The Icrontic 30 pound challenge

[primesuspect]

Like many of you (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE YOU FAT BASTARDS), I need to lose weight. I am rapidly approaching the magical age of thirty, and I don't want to go into the prime of my life (pun intended) carrying extra baggage. I have enough as it is.

Having tried this before, I know it's much easier when you have other people to jeer and cheer you on, and other people to share progress and goals with.

Therefore, I am presenting the SM 30lb Challenge to all of us who need to lose that kind of weight.

The goal is to lose THIRTY US POUNDS (not Stones or Kilograms or Drachmas or whatever weird units you non-americans use) by JUNE 22nd, 2007, which coincidentally is the time of the SM LAN (http://www.short-media.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52871) and is also six days before my 30th birthday. As a present to myself, I want to lose 30lbs for my 30th.

Now, it's not as hard as it sounds. That's only around five pounds a month. I did it once before - I lost almost 35lbs but like a typical slob, gained it all back. I did it before, and I know I can do it again.

One person who helped me a lot was long time short-media member and good friend CitrixMeta. He used to be a fat slob too but he lost like a million pounds and now he's a hardbodied badass who looks all tough and cool and stuff. He directed me to a site called FitDay (http://www.fitday.com). By altering my food intake and keeping track of what I ate, I was able to pull off some impressive results.

I digress. And regress. Back to the challenge:

Losing the weight will be the easy part. The hard part will be posting WEEKLY PICTURE UPDATES of your fatness for all of us to see. Also, you'll be keeping track as best you can of your daily progress on Fitday, so you'll need to set up a free fitday account.

Weight loss methods aren't specified in this challenge - except please don't use the "eat three cheeseburgers and do cocaine" method. It's not healthy

Yes, you'll have to post pics. Sorry, that's the deal.

So who's with me? Here is a link to my fitday (http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJournals.html?Owner=bambrozy) account.

Let's keep this thread updated with our progress. Every Friday we'll post a pic - front and side view.

I'd like to note that there have been several friends of mine from the short-media community who have served as an inspiration for this. Congratulations to you guys who have gotten svelte and in shape. I'm proud of you all.

[profdlp]

Good luck, fatasses! :cheers:

(Hey, buddy - you're the one that brought up jeering. ;D )

Does the fifty pounds I lost between last May and last September count? :cool:

[Kwitko]

I'm in.

[Thrax]

I'd be dead. :(

[airbornflght]

I've lost 15 pounds myself, I'm 160 right now and want to get down to 150. Though I'm taking weight training so if I loose it and pack it back on as muscle you'll hear no complaining from me:D

[primesuspect]

Kwitko's in! Who else is man enough to take the challenge.

Thrax and Prof - you guys already winned :D

[csimon]

I'll take 3 cheesebugers and coke pls!

Good luck Brian and Seth ...my best to you!

[primesuspect]

I just realized that there may be people who aren't quite as rotund as, say, Seth or myself, but who would still like the benefit of the camaraderie that will go with this weight-loss effort. So, don't let that 30 pound number scare you away. If you need to lose 10 lbs or 20lbs, join up with us and let's do it.

[Pterocarpous]

I'll take 3 cheesebugers and coke pls!...Good luck Brian and Seth ...my best to you!...
ROFLOL!! Three cheers for Fat Bastard!! "Get in mah bellay!!" ;D

No way man! Not w/ pics!! :wow: How 'bout pics of my cat Possum. He's fat, too!! :bigggrin:

[Thrax]

Kwitko's in! Who else is man enough to take the challenge.

Thrax and Prof - you guys already winned :D

Hooray. I M TEH WINNAR. :tongue: Good luck to you guys, I know you can do it. I think I'm the laziest person on earth, as Nomad can attest to, and I got 'er dun!

[Shorty]

I could do with losing a few but not that many (little of me as there is). Im in :)

[Kwitko]

Dan, if you take out your piercings you'll lose 10 lbs.

[RWB]

Count me in, I just noticed I am at 330-340lbs, dunno the exact amount since my scale is crazy... or it just can't accurately do anything past 300lbs. I feel the need to change my life, I wanna live for many more years.

I am in. But posting pics? I guess that would really pressure me as I think my belly looks very awkward. I call them tiger marks, like Tiger of the cereal! lol

[RWB]

Dan, if you take out your piercings you'll lose 10 lbs.

haha I was thinking along the lines of 10% of his weight...:bigggrin:

[primesuspect]

You don't have to post pictures without clothes on if you don't want to, RWB. In fact, maybe you could "silhouette" your pic if you felt more comfortable that way.

The intent is not to degrade or shame you... Well, okay, yeah, it is... No, but really the intent is to have tangible, visible feedback on our progress :)

[RWB]

Well funny part of me being fat is that I actually eat healthy, with the exception of 2 or 3 Wendy's trips a week... I'll kill those and it should help me financially as well... but I generally eat Ramen with Eggs and Sandwiches most of the time, but I also eat these skillet meals(no added oils or anything for me), like Fried Rice and Chicken, the nutrition info shows them as being pretty good, but 5 servings vs in reality it being 2 or 1 depending on my hunger. I'll eat quite a bit, but for the past month now with the move and all I've been to busy to eat. It's been nice doing more than sitting at my computer all day. But now that the move is almost over I don't know what else I am gonna do except shop for cool furniture and stuff? Become metro sexual vs the Al Bundy type? HAHA!

By June I'd like to do more than 30... I think I could do that in a month by simply drinking more water and eating a bit better and properly which would increase the metabolism, I've done it before... but then I would just go back to old ways and the pounds slowly come back.

[primesuspect]

well I started off with my diet change this morning. My normal eating pattern sucks - I skip breakfast, sit all day at work, and use coffee as an appetite suppressant. My first meal is around 1:30 or 2:00 in the afternoon, which I gorge and eat a lot because I'm so hungry at that point.

When I get home around 6:00 I am starving again so I eat a huge dinner, and then usually I eat again around 11:00 at night, which is no good. I go to bed around 2:00 am, so at least I'm not eating right before bed, but still.

So today, I'm switching back to the schedule I used to keep when I was losing weight. I had half a can of tuna for breakfast. For lunch I'll probably have a bologna sandwich and a small piece of stinky irish goat cheese (I like weird cheeses). Keep an eye on my fitday.

I used to do so well at this. Look at what I ate on November 21, 2005 (http://www.fitday.com/webfit/publicjournals.html?Owner=bambrozy&arcYear=2005&arcMonth=10&arcDay=21). That's what I'm shooting for again :D

[Sledgehammer70]

Hey Prime, Count me in on this endeavor, but I am shooting for a bit more lbs to drop...

Last year at SM LAN I was around 225lbs not to bad for being 6'5" tall, but was still over the national average. I am now pushing a hefty 285lbs and well I want to drop 60lbs to get to my old 225lbs. I am headed over to make an account and will post it here in a minute.

I am going to need massive help in my eating habits, and any help form any SM members is more than welcome, hit me up on MSN or AIM and help slap my fat ass into shape.

My Fit Day Account (http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJournals.html?Owner=sledgehammer70)

[Kwitko]

This is great, because the hardest part of losing weight is doing it alone. I used to be all secretive when I started a weight loss program, but I realize the peer pressure is actually good. People keep an eye on you because they want you to succeed. We'll be encouraging each other, which is key.

Right now I'm around 285. My goal weight is 190, but 200 or less would be fantastic. My goal for the LAN is to be under 250. Certainly attainable.

[Black Hawk]

To lose weight you don't have to starve yourself. WTF?! Half can of tuna? Eat small portions but more times a day (every three hours). Helps the metabolism. If you starve yourself, your body is gonna start gnawing at your muscles for energy. You could eat a chicken sandwich and some juice. Eat a granola bar and some fruit 3 hours later. Have your other meal 3 hours after that and so on.

As for me, I can't say that I will or will not join in on this since I'm currently off my meds (long story). Once/If I start them, I'll probably feel good enough to join you guys.

[primesuspect]

The reason I eat so little at breakfast time is because I am so rushed. I almost got the kids late to school just because of that half a can of tuna. It was all I could cram into my mouth as we were running out the door.

believe me, I'm not a proponent of starving ones' self. Still, half a can of tuna is way more than I normally eat for breakfast - which is nothing.

[profdlp]

Get some whey protein powder and nonfat milk, then have a shake for breakfast.

Sixty seconds from start to finish - just like your sex life. :vimp:

(This jeering stuff is fun! :thumbsup: )

(Everyone knows I'm kidding, right? :hiding: )

[Sledgehammer70]

just like your sex life.

Poor Prof....

[GHoosdum]

I signed up for a FitDay account today. Thanks for the impetus, Brian. It's a great way to analyze the diet I've put myself on.

My goal is definitely not a 30-lb weight loss. I've been working out since November, and I have a weight gain goal of 10 pounts over where I am now, but I want to make the entire gain in muscle, and I'd also like to lose most of the visceral fat that I still have around my midsection. Since I joined the gym, my chest press ability has increased from 80lb (stick man) to 125lb (@3 sets of ten reps each). I've got several lifting goals in addition to my dietary/weight goals, but I don't need to detail them all here...

Here (http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJournals.html?Owner=GHoosdum) is my FitDay link...

I'm here for moral support of anyone else who's engaging in a fitness program.

[primesuspect]

Thanks guys!

One thing we ALL need to do is drink more water. I decided to use fitday to track my water intake too.

One thing for coffee/tea drinkers: don't overlook the sugar or cream you put into your drinks. Track it ALL.

[GHoosdum]

Thanks guys!

One thing we ALL need to do is drink more water. I decided to use fitday to track my water intake too.

One thing for coffee/tea drinkers: don't overlook the sugar or cream you put into your drinks. Track it ALL.

Thanks for the reminder about the water. That's something else I intended to put on the chart too.

I had to create a custom coffee for myself that included the 1/2 tablespoon of half and half and the packet of Equal that I put in my morning coffee. Luckily it's not killing me too badly! :tongue:

[Leonardo]

Already lost about ten - need to lose ten more. How? So simple:

Increased exercise -- walking and snow clearing, that's it.
Diet -- less red meat, less whole-fat dairy; increased servings of fruit and vegetables; cut down on snacks; leave the table when I still feel a little hungry (20 minutes later feel satisfied)

Really easy, no magic, no gimmicks, no special purchases, not trendy diet-of-the-year horseship.

