Losing Weight

I was in a similar situation to you Pun. I was 240 at 6 foot, and had a huge gut. I started at the beginning of summer and a little over 3 months later I made it to 185. Right now I'm in "maintenance" mode, but I'll be starting up again soon and lose another 20 lbs or so, though I have no illusions that it'll be that fast of a loss again.

My exercise schedule was pretty much:

3 miles of jogging in the morning
3 miles in the evening
Hour and a half of pick up bball.

every day. On the weekends I would just do the jogging in the morning. I'd still be doing it but my knees have been bothering me so I had to stop.


As far as food ... I still eat whatever I want, just a lot less of it. I try to eat a little in the morning, a big lunch, and a little around 5 ish. I throw in low cal snacks in between if I'm getting hungry. It's good that you play ball because you can use that to ward off the craving for a big dinner. Yah, and cut out sweets and carbs as much as possible, but not to the point where you feel you are depriving yourself, or you're just going to end up gorging that ****.

 

weight watchers worked for me.

 

About two years ago, I started an workout regimen. I started running 2 miles a day, 6 days a week. And then I spent another hour hitting the weights.

Now I run, 2 miles a day/ 5 days a week. Then when I'm done with that, I cool down by using the stationary bike for another 2 miles. Then when I finish that I hit the elliptical machine for about 5 minutes. Total cardio workout lasts 45 minutes.

Then I hit the weights pretty hard. Usually when I'm done I feel like passing out. I bench about 225 lbs and my weight is 160 lbs.

Before I started, my body fat was around 20%, and within two years it is now 10%. In high school my body fat was around 14%. So now I can see my abs defined pretty well. I'm still working on it.

If you want to see your abs again, the key is not 1000 situps like Patrick Bateman, but instead steady cardio every day. No amount of situps will take away the layer of fat you have over your abs.

Another thing regarding running on the treadmill, is to cut fat, it is better to run at a slower pace, and go for more time, than rushing through it and finishing in 10 minutes.

So basically, my highest weight peaked around 175 for a 5 foot 9 person. Then through intense cardio, I got it down to 150. Then through intense weight training I got my weight to 160, which it is currently. So I basically lost 20lbs of fat, and gained 10 lbs of muscle.

Mind you I really never used any protein or creatine supplements during this time, but now I have started on it to expand my gains.

Dietary wise, I have cut out all refined sugar from my diet. No sodas, sweets..etc.. If you must have a sweet, go for the sugar free sweets at the stores.

Another plus of no refined sugar is it has brought me more mental clarity along the way.

Regarding natural sugars in juices.. it is to be used sparingly. For me it was hard to get off the sodas,but then I turned to juices. After a while of alot of juice, I slowly weened myself to water only. If you like juices, eat the fruit itself instead.

It is a gradual process of discipline you will learn in the kitchen and gym. Do not hit either too intense from the beginning, as that is a recipe for burnout.

The greatest motivation factor comes when you see results from gym and diet. It will motivate you further to keep at it.

 

Most of us don't have the cambodian tapeworm

 

It's not easy that's for sure but it definitely will take a lifestyle change. Unfortunately for me I didn't discover healthy eating until my later years and while I still have a small gut (excess skin), I am in the best shape of my life ever minus a feel creaky knees and some back pain. All in all i've gone from 250 to 180-185lbs. I hit an all time low of 175 but I was skinny and frail, but i've put on some muscle so it matches the size of my head

Pictures tell the story though.


BEFORE:





AFTER:





ONE FOR FUN:



Anyway, there are so many aspects to losing weight but the main thing is expend more calories than you take in.

I started off with a low carb diet but that really is only effective IF you dont' play sports. If you do play sports this diet is bad for you because you'll basically be too tired to do anything at a high level. It is a fast and effective way to lose weight, but in my opinion it isn't good long term.

I lost a lot of weight this way but eventually turned to a more traditional meal plan that would suit my lifestyle in the long run.

