Weight Loss Help

[SUSkinsFan]

Alright, so I went to see the doctor last week and when they weighed me, I tipped the scales at 262 pounds. I'm 5'10 and the nurse really got on me to lose some weight.

I know the basics to losing weight (exercise, not eating such bad food etc.). But what are some other things I can do to drop some excess baggage. I'm not looking to build muscle, just get down to around 200-210.

Also, what are some tips I can do to get through the initial diet horror phase. I've tried dieting before but I just can't seem to stay on one and I'm tired of being so damn fat.

Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated.

[chipwhich]

Step one, be mentally prepared to change your lifestyle. If you aren't mentally ready to do it, forget it.

Step two, find a diet that you can reasonably stick to.

Step 3 exercise.

[mojobo]

stop drinking sodas (might want to drink diet for a short period of time if you do drink a lot of sodas), and watch what snacks you eat as they can have a lot of calories. As for getting in the mindset, what I did when I needed to get into shape was start out my diet with a 24 hour fast, that tends to take away a lot of the need I felt to eat a lot. Also look at the food labels to see how many calories you are eating, try to stay below 2,000 calories per day.

[BigMike619]

I heard a way to quickly lose weight. Before you eat a meal drink lots of water because it will fill your stomach up and you wont eat as much. I am not saying it is the healthiest of choices, but it will work.

And stop eating twinkies like Kobyashi at a weiner eating contest!!

[Spec138]

stop drinking sodas (might want to drink diet for a short period of time if you do drink a lot of sodas), and watch what snacks you eat as they can have a lot of calories. As for getting in the mindset, what I did when I needed to get into shape was start out my diet with a 24 hour fast, that tends to take away a lot of the need I felt to eat a lot. Also look at the food labels to see how many calories you are eating, try to stay below 2,000 calories per day.

I agree with this, although I've never heard about the fasting prior to a diet, not saying it's wrong though. Sodas and Alcohol are bad of course, and staying under 2000 calories a day will help alot. You should use a tool to find out how many Calories your body needs to stay at it's current weight, there are some online if you search. One pound of fat is approximately 3500 Calories. Take 500 Calories a day off of what you need to maintain your weight and you lose one pound a week just by eating less. Exercising and being more active in general will help tons too.

[VBHOGG]

Hey man, I right there with you. I've gone down hill over the last few years and I've had enough of it too. I recently talked to one of my buddies from college that lost 40 pounds and I asked him how he did it. Here's what he said:

He lives up in NYC and he used to eat pizza every day for lunch. He completely cut pizza and soft drinks out of his diet and started bringing a turkey sandwich to work for lunch.

He was always drinking water because he said it curbed his appetite.

He worked on eating at a slower pace because he said it made him feel full without eating as much.

He ran on the treadmill for 30 minutes every day after work.

I think that the key is to do all of the above consistently.

[VBHOGG]

I agree with this, although I've never heard about the fasting prior to a diet, not saying it's wrong though. Sodas and Alcohol are bad of course, and staying under 2000 calories a day will help alot. You should use a tool to find out how many Calories your body needs to stay at it's current weight, there are some online if you search. One pound of fat is approximately 3500 Calories. Take 500 Calories a day off of what you need to maintain your weight and you lose one pound a week just by eating less. Exercising and being more active in general will help tons too.

If you depend on classic aerobic cardio for weight loss, you probably spend 30 minutes on a machine trying to burn a set number of calories. But does that work? Does burning 500 calories per day cause you to lose 1 pound of fat per week?

Well, according to science, it should. But if it did, you probably wouldn't still be reading this article.

I used to write a column on fat loss myths for Men's Fitness magazine. Here's a classic weight loss topic I covered.

Myth: I need to burn 500 calories each workout to lose fat.

Truth: Possibly one of the worst inventions for fat loss was the calorie-counting monitor on treadmills, elliptical machines, and stairmasters.

http://ezinearticles.com/?How-Many-Calories-Should-You-Burn-for-Weight-Loss&id=478554

[909997]

262lbs damnnn

run a mile 5 days a week

or burn 500 calories a day from your regular eating habits

1 week thats 1 lbs

a month thats 4 lbs

a year 48 lbs

so you will weight 214 in a year.

[Ghost of]

It's cool to do cardio but I would still do strength training. For one, getting your muscles toned and strong again will give you the confidence to attack the other objectives you're going to set for yourself. Plus, it kicks up the metabolism and if you DO add any muscle (even a few pounds) you'll burn more calories daily just by having it.

The next step? Understand that the best foods for you, in the right portions and combinations, are ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC TASTING.

