Who's on a weight loss diet?

[Guest Chaney]

With world received that certain members are dieting and losing lots of wieght, I'm wondering just how many of us are carrying around a few extra pounds.

Any before and after pics?

I've never had a weight problem myself but you should see the size of some of my family members. Truly sad that two youngs cousins of mine have had to go the stomach-stapling route simply to avert an early death. (Cousins I've not seen in decades.)

And ladies, no feeling left out on this one. I'll expect to hear from each and every one of you.

[connoisseur series500]

I'm a bit overweight: 6'-0", 174 lbs, but not overly so. Still, I only weighed 160 lbs two years ago, and 150 lbs three years before that. The trend is--shall we say--disturbing to say the least?

I have the highest respect for those who commit themselves to a voluntary program as a war prisoner in order to shed the pounds. Those guys are heroes to us all!!

Sounds like Chuck's going through hell right now in order to prolong his life by a few years. We can all just look up to him as one who has crossed the "weight Rubicon!"

Look everyone: I'm open to all kinds of diets, so long as they don't put you through total hell. Is there a kind of easy-ozy diet?

[jacman]

2 years ago my weight was 325+ pounds. at 5'8" tall i was a great big fat MF. tho i had been a powerlifter for many years, i was FAT. i felt crappy all of the time, had no energy, and had trouble keeping up with my then 2 year old daughter. i knew i had to change. so over the next year or so i read everything i could about weight loss, food, health and slowly began changing my diet. i cut out processed carbs (most bread, snack items) and cut out red meat and dairy. i lost some weight, and felt better. then i got serious.

i started eating organic veggies and fruit. free range chicken (when it was available) or chicken that was antibiotic and hormone free. same for red meat (for the kids and wife).

so, i'm down to 220 lbs, my cholesterol went from 265 to 145.

my first goal was to get to 225 pounds. my new goal is 190. last time i weighed 190 pounds i had a 32 inch waist.

the one big change was this: i no longer live to eat. i now eat to live.

going out to eat brings challenges. i usually ask if they have some fresh veggies they could steam or saute in a little olive oil served on a bed of fresh spinach. or i'll have a spinach salad. there is usually something on the menue that i will eat. i make little comprimises, but very little.

a typical day for me:

breakfast-a little brown rice, pinto beans, veggies, sauted in olive oil.

lunch-fruit, fresh spinach, carrots, broccoli with olive oil/balsamic vinegar

dinner-fruit, almonds, sunflower seeds, hummus (home made).

i eat my big meal for breakfast usually, sometimes i switch breakfast and lunch. dinner is always light.

i snack on almonds, sunflower seeds and pistachios (trader joe's habanero ) or dried fruit. i don't count calories or watch my fat intake, but the fat i eat is mono or poly unsaturated and high in omega-3's and 6's.

i hit the streets walking or use the treadmill.

if i want ice cream i have either Soy Deams or Rice Dreams.

i eat a little chicken, or fish occasionally. sometimes i'll eat a piece of beef jerky.

i haven't eaten at a fast food joint on well over a year, but i have nicked a french fry or two from the kids.

i refuse to eat:

white bread, or bread that has had all the fiber destroyed.

anything that contains 'Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil'.

dairy

soda

my big vice: cigars.

[Jim Alfredson]

Paul, you looked healthy and trim to me!

For what it's worth I weigh 190 and I'm 6'3". I don't consider myself overweight but I'm sure I could lose a few pounds. I'm not worried about it, though.

[Dan Gould]

I can attest to the fact that Jim looks fine ... especially compared to yours truly-just check the Clearwater photos. On second thought, don't.

I've been struggling with the weight ever since I met my wife-anyone else experience this "fat and happy" syndrome? Any advice?

While I don't always eat perfectly, I generally do pretty well. I think what's keeping the weight on is an insufficient regimen of exercise. But I've got hope for the new year now that I have (I think) hooked up with a second tennis partner. I do believe that if I can manage a 4-5 day a week tennis regimen, the fat will melt off.

In the meantime, I'll be seeing my folks in a month or so and I know Dad's gonna give me a rash of shit about it, as he has every holiday season since ... well, since I met my wife!

[BERIGAN]

I'm a bit overweight: 6'-0", 174 lbs,

Shut the F*ck up, MoFo!!!!!!!

[ralphie_boy]

Exercise is the key! I've lost about 40 lbs over the past 1 1/2 years mainly by exercising 30 minutes every morning (and 1 hr on weekends). I'm to a point now where I don't really have to watch what I eat anymore, although I still go easy on the carbs. Exercise sucks - I hate it, but it's the only way.

[catesta]

I think I've put on about 25-30 lbs., over the past 10-12 years. It's not very noticable to anyone but me, still I feel it's about time to deal with it again.

I don't get as much exercise as I used to and I think that is the problem. Plus I love to cook and usually make too much, my grandmother would make us feel guilty for leaving food on our plate, she would say "it's a sin."

Beer may have something to do with it, but I prefer to think it doesn't.

