Basically this is just another fitness thread.

I was at 252 in 2011 and got down to 217 by Jan 1st 2012.

Right now I am at 195 and may actually get down to 190, just to see that damn number, by Jan 2013.

I wish I had lost more but I am very proud of myself for keeping it off.

I walked over an hour today, brisk walk because it was nippy outside, and hope to do that daily.

If I do it daily for a month I'll add in hand weights.

I am 51yrs old, 5'3" tall and think that I could live with weighing 160 and be pretty healthy.

O.K. that was probably the most boring intro to a thread I ever read, Sorry folks.

Hope it doesn't lead to a thread fail, 'cause the topic is a good one:-| .

Have you checked out myfitnesspal.com? Awesome site, much like Weight Watchers, but totally free! I started using it last year. There's a great forum on there too, with amazing success stories.

When I started tracking my calories, I couldn't believe how much I was overeating. My goal was to lose 20 pounds. I slacked off in the summer, and only ended up losing 15 pounds. All without much exercise at all, just calorie counting. I'd love to exercise more, but have major feet and stamina problems due to meds I'm currently on.

My health goal for this new year is to lose that last remaining five pounds, should be no problem. Try to get serious about some sort of gentle yoga program, meditate more and seek peace!

I also want to get my family on a healthy diet. I'm the shopper and cook. I make home made meals daily. I make a lot of things from scratch, that others normally buy, but when I go on kicks of buying exclusively healthy snacks, my family is in revolt! My husband and son who drives, will actually leave and go to Taco Bell or McDonald's when they see that I've made some sort of nice, healthy dinner. The other two kids will not eat and scrounge around for junk food later on.

Just today, the only processed junk food in the house is a box of Pop Tarts. We have so much other food due to the holidays. Tons of homemade cookies, fresh cut veggies, crackers, breads, meats, hummus, yogurt, cheeses, etc. What does my husband do? Makes a run to the store and comes back with store brand cookies, frozen burritos, tater tots and chips!

Brisk walking has been very effective for me in controlling my weight. It’s not the only path to that outcome, but it’s given me the result I wanted.

I struggled with my weight for a good length of time after I quit smoking (nine years next month), topping out at 235lb or so in 2007, and I’m 5’ 10” with a fairly slight build, so that was very, very heavy for me. I started hitting the gym that year doing a variety of routines and whittled my way down to the 205-210 range, but wasn’t able to get to where I wanted until I started doing long brisk walks in mid-2010. I walked my way down to 175 by the end of that year and I’ve managed to stick at that level since then. I do an hour of hard, brisk, borderline speed-walking both in the morning and the end of the day and usually try to get in two 15 minute sessions during my work day, and I usually do five hours a day on Saturday and Sunday. That’s a lot of time to put into it, and not everyone has room in their life for such things, but it’s given me time to take in lots of podcasts & audiobooks and it keeps me away from snacks, all positive developments.

I know you've all probably already heard this a million times before...BUT...there is ALOT of merit to keeping tabs on PORTION CONTROL.

You should eat until you're "almost full"...still have room for a few more bites (but don't).

Cut your portions in half to start with. You'd be surprised how you get used to it.

A typical Chinese take-out dish can feed 2 people.

Youv'e done great! Keep it up!

This year I initiated and completed The Summer of Big Arms.

For 2013, I'm thinking I might initiate either The 54-Year-Old Guy With A Six-Pack, or Bowling Balls for Shoulders.

Given how much I enjoy eating, I think the shoulders thing is going to get the nod!

Adria said:

Have you checked out myfitnesspal.com? Awesome site, much like Weight Watchers, but totally free! I started using it last year. There's a great forum on there too, with amazing success stories.

When I started tracking my calories, I couldn't believe how much I was overeating. My goal was to lose 20 pounds. I slacked off in the summer, and only ended up losing 15 pounds. All without much exercise at all, just calorie counting. I'd love to exercise more, but have major feet and stamina problems due to meds I'm currently on.

My health goal for this new year is to lose that last remaining five pounds, should be no problem. Try to get serious about some sort of gentle yoga program, meditate more and seek peace!

I also want to get my family on a healthy diet. I'm the shopper and cook. I make home made meals daily. I make a lot of things from scratch, that others normally buy, but when I go on kicks of buying exclusively healthy snacks, my family is in revolt! My husband and son who drives, will actually leave and go to Taco Bell or McDonald's when they see that I've made some sort of nice, healthy dinner. The other two kids will not eat and scrounge around for junk food later on.

