OT: New Year Weight Loss Program

[New Mutant]

You're such a beautiful man, Wood.  Thanks for this.  Heading to MyFitnessPal with the quickness...!

[phh]

Everyone has their own process, and I think you need to find a system that works for you. All I can tell you is what I went through, which seems to have worked, and worked quickly, and was signed off on by my lovely wife who is a biologist by trade (before becoming a mom, her new trade) and a yoga instructor (to keep herself sane, not exactly the kind of gig that pays many bills ).

1) Every person is different
2) With that, comes different metabolisms
3) It really is as simple as eating fewer calories than your body is used to, but not fewer than it requires to function
4) One of the hardest things for most folks is figuring out what their baseline metabolism is
5) Ergo, track your dietary intake

Thanks for your encouraging words, mr. Wood.

In pseudo code.

IF ( CALORIES[in] >= CALORIES[out] ) THEN {
 WEIGHT = WEIGHT + DIFFERENCE
} ELSE {
 WEIGHT = WEIGHT - DIFFERENCE
}

(Small question... My woman is biologist, also, what kind is your?)

[Wood]

Thanks for your encouraging words, mr. Wood.

In pseudo code.

IF ( CALORIES[in] >= CALORIES[out] ) THEN {
 WEIGHT = WEIGHT + DIFFERENCE
} ELSE {
 WEIGHT = WEIGHT - DIFFERENCE
}

(Small question... My woman is biologist, also, what kind is your?)

Rock out for the hottie scientist spouses! 

She spent most of her career conducting clinical trials for large pharmaceutical companies, mainly in the treatment of HPV and HCV (and a little HIV stuff, too).

[Alejandroh]

Everyone has their own process, and I think you need to find a system that works for you. All I can tell you is what I went through, which seems to have worked, and worked quickly, and was signed off on by my lovely wife who is a biologist by trade (before becoming a mom, her new trade) and a yoga instructor (to keep herself sane, not exactly the kind of gig that pays many bills ).

1) Every person is different
2) With that, comes different metabolisms
3) It really is as simple as eating fewer calories than your body is used to, but not fewer than it requires to function
4) One of the hardest things for most folks is figuring out what their baseline metabolism is
5) Ergo, track your dietary intake

I started keeping a detailed food diary. That's been a long-time tool for serious nutritionists and dietitians for ages, but the advent of the web has made it far more accessible to layman. There are some fantastic premium programs out there that not only provide you with a food diary web app, but also support services (some also provide counseling, meal plans, etc...) and you should check them all out to see what level of extra help/encouragement you want/need.

For me, a simple online diary was enough, and I use MyFitnessPal: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/home

It's pretty rudimentary but it works wonders for me. It has just about any food (including many brand names and restaurant offerings) you could imagine and the interface is intuitive. Your mileage may vary but I love it.

I kept a diary of what I ate and drank and started noticing what my "normal" levels were. Not surprisingly, WAY too many calories, WAY too many carbs, not enough protein.

Slowly but surely I started adjusting what I ate.

Smaller portions.
Not eating after 8 pm under any circumstances.
Gorging on veggies (they fill you up!).
Really saying "no" to carbs on the regular (pasta is a treat much like double chocolate cake would be).

And...quickly, the weight start flowing off.

And I wasn't hungry.

63 pounds in 5 months.

And I wasn't hungry.

Now granted I also exercise, BUT the other important thing to remember is that one misstep doesn't derail things. My problem with diets like Atkins or other gimmicks is that they set up this arbitrary and unsustainable body chemistry. Your body LITERALLY can't survive in a state of ketosis for long. I've seen so many people do an Atkins, brag about the weight flying off while they're gorging on steak and high cholesterol protein, and then they binge one weekend and totally throw their body out of ketosis and then give up, putting the weight back on.

The great thing about a food diary is it forces you to be honest with yourself. It's all there for you to see. Are you eating 1,900 calories a day and having 250 grams of carbs but still not losing weight? Then you need to reduce further. Are you starving yourself with 800 calories and 100 grams of carbs a day? Well that feeling of hunger is your body saying you are literally starving yourself...you've got to raise your intake and realize that starvation is the fastest way to put the weight back on whenever you stop.

But back to the "missteps." Alan, you ate french fries. OK, no biggie. Just do what you did my friend! Eat great the next meal. Work out. And every meal is a new chance. Getting fit and healthy is a cumulative thing.

Over the last six months I've had tons of meals that were way overblown and unhealthy. I ate a 3,000 calorie plate of food with Chris in Chicago after a night of binge drinking, which came a day after eating french fries covered in butter and mayonnaise. I weighed 200 pounds then. Did that freak me out? Hell no, because I knew I would be right back into my disciplined new way of eating on Monday. And then the weight started coming off again.

Stay focused.
Stay true -- DON'T neglect to input your bad days in the diary. They are there to remind you of what you need to do and how it differs from what you did.
Stay positive.

