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Weight control

Started by Faron, July 28, 2007, 11:11:49 PM

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Faron

It is well known that food is a favorite subject here, and pictures of many of us show that to be a fact.  The few of you who have met me will attest that I could stand to lose a few pounds.  My wife and I have been promising each other for some time that we are going to "get healthy."  It has been mostly talk. :(  Well, no longer.  Monday, July 16th, I woke up hungry as a bear.  As I prepared to get my man-sized bowl of cereal, my wife said, "Remember, today we start on our diet program."  I don't really remember agreeing to any such thing, but whatever.....  She pulled out my prepackaged cereal and handed it to me.  I poured it out, and it barely covered the bottom of the bowl.   >:(  She then poured in my milk, and I don't think it would have gotten a mouse wet if you had soused him down in it.  A thimble full of milk to drink, and a little bitty peach, and my week was off to a roaring start. To say I was a little put out would be an understatement.  As I headed off to the mill, I fully intended to stop off and get an apple pie or something.
On the way there,though, I thought about what it would really mean to us to accomplish this.  I have grandkids I would like to take on a hike to the top of Mount LeConte in the Smokies some day.  There is some diabetes in my family, and cancer and heart problems in older generations of hers.  Add in the extra wear and tear on joints from carrying the extra weight around, higher blood pressure.... Time to change!
I have been gradually gaining weight overthe last 32 years.  Last time I weighed at the doctor's office I was just under 300 lbs.  Chris is.... ahh, you don't think I am that simple, do you? :D 
Any way, I decided to give this my best shot.  As of this moment, neither of us has departed from our diet.  We had Chris's giant nephews and their families over and fed them pizza, and never cracked.  Nearest I came was when they pulled out a big box of ice cream bars for dessert. :o
Three days into this, Chris brought home a good scale, as the old one didn't work.(Overload?)  I discovered I weighed 281 lbs, meaning I had lost 19 lbs since my last doctor's visit without trying too much. 8) 8)  Official weigh in is Monday, but this morning I weighed 274 lbs. 8)  My goal is 200 lbs, about what I weighed when I played high school sports.
My reason for posting this is not to collect kudos, but to add a little pressure for incentative.  If I fail to follow through with this, I expect boos and catcalls from you folks.  Heck, I would do the same for you! ;)  I would also hope to hear some success stories, as I am sure some of you have already done this.  We are not accomplishing anything as stunning as Asy's wonderful, life changing event, but it is important to us.  Asy, you are an inspiration to us!
Lastly, if you have been thinking about losing a little, why, come join us!
By the way, it really hasn't been too bad so far.
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner.  Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote. - Ben Franklin

Dave Shepard

I'll play along. I have grown tired of remembering how nice it was to weigh 300 pounds. ::) Maybe we can get a few others to join in like you said for moral support.

July 29, 2007: 350 pounds. :o, Target: a lot less. :D


Dave
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

thurlow

For 11 years, I was in a group that played "recreational" poker.........7 of us played weekly;  averaged about 50 times per year.  6 of us were overweight.........to one degree or another.  We used our competitive nature to help lose weight.  For 10 weeks, we weighed (did I mention that we had a meal at each session) before we ate.  Put $5.00 apiece (weekly) in the pot;  person who lost the most each week got half;  other half went into large/final pot for the one who lost the most overall.  Weight loss was based on a percentage, rather than pounds, since we felt that the ones most overweight (one guy was about 100 lbs overweight) would have an advantage.  At the end of 10 weeks, the 6 of us had lost an average of 23 lbs.
Here's to us and those like us; DanG few of us left!

Climber

I am not a doctor but I have some kind of sense what is good to eat.
If your body is regular to digest one type of food it's taking a time to adjust to another. You came to point where you say to your self STOP, time to change the way you eat. Here comes hard 2-4 weeks. If your brain can over power your belly this period you will be able to achieve weight loss.
Try to start slowly:
Eat full breakfast, lunch and ¾ of your dinner.
Dinner MUST be before 6 PM
Try to exclude any products contained height fructose corn syrup.
Gradually reduce and exclude usage of salt and sugar.
Are you still hungry? Go wild on spices, salads. Stuff your self with meet. Include some kind of yogurt or other milky product every dinner. It will help to clean up your stomach in the next morning.

