, and will always burn this energy AFTER it has burned everything in your stomach. Its a built in protection system. We all have it.

When you go to sleep your body enters the fasting phase. It just happens. When you wake and eat you "break" the fast (get it?). Your body begins burning the calories you just ate. If you excercise on top if this, it needs more energy. The first place it looks is your stomach, oops empty because it burned it all off to process and store it. Where is it going to look next? Body fat. Which is high in vitamins and nutrients so burns more slowly. Which is why it is hard to loose weight.

A person with a liberal amount of body fat is no different from a person with very little body fat. Our bodies work the same way (for the most part). The difference is, a person with very little body fat usually burns most or all of thier caloric intake during the day (night, whichever). A person with a high percentage of body fat usually doesn't burn off thier caloric intake, so thier bodies store the extra calories and we gain weight. Which is why you are constantly reminded to eat "low calorie" food.

Remember, it takes fuel to burn fuel. You can't start a fire without some kind fuel right? So your body is burning its fat to to burn whats in your stomach. Eating the right kinds of food constantly throughout the day keeps this process happening. Your continuously burning fuel. When your intake exceeds your output, you gain. When your output exceeds your intake you loose. The trick is, getting your body to think that there is no famine and you are not starving to death so it doesn't hold onto every calorie it can.

Grapefruits, cellery, lettuce etc., all have very few calories and it takes more to burn them than there is in them. You should be "grazing" on these types of food throughout the day to keep your system running . My problem is, I got lazy and didn't care. As long as it tasted good, it was going down the hatch, and since I didn't have to excercise anymore, I didn't .

So if any of this wrong, anybody, chime in and correct me.

 

[RiggoForever]

That's good question and someone will hopefully correct me if I am wrong, if your not fueling your body, your body slows down it's consumption of stored energy to preserve itself, and will always burn this energy AFTER it has burned everything in your stomach. Its a built in protection system. We all have it.

When you go to sleep your body enters the fasting phase. It just happens. When you wake and eat you "break" the fast (get it?). Your body begins burning the calories you just ate. If you excercise on top if this, it needs more energy. The first place it looks is your stomach, oops empty because it burned it all off to process and store it. Where is it going to look next? Body fat. Which is high in vitamins and nutrients so burns more slowly. Which is why it is hard to loose weight.

A person with a liberal amount of body fat is no different from a person with very little body fat. Our bodies work the same way (for the most part). The difference is, a person with very little body fat usually burns most or all of thier caloric intake during the day (night, whichever). A person with a high percentage of body fat usually doesn't burn off thier caloric intake, so thier bodies store the extra calories and we gain weight. Which is why you are constantly reminded to eat "low calorie" food.

Remember, it takes fuel to burn fuel. You can't start a fire without some kind fuel right? So your body is burning its fat to to burn whats in your stomach. Eating the right kinds of food constantly throughout the day keeps this process happening. Your continuously burning fuel. When your intake exceeds your output, you gain. When your output exceeds your intake you loose. The trick is, getting your body to think that there is no famine and you are not starving to death so it doesn't hold onto every calorie it can.

Grapefruits, cellery, lettuce etc., all have very few calories and it takes more to burn them than there is in them. You should be "grazing" on these types of food throughout the day to keep your system running . My problem is, I got lazy and didn't care. As long as it tasted good, it was going down the hatch, and since I didn't have to excercise anymore, I didn't .

So if any of this wrong, anybody, chime in and correct me.

Thanks again! About fat, I was just thinking that it would be easier to go from 300 to 250 then from 250 to 200 no? Because as the amount of body fat goes down wouldn't it become more difficult to use that fat for fuel? For example if someone has a very low percentage of body fat wouldn't it be harder for them to shed pounds then someone whos significantly overweight?

 

[WV Cowboy]

Maybe someone here emailed them to you.

But it is not the site doing it.

Oh, I knew that, but I thought someone may have used the posters as marketing targets.

Never mind, I forgot all about it now.

 

[RiggoForever]

Oh, I knew that, but I thought someone may have used the posters as marketing targets.

Never mind, I forgot all about it now.

Well I'm glad that I'm not getting spam though if you got it I'd think I definately would for starting the thread.

 

[Gibby!]

Thanks again! About fat, I was just thinking that it would be easier to go from 300 to 250 then from 250 to 200 no? Because as the amount of body fat goes down wouldn't it become more difficult to use that fat for fuel? For example if someone has a very low percentage of body fat wouldn't it be harder for them to shed pounds then someone whos significantly overweight?

Well, I am no doctor, nor a dietician. So some of that may be incorrect. But I believe that for the most part it is.

If a person isn't processing food, thier processing fat. If they have no fat to process they burn muscle. Which does take longer to burn off. But that is the only fuel they have besides food since they have a low body fat.