Just today, the only processed junk food in the house is a box of Pop Tarts. We have so much other food due to the holidays. Tons of homemade cookies, fresh cut veggies, crackers, breads, meats, hummus, yogurt, cheeses, etc. What does my husband do? Makes a run to the store and comes back with store brand cookies, frozen burritos, tater tots and chips!

I am on Disability so my income is tiny.

I do volunteer work at a homeless shelter and in exchange for helping serve them I get to eat.

What they often serve is white rice and beans, baked chicken, baked white pasta in red sauce etc.

Having been a borderline diabetic at 250 lbs I take care to pay attention to starch content and of course sugar.

Unbelievably over the last few months this homeless shelter has gotten some vegetarian food and produce from a health food store. Many of the local homeless are not interested in the Spinach salads and simular dishes so I eat those.

I also eat nuts, eggs and Greek yogurt. I have completely cut out all pork, beef and poultry (that was not so easy during the Christmas season btw).

Sooo, I totally understand your frustration with your husband. My disability is for bipolar and right now I am not taking any meds. They did not work, just made me lethargic. By watching my intake like a hawk and having the least amount of preservatives possible I have found that I am mentally healthier as well as physically healthier.

damosuzuki said:

Brisk walking has been very effective for me in controlling my weight. It’s not the only path to that outcome, but it’s given me the result I wanted.

I struggled with my weight for a good length of time after I quit smoking (nine years next month), topping out at 235lb or so in 2007, and I’m 5’ 10” with a fairly slight build, so that was very, very heavy for me. I started hitting the gym that year doing a variety of routines and whittled my way down to the 205-210 range, but wasn’t able to get to where I wanted until I started doing long brisk walks in mid-2010. I walked my way down to 175 by the end of that year and I’ve managed to stick at that level since then. I do an hour of hard, brisk, borderline speed-walking both in the morning and the end of the day and usually try to get in two 15 minute sessions during my work day, and I usually do five hours a day on Saturday and Sunday. That’s a lot of time to put into it, and not everyone has room in their life for such things, but it’s given me time to take in lots of podcasts & audiobooks and it keeps me away from snacks, all positive developments.

Yes, that is a lot of time. However I find that when I walk quickly I do some very good thinking. Like you say, you can't snack and walk at the same time, so that becomes one hour or so of not eating. I take along a pen and paper just in case I get a good idea.

Because my income is less that $1000.00 a month, walking becomes a no-excuse-to-not-do-it fitness plan. I noticed yesterday that a park an hour away from my home has these "stops" where it is set up to do sit-ups, push-ups etc. I will start doing that in a couple of weeks. FREE!!

RodeoSchro said:

Youv'e done great! Keep it up!

This year I initiated and completed The Summer of Big Arms.

For 2013, I'm thinking I might initiate either The 54-Year-Old Guy With A Six-Pack, or Bowling Balls for Shoulders.

Given how much I enjoy eating, I think the shoulders thing is going to get the nod!

Thanks!

Purple Jedi posted something a few threads back about a woman in her 70's who weight lifts and looks fantastic!!! She didn't start until past age 50 and that really made me believe that we can improve with age- unless we are drop dead gorgeous- then maintaining is all those poor souls can hope for.

I think that 50 to 70 can be the best years of your life. You are wiser and you still have your mind and a reasonable amount of physical health. I plan on making the best of it.

PurpleJedi said:

I know you've all probably already heard this a million times before...BUT...there is ALOT of merit to keeping tabs on PORTION CONTROL.

You should eat until you're "almost full"...still have room for a few more bites (but don't).

Cut your portions in half to start with. You'd be surprised how you get used to it.

A typical Chinese take-out dish can feed 2 people.

Always good to see you on a fitness thread.

Yes, your right about portions.

First I worked on quality.

Now I am bit by bit lessoning the quantity. They key to maintaining for me is to ever so gently make changes so that it doesn't feel like a diet but instead a lifestyle change.

Now I need to begin to write down everything I eat. that way I become honest about how much.

I've got 82 days to make an improvement. Actually, the rest of my life, but in 82 days I'm taking a trip and really want to feel better before then.

Time to stop accepting my own excuses and get my act together.

It takes, time, planning and committment and it's time to get to it.

GO ME!

Deadflow3r said:

RodeoSchro said:

Youv'e done great! Keep it up!

This year I initiated and completed The Summer of Big Arms.

