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Summer Weight Loss / Diet(s)
#1
Matt²
Matt²
So since summer's start, I weighed 254 lbs, and I decided it was time for me to diet.
I've been bad at it, I've tried bicycling and walking (a little) but have run into problems with my legs and knee pain.. however, I have managed to also cut down on soda intake, and as of tonight I now weigh 240 lbs! Yay!
So how are others doing on diets if you've been doing a summer diet?
I've been bad at it, I've tried bicycling and walking (a little) but have run into problems with my legs and knee pain.. however, I have managed to also cut down on soda intake, and as of tonight I now weigh 240 lbs! Yay!
So how are others doing on diets if you've been doing a summer diet?
#2
Seraphyn
Seraphyn
I went from 84kg to 67kg, only 4kg more to go and I'm on my desired weight. Not a summer thing but a new years resolution thing though 
I cut soda, chips and snacks from my diet. Started eating breakfast and lunch regularly, started biking to work again since it's only 10km anyway. Works great so far, only thing left to do really is a bit of situps to shape up the belly a bit.
I cut soda, chips and snacks from my diet. Started eating breakfast and lunch regularly, started biking to work again since it's only 10km anyway. Works great so far, only thing left to do really is a bit of situps to shape up the belly a bit.
#3
Silver Jelly
Silver Jelly
Mine is around 87... I weight 99 kg, have been going to the gym for 3 weeks now but I still feel like I've been beaten up after each day and I haven't been controlling what I eat because I've been pretty anxious and sad lately. So I'm still 99 kg. The previous time I went to the gym, I slimmed down much faster, but I was doing a low carb diet and did a much longer routine (I maybe spent 3 hours in the gym?)
Anyway, my legs did miss the "good" pain that comes with sport! That's the only part of my body that did, though.
Anyway, my legs did miss the "good" pain that comes with sport! That's the only part of my body that did, though.
#4
MisterSteve
MisterSteve
Swimming is the single most effective method of getting in shape. Try swimming 45 minutes to an hour 5-6 days per week. You will notice that you get really hungry after swimming for extended periods. That's because you are burning mondo calories very rapidly. You will lose lots of weight and you will sleep like the dead.
#5
Silver Jelly
Silver Jelly
Unfortunately, I have a "bad leg" that hurts like mad when I swim... It's also very low on calcium, so I can't use the "start getting in shape fast" method of using those vibrating plaforms. My body hates me.Swimming is the single most effective method of getting in shape. Try swimming 45 minutes to an hour 5-6 days per week. You will notice that you get really hungry after swimming for extended periods. That's because you are burning mondo calories very rapidly. You will lose lots of weight and you will sleep like the dead.
#6
Tinwhistler
Tinwhistler
I lost 20 lbs (9kg) in the 3 weeks before my honeymoon..unfortunately, i've put a lb back on (.5kg) in the week since getting back from ireland. Time to get back on the old grindstone.
I'm at 260 (117kg) and hope to be down to 240 (108) in the next couple months. I carry a lot of muscle mass on me under the lard I've got over it, so I would be really happy in the 200-220 range (90-100kg).
I'm at 260 (117kg) and hope to be down to 240 (108) in the next couple months. I carry a lot of muscle mass on me under the lard I've got over it, so I would be really happy in the 200-220 range (90-100kg).
#7
Piotyr
Piotyr
Well, at the beginning of summer I weighed 322 lbs. I'm attempting to drop 1-2 lbs per week, and am currently at 304. I'll keep working to drop 1-2 lbs per week for an entire year and see where I'm at then. I figure if I can maintain that average weight loss, I'd be down at least 50 by summer next year.
I'm going the South Beach Diet route, no sugars, no processed grain foods, no white starches, smaller and more frequent portions. I'm combining it with doing 30-45 minutes of Wii Fit aerobics (mostly Rhythm Boxing) to start getting into basic shape. I do that rather than outdoor running/swimming because I just can't motivate myself to do that, but keeping track of things on Wii Fit is simpler, and plays to my competitive spirit.
