Big guys unite!

[trapin]

I know I'm not the only one here. And I know I'm not the only one that has made a New Year’s resolution to detach himself from the lifestyle that has slowly destroyed his health. People always say, have a safe, prosperous and healthy New Year. Well...let’s take them at their word and do just that. I know I'll make an effort to be safe and be prosperous but the health area is one I need to step up my efforts in. For 2008 I'm going to give it go. No diets however...this is a lifestyle change and I'm hoping I can get a bunch of you on board with me so we can admit our problem and use this thread to encourage one another and help each other out. So what I need to know is...who needs to be on this bandwagon and who wants on?

Here are the changes I'm making....

- More raw fruits and vegetables. At least 4 servings a day.

- Eat 5 times a day, small portions.

- 2 servings of dairy (I drink soy milk).

- At least 60 ounces of fresh water a day.

- Eat most of fat intake in the morning because studies show you burn more fat in the morning hours.

- At least 30 minutes of some kind of physical activity...and no, this :bsjerk: doesn't count.

Here comes the hard part......

- No sweets (candy, cookies, cake, pies, ice cream, etc)

- No white rice, white bread, white potatoes, pasta. (Substituted with brown rice, whole grain bread, sweet potatoes).

- Eliminate the foods I ate most frequently in the past. These include, Thai food, Pizza, Italian food, Mexican, Red meat.

I know it sounds like a lot...but really it's not that daunting. And it's not like I'm going to have to do this forever. Basically all I think I need is a 1 year break from how I've been living my life. When the year is up I can go back to that other stuff but in moderation with the focus on keeping my weight in a healthy zone.

Alright fellas....wave the white flag and step forward. Who's with me?

[rob07002]

I'm with ya Tony, but from experience, you cannot cut those foods entirely out of your diet and be succesful.

I agree with the "lifestyle change" part, because that's what it takes to be healthy.

you need to still be able to have a slice of pie or pizza and whatever in order to maintain sanity, just keep the portions small. If you fill up on healthy foods and have a cookie or 2 in the evening or splurge at bit on the weekends and hoilidays, you'll be fine.

Good Luck!

I'm trying Nutrisystem and stop smoking this year

[newbie]

I work for a healthcare company and our new CIO has taken a pretty cool aproach to health. They are running a Biggest Loser contest from jan 22 to april 17th. FIrst prize 2500, 2nd 2000 & 3rd 1500.

You you say car parts! ;>) Sudenly I feel motivated to get off the couch!

[WayneE]

You're dead on, Rob. Make small changes that will work with your lifestyle, then change more as you have successes. If you totally revamp your entire diet and exercise routine in one fell swoop, the odds are stacked against you succeeding long term.

I always advise people to start with the little things...

- remove soda, beer, sports drinks, don't drink anything with calories
- if can't give up alcohol, stick to small portions of wine or distilled spirits
- don't eat carbs past 5pm
- don't snack late at night
- stop eating fast food
- if you don't already, eat breakfast every morning
- never fill up... eat slowly... push away the plate before your pants fit tighter

Those right there usually take some work and getting used to before they're habit. Then you can start with the more drastic changes.

As far as exercise - if you're not doing anything right now, take a 30 minute walk each day. Just do something to get yourself moving around.

FWIW, this was me in 1997 - about 150lbs @ 5'9" with a belly

And me in 2007 - 210lbs and still pale as ever

100% natural, all diet and exercise.

[scogin918]

I did the same thing 10 yrs ago when I decided to lose the baby fat I had still been carrying around. I started to watch what I ate, but along with that I started running which then evolved into triathlons, which is now back to just running thanks to being a father now. The best part about starting out with an exercise program is it is pretty easy to stay motivated early on because you start to notice changes rather quickly. Once you reach a certain level where it takes more work to achive smaller gains is when it gets tough. The biggest difference you notice however is not the change you notice while exercising, it's how that change affects all other aspects of your life. More energy, confidence, a better general attitude, not too mention a happier Mrs.. Exercise also helps overlook some of the indulgences we have in our diet. For me it's cookies w/milk and anything my Grandmother cooks. But it is a balance. I can't operate on just a diet or just exercise alone. I need both to maintain a comfortable healthy weight while being able to perform at a level that I'm happy with. I'm 6'1" and 197 lbs. I wasn't built to be a Ferrari, however I'm more like a Mack truck that can set a pace and keep it going for a long time.

[eville]

You're completely right, it is a lifestyle change. But you can't deny yourself the foods you love. It's really about 1) portion control and 2) minding the calories in/calories out equation. Be on the '-' side of 3,500 calories and you'll lose 1#.

You should stay active and build muscle because increased muscle mass will burn more calories sitting at your desk at work.

For me, I'm 6' and went from over 260 to 185 in 2000-2001. I started with diet changes and started riding bikes (road and mtn). I was riding 5-6 days a week eating almost everything I wanted and still losing weight. Then I met my future wife, we got married, had a kid, and I crept back up to 245.
In November I decided to adjust my lifestyle again. So far I'm down 10#. I've been going to the gym 5-6 days a week and started getting the bikes ready. I'm improving muscle tone and feeling stronger. It's great!

Here's the a Happy and Healthy 2008 for EVERYONE!