[RWB]

I've been using Splenda instead of sugar for literally everything I used to use sugar for... I've notice certain 'movements' have gotten better overall at least, but I probably had an intake of sugar equal to a whole package form the store a week before.

[RADA]

Kwitko's in! Who else is man enough to take the challenge.

Thrax and Prof - you guys already winned :D


Prime,

I'm already working on losing weight for my wedding. but I'll join you.

My goal is two-fold yours - 60 lbs.... I was at 262, the heaviest I've ever been. Needed to make some serious changes in my current lifestyle. It was shocking and depressing just how far I've fallen. not 10 years ago I was 200 lbs with a 34-36 inch waist, now that has blown up to 40 inches!

My goal is 195-205 lbs by my birthday June 11th. Sounds like a lot, but 60 lbs is only 2.5 lbs per week.

I started just over two weeks ago, doing the Body for Life diet and exercise program. Like you with your program, I did this before and lost 34 lbs in 13 weeks. In the past 2 weeks I lost 13 lbs, but losing fast in the beginning is natural, the hard part is when weight loss slows down later into the program.

So count me in man!

[RADA]

The reason I eat so little at breakfast time is because I am so rushed. I almost got the kids late to school just because of that half a can of tuna. It was all I could cram into my mouth as we were running out the door.

believe me, I'm not a proponent of starving ones' self. Still, half a can of tuna is way more than I normally eat for breakfast - which is nothing.

Prime,

Not sure if you like 'em, but I keep a 18 pack carton of hard-boiled eggs in the fridge all the time while I'm on a program. They're quick, and easy to grab on the go. I only eat the whites though, too much bad stuff in the yokes. I will make egg salad out of 4 egg whites and 1 yoke for added flavor.

[Gargoyle]

I don't have a scale, but I'd guess that I have around 10-12 pounds of fat I could get rid of.

Problem is, I'm bad at shopping for and cooking healthy foods. It seems like tasty (bad) foods are easier to buy and cook. But if I were a tad less lazy I could probably do it. I should probably also make my gym visits a bit more regular; right now I just go "whenever I have time." That is to say, when I'm not eating something fried and playing Civ 4 :D

BTW - here's my own advice that I followed once and plan to follow again. Three years ago, I cut out soda from my diet, and when I reintroduced it later, I switched to diet. I also cut out snacking on junkfood and my weird habit of surrounding anything I ate (that was already unhealthy) with chips or nachos. Coupled with doing some pushups and situps for about 10 minutes in the evening, I managed to lose about 20 pounds over a few months. Not bad for minimal effort :thumbsup:

[DanG]

I'm not in, but good luck to you guys!!

Don't forget, if you're trying to lose body fat, when doing cardio, you want to be at about 60-70% of your max heart rate (220-your age) to maxamize fat burning, any higher and you get into a different system and most of your energy comes from a different source.
To get the best of both worlds, interval training is where it's at. Walk/jog to warm up, then sprint as hard as you can for 15 seconds, back to the walk/jog, then go as hard as you can. Do that 4 or 5 times over a 20 minute period, and as you get better, increase the duration of the interval, up to 30 seconds.

Just remember to start slow, and if you even think you have any health issues, talk to your doc first.

[primesuspect]

Alright I weighed in this morning - 236. I've revised my goal to be a nice even 200.

I have a slight headache today. I think it probably has to do with the drastic adjustment to a new diet. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Snacks that I find work well: cottage cheese, and I love raw snow pea pods. 9:00 pm is the cutoff time for food.

I'm hungry, but I think its more out of habit.

I think I'm going to do my annual COLON BLOW (http://www.short-media.com/forum/showpost.php?p=319979&postcount=12). I warn you right now - that link is disgusting and is not for the faint of heart. It talks about poop in graphic detail. That will give me a 'clean slate', per se.

So tonight, one last light snack, and 50 fiber pills with about half a gallon of water :D

Tomorrow should be a great day ;D

[csimon]

LOL ...I'm not reading it again.

[Kwitko]

I weighed myself and my scale says 276. I know that's wrong, so I'm adding 15 lbs to whatever the scale says.

Today's official unofficial weight: 291

[primesuspect]

Today's pic:

[Kwitko]

Today's pics:
http://www.kwitko.net/images/DSC_0144_DXO.jpghttp://www.kwitko.net/images/DSC_0145_DXO.jpg

[profdlp]

I'd just have to say that I admire you guys immensely for letting it all hang out (so to speak). I know it takes a lot of courage to post a picture of oneself when you're not feeling like you're at your best. If you keep that same courageous attitude throughout your new fitness program you can't help but be successful. :)

Sorry, but I don't think I can come up with any jeering for you at the moment. ;)

[Kwitko]

Stop the presses! Steve is being sincere!

[profdlp]

Stop the presses! Steve is being sincere!
Did you die? :range:

[RADA]

Amanda is at school till 10:00 pm tonight. I'll get some pics up ASAP

[primesuspect]

Well final thoughts on day 1:

I am very optimistic that this will be easier than I thought. I drank 68oz of water today on top of another 24oz in coffee/tea form. The last big cup of tea I drank had no sugar or cream in it.

I've been pissing like a racehorse, though :-/

Anyways, lotsa water, good fiber intake, good diet, mild exercise = 40 pounds? no problem :)

[TheLostSwede]

Good thread i must say. The biggest issue with overweight is that the back takes the hit and i am a prrof of that. At 35, i'm almost crippled with 2 dislocated discs and it hurts like no tomorrow. I have broken 8 bones during the years, 4 of them major, but it's nothing in comparison to a bad back. I'm pretty much exactly .1 tons myself or 220 lbs. 30 pounds less and i'd be close to 85 kilo. Would help tremendously. For once, i would actually be able to see my penor when i shower.

[Kwitko]

My impressions so far:
It's entirely possible my scale is correct, but I guess I've lived so long being overweight it's almost as if I don't want to believe I'm capable of weight loss. Since I've started eating better, when I look in the mirror, even thought it's not noticeable, I feel like I'm getting thinner. It's a state of mind, I guess. I've always done the diet for a day, a week, then get frustrated. I've got all of you now to back me, plus I'm doing Weight Watchers, so I've got encouragement all around. I think the biggest mistake I used to make when trying to lose weight was not tell anybody. Now it's out there for the world to see, so I'm compelled to continue, otherwise I'll feel like I'm letting 5 billion other people down besides myself.

And if this isn't encouragement, I don't know what is: for every 50 pounds you lose, you gain back 1" of penor hidden behind all that fat. At least that's what some dude told me after he lost 200 pounds.

[primesuspect]

"visible inches" ;D

[RADA]

"visible inches" ;D

Hey! visuals count....

..if it looks longer gotta be a ego boost...


Anyway,

This weekend was my future mother-in-law's birthday. We have a surprise party for her. I knew I would be scarfing some food that would not be on the "approved" list, so I weighed myself on Friday morning. I weighed in at 249.2 lbs. I weighed myself again this morning just to see how much damage I had done over the weekend. the scale showed 250.4. I gained 1.2 lbs.

So I'm back to being super strict, drinking the appropriate amount of water, and going back on my gym program.

More later...

[Sledgehammer70]

Man I did so well yesterday morning and afternoon... and than I fell flat on my face for dinner... went to Howies Game Shack and had a burger from Islands and than a small pizza... must not do that again....

[QCH2002]

Man I did so well yesterday morning and afternoon... and than I fell flat on my face for dinner... went to Howies Game Shack and had a burger from Islands and than a small pizza... must not do that again....That's my problem... I do GREAT for a few days then I am stuck in a spot where I have to eat out and !!!BOOM!!! I eat like a pig. :sad2:

[primesuspect]

Don't sweat a cheat day. We need one. Once a week, allow yourself a cheat day where you eat like you normally used to. Don't stress out over it. Just keep it limited to one day a week and you'll be okay.

Guys, one thing I want to stress is this:

Don't do anything that you can't maintain for life. What we're doing here is not "shock weight loss" just to meet some goal. Make subtle, manageable changes, and each thing you do, think "This is for life." so don't cut yourself off from everything you love and say "I can not drink a Pepsi for the next six months." that's not realistic. If you can't honestly say "I will not drink Pepsi for the rest of my life" then it is not a realistic change. Instead say "Drinking a two liter a day is probably bad. I think one glass a day is manageable for the rest of my life."

We're not trying to kill ourselves here. Just be more sensible and have better lifestyles :)

[GHoosdum]

Don't ever let a single failure event cause you to give up on a healthy diet plan. Just like RADA says, that just means it's time to get back on plan afterward.

[Kwitko]

Lifestyle change. It's all about manageable goals. I'm working on losing just 2-3 pounds per week. Any more I think is crash dieting and unhealthy. By the way, I went to the doctor today and came it at 276, meaning my scale isn't off. I lost 6 pounds in 2 weeks, which is exactly where I want to be.

Now for the grim news. My blood pressure is borderline hypertension (133/88) and my cholesterol and triglycerides are through the roof. I'll be going on Caduet, which is Norvasc and Lipitor in the same pill. My doctor hopes than in 12 weeks, with 24-36 more pounds off, that I won't need the Norvasc, just the Lipitor, and that after a year I won't need either.

I decided to make this change just in time. I've got an 18 month old niece who I want to see grow up. I am courting a great girl who I want to have a long relationship with. I don't want that to end now.

[primesuspect]

That's why we're doing this :) Diabetes runs on both sides of my family, I am a prime candidate, and I do not want to end up with it. I sort of feel like this is my "last chance" at doing preventative lifestyle change "maintenance".

[citrixmeta]

ok im in too! i gotta drop some unwanted weight, its affecting my stamina during stone training.

im not sure if i can drop 30lbs, but im in!! where do i sign?

[RADA]

Don't ever let a single failure event cause you to give up on a healthy diet plan. Just like RADA says, that just means it's time to get back on plan afterward.

Agreed, I missed a couple days at the gym in a row due to scheduling conflicts, but I kept eating right. Then my mother-in-laws birthday party came up, etc... The idea is to not to let these setbacks stop you. Don't let one day become two days, three days, etc...

They say that if you can keep a change in lifestyle going for 21 days it becomes a habit.