For 2013, I'm thinking I might initiate either The 54-Year-Old Guy With A Six-Pack, or Bowling Balls for Shoulders.

Given how much I enjoy eating, I think the shoulders thing is going to get the nod!

Thanks!

Purple Jedi posted something a few threads back about a woman in her 70's who weight lifts and looks fantastic!!! She didn't start until past age 50 and that really made me believe that we can improve with age- unless we are drop dead gorgeous- then maintaining is all those poor souls can hope for.

I think that 50 to 70 can be the best years of your life. You are wiser and you still have your mind and a reasonable amount of physical health. I plan on making the best of it.

Ernestine Shepherd.

Now age 75.

The Fountain of Youth surely runs through her tapwater.

congrats on losing the weight

i'm in my early 40s and have 2 children under 3 years old... my health is hugely important to me

currently i walk 3 km every day (lots of hills on the walk)... and i do weights daily too

i also eat healthy... which makes you feel so much better in general, and your body gets used to... i think if i ate a macdonalds burger now, i'd probably throw it straight back up

I've been on a high protein healthy diet, keeping my daily caloric intake to a max of 1,400 and doing an hour of cardio 4 times a week.

Is anybody taking the Raspberry Ketone supplement recently hyped by Dr. Oz? I started about a month ago.

Just gonna keep on keepin on my usual..

Multiple marathons this year! Being in tune and listening to my body,which means knowing WHEN I have had enough to eat.. Thats really the key. That and MODERATION! I dont deny myself anything! But I also run everyday which lets me eat what i want IN MODERATION

I never diet or follow "plans"... There is no reason to.. Fitness is a journey ,not a destination!

[Edited 12/27/12 19:07pm]

PurpleJedi said:

I know you've all probably already heard this a million times before...BUT...there is ALOT of merit to keeping tabs on PORTION CONTROL.

You should eat until you're "almost full"...still have room for a few more bites (but don't).

Cut your portions in half to start with. You'd be surprised how you get used to it.

A typical Chinese take-out dish can feed 2 people.

this is great advice!

also, someone recently told me about the 20 minute rule. even if u still feel hungry, wait 20mins & the hunger urge will disappear. it's true, sommink to do with digestion

deadflow3r, congratulations on getting trim(mer)!

i piled on the weight after giving up smoking a few years ago..

i always figured if i could give up smoking, losing weight would be a breeze. i never bothered cuz i'm far too undisaplined & LOVE food. i'm 5'6 & in a size 20... i'm a big girl it doesn't help that people tell me that i carry it well, that i'm curvy & hourglass.. bur my arse is huge & my thighs just got lumpy i don't wanna wear big knickers!

so i'm getting older & luckily i'm still healthy, so in the new year i will be fucking ruthless!.. i'm will shift my fatness fast & work really hard to keep it off!

vegetable soup, plenty of tea & water!.. no bread or potatoes, walking the dog 4 miles & LOADS of sex.

i'll be happy with size 16.

I started eating raw vegan just yesterday...(fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds.) It was very good, especially the carob & banana smoothie. And I feel great. I can do this.

I love sashimi and will probably have that from time to time as well.

Yay!

ZsaZsaJackson said:

I started eating raw vegan just yesterday...(fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds.) It was very good, especially the carob & banana smoothie. And I feel great. I can do this. I love sashimi and will probably have that from time to time as well. Yay!

yum, i love sushi, i'm gonna have a go at making some. rich flavours are very satisfying

PurpleJedi said:

Deadflow3r said:

Thanks!

Purple Jedi posted something a few threads back about a woman in her 70's who weight lifts and looks fantastic!!! She didn't start until past age 50 and that really made me believe that we can improve with age- unless we are drop dead gorgeous- then maintaining is all those poor souls can hope for.

I think that 50 to 70 can be the best years of your life. You are wiser and you still have your mind and a reasonable amount of physical health. I plan on making the best of it.

Ernestine Shepherd.

Now age 75.

The Fountain of Youth surely runs through her tapwater.

That is her!!!!

Every single time I see her I am astonished.

she downs a lot of egg whites, if I recall correctly.

I am sure she is pretty ruthless about her diet and exersize and I am sure people rib her on it.

Since becoming a borderline diabetic it is easier to get people to take no for an answer when they offer me sweets and home made starch goodies.

Can you just imagine how much she enjoys doing things vs the average 75 year old?!?!

