Successful Weight Loss - What Works?

[Exigent]

Just going through some pictures of myself circa 1996. Wow - I looked good. Was 26 years old, 6'1" and probably 170 lbs. Now's I'm 37 and pushing 220 lbs. What the hell happened? The weight gain was gradual and now the concept of losing 50 lbs is somewhat daunting.

I've decided that I need to get in shape. I'm not a fat guy yet, but I sort of have no business driving a lighweight Lotus and carrying around 50 extra lbs.

What's the best way to lose weight and get in shape? I want to get back to 170lbs. I feel like crap and probably look like it too. Any trainers here? Nutritionists?

[codymac]

Originally Posted by Exigent

What's the best way to lose weight and get in shape? I want to get back to 170lbs. I feel like crap and probably look like it too. Any trainers here? Nutritionists?

Man, I've watched one of the guys that works for me struggle with everything from trying to influence his body's endocrine system via diet, to taking on every fad diet that hits.

My take, as a layperson and third party observer? Only one thing works, and yes, I've recommended it to him:

Move more, eat less.

[RoadDad]

wt loss = calories burned > calories taken in.

Very simple concept that gets harder to accomplish as we age and metabolism decreases and as we tend to sit on our butts more (at work, after work, on the bar stool, etc.) 50# is daunting. 5# repeated at set intervals (i.e., every 2-5 months) 10 times is not so daunting. Set realistic achievable goals and start slowly with some calorie burning movement that you enjoy (walking, cycling, running, swimming, etc.) and work your way up to more strenuous activity. Very frustrating to overdo at the beginning and then give up.

Eating 3 meals a day also can be detrimental. Skipping meals can often be worse. Both because of hunger and overeating. Eating small amounts throughout the day often helps avoid the American habit of overeating at mealtime and right before bed.

[jallingt]

I am 6-1 and currently weigh 165 in the morning, at the end of my freshman year in college I was 230 (1994). It is a life style change. I keep my diet low-fat, understand calories in and out as to how much I eat. I have also become a semi-pro mountain bike racer. How to do it? Don't "go on a diet" you must make a life style change. No more fast food, eat your veggies, make most of your shopping cart come from the produce area or lean meats. Don't by anything from the freezer section (except for fat-free ice cream ) I also have never used any kind of weigh-loss product or supplements. But I have always believed in "everything in moderation," alcohol, sweets, etc. Enjoy it just not to much, take note how many calories everything has.
Biggest note of all..... exercise! Find an activity you can become passionate about. For me; cycling & trail running (when I don't have enough time to get a worth while ride in).
Good Luck, it will take some time.

[usofrob]

I had a friend lose around 70 pounds with weight watchers. But it is really what they said above. They just provide a community to help you along, and a somewhat helpful point system to attempt to keep your calorie intake in check. My Dad did it for a bit, and had lost a bit of weight, but didn't keep doing it. So, he's gotten it all back and more.

I'm a personal fan of the eating small amounts of food all day long, eating just enough to stay not hungry. I like to eat at least something every 2-4 hours. After 4 hours, I'm hungry, and then it's too late.

[AgentTripleX]

Break ups help. I lost 6lbs pretty much right away and it's 7 months later and I've still managed to keep it off. I think I just eat less and drink more. I've read that if you stop drinking that you will lose weight that way too. But alcohol is my new lover, lol. Although, I'd like to lose 10 more lbs. I drink Slim Fast for breakfast sometimes, I think that helps. Kills your hunger and you get a set number of calories. A friend of mine just watched his calories and lost 50lbs in a few months. Although he was very overweight to begin with so his skin was still saggy. You really need to work out when you're losing that much weight to tighten things up.

[MidasHands]

Everything above that was said is great advise. Especially about eating 4-5 small meals throughout the day.

The only thing I would add is don't forget to take a few vitamins. I take a multi in the morning (nothing special just Centrum) and then in the afternoon I take an extra C, Zinc and B complex. Vitamin B Complex (especially the sublingual liquid form will give you some energy).

Good luck and just take it slow so it stays off!

[Nick]

struggling at 50+. College grad at 5'11" 145 lbs pushing 190 now.

Muscle mass consumes energy at rest - fat does not.

Now I will quote the great weight lifter and former Mr. Universe, Arnold Schwrzenegger. He has THE plan that does work.

"Eat less and exercise more."