I'm going the South Beach Diet route, no sugars, no processed grain foods, no white starches, smaller and more frequent portions. I'm combining it with doing 30-45 minutes of Wii Fit aerobics (mostly Rhythm Boxing) to start getting into basic shape. I do that rather than outdoor running/swimming because I just can't motivate myself to do that, but keeping track of things on Wii Fit is simpler, and plays to my competitive spirit.
#8
Matt²
Matt²
I think I'd be happy with 220 or so. I'm still heavier than my dad who's 6'3" although he is 70 now.. I'm 5'11" but I have worked out on my arms and my legs. I really want to trim my tummy down.I lost 20 lbs (9kg) in the 3 weeks before my honeymoon..unfortunately, i've put a lb back on (.5kg) in the week since getting back from ireland. Time to get back on the old grindstone.
I'm at 260 (117kg) and hope to be down to 240 (108) in the next couple months. I carry a lot of muscle mass on me under the lard I've got over it, so I would be really happy in the 200-220 range (90-100kg).
#9
KCWM
KCWM
I'm sorry for the length...I have a bit of time on my hands
Let me start off by saying that I'm "Biggest Loser" big, and that's compared to recent seasons, not the first few. The only normal clothing I can buy from the stores I like include boxers and socks. In the past three years, I've put on around 70 pounds. Until recently, I was eating four meals a day, one of which was fast food. I am fat...no, I am morbidly obese. While I couldn't care less about going grocery shopping or walking around the mall, I am embarrassed to meet new people that I have to interact with. And it's all my fault.
About a month ago, my wife (who's also overweight) and I decided that we were going to make a lifestyle change. I can't call it a diet because we are making permanent changes. We downloaded the Lose It app for our iPhones and turned on the optional trackers for fat/saturated fat, cholesterol, carbs, sodium, fiber, sugar, and protein. As most of the products we buy are not listed, we've had to manually enter a lot of our foods. This has helped us get into the habit of looking at labels. We haven't made it far enough to start paying attention to ingredients, but that's an eventual goal. While I know the Lose It app isn't 100% accurate, my doctor agreed with the approximate amount of calories it had budgeted for my current weight. I always aim to be under, but it's good to know it's relatively accurate.
The one thing we noticed above everything else was the amount of sodium that I was taking in. Since one of my meals was invariably fast food (McDouble and a chicken nugget Happy or Mighty Kids Meal from McDonalds, for example) and we ate a lot of boxed/packaged meals, my sodium intake averaged around 5500mg a day. That's over 2x the daily recommended allowance. No wonder my blood pressure had been hovering in the 140s/high 90s. So many diets ignore sodium. For example, Weight Watchers (my mother-in-law is an employee) offers their points slider that factors in calories, fat, and fiber. DWLZ.com, a great WW related website, recently started including information about carbohydrates in a lot of their listings and sodium in a few others.
We've changed our breakfast habits from having bacon, eggs (fried or scrambled with cheese), and hashbrowns to egg beater omelets with spinach, mushrooms, shredded cheese, etc. We've incorporated more fruit and/or homemade smoothies (frozen fruit and orange juice instead of yogurt) with a fiber supplement. I try to eat a bowl of cereal from time to time, ranging from Lucky Charms (my weakspot) to Kashi Go-Lean Crunch. I've been drinking 1% milk for quite some time (I can't do skim) and I stick to the standard serving of 1/2 cup, as I've never used a lot of milk for my cereal. At work, I get an egg white omelet with double mushrooms, baby spinach, and some freshly made salsa. Calorie count on it? Approximately 60 calories because the café downstairs cooks it with cooking spray.
