Health Related

[Growley]

I guess this is "welcome to my life week" for me, but here's another item on my mind. This thread is on a subject near and dear to my heart, in many ways as you'll see, and I want to share it with you in case you're in the same boat.

I'll start with a quote from Tommy Boy:

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Ok, I'm no Tommy Boy, but by any Doctor's tests I'm overweight. It doesn't take too much these days by tests to be overweight, but the fact is, in my case, most of the tests are right, I should weigh less. I never really learned great eating habits as a kid, and simply didn't care as a young adult. I always said, "If it's low calorie, it's low taste". It wasn't uncommon for me to throw down 1,000 calories at night just before I went to bed.

My mental fix was to take up programs like P90X and Insanity. In my mind, if you can get through these programs, you're probably in pretty good shape. I can't tell you how many times I've done P90X over the years. Last year I ran over 230 miles, did P90x twice, and.....stayed the exact same weight. I didn't lose a pound, and even though I'd love to say I replaced a bunch of fat with muscle...I didn't. My problem wasn't in the exercise, because P90X rocks! My problem was in thinking I could still eat whatever I wanted and somehow lose weight. P90X??? Heck yeah, give me weights and push ups and chin ups, but leave the nutrition plan in the box... (my less than brilliant thinking)

This year is the year I'm making a complete life change. I dedicated the entire year to losing 40 lbs. It's a herculean effort for most, but I'm committed to it. I don't buy in to crazy diets, I just think eating smart makes a big difference. But I've learned that there is a definite science to it as well. Simply said, our bodies need a certain amount of calories to operate each day. Any excess calories added in each day will add to your weight, and any fewer will take away...simple math.

So, I downloaded MyFitnessPal, an app that helps set you goals based on weight, height and activity level. Once you enter those in, you tell it how much weight you want to gain or lose, or if you just want to stay the same, and it calculates the number of calories you should eat each day to achieve those goals. I told it I wanted to lose 1.5 lbs a week and it calculated that I could eat 1,760 calories a day...not that much if you start looking at labels on the back of your favorite junk foods... With that said, each day I just keep track of my calories by entering my consumed foods into the app. If I eat 1,760 a day I'll lose 1.5 lbs a week. It's simple and simply genius. What you find out as you go through this, is that by the nature of trying to eat fewer calories each day, you end up eating better foods. If you continue to waste 480 calories a day on grab bags of sharable M & M's or refills of Coke, you'll always be hungry. So you start looking for stuff that gives you more for less, and inevitably the things that give you more for less are healthier, like properly decked out salads, or green beans or grilled chicken and fish. And if you want to get even more healthy, the app loosely breaks down how much fat, vs. cabs vs. protein you should eat as well. It tells you each day, based on your food entry, how close you are to the correct percentages. ..But that's starting to get a bit technical, so I'll move on.

So, now that I'm eating better, I feel like exercising more. And the beautiful part is; when you exercise, you add to the number of calories you can eat for the day. Sure, you'll most likely be a bit hungrier, but for me, having more calories is more fun, it's a mental win. If I go out and run 3 miles, I just paid for most of my lunch in calories. And the app integrates into several different exercise tracking apps as well, so when I run, it automagically adds my calories in for me. So on Friday's, when I know I'll be eating out with my family, I make sure to go run or swim so I have more room to have a good meal.

The overall concept is simple. It's the discipline that's ridiculously hard.

The best part is, that this way of losing weight isn't fad based, or dangerous, it's just common sense, eat better food, track it and know how many calories your body really needs.

After just over two months of doing this, I've already lost over half my goal. I've lost 22 lbs, and I continue to lose more each week. I still don't LOVE counting calories, but I'm getting more used to it as just a part of life. My blood pressure has gone down, I've got more energy, and I'm starting to need smaller clothes. This is the year!, and before the end of it I'll have lost 40 lbs or more. And what I really love is, losing the weight is the hardest part. Keeping it off is much easier. My allotted calories per day will go up to maintain, and I'll already be used to eating better foods. It's just an amazing feeling to make the choice, make the plans and see them work.

If you're thinking about it, you should do it!

There's my motivational speech for the day.  

