Down another couple of pounds and nothing plus sized fits anymore. Continuing to work out an hour every weekday morning and then walk. Have been doing some hiking as well.
way to go..keep it up FD
Conquest: It is not the Mountain we conquer but Ourselves
It has been a struggle to get back to walking again. I started out at 374 lbs. ( I'm 6-03") in December. I couldn't get my ankle to my knee with out grabbing my pants leg and pulling it up with my hand. Walking a 1/4 mile would result in stopping several times for heavy breathing and rest. Today I'm down to 340lbs. I just returned from walking eight miles (three five minute breaks) with my son. Not only can I get my ankle up to my knee to put on my sock I can stand on one foot and do the twist.I just have to hike the AT.
Eat small portions. Stop eating even if you feel like you want more. In 20 minutes you won't feel hungry anymore (digestion takes about 20 minutes)
Limit carbs... and when you do eat carbs, don't eat just carbs
Never skip breakfast (yogurt and fresh fruit for me). This meal get your metabolism on track for the day. Eat natural foods!
Drink LOTS of water. Don't drink soda or any drinks with sugar in them - they will make you gain weight. This includes fruit juice with all natural ingrediants (sugar) and especially anything with high fructose corn syrup.
Exercise regularly - try to make it fun so you stay with it.
REWARD yourself as you hit weight loss milestones.
Stick with it and you will add years to your life. You never know - you may not have even begun to see your finest days yet. If they happen later in your life, you want to be healthy to enjoy them to the fullest.
Happy hiking!
TTF
Weight is a result of lifestyle. Diet+Workouts.
Find some sort of high-calorie workout that you can enjoy doing 5-6 times a week for a couple of hours. Don't go for some BS personal trainer balancing on sweedish balls crap. Run, swim, do martial arts hike, play soccer, tennis, whatever you enjoy.
Weigh yourself frequently morning and night (night weight will always be higher), but put more stock in trends than in day to day fluctuations--keep a chart if that fits your personality.
Stay away from empty calories. Eat lots of fruit/veggies, drink lots of water. Whole wheat is good (and real whole wheat products, not bread/pasta or whatever made from 25% whole wheat and mostly crap enriched flower). Avoid unnessecary fats (butter, too much cheese, mayo, etc.) and simple sugars.
Gum and (unsweetened) tea are your friends.
I'd recommnd a large salad (no or VERY light dressing), a LOT of water, and a piece or two of fruit immediatly before you eat your actual 'meal'
Fasting for a day or even a few isn't really the best weight loss program, but I'd recommend it as a geat learning experience.
Not always. Some of us are old and have had medical stuff that dictated what we ate and limited exercise. In my case, I had a really serious break to my femur. I was on a high dairy / high protein diet to heal, was on steroids and was in a wheelchair for half of that year. I went from about 155 to 230 that year. Older people don't lose as easily as youngsters and it has been a real struggle.Originally Posted by ScottP
You gave some good suggestions, but some of us have pretty good reasons to be doing gym type exercises rather than some of the sports that involve moving real fast. I played tennis and figure skated earlier in my life, but I don't have the flexibility, strength or balance to do these things at my age. I watch my great-grandchildren do them. However, I can still hike - just more slowly than I used to.
I'm in fairly good shape (6' 3" and around 200 pounds) but I can tack on 10 pounds in a month if I'm not careful. Instead of following any diet plan or fad I simply took the nutritional information that you see on any food label and use 2,000 calories a day as my base. This includes consuming 65 grams of fat, 60 grams of protein, and 300 grams of carbs a day.
When I am trying to lose weight I focus on cutting the fat intake to 35 grams or less. I try to increase my protein to over 100 grams per day since hard working muscles need protein. I'm not a carb nazi so I try to keep it under 200 grams but try to avoid complex carbs. I try to follow this plan 5 days a week and allow myself one blow up day. I think this is why most people fail on their diet regimes because they think they have to do it every day and when they don't they just quit completely.
For exercise I normally ride an exercise bike 4 - 5 days a week and burn 700+ calories each time. I also lift weights and consume protein shakes with skim milk. You have to burn 3,500 calories in general to lose a pound of weight and I find that this plan is good for dropping 2 pounds a week.
