exercise and diet

[MorrisBetter]

I've found that loosing weight is like quitting smoking. If you want it, it will happen. I've tried and failed (gave up) many times before succeeding. If you're not really serous....

Once you decide that you are going to do it, you also need to set realistic goals. It's also helpful to reward success with something. I think the most important thing to realize is that loosing weight requires that you be hungry some times. Retraining yourself to not snack every time you feel a hint of hungry is important. This not easy to do, but is not any means impossible.

I took a nutrition class offered by my HMO (Kaiser), and the BIG thing I took away from the class was what the nutritionist called, "fat plates". She put the amount of fat from various food items on plastic plates. My favorite cheeseburger was a real eye opener. It was hideous. I have eaten exactly zero cheeseburgers since that day.

My New Year resolution was to be under 200 by the time I went on my March DS ride in Death Valley....or no ride. That was a powerful incentive. After a slow start, things started working. I stopped eating things like cheeseburgers and giant burritos, but mostly it was portion control, and hiking two miles in the local hills a few time a week. Eat less and do more. I hit my goal two weeks before the ride. As of this morning I'm at 193. That's 19 Lbs since Jan 1st. I feel much better and the sense of accomplishment is pretty good too.

 

[jtemple]

Pretty much everything I eat is whole, unprocessed food. I'm eating 2800 calories a day right now and can barely pack it all in.

Now, if I switched that out for Taco Bell, pizza and beer, I could hit 2800 calories in one meal pretty easily.

I still give myself one meal a week where my family and I go out. I eat whatever I want, in whatever quantity I desire. If I want dessert, I get it. If I want to drink a bunch of beer with dinner, I drink it.

 

[JasonfromMN]

I'm 43 and was over 16st and my fitness was not the best, my job is sitting behind a desk nine hours a day, realising I need to get fit again to stand any chance of a podium finish in any race I set my self a goal to get down to my ideal weight of 13st 6lb by summer. I now play squash Monday and Thursday which I find good for an all over workout and I ride mountain bike on Saturday morning for around 25 miles which gives the heart a good workout, I'm now finishing top 5 every race. To get the weight down I've got an app on my iPhone called my fitness pal which measures the calories I eat each day against my day limit also takes into account the exercise I do, since January I've lost over a stone using this it's simple to use and keeps you on track.

Excellent app! I just down loaded it, thanks.

 

[spud1968]

Very interesting how the different types of diets work and results, so thanks for all the info. For me its simple i dont want to be on a diet because checking my weight, calorie counting and being careful with what foods i eat is not long term for me. I will diet and excercise but my really goal is a life style food change. I like fruit, nuts, chicken, yoghurt, red meat, brown bread, fish, pork. I also like ice cream, chocolate, fast food, potatoe chips, curry, chinese mayonaisse, sweets. So im trying to get away from the stuff that makes me fat without having my body crave for it. This is my first diet and hopefully my last. I dont mind loosing some muscle so mild jogging is okay. I like sitting in frount of the tv watching the motorcycle and car racing and im a lazy guy.

I rode my 449 today and even with a loss of 12lbs im more focused with a lot more energy......im getting there

 

[JasonfromMN]

I started my own diet a little over two months ago. I am 38 and 6' tall and 200 pounds for close to 20 years. My target was to get out of 38" pants. Although my pant waist was a little loose I still could not fit into some 36" shorts and pants I had. In the last two months I went from 198 to 180. I am not a calorie counter or a work out junkie. For the first month I tried eating smaller portions, drink less, cut out sodas, eat salads during the week, and eat sensible on the weekends and lost 10 pounds. I get on the scale every morning before getting in the shower. It reminds me for the day that there is a goal at hand. In the second month I have started working out on the eliptical for 20 minutes during lunch. After work I would try to take the dog for a long walk.

Everybodys body is a little different. I am in that catogory of chicken arms and legs. When I got to 200 pounds the only things that got fat was my face, chest and belly. Now that I have lost close to twenty pounds it in a little over two months I am feeling a lot better, and can easily fit into my 36" pants and shorts. I don't think I will loose much more weight at this point. It would be great to get rid of the last bit of belly, but that is going to some hard work. Does anyone have some easy exercises that I can do at work?

Thats a tough one. You've already done the easy work and that last bit of belly will be the hardest to rid your body of. Their will never be a cut and dry solution but youll need to try things and most likely calorie amount and more importantly the types of food you consume will be key. The fat your trying to get rid of is the most stubborn. You will need to maintain whatever your doing so you dont go backwards and start thinking about how to add more fruits and vegtable and subtract foods that really don't do your body much good and are high in carbs/ starchy like bread, chips and dry cereals. Sometimes counting calories is just not sustainable for some people but knowing calorie amounts can really help.

