1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Weight loss back on track (I think/hope)

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by daniel, Dec 1, 2011.

  1. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2005
    15,232
    1,562
    0
    Location:
    off into the sunset
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    We need you too, F8L. :grouphug:
     
    1 person likes this.
  2. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2005
    15,232
    1,562
    0
    Location:
    off into the sunset
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Have you told them that? What keeps most people from cycling is the lack of infrastructure and 'end of use' facilities like secure parking and showers. If your employer truly wants to promote energy efficiency (and maybe save some money on parking costs), adding a few bike racks and a shower or two would be a great way to do that. Make the suggestion and see what they say. :)
     
  3. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

    Joined:
    Mar 14, 2005
    9,810
    464
    0
    Location:
    MD
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    i found my eating habits to make the real difference when i decided it was time to lose some weight. i had been relying on comfort type foods (heavy in simple carbohydrates- breads, pastas, etc) to get through broke and stressful times like the end of grad school and my first not-so-great job. i broke those old habits and switched to lots of vegetables and protein- but i didn't give up any one thing completely. from heaviest to thinnest, i lost 25+ lbs and got back to what i weighed before i did the soul-destroying grad school thing. i was never "overweight" but i weighed more than what my body gravitated toward on its own with a healthy diet. my BMI went from 24.2 to 21.0. i ended up gaining a couple lbs back, because i felt that i looked almost too thin for a while there, now i'm around 21.5.

    it's not easy, but you can do it. it works differently for different individuals, which complicates things a lot. if you find something that works and keeps you on track, go with it.
     
  4. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2005
    15,232
    1,562
    0
    Location:
    off into the sunset
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    The Fountain of Youth is diet and exercise.

    No, it does not come in pill form. :cool:
     
  5. wick1ert

    wick1ert Senior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 3, 2009
    1,311
    183
    2
    Location:
    Delawhere
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Ha, they already have people's cubicles in a hallway at work (me included). I'm not sure they'd ever do anything for us peon's.

    They finally are working on getting the parking garage at work fixed before it falls apart (they've been working on it now since April). They won't even replace a freaking light bulb unless someone calls and reports it.

    I've also heard rumors they're going to re-stack another building here into ours. I have no clue where they plan to put everyone or where they will park, though. I guess that's their way of cutting costs now. One less building to light, heat, etc.

    I'm truly thinking that they are only talking energy efficiency, but not all that interested in doing it in some of the existing buildings.

    Just the other day, I noticed that right near my desk the roof is leaking. Most of the windows in the hallway aren't properly sealed anymore, either.

    I'll mention it to them, but considering they can't even keep our building properly maintained, I would be utterly shocked if they added showers. I swear their maintenance people don't actually do anything unless you call and report a problem.
     
  6. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2004
    14,487
    1,518
    0
    Location:
    Spokane, WA
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    While I agree that an upper-body workout is a good thing, and my exercise regime is less than ideal without it, I cannot use ellipticals. They put my feet too far apart.

    I have a NordicTrac machine, which I used for a long time but don't use these days, though that gives a good upper-body workout. And I have both a treadmill and a stationary bike, both of which I use regularly. Also the Bowflex, which I'm not using now because of my shoulders, but which I expect to resume using at some point.

    I'm not looking to buy any more exercise equipment right now.

    People lose weight on Atkins, too. For a while. Then they put the weight back on. And the diet is harmful to their health because it is so unbalanced. There's also the placebo effect. Any scheme you can come up with for eating less will work for some people, just because they expect it to. But the bottom line is that the only way to lose weight and remain healthy is to burn more calories than you eat. Drugs (like amphetamine or ephedra) that cause you to burn more calories, do serious damage to your body. This leaves exercise as the only healthy way to burn calories, and limiting your portion size as the only way to consume less.

    Beyond that, there are many strategies to stay on track, which work for different people. WW works for me. OA works for some. NutriSystems may work for some, though I didn't like it.

    Pills or injections are never a healthy way to lose weight; most don't even work; and those that work will leave you putting the weight back on.

    Thanks, Justin. It's hard, but not a thousandth part as hard as what you're going through! I think I speak for everyone here when I say we admire your courage and fortitude immensely.

    My aunt had her own "special" diet: She ate exactly the same things she always did, but half as much. I'm glad you managed to get back to your desired weight. You lost the same amount I needed to. I'm inspired by that.

