Work, Play, and Exercise

[Nyoibo]

Smaller portions, and plenty of vegetables seems like conventional wisdom to me. What is this non-wise body of knowledge you are referring to?

"Low fat" "Fat-free" and such being healthy, it's bull, to compensate sugar, carbohydrates and sodium are frequently increased to double or even triple the normal amounts.

[Flyndaran]

"Low fat" "Fat-free" and such being healthy, it's bull, to compensate sugar, carbohydrates and sodium are frequently increased to double or even triple the normal amounts.

Ahhh. Ok. I got you. I had a much easier time losing weight with low sugar content, even though weight loss wasn't my goal.
Sodium is only a problem for some people with high blood pressure. Most people just increase their fluid intake and urinate it out.

Right now the most effective way to eat all you want and not gain weight seems to be severe anxiety and hyperthyroidism. Not something I would recommend, that's for sure.

[Boozy]

Make sure you are eating at least 3 meals a day, and try and make your dinner the smallest as since you go to bed and it pretty much sits there.

That's not true. Meals eaten before going to sleep are digested as easily and quickly as any.

[Boozy]

Sodium is only a problem for some people with high blood pressure. Most people just increase their fluid intake and urinate it out.

Exactly.

Low-sodium diets are the new fad. But there's no evidence that they will do anything for you unless you already have high blood presure. And if you already have high blood pressure, the solution is often to lose weight or quit smoking, not cut back on salt.

People with normal blood pressure don't usually have problems with sodium. I personally get rather bloated if I'm eating too much salt, but I don't care unless I can't get my pants on. In that case, I'll drink a ton of water, lay off the potato chips for a day, and I'm back to normal.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

"Low fat" "Fat-free" and such being healthy, it's bull, to compensate sugar, carbohydrates and sodium are frequently increased to double or even triple the normal amounts.

What he said.

I even read some articles suggesting the exercise won't help you lose weight. It's good for you, but won't slim you down.

I believe that, but to a point. An uptick in activity will drop a few pounds off, but by itself is a lousy way to try and lose weight.

[BlaqueKatt]

I don't have any of those, since I'm 6'6" and over 350, so I'm not any better off than you.

you're over a foot taller than me*wallows in her shortness*

*sigh*

*Rethinks her idea of running off to canaidaland.....*

[Mytical]

As somebody who once weighed 305 lbs I can tell you that it is not easy to lose weight. In fact, it is blasted difficult. One thing you should be aware of..more then half our calories comes from drinks..not food. Well, I guess that depends but that is the figure given to me by the docs for Americans.

Substitute ice cold water for whatever else you are drinking when you can. It is absolutely the healthiest drink you can drink, and it tends to help you feel fuller then any other drink. Not diet soda, not juice, etc...ice cold water. Not only is it 0 calories, but it has none of the additives like Caffeine or such.

Non Diet Pop is the Absolute worst drink for you if you are trying to lose weight, and it doesn't matter what kind. Even 100% juices, Milk, etc are better. Choose 100% juices over things with High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Switch sweeteners. If you must go sweet, Splenda or such is 100x better then Sugar. (For weight purposes..did you know a single cup of sugar in like koolaid adds several hundred calories to it? Think one cup of sugar is 770 calories.)

Try eating small but frequent meals. Supposed to keep your metabolism up.

Park farther away from wherever you are going. Going to the mall? Park in the last row as far from the mall as you can. Every step helps.

Take stairs over elevators/escalators.

When you go out to eat, choose fish, Ham, or even chicken over Beef

If you find you can't really do most exercises..and have access to a Pool, swimming is a low impact exercise that exercises your entire body. ((I have huge back issues, so most exercises are out. No access to a pool, though ))

True, it has taken me almost 3 years to go from 305 to 250..because I don't do the crash diets...but it is staying off, and that is important. Can't yet seem to break that plateu yet though.

Btw 6'0, 250lbs (actually usually somewhere between 245 and 255..the yo yo effect))

[DesignFox]

Sounds like you've done great Mytical! And in all the right ways!

You know what I discovered last night? Wii Fit! OMG that thing is fun! I had no idea how much I would hurt this morning...and I was playing games with 10 other people....not exactly playing straight through for any length of time.

Just working on your balance and trying to distribute your weight to play the games is more work than you can imagine! It's very low impact, because you can't jump on the board...it's all playing with shifting weight. Amazing.

I have no idea if it will really help burn calories or not. I've heard it does...just judging how I feel I tend to believe it. I'm gonna try it when I get enough money for it! (That excess 15 I dropped was awesome, but since my eating and excercise habits are now stable, I'm not burning anything else...I'd really love to lose another 10 lbs, but I'm just not that dedicated! LOL)

[crashhelmet]

That's not true. Meals eaten before going to sleep are digested as easily and quickly as any.

Actually, most people gain weight while they sleep because their metabolism shuts down while they sleep.

