Roderick’s post encouraged me to work on my overweight problem AS FROM TODAY. I weighed myself just now = 107kg. My ideal weight is 95kg, so I want to shed 12kg and my target date is 15th of October. I’m on a low GI diet and I’ve already lost 2kg since I started 2 weeks ago. I’ve also started training again on my stationary bike and will start riding my road bike as from Monday. Now I want to ask all members who also want to get in shape, to please join the “club”. If possible, and if the moderators and other members don’t mind, I would like us to build up a support group. Members who would like to participate can post their goals/targets here and we can then report back on our progress once a week. We can also share tips of what to do when the cravings start etc. What do you think about this?
Well, I really want to lose weight, and improve my health. I have metabolic syndrome, wich is similar to diabetes, with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar… and in the obese range. I’ll weigh myself today, my usual weight has been in the 230’s in pounds, but my clothes are already more loose now since I started this approach on Monday. My goal is 180. My food strategy is what I call the “no crack plan”, as what affects my conditions is the refined carbs, so I am eliminating bread, pasta, sugar, as well as starchy veges like potatos. Mainly eating meat, and some low-GI veges. I do drink coffee and diet sodas. I’ve been battling my weight/health for years, but usually fail due to my addiction to these hi-GI carbs, which I need to break, and de-insulinate my body. I also don’t want to have to take a boat load of medications and have endless doctor bills, while my health, vision, gums, etc deteriorate from excess insulin from eating hi-GI carbs.
I’ve been doing the treadmill 3-4 times/week for 30 minutes since November, cutting back on starches/carbs (everything white…no racial overtones intended), and have lost about 10 lbs and an inch off my waistline since the first of the year. Like smoking, I find snuff use actually curbs my appetite to a degree. But eating less is not good because the body will begin to store fat if it thinks it is not getting enough nutrition. Increasing metabolism through excercise and eating properly is the way to go.
Well for breakfast I had a boiled egg, and 3 sausage links. For lunch I had 2 hot dogs cut down the middle with some canned chili dog sauce, with jalapenos and shredded cheese, and dinner is baked unbreaded fish, and sauteed zuchini and mushrooms, a couple of diet sodas, some water, coffee this morning, and some pork rinds as a snack.
I’m really bad when it comes to drinking water. I enjoy many cups of coffee per day but never any water. I’m not feeling well today because I ate 10 samoosas for lunch yesterday! I had some toast with Marmite and Rooibos tea now and I’m going to call it a day. I don’t even feel like snuffing, so it’s really bad. Needless to say, I had no chocolates or other sweets either.
95kg optimal? Holy cow,how tall are you Pieter?
I’m 1.84m and well built. I’ve been cycling for ages and because of that, my legs are, well…thick! I have quite a large bone structure with big hands and thick arms. People normally don’t believe me when I tell them my weight because I don’t really look fat. Problem is I’ve developed a “tube” around my belly which is not very “beneficial” for riding a road bike!! To be taller than 6 foot and weigh a shade over 200lbs is not so bad or what do you think!!!
Well, I’m 5’7" and 230ish pounds(last I weighed). I wanna get around 180 lbs. Sorry I don’t know metric.
Sounds like your pretty fit to me pieter.
Yeah you sound like your in a good weight bracket their Pieter, I’m between 6’ 4" & 6’ 5" and weigh between 240-250. Yeah I’m ‘fat’ but it doesn’t bother me.
You can carry it when you are tall. I’m 5’8" and 15 stone which makes me roughly the shape of a beach ball. Im also far too lazy to do the slightest thing about it so have reconciled myself to dropping dead in the next couple of years. Now where did I put that doughnut…
I have gotten as high as 250 lbs, and of course was in the 240’s, but generally I’d hover in the 230’s. My last recorded weight I wrote on a calendar was 230.5, last night I weighed and I was 227.5. For breakfast today I had 3 sausage links, and 2 fried eggs, and coffee. For lunch I brough to chili cheese dogs with jalopenos and no bread, and a diet soda. For dinner, I may try and make some salmon patties with no bread, maybe mix in some egg and onion and fry it, with some salad. Also bought a jar of spicey hot pickled okra, and those are great!