Let's say you cop a bag of frozen chicken tenders at the grocery store, right? (or get them from the butcher and then freeze them in a sealed bag, removing them as needed.) Cook up a tender or two in a pan, put some teriyaki on it (yes, it has sugar but you don't have to eat tofu and granola to lose weight) and cut it up to put on top of a huge cucumber, tomato and lettuce salad.

When you get a might peckish, you can cut up some celery and then put some cottage cheese or creamed cheese or peanut butter on it.

The advice to drink a lot of water is right on target. For one, you probabyl aren't getting the water you need anyway on some days. water...is...life. Get that Crystal Lite stuff if you want some flavor in it sometimes. Drink ice water as the body kicks up the metabolism just to process it. The more ice water you drink, the more calories you can burn. Up to 200 a DAY, just by taking your water in very cold form

For a day or two log your NORMAL diet, then go online to calculate (or just add it up by hand) what the calories, fat, carb, proteins add up to. Then when you think of a good day's worth of your NEW diet, then log that and see where you can improve INCLUDING improving your taste.

One of the reasons people don't stick with diets is they think it's about not having fun anymore or having a good experience eating, that it's a chore. Far from it. Even meals people don't think of as 'healthy' can be made so. Get a thing of Ramen, put some broccoli cuts in it (frozen bags are fine, as it locks in the nutrients and most of us don't want to constantly be buying fresh items just to eat daily) and enjoy. Just watch your intake.

Even something like a can of Chef Boyardee--eat half of it and a salad. Those cans are usually 2.5 servings per, so it's easy to think you only had 'one' serving. Always check serving sizes, if you can or go online if there is no label for your portion.

Good luck. I haven't lost weight but I'm up to 215 or so and my goal was to get strong and gain muscle. The fat loss will come when I get up there but our plans are really only different in terms of the caloric intake recommended to the two of us.

[Prosperity]

I was in your position in HS.... was 5'10 245 and gradually for the past 3 years I got down to 175 (also now 5'11). Just realize that you are in it for the long haul, there aren't any quick fixes, and it can't even be done over a year (imo).

diets will not work at all alone. exercise will not work alone. You have to change your lifestyle.

First thing is first, cut out sodas and fast food, as well as pretty much all of the bull **** frozen foods you get. These foods are low in everything but calories, they have no nutritional value, they are dehydrated, have no fiber, and are full of preservatives. Eat foods which are filling and decently tasty. If you are craving meat eat fish or chicken (not fried) if you want beef that is ok too in moderation, mostly just use some objective reasoning. Eating that double quarter pounder at night ain't gonna do you any good.

Second, increase your metabolic rate. If you want to lose weight your body has to use up energy at a high enough rate so that you use up your fat. If you diet too much your body will go into starvation mode and you will not lose any more weight, and furthermore not only will you be weak and unhealthy but any deviance or lack of self control will lead to VERY QUICK weight gain (your body thinks "omg I haven't had this much food in a long time... I better save it for when I am starving again"). This will be devastating to your confidence and overall health. To increase your metabolism eat often as in 4-5 times a day (but not too late at night), drink lots of water (but don't go any where close to Terry Schiavo levels), and take some green tea (extract or actual tea), as well as fiber, in the form of high fiber diet or fiber supplements (high fiber bread is best option). You also need to do regular exercise... cardio is good, but walking by itself (2-3 miles a day) will do wonders.

Third, Exercise, and lift weights. Lifting weights and exercising in general will energize you, and build up muscles which will lead to using up even more calories. This is very important.

Also, drugs like alcohol and weed are going to hurt you. Weed because it makes you hungry and alcohol because it makes you dumb and it has worthless calories. You don't have to stop getting drunk, but don't make a habit of drinking the ales or more caloric beers everyday... the weekend is perfectly ok. If you smoke pot I recommend you have some better food than cookie dough laying around.

[bobisimo]

I'm not an expert but I have been around a lot of people who have had to lose weight - and successfully did it. The suggestions listed so far seem pretty good, though the one thing I would add is to pay attention to some of these problems my friends have had with their mind-set in regard to keeping weight off.

#1) Think small and long-term. I mean, really change your mindset in that manner.

Start thinking, like... if I change mayo on a sandwich to mustard on a sandwich, I can lose X pounds (whatever it is) over the course of a year. I think a lot of people won't look at something like a mayo-to-mustard switch because they can do it for a month and see no differences. They get discouraged and give up on the idea of small, subtle, long-term changes. They want instant results (i.e. the get rich quick scheme).

