Weight Loss

[desertdog71]

I need someone who has a background as a dietician or trainer or something related to PM me please.

Thanks

[N422NM]

I am neither of these things but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night and I got a crew rate as well....

EAT MORE CHICKEN

That is all...

[desertdog71]

Originally Posted by N422NM

I am neither of these things but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night and I got a crew rate as well....

EAT MORE CHICKEN

That is all...

Wow you have solved all my weight problems in one sentence, Thanks, how can I ever repay your kindness?

[Dugie8]

I feel your pain man. 5 '9" 250. Wear a 52 jacket and a 38 inch waist,but can't get rid of the budda. It is a serious life style change. No more soda for me, really cut back on the beer and lots and lots of plain chicken. Excercise consists of just getting out and doing more, not really going to the gym too much. My knees and back are shot from football and powerlifting.

The way I started loosing the weight the fastest and healthiest in my opinion, was figure out what the average calories for someone weighing 200 pounds was, something like 2700 per day. I try to eat no more than that and stay active (mowing the lawn, playing with the kid, chasing that little #### is exhausting, etc).

Whatever you do, don't starve yourself, counterproductive. Eat more, but eat smart. Cucumbers are great, grapes, and lots of water. If you are hungry eat, but don't break out the grill and roast an entire pig for a midnite snack.

[desertdog71]

Originally Posted by Dugie8

I feel your pain man. 5 '9" 250. Wear a 52 jacket and a 38 inch waist,but can't get rid of the budda. It is a serious life style change. No more soda for me, really cut back on the beer and lots and lots of plain chicken. Excercise consists of just getting out and doing more, not really going to the gym too much. My knees and back are shot from football and powerlifting.

The way I started loosing the weight the fastest and healthiest in my opinion, was figure out what the average calories for someone weighing 200 pounds was, something like 2700 per day. I try to eat no more than that and stay active (mowing the lawn, playing with the kid, chasing that little #### is exhausting, etc).

Whatever you do, don't starve yourself, counterproductive. Eat more, but eat smart. Cucumbers are great, grapes, and lots of water. If you are hungry eat, but don't break out the grill and roast an entire pig for a midnite snack.

6 foot 311 now. 54 and 46 myself and the Avatar should explain things a bit also. I too have bad knees and back from sports and 8 years in a damn truck. I quit smoking June 1st and managed to pack on about 25 lbs since then, after I had lost it the previous months. So I have basically decided that weight is my number one goal right now, to hell with the rest of my demons.

After a few PM's I am just gonna break down and pay a personal trainer to kick my ass in gear. Put a plan together that I can live with for the rest of my life, because I don't want to be on a rollercoaster with my weight. I know I eat too much, eat the wrong things and don't get off my lazy ass enough, so the problem shoud be easy enough to solve right? Wrong, because I keep doing it to myself. So I am admitting I need some help right now, because this is ####ing ridiculous.

Nobody is gonna hire a 310lb thug looking dude to fly passengers around thats for damn sure.

[Dugie8]

Don't sell yourself too short on getting hired. At my company the average, again AVERAGE, weight of the pilot and engineer group is 270. No body builders here either, save one guy, and I am pretty sure I could break him in half, if I could catch him!

As far as trainers, they are great to get you going and point you in the right direction, but that money is well spent elsewhere. A gym rat once told me that, it is not what you do in the gym, it is what you do at home with the bag of cheetos and the porn the channel.

Set realistic goals as well, the quickest killer on diets and loosing weight is the time it takes to loose it. Figure no more than 4 pounds a month (1 pound is about 3200 calories), so about 50 pounds a year. Anything much over that and you are starving yourself and making your life miserable. Remember, lifestyle change, it won't happen overnite or by next week.

Got to a trainer get a combo cardio and weight program that will take it easy on the knees (elipticals FTW!), and don't negate the non-flashy muscles (back, calves, etc). 10 pounds of muscle will burn the equivelant of running 30 minutes, 3 days a week, and 10 pounds of muscle is easy to put on, lots of protein (whey protein, no hamburger cheating), lots of rest and give your body time.

[GJ1]

DOn't waist your money on a personal trainer... Its all about proper diet and exercise... If your driven you'll loose weight. Check out this site www.bodybuilding.com , it has alot about loosing weight and alll that good stuff.