Hi Tom, what is pickled okra?? I had Weet Bix and coffee for breakfast and low GI bread with cheddar cheese for lunch. Tonight I’m going to enjoy fish curry!! I ordered this from an Indian lady and she told me to never confuse pickled fish with fish curry. Pickled fish = baked fish covered with a layer of curried onions. I’m not keen on this one Fish curry = fish which is cooked in a curry/onion sauce. I’m crazy about this one! I weighed in at 106kg this morning. As from now on, I’m only going to weigh myself on Fridays. One usually eat a bit more during weekends and gain some weight. I don’t want to know about this! If I stick to my diet during the week, I will lose some fat and it will show on Friday. So I might go up again over the weekend but it will be gone, plus some more, by Friday. This is just to prevent me from being discouraged at the start of the week.
Some ideas that work for me. Muscle burns calories even when resting. Weight training builds muscle. Leg muscles are the biggest muscles in the body. Muscles grow when resting, not when working. My weight training has leaned more towards the legs and core, but not omitting the upper body. It is impossible to become bulky like the terminator without intense full-time training and diet, not something I would want anyway. Steady state cardio training is boring, and although burns calories, the body can become conditioned to it, thus reducing effect. Over-training in cardio reduces muscle mass. I always try to vary the workout by doing intervals, sprints, random loads, etc, as well as changing up the activity. The idea being to keep the body from knowing what is coming next. Sometimes I take a whole week or two off, then hit it hard the next, or increase and decrease effort, change emphasis on upper or lower body, change emphasis on weights or cardio, like that, keep it different each time. I usually try to combine weight training with cardio, weights first in split training or circuit training, followed by an 30-60 minutes of variable cardio. 1 to 4 times per week. Eating smaller amounts 5 to 6 times a day is better than eating big meals. Complex carbs good, simple carbs bad. Fast food bad. Water is good. Waking up hungry is good. Snuff tastes especially fine after a workout.
Well, everyone will come up with their own approach and accepted theories. All I can say, is try what one thinks is best for them. I am more aiming towards a carnivore diet, with some low-GI veges, but focusing on trying to eat mainly protein foods. I plan to add exercise starting next week, and I am not a big fan of exercise, though I was always a fan of bodybuilding, and did weight lift for myself at times. I will probably start using these dumbells I have, since I don’t have a gym or exercise room, and they are 25 lbs each, which I can get a good workout with, even full body, and I may even incorporate the “super-slow” method, esp for arms and shoulders. I believe body transformation is 99% diet, but can be changed to 80/20 with a proper exercise routine. I think snuff, having nicotine, should have some thermogenic effects like caffine and ephedrine does. As such may also have an appetite supressive aspect as well. I may weight myself on Mondays, as I don’t plan to eat off-plan on the weekends are at all. I am at a time in my life, where I don’t want to be a diabetic, and my blood test has been in that range, nor do I want heart disease, nor do I want to be fat and feeling bad, have a bunch of medications, and the irritating doctor bills, and harrassing collection agencies from bills I may neglect. So, I feel I must become well, fanatical about it. I’ve been “on the wagon” many times, but fell off many more, just for a fix of pizza or other body-poison(to me), which prevented any real progress, and created the state of lesser health I came to.
I have developed a craving for “normal” snuff like SP’s over the last 12 hours. Maybe I’ve taken to much sweet stuff. I’m also, sort of, craving menthol although I’m not a big menthol fan.
The occasional menthol craving happens to me as well. The Toque Blueberry Menthol is a perfect one to cure it, the level of menthol is just right.
I came to work today with 2 non-menthols, and I am craving some menthol. I can’t wait till I get home. I think I’ll open the Toque Menthol, which is very good.
No matter what I bring to work, I wish I would have brought something else.
I think tomorrow I may go out for lunch, at a Home Town Buffet, as they will have alot of the non-carb foods I can eat.