#2) Also remember that people plateau all of the time. You change up your diet, you change up your workout routine, and you lose 12 pounds your first month. You're excited and drive and keep at it, but as the months go by, the weight losses slow down and eventually stop. Maybe even one month your weight goes up a pound or two. That doesn't mean you need to give up on the diet, it just means you hit a plateau. If it's still healthy for you to lose weight, then you need to find a way to spike the weight losses once more. Maybe the doctors say you can change your workout habits to be more aggressive, now that you're at a lighter weight and used to the workout routine. Whatever the case may be, don't get down if the weight comes off quickly at first and stops later. Ultimately, the goal is getting healthy. Even if you're not losing weight, by working out and eating better, you are getting healthier.

#3) Don't drastically change your lifestyle unless you have every confidence in yourself (and probably not even then!). In fact, don't think of a diet as a sacrifice. Instead, think of a diet as what it really is... your diet. What you eat. You're not going on a diet, you're changing up your diet. If you think about it more as how you're changing your diet, as opposed to going on a diet... I think you're more likely to keep at it.

A diet, as a sacrifice, sounds too much like a temporary measure. "I need to go on a diet to lose 10 pounds," implies a temporary sacrifice that leads to a specific goal that results in an end to the diet. And that temporary sacrifice is going to be torture as you develop cravings, suffer lower energy, hate the process, get into a bad mood, hate people around you who are eating the things you want to eat, etc.

Like I wrote above, think slow and long-term. One of my friends loved pastries so much he ate them every day, especially cake. But he needed to drop his weight because it was affecting his enjoyment of life. So he started by cutting the portions a little smaller, then after some time started skipping days now and then but upping the portions back. Then he started skipping more days and cutting the portions back down. Then he got it to where he was having his original, full-size portion, but once a week before cutting that down a little. It was one of many sustainable changes he made to "his diet". He really looks forward to and is excited by "cake day." Haha. It's funny, but it's worked. And he doesn't feel like he's missing out or desiring a change back to what it was.

#4) Finally, I'd like to add that you can go from 262 to 222, and feel better - but maybe not look much different. I mean, you might be smaller, overall, but you may still be flabby or have a big gut or whatever. In fact, you may be even more flabby, develop stretch marks and so on - making you feel worse about yourself. But don't worry. There is usually a difference between losing weight and body-shaping. So you shouldn't worry when addressing one concern (weight) doesn't completely fix your other issue (body issues). But don't worry: you can exercise to affect the way you look, so don't think "I've been working out and eating well and losing weight, but I still look bad so I may as well give up." Take pride in the changes, because they mean a healthier and better you. Even the stretch marks. Maybe your skin isn't as elastic as it once was (though if you're only 20 it probably is), but you can look at those marks like scars, reminders of your past and how careful you need to be in the future.

Good luck and I hope at least some of these mind-set changes are helpful, and let you stick to what you want to do to get healthier for the rest of your life.

[No_Pressure]

I agree with this, although I've never heard about the fasting prior to a diet, not saying it's wrong though. Sodas and Alcohol are bad of course, and staying under 2000 calories a day will help alot. You should use a tool to find out how many Calories your body needs to stay at it's current weight, there are some online if you search. One pound of fat is approximately 3500 Calories. Take 500 Calories a day off of what you need to maintain your weight and you lose one pound a week just by eating less. Exercising and being more active in general will help tons too.

Eventually your body becomes used to the lack of calories and compensates for it. If someone is going to do this they sould emphasise your less sentence- exercise is key.

[kevin11]

One thing I hate is when you dont even eat that much and yet you gain alot of weight.

[mojobo]

I agree with this, although I've never heard about the fasting prior to a diet, not saying it's wrong though.

thats something that always used to get me ready for a diet as I found I would be less hungry and food was more filling. I don't know if thats good for you or if it works for everybody I just found that it made it easier to follow a diet after that although I gained back everything I lost so maybe it doesn't work :laugh: .

[Grumpy Vet]

Nutrisystem diet has worked well for me....I started one day before the Skins' first home game.

I've lost 39# in a little over 3 months.

I have more energy. My pulse and blood pressure have both dropped dramatically.

Here is my story:

http://www.extremeskins.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4349969&postcount=83

If you'd like more info - I'd be happy to share.

Good luck whatever you choose. Slow & Steady.

GV

[kuraitengai]

the whole water thing, ive heard before. so that could be something to incorporate into whatever program you decide to do.

if you want to go extreme....this one worked for me....granted i wasnt out trying to lose any weight since i was 6'4 218, just trying to drop a few lbs so make the 6pack stand out a little more. but i worked out 3-4 times a week from feb-present. including about 10-15 miles a week running. from feb-end of july i lost nothing. only gained muscle definition. but all of august, i demoed a house then flipped it. cut out all the running and only lifted at the gym. the beginning of sept i was 202. so if you went out and bought a crappy house to fix up. youd lose a lot of weight.

that, plus i was sick the last week of august. so a combination of the two could work. if you went out and got mono, youd be to 200 in a month.

but i kid...dont do that.