Height fructose corn syrup is kind of drug. You will feel addiction, cravings for all products contained it.
Help your self.
Be in control of your stomach.

Faron

Way to go, Dave!!  I was kind of hoping someone might do that.  My problem in the past was I would just decide to eat a little less, rather than going on a real program.  Pretty soon the whole thing would just kind of fade quietly away.  We are working with the Nutra System deal.  We are using some of their food as a convenient way to eat at work, as well as to get used to the approprite portions.  Their idea of a serving and mine are quite different. ;)  I think any medically sound diet will work.  We are eating the normal foods we have always eaten, just in smaller quantities. 
Thurlow, the competitive angle is helping us get going here.  We are both kind of competitive, and by now would rather starve to death than be the first one to break. ;) :D  It is an huge help that we are both working at this at the same time.  In the past my wife would work on her weight, but cooking for a family of big eaters hurt the effort a bunch.
I think I am getting adjusted to it.  At noon today I was not particularly hungry after my very modest breakfast. 8)  And I had been working on a remodeling job, too.
Asy, jump in here any time and give Dave and me and anyone else the benefit of your experience.
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner.  Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote. - Ben Franklin

Dave Shepard

HFCS and the White Death (flour and sugar) have to go, that's for sure! I find that when I reduce my carb intake, I often don't get as hungry, and have more energy. ;) Anyone see the episode of CSI where the guy's stomach was always telling his brain he was hungry? He went out and won an eating contest, and then cleaned out an all you can eat buffet. Somedays I feel like that, I just eat to eat, not becuase I'm hungry.


Dave
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

thecfarm

I'm one of the lucky ones.No need to hear about that.But,I want to give you guys all the encouragement that I can.There are a few people from work that walk around the building at break time instead of eating a snack at that time.Get away from the TV and try to get outside more has helped some people.It is all worth it in the long run.Good luck!!!!!!
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Faron

Monday morning weigh in:  273 lbs,  down 5.8 for the week 8)
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner.  Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote. - Ben Franklin

OneWithWood

Faron, I will join in with you and Dave.  I don't need to loose a lot.  20lbs would be good.  I am 5'6" and weigh 185-190.  All of the extra weight is around my middle.  I have reduced carbs with some success in the past.  My biggest problem is that I love to eat and my wife cooks for four and eats for 1/2.  So I eat for 3 1/2  :(

I will start on my project after the piggy roast.  No need to suffer needlessly  :D

So after August 13 I will post my weight every Monday morning.  (Means I have to be good on the weekends)

Everyone, feel free to remind me if I fail to post or chide me if I plateau or start gaining.

Who needs will power when we have the FF  :)
One With Wood
LT40HDG25, Woodmizer DH4000 Kiln

asy

HOORAY for you guys!!!   

I think it's so cool that you're taking control of your health and doing something about your weight.

Being overweight, and losing weight has, for me, nothing much (well about 5%) to do with looks, it's all to do with being able to fit into things. Not just clothes, but chairs, airline seats, etc... The other thing is, I'm convinced the health bonus increases your life expectancy. I'm convinced carrying an extra 200lb around was NOT helping my heart any... And the fear on my doctor's face when she literally begged me to lose "just 10% of my weight" (I weighed 366lb, for those who've missed my 'half an asy' and 'vote for asy' threads, now I weigh 175lb).