[aloft]

I'm not so sure about the wisdom of skipping a QUALIFIED, NASM CERTIFIED personal trainer. It's very important to train properly from a biomechanical perspective to stave off injury. It's equally as important to know WHAT sorts of training regimens to use, and WHEN TO CHANGE THEM. Our bodies are wonders at adapting to whatever we throw at them. I used to walk for an hour at a time on a treadmill cranked up to an 11% incline at 3 mph. Had to work up to it, but my body adapted to it--got more energy-efficient at it--and it ceased to be a real "workout". Switching to the elliptical trainer kicked my ass for the first month, then my body started to adapt. Results are all about shocking your system; do one training regimen until your body begins to adapt, then change what you're doing so your body can't get comfy with the same routine.

I've been in an exercise rut for two years now, I dropped 30 lbs prior to coming back to SLC, but have regained it despite 3-4 workouts per week. If I could afford a personal trainer right now, I'd do it in a heartbeat, but my wallet has had to adapt to the poverty-based aviation-training-induced lifestyle...

[GJ1]

I dunno, I'm just saying that you don't need to waist your money on a trainer, when you first start lifting it should be with light weight anyway just working on your form...

[aloft]

That's just it--without a trainer, how do you know what proper form is? Pictures in a book don't cut it.

[USMC-SGT]

Desert-

Id be happy to help you out a little with a few tips and tricks...i am NOT a certified personal trainer by any means but we are required to keep our fitness levels very high and I have been able to maintain 6% body fat for 4 years now.

I am not one of those skinny kids that was born without fat either, I have to work for every pound loss and before coming in i was 5'10" 197 lbs and 21% body fat and I am not 165lbs and 6%

Out here in Iraq my workout consist of this which works...

Mon- Workout back for one hour and then 30 minutes on the stairclimber on a middle level setting in "fat burn mode" that kicks my butt and I typically burn roughly 350-400 calories working hard

Tues-Workout triceps for one hour and then 30 minutes on the elliptical doing "fat burn mode" usually burning between 300-350 calories

Wed-Workout shoulders for one hour and then 30 minutes on a bike doing "fat burn mode" at a median setting (10 out of 20) burning around 300 calories

Thurs-Workout arms for one hour and then 15 minutes on the bike and then 15 minutes on treadmill (roughly 2.5 miles or so) this usually yields around 350 calories

Fri-Workout chest for an hour and then 30 minutes on the elliptical doing the same modes as the previous days

Sat-No lifting, cardio for 70 minutes with 40 on the stairclimber and 30 on the elliptical usually burning 700-750 calories

Sun-Off

When it comes to food here is what I eat

Breakfast- Egg white omelet with shredded american cheese and tomato, mushroom, onions, green peppers. 3 hard boiled egg whites (dont eat the yoke) and a bowl of quaker regular oatmeal with one spoonfull of brown sugar. I drink grapefruit juice with breakfast

Lunch-Skip it because I am sleeping

Dinner-(main course varies) NEVER fried anything only grilled or baked..but usually chicken breast strips with a little bit of shredded american yellow cheese and fat free ranch dressing, a very moderate amount all on a wheat tortilla wrap. I always eat a vegetable of some sort. Then possibly some form of starch like potato or something. I always eat desert with dinner because I moderate my meals enough and work hard enough so I can in moderation. For desert usually a 1/8 slice of pumpkin pie or something because I am addicted. to drink I have 1 diet coke

11pm I eat one cup of 2.1 oz dry (to go container thing) of frosted flakes

1am I eat one cup of 2.1 oz cheerios, not honey nut dry

I have a diet coke that I drink with each thing of cereal and then 4 litres of water per day mixed with crystal lite 0 calorie mix. at 3am I drink a protein shake 110 calories and then I workout at around 445am or so until 530 give or take

Tips-
try to avoid "white carbs" sugar, flower, white bread, pasta etc

do not ever, ever, ever, ever drink regular soda..all of it will kill you in the long run but at least diet wont make you fat

you can eat pretty much what you want in moderation..if you want to eat a piece of pie then you will have to cut accordingly..if you eat pie then the rest of your meals will have to be cut to make room for the extra calories

portion control..each portion should be about the size of your fist and should all be equal. the amount of meat you have should be equal to the amount of vegetable you have and the starch you have but should not exceed the size of your fist (small fist, i know you are a big guy)

do not snack and if you have to snack, snack on almonds a handfull of them, or something low calorie that is similiar

as for working out the key word is WORKing out, it is incredibly hard work and the trick is finding your bodies personal barrier and breaking through that barrier. With that being said, there is a difference between good pain and bad pain, if you are breaking yourself then slow down, if it hurts in your gut and your legs ache, that is normal. As far as I am concerned work through the pain, if you are on an elliptical and you stretched well before the workout and you are hydrated you are NOT going to hurt yourself, it is low impact and it is just your body trying to tell you to stop because it is weak, it is called a wall and every athlete faces it regardless.