For lunch, we've moved away from sandwiches and frozen lunches. Most packaged sandwhich meat has a buttload of sodium. We would even get the reduced sodium Hillshire Farms meat and still have over 400mg for 2oz of thin sliced chicken, turkey, or ham. That's not a lot of meat. I love sandwhiches. Now, we load up the chicken/fish with garlic, cracked pepper, a slight amount of sea salt, paprika, a touch of cayenne pepper and cook it on our griddle with some generic brand Pam. The brown rice, even for a half cup of it, is still 150 calories (we use the boil-in-a-bag stuff), but it's filling. We buy the Steamfresh veggies (green beans, sweet corn, or broccoli/cauliflower). Two boiled bags of rice and two types of the veggies generally lasts my wife and I the whole week (4-5 days for her, 3-4 for me). The café here at work that has buffalo chicken on Wednesday and I get the baked chicken over lettuce for a salad instead of a monster wrap. This includes some cheddar cheese, ranch, and a little extra buffalo sauce.
Dinner has been another big adjustment. I grew up eating and learned to cook southern food. This includes chicken nuggets, chicken fried steak, cheeseburgers, teriyaki-glazed chicken, etc. I also hated fish. Now, we bake, broil, and grill quite a bit of fish and chicken. My favorite, so far, has been the yellowfin tuna steaks cooked on our griddle with a little bit of olive oil and fresh lemon juice. We also like broiled mahi-mahi with some pepper, garlic, and a hint of salt. Nice and plain. We try to keep our dinners to around 500 calories.
A second big change we made was to start making big salads, having either a caesar salad or homestyle salad . Caesar Salad? Ken's Lite Creamy Caesar has been our go-to choice, retaining quite a bit of flavor without the nasty aftertaste that most diet dressings have. We actually make a big salad and use the normal serving of two tablespoons between us. We shake the salad in a plastic bowl so that the dressing coats the entire salad. We then use a little bit of fresh parmesan cheese and a few croutons (Texas Toast Garlic and Butter). This ends up costing us approximately 75 calories. We do the same thing for homestyle salads, but cheat a little by having normal ranch, but still keeping it to the two tablespoon serving split between us. We slice up cucumbers and carrots and don't add cheese. This brings it to around 100 calories (due to the ranch). A big salad has worked wonders as a good filler.
Yes, I still want the stuff I've given up or I'm working on giving up...yes the adjustment has been incredibly tough. But over the last two and a half weeks that we've been doing this seriously (the first week was a bit of a failure) I have dropped almost 11.5 lbs. It's a small part of what I want to lose, but for the first time in over a decade I have sustained weight loss, sustained a "diet", and I actually feel physically better for it.
We exercise three times a week, we go bowling, walk, play Wii Sports during off days, etc. Our apartment gym sucks, so we are going to get a membership at one of the local gyms that also has a pool so that I can swim. I'm not trying to build muscle at this time, rather I'm doing more reps with a smaller weight. I love to row (machine weight). While I don't work out hard (I burn approximately 300-450 calories per 20 minute work out), I'm building my endurance. If I join a gym, I want to be able to work out for an hour...not just 20 or 30 minutes. I want to get to the point where I'm working out an hour a day, swimming a portion of that, 4-6 times a week. My wife has been a great accountability partner who pushes me when I want to plod along. It's hard to break decade old habits of being lazy, but she's there to encourage me and to keep me from falling down.
We still eat treats. My doctor even agrees that having a night to splurge (within a little bit of reason) is good. We can go to the Macaroni Grill and get some Penne Rustica and have the yummy bread with that olive oil and pepper dip. We can still go to Red Lobster and have a couple of cheese biscuits. But, it's about being smart about it...portion control (my last trip to Red Lobster resulted in a massive failure of this...fortunately, I had calories that day to spare).
Sorry this got so long...as I said at the beginning, I had time to sit down and type. This stuff has become my recent focus. But diets aren't the answer...it's truly about a lifestyle change. If I don't make that kind of change, I am not only going to set myself up for failure, but I'm going to doom my future children to a lifestyle of fatty failure.
