Ok!
As far as I remember I don't recall such a thread, so thought to give it a try!
I'm currently 194 cm (6'3") and 118 kgr (18.5 stones)! This is immense, since I should be around 95-99 tops (14.9-15.6 stones)! I do feel the weight getting me down and I also feel completely out of shape.
So?
I started a diet! Which involves the very basic principal: Quit eating rubbish and drinking tons of beer.
1. No more pizza, along with garlic bread and 3 pints of beer for lunch
2. No more beer in general, maybe 1 pint per week, if I go out (which I won't! kids)
3. No more going to the Indian restaurant and ordering 4 portions, because supposedly we are 4 (me, my wife and our two kids) and I end up eating 2 1/2 portions of big, full of fat and cream, curry dishes!
4. No more chocolate bars!
I started eating plenty of salads to battle my hanger for the first 3 days, and it seems to be working fine. I won't quit the tasty food, it's rather impossible, but compairing a pizza, with garlic bread and beer with a ceasar salad with chicken, seems like a big winner! Chicken is roasted of course with a tiny bit of oil and lots of spices.
Dinner involves either some bread and fruits (don't like yougart), or yet another salad, or maybe some kind of ready made soup (which taste lovely if you add a bit of spice).
I also started biking, but will stop until the weekend, since my PhD review is coming up! After that I'll start again. No reason to do only diet, when you can also excersize! No reason to going to tescos by car in 5 minutes when you can do it by bike in 15 minutes!
Brilliant! Great for you, mate. Reading this made me smile, though I bet after a while I'll feel bad because of my own body-ruining process that's going on. No really, I'm having fun in this body with its parts. In fact, to make sure there's anough beer drinking in the world, I was just about to head off to some nice outdoor place to have a nice cold pint in the warm spring sunlight :)
Although I tried losing weight too, then people said I shouldn't because I'm normal, so ok, I'm fine with that. What's the best usually is to start eating less but more regurarly. I used to eat once a day, twice tea and bread, to save money. Now I eat rye porridge every morning, then sometimes a snack, a hot meal some hours after that, and some tea and ryebread before going to bed, and I feel great :)
Give yourself one day a week to cheat on the diet. The majority of diets will fail without one. Designate which foods you crave that you'll allow yourself to eat on this day. Also, not consistently eating fewer calories than you burn will help your body not to go into starvation mode -- where it will retain body fat.
Snack in threes. Instead of eating one cookie 4 or 5 times in a row, plan a snack. Pick one item from three food groups. For example, if I want a cookie, I'll eat it plus an apple and a glass of low-fat milk.
Eat small and frequently to keep your body metabolic.
Eat carbs in the morning, especially those with low glycogenic index, like oatmeal (this is important for maintaining your energy levels throughout the day). Try not to consume any carbs after dinner.
Exercise. Weight loss is tricky, because it's more important to burn fat than lose weight. Under many diets, an individual will lose a lot of muscle (since when forgoing food, your body tends to burn stored protein first). If someone loses 10 kilos of weight, but 5 of that is muscle, they're pretty much in worse shape than they were (higher risk of heart attack, etc). I would suggest getting your body composition taken and using that as an indicator instead of weight.
Best of luck!
Quote from: big brother on Wed 16/04/2008 17:30:58
Give yourself one day a week to cheat on the diet. The majority of diets will fail without one. Designate which foods you crave that you'll allow yourself to eat on this day.
Yeah, this helped my grandma. (Don't laugh, I'm trying to help ;D). I guess it is important not to spend 2 months losing weight and then "OK, 2 months is over, I have perfect weight, diet is over.". It is IMHO important to remain in this "diet life" so you do not gain the weight again. That is how I see it around me though, I have never had any weight problems, I am now roughly 180cm and I weigh hardly 60 kilos, no matter how much I eat. I wish you could give away some weight to me :D
Big Brother is right -- those are the rules to go by. (I know I did just that.)
I've been on a diet since the start of December last year and I've lost 30+ pounds (or 2.142857142857143 stones.)
My goal weight is 180 pounds, (which I'm only 6 pounds away from that goal.)
Motivation on a diet is key, I use http://www.Traineo.com as a means to stay motivated and track my progress.
(Let me know if you need any help setting up an account, finding motivators, etc.)
It's a long road -- but it's well worth it!
Thanks guys:)
Oliwerko! I have the same problem. I eat all day and i haven't gained a pound in the last 6 years! Maybe someone has some tips for gaining weight?...
I'm on a perpetual diet! :( Good luck Nikolas - you're not alone!
Big Brother - that looks like very sound advice. Thank you for that :)
I am like 174CM and I weigh over 100 KG :O..