PS. I'm not saying this is rocket-surgery, or that it's THE RIGHT approach. I'm just putting some positive vibes out for anyone who needs that extra incentive to do their own thing. It's hard, but if done right, it's worth it. And if nothing else, I hope you at least enjoyed a very classic Tommy Boy Clip  

 

[the rev]

when I was fighting I could lose 35 lbs in a week and a half ten in the last 12 hours. Of course 24 hrs later I gained 25 back. I think your way is better

proud of you man, I know that is no small feat. I have lost 15 lbs so far this year and my goal was 50 by june 30, so I have to pick up the pace.

rev

 

[BigCasino]

Awesome Brian, the funny thing is I started doing the same thing with an app on my phone called calorie counter by fat secret,unfortunately I can't run cause I have a messed up knee I am trying to get an mri on so we can figure it out but my health insurance plan wont let me get one until I go through 4 weeks of physical therapy on it... I just finished week 3

I started cause after the holidays I relaized how much junk food and sugars I was taking in and decided I wanted to eliminate almost all sugars and with my app I have been taking in any where from 1200 to 1600 calories a day depending on my breakfasts and dinner choice my lunch and snacks have been the same everyday, dill pickles, a texas red grapefruit, and a fiber bar or granola, also my dinners have been the same what ever veggie I want with butter, and a half can of tuna in spring water or a can of sardines, I have not weighed my self but I have had to put 3 new holes in my belt... to me weight is just a number it's how you feel that counts

Also I eat normal breakfasts and dinners on the weekends, and I still keep the calories well under 3000, I always skip lunch on the weekends cause I'm busy doing something and don't want to stop and eat

Good luck to your Brother!

 

[Stick]

Good job Growley. Speaking as someone with a fair bit of experience in this field and with my good lady being a dietitian, I can tell you that you're bang on when you allude to the calories that your body needs. It's a simple equation... If energy in is greater than energy out (exercise) you'll gain weight. No matter how you look at it, it just comes back to this simple fact. Typically, the traps we see people falling into are: Portion size; according to latest recommendations, a portion of meat (eg) should be the same size as a pack of playing cards. Denial; choosing not to factor in the biscuits, crisps, bottles of coke that are consumed between scheduled meals. Inactivity; leading a sedentary lifestyle. Eat healthily in moderation, be honest about what you consume in a day, exercise a little most days and you have a winning formula. I salute you on losing your 22lbs - it aint easy, but with your strategy you've got your goal in the bag.

 

[Growley]

Awesome Brian, the funny thing is I started doing the same thing with an app on my phone called calorie counter by fat secret,unfortunately I can't run cause I have a messed up knee I am trying to get an mri on so we can figure it out but my health insurance plan wont let me get one until I go through 4 weeks of physical therapy on it... I just finished week 3

I started cause after the holidays I relaized how much junk food and sugars I was taking in and decided I wanted to eliminate almost all sugars  and with my app I have been taking in any where from 1200 to 1600 calories a day depending on my breakfasts and dinner choice  my lunch and snacks have been the same everyday, dill pickles, a texas red grapefruit, and a fiber bar or granola,  also my dinners have been the same  what ever veggie I want with butter, and a half can of tuna in spring water or a can of sardines, I have not weighed my self but I have had to put 3 new holes in my belt... to me weight is just a number it's how you feel that counts

Also I eat normal breakfasts and dinners on the weekends, and I still keep the calories well under 3000, I always skip lunch on the weekends cause I'm busy doing something and don't want to stop and eat  

Good luck to your Brother!

3 notches on your belt is a big indicator! Congrats! Sugars are a big deal. Cutting calories and not being hungry pretty much means cutting a lot of sugar out. It just doesn't sustain your body. I've almost given up Coke entirely, which is HUGE for me. I'd rather drink Coke than any other liquid out there. These days I drink tons of water...which duh, is what I'm supposed to be drinking lots of   

 

[Growley]

when I was fighting I could lose 35 lbs in a week and a half ten in the last 12 hours.  Of course 24 hrs later I gained 25 back.  I think your way is better

proud of you man, I know that is no small feat.  I have lost 15 lbs so far this year and my goal was 50 by june 30, so I have to pick up the pace.

rev

I imagine about 10 lbs of your fighting weight loss was blood sweat and tears...and maybe a tooth here and there   

Congrats on losing 15 lbs, and don't kill yourself on the next 35! That's a crazy goal there, but I shouldn't expect anything less from The Rev!

 

[the rev]

when I was fighting I could lose 35 lbs in a week and a half ten in the last 12 hours.  Of course 24 hrs later I gained 25 back.  I think your way is better

proud of you man, I know that is no small feat.  I have lost 15 lbs so far this year and my goal was 50 by june 30, so I have to pick up the pace.

rev

I imagine about 10 lbs of your fighting weight loss was blood sweat and tears...and maybe a tooth here and there   

Congrats on losing 15 lbs, and don't kill yourself on the next 35! That's a crazy goal there, but I shouldn't expect anything less from The Rev!