The basic`s. If you have a roll up mat. Crunches & or situps, pushups, deep knee bends. Guess some of it would depend on your work environment, & whats suitable, you could add to that or modify it to suit what`s possible. If there`s plenty of stairs, just walking up and down while you`re on your break.

All good sugestions but beware on the crunches and situps. Targeting thoes specially will build ab muscles but not necessarily burn the fat. You actually can gain muscle in your mid section that just thickens your waist and makes you appear even larger in that area.

Some really great ideas and suggestions from everybody here. A little sum up of a couple things that I think are important are: drink lots of water to help you not feel so hungry, eliminate soda all together- Its not as bad as it sounds and youll get used to it. It really doesn't fill you up but add lots of un needed calories. SPLURGE once in a while. Don't fool yourself in thinking you don't need to. If you creat an unsustainable diet you'll never stick to it. Do things that you'll actually do! Get on a scale once every day at the same time of day. It sounds ridiculous but its a great way to know exaclty how you did for the day and what you need to do the next day if you splurged too much.

Over all the best advice I could ever give is to take everthing said here with a grain of salt. Even though everyone here may be right what works for every individual may not work for the next. So do the research and try to find what you will actually do.

 

[Swampds]

Thats a tough one. You've already done the easy work and that last bit of belly will be the hardest to rid your body of. Their will never be a cut and dry solution but youll need to try things and most likely calorie amount and more importantly the types of food you consume will be key. The fat your trying to get rid of is the most stubborn. You will need to maintain whatever your doing so you dont go backwards and start thinking about how to add more fruits and vegtable and subtract foods that really don't do your body much good and are high in carbs/ starchy like bread, chips and dry cereals. Sometimes counting calories is just not sustainable for some people but knowing calorie amounts can really help.

Thanks for the input. I am glad to hear that crunches and situps are not the fix for my issue. I hate those!

 

[jtemple]

Abs are made in the kitchen; not the gym (and it is NOT easy to do).

 

[BignHusky]

Wow, Jake didn't know you were so into eating clean. I love quinoa! It's a great replacement for the starchy carbs that most folks have to have with their meals.
As far as dieting down goes a pound or two is realistic anything beyond that and you can be sure that you are burning lean muscle along with it. There is a lot of good info here and i have to agree it's not as simple as calories in calories out. If you want to be healthy you can't just eat whatever you want. Most processed foods are horrible for you, g.i. tract issues, cortisol spikers (directly adds belly fat), estridiol spikers (adds to the man boobs!). Basically most food today makes us sick. Go with the greens and lean meats. I like to carb cycle when i'm leaning out after trying to bulk in the winter and add a little more muscle. It's 3 days of fiberous carbs (califlower, broccli, celery) along with lean meats like chicken, fish, whey. Then 3 days of starchy carbs (brown rice, sweet potato, oatmeal) and of course along with protein.
I typically go from 225ish at my high in the winter back down to 200 by May ~ June. Google carb cycling, after about 6 weeks of this the lbs will start shedding off. The good thing is that it keeps your metabolism from crashing, something that happens with a lot of low cal diets.
Cardio before breakfast is a great one also because your glycogen stores are low and your body turns to fat for energy. After that have some fruit with your high protien breakfast. Banana and eggs or chicken. Low calorie protien shake is quick. Don't make the mistake of throwing everything in the blender for a shake! Biggest mistake people make is throwing their serving of fruit in there with the protien and peanut butter etc and ending up hungry half an hour later. Nothing fills you up more than actually eating your food. It takes roughly 13 oranges to make a 8 oz glass of orange juice! Could you imagine eating that many oranges!!! Just eat one and spare yourself the insulin crash and long term resistance you'll get from all that sugar. I love bananas so filling (when eaten, not blended).
Also nutrient timing is something to consider. Carbs after morning cardio or upon waking and after strength training, try not to eat them after lunch. Protien throughout the day, good sources like chicken, fish and lean beef. Whey isolate is excellent upon waking and after working out, but consume your carbs first for glycogen restores (banana!) then a half hour later add protein and a slower burning carb.
Sounds like you are on the right track, maybe allow yourself a cheat day once a week (don't over do it). Also dark chocolate is being reported as helping with weight loss. Never tried it myself but if you have those cravings you might still be able to get your fix with minimal harm done or maybe even it will be of benefit!

 

[JasonfromMN]

Good stuff BignHusky!