Nothinbutjoy said:

I've got 82 days to make an improvement. Actually, the rest of my life, but in 82 days I'm taking a trip and really want to feel better before then.

Time to stop accepting my own excuses and get my act together.

It takes, time, planning and committment and it's time to get to it.

GO ME!

I myself am thinking of Miami in 120 days. It always helps me when I have a set goal.

MoBetterBliss said:

congrats on losing the weight

i'm in my early 40s and have 2 children under 3 years old... my health is hugely important to me

currently i walk 3 km every day (lots of hills on the walk)... and i do weights daily too

i also eat healthy... which makes you feel so much better in general, and your body gets used to... i think if i ate a macdonalds burger now, i'd probably throw it straight back up

Hurray!

Getting sick on fast food for the first time a couple of weeks ago was the proof that I was on the right track.

Have you considered using hand weights?

Pokeno4Money said:

I've been on a high protein healthy diet, keeping my daily caloric intake to a max of 1,400 and doing an hour of cardio 4 times a week.

Is anybody taking the Raspberry Ketone supplement recently hyped by Dr. Oz? I started about a month ago.

I wonder how much this Raspberry Ketone costs.

I have been adding flax to my yogurt, that is so 2011 at this point,lol.

I'm still hovering around 200lbs and it is bugging the crap out of me. I so badly want to get under 190 so that I never see 200 again.

tinaz said:

Just gonna keep on keepin on my usual..

Multiple marathons this year! Being in tune and listening to my body,which means knowing WHEN I have had enough to eat.. Thats really the key. That and MODERATION! I dont deny myself anything! But I also run everyday which lets me eat what i want IN MODERATION

I never diet or follow "plans"... There is no reason to.. Fitness is a journey ,not a destination!

[Edited 12/27/12 19:07pm]

Tinaz, you are just a natural IMO.

I wonder if I will ever be able to run.

I have read articles about fat ladies, I mean 300lbs plus, who eventually run mini marathons. It is difficult to imagine!

excited said:

deadflow3r, congratulations on getting trim(mer)!

i piled on the weight after giving up smoking a few years ago..

i always figured if i could give up smoking, losing weight would be a breeze. i never bothered cuz i'm far too undisaplined & LOVE food. i'm 5'6 & in a size 20... i'm a big girl it doesn't help that people tell me that i carry it well, that i'm curvy & hourglass.. bur my arse is huge & my thighs just got lumpy i don't wanna wear big knickers!

so i'm getting older & luckily i'm still healthy, so in the new year i will be fucking ruthless!.. i'm will shift my fatness fast & work really hard to keep it off!

vegetable soup, plenty of tea & water!.. no bread or potatoes, walking the dog 4 miles & LOADS of sex.

i'll be happy with size 16.

Also some men like chubby women and I tend to like those types of men.

I asked one and he said, size 10 or 12 is still O.K. (and that is about the size of the plus size models).

ZsaZsaJackson said:

I started eating raw vegan just yesterday...(fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds.) It was very good, especially the carob & banana smoothie. And I feel great. I can do this. I love sashimi and will probably have that from time to time as well. Yay!

Sounds good.

I still am eating eggs, some cheese that is already in a salad, and yogurt.

I never had Sashimi, must google it.

Still doing Dr. Layne Norton's PHAT routine. I slipped a bit during the holidays and pigged-out, but no big deal. I can splurge every once in a while. Eating chit'lins one day a year won't kill me.

Deadflow3r said:

Adria said:

Have you checked out myfitnesspal.com? Awesome site, much like Weight Watchers, but totally free! I started using it last year. There's a great forum on there too, with amazing success stories.

When I started tracking my calories, I couldn't believe how much I was overeating. My goal was to lose 20 pounds. I slacked off in the summer, and only ended up losing 15 pounds. All without much exercise at all, just calorie counting. I'd love to exercise more, but have major feet and stamina problems due to meds I'm currently on.

My health goal for this new year is to lose that last remaining five pounds, should be no problem. Try to get serious about some sort of gentle yoga program, meditate more and seek peace!

I also want to get my family on a healthy diet. I'm the shopper and cook. I make home made meals daily. I make a lot of things from scratch, that others normally buy, but when I go on kicks of buying exclusively healthy snacks, my family is in revolt! My husband and son who drives, will actually leave and go to Taco Bell or McDonald's when they see that I've made some sort of nice, healthy dinner. The other two kids will not eat and scrounge around for junk food later on.