Let me start off by saying that I'm "Biggest Loser" big, and that's compared to recent seasons, not the first few. The only normal clothing I can buy from the stores I like include boxers and socks. In the past three years, I've put on around 70 pounds. Until recently, I was eating four meals a day, one of which was fast food. I am fat...no, I am morbidly obese. While I couldn't care less about going grocery shopping or walking around the mall, I am embarrassed to meet new people that I have to interact with. And it's all my fault.
About a month ago, my wife (who's also overweight) and I decided that we were going to make a lifestyle change. I can't call it a diet because we are making permanent changes. We downloaded the Lose It app for our iPhones and turned on the optional trackers for fat/saturated fat, cholesterol, carbs, sodium, fiber, sugar, and protein. As most of the products we buy are not listed, we've had to manually enter a lot of our foods. This has helped us get into the habit of looking at labels. We haven't made it far enough to start paying attention to ingredients, but that's an eventual goal. While I know the Lose It app isn't 100% accurate, my doctor agreed with the approximate amount of calories it had budgeted for my current weight. I always aim to be under, but it's good to know it's relatively accurate.
The one thing we noticed above everything else was the amount of sodium that I was taking in. Since one of my meals was invariably fast food (McDouble and a chicken nugget Happy or Mighty Kids Meal from McDonalds, for example) and we ate a lot of boxed/packaged meals, my sodium intake averaged around 5500mg a day. That's over 2x the daily recommended allowance. No wonder my blood pressure had been hovering in the 140s/high 90s. So many diets ignore sodium. For example, Weight Watchers (my mother-in-law is an employee) offers their points slider that factors in calories, fat, and fiber. DWLZ.com, a great WW related website, recently started including information about carbohydrates in a lot of their listings and sodium in a few others.
We've changed our breakfast habits from having bacon, eggs (fried or scrambled with cheese), and hashbrowns to egg beater omelets with spinach, mushrooms, shredded cheese, etc. We've incorporated more fruit and/or homemade smoothies (frozen fruit and orange juice instead of yogurt) with a fiber supplement. I try to eat a bowl of cereal from time to time, ranging from Lucky Charms (my weakspot) to Kashi Go-Lean Crunch. I've been drinking 1% milk for quite some time (I can't do skim) and I stick to the standard serving of 1/2 cup, as I've never used a lot of milk for my cereal. At work, I get an egg white omelet with double mushrooms, baby spinach, and some freshly made salsa. Calorie count on it? Approximately 60 calories because the café downstairs cooks it with cooking spray.
For lunch, we've moved away from sandwiches and frozen lunches. Most packaged sandwhich meat has a buttload of sodium. We would even get the reduced sodium Hillshire Farms meat and still have over 400mg for 2oz of thin sliced chicken, turkey, or ham. That's not a lot of meat. I love sandwhiches. Now, we load up the chicken/fish with garlic, cracked pepper, a slight amount of sea salt, paprika, a touch of cayenne pepper and cook it on our griddle with some generic brand Pam. The brown rice, even for a half cup of it, is still 150 calories (we use the boil-in-a-bag stuff), but it's filling. We buy the Steamfresh veggies (green beans, sweet corn, or broccoli/cauliflower). Two boiled bags of rice and two types of the veggies generally lasts my wife and I the whole week (4-5 days for her, 3-4 for me). The café here at work that has buffalo chicken on Wednesday and I get the baked chicken over lettuce for a salad instead of a monster wrap. This includes some cheddar cheese, ranch, and a little extra buffalo sauce.
Dinner has been another big adjustment. I grew up eating and learned to cook southern food. This includes chicken nuggets, chicken fried steak, cheeseburgers, teriyaki-glazed chicken, etc. I also hated fish. Now, we bake, broil, and grill quite a bit of fish and chicken. My favorite, so far, has been the yellowfin tuna steaks cooked on our griddle with a little bit of olive oil and fresh lemon juice. We also like broiled mahi-mahi with some pepper, garlic, and a hint of salt. Nice and plain. We try to keep our dinners to around 500 calories.
