Big Weight Loss

[Breathe Jimbo]

I did not want to highjack another thread, so:

You folks who have lost 30, 50, or more pounds ... how did you do it? I need to lose 80-90.

[Jaylee]

I did not want to highjack another thread, so:

You folks who have lost 30, 50, or more pounds ... how did you do it? I need to lose 80-90.

I also want to know. I have only lost 20 so far.

[hapy]

Here's the secret to weight loss...........

1. Count your calories...EVERY ONE OF THEM!!! Your body does. Eat less calories than you burn in a normal day. The fewer you eat, the faster the weight comes off.
2. Exercise. Even if all you do is walk, walk a little more today than you did yesterday. The more you exercise (burn calories) the faster the weight comes off.

My husband lost 150 + pounds in 9 months. He had 2300 calories a day and walked. That's all.

Laura

[Muse-Inc]

Very low carbohybrate, healthy saturated fats like organic coconut oil (I use Spectrum refined coconut oil, no hexanes used) & avoid all veggie oils, marinate in olive oil & use in salad dressing, lotta water each day. The first 2 wks as your body shifts its enzymes to burn fat instead of sugars, typically cholesterol increases & then drops, sometimes dramatically. Triglycerides & LDL also drop & the LDL particel size shifts to the large fluffy safe kind. Most important: 8+ hrs good sleep/night; if I don't get that good restful sleep, I will show a gain the next day. I lost 60#s until I backslid into near full-blown apnea (mouth breathing, I was clueless until I discovered this forum & got educated). I was exercising, typically 60-75 mins/day on my recumbent exercise bike with a 10 min break after about 45 mins (cortisol shots up dramatically after 45 mins of exercise without a break). Took me 9 mos of CPAP therapy to be able to exercise at all, then 1 yr to get up to that many mins.

Typical when I was losing the most, I ate:
B'fast 1/2 cup diced aparagus/celery/red-gn peppers, 1 TBSP diced onion sauteed together, 3 extra-lg eggs, 1 oz cheese, 1/2 cup strawberries OR 1/4 cup raspberries. In a rush, 3 hardboiled eggs, diced & nuked, topped with some butter & a little coconut oil, 4-5 blueberries. Coffee/decaf with heavy cream & Splenda.
Snack 1 oz Mozzarella stick, 4 pecan halves, 3 blueberries or 5 raspberries
Lunch 2-3 cups lettuce topped with 2 cups of sliced celery, onion, bell peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, a little shredded carrot, lightly steamed broccoli/cauliflower, water chestnuts, homemade salad dressing or just shredded cheese. 4-5 oz sliced meat or fish.
Snack 1 oz Mozzarella stick or 2-3 oz tree nuts (no peanuts or cashews which are high in carb)
Dinner 5-7 oz meat or fish, 2 cups low carb veggie, 2-3 cups salad. 1 Dove dark chocolate square OR 1.5 ozs 85% dark chocolate bar
Optional Dessert 1/3 cup Ricotta mixed with 2 TBSP peanut butter or 3 TBSP 100% cocoa, 1 pkg Spenda, dash of vanilla. For a treat, use equal amts of Ricotta & canned pumpkin, Splenda to taste, some heavy cream, pumpkin pie spice -- yum!
Bedtime Snack 1-2 ozs cheese or meat (depending on hunger), 1/8 cup berries OR 2-3 grapes depending on size

Calorie counting doesn't work for me...I have poor glucose control & just gain wt on a 1200-calorie diet, tried less calories & gained more. Tried low fat too <20 gms/day -- that was a disaster, plunged into awful depression after a few wks & doc got concerned 'cause I looked so unhealthy. Low carb works for me, no more experimenting...my blood chemistry looks great as long as I eat this way. I start adding bites here & there of high carb fare & I gain & it shows up in my labs.

There's a whole thread here on low carb eating.

[kempo]

My husband lost 150 + pounds in 9 months. He had 2300 calories a day and walked. That's all.Laura

That's basically what I have been doing since July.. I keep up with my calorie intake with an app on my iPhone called "Lose it". I walk 3 miles in the morning and 3 miles in the afternoon. I eat a lot of baked chicken breast, green beans, tuna, some lean beef, and fruit for snacks. 2300 calories a day is my limit. I'll even drink a couple of beers on the weekend. At least once a week my wife and I will go to a restaurant and have a nice meal ( "Out Back" is my favorite ). Don't try to lose more than 2 lbs. a week or you will start losing muscle tissue instead of fat. It's really been easy so for (37lbs.)

Oh yea, after walking 6 miles a day I have no trouble sleeping all night.

[Julie]

Hi, thought I'd just mention that I read today (Medscape site) that a large new study has shown that there is no difference in weight loss between either the high fat, low carb diet (Atkins) and the low carb, low fat diet, so maybe just use common sense and moderation.

[tomd62]

Daily exercise, I do 35 mins on elliptical, burns about 450 cals, then free weights and machines for another 10-15 and 5 mins
of stretching to finish up. This burns about 500-600 cals total, also meet with a trainer once a week for new calisthenics,
she's tough, rock hard aerobics instructor.
Diet changes are a fruit smoothie for breakfast, small salad for lunch and 2-3 pieces of fruit a day, dinner is at least 2/3 veggies.
It's taken about 1 lb of week off over the last year. Still have 100lbs to go.