    Ever since I cut dairy fats out of my diet, a few years after quitting meat, I've eaten a diet that has ranged from extremely healthy to reasonably healthy. My downfall has been portion size. I need two things to beat that: I need to be exercising regularly, which is easy for me since I'm an exercise addict, though injuries play havoc with my attempts at dieting; and I need the support of some kind of structured program, which at present WW is providing for me. I'm only 8 pounds over my goal today, and that's a small enough difference that I'd be okay if I stayed here. But there's something to be said for going all the way, and for summer hiking up in B.C., every pound makes a difference. I noticed a big difference this summer, and I'm going to be even lighter next summer.

    Sundays are my weigh-in day at WW, though I weigh myself every day at home. And today I was down a pound from last week, and only up half a pound from what I was after summer hiking, when I had some difficulty getting back on the program and gained 2 or 3 pounds.
     
  7. davesrose

    davesrose Active Member

    Joined:
    Aug 27, 2010
    767
    164
    0
    Location:
    Atlanta
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    Humm...even though you previously claimed it's been a valid diet for over 50 years. :rolleyes: If such was the case, why then is there an obesity "epidemic" now? You keep showing you're the type to believe in any magic bullet. Successful diet plans that seem most effective are ones that effects the person's lifestyle: whether it's becoming more active and/or consuming less calories.
     
  8. ursle

    ursle Gas miser

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2006
    1,049
    192
    0
    Location:
    NH
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Four

    Ahhh, the heart of the matter, exercising is relative, yes, it's great for the heart and bones but unless your intake is controlled, exercise is going to increase your intake, unless you have the will power to not eat more, which is the point, eat less...
    If you have the will to exercise more and not increase the amount you eat, great, you will lose weight, but, why not use your superhuman will power to control your intake without exercising?

    Now___ that you can control your weight, exercising is tremendous for the body and mind(better blood flow), make sure you increase your caloric intake because of the body mass you're burning while exercising.

    Exercise will keep you trim if you watch your diet, when you stop exercising(environment,health) how are you going to control your diet?

    Why treat the symptom, treat the cause, eat less.

    common sense, not rocket science,jmho
     
  9. davesrose

    davesrose Active Member

    Joined:
    Aug 27, 2010
    767
    164
    0
    Location:
    Atlanta
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    Your appetite is not dependant on your activity level: it's not a correlation that the more you exercise the more you'll crave. Anecdotally, I've found the opposite with myself. When I got into regular 2 mile a day runs, I found my appetite went down. There's a balance when it comes to diet and exercise that's healthy. More Americans can elect to walk a little longer or take the stairs to improve their health...that is more prevalent then people developing joint problems from over-exercise.
     
  10. Pinto Girl

    Pinto Girl New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 14, 2006
    3,093
    350
    0
    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    One thing about biking to work: It's not necessary to ride at maximum possible speed, like when you're riding for a workout. Ride more slowly. Get a commuter bike with panniers for your stuff, to avoid the backpack/sweaty back syndrome. I cover approximately 10 miles each way to work; it takes only a few minutes more on my slow bike and I don't have to shower and do a complete change of clothes when I get there.

    As far as a 'real' bike vs. a stationary one...well, riding on the roads is lots more dangerous, for sure. But I'm a motion junkie; anything that gives me that feeling of moving turns me on. For that reason, sometimes it's difficult for me to ride slowly. Thing is, it's even worse if I'm at home, staring at a wall while I ride a stationary bike.

    I ran for a few years when I was younger but I'm not really built for it. I suppose that I'm one of the other 20% who wouldn't trade her body type. I'm tall and have a larger frame, and I like it that way.
     
  11. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2004
    14,487
    1,518
    0
    Location:
    Spokane, WA
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    "Common sense" is not always correct. It's "common sense" that if I exercise more I'll eat more. But in fact that's not what happens. Like davesrose, when I am exercising more than some critical amount, my appetite comes more into line with a healthy quantity of food.

    It's hard for me to quantify where that critical point comes, but when I get sick or hurt and am unable to exercise, I get hungrier, and it is much more difficult to moderate my eating.

    When I go hiking up in Canada in the summer, I spend between 5 and 7 hours on the trail on a typical day. I walk between ten and twenty-odd kilometers, and I gain between 1,500 and 4,000 feet of elevation in a day. I make no attempt to "diet" except that I limit myself to one cookie or brownie or similar in my lunch pack, and most days I ask for fruit instead of the pastry for dessert at supper. And I don't gain weight. That exercise brings my appetite into proportion with my actual calorie needs. Yet when I am at home, exercising 2 1/2 to 5 hours a week, I have to struggle to lose weight or maintain, and when I'm unable to exercise I feel hungry all day long even if I'm overeating.