I've done Atkins before and it has worked, but I can't give the pasta up and yes you guessed it, I love the beer and wine too much, so I can only do it for short periods.

Exercise does indeed suck, but as ralphie_boy points out it's the only way, plus it's good for the ol' corazon.

So I am planning on starting an execrise program (nothing crazy) and reducing my portions, as well as cutting the carbs back a bit.

This has always seemed to work in the past.

I'll use the chicks as motivation.

Edited November 18, 2003 by catesta

[JSngry]

I've found the Dusty Groove Diet to be incredibly effective at reducing the size of that unsightly lump over my left ass cheek...

[connoisseur series500]

I've found the Dusty Groove Diet to be incredibly effective at reducing the size of that unsightly lump over my left ass cheek...

Works every time!

[jacman]

I've found the Dusty Groove Diet to be incredibly effective at reducing the size of that unsightly lump over my left ass cheek...

he speaks the truth!

[Son-of-a-Weizen]

Exercise is the key!  I've lost about 40 lbs over the past 1 1/2 years mainly by exercising 30 minutes every morning (and 1 hr on weekends).  I'm to a point now where I don't really have to watch what I eat anymore, although I still go easy on the carbs.    Exercise sucks - I hate it, but it's the only way.

I'm in total agreement with this....exercise is the key. As a 6'2" consumer of 3 pints of brew a night, I've hung around the 225 lb range for many years by taking brisk 30 min. walks 4-5 times a week. Every week, I saute (in olive oil) a pot of julienned peppers (red, green, orange & yellow) for hours untill they are nice and soft....and then combine a healthy portion of this with some chicken chunks or prosciutto, fresh spinach, a few tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of romano, some diced steamed asparagus, and some mashed cannellini or garbanzo beans (much lower sodium than the canned refried veggy beans) in a tortilla and nuke it for 2 minutes. Gotta throw on a couple of shots of my favorite 'Dr. Chilemeister's Sick & Deadly Insane Hot Sauce' and wash 'er down with a weizen! Yeah, I know that if it's in a tortilla, it should be called a Burrito ......but those cheese stuffed, sour cream laden 35 gram of fat things are in an entirely different category and I'm calling mine a Beerito!

Edited November 18, 2003 by Son-of-a-Weizen

[jazzypaul]

I used to be in great shape. Worked out for 2 hours every day, (hour in the morning, go to work, go to school, go practice, hour around 5pm, then hit gigs or jam sessions)and I felt great. Then I broke my foot for the third time. Had to walk around with a cane for 8 months. By the time I was ready to start exercising again, I had gone from 185 up to 230. now I'm at 245, and I'm pissed. So, I've gone back to being a vegetarian, even though this is a somewhat dangerous diet for me (allergic to beans, making getting protein into the diet a bit of a bitch), and already, I do feel much better. Once I start jogging again, the weight should start coming off, and as I get enough fat off of me to start seriously working out again without getting winded right away, I will be doing that too. My goal is to break 200 by my birthday. We'll see how it goes.

[7/4]

I was having dizzy spells and went to the doctor. He gave me a blood test and a glucose tollerance test and when the tests came back, he said I had high colesteroil and low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). He leaned over and patted me on the stomach and said "this has to go, I want you on the Adkins Diet.".

I was at 235, I lost 25 lbs in the first 6 weeks. A year later I had lost a total of 65 pounds. A year later I started to gradually gain until last Spring when I hit 215. Lately I've been holding steady at around 211, in the last ten days I've lost 10 pounds. I credit stress from work and family members getting old & sick.

I started to gain weight when I cheated on the diet, now it doesn't even matter what I eat!

[Son-of-a-Weizen]

Man, all you guys on Atkins are wreaking havoc with the beef markets.....you're killin' us! Eat Ostrich or something else will ya? B)

http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/invest...xtra/P66639.asp

Edited November 19, 2003 by Son-of-a-Weizen

[Chuck Nessa]

Sounds like Chuck's going through hell right now in order to prolong his life by a few years.      We can all just look up to him as one who has crossed the "weight Rubicon!"

Not going through hell and feeling much better.

I am 6' tall and went through the first 40 years maxing out at about 180. Around 45 I started adding pounds until I arrived at 247 at age 59.

Same deal happened to my wife and she had tried all kinds of diets with temporary success until Feb when she joined Weight Watchers. They have a group at her work. After about two months watching I started to follow her lead.

This morning I weighed in a 199.

I still have my 2 Scotches at night and don't deny myself anything - just change quantities, exercise moderately and eat 5 fruits and veggies a day.

Used to be when Ann called to eat, first thing I'd do is put the butter plate on the table. That don't happen no more. It really is attitude and habits.

The edit is to add this PS: Ann is a terrific cook and makes lots of new dishes all the time. She's such and interesting cook she influenced our son Eric who is now head chef at a decent restaurant. (side to Chaney - he's no longer in your neighborhood - he's developing a new menu for ZuZon in Williamsville.)

I'm aiming for 184.

Edited November 19, 2003 by Chuck Nessa

[connoisseur series500]

This morning I weighed in a 199.

