Well I had a physical a month ago and decided that I needed to lose some weight and get into better shape. I started doing the "Insanity" workout series and watching my calories. So far I'm down 14 pounds from 285 to 271...only 86 pounds to go!!

Anyone else trying to drop some extra poundage this year?

I started on Jan 2nd at 286. I'm down to 258. Juicing gave me boost and kicked me off my "plateau."

jan 2nd 325.... today 288. sugar & carbs kill.

Anyone try the FastDiet? I liked Michael Mosley's show, Blood and Guts: The History of Surgery, and watched his fasting diet show last week on PBS. You fast(eat less than 600 calories) 2 random days a week and eat normal the other 5. It showed fasting reduces your IGF-1(insulin like growth factor) hormone which may reduce your chance of cancer.

I'm in a bit different boat, as I don't have much fat left to lose (inside the last 10lbs) to get where I want to be. Scale weight is down nearly 40lbs from a few years back. The periodic semi-fast is something I'm trying right now and I am still shrinking up on the stomach measurement without losing muscle. My method is less severe that many others, but uses 4 daily protein shakes plus a clean meat/vetable evening meal and I do it twice a week. Overall calories for those days is about 1,200-1,300 and gives me a decifit of 1,000+cal when I factor in my morning workout. The protein and amino acids taken throughout the day help stave off muscle breakdown in a relatively severe deficit. A pound of fat, as a rule, is roughly 3,600 calories. Hitting a solid 2,000 calorie deficit just from my two "shake-fast" days makes it relatively simple to work in an additional 2,000 or so negative calories for the remaining five days of the week. You feel a bit hungry on the semi-fast days, but lots of water and some coffee/green tea makes it bearable. I wish I'd tried it sooner. My wife is doing the same plan, which helps.

I'm going to give weight loss another go. I lost quite a bit a couple years ago, but put it all back on since then, partly because I'm stuck at a desk for 10 hours a day.

Ideally I'd like to lose up to 40 lbs and gain some muscle. Now that the snow is mostly gone I'm able to get out on the road and do some walking and work back up to being able to jog and run-haven't done either in several years.

Motivation, along with cutting back beer, are my 2 biggest issues. Dammit, I'm tired of being chubby and tired and I'm too young to give up.

I picked up probably 25lbs a few years ago when I went from working outdoors to being at a desk most of the time. My wife put on hers during pharmacy school, as she was a stress-eater. As a pair, we're about 75lbs lighter these days, mainly because we still make good food choices about 3/4 of the time, even when we fall off the wagon (lay off gym, drink too much, etc). It has become a lifestyle to eat decently most of the time. I cook the meals, so I have a dozen or more mainstay dishes that I work with and they make up the bulk of our food intake for any given week. We still eat pizza, burgers, and similar stuff, but it is generally less than 3 times per week and is often cut back to once a week if trying to make progress. Beer is kept for Friday/Saturday, but the less I drink, the more I find myself not really wanting it that badly.

Eating right and working out have to go together for me, or I won't stick with it. If I'm at the gym, I want to eat clean and make the most of it. If I'm not going to the gym, I'm more likely to eat junk. Many folks are the same way. For me, it often means getting up at 4:45AM to get to the gym before work. It sounds like it sucks, and it does for the first month or so, but then it becomes your normal routine and you feel sucky if you don't go. We just aren't made to eat processed "food-like" garbage and sit still all day. So it's up to us to fight the battle......

Beer is the toughest thing for me to cut out....I guess that makes sense being Czech and Irish...

+1 !
(edited a little)

And a little more.

I've got to lose about 20 lbs. Funny how it creeps up on ya.

Also got to get in shape for this summer's float trips and the fall's hunting trips. Just met with a trainer yesterday to get obliged to hit the gym.

Never heard anybody happy about drinking less beer, that for sure....

I will say that they taste better when you aren't drinking them every day out of habit. They'll hit you harder too!

I'm trying to lose about 20lbs too. Wife and I were doing the 17 day diet last week but we weren't losing anything and we were sticking to it strictly and getting sick of chicken and salad. So we dropped it and decided to just watch what we eat an workout more. I'm planning on running at least 2 miles a day on the treadmill and doing other things like push-ups, crunches, etc. Last year all I did was stop drinking pop and dropped 18lbs.

I quit soda pop and cigarettes this winter and gained 20...

I had a physical about 3 weeks ago and decided to lose some weight although the doc didnt want to beat me over the head with it since all of the vitals came in good.