Now I'm tiny compared to what most of you have posted your weights to be. I'm 5'11" and right now, about 170lbs. I'm a martial artist and my weight fluctuates almost constantly. My normal "training weight" is around 180. My "fighting weight" during the tournament season is 165. However, if and when I get hurt (I've torn the LCL in each knee twice, lost count of fingers toes, and ribs that I've broken) and can't train or can't train in my normal fashion, I've been known to jump up to 200 pounds.

What works for me is 3 things.

1) Metabolism control. it's all about WHEN you eat, not necessarily WHAT you eat. Eat something as soon as you wake up. Could be a full breakfast or something as simple as a granola bar. Eat something to give your metabolism a jump start. I've found that if I ate something small, I'd be starving around lunch time.

Try not to eat less than 3 hours before you goto bed. If you do, do some sort of exercise like jumping jacks or running in place or ride a bike etc etc etc.

Make sure you eat at least three times a day. They don't have to be full meals. Just something.

2) Cardiovascular exercise. Cardiovascular exercise is the easiest way to burn fat. Some nutritionists and trainers say it's the ONLY way to burn it. The only healthy way, anyway. Ride a bike, go jogging, etc etc etc. Do something to get and keep your heart rate up for extended periods of time.

3) Drink lots and lots of water. I, personally, drink a gallon to a gallon and a half of water a day. Its benefits are too great to list, but the simple aspects of it filling you up quicker as well as helping flush out the toxins in your system are good enough.

I lost 36 pounds in 9 weeks following this and use it to maintain and control my weight.

My meals were typically:
Breakfast - a bagel or a Cliff Bar and a Dr. Pepper
Lunch: Full 3 course meal at a restaurant somewhere. usually Chinese or Italian (high carbs)
Dinner: Varied. Could've been fast food, a bowl of rice, or a steak dinner.

Through all of this though, I trained in martial arts (great cardio work out) for 3 hours a night, 4 nights a week.

A quick note about carbs and calories. Your body needs them. They're only bad when you choose to do nothing with them.

CH

[Mytical]

1600 cals for women and 1800 for men are the suggested absolute minimum, or your body will feed off of Muscle FIRST (before fat) to make up the difference.

Suggested minimum water intake is 64 oz for women, 96 for men, in a single day. That is water, not beverages that happen to have water in them.

Carbohydrates are ok, but be careful. People think sugars are the only problem for diabetics but that is not the case. Carbs are also. I am only 'allowed' like 30 carbs a meal max.

Everybody is different, however. What works for one, might not work for another.

[Boozy]

Actually, most people gain weight while they sleep because their metabolism shuts down while they sleep.

1) Metabolism control. it's all about WHEN you eat, not necessarily WHAT you eat.

I'm gonna have to ask for citations for these statements.

The first is verifiably wrong. Our metabolisms may slow while sleeping, but they do not shut down. And they slow down significantly less than people think. Remember, most of our calories are not burned moving our limbs around. The bulk of our calories are used regulating out body temperature, digesting food, pumping blood, repairing cells, keeping our brain waves going....all of which we do while sleeping.

The second statement is baffling to me. Are you claiming that I can eat all the junk I wish as long as I do it on some sort of prescribed schedule?

[crashhelmet]

I'm gonna have to ask for citations for these statements.

The first is verifiably wrong. Our metabolisms may slow while sleeping, but they do not shut down. And they slow down significantly less than people think. Remember, most of our calories are not burned moving our limbs around. The bulk of our calories are used regulating out body temperature, digesting food, pumping blood, repairing cells, keeping our brain waves going....all of which we do while sleeping.

I can't specific citations off the top of my head. It's knowledge gained through years of reading and working with certified trainers physical therapists. However, I will stand corrected and say that yes, the metabolism does not shut down. It slows down as you described. A lot of it comes down to how much you sleep, if I remember right. Sleep deprivation can cause you to gain weight because of the hormonal/chemical shift caused by it. However, there is a direct correlation between your heart rate and the number of calories burned. This gets into a matter of total calories burned vs net calories burned. A brief explanation of it here. Your resting heart rate will not burn as much as an active heart rate would.

The second statement is baffling to me. Are you claiming that I can eat all the junk I wish as long as I do it on some sort of prescribed schedule?

Yes. I'm not saying that it's healthy for you, but you can lose weight in doing so. You might drop 20 pounds but clog your arteries at the same time. You can eat nothing but "healthy foods" and still gain weight. You can eat fast food three meals a day and lose weight. It comes down to what you do with the carbs and calories and everything else you're loading into your body.

CH

[jackfaire]

Yes. I'm not saying that it's healthy for you, but you can lose weight in doing so. You might drop 20 pounds but clog your arteries at the same time. You can eat nothing but "healthy foods" and still gain weight. You can eat fast food three meals a day and lose weight. It comes down to what you do with the carbs and calories and everything else you're loading into your body.

CH

My doctor actually said that too that people who are heavier like me can still be healthier than a skinny person because I eat right.

[BroomJockey]

Suggested minimum water intake is 64 oz for women, 96 for men, in a single day. That is water, not beverages that happen to have water in them.

http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp

Snopes says you're wrong.

Especially about the "not beverages that happen to have water in them" part.

[Nyoibo]

My A&P Teacher suggested about 30ml of water per 1kg of body weight.