Weight Loss Plans

[AndrewWiggin]

So I've been pretty decent about keeping my weight in check, but the past two months have seen me shoot up another ten pounds. Ten pounds ago I said I wanted to lose about 20-30 pounds, now I'm looking at 30-40. I've seen people discuss their work out programs, so I'm wondering if anyone could help me out.

I'm overweight, but not drastically so, and I think toning up would go a long way to at least getting in shape, then weight loss would be the goal.

So, can anyone help me come up with a work out routine that might help me?

[Loner16]

Losing weight is really pretty simple!

Cut simple carbs, cut portions and increase exercise. Basic stuff...

Keeping the weight off is the real trick!

Good luck in your efforts...

[chainfire]

I just started using FitDay's PC program to track my diet. Mostly since I'm recovering from a heart attack and want to track salt, cholesterol, etc. It's a pretty cool program for tracking your all your dieting and exercise info imho.

[Lucius]

Losing weight is really pretty simple!

Cut simple carbs, cut portions and increase exercise. Basic stuff...

Keeping the weight off is the real trick!

Good luck in your efforts...

Yeah, basically. Losing weight is all about burning more calories than you consume. Exercise is a must. A disciplined diet (not necessarily dieting) is very important as well. I'd recommend losing weight first, then trying to add some muscle. Muscle building and weight loss are kind of contradictory activities.

As far as a specific plan, you've gotta find something that works for you. It may be worth looking into a personal trainer or some sort of guide who can help you. My dad did this with someone who also sells Herb-a-life products (although she will help you regardless of what products you do or don't want to use). He lost a significant amount of weight, but it was all because of disciplined exercise and diet. He now sells the stuff too (I kid him that it's snake oil).

The exercise is kind of the easy part to figure out, the diet is more complicated and where professional help can come in handy. Just make sure you find someone who knows what they are doing if you go that route. References and whatnot.

Edit: My friend has been doing p90x. He doesn't use the nutritional products they want you to buy but he watches what he eats. He doesn't look much different to me (he was soft, but not fat) but he says he's lost like 20 lbs doing it. It's supposed to very hard work though.

[Thebigspendur]

To tell you the truth if you want to lose weight and KEEP IT OFF the only way to do it is to change youself and your attitude about food and exercise. You can look at all these people who lose weight and after they have reached their goal visit them a year later and what percentage have kept it off? I'll tell you, its less than 10 percent.

To lose weight and put it back on and see saw like that over and over is actually very bad for you.

So the bottom line is when your willing to change forever that's the time to start a diet and exercise program. Losing the weight is the easy part keeping it off is the real issue.

[Gray Wolf]

I dropped 60 lbs in 10 months by using this book:
"The Diabetes DTour" by Barbara Quinn and the editors of Prevention magazine.
It happened without any extra exercise, without being hungry,
just follow the diet.
My belt buckle was in the last notch on the big side, last week I had to make another hole on the small side!

[TimmyBoston]

Best weight loss plan I've found in the last ten years was my bicycle. I dropped 25 pounds last summer and had fun doing it.

[FreezerBurns]

Best weight loss plan I've found in the last ten years was my bicycle. I dropped 25 pounds last summer and had fun doing it.

Do you tend to ride alone or with someone?

[SalvadorMontenegro]

There are so many dumb fads in this country (the US) when it comes to weight management.

This is my tip: Being fit and in good shape is a lifestyle not a fad. If you want to lose weight and keep it off, you have to eat healthy and enjoy eating healthy for life. You can't just cut down on some negative thing (ice cream, chips, pizza, simple carbs, whatever), drop the weight and then pick the negative thing back up again.

Years ago I was fat because I didn't eat well. My diet was terrible. Now I eat a lot of whole grains, vegetables, fruit and lean protein. I enjoy eating this way and have committed myself to it. Not only do I look a lot better, but I feel better, as well.

My Dad is overweight and he's always trying this idiotic fad diets - Atkins, South Beach, whatever. One of his diets said you can't eat fruit during the first week. I'm thinking, "WTF?!?!" These diets work, but are not healthy. You can't function well without carbs. So, my Dad will lose ten or twenty pounds and then immediately gain 40 because he reverts back to his previous, pre-diet eating habits.

Honestly, it bothers me a lot that people keep buying into these gimmicks. If you eat healthy on a regular basis, you will not be overweight. Don't buy chips. Don't buy ice cream. You can splurge from time to time, but not on the regular. Exercise is important, as well, but I'll let someone else advise you on this.