I have lost a lot of weight in the past on various diets... this time around no diets I am just changing what I eat ever so slightly by cutting out most of the potatoes and beer/soda. Lots of water and coffee plus less junk snacks and more healthy snacks. I havent needed to workout yet since I've been busting my hump fixing up the house. Wallpaper removal, drywall repair, painting and flooring plus lots of yard work and shoveling plus keeping up with my 1 year old has been getting me plenty of exercise so far. Just want to loose some weight in a long term manageable way. Now I treat myself every two weeks the wife and I eat out "chinese takeout" but now we share a meal instead of each of us eating our own.

Cut out sugar, white bread, and started eating smaller portions. I'm 6'2" and went from 246 to 223 over a two month period. My post 4 surgery knees feel the difference.

Just a quick update, I've currently lost 30 pounds with a combination of healthy eating and exercise. Hoping to lose another 70 this year.

Very nice! That is the way to do it. Don't view it as temporary misery, but the way it really should be. Find recipes and restaurant meals that you actually like and know are good for you. Get an exercise plan that you can stick with for the next ten years. When you lose the rest of the weight, just keep on living that way and eating mostly those good meals. There are no problems with minor modifications and restrictions here and there to reach certain short-term goals, but it is the long-term sustainability that matters most. Most of us aren't going to go for weeks on end without a "cheat meal", so plan on eating something tasty and bad for you every now and then.

I'm actually eating at a slight calorie surplus right now and lifting hard, trying to put on "clean weight" at a slow rate. Still eating those same good foods, just more of them.....

Good work

Snake

57 years old,...6" tall,...178 lbs,..35" inseam,..arms like a damn spider monkey,...but one day,...one day,...I'm gonna eat a fuggin' cracker again.

I know that it'll turn me into Jabba the fuggin' Hut,....but one day that won't matter.

I'll eat it anyway.

If I make it to 80, I plan to just get fat as hell. Might even take up smoking or chewing, see what the fuss is all about.....

This time last year I was a six pack of beer and a large pizza away from having a BMI of morbid obesity. I had been obese for over a decade after my divorce. The funny part of that was all my blood work said I was perfectly healthy. I just didn't feel healthy: Short, fat, old, and slow. Then there were the two day long migraines after any two day period where I had carbs for more than one meal a day.

I read Primal Blueprint last May and found myself in agreement with much of what the author presented. Did a test run for a month as suggested and will not go back to the Standard American Diet as sold by the FDA/USDA. I do not want to be a Type 2 diabetic like they are making the rest of America. I watched my grandmother and mother die of complications and that is no way to go. Long slow death over several years.

So far I am 50 pounds down and ramping up the work outs of "lift heavy things, and move alot". I sleep better. My muscles do not ache after a hard work out. Due to the low carbs I am using more fat for an energy source for longer hikes, and thus no longer "bonk". Not nearly low carb enough to be keto-adapted, but might give that a shot next winter.

I no longer get hungry after a work out, or a few hours after eating. I have gone a full day of basic home activities with no food until a light dinner. Makes me wonder why I every eat before sitting at my desk. Why indeed. Maybe more intermitent fasting is in order.

The transistion to fueling with mostly fat, and getting a few carbs from non-refined sources like sweet potatoes and nuts is a pretty nice way to live these days. Means I need to go hunting more often to keep the freezer stocked up.

I do miss beer and pizza though. Paleo pizza just does not cut it. But for me the choice is simple: die or live. I am going with live these days. My mom spent 30 years dieing of Type 2 diabetes. Thats enough for for both of us.

lol, spider monkey huh?

heck I'm back to gaining weight! what a time for this thread to turn up!

was back up to 199 and change the other day, after getting down to 194 from 208 or so. 195 used to be sheep shape for me, but I can flat guarandamntee you I wasn't in sheep shape when I hit 194 a week or two ago.

I've been doing "Insanity". 14 workouts left, then I'll restart from the beginning. Just the increase in my energy level has been amazing. Hoping to hit somewhere between 40 and 50 pounds lost the first time around.

I'm 60, 5'11" and down from 238 a year ago to 216 last month. Got a blood test a few months ago and my blood sugar showed the A1C to be a 10.6, Dr and the diabetic counselor threw a conniption fit. Got a Dr. appointment tomorrow and I'd expect to be down a few more.
I cut out soda, ate salads at lunch on work days (12 hour shifts at a desk job don't help), and generally try to eat healthier. The counselor advised to eat smaller amounts more often, with emphasis on lean meats, vegetables and fresh fruit. Stay away from highly processed foods, eat more whole grains, nuts, and raw vegetables.
I'm currently walking a 3 � mile trail through the hills here behind the house several nights a week as weather and an irritable Jersey bull permits. Would like to get below 200, but it's not as easy to take off as you get older.

