The weight loss challenge / health thread

Well, I know the golden rule to loosing weight is simply take in less calories than you can burn off. Naturally, the best way to tackle this equation is to burn more calories... but do not attempt to diet!

To keep weight off, diets don't work. Simply because after your fasting, the body starts storing anything it gets directly to fat. I know it sounds strange, but to keep weight off you actually have to eat more!... And eat consistantly! All you really need to do is tune the foods you choose. Provided you eat the right things, your portion sizes can remain the same yet you'll always feel more than statisfied while slowly starting to loose weight.

I think some pay programs like Weight Watchers stress the same idea, except they peddle their own food, list points for people too lazy to do the calculations, and in general ask for you to pay for what you could do for free.

 

This is a super good idea Assembler. I have been on a strict diet since last October with very little to no exercise (only my job which has me constantly standing, walking, and power running 6-8 hours a day 5-6 days a week)

I have lost about 45 pounds total!!! Im 6'1 or 6'2 and weigh in around 175ish right now which I think is very impressive since i started at about 220 end of last year. All I had to do was stop eating out and stop drinking pop. I no longer eat ANY fast food or pizza other then subway and then I get one of the 6" health subs (5 grams of fat or less) and drink water with all my meals. Its made a huge impact in my life. im 23 and I feel like I could fight in the freaking UFC (not really as I dont know MA but still lol) Sometimes its hard not eating the stuff I used to love but I just look down at my abs and im like meh, I dont need that crap

 

I would avoid the amino acids and metabolic enhancers. Waste of money.

 

This is an awesome thread, and while I'm not trying to lose weight and I am the type of person who is dedicated to fitness.

The main thing I do is watch my portion sizes. I still eat whatever I want, I just eat in small amounts. Also, I spread my meals to 5 or 6 small meals a day rather than three large meals. I have also cut out carbonated drinks. I'll drink a Mountain Dew every now and then, but not every day. Mostly I drink water. Juice with breakfast is good, but even fruit juice has a lot of sugar in it. Also, I don't drink alcohol or smoke. For anyone trying to stay healthy, the first thing they need to do is kick those two habits to the curb (if that is something they do).

As for exercise, I bike and jog. I jog to keep in shape and I mountain bike for fun. Mountain biking is incredible exercise because it's intense and fun, but a great workout, especially if you are on a trail with a lot of climbs (yes, the climbs can be just as exhilarating as the downhills, just in a different way). I know of people who substitute biking for running because it is low impact (unless you crash ).

Right now I'm preparing for a 30 mile epic bike ride that I'll be doing in a few weeks. I can't wait, it's going to be a blast. I gotta push myself pretty hard though, because the longest trail ride I've done so far was 15 miles. It'll be intense, but fun. Oh, and I hear the trail I'll be riding has some pretty crazy drop-offs... wish me luck :lol:

 

bingo

 

Wow, that sucks. I always tell seditary carb-dodgers to eat shitloads of carbs and excercise more. Looks like that's out of the question though. Have you looked into swimming? It's low impact, but still a mother fucker of a work out. Works the old ticker and the muscles. I swim 1.8k on my swimming days.

This is the problem -- you've greatly misunderstood the word "diet". "Fasting" does not mean diet.

 

if you can, now that the weather is better use bicycle for moving around; it won't strain muscles nor bone junction (a common problem in people overweight or that have been idle for long time) or even better an hour or 2 in a swimming pool 3 times a week it's really effective.

or better playing soccer or 5vs5 soccer with friends

 

This is about a 18 months too late for me Kev.

I was shamed into losing weight last xmas day the my girlfriends parents house. Somebody bought them a set of weighing scales and one of the kids (not my kids, I have none) decided that they needed to know how much everyone weighed. You first had to guess what you weighed then see what you did weigh and the person with the least in difference won (won nothing probably as it happens).
I got on and guessed at about 12st 7lbs. I was actually 14st 3lbs. I had no idea I had let myself go so much and didn't notice it as it was very gradual.

I kicked my own ass into gear and lost 3st in a year. I now weigh 11st 5lbs.

I did this by increasing my exercise and eating the right foods at the right times. I play football 3/4 times a week, swim on a saturday morning for around an hour (excellent exercise muscular and cardio).
I cut down seriously on the ammount of carbs and restricted myself to a carb day which is the day I concentrate on muscular development instead of cardio.
I eat alot more fresh fish, fruit and veg now also.

This turned out to be a winning formula for me!

 

Oh awesome, this could give me the motivation to get off of my lazy butt and work out some more. I'd like to lose like 40 or 50 pounds by July. Sounds fun.

 

Even walking can be a good workout, as long as you do enough of it. Not as intense as running or whatever but it burns calories.

All you guys have some good systems going, seems to be the number one item is cutting out soda. I would add to this that this also includes things like juices, "sports drinks," and such that are nothing but sugar, i.e. snapple, Gator aid, Sobe, etc, as well as highly caffinated energy drinks like Red Bull (which is quite possibly the worst thing you can ever do to your body, worse than cigarettes even, ) and even things like Starbucks drinks (lattes, cafe mochas, iced quad venti non-fat three equal camel macchiatos, etc.) Stick with water, or something like (non-sweetened) iced tea. If you drink juice, make sure it's real juice (like Naked Juice) and not some processed bullsheet (Sunny Delight, concentrated orange juice, etc.)

Things like Jamba juice are made with Frozen Yogurt, which while healther than ice cream, still contain added sugars. If you're gonna eat one get the all fruit smoothie.

Like Assembler said though, you can't just diet for a little while then go back to eating garbage. It has to be a permanent lifestyle change.

 

July of this year? Uhm, good luck.

As for me, I've made a totally different lifestyle change a couple of months back. I've lost 20+ lbs.

 

Sounds funnnnnn

 

Good idea! I've had horrible luck and after breaking my arm badly I stopped working out and put on like 40 pounds. I look like a freaking tub...

WORK IT OUT BITCHES

 

What metabolic enchancers do you use?

 

I can tell you from experience it is definitely not.

The only one I used (and am not on it now) is the one where you break your meals up into two, spaced about 90 minutes apart. It's really good, but I'm having a hard time curbing the appetite these days.

 

Nice idea, I know there must be some people here in the boards who need to get that last push to get decided to do something!
I really feel great since I started working out on January, I've already lost 20 pounds (I'd like to lose another 40 to really get in shape) and I feel way more full of energy than last year. No diets, no pills, just exercise

However this works for me but may not for others, I know I wouldn't be able to follow a diet so I signed up in a gym. The most important thing is finding something you like, if you feel it like something you have to do (instead of something you want to do) it can become really difficult to do it daily and you'll end dumping it.

 

I'm the opposite - I want to put on weight. I look like a freakin' shrink-wrapped skeleton!

I've tried eating pizza, chips, greasy fry-ups, all the shite that would make anyone else's trousers burst at the seams, but I never make it over 10 stone.

Something to do with metabolism...