If you want to lose weight get a new job cooking at a really busy restaruant. I’am creeping down to 170 which on me is thin.
Sprangalang, the only “problem” with exercising while on diet, is that you built muscle whille doing so. Muscle is heavier than fat. So while you are losing inches, your weight might not drop. I’ve been doing this over and over again, so it does not discourage me because I can feel it when I’m losing weight. The moral of the story is, I must not only watch my scale but also pay attention to my waistband!! I agree with you 100%. The more muscle, the more fat I can burn because muscles are the fatburning ovens of our bodies. And that’s why I’m so keen to get back on my bike. I enjoy training on my bikes, so it’s no hassle for me. I’m also going to get a program worked out for me at a gym which is supervised by a doctor. I need the gym because cycling mainly works my leg muscles and my upper body gets no attention. But I will have to wait with that until my hernia problem is completely solved.
Just got back from lunch and a little shopping. We went to an all you can eat Home Town Buffet. It was pretty good. I had pot roast, bacon, egg, smoked sausage, some green beans, mushrooms, chicken fajita with cheese, lettuce, jalapenos, sour cream, salsa, no tortilla, taco salad same, 2 cheeseburgers no bun, 3 big plates, I am stuffed. Took my O&G with me. Stopped at the grocery store and got a 30 pack of hot dogs. Blood pressure wasn’t too bad, 133/80. Weight earlier was 226.7.
I was also tempted to go and have I nice, big, juicy steak today. Lucky for me, the weather is playing up a bit and I stayed at home while my wife went out. Enjoyed some more of my fish curry, gherkins and olives.
Well, I find for me, if I watch what I eat, I can eat all I want, and fat will come off.
Well, tomorrow is the day I’ve been looking forward to for a long time; I may start cycling again. It’s like being without one of my limbs for months on end. I will take out my favourite Felt Virtue this afternoon and dust it off, take out my gear and get ready mentally for my first ride since who knows when. I’m changing my eating pattern as from tomorrow, will have a hearty breakfast, light lunch and toast for supper. Wanted to do this long ago already but since I’m working from home now, I can do it.
I have limited home equipment. But 2 25 lb dumbells. I did just get a bottle of DHEA yesterday to give a proper try. I also bought a big bottle Natural Sterol Complex, which I haven’t been taking, but still have some left and may try and use up. I was 226.7 last I weighed, and my goal, ideally is 180. Today for breakfast I made a 2 egg omlette, with jalapenos, mushroom, tomato, onion, cheese, with 2 sausage patties. Last night I drank about 10 shots of vodka.
I don’t take alcohol at all, had my last drink more than 15 years ago. I used to overeat while I was still drinking, especially after some wine. Wine itself contains many calories.
If I do drink it is once a week, and not every week. I don’t think it effected me. For lunch I took a pound of sausage and put onions and mushrooms in it, and same cheese, made balls out of this, put some salsa on top and shredded cheese and cooked it in the oven, it was really good. I’ve been lifting the dumbell a bit today, just upright rows and standind french curls. I feel a difference already, and will weigh myself tomorrow.
My official Monday weight is 225.5. So it’s working well. Breaking 220 will be a breakthrough. Today I was a bit rushed in the morning so had 3 sausage patties, and some non-sugar sweetened tea. Brought with me for lunch my usual, but still satisfying, chili cheese dogs with jalapenos and no bread. Wife made chicken fetucinni last night, where I just picked a few bits of chicken and mushroom out, not a weight-loss friendly dish. Supps are 2 Sterol Complex pills in the morning, mainly because I have them and want to use them up, and see if they help any. Pm is 2 more, and a DHEA, also have 2 BP meds. May move the DHEA to AM tomorrow. I am not a big believer in supps, but I’ll give it a try. Starting a regular workout today, starting with 2 movements, the wife will do with me, upright rows and french curls. I can really see a change with my body, and mood. Pants are loose, had to make a new hole in the belt, and I am getting more muscular. If I stay on track, which I am being fanatical to do so, in 2 months time, I’ll be totally transformed and look like Marios Pudjanowski.