Keep it up you guys. I lost over 40 pounds in 2007-2008, and kept it off since then. It is hard to even describe how much better life is when you have a healthy BMI again as a middle-aged guy.

6-1, 185 feels about a million times better when I get out of bed the morning after an intense, late-night beer-league hockey game than 6-1, 235 felt.

I'm 5'10" and 175 pounds of twisted steel.

I had open heart surgery on March 29th of this year.They replaced 3 arteries and 2 valves.I was 271lbs. when I had the surgery and because of a super low salt diet I'm down to 227lbs. as of this morning.I go to cardio rehab Mon,Wed and Fridays for 2 hours,20mts on a bike at level 6,20mts on a treadmill at 2.9mph with 1.5% incline and lifting weights for 20 mts.All of my joints hips,knees and ankles are thanking me every day.I go for 3 more weeks.My wife and I bought a commercial treadmill Wednesday,just like I use in rehab.
It's rough sometimes with less than 1000 mgs of salt a day.It doesn't help the taste at all with no salt.I'm somewhat getting use to it.I also quit smoking Feb 25th of this year and don't miss it at all.I can't have more more than 1100ccs of water on days I'm not going to rehab.
I limit myself to 1 meal a week to go out and taste things I can't normally have.Last week we had Mexican food.I had 1 enchilada,1/2 order rice,1/2 order beans and 1 taco,I asked them not to salt anything and no cheese at all.This 1/2 a plate my wife and I would eat by ourselves not long ago.
Lots of fish,fresh ground turkey,fresh ground chicken and tons of fresh vegetables it's not all bad.Only sweets I have is lite yogurt.Skeeter

Just a quick update, with a little over a week left in the program, I've lost 42 pounds so far, Going from a WAY too heavy 285 pounds to a still pretty tubby 243, think I'm going to do it a second time after I finish it.

I'm 5'9" and 175 down from 180 three weeks ago. Just cutting back on the portions. Now that the weather has broke, I'll be getting out and walking the dogs in the evening. I just can't bring myself to use the damn treadmill.

Never thought I'd see the day I went on a diet..but, it's here. 65 5-10" always been around 160 to tops 175lbs. Weighed at the Dr. this wk when I got my 7th. stent put in heart and am 194 lbs. 90% in my stomach. I look sickening walking around with a big gut like this.

Don't drink or smoke anymore nor eat too much, but feel bloated all the time. My cholesterol was also way up. Began starving myself yesterday.

Starving doesn't do it, because you can't keep it up long enough to make a difference, and sooner or later you're going to perform a flaming spinout into a pile of pizza, beer and greasy hamburgers.

Small, sustainable changes will do it...find the small changes you can live with every day, and make them. Cut out refined carbs - white bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, cake, etc., and if you can't drop them completely switch to whole grain versions.

Cut out sugar - especially watch for the hidden sugar in things like ketchup, salad dressings and cereal - even "healthy" cereals often have sugar added in some form or other. Mustard has no added sugar, so I use it instead of ketchup every chance I get.

Get a little more exercise than you have been every day. It doesn't have to be the P90Xturbochargedlightning workout, just a little more walking, bending and stretching will do for a start. More can come later after you've lost a little and are feeling better and have more energy.

Add more fresh, raw foods - fruit and vegetables should be the majority of your meals. Meat is fine, as long as you decrease your normal portions a bit, and as long as you eat more fresh veggies and fruit than protein.

Some people have milk allergies and a lot of trainers think milk is harmful - try almond milk, as long as the kind you choose is not loaded with sugar...I've found varieties in my store with 3 grams, 7 grams and 15 grams of sugar per serving.

Do this and your weight will go down steadily, your cholesterol will go down sharply, and you'll start really tasting your food again without having to put lots of taste enhancers on it like salt, butter, and sauces.

Still working out 6 days a week and watching my diet. Had some trouble with leveling off and not losing weight for about a month. Turns out I wasn't eating enough, back on track now and lost a total of 51 pounds so far.

Hit 62 pounds lost this week...not bad for 4 months worth of work....



Here's to life, life is good!!!

Now I know why you lost all that weight cowboy Tim!!! Just keep curling those 12oz bruskies! Excersizing while cutting lawn!! True Wisconsin culture huh! I am 141 lbs. 5'3" I am 9 lbs from pre married life and that was 26 yrs ago. I still have a gut at 141 today, 25 yrs ago I was 141 and no gut so I lost muscle ( Sniff).