A second big change we made was to start making big salads, having either a caesar salad or homestyle salad . Caesar Salad? Ken's Lite Creamy Caesar has been our go-to choice, retaining quite a bit of flavor without the nasty aftertaste that most diet dressings have. We actually make a big salad and use the normal serving of two tablespoons between us. We shake the salad in a plastic bowl so that the dressing coats the entire salad. We then use a little bit of fresh parmesan cheese and a few croutons (Texas Toast Garlic and Butter). This ends up costing us approximately 75 calories. We do the same thing for homestyle salads, but cheat a little by having normal ranch, but still keeping it to the two tablespoon serving split between us. We slice up cucumbers and carrots and don't add cheese. This brings it to around 100 calories (due to the ranch). A big salad has worked wonders as a good filler.
Yes, I still want the stuff I've given up or I'm working on giving up...yes the adjustment has been incredibly tough. But over the last two and a half weeks that we've been doing this seriously (the first week was a bit of a failure) I have dropped almost 11.5 lbs. It's a small part of what I want to lose, but for the first time in over a decade I have sustained weight loss, sustained a "diet", and I actually feel physically better for it.
We exercise three times a week, we go bowling, walk, play Wii Sports during off days, etc. Our apartment gym sucks, so we are going to get a membership at one of the local gyms that also has a pool so that I can swim. I'm not trying to build muscle at this time, rather I'm doing more reps with a smaller weight. I love to row (machine weight). While I don't work out hard (I burn approximately 300-450 calories per 20 minute work out), I'm building my endurance. If I join a gym, I want to be able to work out for an hour...not just 20 or 30 minutes. I want to get to the point where I'm working out an hour a day, swimming a portion of that, 4-6 times a week. My wife has been a great accountability partner who pushes me when I want to plod along. It's hard to break decade old habits of being lazy, but she's there to encourage me and to keep me from falling down.
We still eat treats. My doctor even agrees that having a night to splurge (within a little bit of reason) is good. We can go to the Macaroni Grill and get some Penne Rustica and have the yummy bread with that olive oil and pepper dip. We can still go to Red Lobster and have a couple of cheese biscuits. But, it's about being smart about it...portion control (my last trip to Red Lobster resulted in a massive failure of this...fortunately, I had calories that day to spare).
Sorry this got so long...as I said at the beginning, I had time to sit down and type. This stuff has become my recent focus. But diets aren't the answer...it's truly about a lifestyle change. If I don't make that kind of change, I am not only going to set myself up for failure, but I'm going to doom my future children to a lifestyle of fatty failure.
#10
Seraphyn
Seraphyn
More often then not, losing weight includes or consists solely out of a lifestyle change. Good for you on making those steps man.
#11
CynicismKills
CynicismKills
I'm hoping to get myself on track to drop a couple pounds. I'm not overweight, but I've got a gut and I can definitely tell it's starting to affect me (winded when I know I shouldn't be, etc). Diet is the hard part for me, since I grew up in a family that ate well and always had soda on-hand. Not buying soda is easy, but I have easy access to it at work, too. I drink a lot more water now, but stopping the soda at work is what I need to work on first. Once I get that under control I'm going to move on to what I buy grocery-wise.
The only thing I'm not sure about is a workout regimen. I don't trust the area I live, so running/jogging is a no, and the gym here at the apartment is kinda shady. I also don't have the funds for a gym membership.
The only thing I'm not sure about is a workout regimen. I don't trust the area I live, so running/jogging is a no, and the gym here at the apartment is kinda shady. I also don't have the funds for a gym membership.
#12
ThatNickGuy
I've likely lost weight during the summer, thanks to bicyle couriering. I haven't weighed myself in ages, though, so I don't know how much or what I'm at these days.
