The Biggest LOOSER -- running weight loss thread

Has anyone done the online weight loss gambling thing. ... healthy wage is the website?

 

I opted against that. Down 25 since April. A lot more to go.

Lomgest walk in 2 years today.... 4.01 miles

 

I have been riding about 4 miles on an exercise bike and going a mile or so each day on a spin bike and a rowing machine for the past three months while re-committing to regularly going to the gym, where, lately, I've been spending 1 1/2 to 2 hours each day for the past three months.

The effort is paying off as I've dropped 20 pounds. I'd like to lose about 10 more. It might be hard, because I'm a small person, and I'm not sure, realistically, how much less I can eat or how much more I can exercise on a consistent basis that I'd be willing or able to do. I might have to settle for just another few pounds off and just be happy with that.

I've posted about weight issues on this site before, so you might know that I underwent gastric-bypass surgery 14 years ago and lost 146 pounds, getting down to 101 pounds at my lowest adult weight. That weight did not last long, as, realistically, I knew it wouldn't. It just wasn't ever going to be a number that I could maintain. But, I've been fortunate in being a largely successful post-op patient otherwise and keeping most of it off, even long-term. I worked hard to make that happen, but even so, little by little over the past few years, as I became less stringent and knew what I could do without doing too much damage, about 35 pounds crept back on, and I finally reached a point where I decided I didn't like it, and didn't want to chance regaining any more.

Well, I'm someone for whom exercise is critical. I know they say that with regard to anyone who wants to lose weight. But some people really can lose just by watching what they eat. I am not one of them. Rather, I need to consciously and extensively engage in exercise. My metabolism's bad, and I'm small enough, naturally, that trying to lose weight just by cutting back on eating will not make much difference. I must exercise, or else there's not going to be much change. That's not necessarily true of everyone, whether they've undergone weight-loss surgery, or not.

So, this is a big deal for me, both in terms of me motivating myself each day to get to the gym after work (when I often don't actually feel like going), and in terms of the results, which I'm really starting to see, and feel again. I'm excited and happy, even though, now, of course, comes the hard part of maintaining (again) where I want to be.

 

I go to the doctor tomorrow. Hoping he's liking the weight loss. Still stuck between 25-30, but not for lack of trying.

Met my step goal 42 days in a row (starting at 7000, imcreased to 8000 two weeks ago), averaged more than 10k steps per day, and the last two days were 5 mile walks.

My cholesterol numbers were on the alightly high side last time, so hoping they are better with all the walking.

 

Ok, from 7 months ago.

20 lbs on his scale (fully clothed was a 6 lb difference)
36 points lower in cholesterol

Also,
2 sizes down in jeans from the last time I bought them (more than 18 months ago)
Averaged 10,000 steps per day for October.

Even with a long way to go, I'm happy.

 

I'm sure I have a post or two in here saying I wish I could get on a schedule and do this.
I left my newspaper desk job to become a beer writer in 2016. I was probably around 240, up from the 225 I normally was in my 30s and on TV.
Anyway ... FF to October of 2022 and I was hitting 266. My wife was back to her post-giving birth weight and neither of us were happy so we went for a "Keto-ish" diet of low carbs/low sugar ... and laying off the beer (which is hard when it's a part of the job).
Black coffee and some almond milk with a protein shake in the AM, with a pint of water for breakfast.
Protein bar and a pint of water for a mid-morning snack
Salad with some chicken and very little dressing ... with a pint of water for lunch
Another shake or bar for a snack ... with a pint of water
Protein and a veggie for dinner ... and a, yup ... pint of water
Post-dinner snack ... with water

About 1300 calories per day, staying under 30 carbs or so .. little to no beer (save a few around Thanksgiving, Xmas and NYE) and about 120oz of water per day got me down to 239 by late January. I bounce between 243-246 right now after going on a work trip or two since February, but back to wearing my old XL shirts (was wearing XXLs) and my belt is two notches in. Wife has lost about 20 doing the same as I (she drank more than me in the stretch to be honest).
Looking to do another stretch like before and trying to lose another 20. To see 219 would be awesome.

