Okay, I get asked this question CONSTANTLY! So, I decided to start a thread so I can answer all of your questions in one shot!
I started on January 9th, 2005. In the beginning, I did a lot of reading on fitness, healthy lifestyles, and losing weight. I joined fitday.com and logged what I ate and all the exercise that I did every day. In time, it became easier for me to control what I ate, so I stopped it....didn't want to become crazy about calorie counting!! I went out and bought myself some exercise DVD's. I exercised 5-6 times a week, mostly giving myself time off on Saturdays and Sundays. It was really hard at first...my face would get beet-red and I would get killer headaches. But, I stuck with it.
For breakfast, I would have a bowl of cereal and then a couple of hours later I would have a low-fat or fat-free yogurt. For lunch, I would eat a sandwich or a bowl of soup with a peice of wheat bread, or a Lean Cuisine. My fiance usually always cooks dinner, so I made him start to cook more healthy things. If he was going to make something that I considered fattening or unhealthy, I would just eat a lean cuisine. If he wants to fry something, like fish, he would just broil mine. I make sure I eat a big salad before dinner. For a snack, if I want a snack, I'll eat fruit or Quaker rice snacks. The caramel corn ones are the best! I don't totally deprive myself though. We still order pizza once or twice a week and I always get mushrooms on mine. The pizza never affected my weight. I've treated myself to ice-cream twice since January. And I've had chinese food twice since January.
The big thing though was just that I got moving instead of laying on the couch all the time. I stopped snacking constantly. I don't eat fried things anymore, no fast-food, absolutely no junk-food. No candy, candy-bars, I rarely eat cheese anymore (I used to be a cheese-aholic), I only drink diet soda/diet drinks. I do eat nuts (peanuts) though...they may have a lot of fat in them, but it's good fat that your body needs.
I also looked at it as a lifestyle change and not a diet. I did it this way, instead of following a specific diet, because I know that in order for me to lose the weight and keep it off, I had to teach myself how to eat. And it worked.
It is possible to lose the weight without weight-loss surgery or a fad diet. It is possible to lose the weight without cutting entire food groups or nutrients out of your diet. It can be done....you just have to really WANT to do it for YOURSELF.
Now, I'm in no way saying that this is going to work for everyone. We all have different body types, therefore we all lose weight at different paces. I just wasn't meant to be fat and my body let me know it!
You meant 86 pounds, though...yes? (just judging from your signature).
Basically - it all comes down to lifestyle changes. PERMANENT lifestyle changes. Instead of going for temporary fad diets, to lose the weight *and keep it off* you need to eat and exercise in a fashion that you KNOW you can sustain for life.
A year ago today I reached my “goal weight” of 135 pounds, after starting at 257 pounds less than a year earlier. In the past year, my weight has fluctuated up and down in a 10 pound range (132 to 142), usually for no particular reason (I think it’s my metabolism settling in at my new weight). It generally stays in the 134 to 137 range. Today I weigh … 135.
At first, I was thinking that it had been a wasted year because I ended up at the same weight that I started. Then I realized that I have never before maintained ANY weight for a year, let alone a “normal” weight. It’s the classic “is the glass half empty or half full” situation — would I like to weigh less? Sure. Am I glad I don't weight more? Absolutely!
So I had to stop and think of what has changed over the past year, if not the scale (and I will be the first to admit that I am WAY too hung up on those numbers!). A year ago, my body fat % was 16%. Today it is somewhere between 12.5 and 14% (depending on the measurement). So I’ve gained muscle and lost fat. My calves are finally getting smaller (my fattest body part by far — when my trainer does the nine-point BF on me, everything is single digits except my darn calves, but they are slowly going down). My size 4 pants are loose on me — some are a little too loose. I’m stronger and run now. The changes are small, but there, nonetheless.
So this led me to reflect on the lessons that I’ve learned in the past year (when I was doing cardio yesterday, of course!) and I had some thoughts that I’d like to share:
Maintenance is harder than losing: I heard this when I was losing weight and I thought “You’ve got to be kidding! What could be easier than maintaining your weight?” Believe it and prepare for it — it’s true. I have the utmost respect and admiration for anyone -- like our Karen -- who has lost AND KEPT OFF (for 12+ years!) a significant amount of weight.
Maintenance doesn’t look any different than losing: I eat the same foods in pretty much the same quantities, work out just as intensely and often, and do as much cardio. I may eat 100-200 more calories per day — that’s it. You have to run hard just to stay in place.
I’m addicted to exercise: Hurray! Without a doubt, exercise (cardio and weights) has been the key to me losing and keeping off 122 pounds.
I still have food cravings: I fight the food demons every day — they haven’t magically disappeared.
I screw up: I eat something unplanned, feel guilty, and the scale inevitably will go up. But — I stop. I haven’t “binged” for more than a 15 minute stretch at a time and have never let it turn into a day or longer.
No one can make me fat again except for me: The great truth -- only I control the hand that puts the food in my mouth.
I recognize my problem times and try to create a strategy: Mine are when I am over-hungry or over-tired. I have to be sure never to let myself get too hungry or else I can’t ever get full. When I’m really tired, I lose all will-power. My worst days have been the ones when I’ve gotten almost no sleep the night before.
I still plan and weigh and measure: I use Fitday.com and plan my meals the night before and write down everything that I eat. I weigh and measure portions simply because I know that I underestimate when I am hungry. I make lists of strategies of what to do when I am tempted to eat the wrong food. I still need this control over my eating just like I did when I was losing.
Excess skin is a problem that does not magically go away: I ended up having plastic surgery to get rid of some of the huge amount of skin that was left over after my weight loss and will need more. I am more than thrilled with the results.