Profound!

have fun

Nick

[CountTracula]

Originally Posted by AgentTripleX

I've read that if you stop drinking that you will lose weight that way too.

True but that will simply be water loss...

Some simple things that anybody can do:

1) Contrary to what many believe, drinking more water will make you lose weight partially because of replacing some calories, partially because you are giving your metabolism a workout to sweat it out...

2) Also, eating real but healthy food is a much better idea than any sort of shakes as liquid food gets metabolized faster (it takes less calories to digest liquid than solid food). In other words, eating solid foods takes more calories to digest.

3) Eat more proteins (from veggies or meat). If I remember correctly it takes 18 calories to digest 100 calories of protein as compared to 4 to digest 100 calories of carbs.

4) If you can minimize carbs in your last meal, do it.

5) Workout 2-3 times per week.

[25psi_Elise_Killer]

I lost 30 lbs in 4 months doing the Atkins Diet. However, i'm sure my cholesterol went thru the roof and the diet is not healthy for one's liver. So, i'm not doing it anymore.

[Exigent]

I don't typically eat breakfast. I know that's a problem because my metabolism is slowed down. I've been told to think of metabolism as a fireplace. You put small pieces of wood (kindling) on the fire often to keep it roaring. If you drop a big log on a dying fire, it's not going to turn into a raging inferno. The log will just sit there....and will burn slowly.

I think I can at least eat an energy shake for breakfast to get things going. Lunch is a bigger problem. I have a sedentary job and need to get out of the office at lunch (because it sucks to be there and if you don't leave, you can't get any peace). So the places to go are generally bars/pubs and fast food. I often go to the bars because it's more pleasant to spend an hour sitting there vs. sitting in Burger King. I don't do fast food much anyway...so giving that up is no problem. But the pub menus aren't always super healthy either. I can get a burger for $6.95, but for some reason, all of the healthy choices - like a salad with grilled chicken - are $10. Why is that?

I believe I can do a version of The Atkins Diet for dinner. I can grill up some chicken or other healthy protein.

I also have some exercise equipment (bike and treadmill). I'm going to get back on that program ... slowly.

Question: What about drinks? I am a Diet Coke junkie. I NEED that blast of carbonated burn by around noon everyday. I don't drink the regular Coke because of the sugar content, but I keep hearing conflicting information about the Diet sodas. Do they make you fat? 0 calories -- but they've got other stuff. If Diet sodas are horrible, what can I replace them with? Juice has a lot of sugar & I need that fizzy burn. No place has free re-fills of Perrier.

[AgentTripleX]

Originally Posted by CountTracula

True but that will simply be water loss...

Some simple things that anybody can do:

1) Contrary to what many believe, drinking more water will make you lose weight partially because of replacing some calories, partially because you are giving your metabolism a workout to sweat it out...

2) Also, eating real but healthy food is a much better idea than any sort of shakes as liquid food gets metabolized faster (it takes less calories to digest liquid than solid food). In other words, eating solid foods takes more calories to digest.

3) Eat more proteins (from veggies or meat). If I remember correctly it takes 18 calories to digest 100 calories of protein as compared to 4 to digest 100 calories of carbs.

4) If you can minimize carbs in your last meal, do it.

5) Workout 2-3 times per week.

Is that your secret? You only workout 2-3 times a week? I don't believe that. You look like you live in the gym. If this is all you do, then I need to change my lifestyle a bit. I do the liquid food because otherwise I'll skip breakfast and I know that's important. I do drink lots of water. Two - three bottles just at work. And I always keep water on my nightstand. I find myself getting thirsty in the middle of the night. I also heard, that water is great for women who have cellulite. Not sure how that works, but I've heard that before.

[CountTracula]

Originally Posted by Exigent

I believe I can do a version of The Atkins Diet for dinner. I can grill up some chicken or other healthy protein.

Great idea.

Originally Posted by Exigent

Question: What about drinks? I am a Diet Coke junkie. I NEED that blast of carbonated burn by around noon everyday. I don't drink the regular Coke because of the sugar content, but I keep hearing conflicting information about the Diet sodas. Do they make you fat? 0 calories -- but they've got other stuff. If Diet sodas are horrible, what can I replace them with? Juice has a lot of sugar & I need that fizzy burn. No place has free re-fills of Perrier.

I have heard that wrestlers that need to stay in their weight class drink several sodas (diet obviously) per day before their competitions to keep satiated. I personally would avoid sodas.