That's why we're doing this Diabetes runs on both sides of my family, I am a prime candidate, and I do not want to end up with it.

High blood pressure and Diabetes runs in my family too. Truth is since I finished school I haven't felt "good". I mean there hasn't been any serious problems, but I just don't feel like myself. I need to make these changes in my life not only for me, but for my fiance, soon to be wife. I owe her at least that much for making my life so wonderful.

[primesuspect]

I think I'm going to create a seperate set of pages for the participants. A single big thread like this isn't a great way to keep track. We almost each need an individual blog-type page or something. I'll figure something out :wtf:

[Kwitko]

We'll each have a subdomain blog. primesuspect.short-media.com, kwitko.short-media.com, rada.short-media.com, ad infinitum.

[RADA]

Now for the grim news. My blood pressure is borderline hypertension (133/88) and my cholesterol and triglycerides are through the roof. I'll be going on Caduet, which is Norvasc and Lipitor in the same pill. My doctor hopes than in 12 weeks, with 24-36 more pounds off, that I won't need the Norvasc, just the Lipitor, and that after a year I won't need either.


You might want to check out some diabetic cookbooks. From experience, when I follow a pseudo-diabetic lifestyle of eating I lose a lot of weight. It really isn't that hard either. most of the things I limit or remove from my menu are foods I should cut back on..

Just a thought, we are in this together bro...

[Sledgehammer70]

yeah I have honestly stopped drinking soda for 3 days now, and will continue to put soda aside during this time. I really isn't hard for me as I have done it many times before, but it is getting past the one day of headaches that is the hard part, "which I have already done"

One thing I noticed that helped me awhile ago during my soda drop was getting a glass of water with 1/2 Tsp of sugar, that removed the headache during the non sugar time and it never came back :)

Like prime said, lifetime is unrealistic, not drinking it for a few months... realistic :)

[Sledgehammer70]

We'll each have a subdomain blog. primesuspect.short-media.com, kwitko.short-media.com, rada.short-media.com, ad infinitum.

gigantor@short-media.com :)

Good idea Seth if it is possible :)

Not to put to much work on keebs, but I wonder if he could even make a front page look with a blog submittal form :)

[GHoosdum]

I think I'm going to create a seperate set of pages for the participants. A single big thread like this isn't a great way to keep track. We almost each need an individual blog-type page or something. I'll figure something out :wtf:

Wouldn't the FitDay logs work for that? You could just link to them all from the first post in the thread or something... simple! ;)

[Gargoyle]

We'll each have a subdomain blog. primesuspect.short-media.com, kwitko.short-media.com, rada.short-media.com, ad infinitum.

Actually, that'd be kind of awesome. Pain in the ass to implement, surely, but awesome.

[RADA]

Wouldn't the FitDay logs work for that? You could just link to them all from the first post in the thread or something... simple! ;)

Done!

RADA's Fit Log (http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJournals.html?Owner=RADA9933)

[Kwitko]

Actually, that'd be kind of awesome. Pain in the ass to implement, surely, but awesome.

Nah, not that hard, frankly. Install WordPress, do a little modding to the theme, then clone it to directories, one for each person.

[the_technocrat]

I'm willing to help if I can, but at 165, I'm not sure that would be a pretty sight! :D (I'm Dutch, we can't bulk up for some reason - sucks because we can't seem to build out muscle too easily either...)

Wife works at a gym and is in school for Physical Therapy, let me know if I can get any info out of her for ya.

This actually is a great goal. Without knowing it, people spend a fortune on food. You literally could build whatever game rig you wanted just by saving on food for the next six months. Here's some great articles... (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=site%3Aiwillteachyoutoberich.com+food&btnG=Search)

[the_technocrat]

Nah, not that hard, frankly. Install WordPress, do a little modding to the theme, then clone it to directories, one for each person.

Even easier would just be just keeping one installation and having many editors, each with their own category... I did that over at geeklimit for a while...

[RADA]

Introspective:

Like I said earlier, I started a program just over two weeks ago to get ready for my wedding.

In the two weeks since my fiance and I started I've noticed a few things changing (besides how well our belts fit).

1. Soda tastes terrible! I had a Dr. Pepper Saturday at my mum-in-laws b-day party. I could barely finish it! I was a soda-junkie! When I 1st found SM, and was gaming heavily, while going to school, I could polish off a 3 litre of Pepsi during a 8 hr gaming session.

2. I really don't like being "really" full. Bloated is the only way I can describe it. It hurts, and makes me very aware how much weight I've put on..

3. I SPENT TOO MUCH FREAKING $$$$ EATING OUT I looked through my bank statement for December. I alone spent over $600 between lunch for myself, and dinners with Amanda. At $20 a day, I've already saved over $340! If I subtract out what I've spent on food at the grocery store, I'm still in the black by over $200! This will only go up since the food I bought is still in the fridge and pantry. I was flabergasted to see how much $$ we were wasting by eating out.

[j]

Ok i'm in too. I'll be 30 in 10 days and loosing 30lbs would be somethimg my doctor would like...ok i wouldn't mind either. Pictures Coming soon!

[primesuspect]

Day 2 update: let's hear it guys.

I recruited two more big fellas to our little experiment. One is a co-worker (i have to get him signed up here) and the other is the dude above me.

Lunch was rough for me today. I bought some really, REALLY good hummous and mini-pita rounds. I ate too much of it. I ate almost the whole hummous container. It's very healthy, but very high in calories too. Especially with pita.

Still, I took in under 1600 calories today, which is much better than I usually do. Plus I got some exercise today, so it balances out.

Not as much water as I would have liked, but I keep forgetting to keep a bottle handy.

[primesuspect]

J's day 1 pics:

http://www.short-media.com/images/prime/jeff09.jpg http://www.short-media.com/images/prime/jeff10.jpg

[RWB]

My FitDay (http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJournals.html?Owner=csklenarik) page(you might get a kick out of it), I'll start updating it today since it's the only day I can do accurately.

But here is a general report from the first day till now.

Day 1(1/30/07):
I have no clue this day is kinda a blur I think this was when we had the fire, I remember eating at a place called Mexigo's later that night. But I think the only thing I ate before that was 7 hours earlier and that was some Stir Fry. No added oils, just the frozen mix of Fried Rice and Beef. And I had Chicken Enchilada's at Mexigo's, only 2 small ones. We've been so busy moving and cleaning up our apartment it MORE than makes up for all the calories I ate. We basically gave our apartment the working equivalent to a hand car wash.

Day 2(1/31/07):
Woke up in my old apartment, boy did I feel like S***! Back aching and all kinds of stuff, still cleaning the apartment, but before I started I needed some FOOD! We ate out the night before fairly early. I passed out at like 9PM. So I went to Sonic and had 3 breakfast burritos and a power aid slush. And it was GOOOD. I had tried to eat something healthier but it was 7AM and those places open at like 10-11AM. We had no food in the apartment and no drinks.

That was all I had that day until I got home and ate some home made chicken enchilada's(felt I needed to get rid of it and keep room for more healthier stuff). Though very tasty, IT DID NOT APPEASE MY BELLAY! Then I went to bed for an hour and went to work.

Day 3(2/1/07):
I am still at work, and doing my absolute best to not walk over to Jack in the Crack and get a #6 with Curly Fries and a Large Dr. P.... Only 2 more hours and I can go home, sleep for 6 hours and rush back to work for a stupid meeting. If I make it I won't eat for another 8-9 hours. It's almost healthier for me to go to the Jack.... someone stop me...

Prime,

Not sure if you like 'em, but I keep a 18 pack carton of hard-boiled eggs in the fridge all the time while I'm on a program. They're quick, and easy to grab on the go. I only eat the whites though, too much bad stuff in the yokes. I will make egg salad out of 4 egg whites and 1 yoke for added flavor.


OMG That is an awesome idea, and could have helped from from starving/dehydrating(if I had a drink) myself to death this past week. Thanks, I'm gonna boil some eggs today when I get a chance.

On a side note, the yellow of just one egg pretty much takes care of the alloted Cholesterol amount per day on a 2000 calorie diet. To think back in high school I ate like 12 whole eggs a day, plus my other food for football. I had a Cholesterol level of 340(IIRC) according to a paper given to me after I gave blood my Sophomore year. Cut back on the egg yokes and a few weeks later after giving blood it was down to 180. My mom was also scared out of her mind when she saw that. Dunno what it is now though. I also remember before when they did the iron test it was close to 15 or something extremely high, 13 after cutting back. Not sure what that means, but they said it was high.

Alright I weighed in this morning - 236. I've revised my goal to be a nice even 200.

I have a slight headache today. I think it probably has to do with the drastic adjustment to a new diet. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Snacks that I find work well: cottage cheese, and I love raw snow pea pods. 9:00 pm is the cutoff time for food.

I'm hungry, but I think its more out of habit.

I think I'm going to do my annual COLON BLOW (http://www.short-media.com/forum/showpost.php?p=319979&postcount=12). I warn you right now - that link is disgusting and is not for the faint of heart. It talks about poop in graphic detail. That will give me a 'clean slate', per se.

So tonight, one last light snack, and 50 fiber pills with about half a gallon of water :D

Tomorrow should be a great day ;D

My colon blow consisted of 1 heaping tablespoon of SEA Salt, and a 32oz glass of warm water. And about 4 hours of recovery time, with another hour for cleanup. :bigggrin:

I can't do that stuff anymore, just the thought of sea salt makes my throat queng in agony. My anus ain't too happy either.

And if this isn't encouragement, I don't know what is: for every 50 pounds you lose, you gain back 1" of penor hidden behind all that fat. At least that's what some dude told me after he lost 200 pounds.

"visible inches" ;D

I can account for maybe 2 missing inches in that area, and I ain't too small. Those are maybe some pics I don't mind posting progress images on. ;D

Too much?;D

On a serious note, if I drink allot of tea does that replace water? I mean seriously, when I drink water it makes me feel like crap. I use Splenda to sweeten it.

If I had a camera I'd take a pic of me... but all I have is the built in camera on my laptop, but I couldn't seem to get my body into pic because of distance.

[CyrixInstead]

Good luck guys. And I like prime's sullen look - always good for the 'before' pic in this type of scenario ;).

I'm trying to lose weight myself, but I'm only 12 stone 1 pound now, so just trying to get fitter really - if I cut out beer it would go!