I enjoyed my first ride in about 4 months today!! I managed 8km only because of a gail force south easter blowing but also because I’m still a little cautious. Don’t want to undo the doctor’s good work. I had a nice, big breakfast, cereal, bacon & eggs, toast & cheese/strawberry jam, and bananas follow by some strong coffee. Lunch a small portion of chicken pie with a banana and coffee. I do not take any supplements. I will weigh myself again on Friday.
I’m still sticking to my “changed around” diet; large breakfast, light lunch and very small supper. Tomorrow morning I’m going to have spit roast chicken and salads for breakfast!!!
I have seen many things like what you are doing, Pieter. You eat your “dinner” for breakfast. Most of your calories at breakfast, then taper off throughout the day.
Not sure what’s for dinner today… Maybe smoked sausage and salad. Or I might just finish those sausage meatballs I made the other day.
Someone, whom I’ve not seen for a while, immediately noticed that I’ve lost some weight and complimented me on that. I’m sticking to my “turned around” diet and I’m really enjoying it. I also have more energy during the day and I feel great. Will see on Friday what my scale says about it!
Last night I made a very nice hot dog and vegetable soup. I boiled 2 cups of water with boulion cubes of chicken, I would have used beef if I had it. I chopped up 2 hot dogs, some onion, some zuchini, some jalapeno, and sauteed that a little, then when the broth was ready, I dumped the other stuff in, and it was great. I have not strayed at all in my new food lifestyle and will not.
I’m also sticking to my “change around” diet. Had another big breakfast this morning, I like it!! Today is a public holiday in SA because it is election day. So I’ve just been hanging around, doing nothing, must still go and vote. Not that it means much because we already know who the bloody fool is who will become the next president. This guy has been charged with rape, money laundering, corruption and God knows what else. The charges were withdrawn and he will be sworn in as president next month. They call it democracy in Africa
Holy Moly, Dwnwrdishvnwrd! That’s what I call pumping iron! If I put 270# on my shoulders, I’d collapse into the floor!
dwnwrd, you might want to look into the caveman diet, or paleolithic diet, that is similar to my approach.
Well, tomorrow I will weigh myself and see what happened during the week. I know I’ve lost some inches because I had to move my belt in one notch. I feel so much better and will continue with my breakfast as main meal of the day. I really enjoy it. Friday, 24th - I’m down to 105kg and very happy about the results of my new “diet”. Still eating the stuff I like but at different times of the day. Another 10kg to shake off and almost 6 months to do so. If I lose 2kg per month, I will make it in time.
Pieter, so you are down 2kg since the club started? Congrats. I know I love big numbers, but any number less is a great number. I occasionally stop on the scale, and it’s still been 225.5. Still have a few days before my official weigh in though. I have still been strict, I had smoked sausage last night with a pea and corn mix on the side. I may have taken a bit of a chance with the pea/corn, as they are higher carby veges, but I only had a fair amount and 1 serving. This morning I had 2 sausage patties. Was out of eggs. Had 4 sausages ready, but only ate 2 and was satisfied. Brought the usual for lunch. Probably leftovers for dinner. Having band practice tonight, and might have a few vodka drinks as I do that.
I hope I didn’t mess up. I just had some taco salad, which isn’t bad, but the refried beans I took a chance with.
I reckon one can eat what ever you like, as long as you do so before 12 noon. I know it’s almost impossible for most of us but I’m in the position to do so as I’m working from home. I will gave this a try and see how it goes. I’m quite happy with the way things are going right now. I’m losing inches and that is the most important thing to me right now.