Self-talk is critical: 98% of weight loss and maintenance happens in your head, I think, and you have to talk yourself through all the challenges that each day presents. Every day I wake up and tell myself it's going to be a great day (and, hey, it usually is!)
People treat you differently when you have lost a lot of weight: I have lost friends and gained friends and my DH has been alternately perplexed and alarmed and thrilled.
Clothes shopping is so much more fun: At first I was unthinkingly buying clothes in the styles that I had previously worn until I realized that I could wear shirts tucked in and little crop tops and sleeveless etc. So then I swore that I would never again wear pants with elastic waists (except for gym pants) or sensible underwear or T-shirts to cover my butt. Scratch the surface and I’m the one in the fuchsia lace!
Having this group to turn to for support is priceless!
I’ve made it for 365 days. I’ve been through Christmas and Thanksgiving, my birthday, two surgeries, and a bad mammogram without turning to food for comfort or celebration.
So here’s to another year, one day at a time!
Meg
And like I said in My Big Weight Loss Secret - there's no secret - the power is all within US individually - just got to stop making excuses for NOT doing it and follow the Nike motto of *just do it*.
I wanted to check back in after being absent for a couple of years. I use to moderate the Men's corner here and I am sorry it is no longer here. Possibly it can come back.
I was around 330lbs in 2000-2001. I got down to 220ish range in 2003. Sadly I let habits slip. I have to say that the beginning post in this thread was almost exactly what I did to lose weight.
For whatever reason I got lazy...really. I am not a foodaholic but I was making the easy (fast food, fried) choices. Well I am back to taking control. I got married to a wonderful lady last Thanksgiving and we want to have kids soon.
I just turned 40 a couple of weeks ago and I want to be around for a long time. So I am back and fully motivated and I will not let things slip again. Fortunately (if you can all it that) I am at around 270lbs now not 330. I am going to shoot for a slow and steady weight loss and try to get to 250lbs by the end of this year and then to 220 by the end of next summer.
And I WILL make it.
Cheers
Last edited by diamondgeog; 07-14-2005 at 03:17 PM.
I know you can do it. I think a men's forum would be a fabulous idea--after all, while we women think you men have it so easy (my husband has lost 10 lbs to my 5) you have unique challenges of your own.
My husband's mini goal is 250 by Christmas and probably right around 200-220 by summer of next year--just like you.
Perhaps if a mens forum is reintroduced, I should introduce my husband to 3FC?
Yes the Men's corner was cool. It wasn't only just men but women supporting their men and questions from everyone. And there are differences. Yesterday I did 13 'guy' pushups as my wife calls them. She has to do pushups with her knees on the ground.
I do not want to hijack this thread in any way since it is always AWESOME to see someone have such a great success and to share how they did it.
I will say that for me and maybe because I am a guy when I think of exercise I think both of cardiovascular AND some kind of strength training. Strength training is great because it is very dense and thus you lose volume and the biggest thing is that a muscle cells burns the most energy of any kind of cell thus you lose or regulate your weight better with more muscle. I am sure you all know this. I will say that you do not need any fancy equipment for strength training. Your own body provides weight for great upper body work and then a couple of exercise bands/ and or dumbells and you are good to go for many other areas. You do NOT need any fancy gym equipment.
Last edited by diamondgeog; 07-14-2005 at 03:17 PM.
Yeah, forget the fancy gym equipment! I love the outdoors, so I jog/walk (instead of the treadmill!). I do push-ups, leg-lifts (while lying down), crunches, and I have a set of 6lb. weights that I use. I also do those exercises where you sit on the edge of a chair, with your legs out in front of you, then use your arms to raise and lower yourself (works the tri-ceps). I do squats, and butt raises with my legs on a chair. There's SO many exercises that you can do just using your own body and things around the house!!!
Yeah, how bout it! I have about $10,000 in medical debt that I just decided to pay off in SMALL payments instead of declaring bankruptcy. Plus, I live in a 2 bedroom apartment with my fiance and our 3 "kids" (cats), so there's no way I would have any room to set up workout equipment. I'm lucky if I have enough room to do an exercise DVD! LOL
Hi, everyone
I'm new, and your posts have really gave me some extra motivation. Lord knows I need all I can get. I have a long way to go, and I've been trying to get there for years. Hopefully, this is it. Thanks!!!
What kind of exercise tapes? Cuz.... like the ones i have really suck. and don't do much of anything. I wanna get a tape that is like up and dancing like ok i'm going to say it. like maybe richard simmons or something lol my cousin did that tape and she had a good work out. Does anyone have one of his?
I have a RS Dance Your Pants Off -- it's a lot of fun. It really is. I also have a kickboxing DVD from Kathy Smith. I have two Walk Away the Pounds from Leslie Sansone as well as a Tae Bo tape. I've rented a few more and will try those out. There is just something about Billy Blanks--I just really get into his workouts. If you want a review of video tapes you can go to www.collagevideo.com or www.videofitness.com -- good, solid websites.
cemetarysiren, how long are your workout sessions in a day? Do you also add walking? I totally agree with you when you say that its not a diet but a lifestyle change. I started with the Dr. Phil diet and ended up giving up but I did stick to the meal plan though. For breakfast I usually have a bowl of fiber cereal then I have 2 scrambled eggs 2 hour later then for lunch I'll have a small soup with bread. Dinner is only meat and veggies. The reason my diet sounds like its alot is b/c I breastfeed.
What I get hung up on is the exercising. So if you can give me some pointers.
How I lost 96 pounds in five months!
So, I decided to start a thread so I can answer all of your questions in one shot! 