Even though my body build (or what to call it) is "big" I could still loose some weight :P.
I eat far to many pizzas and FAR TO MUCH SWEETS!!! :P.
Oh, and I drink FAR to much milk! (I love milk! ;D)
Also I dont drink beer and such... so thats no problem!
Its stupid because I love most food and could easily eat salads and such, and I love fruit!
Its just, its exspensive!! but so is all those pizzas :-\, which I gotta cut down on anyway because I cant afford it.
I used to use my bike ALOT and walk alot when I still lived in Norway, and I had alot of healthy food etc (as my mum cooked it :P) but over here I dont have a bike, though I do walk alot..
I dont think I could give up all those tasty sweets and such :P but for sure, big brothers suggestion is a good idea!
I wish you good luck Nikolas! and I hope both of us will reach the weight we SHOULD be :P.
Oh, also, I am REALLY out of shape!
I mean, I got like a 5 minute walk from where I live to the train station, and one day I rushed and had to run,
It made me cough all day! :o
Actually the "easy" factor in food is a big one I'm afraid. with ready made pizzas, you just shove them in the oven and they're done in 10 minutes. With salads and stuff, (especially home made) you have to spend ten minutes. With chicken breasts, etc, even more... :-\
Auriond: Thanks, good luck to you too! But don't forget: we are married now (both), no need for diets, we have our partners hooked and locked! ;D ;D
I'm not gonna tell you how much I weigh or you might feel obliged to force me to diet with Nikolas ;) (or should that be :()
Good luck, hope you can keep it up. Just remember that's it's not the diet which keeps the pounds away, it's your eating pattern.
Just say no to all those curries!
1.87m and 102kg. I'm fairly on the overweight side, and I've got a gym subscription which I hardly ever use. I'm a lazy mofo, and I've decided to change that once my first salary of my new job gets in. Additionally, the new job is being a movie theatre operator (the guy who puts the film into the projector and turns it on and off and cuts and sticks together the films being run through the projectors - it's sweet and technical :D) and the movie theatre I work at is one hell of an old building, with long stairs that I have to go up and down like 40-60 times a shift.
So I'm getting a good part of excercise there.
Now to change my diet :P
I'm looking into weight watchers, because they've got a fairly good and simple system. Choose a calory total you're comfortable with and fits your build, then it gives you suggestions based on points as to what you can eat. You've got choice, bad stuff is allowed to a certain extent so you won't get cravings, and it's worked wonders for some friends of mine.
So yeah, I'm supporting you, Nik, 'cause I'm in the same situation :)
Ganbatte ne!
I am watching what i eat now because of being diagnosed as a Type 2 Diabetic.
I am eating much better than i was before, but i still drink too much beer which isn't good and just packing on the pounds which i lost recently.
I want to get an exercise machine soon, so i can play video games on a treadmill or something.
Good luck,
Shawn
Quote from: Domino on Thu 17/04/2008 01:03:21
I want to get an exercise machine soon, so i can play video games on a treadmill or something.
I doubt I can write music on a treadmill or I'll end up like these guys probably (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x49WZRyXGe0&feature=related).
But in all honesty a day in the playground with the kids, should be an ok exercise, no?
For the record: I started on the diet simply because I felt disgusting with myself after a huge meal!
If you want to eat pizza, have thin and crispy (if you are ordering from a pizza place) have half the amount of cheese and a good mix of veg and maybe chicken. I'd recommend a pizza chain as opposed to your local kebab place that also does pizzas, as the kebab places stack on the toppings (which doesnt need to be done, it kills a pizza, particuarly too much cheese) Thing about mozzerella, it has little taste and binds the toppings together so the pizza doesnt fall apart. half the amount of chesse will not affect the binding much.
Beer. It's bad and it is good. Beer for lunch? not unless you are on holidays. Maybe a couple on a saturday or sunday lunch. If you choose to drink through the week, stick to something like vodka and diet coke or diet tonic (or gin if you prefer) Much healthier for you.
And Beer is not too bad for you calory wise. Half a beer, 284ml or 10fl/oz is less calorific than a small (pub) sized glass of wine at only 175ml.
Everything in moderation is good for you.
Just don't make the mistake of going on a session and eating afterwards, as this food will go straight to the belly (beer belly).
Don't ever starve yourself, as your body will start storing more fat. Eat 3 meals a day, dont eat 3 hours before bed.
And if you want to realise how much you eat, write down absolutly everything you eat in a week, and every thing you drink.
Don't listen to those do-gooders about alcohol consumption. The only good advice they have is not to drink on an empty stomach.