Now, I guess you mostly know I used the "Cohen Lifestyle Programme" to lose weight. I knew that, with THAT much weight to lose, I'd never manage it alone. I love the programme so much I started an online forum dedicated to it. That being said, I am realistic and do understand that some people don't want to commit to a programme, or can't for one reason or another, so, here's what I've learned about losing weight:

Cut out bread and sugar. Full stop. Not just white bread. Not just white sugar.
Have Salada (or other sugar-free crispbread) as your carbs. Restrict it to, say, three per day.
Restrict your veggies to the LOW SUGAR ones, you'd be surprised how much sugar there is in a carrot. Nope, not kidding. The types of veggies you might want to restrict to are: Tomato, Mushroom, onion, cabbage, zucchini, cucumber, leek, cauliflower, celery, green capsicum, spinach and lettuce.
Restrict your meat to Beef and Poultry (white meat only). They're easiest to control the fat quantity of. Both pork and lamb have too high an intrinsic fat quantity. VERY IMPORTANT: Do not mix your protein. MAke sure you have more than 5 hours between different types of proteins.
Restrict your fruits to the lower sugar ones: Apple, Stone fruit, Mango (only half = one serve) and citrus. Give yourself a limit of 2 or 3 fruits per day (make sure one is an apple, you'll need the fibre).
Restrict your fish to the low-oil varieties, such as Tuna, Snapper, Whiting, Flake and the shellfish.
One egg per day, if you wish - but remember egg is a protein so you can't mix it with the meats. Maybe have it as brekkie.
Yoghurt - Only PLAIN, natural yoghurt. Not vanilla - PLAIN. Limit it to under 200g per day. Remember yoghurt is a protein, the 5 hour rule applies.
Cheese - limit to mozarella, cottage or ricotta. Limit the quantity to something small, like 75g.
Oils for cooking. Prefer the spray, if you have to have something.
salt, pepper, other dried herbs are OK in small quantities.
Low fat mayo is OK, but limit the quantity. Don't go overboard.
Milk is out, sorry. It's protein with sugar added.
Drinks, and this is really important...  NO ALCOHOL. None. It's all sugar. Tea and coffee are fine, but no milk. Sugar free soft drinks are OK, but limit to 1lt per day.

And most important of all...   DRINK LOTS OF WATER.  3 litres per day.  (Stay close to a loo (or tree if yer a guy) for the first week or so until your bladder gets used to the added quantity!)

Now, I'll say it again, this is nowhere near as good as going on the actual programme, as the programme will give you VERY definite and absolute quantities, but, give this a go and see how you go.

I will come back later today and post a suggested eating regime, but I have five minutes now to get dressed and leave, or the kids will be late to school...  Sorry guys. Won't be long, will come back in a few hours and post again.

asy :D
Never interrupt your opponent while he's making a mistake.
There cannot be a crisis next week. ~My schedule is already full..

Faron

All right OWW!!  Maybe we can make our end of the state a little lighter. ;)  I too love to eat.  Maybe you can get your wife to cut back on the amounts and help you out a little.  That's kind of what is happening here.  I am starting to notice since I am eating less and paying attention to what I eat, I enjoy what I do eat more. ???

We are, as I mentioned, on the Nutra System.  They have several commercials on TV.  One particularly annoying woman says, "My husband says I am hawt!"  Since going on the program, I have tried to work the word  "hawt" into as many conversations with my wife as I can manage. ;)  I think she has about reached her limit.

Asy, I am not convinced you can sustain life without at least a small glass of milk in the morning. :-\
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner.  Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote. - Ben Franklin

OneWithWood

Asy, I was doing fine with your list until I hit NO ALCOHOL


:-\ :-X :-\ :o :-X :-\ :'(

If it is good alcohol all the sugar has been replaced with alcohol  :P ::) :P  yeah, that's right.  Yeast digests sugar and creates alcohol. . .

Problem is anything more than a couple ounces and you want to eat  :(

So, I will limit my alcohol intake to no more than 2 glasses of dry red wine, 2 beers or 2 very dry martinis or 2 neat scotches or . . . ;D
One With Wood
LT40HDG25, Woodmizer DH4000 Kiln

flip

Lori and I did the South Beach for a while ::)  Very difficult to do,absolutely no carbs for the first two weeks and certain veggies and almost all fruits were off limits.  We did very good as far as following the book and we lost about 5 pounds each, not nearly what the book claims.  The eating after 6 thing is hard, I get off work at 5:30 and work or saw until about 9 :-\ then wolf down what she made and hit the hay.  Some days I know I would be better off skipping dinner so it doesn't just sit in my belly and migrate to my gut/butt.  I've seen the Nutri system ads but you're talking about $500 to lose 10 lb. South Beach is kinda expensive because you have to eat a lot of meat.  I have switched to Diet Coke for about 2 years now which was one of my big carb problems.  I think the key is restrict your diet and get some type of regular exercise.  I tried but I think I'm cursed to be built like my grandfather forever.
Timberking B-20, Hydraulics make me board quick