The CPAP has helped with drowsiness during the day, I used to think it was blood sugar crash or something
like that and was eating candy/sodas to help keep awake during the day. I was nodding out, hearing voices
because I was so REM-deprived. Really bad times before the CPAP and lowering of blood pressure from 145/110
to about 120-80 now, still trying to get under 110-70, should get there next year when I take off the next 50lbs.

Also fixed my blood numbers with the improved diet, all are normal now, that was the easiest thing to fix.

I don't work late and eat fast food or junk because I don't have time, the job is not worth my health. I gained
nearly 50 lbs in the first 2 years, working crazy hours and getting stressed over it. Too the attitude 'what gets done, gets done,
, what does'nt , doesn't, tomorrow is another day' and leave the office at a regular hour no matter WHAT.
I also take the stairs, never use elevators and park in far rows for the extra walk.

[Gerald?]

Calorie counting take sa lot of time. I found the following was more practical:

1. Only have one main meal a day.
2. At that meal only have one plate.
3. That plate should be 1/4 protein, 1/4 carbs, 1/2 fruit & vegetables (without carbs).
4. Don't miss a meal with a maximum of 6 hours between meals.
5. Low fat yoghurt is very useful for getting rid of the hungry feeling.
6. Drink lots of water.
7. Get lots of sleep.

Due to work, I've had little time to exercise (but do when I can). The above regime has seen me gradually lose 40lbs in 9 months.

[sleepymama]

for me i've been following the WW eating plan. i count points. i have not joined it online or in person but got the info online. i was on it for a year and lost 40lbs then gained some back when i stopped and just ate whatever. now i'm doing it again and i've lost a couple lbs so far. check out sparkpeople as well for helpful advice and plans. you can use sparkrecipes as well. it's a free site. for the WW i went to bootcamp buddies ww message board.

[tattooyu]

Weight Watchers definitely works. My wife lost 80 pounds on it. At my heaviest, I was 250 lb., and I'm only 5'6", but I am very proportionate. I started eating the WW way via proxy and exercising, which brought me down to 225 lbs. After starting CPAP, I am down to 195 lbs. now without changing anything else. I would love to get down to 150-160 lbs., and I will. Need to start exercising again -- I had stopped due to anxiety issues (yes, I know exercise helps anxiety) -- it's complicated.

[LoQ]

3. That plate should be 1/4 protein, 1/4 carbs, 1/2 fruit & vegetables (without carbs).

Just a note that fruit and vegetables mostly ARE carbs (some vegetables have small amounts of protein). So your plate is really 1/4 protein and 3/4 carbs.

Where is the fat in that diet? Are you assuming you get it with the protein?
.

[calgurl@hrt]

I did not want to highjack another thread, so:

You folks who have lost 30, 50, or more pounds ... how did you do it? I need to lose 80-90.

I also want to know. I have only lost 20 so far.

Yay, Jaylee! 20 lbs is great!

[lhpangler]

I am 80#s down in six months.

I hate talking to people about diets for all kinds of reasons. It seems as soon as they ask me what I did, they explain to me why they can't. Others who have read my posts can guess I am sort of analytical, if you are really curious PM me. However, I will add this piece of information which should apply to all of the other ideas presented in this thread.

Maintenance Baseline
Target - how many calories a day should I eat?
Reality - how many calories am I eating?

This presumes a decent level of activity.
Average American Male should target 13-15 cals per pound.
Average American Female should target 11-13 cals per pound.

Write down what you eat for three days and see where you end up.
Most women will either find that they are NOT eating enough and/or doing way to much cardio exercise.
Men, there is no place for beer.

Now weight loss targets might begin at 9-10 cals per pound for a man and 8-9 cals per pound for a woman.

So here are two examples: Male @ 250#, Female @ 145#.
Target Male 2750-3750
Target Female 1595-1885

Reality may be way above or below this. At maintenance you do not lose weight. Potential target for a diet would be:
Male 2250-2500
Female 1160-1305

Keep in mind that if reality is alot higher than a target, weight loss could be greater. This sliding scale, no pun intended, remains constant as you lose weight.
For a male, the caloric deficit would be (3750-2500 or 1250 a day or 2750-2500 or 250 a day). At 3500 cals in a pound, one person loses about 2.5# a week, the other less than one. With a 500 calorier deficit, you lose about 2#s a week. You can speed this up by eating less. The next major discussion would be the macro make up of the calories (protein, fat and carbs).

Once you dial into your numbers, the rest gets easier.

Now I am off to eat lunch..... LHP

[BlackSpinner]

Hi, thought I'd just mention that I read today (Medscape site) that a large new study has shown that there is no difference in weight loss between either the high fat, low carb diet (Atkins) and the low carb, low fat diet, so maybe just use common sense and moderation.

My body feels much better on a low carb diet- besides it tastes a hell of a lot better then the low fat diet I tried for a year. I don't get the low sugar= zombie bitch that I used to on the high carb low fat diet. I am losing slowly but steadily. I keep trying to walk and exercise but the current stress in my life is making things difficult.

[ozij]

Loosing weight is almost as easy as easy as it was for Mark Twain to stop smoking:

Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I've done it thousands of times.

Gary Taubes, lecturing in Berkeley about what makes us fat