Just today, the only processed junk food in the house is a box of Pop Tarts. We have so much other food due to the holidays. Tons of homemade cookies, fresh cut veggies, crackers, breads, meats, hummus, yogurt, cheeses, etc. What does my husband do? Makes a run to the store and comes back with store brand cookies, frozen burritos, tater tots and chips!

I am on Disability so my income is tiny.

I do volunteer work at a homeless shelter and in exchange for helping serve them I get to eat.

What they often serve is white rice and beans, baked chicken, baked white pasta in red sauce etc.

Having been a borderline diabetic at 250 lbs I take care to pay attention to starch content and of course sugar.

Unbelievably over the last few months this homeless shelter has gotten some vegetarian food and produce from a health food store. Many of the local homeless are not interested in the Spinach salads and simular dishes so I eat those.

I also eat nuts, eggs and Greek yogurt. I have completely cut out all pork, beef and poultry (that was not so easy during the Christmas season btw).

Sooo, I totally understand your frustration with your husband. My disability is for bipolar and right now I am not taking any meds. They did not work, just made me lethargic. By watching my intake like a hawk and having the least amount of preservatives possible I have found that I am mentally healthier as well as physically healthier.

So how effective is your strategy for managing your bi-polar without meds? thats fantastic you volunteer at a homeless shelter. i was in a bad situation last year and I attended St Pats regularly for free breakfast and the $4 3 course lunch...................and got soup from the Red Cross soup van..never in my life did i think i would end up on the streets.............but I have never been so JOYFUL in my life!

Hugs to you

Max

Deadflow3r said:

Pokeno4Money said:

I've been on a high protein healthy diet, keeping my daily caloric intake to a max of 1,400 and doing an hour of cardio 4 times a week.

Is anybody taking the Raspberry Ketone supplement recently hyped by Dr. Oz? I started about a month ago.

I wonder how much this Raspberry Ketone costs.

I have been adding flax to my yogurt, that is so 2011 at this point,lol.

I'm still hovering around 200lbs and it is bugging the crap out of me. I so badly want to get under 190 so that I never see 200 again.

Ketone costs $25 for a 5-month supply, I got it on Costco's website.

Here's the segment on Dr. Oz, ignore the ad on the bottom of the screen as it was added by the person who uploaded the video.

MaxiMPact said:

Deadflow3r said:

I am on Disability so my income is tiny.

I do volunteer work at a homeless shelter and in exchange for helping serve them I get to eat.

What they often serve is white rice and beans, baked chicken, baked white pasta in red sauce etc.

Having been a borderline diabetic at 250 lbs I take care to pay attention to starch content and of course sugar.

Unbelievably over the last few months this homeless shelter has gotten some vegetarian food and produce from a health food store. Many of the local homeless are not interested in the Spinach salads and simular dishes so I eat those.

I also eat nuts, eggs and Greek yogurt. I have completely cut out all pork, beef and poultry (that was not so easy during the Christmas season btw).

Sooo, I totally understand your frustration with your husband. My disability is for bipolar and right now I am not taking any meds. They did not work, just made me lethargic. By watching my intake like a hawk and having the least amount of preservatives possible I have found that I am mentally healthier as well as physically healthier.

So how effective is your strategy for managing your bi-polar without meds? thats fantastic you volunteer at a homeless shelter. i was in a bad situation last year and I attended St Pats regularly for free breakfast and the $4 3 course lunch...................and got soup from the Red Cross soup van..never in my life did i think i would end up on the streets.............but I have never been so JOYFUL in my life!

Hugs to you

Max

First, I was diagnosed with bi-polar type 2.

That is more depression and few manic attacks.

I had been all sorts of meds and mostly they made me very tired and I also gained a lot of weight.

Being fatter, aka balooning up to 250 lbs and sleeping at least 12 hrs a day is only going to make me more depressed. All the pills did was make me emotionally numb and I could see that on my face.

I had gotten hold of an article on how various foods effect children and I realized that they also were effecting me. I was eating a ton of starches and sugar and drinking caffeine. None of the doctors ever asked about my food intake.

Now, weeks without table sugar.

No white flour at all.

Yams and flax seeds for complex carbos.

lots of veggies.

organic eggs when available and yogurt.

NO red meat, or poultry, so none of those steroids are in me either.

I feel a lot better and I am going through a tough situation that would normally leave me crying for hours.

Max, I started off living at the homeless shelter, so I know how you felt. I am glad you are doing better!