Paschale

I'll jump on the bandwagon!   8)  I've been working on this for several months now, and have lost about 15 lbs. since my heaviest point of 270.   :o

I tried the low carb thing a few years back, with great success, albeit temporary.  I got down to 195 and felt great, but one can only live on meat alone for so long.  I wouldn't recommend it, though it really works to get you down there.

I like all kinds of food too much to follow a tightly restricted diet, so I've stumbled to the only conclusion that will work for me:  gotta eat less.   :-\  I'm working this time with the mindset that slow and steady wins the race, and that to succeed I'll have to retrain my mind and body.

I've started noticing what the skinny people around me do when they eat.  I was at BW3's with some colleagues, and a skinny guy with his skinny wife ordered food.  Between the two of them, they split six wings!   :o  That's an appetizer for me, but for them, they were satisfied with just that.  I've always jokingly scoffed at those types of people who are beanpoles, and who don't have an appetite, but now I've changed my thinking.  I'm starting to use them as examples.

My plan:  eat what I want, but cut the usual portion in half, along with exercise.  At least that's the start.  I think I may need to go with even less then half, since I bet I often eat more than twice what I should.  Depressing, but I want to be healthy, and I want to find a "hawt" woman to marry, so I've got some incentive.   :D

I'll do an official weigh in when I get back from California in a couple of weeks.
Y'all can pronounce it "puh-SKOLLY"

crtreedude

I once was about 270 lbs, now I am about 190 (gained 5 lbs from visiting the USA - usually 185). My secret besides eating carefully - I ride a bike a lot. If I can use a bike for an errand, I use it. If I can walk, I walk. I only use a car or truck if necessary.

The other important thing - your body really can handle only 500 calories at a time - eat smaller meals - otherwise the excess goes you know where...

I am about 6'2" so 185 is not bad at all - but I could see 180 just to be super fit.

So, how did I end up here anyway?

flip

Gotcha by about 60lb, CR.

One of Lori's friends just had the gastric bypass stuff done because she wanted a quick fix.  She hates every bit of it because of what she can, can't and has to eat to survive. 
I think one of our greatest obstacles is genetics, I am a spitting image of my grandfather and no matter what I do I can't seem to lose weight.  For over two years I cut all carbonated drinks, liquor and "bad foods".  I went in before work and did 2 hours worth of cardio and weights 5 days a week and lost about 4% body fat.  Protein protein and more protein, supplements and some less than legal "supplements".  Weight decreased slightly, fat decreased slightly but after two years of no real "change" I threw in the towel. 
There has to be some combination of diet and exercise that is different for each body type, I just wish I knew what it was :(
Timberking B-20, Hydraulics make me board quick

Ron Wenrich

I don't know if I'll throw my hat into the ring yet, or not.  I should lose about 30 lbs, but would be OK with 20.  I certainly can't start until after vacation.

5 years ago, I lost about 25 lbs.  I used the good old diet and exercise routine.  There are a ton of diets out there, and all of them work to some degree or the other.  I used the Beach Body series.  It works pretty well for getting the body into shape in a short amount of time.  The only problem is boredom.

Every diet that I have seen has stressed to increase your protein.  I know when I increase protein, the weight starts to drop.  But, you also want to keep it low fat.  I think they stressed a balance of 30-40-30 | protein-carbs-fat.  I always find it hard to keep the protein up.  You end up drinking whey or soy protein to supplement your diet.

I did try a high protein diet one time.  Protein is rough on the kidneys, and I developed a kidney stone.  So, if you're prone to stones, I'd advise against it.  You will lose 4 lbs the first week, most of it water.