So no need for pics from me, but I'll keep having a look to see how people are doing on here!

~Cyrix

[RWB]

OK I do this because I am serious about loosing this weight... after seeing the PICS I now see I am much worse than I was back in Florida when I was 300lbs and pretty lean. I just weighed myself and it was 330lbs. My goal is 280 by June 22nd 2007.

In a few short months I'll be a sexy bitch again.:bigggrin:

No I don't mind any jeering :tongue:

[RADA]

RADA's Fit Log for Feb 1 (http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJournals.html?Owner=RADA9933)

Back at the gym this morning. Did an intense 20 minutes of interval training on the treadmill. My fastest speed was 5.8 (not sure if this is mph, doesn't seem right, have to do some research on treadmill makers website I guess.) Sweating like a pig, and my legs felt tired, I think I can push myself a little harder (faster) for Saturday's cardio session.

Wolfed down 3 hard boiled egg whites while driving to work, having a Myoplex shake around 10:00 am. Brought some pasta, sauce, and a couple turkey meatballs for lunch.(Foster's Farms Turkey meatballs - pre-cooked, just add them to your sauce, and go)


Side Note:

I eat 5 time a day right now. sounds like a lot, but it isn't. First off, my meals are smaller portions (which allows my body to process the food better), and I'm eating healthier food.

I also don't eat after 7:00 pm (when I can) If I do, I try to really limit the fat and carbs in the food I'm eating at that time.


Like others here, I've done this before, if anyone needs help with foods, or schedules, or tips on exercising, please PM me...

[primesuspect]

pics! :D

[Sledgehammer70]

I need to ad pics of the sledge

[RADA]

pics! :D


Sorry, crazy busy last night...

I'll have the missus shoot some pics tonight.

[the_technocrat]

Cool guys, good luck. I want to help, here's some ideas:

Lifting
If you're going to lift, I can personally recommend the 'slow method (http://onhealth.webmd.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=55931)' - a lot less chance of injury for someone starting out, and you get results pretty fast without the joint pain.

Track food spending
Also, I'd encourage you to use wesabe (https://www.wesabe.com/) if you want to track how much food costs you - I found out the wife and I were spending $300/month!! We cut it down to about $70 after that. The service is VERY revealing.

Adjust daily life
In addition, like a 386 running F@H, there are small things you can do over greater amounts of time to accomplish this. Check out getting one of those balance balls to sit on at work instead of a chair. You'll be micro-working out all day to keep your balance. Just get the right size to fit your desk...

Drink water
I like having a 500ml small-mouth nalgene around all day, and I drink about 1500-2000ml per day. This is what you're supposed to drink, appaerntly. All I know is that I forgot to use it for the last 2 days, and now I'm home sick and very sore. You'll have to piss a lot, but it'll also give you something to drink that doesn;t have sugar.

Cut the sugar
Seriously, I love candy, but try cutting your sugar intake for a few days. I've been doing this since new year's, and now I feel like crap whe I eat anything sugary, like there's someone sitting on my chest and sludge in my veins. It's a gross feeling, once you've felt what it's like without it. If you need caffeine, try water joe (http://www.waterjoe.com/getjoe.html). Caffiene without the sugar, and cheaper than cans of coke/pepsi. EVery once ina while I want something carbonated too, and the latest diet lemon-lime sugar/caffiene free sodas are awesome, try em out. There's 2-liters for like 60 cents from wal-mart.

Oh, and finally:

Add this goal to your 43things list, or make a 43things list!! Here's mine (http://www.43things.com/person/the_technocrat), it's a huge motivator to not do this stuff alone!

[the_technocrat]

DOn't forget to standardize the way you take pics, it will make it a heck of a lot easier to see the progress. Plus, then you get the fun of making an animated-gif flip-book... :D

[Kwitko]

Tonight is my first Weight Watchers meeting. The points system works great. My brother already lost 20 lbs in 2 months, which is a healthy weight loss.

[RADA]

Tonight is my first Weight Watchers meeting. The points system works great. My brother already lost 20 lbs in 2 months, which is a healthy weight loss.

Go for it, Mandi (fiance) is on it right now. She likes the program.

[GHoosdum]

I've heard from several sources that Weight Watchers is the only commercialized diet program that really provides consistent and lasting results.

[primesuspect]

The only thing that makes me leery of weight watchers and other "programs" is that you can't realistically maintain it for life. Once you stop paying, or going to the meetings, or whatever, you go back to your old ways and the weight comes back. I know quite a few people who lost weight with a "program" only to gain it back when the program ended.

What we're shooting for here is honest and healthy lifestyle changes that are maintainable for life.

Take what you can out of the Weight Watchers thing - the food choices, the habits, and the sensible meals and portions :)

[Kwitko]

I'm going to get good ideas for healthy eating, portion control, and encouragement. It's definitely a program that you can do for life.

[DogSoldier]

I was quite inspired reading through this thread. I lost about 38 LBS last year and have gained some of it back. One of the ways I managed to lose the weight was through exercise. Nothing fancy, just a couple of 25 lb weights and various ways to lift them. I stopped exercising when I moved in with my gf. So I picked up the weights again 2 weeks ago and am feeling better, more confident. Shovelling the driveway is always a chore but not as much as it used to be. I plan on getting a scale (We don't have one) soon and tracking my weight again. If I had to estimate, I'm probably 185-190 lb and 6 foot tall. Which isn't huge but I'm still.. overweight.

[j]

This is a nice formula to calc. BMR
Seems to be more real, then most of the internet calculators.

Adult male: 66 + (6.3 x body weight in lbs.) + (12.9 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)

66+(6.3 * 198) + (12.9 x 70) - (6.8 * 30)
66+ 1247.4 + 903 - 204 = 2012 cal.

So just doing nothing I burn 2012 cal/day. Looking at that, exercise during the day really helps keep the pounds off. I'm only 500 under that. I'll bet most days I'm consume about 3000 cals. and I know I don't do enough activity to burn an extra 1000 cals.

[Kwitko]

My BMR is around 2400. I just ordered a stationary trainer for my bike so I can exercise when the weather is bad. I figure 30-60 minutes of biking will burn around 1000 calories. If I keep my calorie intake to 2000 or under I'll lose 3 pounds a week no problem.

[shwaip]

the bmr changes depending on how active you are, as well.

anyways:
66+(6.3 * 135) + (12.9 x 73) - (6.8 * 22) = 1708

[RyderOCZ]

Ok...you guys have inspired me :D

My Fitday Page (http://www.fitday.com/webfit/publicjournals.html?Owner=RyderOCZ)

BTW....when you enter your activities for the day....if you do excercise look elsewhere around the net for what they say you burn, calorie wise, for the given activity.
Fitday seems to be on the VERY low side of things. For 24min on the treadmill at 3.0 Mph (level, firm ground) it wanted to give me only 90 calories burned.
Several other sites, list anywhere from 136 - 188 for the same activity. So I chose the 3.5 Mph uphill selection because it was more on the same page with several other sources (avg'd) even though I do not walk 3.5 Mph uphill.

[primesuspect]

I'm not seeing pics! :p

We gotta have a baseline, fellas.. And seeing a pic of yo fat self up on the web is a HIGHLY MOTIVATIONAL THING, trust me :D

[Kwitko]

Okay, I finally added my first entry into FitDay. I have to be more diligent about filling it out.

http://www.fitday.com/webfit/publicjournals.html?Owner=kwitko&Year=2007&Month=1&Day=1

[RWB]

http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJournals.html?Owner=csklenarik

Day 3(2/1/07):
Today started well, well in terms of what I ate... damned meeting killed me and I hope my rent check wasn't late because of it. I threw away the brownies after forgetting the diet and eating one. That was a big doh!, and planned out what I was going to eat. I figured 1500 calories would be easy. That chicken and rice is evil... if I don't eat it right I just flat out get hungry in 30 minutes. So a couple hours pass by and time for work coming up, I had to make two sandwiches... no big deal I figured, they must be good for you. After adding up the goods, I was surprised. During the meeting I had a couple Cokes too. If FitDay is accurate, even only somewhat then my intake is still less than my burned calories.

Day 4(2/2/07)
It's already been 4 days?!?! Now I feel really bad. I am at work... my acid reflux started kicking in like an hour ago.... the only cure is food. I am dead serious... so I just ate a horrible Ultimate Cheeseburger combo. Things would be smoother if I could have had some prepared food.


Good news is that today I am FREE AT LAST, THANK GOD I AM FREE! No moving, no meetings, no bull****! On my way home I am going to pick up some healthy foods, and some emergency foods for cases like today. I am going to boil a bunch of eggs, eat only the whites, and see if I can't find anything else.

I think we need to come up with some foods and drinks that could be like emergency rations. Like my case, sitting here at work... no calls coming in for the past 2 hours... a man gets lonely with his belly grumbling and throat seizing up as acids start to eat it's way through your esophagus.

[shwaip]

RWB - If you want something to chew on that will fill you up, but not add (many) calories, you can always try celery/veggies. Celery is especially good if you like the taste (I enjoy it).

I'm not going to enter to lose the 30 lbs (I could gain 30 and be in the middle of the "healthy weight" zone), but I'll be tracking my current crappy eating habits to hopefully change to something that's better for me.

sooo:
http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJournals.html?Owner=shwaip

[RWB]

RWB - If you want something to chew on that will fill you up, but not add (many) calories, you can always try celery/veggies. Celery is especially good if you like the taste (I enjoy it).

I'm not going to enter to lose the 30 lbs (I could gain 30 and be in the middle of the "healthy weight" zone), but I'll be tracking my current crappy eating habits to hopefully change to something that's better for me.

sooo:
http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJournals.html?Owner=shwaip

I'd LOVE to eat nothing but Caesar Salad... mmmmmmmmm I could eat it all day. But it's so expensive, and I don't think it's as healthy as I would need :tongue: It's pretty much the only veggie I like that's not in soup form. I've tried carrots, celery is gross, apples(fruit I know) actually make me even more hungry... I think having ready to eat boiled egg whites is my best bet. Unless someone can come up with more. I'm gonna pass out in the next 30 minutes hopefully, but when I wake up I need to make a good grocery list. Any ideas would be great, mind you I have to do this on the cheap :(

[GHoosdum]

I messed up yesterday. I ate out at a Mexican restaraunt. It really threw off my balance of calories from fat as opposed to protein - I only got 67g of protein in my diet yesterday. I'm shooting for >100g protein today and then I'm visiting the gym after work. The problem is, I brought the leftovers from the Mexican place for lunch today. :o

I weighed in this morning at 137.7lb and 11.5% body fat.
My goal is 150lb and 10.0% body fat. I am actually further from my goal weight, though my body fat percentage has gone down from the 18% it was when I did weigh 150 back in October. My total cholesterol level was 262 back then. I have not been back to the doctor to get retested, but I plan to go soon. If it doesn't drop, I'll probably be put on statins.

