Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION The Anywhere Machine Dieters Support Thread

That's awesome, Quis!

Did a bunch of cardio and stretching yesterday. Today, I ate too much Thai food.
I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

So, according to the scale, I've put on 18 pounds (I refuse to round it up to 20) since May. Stressful job and low willpower can do that I suppose.

I'm going to Florida in exactly four weeks where perhaps I will expose my chubby, pale flesh to the world, so I am forcing myself to get my act together.

Day 1 - returned to the gym after a lengthy hiatus

Starting to cut calorie intake in a big way. Started with being sick this last weekend...now making a conscious effort.

good luck, dev!

Okay, its been a long, long time since I check in here. My weight fluctuates like many of you and over the years I've posted about losing weight and gaining weight in this thread. A few years ago, I went from 245 (my then all-time highest) to 207, which was the lowest I've been in 12 years (since high school).

Since then, I had put on a good amount of weight; I remember talking to Rocky about it in San Diego. Well, with my wife pregnant for seven months and a whole host of other reasons, I've put on even more weight than that, and had reached my all-time highest in my whole life: 254. And I've started to freak out about it. Another thing that went wrong was my mother had a minor stroke--attributed to major cigarette smoking from ages 9 to 57, and that kind of put me in a mild depression for a few weeks (mainly in February). I haven't really talked about my Mom because I just don't want to, but she's doing okay and is back at home.

I really hate the way I look right now.

So as of two weeks ago, I'm back. I've started eating healthy again and working out. And I'm going to really need some support this time. In prior years, I would go super-hardcore and have my brother do it with me. I don't live with him anymore so leaning on his strictness isn't there and there is a lot more temptation. I don't want to go "super-hardcore" again, but I do want to change my general eating habits permanently. That means making some healthy choices but not forcing myself to eat things I'm going to hate.

First order of business was eliminating all drinks but water and coffee (I drink it black). I'll allow myself some beers and hard liquor when I go out, which is pretty rare these days (as my wife is pregnant).

I'm going a cardio-heavy workout routine at least three times a week now. But the temptation is there to skip days, as I go after work. Hopefully that will change on March 26th when the gym near my work reopens so I can go at lunch (and maybe go four times a week).

I've already lost three pounds so I'm down to 251. I'm setting goals for myself for every Friday. My goal this Friday is to be 249 (maybe even 248) as the weight you lose in the first few weeks is always the easiest. I then hope to lose 2 pounds a week.

My wife and I have 6 weddings this summer and are in 3 of them. Which means wedding photos. I'm the best man for my brother's wedding. So I'm setting milestones for each wedding (on in May, my brother's in July and the last in August).

My ultimate goal is to get to 210 at some point. And from there, I would love to reach my prior milestone (207) and then perhaps one day go below 200. But that's all longterm. For me the major focus is losing 15 pounds at a time. So first order of business is get to 240 and then by wedding #1 get to 236.

Here I go...this is not going to be easy...

But I feel now that I posted this I have to be held accountable for it. I never talk about my weight EVER to anyone because it stresses me out. But I need to get some *energy* back.

Wish me luck I'm going to keep checking in and I hope to make it a habit to at least check in every Thursday/Friday to see how I did in comparison to my milestone for that week. This week's: 249 (from 251).

Foods I'm trying to eat to help:

- For breakfast, Cornflakes. I like it and it helps regulate my digestion. It's also my carbs for the day.

- For lunch, cottage cheese, apples, some unsalted almonds, yogurt. I'm trying not to eat lunch per se, but 2-3 times during the day in little increments.

- For dinner, its a little harder. Tuna fish, salmon, chicken. Yogurt. Hard-boiled eggs. My wife is going to keep me supplied with arugula so I can have salad (or put the chicken on top of my salad as I'm not the biggest fan of boiled chicken).

Any dinner tips you guys have for healthy foods to eat?

Cobie,

Among the stuff my dioet doctor gave me regarding food was avoid starchy food (Breads, cereal, rice, pasta, potatoes, etc.) Make sure the meat is lean, mostly chicken, turkey, and fish. Beef should be 95% lean or higher.

What I have in the morning is a whey shake and a piece of fruit. (8 oz of fat free milk mixed with chocolate flavored Designer Whey) It takes a little getting use to the taste of the whey, but it keeps me feeling full until lunchtime (around 1).

Des,

For the sake of context, how tall a dude are ya? I'm barely 5'7", and my weight peaked around what yours did. I'm guessing you're considerably taller than me.

For the record to check back on. I'm at 295 lbs at 6'4"

Quis, thanks for the tips! I'll take any food tips people can give.

Lardy, I'm 6'1". I can still hide my out of shapeness with the right clothing but at 250 even that isn't working. At 220 I look thin in clothing (my goal would then be to further tone my body not lose more weight). That should give some context. An online thing said my ideal weight might be 210 but that doesn't come from a doctor so who knows. Another said 185 but that seems very unrealistic (I'd be thrilled with 210).

Hey Cobie ... good luck with the weight loss ... I've followed a program on and off for the past several years called "Body for Life" by Bill Phillips ... the book has great suggestions for which foods to eat and which to avoid ... it also outlines a pretty simple to follow exercise program ... I first used it about 8 years ago and managed to drop (and keep off for several years) about 30 pounds ... I went back to using it last winter and lost 13 pounds, and I'm in the process of following it again and have lost 11 pounds in the last three weeks ... if you're interested and want to borrow the book, I'd be happy to send it to you ... in terms of dinner tips, I've actually gotten a lot of use out of a cookbook called "Cooking Light - 5 ingredients, 15 minutes" ... simple, fast, and healthy ... again, good luck, and I'm glad your mom is okay ...