If you want to track your diet, here's a free website.  http://www.fitday.com/   You'll be able to keep track of what you eat, and how many grams of protein, carbs or fat you consume.  It does get a little tedious trying to put in all the foods, but after a few weeks, you'll know where to adjust your diet.

As for exercise, I bought a pedometer.  I tried that 10,000 steps a day stuff.  Its DanG hard to get 10,000 steps a day, unless you do a ton of walking.  That's about 5 miles.  For the average person, that's about 1½ - 2 hours of steady walking.  When I put on the pedometer I found out how little I actually walk. 

One thing I have found that helps me is to have 1 day where you can cheat.  I don't mean to go out and pig out at a buffet, but let yourself have stuff you shouldn't be eating during the rest of the week.  I always planned it on Saturday and would try to limit it to my evening meal.  I would gain some weight, but have it off within a day or two.  I always thought it was probably from water.  Carbs will make you retain water.

I've also seen eating programs that involve eating 5-6 times a day, just smaller meals.  Target cals are usually around 1600, but I can't take a diet that low in calories.  I get weak and hungry.  Don't forget to drink lots of water.
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

OneWithWood

Flip,
My rotund middle runs in the family also, but I am not ready to throw in the towel yet.  DanG belly gets in the way when I tie my shoes, try to squeeze out the truck door when I am putting it on the lift, bend down to pick up firewood, etc.  I find it hard to breathe when I bend over so it has got to go - somehow.
It would be fun to have three southern Indiana boys trying to buck the state trend and get slimmer  8) 8) 8)
I have to admit I am going to cheat a bunch while on vacation.  Pig roast, chocolate mint explosion cookies, probably a beer or three, visiting the wife's relatives - one of which manages a restaurant in Deluth, lunch with Beenthere and Burlcraft at the Roxbury and who knows what else.  By the time I weigh in on Manday, August 13, I will probably need to trim off a bit more than I originally stated.  :D
One With Wood
LT40HDG25, Woodmizer DH4000 Kiln

Dave Shepard

I didn't weigh in on Monday, becuase, well, I don't have a scale that will go that high. One of the suggestions in the Protein Power diet book, which I am loosely following, again, is to get a measuring tape and keep track of the actuall amount of airspace you are displacing, rather than worry strictly about weight. The thing about doing the low-carb/high-protein diet is that you can actually put on some muscle if you are active. This will make it seem as though you are not loosing weight. Well anyway, I measured my spare tire right around the middle and it is 55", so that will be my baseline for this project. In January I was 330# at the doctors office, and I know I am up about 10# so I will guesstimate 340# for a starting weight.

I haven't made a huge change in my diet, but I have changed when I eat, and I try to not eat after about 6:30 or so. I have stopped eating any extra carbs, no cookies or ice cream. I am only eating carbs with a meal if necessary, like if all I can find is a sandwich. As I get into this and have time for better planning, I will find things for lunch that don't require bread. I already have more energy. 8)


Dave
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

asy

Hey Dave, you're still not as big as I was when I started!  :o :o :o

OK, I promised a meal plan, here it is.

Again, I"ll disclaim this by saying it's sorta what I learned while on the Cohens plan, but it certainly will NOT substitute for a plan of your own... Still, it's better than nothing, I think.

Notes: When I say "Veg", that means any of the salads or veggies listed in my original post, whether cooked or raw, but must be weighed raw. Fish includes shellfish. Also, all proteins are weighed RAW. Not cooked. For each meal choose ONE LINE. Don't go eat all of them! hehe

Breakfast:   200g yoghurt
                  1 Egg plus 75g veg
                  75g cheese plus 75g veg

Morning tea: 1 piece of fruit, plus 1 crispbread

Lunch:       100g meat plus 125g veg
                 120g fish plus 125g veg
                 75g cheese plus 100g veg

Afternoon tea: 1 piece of fruit, plus 2 crispbreads

Dinner:     130g meat plus 125g veg
                140g fish plus 125g veg

Supper:    1 piece fruit plus 2 crispbreads.