[CountTracula]

Originally Posted by AgentTripleX

Is that your secret? You only workout 2-3 times a week? I don't believe that. You look like you live in the gym. If this is all you do, then I need to change my lifestyle a bit.

Well, I do not count the workouts I get in the house I hit the gym during my lunch so my workouts are also 30 minutes max. Usually 2-3 per week but I am also on track about once per week and that can be considered a workout especially if I am driving an FM.

[Andrikos]

Originally Posted by Exigent

...If you drop a big log ...

That's a great way to lose weight too!

On a slightly more serious note I've bought pedometers for the family and I keep track of steps walked every day.
When it was cooler my goal was 15,000 steps a day (that's 7.1 miles with my 2.5 foot stride). Nowadays, 10k is hard to achieve (hot!)
This simple device has freed me from the added burden of trying to park as close as possible and motivates me to walk up and down the stairs.

It's silly, I know, but it works.

[qball]

No sodas

No cookies and chips

Walk, bike, swim 3-5 times a week for 30 minutes
No food 3 hours before bed-time

Watch your trans-fats

Quit making excuses for lunch choices... have some grilled fish, vegies or a salad, and some rice. Cut the fried food.

Have a snack in the morning if you don't eat breakfast

Read labels (trans fats and high fructose corn syrup are your enemies).

[codymac]

Originally Posted by Exigent

I believe I can do a version of The Atkins Diet for dinner. I can grill up some chicken or other healthy protein.

Careful there... I was on a restricted diet for a bit (compromised liver function due to medication) and the zero-fat diet wasn't very filling. I could eat and eat and eat and never feel satiated.

Probably won't be an issue with chicken, but watch it when you find yourself eating nothing but tuna and salmon.

Moderation...

[25psi_Elise_Killer]

Cocaine is also a guranteed weight loss drug

[Prolene]

Originally Posted by codymac

.....
Move more, eat less.

Exactly, whatever best form that can take for the individual. I lost about 15 lbs after I started bicycling last year. Now 145/5'7".

[Eye Candy]

Over the last ten years every 30 miles you didn't walk equals one pound of fat you gained. Sneaks up on you. Walking at 4.5 miles per hour (a pretty fast clip for most people) burns about 500 calories. There are 3500 calories to a pound. That would be 7 hours at 4.5 miles per hour. Most people guess that 2 miles of walking burns a pound. Not knowing this math and trying to lose weight is like trying to walk coast to coast without a road map.
Losing weight and keeping it off calls for a different way of thinking about food and exercise. It takes a disturbingly small amount of food to keep a human alive. Once you go below your maintenance requirements (roughly 2300 calories per day for a man, 1800 calories a day for a woman) you are likely to experience something new. It's called hunger.
If you eat lunch everyday in the pub you are never going to lose weight. Skip lunch and go for an hour walk, drink a slimfast before you go. Imagine yourself as being a healthy person that puts their health above the temporary enjoyment of an unhealthy meal.
If you walk for an hour a day, you will lose one pound per week if you have been sedentary and don't reward your exercise with food. If you do this and reduce your calories by 500 calories a day you can lose two pounds per week. More weight loss than that is just due to water weight lost. It is not sustainable.
Weigh yourself everyday, keep a diary of your successes and failures.
It is ok to skip a meal if you are not hungry. It is not ok to starve yourself and then pig out.
Stick to sensible, low fat diets. Forget Atkins. No evidence it works long term. Teaches you bad habits.
Buy a quality pedometer (see Consumer Reports, they have tested them) and put 10,000 steps a day on it.
If you are walking 10,000 steps a day (if you have an office job you are probably doing about 2500 steps a day total in 24 hours) and not losing weight you are eating too much.
A calorie is a calorie is a calorie. Diet sodas don't have calories. The carbonation/acidity is bad for your teeth and gums however.
Alcohol is empty calories, stimulates hunger, ruins sex and makes you sit around on the couch getting fatter instead of going for a walk.
Eat from a small plate.
Translate all food items into "how far would I have to walk if I eat that?"
Avoid all you can eat places. If you go to Golden Corral, use a take out tray and weigh your food. Saves money and calories.
Be patient, you put 50 pounds on over 10 years. It is not going to go away overnight. Plan on losing one pound a week over 50 weeks. Anybody that is motivated can do that. But few people do.

I agree that "move more, eat less" is a profound statement.