That should pretty much do it for now, as i said I am not an expert so take this with a grain of salt but it is what works for me. Any specific questions I will be glad to help. My workout may not work for you but it does for me and I am a little bit more experienced to work a little harder so you may need to work up to it in increments.

If you have access to a pool...SWIM..it is the best workout you can do. I am a combat instructor or water survival and I try to swim a mile a day 3 days a week back in CONUS and water will shred fat like no other all while being a near zero impact activity.


ok my rant is done...this has got to be like the longest post EVER


p.s. I know cheese is bad but I am addicted to that as well so please no one tell me to leave it out because it is non negotiable, and I will fight for it

[deserteaglle]

But also, you know I don't agree with the guy who says don't waste your money on a trainer. It makes it alot easier to workout until you find what you need to be doing.

I am starting back once a week on thurs. I figure if once a week is all I can afford it is better than nothing and it always motivates me to workout on my own doing pushups, crunches, cardio etc.

[AP2B]

Originally Posted by USMC-SGT

Desert-

Id be happy to help you out a little with a few tips and tricks...i am NOT a certified personal trainer by any means but we are required to keep our fitness levels very high and I have been able to maintain 6% body fat for 4 years now.

I am not one of those skinny kids that was born without fat either, I have to work for every pound loss and before coming in i was 5'10" 197 lbs and 21% body fat and I am not 165lbs and 6%

Out here in Iraq my workout consist of this which works...

Mon- Workout back for one hour and then 30 minutes on the stairclimber on a middle level setting in "fat burn mode" that kicks my butt and I typically burn roughly 350-400 calories working hard

Tues-Workout triceps for one hour and then 30 minutes on the elliptical doing "fat burn mode" usually burning between 300-350 calories

Wed-Workout shoulders for one hour and then 30 minutes on a bike doing "fat burn mode" at a median setting (10 out of 20) burning around 300 calories

Thurs-Workout arms for one hour and then 15 minutes on the bike and then 15 minutes on treadmill (roughly 2.5 miles or so) this usually yields around 350 calories

Fri-Workout chest for an hour and then 30 minutes on the elliptical doing the same modes as the previous days

Sat-No lifting, cardio for 70 minutes with 40 on the stairclimber and 30 on the elliptical usually burning 700-750 calories

Sun-Off

When it comes to food here is what I eat

Breakfast- Egg white omelet with shredded american cheese and tomato, mushroom, onions, green peppers. 3 hard boiled egg whites (dont eat the yoke) and a bowl of quaker regular oatmeal with one spoonfull of brown sugar. I drink grapefruit juice with breakfast

Lunch-Skip it because I am sleeping

Dinner-(main course varies) NEVER fried anything only grilled or baked..but usually chicken breast strips with a little bit of shredded american yellow cheese and fat free ranch dressing, a very moderate amount all on a wheat tortilla wrap. I always eat a vegetable of some sort. Then possibly some form of starch like potato or something. I always eat desert with dinner because I moderate my meals enough and work hard enough so I can in moderation. For desert usually a 1/8 slice of pumpkin pie or something because I am addicted. to drink I have 1 diet coke

11pm I eat one cup of 2.1 oz dry (to go container thing) of frosted flakes

1am I eat one cup of 2.1 oz cheerios, not honey nut dry

I have a diet coke that I drink with each thing of cereal and then 4 litres of water per day mixed with crystal lite 0 calorie mix. at 3am I drink a protein shake 110 calories and then I workout at around 445am or so until 530 give or take

Tips-
try to avoid "white carbs" sugar, flower, white bread, pasta etc

do not ever, ever, ever, ever drink regular soda..all of it will kill you in the long run but at least diet wont make you fat

you can eat pretty much what you want in moderation..if you want to eat a piece of pie then you will have to cut accordingly..if you eat pie then the rest of your meals will have to be cut to make room for the extra calories

portion control..each portion should be about the size of your fist and should all be equal. the amount of meat you have should be equal to the amount of vegetable you have and the starch you have but should not exceed the size of your fist (small fist, i know you are a big guy)

do not snack and if you have to snack, snack on almonds a handfull of them, or something low calorie that is similiar

as for working out the key word is WORKing out, it is incredibly hard work and the trick is finding your bodies personal barrier and breaking through that barrier. With that being said, there is a difference between good pain and bad pain, if you are breaking yourself then slow down, if it hurts in your gut and your legs ache, that is normal. As far as I am concerned work through the pain, if you are on an elliptical and you stretched well before the workout and you are hydrated you are NOT going to hurt yourself, it is low impact and it is just your body trying to tell you to stop because it is weak, it is called a wall and every athlete faces it regardless.