[6'9"Witha69]

While I carry very little fat now, I was 230 lbs 18% body fat back in August. I made lifestyle and dietary changes to get to 7% body fat and 245+ lbs. My goal is 275. So I am onboard to pack on lean muscle and keep the fat down.

Try drinking more than 60 ounces. I drink 1 to 1.5 gallons of water a day (higher end on basketball days).

As my nutritionist says, focus on routine, not results.

[andrewb70]

Tony,

I am very glad you started this thread. Since late summer I have packed on more pounds than I care to admit and I too am looking to change things around for this year.

Last spring I was doing very well and following a routine that you described. I read a great book by John Berardi, called Metabolism Advantage. It essentially outlines a lifestyle plan that focuses on 5-7 small meals a day with daily, reasonable workouts. Following the plan I went down 3 belt holes on my waist while loosing only 5 pounds on the scale. This tells me that I was essentially replacing fat with muscle.

Let us all keep each other motivated and have a goal of looking out best for RTTH IV!

Andrew

[JEFFTATE]

I'm not overweight , but I have low energy and my strength is getting weaker every year.
I guess we all need to eat and exercise correctly.
I'm with you fellas.

[trapin]

Great...so far we got a few on board. Andrew, I'm glad you're on board as well after you and I discovered we were carrying a couple of extra humans on our frames between the two of us. LOL!!!

That's what I want this thread to be, a little place to come and network while we work towards our goals. I plan to chime in here as often as I can when I find stuff out, new tips, to report any weight lost (hopefully that's a weekly thing, LOL).

I still plan to allow myself "some" rewards here and there to help keep my sanity. But fast food is TOTALLY out. There is absolutely NO reason to be visiting those places.

[BonzoHansen]

Extra incentive: your car will (indirectly) lose an equal amout of weight. Less weight = faster....

[Young Gun]

dont tell the wifey, but the money you save on fast food, beer and the other stuff...i see some go fast goodies in the future =)

[TonyL]

Just came from the doctor yesterday. 254 lbs. My enemy?

Pepsi. I drink at least a sixpack a day of it. It's killing me, and my teeth are falling out to boot. Finally, my wife is on board, and we are quitting. It's water for me, and loads of it. Doing nothing else, just cutting pepsi out of my diet, I expect to lose huge amounts of weight.

[Rubes]

Dog gone it Tony...now look what you've done!! I just got home from grocery shoppin' (I live alone so no wifey to keep me on track), and here I sit with an orange and bannana for dinner...lol. I'm like Jelvis, not much over weight, but way low on energy. Also way low on self discipline for this kind of thing. But I dont drink soda at all, and eat fast food only 2 or 3 times a month. After breakin' up with my lgirlfriend because I was too fat and didn't live a healthy life style (she was a gym rat and totally HOT!!) I started going to the gym. But a ruptured disc in my neck put a stop to that. Prior to that I hadn't been to a doctor in 30 years...so much for a healthy lifestyle...lol.

Best of luck to you guys.

[harshman]

I'd be ideal weight if I was 2' taller.

[andrewb70]

Just came from the doctor yesterday. 254 lbs. My enemy?

Pepsi. I drink at least a sixpack a day of it. It's killing me, and my teeth are falling out to boot. Finally, my wife is on board, and we are quitting. It's water for me, and loads of it. Doing nothing else, just cutting pepsi out of my diet, I expect to lose huge amounts of weight.

Tony,

I would suggest wheening yourself off the Pepsi, unless you get cafeein somewhere else. You will have some bad headaches for sure if you just cut the caffein out. Welcome aboard!

Andrew

[BonzoHansen]

Just came from the doctor yesterday. 254 lbs. My enemy?

Pepsi. I drink at least a sixpack a day of it. It's killing me, and my teeth are falling out to boot. Finally, my wife is on board, and we are quitting. It's water for me, and loads of it. Doing nothing else, just cutting pepsi out of my diet, I expect to lose huge amounts of weight.

Ouch! The acid in the soda will wreck your teeth. That stuff peels paint.

[Tony_SS]

Just came from the doctor yesterday. 254 lbs. My enemy?

Pepsi. I drink at least a sixpack a day of it. It's killing me, and my teeth are falling out to boot. Finally, my wife is on board, and we are quitting. It's water for me, and loads of it. Doing nothing else, just cutting pepsi out of my diet, I expect to lose huge amounts of weight.

Same here - I'm down to 2 cans a day, one being diet. But that is the hardest part since I don't drink coffee. I NEED my Mt. Dew in the a.m. to get going.

Guys, if you can, pick up the book Abs Diet. It's not what it sounds like, it's a great guide to eating right. Plus, I didn't know this, but the artificial sweetner 'high fructose corn syrup' is your enemy. It's in everything from ketchup to soda to you name it! It goes straight to the gut. And its cheaper and sweeter than sugar, that's why it's in everything.

There's all kinds of things that you think are ok to eat, but really aren't. So I recommend it!

[trapin]

Soda Pop will eat away at your bones too. I remember not long ago I saw on the news where they said some studies found it will lower your bone density if you drink large amounts.

Tony you're right....that High Fructose Corn Syrup is literally in EVERYTHING. It's ridiculous.

[TonyL]

the headaches are killer. Im going through a whole gambut of tests and stuff. I went to the doctor and my blood pressure was 220/130 The doctor about had a stroke! Needless to say I'm on blood pressure meds. lol. Time to start taking my health seriously, Before something seriously takes my health.