Keys to my diet:

* 4-5 preferrebly 5-6 small meals a day. Breakfast is my biggest meal and the most important. If you're going to load up, breakfast is the time. After being dormant at night for so long your body is starving. Missing this meal is detrimental to the rest of your day and can really hurt any process of losing weight.
* Cut out sugars such as sodas and candies. If you have to drink a soda drink a diet soda. You'll get used to it and eventually and it'll become the norm. In fact I can't even drink regular soda because it's waaaay to sweet for me now.
* Cut out deep fried foods. Anything battered, deep fried, breaded, is bad bad bad.
* If you gotta eat bread, eat wheat. I forgot exactly why but I just do it. No questions asked.
* Protein Shake. Probably the biggest change for me. Having these shakes gives me the protein I need w/o eating too much meat. I'm able to cut out the fatty meats and get the protein my body needs for building muscles and muscle repair. You should intake about 1g of protein for every pound of body weight. You have to workout for this to be effective otherwise the protein isn't taken in by your body. More muscle means more calories burned means more weight loss.
*Cheat day: gotta have one of these. If you don't you'll just end up burning out on the diet and revert back to your own ways. If only this was acceptable in relationships (j/k)

Those are my basics. It was difficult going from my old eating habits to my new ones but take each step slowly and soon it'll just become natural.

 

How much water do you drink? Drink at least a gallon a day. It will really clean you out, not to mention you will feel better and your skin will look good.

Also try speeding up your metabolisim by eating several -small- meals a day.

 

There are two easy ways to lose weight...and doing them together will result in steady weight loss...

1. Cut back on the size of your portions. It's hard at first. I used to eat and eat until I felt stuffed and my body/stomach had gotten used to that fact. But after a week or so, I physically and mentally adjusted to eating smaller portions and it became natural to eat less and not overstuff myself. By eating smaller portions, you still afford yourself the opportunity to eat some of the bad foods (burgers, fries, etc...) that diets usually shun, but do not suffer as much bad side effects from those foods. You cannot quit eating bad stuff cold turkey...but you should cut back and try to substitute in healthier foods. But definitely treat yourself every so often so that you don't feel like your diet is punishing you. Just moderate the amount of those types of foods.

2. If you've got a gaming console (PS2, XBox, GameCube)...go out and buy a DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) dance pad and a couple of DDR games. Make sure to buy a pad with the one inch thick padding...and then play that thing for an hour to 90 minutes each night. It is a slick way of tricking yourself into low aerobic exercise that won't destroy your ankles and knees. You'll be amazed at how entertained you are while exercising. Sounds cheesy, but this definitely works!!!

By following these two items, I was able to drop around 35 pounds in three months. Good luck and make sure you stick with it. It's all about a lifestyle change and once the pounds start coming off, you become even more motivated to continue.

 

Congrats on the loss BiGGieStuFF!

 

The key is consistency. You have eat well consistently and excercise consistently. You can't go gung-ho for a couple of weeks and then eat like a pig for a week. It doesn't work.

It requires a lifestyle change.

 

I'm not a fan of the chart saying you're 5'10, you need to weight X...Muscle weighs more than fat and everyone is made up different...Thicker bones, etc...

Well, I can tell you for a fact, as you get older, it is so freakin' hard to maintain weight...hell, you can gain weight so easily, its ridiculous...I can look at a McDonalds double cheeseburger and gain pounds...Of course, you have to watch what you eat...

I'm doing a hell of a lot of cardio classes as I'm ok with my muscle weight, its the buring the fat I'm worried about...Plus, there are lots of hot chicks in the classes...Dallas Mavs dancers are always up here...I see one in my class once a week...She's hot...

 

Fiber One has a Honey Clusters cereal that's tasty (compared to the regular one), 59% of your dietary fiber, and a good snack to munch on.

Eat more meals of smaller portions to help boost metabolism.

Drink water. A lot of water. More than the 8 cups a day they tell you to.

Keep your goal in mind. What you want to do, how much you want to lose, the vision of you being as skinny as you want to be; that will keep you motivated when you feel like f*ck it, I want a burger and fries and a soda.

Most people try to just diet without exercise. If you're able to, try to find a running partner or a gym-mate or someone who will help you and keep motivating and challenging you.

Good luck

 

thanks....it's been a long road. 3 years since that fateful day of lying on the basketball court at 250 lbs gasping for air. That's when I knew I had to change my life. When you're younger and overweight you still ast least have the energy of youth to push you. closing in on my 30's (30 now) was a scary experience. I'm definitely not looking forward to 40 but at least i'm doing what i can now to make sure it's a healthy 40.

 

I agree with what boom boom said. I have lost weight and gotten into better shape by eating less, cutting out the worse foods, and I also started with DDR, but have moved on since then to other exercises.