The last twelve it was pretty much all sweat, can't even piss at that point. Suana's being rolled up in a wrestling mat, wearing plastic bags, spitting in cups, it was hell.

rev

 

[smg913]

Good luck !!! i am hoping during the summer months i can drop some pounds also.

wearing a trash bag and running with as much clothes as possible on top of that reminds me of football and wrestling season. man that sucked.

 

[Ocelot55]

Well... whatever weight you lost, I seem to have found. It doesn't sound like you want it back, so I'll have to find a good home for them.


Losing weight is not easy! I need to lose about 15 pounds. I might try this app of yours.

 

[idbowman]

Growley:

I am in your boat. In fact, I probably need to move closer the the center, because the boat is definitely starting to tip over in my direction. I am Tommy Boy. Actually worse. At the beginning of September, I weighed in at a mind-numbing 435 pounds.

Yeah. 435 pounds.

Enough was enough. I haven't really posted much (anything) about this around these parts, but since we're talking about it, I suppose I'll chime in.

Then I began taking an approach similar to yours. MyFitnessPal has been like a best friend to me for the last 6 months. I've taken a serious interest in the science behind nutrition and fitness and have really thrown myself at this mess. Counting Calories isn't exactly fun, and discipline is the constant battle, but it's one that can be won.

For my part, I've lost 85 pounds in just over 6 months. I kid you not.

The goal is a looooong way off, but I'm seeing the same thing you are - healthy eating begets healthy eating, pushing yourself to exercise begets the inclination to start to enjoy the exercise. In the meantime, I try not to focus on the BIG picture but on the small goals along the way (losing 250 pounds seems frustratingly impossible...but losing a total of 100 by the 4th of July? That's something to shot for. 125 by the "one year" on September 3rd? Do-able).


Best of luck to you Brian, and congrats on your success so far...if you need to bounce anything off of someone that is right next to you in this fight, feel free to message me.

 

[Growley]

Growley:

I am in your boat.  In fact, I probably need to move closer the the center, because the boat is definitely starting to tip over in my direction.  I am Tommy Boy.  Actually worse.  At the beginning of September, I weighed in at a mind-numbing 435 pounds.

Yeah.  435 pounds.  

Enough was enough.  I haven't really posted much (anything) about this around these parts, but since we're talking about it, I suppose I'll chime in.

Then I began taking an approach similar to yours.  MyFitnessPal has been like a best friend to me for the last 6 months.  I've taken a serious interest in the science behind nutrition and fitness and have really thrown myself at this mess.  Counting Calories isn't exactly fun, and discipline is the constant battle, but it's one that can be won.  

For my part, I've lost 85 pounds in just over 6 months.  I kid you not.  

The goal is a looooong way off, but I'm seeing the same thing you are - healthy eating begets healthy eating, pushing yourself to exercise begets the inclination to start to enjoy the exercise.  In the meantime, I try not to focus on the BIG picture but on the small goals along the way (losing 250 pounds seems frustratingly impossible...but losing a total of 100 by the 4th of July?  That's something to shot for.  125 by the "one year" on September 3rd?  Do-able).


Best of luck to you Brian, and congrats on your success so far...if you need to bounce anything off of someone that is right next to you in this fight, feel free to message me.  

HOLY COW!!! 85 lbs is a massive achievement. Congratulations. If you can do that, you can lose all you want. You've already conquered the hardest part, getting started and sticking with it long enough to see success.

I don't know if you've ever looked up how big just 1 lb of fat is, but I found this video the other day and was pretty surprised. After watching this, it's pretty easy to say, "no, it can't be that big.", but I've realized that fat doesn't come off in 1 lb chunks, it comes off in fat cells, one at or many at a time. Since we have them all over our body, we can lose a pound and even five and hardly notice it sometimes.

Interesting stuff though.. Check this out if you're curious:

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[PozzSka]

Congrats to all you guys!

I did the same thing when I was about 23. At 6'6" the numbers seem higher overall, but I was a flabby 320, and eleven months later was a soft 225. Between then and now, I've gone from 225 to 275, back down to a lean 240. Having lifted weights all through high school and then gettin lazy in college is how I gained all that weight.

Now I lift weights again and I'm more muscular 275, but definitely out of shape at this point. I've bee consistently lifting for about 6weeks now and hopefully when it warms up I'll be able to run.