That should pretty much do it for now, as i said I am not an expert so take this with a grain of salt but it is what works for me. Any specific questions I will be glad to help. My workout may not work for you but it does for me and I am a little bit more experienced to work a little harder so you may need to work up to it in increments.

If you have access to a pool...SWIM..it is the best workout you can do. I am a combat instructor or water survival and I try to swim a mile a day 3 days a week back in CONUS and water will shred fat like no other all while being a near zero impact activity.


ok my rant is done...this has got to be like the longest post EVER


p.s. I know cheese is bad but I am addicted to that as well so please no one tell me to leave it out because it is non negotiable, and I will fight for it

BRAVO!

[AP2B]

Desert, your body needs to be an efficient energy burning machine. That IS NOT accomplished by eating three times a day. How you eat is just as important as working out. You have to do it, and you will eventually enjoy it.

I suggest you(or anyone else)read this book.



I played sports in high school, ran, and went through training in the Army. I NEVER came close to being in the kind of shape I got into with this book. It's a very inspiring book. I ate whatever I wanted though and watched portions. After awhile I didn't want to eat bad unhealthy food.

I recommend this book if you don't know where to begin. It tells the science behind it all too. Makes perfect sense after you read it.

If you want I could PM you pics of before and after, or you could just trust me on this one.

[deserteaglle]

He brings up a good point. When I worked out all the time I used to say pretty often, "I don't eat anything that comes out of a bag." The unhealthy stuff wasn't even appealing to me, but then I worked myself back into it andnow I can eat sour cream and cheddar chips with the best of em'.lol

[ajf005]

One thing ive tried that has gotten me some success is instead of eating 3 main meals a day I do about 4 small ones. Ive heard that eating smaller amounts throughout the day keeps your metabolism going, the key is to stop eating once you are full and not to finish whats on your plate or to stuff yourself like you're at a Vegas buffett. I dont know the exact details of how it works but its something like your body doesn't need all the calories from a regular meal so it stores the extras where as eating throughout the day keeps the body going at a consistent rate so it doesnt store as much excess. Ive been doing this and about 20 min of cardio on top of lifting weights for 2 months now and have dropped about 5 lbs. Im 5'11 168 so theres not too much else to lose but I think it would also work for someone else with alittle extra girth. I usually skip breakfast eat a sandwich with baked chips and bean dip(surprising healthy, check the back of the can) around 11, eat again around 2, eat again about 5 then again about 8. Chicken and fish are good meats b/c they have low saturated(bad) fat so I try to eat a lot of it. Dieting doesnt have to be torture, you can cheat just in small amounts. The 99 cent Sonic banana splits can cure an ice cream craving but if I endulge Ill do some extra cardio to make up for it. Just track how much carbs and fat you take in and keep it under control.

[Kristie]

Originally Posted by USMC-SGT

p.s. I know cheese is bad but I am addicted to that as well so please no one tell me to leave it out because it is non negotiable, and I will fight for it

are you a cheesehead? I'm like that too.. i'll cut other things out, but not hte cheese!!!!

all good suggestions, i might add! I'm working on the same thing myself and so far, so good....I actually put more weight into the exercising thing than i do the eating thing...and I've gotta admit that the elliptical really makes a difference when your knees aren't working with you! i've cut my portions down, but not really "what i eat yet" and i've cut my cokes down to 1 per day, my chai tea latte's down to twice per week and the rest is all water or propel (cuz it's yummy!).

[amorris311]

two words JOHN BASEDOW or whatever that blonde haired freaks name is. i find when i need to snack i eat sun flower seeds. i know it is a lot of salt but drink lots of water and you will be fine. also look at the ingredients at the stuff u buy if you cnat pronounce it then odds are it isnt good for you. go to a whole foods and load up. i would seek the nutritionist personally since working out takes mind power that a lot of people dont have. i personally enjoy running and i weigh well over 300 pounds. do what is comfortable and enjoyable if it isnt you wont do it or you wont do it well. best of luck and keep us posted.

[aloft]

Originally Posted by ajf005

the key is to stop eating once you are full and not to finish whats on your plate

My mom is convinced that's the cause of my weight difficulties; I spent one summer with my grandparents when I was 8-ish and my grandfather was brutal about me eating everything on my plate.