 

Wood, you are an inspiration. Thank you. I gotta get on this.

[Jeff B.]

I am in, I need to get back in shape.  Actually hit the treadmill the other day for the first time in a while and am getting back into a running routine.  About 6-7 years ago I lost 90+ pounds and slowly over the years have gained it all back.     Not playing sports anymore killed me after college.  So I am starting over again.  Now that I have a little girl I want to be as healthy as possible.

Hopefully anyone else in the struggle can lean on me and vice versa if you feel like giving up.  But lets all be a little healthier in 2010 

[phh]

I am in, I need to get back in shape.  Actually hit the treadmill the other day for the first time in a while and am getting back into a running routine.  About 6-7 years ago I lost 90+ pounds and slowly over the years have gained it all back.     Not playing sports anymore killed me after college.  So I am starting over again.  Now that I have a little girl I want to be as healthy as possible.

Hopefully anyone else in the struggle can lean on me and vice versa if you feel like giving up.  But lets all be a little healthier in 2010 

Awesome! Getting back on the horse can be difficult. I am also trying weight loss for my girls. How old is yours? What sport were your sport in collage?

Welcome on board...

[Farrell]

Great post, Wood.  I'm going to try MyFitnessPal.

Not eating after 8 pm under any circumstances.

There's one of my biggest problems.  My excuse has always been my schedule, which has often had me working or traveling through the evening hours, and getting home late, not having eaten since the early afternoon.  Retail, you know.  It's no longer the case, but it's a pattern I picked up, and I need to shake it.

The other thing is I don't eat any breakfast, which I've heard is bad too (something about activated metabolism, and being so hungry later causing poor choices).  I'm going to try to change that bit by bit.  I'm eating some applesauce now.

[Wood]

Great post, Wood.  I'm going to try MyFitnessPal.

There's one of my biggest problems.  My excuse has always been my schedule, which has often had me working or traveling through the evening hours, and getting home late, not having eaten since the early afternoon.  Retail, you know.  It's no longer the case, but it's a pattern I picked up, and I need to shake it.

The other thing is I don't eat any breakfast, which I've heard is bad too (something about activated metabolism, and being so hungry later causing poor choices).  I'm going to try to change that bit by bit.  I'm eating some applesauce now.

I used to never eat breakfast and my wife would say, "You have to break the fast!" She was right. As usual.

[New Mutant]

I blanche at the idea of no breakfast. What?! My big tummy would kick my ass if I dared not eat after I woke up.  It's all "FEED ME SEYMO'!!"

MyFitnessPal demanded I account for breakfast!  It even had the Starbucks PerfectOatmeal in its menu for me to click on.  It told me how many calories to eat per day and it's talking about them carbs and proteins and all sorts of whatnot.  I'm almost done with my first .5L of daily agua.  How the hell much is "a glass of water" anyway?  8 ounces?  So how many ounces is in (1PT, 0.9 FL OZ)?

[nilcam]

I'm in.

I dropped 15 pounds in fat and gained 5 in muscle in 2009. I made some radical changes to my diet including increasing the good fat. If your body gets no fat, it holds onto fat. I need to increase my whole wheat to balance my diet better. I cut out 90% of soda consumption, switching to organic teas instead. I also drink 4 times as much water as I used to.

My goal is to get down to 200 pounds. I am 6'1" and weigh 220. I was 230 early last March. I am increasing my cardio workout to 40 minutes 3 times a week, adding more stretching exercises to my regime and laying off the weights and such. I use an Air Stepper at home which is a stair stepper with resistance bands and find that's perfect for me. Going to the gym did not work out because 1) I had to plan it out and 2) too many naked fat men. Instead, I pop in a DVD or Netflix stream and workout while being entertained.

It's very important to find out what works for you. You can lose a ton of weight by changing eating habits, alone. You'll notice a serious difference in the way you feel when you switch from pre-packaged to natural foods. Beware of HFCS; it's in almost everything, including bread. The government has a good site that will help you eat healthier: http://www.mypyramid.gov/.

[New Mutant]

I used to never eat breakfast and my wife would say, "You have to break the fast!" She was right. As usual.

Ha!

Lady Woooode: "You must break the fast, milord!  I prithee let it not be so!  The bedchamber doth rumble so with the plaints of thy belly.  Do you not fancy a bit of this cheese? Come let me sliceth from this wheel. Recline milord, and I shall feed it thee.  Let not the slatternly wenches at thy office abuse my wifely skill under their breath!"

[Wood]

Ha!

Lady Woooode: "You must break the fast, milord!  I prithee let it not be so!  The bedchamber doth rumble so with the plaints of thy belly.  Do you not fancy a bit of this cheese? Come let me sliceth from this wheel. Recline milord, and I shall feed it thee.  Let not the slatternly wenches at thy office abuse my wifely skill under their breath!"