For my kids' sake I definitely want to be the "fit" dad, so I can coach, play, train with them.

Good for everyone here. I'm with you guys.

 

[Growley]

Congrats to all you guys!

I did the same thing when I was about 23. At 6'6" the numbers seem higher overall, but I was a flabby 320, and eleven months later was a soft 225. Between then and now, I've gone from 225 to 275, back down to a lean 240. Having lifted weights all through high school and then gettin lazy in college is how I gained all that weight.

Now I lift weights again and I'm more muscular 275, but definitely out of shape at this point. I've bee consistently lifting for about 6weeks now and hopefully when it warms up I'll be able to run.

For my kids' sake I definitely want to be the "fit" dad, so I can coach, play, train  with them.

Good for everyone here. I'm with you guys.

6'6" and 275... you must be a pretty well built dude. It's hard to tell in your avatar that you're that tall. Lifting weights is a passion of mine as well. I never get huge, but I like to lift. It's kind of my treat to myself after I lose my 40lbs. I've sworn off weights until I lose the fat. I can't wait to try P90x again carrying around 40 lbs less weight. I imagine I'll get a few more chin-ups out of it

 

[PozzSka]

Double post deleted

 

[PozzSka]

Congrats to all you guys!

I did the same thing when I was about 23. At 6'6" the numbers seem higher overall, but I was a flabby 320, and eleven months later was a soft 225. Between then and now, I've gone from 225 to 275, back down to a lean 240. Having lifted weights all through high school and then gettin lazy in college is how I gained all that weight.

Now I lift weights again and I'm more muscular 275, but definitely out of shape at this point. I've bee consistently lifting for about 6weeks now and hopefully when it warms up I'll be able to run.

For my kids' sake I definitely want to be the "fit" dad, so I can coach, play, train  with them.

Good for everyone here. I'm with you guys.

6'6" and 275... you must be a pretty well built dude. It's hard to tell in your avatar that you're that tall. Lifting weights is a passion of mine as well. I never get huge, but I like to lift. It's kind of my treat to myself after I lose my 40lbs. I've sworn off weights until I lose the fat. I can't wait to try P90x again carrying around 40 lbs less weight. I imagine I'll get a few more chin-ups out of it

As someone who has lost a bunch of weight (more than once really), don't wait to lift weights. Start now, the metabolic demand of strength training is far more than cardio or dieting alone. Start slow, cakes thence and body weight exercises, work up to full blown high effort work.

Also, weight training while losing weight will help to maintain what muscle you have now. You want to lose fat, not necessarily just "weight." You wanna drop 100lbs overnight just cut your leg off.

Thanks, btw for your comment, but as I said, I'm outta shape currently, definitely more "fit" at 240-250. I'd like to be 250 by summer time.

 

[BriarFox]

I have to be on a very strict diet due to bad food allergies (wheat, soy, nuts (legumes), eggs, tomatoes, shell fish, and sesame seeds. I am very limited on what I can eat which made my carb/starch intake with foods such as potatoes and rice go up when I started this diet years ago. Last year I started to get very sick with an upset stomach pretty much constantly. I had a lot of medical tests done and the only thing that seemed to be wrong was my liver was acting up. Kind of funny since I don't drink alcohol, and am not obese. The technical term for it is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. In December '13 I weighed 207 lbs and I am 6'3" tall, so I was not overweight by any means. I started a diet to cut down on fatty foods, foods high in starch/carbs, and switched to non-fat dairy whenever possible. I read where High Fructose Corn Syrup is very bad for our livers as our livers have to process 100% of HFCS, where our livers only process 20% of sugar. I have completely eliminated HFCS from my diet and have greatly limited other GMO sugars. When I do eat sugar it is real cane sugar, but in very limited quantities. I eat a lot of fruit and more vegetables, along with leaner meats. I also take probiotics, additional fiber, and digestive enzymes. I have been steadily losing weight and yesterday weighed in at 185 lbs. My liver doesn't act up anymore and I am feeling much better. It is also great that I have maintained muscle and only lost fat. I feel stronger than ever. I am now eating larger portions than I was to maintain the weight where I am now. I keep losing it though, which at 6'3" tall I'm looking a bit slim. I still have auto-immune issues and have accepted the fact that I'll probably live with that issue for the rest of my life, but my change in diet has done wonders. If you want to lose weight you have to be disciplined. It is mind over matter, nothing more. I think you will find once you get off of unhealthy GMO, Processed crap food you will feel much better, and not miss it. Foods I used to like, now when I think of them they sound unappetizing.