 

Hi everybody. First time, long time.

I'm sure many can relate. My biggest problem was late-night eating before bed because of my work schedule. Usually with an adult beverage or two.

I work out regularly, but that was not a match the calories I was sleeping on overnight. I'd crept up to about 25 pounds over what I want over the last 5-6 years.

Finally, knowing the solution for years, I did it. Since the start of December, no food after 8 p.m. And since I've never eaten much in the morning, I inadvertently sort of did the intermittent fasting.

Anyway, I'm down 18 pounds since Dec. 1. A bout with a wicked stomach flu aided the process, but I don't recommend that. Would like to drop another 12.

 

My wife is having a great deal of success with Noom. They give you pretty extensive testing of your psychology, weight loss goals, eating patterns, etc. For it to work properly you have to keep good records of what you eat and the quantity. This means that she is forever scanning the bar codes of her food intake.

She can eat basically anything she wants, with the caloric intake on record. It designates foods to limit or avoid, but if you work the system it gradually takes your weight off.

It costs a bit for the program and ongoing counseling based on your progress, but there's no food to buy other than your regular grocery run. Seems to work very well for her.

 

I moved in with my girlfriend about 1 1/2 years ago. While she is generally supportive of my efforts to leave weight, we don’t see eye to eye on how to go about it.

She believes very strongly in “real food.” No protein powder in the house. No fat free or sugar free things. The only acceptable ground meet is beef 80 or 85 percent. The only acceptable sausage is pork “What part of the pig does chicken sausage come from?” she says.

I bought fat-free cheese and she asks what they put in it when they take the fat out. I bought rice in a frozen steam-in bag and she chided me for that as if it were cheating somehow.

Don’t get me wrong. Most of what someone eats should be unprocessed food, but as far as the concern about chemicals goes, isn’t everything a chemical? And to me whatever health issues they may cause can’t be as bad as staying fat. Losing weight is hard enough as it is. If anything can make it easier or more enjoyable, I don’t see the problem. I like real maple syrup but if the sugar free kind can allow me to eat pancakes or French toast more often, that seems like a fair trade.
OTH, maybe she has a point. Maybe my problem is that I want to make easier. Maybe I should just accept that it’s supposed to be hard, embrace it and treat it as a challenge.
I’m also worried that she perceives me as being disrespectful by eating this stuff and broke knto the house.

 

If things are fat- or sugar-free, they usually have more of something else that's bad -- often carbs.

A good example of things that people often think are healthy, but aren't, really, are granola bars, and protein bars. They may be low-fat, or have high protein, but look at the sugar, and/or the carbs. That's the point your girlfriend is referencing, I think. It's OK, and sometimes good, to go fat- or sugar-free with things like syrup, or salad dressings, and such. But it really depends on how much you use, and how often you're actually likely to use them.

Generally speaking, the best ways to go about losing weight, are to raise protein intake (because it positively impacts metabolism), and/or just eating everything in moderation/lesser amounts. And you'll have to raise the exercise levels. There's no getting around that, especially if you have a significant amount of weight to lose.

What I've found in the course of what I've been taught, and have learned, over the years of my weight-loss journey:

Ideal levels of protein to eat daily: 70-120 grams or so
Ideal levels of carbs to eat daily: 10 grams or less.
Ideal levels of sugar to allow daily: 7 or less

Those are stringent parameters, and difficult to follow perfectly all the time. In fact, they don't even need to be followed all the time, like, say, if you'd like a small plate of pasta once a week. But they will definitely work as guidelines for almost anyone who is specifically trying to lose weight.

 

What I was talking about was primarily calorie-free stuff like Walden Farms or G Hughes condiments or chicken or turkey sausage as opposed to pork.

They’re not necessary but they can make life easier. But is that the problem? Is this the type of thing where I probably won’t succeed until I stop looking for ways to make it easier and just accept that it’s supposed to be hard?

 

I don't get the 'if it ain't pork, it ain't sausage 'stand. It is not as if one is more processed than the other or. non-pork sausage didn't exist before Big Food.

Eat low-sodium, high protein. Knocks out a lot of carbs and processed food