Pieter, thats a system called Half Day Diet and “Dinner Cancelling” do a google of it, it’s very well known in Europe, with a few books in German, and much touted, and here we have an opposite approach, like the Fast 5, and the Warrior Diet, where you just eat a big dinner. All these have good studies to back them up. http://www.fast-5.com/ http://www.halfdaydiet.de/Webcard/index.html http://www.warriordiet.com
Yesterday I had taco salad for lunch, with no tortilla or chips, breakfast was bacon and 2 eggs, dinner was a 1/2 pound hamburger patty with pepper jack cheese and a salad, coffee for breakfast, a few diet sodas, some beef jerky for a snack. And today being my weigh-in I am 223.0 lbs. So that’s good. Just have to stay on the wagon. For lunch today I brought a steak, and some vege mix, and a diet soda. I forgot to bring any snacks, and I got up late and missed breakfast, and just got coffee. Not sure what’s for dinner, maybe some leftover Taco Salad.
Im very impressed with all this so have decided to watch my diet a bit more. I’ve just done a set of lousy night shifts where the temptation is to live on fast food, but today I finished so have designated it day one. Shredded weat when I got in this morning instead of a couple of bacon sandwhiches being the first step…
Hi, and welcome. Today is my weekly weigh-in day, and I was greeted with 219.8, so I broke 220 which is what I was wanting. I have been strict in my approach. My usual weight was in the mid-230’s for the longest time. My goal is to break 200, and optimal goal is 180ish. This weekend I went to the Chinese buffet and pigged out, had a few Bloody Marys on Fri and Sat. Chicken, green beans, mushrooms, and various other things. Today I grabbed 2 sausage patties for breakfast, and brought with me for lunch 2 chili cheese hot dogs with jalapeno and lettuce, and a bag of pork rinds for snacks. Edit: 226.3 is my average weight for April.
What’s a sausage patty? Is it a squashed sausage? I wouldn’t have thought sausages, pork rinds and cheese hot dogs were the kind of foods dieters went for. Does pork meat help you lose weight? Sorry, I’m pretty ignorant, I’ve never tried to lose weight myself.
A sausage patty is basically ground pork patty. These foods are all protein and fat, and thus don’t raise blood sugar and insulin, and don’t cause the body to store fat, as these foods are not converted to body fat, as are carbohydrates. Pork meat does not help one lose weight, it’s the absence of refined and processed and starchy carbohydrates that are not there to be added as body fat, and also this absence of these lead to a glucogenic, or fat burning state, while a high carb intake leads to an insulimemic, or fat storing state. Of course all things diet have their debaters, but this is what I accept and always proves true to me. of course one’s health conditions would determine what one can eat and get away with. Me having the propensity for diabetes, with metabolic syndrome, I achives greatest health with controlled carbohydrate, and a diet mainly of meat, fat, and non-starchy veges.
I’ve heard of protein diets, so wouldn’t it be better to eat non processed lean cuts of meat and fish? I don’t eat meat myself, but I do eat fish with pasta, rice, vegetables, fruit, bread, cereals, biscuits, cake and chocolate. I guess my diet would not work well in terms of losing weight as it is predominantly carbohydrate?
Well, I will only say what I accept to be true for me, and my experiences. You will find proponants and successes stories of every approach one can think of. But yes, non-processed meats is always a better choice, though I don’t consider “ground” to be processed. Hot dogs would be, and I eat them all the time, but I do try and pick the ones with the lowest carb count.
Pieter, how have you been doing with this? This is your “club” you know. I have been doing good, as I have posted. I am thinking of trying an experiment next week, of doing a carb controlled vegetarian diet for a week, just to see how it might go. I have some ideas.
I’m 5’6" and was stuck in the 230’s forever, just broke 220, with 219 last I weighed. My goal is break 200, optimal goal is 180ish.
Hello to all my big buddies! I’m sticking to my turn around diet by eating a big breakfast as my main meal for the day, light lunch and very small “something” for supper. I started out at 107kg and I’m down to 104kg. I’m not really back into training yet. I’ve sort of lost my " appetite " for cycling and weather has changed to cold. But I know from experience it will only take two or three “forced” rides to regain my enthusiasm. And then I will hopefully burn the fat a bit quicker.