But you sound as though you are off to a good start.
The advice I've always taken is - eat like the French. They eat whatever they want, whenever they want, but they always eat a small amount of it. I mean, they have the fattiest cuisine of all, but you never see an obese Frenchman, because they'll eat about a tenth that a tourist would... It's just how they're raised.
Though the main reason I'm skinny is because I'm just too lazy to shop, cook or eat in general.
Also - and I know this sounds obvious, but it's amazing how we all need reminding sometimes - drink loads of water. Not only is it helpful in all the ways that we all know, but also, whenever you're drinking water you're not drinking beer or milkshakes or anything else thats full of calories.
This reminds me that I somehow prefer drinking water to anything else all my life. I do not know why, I just kind of realized that I drink only water...
Watching the people get chubby
Is not very pretty I tell ye
Walking through town like Mr Blobby
And not very sensible either
A friend of a friend he got eaten
He looked the wrong way at a policeman
Would never have happened to Smeaton
And old Leodiensian
La-ah-ah, la la lalala la
Ah-ah-ah, la la lalala la
I predict a diet, I predict a diet
I predict a diet, I predict a diet
Quote
but you never see an obese Frenchman
sorry but there is a lot of people obese, specially the youngest and it becomes a problem.
Thanks c..a c..a and M.c d....d :)
I'm a puny 165cm and 52 kgs :-\. Great advice from all the others, let me share what I know too if it can help :)
There are many methods for losing weight. It ranges from brushing your teeth (you usually don't feel like eating again afterwards) to drinking water (fights the feeling of hunger, makes your stomach full).
Many would say that diets don't work. I agree, if the diets are about skipping a meal. It's not about eating less, it's about eating healthy.
-When you feel hungry, grab an apple, and not that bag of potato chips.
-Midnight snacking is a big no-no. Quote from a video game: "Eating after 11 p.m is a sure one-way ticket to Porkdom!" I think it sums up the idea rather well!
-Cut down on the alcohol as much as you can. Alcohol is sneaky, it makes you feel hungry, but it contains many calories.
-Pay attention to what you eat. Take your time, enjoy the food. Absolutely do not eat while watching TV. Food tend to disappear, while you won't feel full.
-Big brother's advice about giving you one day a week to cheat, is very good. Go out with friends or family, and have a hearty meal without feeling guilty. To remind yourself that dieting is not torture.
-Tea makes you slim, or so I've heard.
-Lots of exercise, and not the kind where you do it for 2 days and then quit. Regular exercise.
Also, try to cut down on anything that is not "necessary". Soda isn't necessary, whether diet or not. I come from a family where we eat healthy, no useless things. No sodas, no snacks or sweets (only from time to time) . I didn't feel deprived, and usually those are available at a friend's house, if there's an emergency ;D
Emerald is right about the amount. Small sizes. When you go to a fast food over here in France and ask for a large order, it equals to your small order in the U.S. I wouldn't go as far as saying there are no obese people here, but there are not many, that's for sure. But as riseryn pointed out, there's starting to be more because of fast foods.
Oliwerko and ryanlandry: your bodies burn calories much faster than the average person. Many others are like that, and I think there's no solution to that one :-\ I had a friend like that, soooo skinny and yet she ate tons of food. She was annoyed by that, because she was much too thin. Or, it can be a case of tapeworm?
One of the key thing to remember is "balance". Balance in everything: do not start fasting, or lifting weights during 5 hours. Everything in moderation (yes even junk food) and it should be fine!
Well Nikolas, hope this helps, and good luck with your diet! :)
Paris seemed to corroborate the lack of obesity in France, the only fat person I saw turned out to be an American tourist. Go figure.
But of course there's gonna be fat people - there always are! If only due to medical imbalances and whatnot.
In theory losing weight is really simple. Just eat less calories than you burn and that's it. In practise it's not that easy.
First, it's not too easy to determine how many calories you really burn a day. You can only calculate an estimate based on some tables where you can check what an average person with your age, height and weight burns and how much do you burn during exercise. But if your body is not in normal average state, like for not eating enough for prolonged periods, you don't burn as much calories as a normal person would.
Second, it's not always easy to count the calories you eat during the day, especially if you eat out. The plate in a restaurant doesn't have nutrition information printed on it.