I know that I'm following this weight challenge in the opposite direction as the intent of the thread, but I have the same goal: healthy diet and lifestyle leading to a more healthy body.

[primesuspect]

RWB: Some of the things I use for snacks are:

lowfat cottage cheese
beef jerky
broccoli
yogurt

[RADA]

I'm not seeing pics! :p

We gotta have a baseline, fellas.. And seeing a pic of yo fat self up on the web is a HIGHLY MOTIVATIONAL THING, trust me :D

Sorry man, not doing it on purpose, really haven't had time. I will get it done before the weekend is out.

[RADA]

NOTES FOR EVERYONE:

This is SUPER IMPORTANT

You've got to plan you meals for the next day! Don't go at this ad-hoc. For most of us this type of eating/change in lifestyle is not second nature. If you don't figure out yesterday, what you PLAN to eat today, you will be much more likely to eat foods you are trying to avoid.

[GHoosdum]

NOTES FOR EVERYONE:

This is SUPER IMPORTANT

You've got to plan you meals for the next day! Don't go at this ad-hoc. For most of us this type of eating/change in lifestyle is not second nature. If you don't figure out yesterday, what you PLAN to eat today, you will be much more likely to eat foods you are trying to avoid.

I agree that planning is paramount. I find that I do the best when I prepare my next day's lunch before going to bed at night. It looks strange when I carry a grocery bag into work every day, but most of the volume is really the variety of plastic containers that it takes to carry everything.

[Nomad]

So, I thought I'd post here with a bit of insight, maybe help a little bit. What you guys are doing is very admirable, and I think it's great you're taking the initiative.

In October, of 2005 I weighed 180 pounds with a body fat percentage of somewhere near 25%. I was unhappy, unfit, unmotivated. The trick to weight loss is breaking that cycle, and finding motivation. My motivation came when I was hospitalized with mono twice in one week, with outrageous an blood pressure and heart rate with a fever to boot. I realized, I need to begin taking control of my life, it was my motivation to stop things like that. My mono was primarily stress related, but my body was in such poor condition that I was unable to really fight back.

So, here's what I did. I know a lot more about fat loss now than I did back when I started, so a lot of what I did just happened to be the right thing.

Firstly:
Weight loss starts with the fork, not the treadmill. A pound of fat contains 3500 calories. If you cut out 500 calories a day from your BMR (Basal-Metabolic Rate) and your lifestyle (which you can find on Fitday), at the end of one week you will lose one pound. Exercise should supplement your diet, not be the brunt force of it. For me, I have to run about 35 minutes to burn 500 calories... Or I could just not eat that bowl of cereal before I go to bed.

Second:
What you should be eating is also important. For various people, their BMR will be higher, but there are some basic rules that will help you lose weight quickly, and not sacrifice your overall musculature in the process. There are some simple changes you can make that will help:
- If you drink whole milk, switch to 2% or skim, skim is the best because it contains no fat.
- Switch from white breads to whole wheat/grains. White bread is totally useless for your body
- Don't eat processed foods. It gets harder and harder every day to do that, but the amount of sodium and trans fats will kill your weight loss goals.
- Drop pop, it's probably the worst thing you could indulge in. If you can't stand doing that, drop to diet at the very least. I lost 15 pounds alone off of it.
- Stop eating fried foods. This is real tough to stay away from, but fried food is awful, it has little to no value besides the fat in it.
- Try sticking to more raw foods, instead of picking up salted nuts, try unsalted.
- Ditch fruit drinks, they're a lot of excess sugar.
- NO MAYONNAISE.
- No French fries, they fall under fried food, most people do realize it.

Third:
Lots of little things throughout the day will help your exercise goals, they keep you mentally focused and optimistic, and in the long run they do quite a bit. I live on the third floor here at MSU, and instead of taking the elevator I take the stairs, every day, no exceptions. I bike to class instead of taking the bus. If you have the opportunity to do something like walking do it. It really does add up over time.

Fourth:
Earlier I said exercise really is a supplement to whatever you do, this is true. If you're overweight I suggest starting out on cardio first unless you're interesting at building muscle simultaneously--which I'll talk about in a bit. The most important thing with cardio is find something that you enjoy. If you don't like running, you're just not going to do it. You should look forward to your exercises, put them at a consistent time so you can't skimp out on them. For me, it was bike riding, tennis, and eventually running when I was able to do it. You may not see results as fast as you would if you jogged 12 miles every day, but running can be very hard on your joints, and you won't enjoy yourself.

A few tips on that note:
- Do your exercises in the morning, before you eat. After you sleep, the glycogen stored in your muscles is depleted, your body turns to fat for energy sources and this has been a proven way to make your cardio more effective. If you can't do this though, don't sweat it, it's more important that you just get some form of exercise.

Keeping going:
So you're three weeks into your diet, and you can't take it anymore, all that damned health food, grilled chicken, fruits, vegetables! Well, there is actually a benefit to cheating on your diet, and it's a thing in body building called caloric cycling. People's BMR tend to plateau, especially when they are cut drastically. On one day ever few weeks, if you actually eat a surplus of calories--meaning have something you like--it can actually help your weight loss goals greatly. The most important thing is to not go crazy on what you eat, which leads to my next point.

So you caved, you cheated, what now? Well, you can't expel from your body what you put into it, the trick is not doing it again. A lot of people will eat something bad and go, "To Hell with it," and they just pig out. That's how a lot of people fall off the train. Accept your losses, accept you're going to make mistakes, and just move on.

Weight training:
Over the last six months or so I've become quite interested in weight training. My weight dropped from 180 to 140 and went from 25% body fat to 4% body fat, but I still looked doughy and scrawny. Well, something I wish I'd known is it's easier to build and work with muscle when you actually have some. At 140 pounds I was basically skin and bones. I enjoy weight training because I get a lot of personal and mental benefits from it, so if any of you are considering weight training here's my advice:

Work on your big compound lifts: Bench press, dead lift, squats. The will give you a lot of muscle and also shred fat off your body. There is a program called Rippetoe's that a lot of people subscribe to, for small people and big people to help them get into serious shape. Basically it's this:

Week 1:
M: Workout A
W: Workout B
F: Workout A

Week 2:
M: Workout B
W: Workout A
F: Workout B

Workout A:
Squat (Three sets of five reps)
Dead Lift (Three sets of five reps)
Bench Press (Three sets of five reps)
Dips (Two sets of eight) *Optional*

Workout B:
Squat (Three sets of five reps)
Pendlay/Barbell Rows (Three sets of five reps)
Standing Military Press (Three sets of five reps)
Dips (Two sets of eight) *Optional*

The key is high protein intake. The workouts when you start will take you 20-40 minutes to do, as you increase they'll take you somewhere between 40-50 minutes to complete. You will need your days off to rest, trust me. One of the big things about weight lifting is understanding over training, and how rest is a key. Your diet needs to be high in protein, something like 20% fat, 40% carbs, 40% protein, in terms of your caloric intake. You should increase your weight by 2.5% a week.

Really though, I'd recommend at the very least you just get out and do something 2-3 times a week on non-consecutive days, be it running, swimming, or tennis.

Personal points:
This is how much your diet and exercise can change your body, in both pictures I weigh 140. The first is in August, the second is in December, the difference is I started lifting weights five days a week. I'm flexing in both pictures (Which is sad). One thing you'll notice is I didn't gain weight, and that's because of my failure to pay attention to my diet. I wasn't eating enough/getting enough protein to make any gains. My goal is to try and be 155-160 by summer, up from 140.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/Hallock1988/Front.gif
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/Hallock1988/Side.gif

Also, here is my Fitday journal, I update my foods every weekday:
http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJournals.html?Owner=Hallock

Like I said, it's really great to see you guys doing this, if there's any way I can help or any questions you want answered, just ask.

[DogSoldier]

Excellent job Nomad! I can see the difference, even in that short amount of time. I know what it's like, after a few weeks, you can really notice and FEEL a difference. You feel better about yourself and more confident. Once again... Great job!

[Sledgehammer70]

Your Cals gave me this...

66 + (6.3 x 283 + (12.9 x 77) - (6.8 x 24) = 2820.5

But this site "BMR Calculator (http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/)" gave me this = You have a BMR of 2643.79

[Nomad]

BMR calcs are kind of hit or miss, they call give you +/- 200 calories.

[RWB]

Quick Q about the boiled eggs, is it ok to peel them before sticking them in the fridge, or do I leave them with the crust or whatever and peel them just before I eat?

[profdlp]

If you peel them first it's best to keep them submerged in a pan of water so they don't dry out. I use a little tupperware container. :)

[RADA]

If you peel them first it's best to keep them submerged in a pan of water so they don't dry out. I use a little tupperware container. :)

Agreed, I don't peel them till I'm leaving in the morning for the gym, then I can munch while I drive to work..

[RWB]

OK, well maybe they'll be easier to peel when they are not practically frozen :P I cooked them before going to bed, and tossed in a bunch of ice to the water so they cool quicker, supposed to help according to this site. (http://www.goodegg.com/boiledegg.html)

They did come out very good actually, had two before coming to work today. Unfortunately, I way overslept and didn't get to go to the grocery store yet.

[Thermalfish]

I dont know what these crazy "pounds" things are you are all talking about, but I'm on a crazy, life-changing effort at the moment (I turn 33 in a month) and Ive lost 5 kilograms since New Years Day, with a goal to lose 8 more.
I walk about 20 kilometers a day and have severely regulated what and how much I eat.
It was crazy hard at first... craving fried food all the time, begrudging exercise time instead of work etc etc.
Good luck everyone!