Someone else said this too, you will notice a big drop at first then you will normalize again. You can maintain and know it will be slow going from here on out, or you can shock your body again by reducing calories, increasing workout whatever. Bodybuilders do it quite often, how you proceed is up to you .

Anyway, good luck to you! You will have to take some time out on your own and read up on this stuff, I did a long time ago, it's very interesting how your body works .

 

[cowboyfan4life_mark]

Riggo,
What I do is count fat grams(no more than 35 a day), drink at least 64oz of water per day, and walk 30 mins a day at least 4 days a week. The last time I did this was about 4 years ago but I lost like 25lbs in about 6-7 weeks.

Winter can usually add 5-8lbs anyway, but I just want to get an early start.

Once a week, I chose Saturday, go out with the family to dinner and have yourself a "cheat" meal. Don't over eat but if you want a steak with fries, do it. That way no matter how the diet is going through the week, you have that to look forward to. But once you are done, the meal is over. No doggie bag. All most like a reward.

If you have never looked at fat grams before, just pick up something and read it. A man to lose weight is supposed to eat no more than 30-35 fat grams a day. A man to maintain weight is supposed to eat 70-80 grams a day, depending on their daily routine. Now something that may surprise you, a big-mac WITHOUT fries is around 36 fat grams alone! A snicker bar is 18 fat grams. As far as fruits and veggies, eat all you want.

This diet that I do works for me. It may not be for everybody. If you haven't been to a Dr. in awhile, consult one before you start. Just to make sure that everything is alright.

 

[GTaylor]

Last year I dropped 45 lbs (From 260 now right just under 215) and hope to be around 190 by end of the summer - I did mine the old fashion way, counting calories (And apologies in advance for the long analytical post).

3500 calories = a lb, if you can find a way to cut out 3500 calories a week (Or roughly 500 a day) then you'll be on pace to lose 52 lbs this year.

I used a pedometer and started off slowly, walking the dog. On a website I've read the way to find out how many calories you burned walking (150 lb person will burn 100 calories per mile, 225 lb person = 175 calories, 300 lb 200 calories), at your current weight of 289 you'd burn almost 193 calories per mile (289 divided by 150 = 1.926. Multiply 1.926 by 100 = 192.6 calories).

If you walk, say 2 miles a day (2 walks - one mile each) you'll shave off almost 400 calories per day. Find a way to shave off 600 calories from your diet (.99 bad of Doritos was 480 calories, can you tell I'm a Dorito man???) - right there you're at 876 calories per day (193x2 then add 480). At that rate you'll lose a pound every fourth day, or 91 pounds a year...and you did it with nothing more than 2 small walks and one less bag of chips a day.

And I'm sure most of us who lost weight can attest - there will be periods where for some stupid reason you can't drop an ounce! Stick with it and don't change anything, it shouldn't last anymore than a few weeks.

Good luck on your weight loss, and congrats to the Zoners who've dropped...

 

[DasTex]

I myself am trying to loss some weight right now. I'm getting married in June of this year, and trying to look halfway decent for the honeymoon. I'm at 190 right now, and trying to get back to college weight at 170 or so.

All I can really do is diet right now, because I have broken ribs. Been having really bad chest pains for about the last 3 weeks, and I finally went to the doc., and the CT scan showed that...and I really don't even have a clue of how it happened?!?!.

So.....what I've found that really helps is pretty simple....GREEN TEA...being in pill form or actually brewed. It gives me that little boost, and it seems to surpress my appitiete.

Just figured I'd throw my 2 cents in there

 

[jksmith269]

I myself am trying to loss some weight right now. I'm getting married in June of this year, and trying to look halfway decent for the honeymoon.

All I can really do is diet right now, because I have broken ribs. Been having really bad chest pains for about the last 3 weeks, and I finally went to the doc., and the CT scan showed that...and I really don't even have a clue of how it happened?!?!.

So.....what I've found that really helps is pretty simple....GREEN TEA...being in pill form or actually brewed. It gives me that little boost, and it seems to surpress my appitiete.

Just figured I'd throw my 2 cents in there

Peice of advice

Never do something it takes a preacher to get into, and a Lawyer to get out of......

 

[DasTex]

Peice of advice

Never do something it takes a preacher to get into, and a Lawyer to get out of......

:laugh2:

 

[RiggoForever]

I myself am trying to loss some weight right now. I'm getting married in June of this year, and trying to look halfway decent for the honeymoon. I'm at 190 right now, and trying to get back to college weight at 170 or so.

All I can really do is diet right now, because I have broken ribs. Been having really bad chest pains for about the last 3 weeks, and I finally went to the doc., and the CT scan showed that...and I really don't even have a clue of how it happened?!?!.