ThatNickGuy
This, very much so. Don't think of it as a diet. A diet sounds like it's temporary, to lose weight for awhile. Think of it as a change in your eating habits, change in your lifestyle, etc.More often then not, losing weight includes or consists solely out of a lifestyle change. Good for you on making those steps man.
I've likely lost weight during the summer, thanks to bicyle couriering. I haven't weighed myself in ages, though, so I don't know how much or what I'm at these days.
#13
drifter
-edit-
Actually, just google "exercise without weights." That should give you a bunch of exercise ideas.
drifter
Keeping a water bottle handy can help.Not buying soda is easy, but I have easy access to it at work, too. I drink a lot more water now, but stopping the soda at work is what I need to work on first.
You could do a lot worse than just doing push-ups and squats. If those aren't challenging enough, you could do one-hand/one-foot variations. If you want to work on your back muscles, one of those pull-up bars that attach by leverage will run something like $20-30. If you want to work your core but hate sit-ups and crunches (like I do) here are some alternatives.The only thing I'm not sure about is a workout regimen. I don't trust the area I live, so running/jogging is a no, and the gym here at the apartment is kinda shady. I also don't have the funds for a gym membership.
-edit-
Actually, just google "exercise without weights." That should give you a bunch of exercise ideas.
#14
figmentPez
figmentPez
I'm on a diet that isn't primarily for weight loss. The good news is that a recent test was negative for celiac disease, but we still don't know what all is wrong with me. For the time being I'm off of all grains and quite a bit of other stuff (sugar, potatoes, beans, etc.) I started at 193lbs (88kg) and I'm down to 177 (81kg), over a little more than 2 months. It's weight I needed to loose, but I really prefer to get more exercise while I do.
#15
Cajungal
Cajungal
Very happy for all of you who have succeeded or have even taken a step in the right direction. 
I actually didn't lose *much* weight this summer... only about 4 pounds. But I built up a LOT more muscle. My arms, legs, and back are much more solid, now. Still have that layer of softness surrounding them, but baby steps... baby steps.
I actually didn't lose *much* weight this summer... only about 4 pounds. But I built up a LOT more muscle. My arms, legs, and back are much more solid, now. Still have that layer of softness surrounding them, but baby steps... baby steps.
#16
KCWM
KCWM
I've been drinking the powdered flavor packets from Wal-Mart lately. My favorites, at least so far, are cranberry apple and cherry limeade. I have a 32oz glass and with the mix of ice and water I use (ice halfway, full water, then a little ice on top), it's extremely close to the Ocean Spray Cran-Apple juice, but with the benefits of water. I've not read anything negative about the flavor packets, except that some add 5 calories. And, while I drink a lot of water at home, I drink 64-96oz here at work now.
My wife and I did join LA Fitness last night and have an appointment with a personal trainer tomorrow. Now that I'm paying for exercise, I'm going to be even more motivated to get my value out of it. And, it has a nice pool, so I intend to make some waves....get it? Pool...mak....hmmm nevermind.
My wife and I did join LA Fitness last night and have an appointment with a personal trainer tomorrow. Now that I'm paying for exercise, I'm going to be even more motivated to get my value out of it. And, it has a nice pool, so I intend to make some waves....get it? Pool...mak....hmmm nevermind.
#17
Cajungal
Cajungal
Heeheeheeeee.
I grew up with a pool. I'm visiting mom and dad's this week before I start up student teaching, and I'm getting the most out of it. Swimming has always been my favorite exercise... and now I live in an apartment where I have to share a pool with a douchebag who frenches and gropes his girlfriend in the shallow water and then steps out with a sad little cold-water boner. So yeah, I'm enjoying the big private pool while I can.
I grew up with a pool. I'm visiting mom and dad's this week before I start up student teaching, and I'm getting the most out of it. Swimming has always been my favorite exercise... and now I live in an apartment where I have to share a pool with a douchebag who frenches and gropes his girlfriend in the shallow water and then steps out with a sad little cold-water boner. So yeah, I'm enjoying the big private pool while I can.