That's it. You can have some sugar free gum, too, but that's it.

Oh, and, THREE LITRES OF WATER A DAY!

Now, these are certainly not my quantities, but giving you my quantities wouldn't work because our blood is different (I hope!). I've upped the quantities in everything because realistically, this being the FF, there's more guys gonna read it than gals (I thought).

OWW: With regard to alcohol. Ya can't have it. Not if you're serious. It does amazing things to your insulin levels and spiking insulin is NOT conducive to losing weight. The idea is to graze throughout the day so as to keep your insulin relatively level all day. AFTER you've lost the weight you can go back to having a glass every now and then, but not while you're on a programme. Also, with regards carbs, one glass of alcohol = 3 slices of bread.

Trust me, if I can give up cups of tea for a year, you can give up ANYTHING for the sake of your health.

asy :D
Never interrupt your opponent while he's making a mistake.
There cannot be a crisis next week. ~My schedule is already full..

OneWithWood

Asy, I am shaking here  smiley_confused

Are you saying if I want to get serious I need to give up alcohol AND tea?  I normally consume about five cups of green tea per day.  :-\

I guess if I start drinking 3 liters of water per day I won't have room or time for anything else.  :D
One With Wood
LT40HDG25, Woodmizer DH4000 Kiln

Paschale

Quote from: OneWithWood on August 02, 2007, 08:49:53 AM
Asy, I am shaking here  smiley_confused

Are you saying if I want to get serious I need to give up alcohol AND tea?  I normally consume about five cups of green tea per day.  :-\

I guess if I start drinking 3 liters of water per day I won't have room or time for anything else.  :D

On the Atkins diet, he says to avoid beer, but that hard liquor is OK, since that doesn't seem to effect insulin levels much at all. 

Scotch and red meat...now that's a diet!   ;D
Y'all can pronounce it "puh-SKOLLY"

asy

Quote from: OneWithWood on August 02, 2007, 08:49:53 AM
Asy, I am shaking here  smiley_confused

Are you saying if I want to get serious I need to give up alcohol AND tea?  I normally consume about five cups of green tea per day.  :-\

Nope!

Green tea is fine, Tea is fine, coffee is fine. MILK is not.

So, if you can drink them black, enjoy!

BUT....  No sugar, sorry.  Hermesetas sweetener only (if ya gotta).

asy :D
Never interrupt your opponent while he's making a mistake.
There cannot be a crisis next week. ~My schedule is already full..

Part_Timer

OWW
No bourbon and soda, what a drag.  Life just wouldn't be worth doing.  I think we better look for a better diet.   ;) ;D ;D ;D

Faron

I've found that I've put on about 8 lbs or so since I took the bosses job.  Just sitting on my butt doing paperwork most of the day is a drag.  The biggest problem for me is that I've started on the regular soda again. 

I went on the Adkins about 5 years or so ago and it worked fine.  I was around 260 and went to 225.  I stayed there for several years but gradualy put 15 back on in the last 3 years.  8 of it since Jan.  I'm just eating to big a portion and to many sodas, not enough moving around.

I'll get in on this with you but it'll have to be after the 20th of August.  I've had sever chest pains in the last 3 weeks and went into the doctor.  I'll not have any of the blood work test results untill that date and they told me not to change anything untill then except slowing/stopping the sodas >:( >:( >:(. 

Tell Chris we said hi
Peterson 8" ATS.
The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.

Burlkraft

I got a good one for you guys....Ya just gotta have a heart attack and the weight just seems to melt right off..... ;D ;D ;D

Of course the diet after the attack is a lot worse than any I've seen here......No caffiene, no cheese, no Roxburgers....Right now I'm livin' on fruit, salad, fat free dressing, 1/2 gallon of water a day, fish and chicken...... :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\

I did have some gritz the udder morning tho....Lots better than oatmeal..... ;) ;) ;)  Thanks to Taylor.... ;D ;D ;D

I am gonna hafta break out the smaller pants soon........ ::) ::) ::)
Why not just 1 pain free day?

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