My apologies for the rant, which isn't directed at you in any way. I just get tired of this idea that "dieting" is a good way to live your life.

[muskokabrian]

My wife and I both lost quite a bit of weight using the GI Diet http://www.gidiet.com/.

It's a very healthy lifestyle diet which was recommended to me by my doctor. I found it fairly easy to stay with because it doesn't restrict any food groups and it's forgiving. You don't need to join a group, just pick up the book.

The principals behind the GI diet are now incorporated in most diets and it hails from the diabetics glycemic index. The basic idea is to eat lower glycemic foods, which keep your blood sugar even and do not cause your body to store extra sugars as fats when your levels spike.

I have been strict on the diet and lost weight.. then I'm not so strict and it creeps back and I get strict again. Thus, since I first went on it my weight has stayed down but in a range.

[Doc4]

To tell you the truth if you want to lose weight and KEEP IT OFF the only way to do it is to change youself and your attitude about food and exercise. You can look at all these people who lose weight and after they have reached their goal visit them a year later and what percentage have kept it off? I'll tell you, its less than 10 percent.

To lose weight and put it back on and see saw like that over and over is actually very bad for you.

So the bottom line is when your willing to change forever that's the time to start a diet and exercise program. Losing the weight is the easy part keeping it off is the real issue.

There are so many dumb fads in this country (the US) when it comes to weight management.

This is my tip: Being fit and in good shape is a lifestyle not a fad. If you want to lose weight and keep it off, you have to eat healthy and enjoy eating healthy for life. You can't just cut down on some negative thing (ice cream, chips, pizza, simple carbs, whatever), drop the weight and then pick the negative thing back up again.

...

a big +1


... er, a slender "agree".

I found the information in "The Abs Diet" a good starting place for nutritional information. Each letter in THE ABS DIET represents a food/group you should eat more of. Throw in portion control, eating small meals every 3 hours, and excercise, and you are good to go for life.

[Stubblefield]

80% of your weight loss is accomplished in the kitchen. Cook for yourself, cut out the simple and processed carbs, and definitely no alcohol. Fitday is a good program to use if you are inclined, I keep a food log (sometimes) and it does wonders for the waist.

[pauls51]

80% of your weight loss is accomplished in the kitchen. Cook for yourself, cut out the simple and processed carbs, and definitely no alcohol. .

Bingo!... Although I believe diet is worth 90% of the work.

The first month is always the most difficult, but if you have the right mindset your set to lose however many pounds you want.

[BentonClay]

A few thoughts: (not rocket science): more exercise, less food. Being careful not to change too many things too quickly. Only one thing at a time and micro-changes at that. Nothing drastic. Accept yourself as you are today and learn to feel good about small incremental steps successfully completed. It is important to eat every meal; skipping meals causes the body to hoard calories. Avoid eating before bed. Get exercise in before a meal to get optimimum benefit from the exercise. Begin meals with water and vegetables to feel full. Make sure to include just a little bit of fat with every meal as fat helps the body not to feel hungry. This can be healthy fat though, like adding a teaspoon of flax seed oil to a health drink. Learn to identify what "full" feels like and then stop eating when full!

[psychlopath]

It's always been my experience that if you spend a little time pushing your body, you can really eat anything you want and pretty well in shape.

Diet changes, in addition to exercise, will get you to goals real fast. Once you’re at a goal, you can let up on diet and eat more exciting foods.

Diet really becomes important when you’re trying to meet performance goals.

For weight loss, running is your friend.

[Lynchmeister]

Is less really more? What I mean by that is: is eating less (calorie wise) better for you (weight loss and/or nutrition wise) than eating the same (or more) and replacing the "crap" with fresh, nutritious food?

I ask because shortly before Christmas, my wife and I adopted a new lifestyle, which has included better nutrition (food, eating habits, etc.) and regular exercise (cardio and weight training). Our goal is to feel better, be healthier, and lose the tummies. About a month in, we are definitely feeling better physically and mentally. We aren't depriving ourselves of food, but have instead, like I mentioned above, revamped our diets and snacking habits. To prevent guilty binges, we have assigned one day a week to indulge in our favorite food and beverage...in moderation of course. So far, so good!

[Uncle Erik]

Starting in July 2008, I drastically changed my diet and started counting calories seriously.