[Bandit_Driver]

Originally Posted by aloft

My mom is convinced that's the cause of my weight difficulties; I spent one summer with my grandparents when I was 8-ish and my grandfather was brutal about me eating everything on my plate.

I hear that. I was raised the same way. It was the end of the world to my parents if I didn't finish my plate.

[TheWife]

I haven't really checked out much on this website but I have friends who really like it. www.sparkpeople.com (It's free, helps track cals, gives meal ideas, etc.)

I lost all my baby weight the first time around by changing all my foods to low fat or fat free versions. Like mayo, sour cream, cream cheese, milk, etc. Anything that can be bought in lower fat versions, I do. Making that change, and eating a lot of veggies, is all I did the first time. The second time it's been harder, I continue to eat low fat versions of food, and a lot of veggies, but added 20 minutes on the treadmill 5 days a week and this time replaced bread products w/ whole wheat products, and I use www.nutrisystem.com to track cals (also free, you don't have to eat their food, I just use the food journal.) I am below my pre-baby #2 weight. If you do it right, it's a slow process and sometimes you go weeks w/ no results and then suddenly a few pounds drop.

If you have a specific goal, like say you want to lose 20 pounds in 3 months, or something, then you will have to be much more disciplined and have a stronger will power, and then plan on losing about 2 pounds per week at most. You shouldn't try to lose any faster then that or it tends to come back faster if you have a slip up. If you don't have a goal, just make it a lifestyle change and then be as casual or aggressive as you want.

To lose a pound a week, that's 3500 calories you need to eliminate. That's 500 a day. It's probably easiest to reduce your diet by about 400 cals a day, and then exercise to burn another 100. Then you can work your way up from there w/ the exercise. Start slow so you don't get burned out or injured. Double that to burn 2 pounds a week.

I only drink water also. I used to drink pop before getting pregnant, but I knew it wasn't healthy especially durning pregnancy, so I stopped and haven't had any in the last 5 years. I think most pops are about 200 cals, so even one a day can really make you go over your calorie limit. And I'd rather waste calories on a super yummy dessert than a beverage lol.

Many veggies are "negative calorie" foods. Meaning, it burns more calories to consume it then you take in by eating it. So you can literally eat all the cucumbers, broccoli, carrots, etc. that you want. (Unless you are adding butter or salt of course.) You really need at least 5 servings a day, but the more the better. Just add veggies to everything you eat. Fruit is good too of course, but it has a lot of sugar so you can't eat as much of it as you can veggies.

I can't think of anything else, I probably repeated a lot of what was already said but oh well. Good luck! It's important to be in good health!

[dbrault17]

Prepare as many meals before hand as you can. This way you can pay attention on calories, fats, carbs, etc. and then when it comes time all you have to do is open up a paper bag. My entire fridge was stocked with paper bags labeled breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack. Usually I would spend a couple of hours bagging and cooking everything once a week.

[ladi]

I lost 25 pounds, by slowly changing my diet and eating habits. The loss was slow, but that was fine. It has not come back on in almost a year. I still have 25 more I need to lose, but for some reason my mind mindset has not gotten back where it needs to be.

Hey, you quit smoking, you can do ANYTHING!!! That deserves a a big pat on the back.

The first thing I did was quit eating late in the evening. Then, got rid of the debbie cakes! Starting eating more raw fruits and veggies.

AND most of all WATER, WATER , WATER. Drink at least a gallon a day.

You said ya have trouble with your knees, get some good walking shoes, and get a treadmill.

In the comfort of your own home, it is wonderful!! No one watching, crank up the music and walk, walk walk. Start as slow as ya want, and speed up w/ what you are most comfortable with, and do not over do it. Keep your heart rate in check,(most treadmills will have one) Find out what your target rate is for your size and age, and keep it up for 20 minutes, that will burn fat faster.

OK, I have talked myself back to the weight loss too.

Best to ya!

ladi

[Texguy]

Originally Posted by ladi

Hey, you quit smoking, you can do ANYTHING!!!

Generally the key always seems to be to move around more and take in fewer calories.

Does drinking more water really help to make you feel more full?

[TheWife]

Yes! If I start to feel a little hungry and it's like an hour before food time, I drink a whole glass of water and then I feel full until it's time. I eat 3 small meals and 2 snacks a day, every 3 hours or so basically. And also gum is great if you like it, since most treats and munchies taste gross if your mouth is minty. So if I am around somewhere that has a lot of chocolate or something, I just chew some gum so I won't start snacking on the treats. I am going to invent chocolate calorie free gum, it's going to make me millions, just you wait and see! LOL.