Doctors do not have a clue when it comes to our immune system and gastrointestinal system. Hopefully they figure it out someday. The best thing we can do to our bodies is eat healthy foods, and exercise. Stay away from most all restaurants, especially processed fast foods as they are pretty much all unhealthy. I have to look at food ingredients or I become very ill. Looking at ingredients is a good thing. It is amazing how much crap is in food that shouldn't be there. Also keep tokin on those pipes in a responsible manner. Research is now finding that Nicotine offers some health benefits.

 

[jefe1037]

Growley, I have had success with that program you are using as well. It is sound in theory: it makes you look at your eating habits and exercise behaviors differently. Keep up the good work. Calories in calories out is how you lose weight. Now, being HEALTHY, making sure you are very well

I am currently doing something else for my health, both mental and physical. I have never been one to work out in a gym. I don't want to keep a lot of exercise equipment lying about either, but I want to put on a little muscle and lose a little weight. My problem with gaining weight has always been portion control. Getting rid of the "spare tire" is easily fixed by simply not eating as much in one sitting. The smaller meals thing works for me and I have started slimming down. I am confronted with those large family meals every once in a while, but now find myself full much sooner. I listen to my body when it comes to that.
As far as exercise, I found a good program called the hundred pushup challenge. The goal is to be able to do a hundred pushups in a row in a couple of months. Work out every other day, simple excercise. The web page links to 200 situps 100 squats... you get the idea. i dont want to over exert, or do something that i will fail at (if you dont complete a day, i just repeat that day until I can do it, per the rules) I never had the upper body strength that I wanted, so this helps. I have been at it for about six weeks, but am only on "week 3." it is stacked for someone that could do a few more initially, but I am catching up at my own pace. Most importantly, i DO it. I added the pullup challenge too, and plan on adding another one (legs or situps, havent decided) when I get a little deeper into the ones I have going. The goal will be able to turn my "strength" workouts into endurance workouts from what the professional trainers say. This one makes sense to me because I can see the results: i used to be doing x pusups over 5 sets, now I am doing three times that many. I used to be able to do 8 in a row, now i can knock out about 20. Building a little muscle makes that weight loss thing easier too because bigger muscles burn more calories!

wifey found a routine called the "hundred calorie workout" 40 jumping jacks, 30 situps, 20 squats 10 pushups. she blows throught that at least once a day between chasing the rugrats around. I dont know if it actually is a hundred calories she burns, but it gets the heart rate up for a few minutes extra a day.

Anyway, the moral of the story is to find something that you like doing. There are a bunch of us out here doing the same thing, and we all hope we all succeed!

 

[PozzSka]

Anyway, the moral of the story is to find something that you like doing. There are a bunch of us out here doing the same thing, and we all hope we all succeed!

This is a huge part of being consistent. Finding exercises and a program that you enjoy. If I could play basketball and lift weights, it would be perfect. Finding the time to do it is a little harder, but I enjoy doing those things. If you like running, go run (don't expect to gain muscle), but you'll definitely burn some calories.

 

[Trifecta13]

Glad to see I haven't been the only one. A few months back I decided I could stand to lose a few pounds. When I finally got around to looking at what a healthy weight for my height was, I was shocked. Now, let me preface this with my stern belief that these figures seem way too low (I genuinely think I would be unhealthy at the weight they recommend). I do however have the muscular definition of a sea slug, and realize that muscular weight should account for something. But I digress.

I decided I would take a fairly simple approach to my diet, and with the Game of Thrones-esque winter we've been having, I knew exercise would be all-but off the table. So I decided to cut out as much refined flour and sugar from my diet as possible. I've never had a sweet tooth to speak of, but I have an unhealthy love affair with bread. Pizza, sandwiches, etc. are the stuff of dreams for me. Nonetheless, I set off to it and so far have dropped from 225 to 185. I don't watch my weight incessantly, and probably hop on the scale every couple of weeks or so. I've been up a little at times, and down a bit at others, but all in all it has been a good ride, and one I don't feel worse for having taken.

I agree that the big step is just becoming mindful of what you take in. We all can easily fall into the trap of mindlessly consuming (not just food either), and the precious moment you take to analyze what you're doing and change it if you're not happy is a huge one. Congratulations on the progress, Brian!

 

[idbowman]

P90X is on my list of things to do as well. I think id like to get at least below 300 before tackling it. Not sure I would get enough out of it in my current state.