Since, I've gone from about 250 lbs. to 150 lbs. From a 40" waist to a 30" waist. From XL shirts to a small or medium.

It's all about the calories. Each time you short yourself 3,500 calories you lose a pound. That's pretty much all there is to it. I'd tried a few fad diets, exercise, etc. All worked to some extent, but nothing ripped off the fat and kept it off like this has.

What you want to do is pull up a calorie calculator online (Google for it) and figure out how many you use each day. Then figure out how much you want to lose each week and short yourself that many calories.

I didn't do this with much exercise other than regular walking and other light stuff. The reason being that exercise makes me damned hungry and much more prone to eating. You can burn a few extra calories with exercise, but you don't have to.

First, and foremost, stop drinking calories. No more soda, not even diet. Go to water, soda water, unsweetened tea, and black coffee. It's an adjustment, but I crave water now every bit as much as I craved a Coke. Next, dump all the high calorie processed foods and sugars from your diet. It helps to cut out refined flours, too.

Stick with whole, unprocessed fruits, veggies and meat. Nothing fried, either.

Try to fill up on bulky vegetables like cabbage and potatoes - they're low cal and you will feel full even while running a calorie deficit.

It takes about three weeks for your stomach to shrink. After that, you'll do OK. It will take a few months to acclimate to the new diet and after that, you'll come to love a boiled potato and broccoli as much as a burger and fries. You'll reach for your water bottle instead of a soda. You'll come to love the taste of plain tea. Keep in mind that you're not giving anything up, you're just going to start to crave different things.

If you want some more detail on this sort of plan, Google the Hacker's Diet and read it through. You might also want to pick up a copy of "The Big Skinny," by Carol Lay. Both go through calorie counting and reduction methods.

Keep in mind that this is a permanent lifestyle choice. The first few weeks are awful and getting your cravings reassigned takes time, but if you go through with it you will be thin for life.

[Thebigspendur]

You have to be careful with calorie counting because assuming you have the will power to do it and stick to it if you substantially cut your calories your body goes into starvation mode and gets very efficient at using less and you lose less and less weight as you eat less and less. Also as you age it becomes way more difficult to shed the pounds.

The idea is to watch the type of foods you eat so your not always walking around hungry. That's bad.

[Erebos]

Keeping track of what you eat with a site like fitday or dailyburn is the best way I've found to lose weight and keep it off. Firstly it will force you to be aware of what and how much you're eating. They can also help you estimate how many calories your body uses in a day based upon your body composition and physical activity level, and then set reasonable calorie goals for yourself to meet your goals. This is important because both overeating and starving yourself are counterproductive and potentially dangerous.

Diet is the most important part, but exercise helps immensely. Not only is it good for your health, it makes the dieting that much easier. It's a lot easier to maintain a 500 calorie deficit every day if you're burning 800 on your bike. Lifting weights during your weight loss can also be very beneficial, as it will help limit muscle loss. Really though, what is going to work best for you is whatever you're going to enjoy the most. Find some sort of physical activity that you like, or can tolerate at least, and do whatever that is.

Lastly, realize that it's a marathon, not a sprint. Don't try to lose all the weight in a month or two, and don't be discouraged if you don't see progress immediately. Take it slow, stick with it, and you'll be rewarded.

[bwashburn]

I started my resolution to be fit in mid December and have since dropped about ten pounds and about two inches off the waistline. Here is what has helped me.

1. A couch to 5k running plan. If your an iPhone owner, yes, there's an app for that (a couple actually). I've been using that for the past 5 weeks and can say it's dramatically increased my endurance and jump started my weight loss. Not an iPhone owner? Just google it, plenty of sites to help.

2. My wife and I developed a meal plan and based our weekend grocery shopping around it. We try to eat lean proteins, whole grains, and plenty of fruits and veggies. We print the menu and place it on the frig. It helps with those times when the frig is opened and there's plenty of food, but somehow nothing to eat.

3. If possible, have an accountability partner. I joined a gym with my wife and a few colleagues in December. We've all been faithful, and it helps when someone says, "hey, can I get a ride to the gym with you?"

Lastly, there was a mention to P90X in an earlier post. My wife and I have the vids. They are tough, but you get results. After years of trying, I've resolved that I'm not an "at home" exerciser. We still keep the vids and the do the abs videos and stretching videos as part occasionally. Plus, for any Office fans, the guy who leads the videos is a Michael Scott clone.