So what do I eat? Lots of boneless skinless chicken breasts that I coat with a rub similar to Emeril's but mine is hotter and spicier. I can normally eat it just like that but sometimes I add mustard instead of BBQ sauce. I eat salmon which is high in fat (blow up day) but also high in protein and no carbs. I eat salads with turkey and no fat dressing. For lunch at work I eat Healthy Choice or Lean Cuisine meals - I can't believe the stuff that people eat for lunch at work. I do occasionally eat baked potatoes which do have carbs but I eat them with salsa instead of butter, sour creme, etc. My biggest sacrifice is giving up brats.
With my plan I can basically eat what I want as long as I don't add all the bad trimmings to it. You just need to really focus on the serving sizes because they are a lot smaller than you think. For example - a handful of shredded cheese on a potato is not a serving (I think it's 1/4 cup).
Recording what I eat basically gives me a budget and allows me to eat something "bad" as long as I eat something "good" the remainder of the day (or week).
And I agree with what everyone is saying: more smaller meals a day is better, don't eat late at night, drink more water and maybe one diet drink a day, caffeine is actually good for you in moderation. You can also burn fat and increase your metabolism lifting weights where you focus on doing 10 - 12 reps instead of trying to lift as much as you can.
Just remember there is no one size fits all solution.
Thanks for the support Frolicking Dinosaurs. Ive enjoyed your posts here. And yes, we can do this.
I broke my left ankle in August 2000. It has taken me some effort to get back up to walking again. I just kept at it until one day I began walking over a mile. Then two, three, four, five...
I can comfortable handle a six mile walk and I'm pushing eights several times a week.
My plan for now is to stay on the flat trails down by the San Francisco Bay until I'm down to about 275 lbs then add hills and pack.
Im on a good weight loss plan. I eat what I eat salads, and small portions of any meals excluding soda and friend foods for a week. Lose 2 lbs then become giddy and eat whatever I want as a reward, gaining the 2 lbs back. Its great, I lose 2 lbs every other week!
"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."
-Churchill
http://www.flickr.com/photos/scorpiorising80/
Back home, but not back into my routine yet.
::: dino wishes she was flexible enough to bit self on toes:::
I got the ultimate weight loss compliment at trail days from Lone Wolf - he called me a skinny beyotch
That is awesome. If you are doing 8 miles at 340, you will fly up the AT after you lose your weight... and you will see that happen quickly if you continue to exercise and watch your portion sizes. Outstanding work (!) - I think this is one of your life challenges and the reward will be the AT...which is one of the coolest rewards I can imagine.It has been a struggle to get back to walking again. I started out at 374 lbs. ( I'm 6-03") in December. I couldn't get my ankle to my knee with out grabbing my pants leg and pulling it up with my hand. Walking a 1/4 mile would result in stopping several times for heavy breathing and rest. Today I'm down to 340lbs. I just returned from walking eight miles (three five minute breaks) with my son. Not only can I get my ankle up to my knee to put on my sock I can stand on one foot and do the twist.
Happy hiking!
TTF
my war with weight is been with me forever. L.Wolf has it right. if you need some guidelines the diet that has been working for me is THE WARRIOR DIET by ori hemfelker. your library should have a copy. it works for me
Still on the LW diet and weight is holding steady despite traveling and lots of eating out lately. No loss, but no gain and more muscle tone. Back to working out for an hour every morning, but not walking again yet (leg having serious cramps)
SerenityRich, you are doing fantastic. You are inspiring me. Thanks.
And then there are days...
I've been holding at walking six miles a day on a level treadway. I'm also working out with this long rubber band thing that lets me do glut exercises and even a few to gently stretch and strengthing my plantar fascia ligament and achilles tendon.
Today I weighed in at 327 lbs. I'm still experiencing considerable pain when I finish walking each day but it dissipates by morning. The good news is that it is not as bad as it was six months ago when I couldn't walk a mile with out the same pain making me stop.
So thank you all for your experiences and support as continue my journey from obesity to Katahdin Mtn.
Down another couple of pounds and still working out an hour five days a week (most of the time). Haven't been walking - been tending the garden in the cool of the morning instead.
Serenity, how are things going for you?