[RWB]

I found this article, I kinda already knew this but it gave me some ideas. I think one thing I'd like to try is buying some tofu or something crazy like that. I don't care about taste as much as I do having my belly feel nice :)
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/sportsnutrition/a/123004a.htm

I'm also gonna pick up some soy milk and high fiber cereal. Along with some stuff I used to drink which has all kinds of veggies and fruits, but includes spirulina. It's a green drink, but tastes pretty damned good. $10 though for like 1 quart. I think it's Odawa or something.

[RWB]

This is a nice formula to calc. BMR
Seems to be more real, then most of the internet calculators.

Adult male: 66 + (6.3 x body weight in lbs.) + (12.9 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)

66+(6.3 * 198) + (12.9 x 70) - (6.8 * 30)
66+ 1247.4 + 903 - 204 = 2012 cal.

So just doing nothing I burn 2012 cal/day. Looking at that, exercise during the day really helps keep the pounds off. I'm only 500 under that. I'll bet most days I'm consume about 3000 cals. and I know I don't do enough activity to burn an extra 1000 cals.

I got 3538.8 (but the site Nomad linked to gave 2880-something), so I effectively burn a pound a day if I do nothing. But I am curious about how accurate it is on lean guys like me. I mean I don't work out anymore and just going to the gym for one day I can max out more than other guys my size who have been working out. My muscle mass would normally increase burn rate and while I am fat I also have plenty of muscle. Oddly, FitDay (http://fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJournals.html?Owner=csklenarik) shows me as burning 4436+/- calories daily.

[primesuspect]

WHY do they have to bring DOUGHNUTS to work :rant:

[profdlp]

WHY do they have to bring DOUGHNUTS to work :rant:
To give you the opportunity to be justifiably proud of your new-found willpower. :ninja:

[Kwitko]

To give you the opportunity to be justifiably proud of your new-found willpower. :ninja:

Exactly!

[primesuspect]

oh i don't have it. I ate a doughnut. No lie.

[Nomad]

Here are a couple of good links. Body fat is difficult to get an estimate on, but it can help pinpoint your BMR more. Use this site (http://www.stevenscreek.com/goodies/pi.shtml) to find your body fat and then plug it in with this site (http://www.hussmanfitness.org/bmrcalc.htm) for a better BMR count.

[profdlp]

oh i don't have it. I ate a doughnut. No lie.
I am very disappointed in you. :(

Keep that in mind the next time temptation comes your way. :nudge:

[airbornflght]

Ok, I'm gonna jump in.

Right now I weight 161ish. I want to loose 10 to 15 pounds. But what I'm really interested in is loosing inches. I'd like to pack some more muscle on. Right now my power clean is 120 (pathetic) bench is 110 (pathetic) and I squat 220 (pathetic). I'm two weeks into my weight training class at school so hopefully at the end of the semester I'll be cut. I want to get something like the body of a swimmer. Not huge like a meathead, but toned and defined.

[Nomad]

Ok, I'm gonna jump in.

Right now I weight 161ish. I want to loose 10 to 15 pounds. But what I'm really interested in is loosing inches. I'd like to pack some more muscle on. Right now my power cling is 120 (pathetic) bench is 110 (pathetic) and I squat 220 (pathetic). I'm two weeks into my weight training class at school so hopefully at the end of the semester I'll be cut. I want to get something like the body of a swimmer. Not huge like a meathead, but toned and defined.

You need to focus on two things: Eating better with more protein, and working on your form. Before you do either though, you need to decide: Do you want to gain muscle or do you want to lose fat? Both cannot happen at the same time except for the small duration of about a month when people are beginning.

Your power clean is good if you're doing it correctly, most people can do only about half their weight when starting. Your clean should not be over your bench weight. One thing you need to be particular about is in your down motion your butt basically touches your ankles. It's called ATG (Ass-to-Grass) and while you'll be doing less weight, you'll get much more out of it.

Squats are similar in this respect, when you go down in a squat, you should be going down to the point that you would if you didn't have weight on your shoulders. If you can't you're using too much weight. A lot of people do quarter squats and think they are really doing a squat. Everyone likes to think they are hitting parallel. Here's a diagram that might better display it:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/Hallock1988/SquatQuarter.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/Hallock1988/SquatFull.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/Hallock1988/SquatATG.jpg

Due to people's hip flexibility, going below parallel is not always possible. However, it is not dangerous to your knees to do so. Many people say it is, but it's not true. The point is you should be getting as much depth out of your squats as possible, your feet should remain fully flat on the floor--no lift at all--and your eyes should be looking just a little below straight ahead. This ensures you're lower back isn't rounded off, presenting injury possibility.

Numbers change with each form really, my best quarter squat when I weighed ten pounds lighter was 400 pounds, parallel is somewhere in the high 200, but ATG is roughly my body weight. Piling more weight on quarter squats though isn't as effective as ATG squats.

Worry about numbers less and form more, it will help in the long run. Your squat should progress at about 5-15 pounds a week depending on how often you do it a week.

[the_technocrat]

I'd like to pack some more muscle on.

I HEAR THAT! Who would guess that sitting at a keyboard all day does that to yo, eh? I can't get out of the 165-170 range to save my life... I swam for months, lifted, can't figure it out. Maybe we need to say 'everybody meet at 175' or something?

[airbornflght]

I HEAR THAT! Who would guess that sitting at a keyboard all day does that to yo, eh? I can't get out of the 165-170 range to save my life... I swam for months, lifted, can't figure it out. Maybe we need to say 'everybody meet at 175' or something?

HAH! I was 175 about a month ago and I looked like a fat bastard. Now I'm 160 just by curbing my eating habbits. Those fifteen pounds made me look so much better. Now if I could just loose another 10 pounds and/or 3 inches on the waist I'd be a happy camper. Amazing how much trimming off 500 or so calories a day does. And when it warms up around here I plan to start running, or at least walking to get further into shape

[Nomad]

I HEAR THAT! Who would guess that sitting at a keyboard all day does that to yo, eh? I can't get out of the 165-170 range to save my life... I swam for months, lifted, can't figure it out. Maybe we need to say 'everybody meet at 175' or something?

Send me a PM about your workout plan and eating habits and I could give you a good estimate. I sat around at 138 for about six months before figuring things out.

[the_technocrat]

HAH! I was 175 about a month ago and I looked like a fat bastard.

Send me a PM about your workout plan and eating habits and I could give you a good estimate. I sat around at 138 for about six months before figuring things out.

Sure, I meant getting to 175 with muscle though... :D

I don't mind sharing here - Basically, I eat very healthy and feel good, just want some more muscle so I don't look like such a computer nerd... I'm not really in a exercise plan yet, it's one of my resolutions. I go with my wife to the gym every so often, but at once a week, I'm sure it doesn't do anything. I do go through every machine at the gym, get every muscle group by doing the 18-20 second rep thing...just keep going in slow motion until fatigued...seems to work, kinda... I think that's the idea behond those bowflex things, and they seem ok...

I'm nervous about creatine or anything like that, I don't want to turn into a sausage, as some of my friends have done... I've got a friend who threw javelin in a few Olympics and does training now, he says you don't need it.

Ultimately, I'm sure the lack of a regular exercise schedule is the problem, I just need to do it.

[Nomad]

Sure, I meant getting to 175 with muscle though... :D

I don't mind sharing here - Basically, I eat very healthy and feel good, just want some more muscle so I don't look like such a computer nerd... I'm not really in a exercise plan yet, it's one of my resolutions. I go with my wife to the gym every so often, but at once a week, I'm sure it doesn't do anything. I do go through every machine at the gym, get every muscle group by doing the 18-20 second rep thing...just keep going in slow motion until fatigued...seems to work, kinda... I think that's the idea behond those bowflex things, and they seem ok...

I'm nervous about creatine or anything like that, I don't want to turn into a sausage, as some of my friends have done... I've got a friend who threw javelin in a few Olympics and does training now, he says you don't need it.

Ultimately, I'm sure the lack of a regular exercise schedule is the problem, I just need to do it.

You are doing too much volume and that will stop you from gaining muslce no matter what you do. It's basically overtraining when you do workout. You need to focus on four to five exercises, in the 8 to 12 rep range, for three working sets. A working set is the maximum amount of weight you can safely do. That excludes warm up sets of lower weights--which I highly recommend.

By working on every machine, you're simply putting yourself in a state of fatigue by using a lot of low weights. Look at it this way, do you think it would be more beneficial to do bench press at 150 pounds or twelve different chest exercises at a quarter of that weight? By pushing yourself hard on one exercise, you will get far more out of it, because it recruits your secondary muscles.

Also, machines aren't so good. Unless you are injured, for which machines serve a great purpose, or older and need a much smoother motion, you should be using free weights. Free weights help recruit those secondary motor muscles I was talking about.

As someone who is trying to build muscle, you need to focus on compound movements that use multiple muscle groups at once. Things like dips, chin-ups, bench press, squats, military press, barbell row, and dead lift will really build. Not everyone has time to workout long, so you want to maximize your time there. A combination of these exercises will take you only around 30-40 minutes to complete, and should be done on non-consecutive days. Rest is a key component to growth.

Things like creatine are for people who are more serious and know what they are doing. They are made for people who have hit plateaus, or are still trying to gain weight, and need that extra edge to help them. I wouldn't recommend anything beyond a simple whey protein shake after your workout for people who are beginning or even at an intermediate level.

The average body ingests about 80 grams of protein a day, a body which seeks to be muscular should get at minimum one gram per pound of body weight. If you take whey protein, creatine, or things like that and don't work out consistently, it's going to do nothing for you. My roommate for example, started taking whey, but works out maybe once a week and just does a bunch of useless bicep curls and nothing else so it has added fat to his body.

Protein shakes though are really made to supplement your diet, not be the main component of it, you need to eat clean. Focus on grilled meats, raw, unprocessed sources of food.

[RWB]

2lbs down the hoooole... I first put down 330 in FitDay because it seemed like a nice even number to start with, but in actuality it was more like 331-332, and now the scale is showing 228-229(it's a mechanical scale, hard to be sure), and this is after I just ate. I thought that my calorie intake may have been too high, but it actually seems fairly accurate on FitDay, I will try harder now than ever to stay on track. I'm getting food ready now for work so the Jack in the Crack incident doesn't occur again. I don't even like the Box.