 

[BignHusky]

Good stuff BignHusky!

good to see there are a lot of riders who are knowledgeable about the most integral part of riding fast... our own health! I have never really thought about physique too much until i found myself single at 43 after 22 years of marriage. Scary stuff going from that into the dating scene again. For me it was that simple. I had to up my game in order to date the "A" list girls on Match. Since then i married one of them and we are happy parents to a new baby boy. I'll never go back to hanging out on the sofa and eating the way i used to though. For me it is a change of life and not a diet. Diets are temporary, exercise and eating clean are the way i live now.

 

[Freaky]

good to see there are a lot of riders who are knowledgeable about the most integral part of riding fast... our own health! I have never really thought about physique too much until i found myself single at 43 after 22 years of marriage. Scary stuff going from that into the dating scene again. For me it was that simple. I had to up my game in order to date the "A" list girls on Match. Since then i married one of them and we are happy parents to a new baby boy. I'll never go back to hanging out on the sofa and eating the way i used to though. For me it is a change of life and not a diet. Diets are temporary, exercise and eating clean are the way i live now.

How true, apart from the new woman and baby, same age and same outlook I have adapted over recent times.

 

[BignHusky]

I'm guessing the racing is what motivated some of you? Point is for most of us you have to find that motivation or... have it find you. For many health wise the motivation comes after hard lessons. Also interesting to me in a sad ironic way, how so many talk about how dangerous sports like dirt biking are only to end up in the hospital or morgue way before their time.

 

[jtemple]

I'm guessing the racing is what motivated some of you? Point is for most of us you have to find that motivation or... have it find you. For many health wise the motivation comes after hard lessons. Also interesting to me in a sad ironic way, how so many talk about how dangerous sports like dirt biking are only to end up in the hospital or morgue way before their time.

I just got sick of looking at my fat ass in the mirror. I was working on making a baby and wanted to ensure that I was around for him for many years.

Here's my before & after:

2004: 275 lbs and maybe 35% bodyfat

2011: 190 lbs and about 15% bodyfat

 

[WHITEROCKET5.9]

let me tell ya the muscle goes away wayyyy faster than you gain it if you stop doin your regime lol great job jtemple i had similar results about 5 years ago 5'11" 250lbs, 38waist down to 180 then back up to 215 with muscle and a 32 waist then i took a week long fishin trip and hadnt touched a weight since major mistake there ..... back to the 240 again...tryin to get the gusto to start the workin out up. like everyone says eating right is as much part of it as the working out i personally think its the hardest part. i jogged on a treadmill for about 3 months then my knees and legs told me to knock that shit off. it was mainly weights for another 3 months after that before the fishin trip. i was told swimming is a great replacement for the running and alot less impact on you if your legs just aint up to it. alot can happen fast if you stick to your guns newbie dieters!! my transformation only took 6 months, stick with it and good luck!!

 

[BignHusky]

Amazing transformation JT!
They say to take a week off every 4 or 5 mos, i'm like you WhiteRocket... scares the hell out of me that i won't come back! The smoking analogy comes in here. I quit once for 2 years and then just started up again. For no good reason, why would there be right? Smoked for another five years then quit again. It was killing me along with the asthma not good. Seems like cigarette smoke just makes me feel ill when i smell it now. So that is all good on that front.

 

[jtemple]

I take a week off once or twice a year, when I go on vacation. I'm always anxious to get back at it when I come home.

 

[spud1968]

I just got sick of looking at my fat ass in the mirror. I was working on making a baby and wanted to ensure that I was around for him for many years.

Here's my before & after:

2004: 275 lbs and maybe 35% bodyfat

2011: 190 lbs and about 15% bodyfat

Congratulations on losing the weight and your hair.

 

[BignHusky]

Congratulations on losing the weight and your hair.

DHT related?

 

[OlderHuskyRider]

Wow, Jake didn't know you were so into eating clean. I love quinoa! It's a great replacement for the starchy carbs that most folks have to have with their meals.

I have been focusing on eating only "superfoods", those foods that are high in nutrients or protein or some other needed element. I use the site below to make sure the foods I eat are high on the chart.

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/10352/2
This is the chart for quinoa (keen-wah). it doesn't have the highest Nutrition Data score, or the best Nutrient Balance, but look at the Protein Quality. It's the only grain that is a complete protein, like meat is. Cauliflower also scores high on Protein Quality.

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2312/2
Here's asparagus, has a Nutrition Data score of 5.0 out of 5, a Nutrient Balance score of 94, a Super vegetable.

 

[jtemple]

DHT related?

The hair "loss" was intentional. I haven't lost any hair, I buzz it off. Hair is the enemy!

I didn't even know what DHT was until just now.