Just updating, down to from 285 in March to 218 currently and feeling pretty darn good about it.

6'2", July 2012 315+, Today, 192.

dh1 and Tim,

Both you guys should be extremely proud of that kind of progress! Funny how we'll work and worry about houses and cars and such, knowing that we can swap in and out as needed. Yet, when it comes to our one and only physical body that we have to live with everyday, so many just ignore it and throw maintenance/upkeep out the window. Good job guys.......

Thanks, never letting weight get out of hand would have been best. Took 20years to get serious to stop the gains and reverse the process.

6' 2" 275lbs last year I was at 315. My wife took a travel nursing job in Vegas so I was home alone for 3 months. Got all the processed foods and sugar out of the house. Started following a caveman style diet. Meat, veggies, and fruits only. I kept the bread cause u can't eat a Mater Sammich without it, but I did moderate. I can now run 100 yard sprints. For some reason jogging hurts my knees but the sprints don't. I have been following a website called MarksDailyApple.com and really like the lifestyle and paleo style foods.

I've been eating clean, getting rid of most of the processed foods and I've done 2 rounds of "Insanity" started a new workout program called T25 this week and I'm really liking it so far.

Just wanted to say that I hit 205 this morning. That's 80 pounds since March!!! And I feel awesome!!!

Outstanding! That is a testament to sustained effort, sir.

I've begun some changes myself for general health purposes, and hope to have something to report in about 45 days.

FC

At a height of 5'10", I was hitting 220 on the scale. My oldest daughters wedding was coming up and Wifey says we need to look good for our last wedding ( the other 3 are married ). So, during the course of time from 6/4/13 - 8/13/13, I dropped 40 unneeded lbs. I can now walk through a crowd without bowling people over, and I'm much more flexible and have less joint pain than I used to. I believe this is due to much less sugar in my diet.

My youngest daughter who works out at one of the local Crossfit gyms is trying a Paleo diet and has leaned out even more. One of the guys in her class who is about the same age as me.....I'm 57.....has been doing the Paleo diet and his rheumatoid arthritis is in remission.

So, we can regain our health and do the things that we did in our 30's, as long as we have a plan. I just bought myself a wool Wyoming vest size medium for the upcoming cooler weather. Good times await..

Broke 200 pounds this morning!!!! Scale reads 199, that's the first time I've been under 200 pounds in YEARS!!!! Man I feel great!!!

Congrats CowboyTim! I know you feel a million times better! I started Weight Watchers online for men and have dropped 17 pounds so far!

I cut out the grains on August 14th and am now down 23 lbs. Feels great!

Great job guys, keep us posted on how you're doing.

Getting late in the year so I figured one more round of updates to this thread would be fitting, this time with pics!!!! This is what I looked like in March: yup that's me holding my youngest nephew...That was before I started eating smart and clean, before I did 2 rounds of "Insanity" and "T25" Alpha cycle before settling on DDP Yoga in mid August as my workout of choice. and of course before this pic... . I've gone from 285 to 198, and I feel fantastic. I'm doing a workout program that I enjoy(DDP Yoga) and I'm still getting stronger, more flexible and improving my balance. It takes quite a bit to get me winded these days and I'm signed up to do "Tough Mudder" next summer. All in all, a pretty good start this year to a healthier life.

I weigh 160 again. Lost it going up and down about 4 high ridges to get about 1-1/2 miles back in where I hunt. Up and down the trees and carrying full backpack + stands also.

CowboyTim - what worked for you? great job!

Dave

It's pretty simple, I started making good nutrition choices and working out. The nutrition is the key. We all have choices every day, what we eat, how large of a portion what kind of food. I try to go with the better alternatives. i have unsweetened tea or black coffee instead of soda. The bottom line is most of us KNOW what the better choices are, we just don't make them. As far as nutrition guidelines and a workout program, I'm really liking DDP Yoga. I do the workouts 5-7 times a week and I follow the "phase 1" nutrition plan as a general guide. If you really want to see what a person can do with the right attitude and a good program, google "Arthur Boorman". The man is absolutely amazing.

48lb for me so far, maybe five more to go.,

Think of weight loss as a money saving process.
Skip all of the costly programs, exercise CDs etc.
The only exercise needed is to mightly push yourself away from the table.
Stop eating.
Real simple if it does not go in your mouth it does not end up on your belly.

Jim

Great work

I need to drop about 25 lbs and am starting my diet/excercise regimen this weekend. My goal is to hit 185 by March and I think it's doable. My biggest issue is I don't drink enough water, that's also going to change this weekend. Actually looking forward to getting back into working out.