 

[Jeff B.]

Awesome! Getting back on the horse can be difficult. I am also trying weight loss for my girls. How old is yours? What sport were your sport in collage?

Welcome on board...

thanks man, it is a little difficult.  She is 18 months.  What about yours?

I played football and lacrosse, it was at a small DIII school in Mass, nothing special.  But it had me exercising in the spring and fall and it really helped to keep the weight off.  After that ended it has always been a struggle to stay in shape.


Wood's post was right, its about making a lifestyle change and not chasing a fad.  That is how I did it before, I am looking forward to getting back into the routine.

[ryan]

signed up for the myfitnesspal, WOO! lets get this shit started.

when i met my wife, 3 years ago, i was a "slim" 200 at 6'2" and have slowly and surely made it up to 286 over the years. with a baby on the way next month its time to get my shit back together. hell, i used to fit into one of those biking onesees while on the cycling club back in college. what the F happened to that guy 

[Wood]

signed up for the myfitnesspal, WOO! lets get this shit started.

when i met my wife, 3 years ago, i was a "slim" 200 at 6'2" and have slowly and surely made it up to 286 over the years. with a baby on the way next month its time to get my shit back together. hell, i used to fit into one of those biking onesees while on the cycling club back in college. what the F happened to that guy 

He's a few disciplined months away from showing back up!

I weigh the same now that I did when I met my wife 15 years ago. 7 months ago I was obese (by clinical standards). All it takes is focus, commitment and encouragement. 

[Mike Smith]

I just signed up for myfitnesspal.  Thanks Wood.  I weighed myself in at 220 lbs.  Not good for someone who is 5'9".   Added my breakfast in and was so easy to use.  Going to have to hit the stationary bike (currently used to hang clothes on ) tonight.  

[New Mutant]

Should we all friend up on MyFitnessPal? I guess it lets us see what each other is adding--dunno if it lets us leve comments to one another.

I had a big-ass chicken leg and rice & kidney beans, Jamaican home-cooked style for lunch.  Now I'm craving sugar.  Feels like reflex--like a cigarette is supposed to follow beer (I imagine).

I projected having a Caramel Apple Spice drink from Starbucks and instead of going "NOINK NOINK NOIK!" and setting off alarms, it just subtracted the calories from my daily intake goal.  I need more water.

Mood: shaky.  Giant-sized blow pops are dancing in my minds eye right now.

[Matt H.O.W.L.]

Should we all friend up on MyFitnessPal?

If we can, I will. I just joined. 

[Dave A]

I had a big-ass chicken leg and rice & kidney beans, Jamaican home-cooked style for lunch.  Now I'm craving sugar.  Feels like reflex--like a cigarette is supposed to follow beer (I imagine).

It is reflex... but cutting back doesn't mean you have to give up sweets. As a type 1 diabetic with a sweet tooth, I'll tell you it's not nearly as hard as you might think to satisfy that craving without going overboard.

Some of the things I do:

--Keep long-lasting, low-cal, simple sugars handy. Stuff like lifesavers, gobstoppers, jolly ranchers, that kinda thing. Something you can spend a few minutes sucking on without it having any significant effect on your overall diet.

--For special treats, buy small. Stocking stuffer chocolates and candy bars... one little mini-snickers or Lindt chocolate usually does the trick for getting some sweetness on my tongue.

--Incorporate healthy sweet foods into the meal. Sweet potatoes, fruits, raisins, peanut butter, honey, that kinda stuff. If I eat a meal with any of those in it, I usually don't feel much urge to go beyond the meal into dessert.

[New Mutant]

It is reflex... but cutting back doesn't mean you have to give up sweets. As a type 1 diabetic with a sweet tooth, I'll tell you it's not nearly as hard as you might think to satisfy that craving without going overboard.

Some of the things I do:

--Keep long-lasting, low-cal, simple sugars handy. Stuff like lifesavers, gobstoppers, jolly ranchers, that kinda thing. Something you can spend a few minutes sucking on without it having any significant effect on your overall diet.

--For special treats, buy small. Stocking stuffer chocolates and candy bars... one little mini-snickers or Lindt chocolate usually does the trick for getting some sweetness on my tongue.

--Incorporate healthy sweet foods into the meal. Sweet potatoes, fruits, raisins, peanut butter, honey, that kinda stuff. If I eat a meal with any of those in it, I usually don't feel much urge to go beyond the meal into dessert.

I'ma have to do this with a quickness then because I'm about to raid the UFCK out of this candy trolley that they use my office to hide it in.  Right now I'm buying the water off it, and it helps that they keep the candy under a cardboard box -- but I know what's under there.  Thank God Blow Pops are not.

I learned how to friend on FitnessBuddy.  You have to look up the member then you get a clicky embedded in a "Do You Want To...?" sentence.

Mike Smith found me, he's mwsmith135

And I? I am NewMutant.