[airbornflght]

I got my body fat percentage measured today. 15.6%. Not sure where that's at, but I'll tell you what, the girl that measured me was HOT. She had a low cut shirt on and when she knelt down to measure my legs I could see her BOOBIES. I was afraid she might grab some excess tissue in those calipers.

[primesuspect]

Thanks for bringing this thread down to the "12 year old" level, ABF :rolleyes:

"Boobies" even ;D

[airbornflght]

Thanks for bringing this thread down to the "12 year old" level, ABF :rolleyes:

"Boobies" even ;D

Anytime prime. I would have put it more at the 16 year old level though, I mean at 12 years old I was more interested than playing pokemon and blowing stuff up than girls. Though it was relevant because of my body fat percentage. Perhaps "Breasts" would have been better word choice.

[profdlp]

Fitness can be fun and exciting! :clap:

[airbornflght]

Fitness can be fun and exciting! :clap:

yup. :bigggrin:

I was actually looking pretty study because she was getting around 9-12% all the way around until she got to my stomach. Thats what I need to work on. The rest of me is pretty skinny.

[RWB]

Anytime prime. I would have put it more at the 16 year old level though, I mean at 12 years old I was more interested than playing pokemon and blowing stuff up than girls. Though it was relevant because of my body fat percentage. Perhaps "Breasts" would have been better word choice.

No boobies are my personal word of choice at age 24. You're GTG

[RWB]

This diet is turning out great! I'm already feeling better, and just now I finished off left overs! I usually don't have left overs :) I actually couldn't finish off what I brought with me to work. But 2 hours later I did.

[RADA]

Well, finally got some pics to show how far I've fallen. It's very disheartening to think 13 years ago I was 215lbs, I could benchpress 345 lbs, squat 460, and deadlift 605, along with running 5 -10 miles in the Arizona heat and enjoy myself doing it.....

It's really bad when one of you household feline friends finds your belly an acceptable place to take a nap....OUCH!


The old Fred will return before I marry Amanda this December, I can already feel it...



On good note I weighed in Sunday morning at 247.7 lbs. At last weigh-in I was 250.4 lbs. I lost another 2.7 lbs this past week, which keeps me right on track for my goal of 200 lbs by my birthday on June 11th (Fitday is saying I need to lose 2.65 lbs a week to make my goal)

EDIT: My starting point was 262.4 about two weeks or so before Prime started the 30 lb Challenge... This puts me at 14.7 lbs down from my starting point! WOOT!

[RADA]

OK, where is everyone?

Need some updates here! No fading off into the background!

[primesuspect]

I weighed in today... Still 236 :-/ No biggie, it's only been a few days.

No point in posting pics today - i look exactly the same. I'm still trying to figure out a different type of interface for this project so we can all keep track of each other better.

Saturday is marked as my 'cheat day' so I didn't put anything in Fitday. But other than saturday, my fitday is on track and up-to-date.

I didn't even eat that bad on saturday. I probably had more sushi than I should have, but it's all good. No alcohol this weekend. I've been drinking a ton of tea though (with no sugar added, however!). Not enough water intake for sure, I definitely need to get back on track with the water.

[Nomad]

Tea is good for your metabolism, especially green tea. Rada, it's good to see you're trying to get back into shape. Your muscle memory will really do you some good.

[Nightwolf]

How tall are you nomad?

[csimon]

Yeah this is pretty cool. I have a pic that was taken this weekend I will post ...LOL
On a more serious note ...I can't wait to see some results!!! Come on guys don't let us down but more importantly ...do it for yourselves!!! You feel better. :thumbsup:

[Nomad]

How tall are you nomad?

5'11".

[Nightwolf]

5'11".
Me too, except I weigh 182.

[RWB]

I am now 326lbs! I started off at 332-330. I am also switching up my days to match my work schedule since I work overnights. So now whatever day I wake up on is the start of the day. So today is 1.5 times a normal day for me, but I still only took in 2500 calories. Hopefully starting tomorrow it will only be 1700 or so.

Is it true that if you loose too much weight too fast your skin doesn't shrink properly, and even if you've been skinny for years that you will retain the loose skin?

[RADA]

I am now 326lbs! I started off at 332-330. I am also switching up my days to match my work schedule since I work overnights. So now whatever day I wake up on is the start of the day. So today is 1.5 times a normal day for me, but I still only took in 2500 calories. Hopefully starting tomorrow it will only be 1700 or so.

Is it true that if you loose too much weight too fast your skin doesn't shrink properly, and even if you've been skinny for years that you will retain the loose skin?


Good Job Man!! Let's keep it going!

About your caloric intake. Don't let it drop too low or your body will switch into starvation mode. Back when we were all using stone tools and eating roots, our bodies naturally adapted to times when food was scarce by holding onto every calorie. That is still part of our makeup, and you will switch into it if your caloric intake drops too low for too long a time.

You can also use this to your advantage, by tricking your body to burn more calories. Here's what you need to do, I'll use a full week to illustrate the concept, adapt it however works best for you.

Monday - 2000-2500 cals * adjust this to your BMR
Tuesday - 2000-2500 cals
Wednesday - 1200-1500 cals
Thursday - 2000-2500 cals
Friday - 2000-2500 cals
Saturday - 1200-1500 cals
Sunday - Weigh in as you get up, then OFF DAY! Have fun!!

Your body will quickly get used to having 2000-2500 cals to work with on a daily basis. By dropping your calories on Wed & Sat your body will continue to burn calories as if you were taking in 2000-2500 cals, but will use more fat to make up for the difference. You have to use it sparingly though or your body will quicly switch into starvation mode. Even two days in a row at 1200-1500(*adjusted to your BMR) could be enough to switch you into starvation mode, if you are excercising, or working hard.

As for skin, it will shrink at a slower rate than your body if you lose weight fast. Also you need to take into account that as we age our skin becomes less elastic. There is a good chance that when I get back down to 195-200 lbs I will need some minor plasitic surgery if I want to really show off my abs. I'll cross that bridge when I get there...

As always, please PM me if I can help you!

[RADA]

Another tip,

Don't weigh yourself everyday!! Its not accurate!

I weigh in once a week, every Sunday morning before my Off/Cheat day starts! The I go do what I want to for the day.

[Gargoyle]

Another tip,

Don't weigh yourself everyday!! Its not accurate!

I weigh in once a week, every Sunday morning before my Off/Cheat day starts! The I go do what I want to for the day.

Good idea! No use playing a psychological game with a scale every day. I actually go one step further by not having a scale at all :D

I figure what matters more is how I look, and more importantly, feel. Scale doesn't capture that very well.

[RADA]

Good idea! No use playing a psychological game with a scale every day. I actually go one step further by not having a scale at all :D

I figure what matters more is how I look, and more importantly, feel. Scale doesn't capture that very well.


I can agree with that, but I also like the new scale Mandi and I bought.

It was $49.97 at Target, it measures weight, body fat % and body water %.

I like using it becasue it gives us more than just a number to go off of.

[primesuspect]

There are some dudes who haven't been checking in! Come on guys!

[Nomad]

I am now 326lbs! I started off at 332-330. I am also switching up my days to match my work schedule since I work overnights. So now whatever day I wake up on is the start of the day. So today is 1.5 times a normal day for me, but I still only took in 2500 calories. Hopefully starting tomorrow it will only be 1700 or so.

Is it true that if you loose too much weight too fast your skin doesn't shrink properly, and even if you've been skinny for years that you will retain the loose skin?

There is some truth. Generally speaking, what happens is the skin remains stretchy for awhile, then tightens up after awhile.

[Nightwolf]

I am now 326lbs! I started off at 332-330. I am also switching up my days to match my work schedule since I work overnights. So now whatever day I wake up on is the start of the day. So today is 1.5 times a normal day for me, but I still only took in 2500 calories. Hopefully starting tomorrow it will only be 1700 or so.

Is it true that if you loose too much weight too fast your skin doesn't shrink properly, and even if you've been skinny for years that you will retain the loose skin?
All depends on your skins elasticity.

[RADA]

Prime,

Think we need a role call of who's still with us.....


...feeling kinda lonely:(

[primesuspect]

Well I'm still in :p

[GHoosdum]

I'd call myself in, but I'm still not trying to lose 30 pounds. ;)

I am still tracking in fitday though, and I haven't changed my goals.

[RWB]

I'm in still of course... though yesterday was a bad day :P But today is turning out great, I think my weekends are gonna be my bad days because I have nothing else to do but think of food.

[airbornflght]

I'm in, and down to 158ish.

[Crazy Joe]

Just found this thread... I have been trying to lose some weight since New Years... At that time I weighed about 230 or so... I don't have a scale to weigh myself now, but I can say that I have been getting lots of random teachers at school coming up to me saying that it looks like I've been losing weight... And I just bought a couple of pairs of size 38 jeans at Kohl's when I've been a 40 or 42 for as long as I can remember... I'll try to get to a scale sometime soon and check it out officially... I've been on the Lean Cuisine diet mainly... They were just on sale at Publix a month or so ago for $1.50 each so I filled the freezer... Just controlling portions and staying away from fast food and sweets has been doing pretty well for me... I am definitely in the challenge... I do basically zero exercise other than the usual walking around and stuff ;) (plus I'm on my feet for 9-10 hours every day for my job so that helps)

[primesuspect]

Pics!

[RWB]

Is it just me or is Prime starting to sound like a bunch of others on the forums when a new girl signs up.

"PICS!"

;D

[primesuspect]

Yeah except I want to see fat hairy men with dour looks on their faces ;D

WTF IS WRONG WITH ME. SOME YOUNG HOT GIRL PLZ POST PICS HERE SO I CAN BE SKEEZY AND SKEEVY LIKE ALL THE OTHER YOUNG PERVY NERDS ON HERE :D

[profdlp]

Yeah except I want to see fat hairy men with dour looks on their faces...

Should have called me about ten months ago - I'd have come right over. :D

(I still have the dour look - does that count?)