I also drink 2 glasses of water before each meal or snack. It helps you get enough water and helps you feel more full so it isn't so bad eating less.

The thing that helped me stick with the dietary change was that one day a week I allowed myself to eat anything I wanted. I could put off that fast food until Saturday. Then after awhile I found I didn't want as big of a meal from those places. Some people diet for 5 days then eat what they want for the whole weekend instead of just one day. But either way it was still an improvement over what they were doing.

I can't stand the boredom of running, so I started exercising on ddr and surfing as much as I could. That was great, but it really just got my wind back up. Now I take Tennis for 2 hours once a week, and play basketball for 2 hours once a week. Other than that I do light weights and push-ups/sit-ups/stretching for an hour a day 3 times a week.

It took me a while and I just added one piece of exercise back at a time, and started off slowly.

After you stick with it for awhile you will feel great.

 

Lil Pun,
Good luck! There's been a lot of good advice listed here already. I lost 50 pounds after I had a baby and did so mostly by walking an hour a day, almost every day for three months. I didn't diet, I did drink mostly water. One of the best ways to boost your metabolism is to build muscle through weight training. I haven't done that but I do carry a toddler around rather often.

Although I wouldn't say I dieted, if you try to make sure you eat all the healthy food you are supposed to eat durring a day such as vegetables and fiber, you don't really have much room left for less healthy snacking. I made a point of NOT watching what I ate on the weekends so I wouldn't feel deprived.

 

Congratulations BiggieStuff!!

I think da best way to lose weight is to hit da gym in da morning, dont eat anything, just get there and hit the cardio machines, running biking they all good, 1 hour of cardio per day plus some weight lifting and atleast 4-5 days a week, plus a healthy diet you will get da result sooner then you think yo! And yeah drink alotta water!

 

I know everyone is different, but what worked best for me was not to eat so damn much.

I still eat whatever I want, and I don't exercise much. But I have an active lifestyle, walk when it makes sense, and again, I don't eat like a glutton.

For example, if I want a big mac, I get one. But I don't bother with the fries or drink.

And by going this route, and going through a divorce helped, I was able to go from 238 to 200 in 5 months. And I've been between 185 and 195 for 6 years now. Also, I'm 34, so I don't buy that much into age decreasing your metabolism. At least, not with my genetics.

 

1 lb. of fat = 3,500 calories. If you cut out/burn 500 calories a day, you will lose 1lb a week (probably more just starting out).

I am also 26 and also got up to about 222 lbs. I have been exercising moderately and eating smart and I'm down to 213 in about 4 weeks. My biggest warning flag was my blood pressure was a little high for my age.

Even at this young of an age, having all that extra weight, especially around the belly can make your blood pressure be high and other unhealthy things.

The healthiest way to lose weight if you are not grossly obese is to lose about 1lb to 1.5lbs a week. It is much easier to keep it off if you change your lifestyle, not just diet.

I have recently come to the decision to change my lifestyle. I work a sedentary job in front of a computer and I was eating terrible.

I have now started walking 2 miles a day, as well as using an exercise bike 20-30 minutes a day. I plan on ramping up my workout more, but I'm taking it slow.

I now eat a small, healthy breakfast...either a bowl of oatmeal or a banana and a glass of skim milk.

I eat a well rounded lunch, usually a lean meat and two veggies, with a banana for dessert.

For dinner, I'm careful to eat a little earlier in the day, not after 7:30, plus I usually snack around for dinner...bowl of cereal, some fruit, maybe a small sandwich.

My goal is to lose 10 more lbs. in 10 weeks, and knock of 10-15 points off my blood pressure in the same time.

Then I plan on working out more with weight training as well as the cardio I'm doing, and making the 2 mile walk a two mile run.

 

Honey Clusters is pretty damn good. However, I don't have a problem with the original Fiber One, I know a lot of people say it tastes like rabbit food, but I've really grown accustomed to the taste. It is a little sweet, so it's not like you're just eating grain pellets. Plus, the serving size (1/2 cup) fills me right up when I'm craving a midday snack. Even better, it's 0 points on Weight Watchers. That cereal has really been instrumental in my ability to lose weight AND keep it off, because it's so packed with Fiber. Lots of Fiber One + lots of water = a great habit to make.