[Commander_N_Chief]

the whole water thing, ive heard before. so that could be something to incorporate into whatever program you decide to do.

if you want to go extreme....this one worked for me....granted i wasnt out trying to lose any weight since i was 6'4 218, just trying to drop a few lbs so make the 6pack stand out a little more. but i worked out 3-4 times a week from feb-present. including about 10-15 miles a week running. from feb-end of july i lost nothing. only gained muscle definition. but all of august, i demoed a house then flipped it. cut out all the running and only lifted at the gym. the beginning of sept i was 202. so if you went out and bought a crappy house to fix up. youd lose a lot of weight.

that, plus i was sick the last week of august. so a combination of the two could work. if you went out and got mono, youd be to 200 in a month.

but i kid...dont do that.

Mono was the best thing that happened to me when I was trying to cut weight. 22lbs in 3 weeks, if only it could happen twice. I should really get myself back into shape, but I've been in a bad mindset lately when it's come to working out.

[Forehead]

I'm in the same boat. When I was in college, I lived in the gym, I was even one of the gym supervisors. 6' tall, about 195-200#, cut and feeling good.

Fast forward to graduation, working a lot of hours a week, and generally not eating well, and that number has ballooned to 260#, so like I said, in the exact same boat. I can't do everything I did in college, just don't have the time, so I'll be reading everyone else's responses to you with great interest.

I might caution you to avoid the ES tailgates, but I've accepted that as a vice during football season. I enjoy them too much to cut them out.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

I research this stuff a lot. Best thing to do for you is to start running. Do it every 2 days and 4 reps of however long you can run. If you can run a quarter mile at a time, then run a mile with 4 rests. Make the rests last until you catch your breath, no longer. Keep that heart rate up. Also, buy a cheap heavy punching bag and cheap punching bag gloves at Sports Autority. Doing a few rounds on that every few days will trim you down if you don't lift weights.

Of course, eat your vegetables and cut the carb/protein combination for a while. Protein is fine by itself, but mixing it with carbs will add bulk. Veggies with tastey dipping sauce is fine. Obviously, Fat, Saturated fat, and trans fat are no no's. Watch out for those danishes.

[skinscountry]

I can vouch for the treadmill part and the water. I was at 190 now at 162. Get on the treadmill for a half hour. Start off walking fast than jog. It will work.....

[DallasBlowsBig]

I hope you take my suggestion seriously. But drink a couple cups of hot tea each day, not only does tea (black and green) have antioxidants which cleanse your body system, but researchers keep doing studies saying drinking a tea everyday for a few weeks will help you lose 10 pounds.

[speardog1]

You must lift weights! Yes, cardio and eating right is important as well. But weightlifting allows you to burn more calories while your muscles recover, eg. sitting on your ass or sleeping. You say, " well I don't want to build muscle." No, you're wrong, you want to build LEAN muscle. How do you do this? Focus on high reps (12-20 reps). Make sure you struggle on the last rep! Also if you're back and knees can handle it, don't ignore excercises like squats, deadlifts, and benchpress. There isn't a better calorie burning excercise than 5 sets of 20 squats. Compound or multiple muscle excercises are key. Also, if you're new to working out, don't forget to stretch. Stretch a lot. If you're injured then you can't work out, so avoid injuries by streching properly.

[madanomem]

Alright, so I went to see the doctor last week and when they weighed me, I tipped the scales at 262 pounds. I'm 5'10 and the nurse really got on me to lose some weight.

I know the basics to losing weight (exercise, not eating such bad food etc.). But what are some other things I can do to drop some excess baggage. I'm not looking to build muscle, just get down to around 200-210.

Also, what are some tips I can do to get through the initial diet horror phase. I've tried dieting before but I just can't seem to stay on one and I'm tired of being so damn fat.

Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated.

All i have to say is be dedicated. I my myself was in that same position. i was 5'7 adn i weighed 205. my doctor jumped on me like crazy. so as a new years resolution, i said to my self that i would not eat any fast food except subway. (subway is actually helathy for you, no lie. i worked there, and all you have to do is stay away from the mayo, all dressings except the sweet online sauce. you also shouldnt get anything there besides the chicken and cold cuts. everything else there is not that good for you.) I also stopped drinking regular soda. the calories that soda has does nothing for your body, and the high frictose corn syrup is horrable for you. Also try to not eat any junk food i.e candy and all that junk. i started to go to the gym in september at least 3 times a week, and to date i have lost almost 50lbs. i am down to a healthy 154. you just have to be very very dedicated to it. Good Luck, and i know you can do it.