I'm sure you will lose weight easily using tips on this thread and not going overly scientific about it. But if you do want to go scientific, then calculate calories and eat about 500 less than you burn. If you eat less, you will feel tired and hungry. Oh, and you probably know this already, but with your height, don't trust the BMI, trust the mirror and the overall feeling :)
I wish I had enough motivation to start a diet, but I feel that I already eat healthy, but am still overweight, so I would have to start counting the damn calories >:(. On the other hand, I don't feel that fat, but I would like to get to a lower weightclass to get advantage ;)
I need to gain weight I'm about 175cm & 60kg, I've just lost about 8kg over about 6 months, which I really didn't need to lose, but just my lifestyle I've been leading has made me lose weight.
I eat plenty of junk food, and loads of beer, but I exercise too much for the amount of calories I consume.
working 8hrs a day, partying for 12hrs and sleeping for 4 hrs is probably part of the reason.
But just the simple facts, if you want to lose weight, there's no rush or quick fix (unless you do it biggest loser style [and even then it takes time]) it is as basic as burning more calories than you consume.
If you think you have a slow metabolism, after some regular exercise it will speed up.
Also remember if you build muscle exercising, you may put on weight, as muscle is about 4 times heavier than fat.
Also if someone says something about turning Fat into Muscle, it is bullshit and they don't know what they are talking about. it is physically, biologically and chemically impossible. you can shrink down the size of your fat cells and increase your muscle mass, but as for fat becoming muscle, if it has happened to you, you are obviously not from this planet.
Oh, tapeworms, nah, that is definitely not my case, I am just like my father, he is also eating much and not gaining weight anyhow all his life.
However, I am not annoyed by it. Look - I eat what I want when I want how much I want and I am not gaining any extra kilo. But I must admit it would be better for me to weigh a few more...
Actually I have very very fast metabolism... :P Extremely fast.
Last time I los weight it was in the army.
I only ate what they gave me (no junk food whatsoever).
No beer at all
We were not allowed to walk (only run)
We were not allowed to sit (only stand).
slept for 3-4 hours per day
For two months all this.
I was in the military police. :(
I lost 23 kgrs in those two months!
Oohh. Sounds effective. I might want to start imposing such a regime on myself... though running in high heels and standing at my desk all day might have detrimental effects on my physical and social health respectively. :o
Quote from: Nikolas on Fri 18/04/2008 08:56:33
Last time I los weight it was in the army.
The last time I
gained weight was in the army. Like Timosity said, muscle weighs more than fat... ::) Granted, I was there for a year, and even though it was tough for a nerd like me, it wasn't exactly the kind of torture Nikolas described.
I'm 183cm and weigh about 70-75kg. I was a good 10 kilograms heavier back when I was physically in much better shape.
I'm quite underweight; 179cm and slightly below 60kg.
I eat very much (I have a huge protein and carb intake), even take food suplements on a daily basis and I work out a lot too, resistance training with weights and stuff, almost every day. I don't gain a gram. But I'm rather fit, if I may say so myself, and beat most of my friends in armwrestling :)
I realize that some points in what I said are the same as Layabout's and also Stupot's :-[ sorry to have read badly, and repeating what you guys said! But it shows which ideas should work, since many people agree.
I think the army's ways is good, it sort of sounds like my own lifestyle:
I too only ate what I was given (no junk food in my family) and when I cook for myself, it's always healthy.
I don't drink at all, except occasionally at friends' or parties.
I walk very fast, in large strides. People have trouble keeping up with me, they say "don't run!" but I'm not running :-\
I walk a lot, and when taking the bus or subway, I never sit down. Except if I have to travel 30 stations. I only sit down when I have to = work.
I sleep for 7 hours at the most.
I'm pretty fit and in good health :) I can run or walk up stairs to a 6th floor without feeling breathless, I do push-ups, crunches, some kickboxing, in addition to eating healthy. But my arms remain slender, especially the wrists, so I don't think I'd beat anyone at armwrestling ;D
Same with me with the standing things - I never sit in a tram or bus, except when it is reeealy hot in the summer and I travel a long route, that is one exception. I do not use elevators as well.
Well, in my case I don't have a choice:
if I don't workout, I gain weight quickly, so I always do something every day.
If I can't make it to the gym I make sure I go for a bicycle ride before dinner.
Me and my stepson can spend 3-4 hours playing football non-stop, I'm telling you, the day-after sometimes I can't even put my feet on the ground because it hurts so much! :)
I have one good meal a day, like lunch, and then eat much less during the rest of the day. Adults don't need two full meals a day, except you have a demanding job/profession.
I stopped smoking last December 1st and I got some weight afterwards, it's normal, but I've managed to lose it!
Wow, I sound like a lazy asshole compared to all of you...
I'm terribly unfit, never exercise and have a sub-average metabolism. Yet I'm very nearly underweight. It's odd.
Luckily I have my winning personality to compensate. Heh.
I am all the contrary here, My diet is to gain weight! Which I find it hard!