Well, I did go from 230 to 219, which is very good, but really, I have become just sick and tired of eating this way. I believe it is most healthful, and what my body best needs. But it’s also a mental thing, where being restricted foods, can be very frustrating. Saturday the wife and I went out for lunch, and she gets a pizza, and me, being strict, got a salad. I stayed strict all day. But I was really getting tired of not being able to eat what I want. yesterday, a buddy and I went to the Indian buffet, and I said, I just need to be free to eat what I want, and I did, and it was great. But I don’t want to just blow it, or give up, so as a part of my evolving plan to lose weight and improve my health, I have started the week fresh with a new approach, which is my own, but based on the ideas presented in Fast 5, the Warrior Diet, and the Carbohydrate Addicts Diet. It is fasting all day, allowing coffee and water, up till 7pm, and from then, till 8pm, I will eat all I want of whatever I want. I will take weekends off, and Friday will be my new weigh-in day. I’ll see how this works, and if need be, change it. I don’t want to regain what I have lost, and I don’t want to just give up.
Thanks crosby. I’ll keep that all in mind, and if my current approach may need a change, then perhaps I’ll try that, or something similar. I did try small meals before, and I was very effective, though I did not stick with it, as I got tired of it, and felt restricted, because while I could eat “what” I wanted, it was not the amount I wanted. We’ll see how this goes. As long as something is effective, I may switch around ideas if need be.
I’m sticking to my “diet”, went to the Wimpy for breakfast with a friend this morning. At last I can start riding my bikes again, I did not want to end up in hospital again so I took more time off than was “prescibed” by the doctor. I do agree with CrosbyPipes, excercise is the main weightloss remedy for me. And, of course, when I’m fit, I also feel so much better up in the top storey. I believe in weighing myself on Fridays and have been doing so for many years. Take a break over weekends and don’t worry about it because by next Friday it will be gone.
I’m finally going back to the gym today after pulling my rotator cuff, pulling my lower back, and having a cold and other interruptions in schedule. It’s been about 4 or 5 weeks! Had a good hookah session last night. The treadmill could be interesting. But I’m pumped about not wearing glasses while running because I finally got contact lenses! woohoo Note to self: rinse snuff from hands before putting in contacts. Yeah I did it-once. Ow
Yes sprang, I can imagine what the results were!! I once blew some snuff from a tin while not wearing my glasses.
I was once dipping some scotch, and used the lid to dump it in my gum, and I took a big exhale with my mouth at the time, it blew in my eye.
???
I have totally fallen in my weight loss/health ambitions.
So far I have lost 20 pounds the past 4 weeks, took to walking 2 miles a day on the beach every morning before work and seriously counting calories and drinking lots of water. Been doing some basic exercises as well, push ups, crunches, etc. My son has gotten way too quick with his crawling and he is almost ready to walk, and I realized I was quite a bit out of shape and not getting any younger. I’m 5’8" and was 195 pounds when I started the beach walking, down to 175 now. Want to lose another 15 pounds or so then keep in shape. The walks have an added benefit as I live in a tourist area and the bikinis are out in full force. I found the sparkpeople.com website to be a big help with the calorie counting and cardio loging, a great motivation tool.
Have any of you tried the Dreamfield’s pasta? It’s low carb, and tastes like the real thing.
I’ll second the recommendation of Dreamfields. It taste just like regular pasta but only has about 5 carbs, as opposed to the 40 or so in regular pasta. Good stuff for those who want to do low carb without giving up pasta.
I agree with Crosby 5 small meals a day will keep your metabolism up. Drink plenty of water and as far as exercise goes running on an inclined treadmill is the best thing you can do. As far as feeling restricted about diet options , you should pick one meal per week and declare that your cheat meal. Eat whatever you want then. It will keep your morale and metabolism up. One more thing to keep things flowing is carrying the amount of daily calorie intake. Say you normally eat 2000 calories per day. One day you would eat 1800 the other 2200 while keeping the weekly average at 2000. I’d say that Proteins+carbs , Proteins + fat= GOOD. Fat+carbs=BAD.And I’ll say it again , drink plenty of water , it’s really important.