I may check those out if I get the chance Sharky. Again, thanks for all the feedback guys! I think a lot of us can agree that engaging in a continous discussion about eating healthy and working out is a source of encouragement to do those things.

This has been a very good week for me. My target goal for Friday is 249; I did weight myself yesterday and I'm already at 248. I'm not patting myself too much on the back because the first 10 pounds are always the easiest to lose and put back on for me--a more important milestone will be at the first bachelor party of the summer, in which I'm hoping to weigh 244 or better.

I can already see some changes in my face / back / chest / arms.

Quis, I had some chicken last night. I usually can't make chicken seem appetizing at all, but I was able to come up with a quick fix. I did a little rub of chilli powder and grilled it and put it into a bed of arugula and pears (very light oil & vinegar, as I'm trying to limit any oil). It was actually quite delicious!

Update (because if I don't, I won't hold myself accountable):

At the close of yesterday I'm at 244. The easy pounds are still coming off but that won't last much longer.

I continue to notice changes in my face, back, shoulders and chest. Hopefully my stomack will follow suit soon.

I *could* go down another belt buckle if I wanted to, but its a bit tight, so I'll wait. My longterm goal is to be down two belt buckles--that's more than enough to get me where I want to be.

Today I change gyms for the first time in 3 years, so I can go at lunch. It also has a sauna which is a great way to shed some of the toxins from my body after a hard cardio workout. I'm looking forward to it.

Still eating healthy, by dry-rubbing and grilling chicken and then putting it in salads with different things to make them appetizing (pears, chese, olives). I'm trying not get crazy with what I eat because I don't want it to be a 'diet', but a change in lifestyle. This weekend I'll enjoy some less healthy stuff like a cheeseburge (which I've been craving), and a few beers tonight.

This week, my gym changed scales so I'm no longer weighing myself with shoes on (which is like 2 pounds I guess). So I'm actually at a real weight of 239, which is really a huge encouragement to me. I've broken into the 230's and I'm still losing a lot in a short time.

My workouts are going really well, and I'm just feeling a whole lot better.

I had some nice compliments from my wife's family when the saw me this week.

Another big milestone: I am down one belt size. That is big for me. Down one more belt size and that is the thinnest I've ever been (I was close to one more after that but never quite reached it).

I'm feeling very good and will keep up the heavy cardio routine. I was talking to one of the younger guys at my gym who is also a personal trainer and he told me when I plateau, that I should focus on my core. I'm going to take his advice, as I think that's a major point of contention. But I'm not there yet, I need to lose another 10-15 pounds.

That's great, Cobie!

Good going Cobie.

I just got back from the diet doctor. Last month I was 231. I was really surprized when the scale read 213. Back in October when I started this I was 299, so that's a loss of 86 pounds. The Doctor said that my ideal weight is under 200.

Wow, you guys are doing great!

I've had a hard time staying on the program since San Diego and have gained about 2/3 of the weight back. I have a goal again, though, so I'm hoping to turn around.

Quis, that is spectacular! In fact, you're kind of inspiring me right now to keep it going strong!

And Seymour, you can turn it back around and be in the Star Boy costume in no time!

Shrinking Quislet! Thats awesome! You must feel great!

I've lost about 16 pounds. I've been spending more time in the gym than I ever cared to, but it's been alright ... I go in at 6am sometimes for a quick cardio workout and save the longer weight training sessions for days I'm able to get out of work relatively early ... and one day a week I eat just about anything I want ... if not for that to look forward to, I'd never be able to stay disciplined the rest of the week ...

You guys are the tops. I was clocking in regularly at around 250 to 260 and didn't know it. Well, I laid off the sodas and it being spring, started working my the garden/nursery. You really wanna lose weight, use a 14" walk behind tiller and do a garden about an acre in size. Then when you have it laid out, use a garden rake to clean it out for planting. Guarantee that'll pull the weight off. According to my wife's scales, I'm at 225lbs. And thats the thinest I've been since probably around 1988.

Wouldn't you know it, my wife just told me not too lose too much weight, she likes me with a little meat on my bones. Naturally, I did the booty shake for her.

I've seen a few of the pictures from Quis. Amigo, lookin' tough.

Tipping the scales at 205 in January was an eye-opener. I had stopped bicycle commuting and was drinking a sugary latte and sweetened iced tea every day. So for the first time in the 17 years that I've worked in the same office building, I decided to use the gym for something besides a shower and locker for bike commuting. Spin classes, a workout routine, no sweetened tea or coffee, and no 7-11 snacks -- it's more of a lifestyle change than a diet. I've lost 25 of my targeted 40 pounds. Although 180 is far from svelte, if you squint in dim light, you can see a hint of my abdominal muscles.

By the end of summer I want to be buying 32" waist pants, have an at-rest heart rate in the low 60's, and run an urban, lunchtime 5K in under 25 minutes.

12 weeks later, I've lost 25 pounds ... working more on building muscle than losing fat ... looking at this like the beginning of another 12 week cycle, which will bring me right about to when I leave for Australia ... be good to be in the best shape in case I need to out-swim any real sharks ...