Good job, man. Keep us posted. B)

[Jim Alfredson]

catesta, I have noticed gaining a little weight after I got hitched. But lately I've been losing it due to being so busy and not eating. I eat one meal a day now.

My problem during the first year of our marraige is that I would stay up late after gigs and eat. I try not to do that anymore. I stay up late, but I keep the food in the fridge!

[PHILLYQ]

Many men gain weight after marriage- I've heard them called 'contentment pounds'.

I was always around 160lbs. for a long time, then I got married(+10lbs. but I do all the cooking!), I quit smoking (+15 lbs.), my son was born & the stress of a new-born plus night school(+10lbs). Since then(1992), I gained a little bit more 'till I topped the scales at around 210lbs. At 5'8", I had a nice sized gut and butt, and a massive snoring problem to boot.

My wife decided to go on Atkins to lose 10-15lbs, and I decided to go on it after she started. I've since gotten down to 169lbs, a mere 9lbs. over my fighting weight from 25 years ago. The weight loss(& some nose surgery to clear a nostril) led to no more snoring, happy wife, well-rested PhillyQ.

If you're considering Atkins, you or your significant other have to be good in the kitchen! I'm a real good cook, so I've figured out how to make low-carb versions of some of my favorite foods with help from some websites and cookbooks. I indulge myself every Friday for pizza, and then jump back on the wagon for Saturday. The best part is that I enjoy my food and I am not starving.

[AfricaBrass]

Many men gain weight after marriage- I've heard them called 'contentment pounds'.

Contentment pounds? I call it flying frying pan padding.

I'm on a diet too.

I'm doing Weight Watchers.

I've done Atkins before, but I'm a carb freak.

I appreciate everyone's stories. They're very inspiring to me.

[Chuck Nessa]

I'm on a diet too.

I'm doing Weight Watchers.

Keep it up. This method is really just a "lifestyle adjustment" to sanity. Keep everything in balance.

Nobody likes a "fat cat".

[AfricaBrass]

Thanks Chuck!

I like the "lifestyle adjustment to sanity" concept. I'm going to think of my diet that way.

[Son-of-a-Weizen]

Old-Time Fitness in Old-Order Amish

Why Are We Less Fit Than our Ancestors? Amish Offer Clues

By Daniel DeNoon

on Wednesday, January 07, 2004

WebMD Medical News

Jan. 7, 2004 -- Where did our fitness go? A look at an old-order Amish community offers a clue.

If you randomly select three American adults, you're likely looking at one obese person and one overweight person. But are we really less fit than our meat and potatoes, gravy-eating ancestors?

Yes, say University of Tennessee researcher David R. Bassett, PhD, and colleagues. Bassett's team didn't have a time machine, so they did the next best thing. They went to an old-order Amish community in southern Ontario, Canada, and asked for help.

Like other Amish communities, these people shun modern conveniences and power machinery. Unlike some other Amish, most of this Ontario community still farms for a living. Bassett asked 98 of these men and women to wear a modern step-counting device for seven days. The study participants also told him details about their daily physical activities.

Even though they ate the high-fat, high-sugar diet typical of pre-World War II Americans -- meat, potatoes, gravy, eggs, garden vegetables, bread, pies, and cakes -- the Ontario Amish were remarkably fit. Only 4% were obese and only 26% were overweight.

How did they do it? Hard work -- and lots of foot power. Their weekly exercise was equivalent to that of long-distance runners. Men averaged 18,425 steps a day. Women averaged 14,196 daily steps.

"The Amish were able to show us just how far we've fallen in the last 150 years or so in terms of the amount of physical activity we typically perform," Bassett says in a news release. "Their lifestyle indicates that physical activity played a critical role in keeping our ancestors fit and healthy."

The findings appear in the January issue of Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise, the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine.

[patricia]

Well, I've been about the same weight all my adult life [about 110 at 5'4"], except for when I was pregnant. Then I gained about 20 pounds, losing that and a little more after the birth.

So, you would think I wouldn't know anything about weight problems, but my daughter has become quite heavy in the last couple of years. She admits that it was due to stress and her frequent uprootings and movings, leaving her friendless.

She, sensibly, did not look for a quick fix, but, being young it's easier for her to lose pounds which were put on in only a couple of years. For the most part, she ate healthily up until then and was average weight.

She has been making a concerted effort for the last few months, just by following Canada's Food Rules and it's working for her. I know, that sounds boring and I guess just eating sensibly is.

She has started running with me [about two miles] in the mornings and is almost at her goal weight and feels much better as a side benefit.

Exercise can be as simple as regularly walking where you usually drive, if it's less than a couple of miles and taking up some kind of activity, like dancing or tennis, or something low-impact. My doctor says that jogging or running is not good for anyone who is more than a few pounds overweight, because it's hard on the ankles and knees. Best to leave that for after you attain your goal.

The exercise part, I think, is to keep as physically active as you can, especially after you lose the weight, or you'll be doing it all over again.

Edited January 14, 2004 by patricia