So.....what I've found that really helps is pretty simple....GREEN TEA...being in pill form or actually brewed. It gives me that little boost, and it seems to surpress my appitiete.

Just figured I'd throw my 2 cents in there

Interesting that you talk about chest pains...that's partly also what's motivated me to shed some serious pounds. A few weeks ago I had a soreness/squeezing feeling in my chest which wouldn't go away. It was bad enough that I went to the doctor and had a ECG done...which was normal. It turns out the pain was only muscle spasms but it did scare the hell out of me.

 

[Rack]

Last year I dropped 45 lbs (From 260 now right just under 215) and hope to be around 190 by end of the summer - I did mine the old fashion way, counting calories (And apologies in advance for the long analytical post).

3500 calories = a lb, if you can find a way to cut out 3500 calories a week (Or roughly 500 a day) then you'll be on pace to lose 52 lbs this year.

I used a pedometer and started off slowly, walking the dog. On a website I've read the way to find out how many calories you burned walking (150 lb person will burn 100 calories per mile, 225 lb person = 175 calories, 300 lb 200 calories), at your current weight of 289 you'd burn almost 193 calories per mile (289 divided by 150 = 1.926. Multiply 1.926 by 100 = 192.6 calories).

If you walk, say 2 miles a day (2 walks - one mile each) you'll shave off almost 400 calories per day. Find a way to shave off 600 calories from your diet (.99 bad of Doritos was 480 calories, can you tell I'm a Dorito man???) - right there you're at 876 calories per day (193x2 then add 480). At that rate you'll lose a pound every fourth day, or 91 pounds a year...and you did it with nothing more than 2 small walks and one less bag of chips a day.

And I'm sure most of us who lost weight can attest - there will be periods where for some stupid reason you can't drop an ounce! Stick with it and don't change anything, it shouldn't last anymore than a few weeks.

Good luck on your weight loss, and congrats to the Zoners who've dropped...

Excellent Post! Very helpful information.

Thanks!

 

[RiggoForever]

Last year I dropped 45 lbs (From 260 now right just under 215) and hope to be around 190 by end of the summer - I did mine the old fashion way, counting calories (And apologies in advance for the long analytical post).

3500 calories = a lb, if you can find a way to cut out 3500 calories a week (Or roughly 500 a day) then you'll be on pace to lose 52 lbs this year.

I used a pedometer and started off slowly, walking the dog. On a website I've read the way to find out how many calories you burned walking (150 lb person will burn 100 calories per mile, 225 lb person = 175 calories, 300 lb 200 calories), at your current weight of 289 you'd burn almost 193 calories per mile (289 divided by 150 = 1.926. Multiply 1.926 by 100 = 192.6 calories).

If you walk, say 2 miles a day (2 walks - one mile each) you'll shave off almost 400 calories per day. Find a way to shave off 600 calories from your diet (.99 bad of Doritos was 480 calories, can you tell I'm a Dorito man???) - right there you're at 876 calories per day (193x2 then add 480). At that rate you'll lose a pound every fourth day, or 91 pounds a year...and you did it with nothing more than 2 small walks and one less bag of chips a day.

And I'm sure most of us who lost weight can attest - there will be periods where for some stupid reason you can't drop an ounce! Stick with it and don't change anything, it shouldn't last anymore than a few weeks.

Good luck on your weight loss, and congrats to the Zoners who've dropped...

Thank you, I appreciate you taking the time to write this, I plan to get started exercising on Monday...just dieting has been hard enough thus far!

 

[SkinsandTerps]

If you lose weight that fast after weighing so much for so long you will then need a tummy tuck for all of the loose skin. Resulting in some nasty scars.

 

[jksmith269]

I just wanted to add an update. I'm kind of the same boat here.

On Jan 19th I weighed 230 and only 5'10.5" and depending which chart you use that's 50-70lbs over weight. Well I started a normal diet watching cals and fat cals and in two weeks I was down to 217 which is good. well after reading HOS's post about Atkins I read up on it and started it on 2/5 at which time I was at 216 today I weighed and am down to 212.5

Now as everyone points out the first week or so you lose a lot of water weight well I'd say I lost most of that during the first two weeks and what I've lost during the past couple days is actual weight.

Now some side effects I've seen since I started Atkins the only one I've had is shakes kinda like a DT and that is the way it's described in the book but I haven't had any since yesterday. Now something else is I'm not as hungry as I was on the normal diet. Now I am not only watching Carbs but I've also monitored not cut back my calories and they are around 1500. again thats without being hungry. I would recommend checking out atkins I got the Atkins Essentials which is a basic program.

On a side note I'm also exercising twice daily about 30 minutes each time. I lift light weights (muscle burns more calories) and walk for 15 Min or 125 calories each time. Crunches, stretching, and push-ups are a given.