As probably all of us here know, putting the weight back on is as easy or easier than taking it off. One of my oldest hobbies is loosing the same 20lbs over and over again.
When I am in my weight-dropping mode I rely on one premise; calories in/calories out. In the end, weight loss comes from more calories burned than ingested. While there are plenty of studies that indicate some foods or food types (carbos, proteins, fats, refined or not, 'natural' sugars, etc.) are utilized differently in the body and therefore result in different patterns of weight loss, there are no studies I know of that indicate it's healthy to emphasize one, e.g., protein, to the exclusion of the other. Further, such extreme diets are difficult to maintain...the 'no carbs' diets of a couple years ago weren't fun. Additionally, dropping out the carbs from fruits and vegetables dropped out nearly all the cancer fighting goodies, most vitamins, and nearly all the antioxidants in a normal diet. Not healthy.
I have three techniques which, used in combination, never fail me; gradual reduction of calories, e.g., 10% less calories a week until I get into the 10,000 to 12,000 calories/week range, light weight training (yields much better weight loss results than aerobics only...combining the two is healthiest), and reducing alcohol. For me, lush that I am, reducing alcohol has two benefits. It cuts back on the empty calories and it curtails binge eating. Drinking (empty calories to begin with) usually makes me hungry and I start looking for snacks. And the snacks I find are damaging to a calorie restricted diet.
As with most, I know the answer...I just don't like doin' it! With that in mind, I try to make it easy on myself...I don't cut out any foods from my normal menu but I do cut back on the amount, i.e., portions and snacks.
FB
"All persons are born free and have certain inalienable rights. They include the right to a clean and healthful environment..."
Article II, Section 3
The Constitution of the State of Montana
Great ideas, Fiddleback! I have reduced my calories some, but not a lot. I tend to quit diets that leave me feeling deprived all the time so I'm trying to find a permanent and healthy way to eat this time instead of dieting. The exercise routine is more about regaining lost muscle tone and building strength than about weight-loss for me. The time spent in a wheel chair plus time spent sitting / not being as active really took a toll on me. It is really hard to get back on track at my age.
Weight Watchers is the only program that has worked for me. It teaches you what a serving size is. Imagine my surprise when I found out a full rack of ribs was 4 servings
Weight Watchers is not a diet nor was it intended to be. I eat 3 meals a day plus 2-3 snacks. I am never hungry on it. Once I hit my goal weight I will go on the maintain weight plan. My totally points per day will increase so I can stay at my goal and not lose anymore.
Conquest: It is not the Mountain we conquer but Ourselves
As long as it's healthy/proper nutrition, stick with the program that works for you over the long term. But, man! Those 1 or 2 pounds a month gained back are insidious!!
Frolicking Dino. -- Don't talk to me about age (I think my hearing is starting to go too...)Like you, my exercise is more about building endurance and strength. But it speeds the weight loss...especially the light weight program part. And, the weights exercise keeps the pounds off more effectively (muscle requires more calories to maintain than fat). Many times in pursuit of my hobby of loosing the same 20lbs repeatedly, I've experienced slow to no weight loss until the weight set was added to the exercise program. Of course there are other factors but my own experience, anecdotes from friends, and reading I've done all seem to confirm that the benefit is real. Besides, exercise, again particularly a light weight program, pulls and tucks and shapes the bod into a more pleasing shape whether the pounds are loss or not...the difference between the way fat and muscle is carried.
If I could motivate to be consistent with my great menu and exercise program I could have my boyish figure forever!
FB
Last edited by Fiddleback; 06-19-2007 at 12:38.
"All persons are born free and have certain inalienable rights. They include the right to a clean and healthful environment..."
Article II, Section 3
The Constitution of the State of Montana
Thanks you guys for all your support.
I began to experience a plantar fasciitis flare in my right foot last week. So I took a week off from walking. I sat around and rolled a frozen bottle with the bottom of my foot along with a few streaching exercises throughout the day using these resistance bands from Costco.
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product...Cat2268&topnav=
I've also been consistently weighing less than 324 lbs for the last week. That's the fist fifty pounds in six months. Now I'm going for the next fifty pounds.
If this thread dies off maybe we can start one titled something like "Obesity to Katahdin one step at a time."
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