[csimon]

I have a pic that was taken this weekend I will post ...LOL
:thumbsup:

Yeah except I want to see fat hairy men with dour looks on their faces ;D

WTF IS WRONG WITH ME. SOME YOUNG HOT GIRL PLZ POST PICS HERE SO I CAN BE SKEEZY AND SKEEVY LIKE ALL THE OTHER YOUNG PERVY NERDS ON HERE :D

Here you got the best of both worlds Brian ...fat + hairy AND young hot girl! Sorry no dour looks here though!!! :bigggrin:

[primesuspect]

http://www.short-media.com/forum/images/smilies/holycrapwow.gif

[RWB]

hoooot

[RADA]

Well, the flu is kcking my ass right now...

..still have an appetite, so I'm trying to eat as healthy as I can, no energy to do anything though. effecting gymm routine mostly..

I quite remember being a knuckleheaded 21 yr old who tried to work out while sick and ended up in the hospital due to dehydration and heat exhaustion...

...never again....

Just going to eat right and let myself heal..

[DoctorGeo2008]

Hey... I just saw this thread for the first time. I want in if I can join. I'm actually in a bet with some folks at work and I'm already down about 10 lbs. I'm gonna go to fitday right now with the assumption that I can play too. :D

[primesuspect]

Welcome aboard, fatso! :D

[RyderOCZ]

Still here...Fitday is up to date (and adjusted weight wise...I was using weight from the Doc's office with full clothing and boots on at the start...just adjusted that :) )

According to the new scale I just bought...I am down 4 lbs !!! ;D

Due to variances in scales though, I will accept just 2 pounds in a week, which will still meet my goal by the time of the LAN.

Traveling to Chicago starting tomorrow...let's see if I can be a good boy and not overeat because I will be at Restaurants all weekend probably :rolleyes2

[Nomad]

Yeah, I'll admit to working out while sick. I biked 12 miles once too. All bad decisions.

[profdlp]

I've found that a light workout such as moderate walking on the treadmill seems to help me when I'm sick. I'm referring to a 20-30 minute walk at an approximately 3mph pace, though, not a twelve mile schlep on the bike. :o

[RWB]

Anyone know if I should worry about not getting any Vitamin K? I don't know for sure if I am getting any, but none of the products I use has it listed on the nutrition info so right now FitDay shows me as getting NONE.

Any ideas? I wiki'd it too, but that didn't seem much help.

[primesuspect]

I'm more concerned about not getting enough Vitamin P... :-/ :eek3:

[csimon]

I'm more concerned about not getting enough Vitamin P... :-/ :eek3:
:respect:

[RWB]

Vitamin P (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_P)

[Nomad]

Take a daily multivitamin.

[primesuspect]

oh, if only! :rolleyes: :p

[RWB]

Take a daily multivitamin.

I take Centrum, but it doesn't have "everything". It's a multivitamin, not everything under the sun... :( Plus from what I read it would seem that maybe the pill form of Vit K may not be the best for you. Not sure how though.

[Black Hawk]

Eat salads (green leafs).

[primesuspect]

Yeah, if you eat something with spinach and other DARK leafy greens every day, you will never need a multivitamin.

[GHoosdum]

Are you referring to the fact that Popeye got some Vitamin P every episode after eating spinach?

[RWB]

OK... next trip to the store I'll also pick up some CANNED veggies(don't ****ing argue with me!) and make some veggie soup! Haven't had my good ol' veggie soup in a LONG long time.

On a side note, I just STUFFED myself on a small bowl of cereal and a single banana. My mind says I am still hungry, but my stomach says NO.

[Black Hawk]

A head of romaine lettuce
Some chicken
Caesar dressing
Shredded parmesan cheese
Croutons

Go eat a salad you n00b! All the cool kids are doing it. :p

[RWB]

Too expensive.

[primesuspect]

Too expensive plus that caesar dressing is one big calorie fat bomb... :-/ Croutons are also useless carbs and fat...

Healthiest salad dressing? Plain vinegar :P if you can't handle it, vinegar + little bit of olive oil :D

[RWB]

If it's not a Caesar salad, I can't handle it unless it's in soup form :D

[the_technocrat]

You are doing too much volume and that will stop you from gaining muslce no matter what you do. It's basically overtraining when you do workout. You need to focus on four to five exercises, in the 8 to 12 rep range, for three working sets. A working set is the maximum amount of weight you can safely do. That excludes warm up sets of lower weights--which I highly recommend.

By working on every machine, you're simply putting yourself in a state of fatigue by using a lot of low weights. Look at it this way, do you think it would be more beneficial to do bench press at 150 pounds or twelve different chest exercises at a quarter of that weight? By pushing yourself hard on one exercise, you will get far more out of it, because it recruits your secondary muscles.

Also, machines aren't so good. Unless you are injured, for which machines serve a great purpose, or older and need a much smoother motion, you should be using free weights. Free weights help recruit those secondary motor muscles I was talking about.

As someone who is trying to build muscle, you need to focus on compound movements that use multiple muscle groups at once. Things like dips, chin-ups, bench press, squats, military press, barbell row, and dead lift will really build. Not everyone has time to workout long, so you want to maximize your time there. A combination of these exercises will take you only around 30-40 minutes to complete, and should be done on non-consecutive days. Rest is a key component to growth.

Things like creatine are for people who are more serious and know what they are doing. They are made for people who have hit plateaus, or are still trying to gain weight, and need that extra edge to help them. I wouldn't recommend anything beyond a simple whey protein shake after your workout for people who are beginning or even at an intermediate level.

The average body ingests about 80 grams of protein a day, a body which seeks to be muscular should get at minimum one gram per pound of body weight. If you take whey protein, creatine, or things like that and don't work out consistently, it's going to do nothing for you. My roommate for example, started taking whey, but works out maybe once a week and just does a bunch of useless bicep curls and nothing else so it has added fat to his body.

Protein shakes though are really made to supplement your diet, not be the main component of it, you need to eat clean. Focus on grilled meats, raw, unprocessed sources of food.

Thanks for the info! I'll try it out tomorrow... :-) I do the machines because I'm there by myself most of the time... Ooh, and I agree about 'eating clean' - I've been making good on my 'as little unprocessed food as possible' new year's resolution.

Me too, except I weigh 182.

me too, weighed myself today and was 161. I seriously think I have a problem! :( kinda weird...

I think my job makes me skip lunch and/or not stop moving all day, good I guess but it's be nice to be a little more solid. I'll try nomad's suggestions.

Still here...Fitday is up to date (and adjusted weight wise...I was using weight from the Doc's office with full clothing and boots on at the start...just adjusted that :) )

According to the new scale I just bought...I am down 4 lbs !!! ;D

Due to variances in scales though, I will accept just 2 pounds in a week, which will still meet my goal by the time of the LAN.

Traveling to Chicago starting tomorrow...let's see if I can be a good boy and not overeat because I will be at Restaurants all weekend probably :rolleyes2

Let me know where you are, I'll tell ya where to go. :-)

If it's not a Caesar salad, I can't handle it unless it's in soup form :D

toss in a bunch of cooked rice, adds bulk so you don't feel like you had a liter of water for lunch...

[Kwitko]

Good news, I'm down 11 pounds since I started!

[csimon]

Good news, I'm down 11 pounds since I started!
Congrats ...how much more to go?

[Kwitko]

19 to go for the challenge, 77 to go on my personal goal.

[csimon]

19 to go for the challenge, 77 to go on my personal goal.77 more is a lot of weight to lose. A friend from high school lost 100 pounds in about 6 mos by only eating taco salads and working out.

[RWB]

I guess I need to start working out, I haven't lost any more weight. I really didn't want to work out though.

[Kwitko]

77 more is a lot of weight to lose.

Not when death is on the line. I'm a 277 pound walking, talking, ticking time bomb right now. Borderline hypertension, high cholesterol, high triglycerides. My eating habits, while not perfect, have changed significantly. When I eat carbs, I do my best to make sure they're "brown" carbs. I'm eating more fruits and vegetables, less red meat, more chicken and fish.

11 pounds so far without aid of exercise. Now that I've set the groundwork for healthier living, I'm ready to start exercising. I should really start to see the pounds fly off.

[profdlp]

I'm proud of you Kwitskie. :)

By the way - looks like the man from the Big Apple has jumped way out in the lead. Who is going to be the one to put some heat on him and make this a horse race? :cool:

[Crazy Joe]

Well when I get a chance to get some place with a scale I'll post with an update of what I weigh right now... I have no idea, but continue to get compliments saying that it looks as if I've lost weight... Of course the dropping 2 pants sizes 42-38 is a big indication as well...

[Camman]

Hope I can join in on the fatty challenge.

A while ago (okay, 3 years ago) I decided I was going to lose weight, so I did SlimFast and jogged every day, I ended up losing about 22lbs in 6 weeks, worked pretty well. Unfortunately at that point I gave up and did not care. So, fast forward to Sept 2006, I moved out of my house and into an apartment where myself and my roomates have been a bit self indulgent when it comes to eating out, fast food and drinking lots of beer. So imagine my shock when I remember the last time I weighed myself in that period of working out (again, 3 years ago) I was around 191, and here is my scale staring back at me with a figure dangerously close to 240. WTF happened?

So, I went out and bought a treadmill after Xmas because it was the excersize I did before to lose the 22lbs and I enjoyed it. I was kinda spotty through the beginning of January, but for the last two weeks I have been speed walking/jogging on the treadmill Tues-Fri in the evening after working, averaging 1.5-2miles/day. I also have been on SlimFast again, which really works for me because normally im out of the house so quick I dont even eat a normal breakfast anyway, this helps keep me full. Then I a slimfast for lunch and some granola bar/nutrigrain etc for a snack in the afternoon, it doesnt feel like I'm "starving myself" because I dont notice that much at work and the slimfast fills me up pretty well, it worked before and im doing pretty good again.

Anyway, so I started at about 137 and through the bit of treadmilling I did in the beginning of january and now taking it seriously, im down to about 133, I really would like to continue losing the pounds before summer hits so I can hit the beaches, I'm pretty self-concious about at this point.

Hope I'm not too late to join the challenge, I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and put some pictures of my largeness up on here for all to see

[the_technocrat]

Hey, whatcha guys think about this? I'll try it for a while, see how it goes? How often, I'll be the guinea pig...? Looks liek something you can do at home...

http://www.mensjournal.com/healthFitness/0612/workout_swat.html

[primesuspect]

That sounds awesome. It's something anybody can do, anywhere. No "i need equipment" or "i don't have a gym membership" or "I don't have the room for exercise at home" excuses.

I'l