Damn, I wish I were one of those people who needed a bit of diet... I have tried to gain weights for many times but always fail. I am just not used to eat too much.
My problems are not enough good food that can help me generally I get crap food. I have a fast metabolism. And I walks a lot from Monday to Thursday. I do big travels from my house to college where I need to walk a lot, to take a bus, a train, a mini bus, etc , for go to college.
Yes, its pretty much the same for me. However, when I am not walking to school or back, I barely do any exercise. I am also a bit of underweight. Only at summers, i do lot of bike travelling or hiking, but I don't gain anything. Crap food i think.
I tend to do exercise when I get time and mostly is in summer time that I have near of 4 months free that I spend doing the things I want.
Of course, it's an anti-advice here, but I have never been overweight, not even close.
I eat junk food like a trash compactor. In those 8+ cups of coffee I drink daily, 4 spoons of sugar goes into each cup.
Large chocolate, extra large potato chips, liter of ice cream or deskload of candy finds no mercy between my teeth.
Spending 90% of my time at computer, there's no exercise to talk of. When I do walk though, I move at triple speed and cover long distance quite quickly. I'm never out of shape enough to have any physical trouble doing what I always do.
I don't gain a pound!
My "trick" (or rather a curse) is...
...smoking.
For a long-time chain-smoker it's almost impossible to make difference in hunger and smoke-hunger. So, in most of times, when a spoonful of food is needed, I lit up instead, not realizing which one I wanted.
Don't try this at even worst desperation though: if you're already overweight, your heart and blood vessels are endangered even without extra poisoning. But if we're honest about diets, it does work.
I'm also one of those who wants to gain some weight, to have a bit more respectable body mass: people rate me 4-5 years younger at first sight and no 24-year old likes to be taken as a teenager. Doesn't help in fights neither...
A couple of things recently.
My girlfriend bought a new dress which is awesome, for her graduation party. She wan't to slim down for it even though it fits perfectly and I was unable to see the part of her she wanted to get rid of. Made me want to get my sixpack back for the summer/beachtime.
I lost to my little brother in armwrestling. A thing, that has never happened before. I'm a bit afraid, he might start revenging all the hard time I put him through while I had the 2 year advantage, all the bruises and all... I need to start lifting those silly dumbells again.
My foot cracked. Or I'm not sure what happened, but it's been aching for 2 weeks now. My body is in desparate need of rollerskating now the roads are dry, I need a jog every now and then, or at least a walk, but it hurts, it hurts like hell, even riding a bike hurts like hell.
These three things go together. I did it for 3 weeks, a workout on the floor, I applied a backbag full of books, 15kg it measured. Wore it while doing abs, pushups, may back, biceps... I ate porridge in the morning, half a meal every day and some in the evening, but I didn't see results except for tireness for waking up before noon :P so I kinda stopped doing it little by little. It's hard when you really don't see anything happening even though sweating and muscles all tensed up. That's my problem. Also, no jogging for me, the doctors appointment on that and other things is after 3 weeks :(
Quote from: Nyu001 on Sun 20/04/2008 00:18:41
I have a fast metabolism.
I'd hate to have a fast metabolism. Constantly hungry, constant energy, constantly going to the bathroom... I'm content in my sluggishness...
I knew a guy with that hyper-active thyroid disease (Grave's disease?). It's really not as cool as it sounds. I mean, he had to consume massive amounts of food just to survive, and it's not like he's a black hole - it all had to come out the other end. So instead he drank these super-5,000-calorie-vitamin-shakes-of-doom which taste like liquid feces.
He's better now, though.
Something I didn't see mentioned is that eating more often during the day, but small meals, keeps your metabolism going and promotes proper weight loss. In other words, don't starve yourself all day for one meal because that just encourages your body to start digesting proteins and encourages you to eat far more than you need to because you're ravenous. Instead, eat 4-5 reasonable meals during the day (some of these can simply be a snack of your choice, like some favorite fruits). The goal is to keep your metabolism going and your body from either getting too many calories or from slipping into starvation mode. I believe the Michael Thurman diet works something like this, and I've heard good things from people I know who have followed it.
Quote from: ProgZmax on Tue 22/04/2008 01:30:57
Something I didn't see mentioned is that eating more often during the day, but small meals, keeps your metabolism going and promotes proper weight loss.
Yep, that's the advice my doctor gave me too :). It was a bit difficult at first because I was in the habit of eating til I was full rather then eating til I wasn't hungry, and so the smaller portions were a bit of a change... but I got used to it after a while. I'm happy to say I lost 21 pounds, and have kept it off for months now :)