    Exercise is critical for maintaining the metabolic balance between calories required and appetite.

    Obesity is as much a disease of sedentary living as of overeating.
     
  12. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2005
    15,232
    1,562
    0
    Location:
    off into the sunset
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    As for personal anecdotes, I find my appetite changes considerably with exercise levels. It's also decreased with age. Sitting around working on the computer all day, my stomach tells me when it's mealtime, and I don't get overly hungry. I've cut out my usual 'bedtime snack' of a large bowl of cereal, because I just don't need it any more. When young and active, say on a bike tour, I could eat a large pizza by myself for lunch, and then have several hundred calories worth of snacks while deciding what to make for dinner. My Mother always warned me that I'd wake up one morning and suddenly be 400 pounds, yet I've never in my life had a BMI that was considered overweight. If only I could sell my metabolism....:rolleyes:
     
  13. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2004
    14,487
    1,518
    0
    Location:
    Spokane, WA
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    A bit of a milestone today. Lowest weight this year, which means lowest weight in several years. After the summer hiking season my weight hit a low of 141.2 lbs., just about six pounds over my interim goal of 135. When I hit 135 I plan on going to maintenance to let my body get accustomed to what will be a healthy weight, before trying for my long-term goal of 130, which is what I used to weigh back when I was jogging 20 miles a week.

    Anyway, with just 2 1/2 weeks between trips, I did not get back on the program and I gained a few pounds. A month or so ago (shortly before starting this thread) I got my eating back under control, and a couple of weeks ago Weight Watchers revised downwards the minimum amount they recommend eating so that my daily "points plus" target went from 29 to 26. (The heavier you are, the more you can eat. But 29 was the lowest they recommended for anyone, until the new revision.)

    So this morning, at 140.8 lbs., I am finally below the lowest weight I had reached after the hiking season. Which means my lowest weight since beginning this program. At this rate, in a week or two I should get my twenty-pound award, and be just 5 pounds away from my interim goal.

    It took me about a month to lose the first 5 lbs., and another month to lose the next 5 lbs. But it took me two months after that to lose the next 5 lbs., and with this summer's backsliding (and the fact that I was not trying to lose weight while hiking or on my snorkeling-with-dolphins trip) this 5 lbs. looks like taking about another six months. I'm aiming for about two months for the next 5. Losing weight too fast is not healthy, and in fact diets that promise too-fast weight loss are either lying or damaging your health. WW says that 1/2 to 2 lbs. per week is a healthy rate of weight loss, and I would add that the higher number is for people who have more weight to lose. The closer you get to your right weight, the slower you will lose if you are following a healthy plan.

    Anyway, just wanted to share this minor milestone.
     
  14. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

    Joined:
    Aug 14, 2006
    19,011
    4,080
    50
    Location:
    Grass Valley, CA.
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Daniel, I assume you are doing body fat tests as well? So this extra weight is not just muscle mass?

    Congrats to you though. It's always good to see someone set a goal and work hard to achieve it. You can do it, my friend. :)
     
  15. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2004
    15,140
    611
    0
    Location:
    South Puget Sound, WA
    Vehicle:
    2013 Nissan LEAF
    Model:
    Persona
    daniel; you are doing a great job and keep in mind that losing weight is basically eliminating a percentage of body fat either thru burning it or converting it to muscle. so its the % loss is what you want to look at. losing 2½ lbs a month when close to your goal is actually more impressive than losing 5 lbs at the beginning of the program.

    for example if you started at 155 with a goal of 135.

    losing 5 lbs of the 20 is a 25% goal at the beginning, but losing 2½ lbs from 142½ to 140 (ish) with a goal of 135 is losing 33% of the REMAINING weight.

    i would expect your weight loss to slow down and dont let that get you down as that is exactly how it should. this also gives your body more time to acclimate
     
  16. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2004
    14,487
    1,518
    0
    Location:
    Spokane, WA
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    I actually started at 160 this time. Lately I've been only losing about 1/3 pound per week, which IMO is a bit slow, though any loss is in the right direction. But I think that with the new daily points target (as WW recognized that for people in my weight category the old target was too high) I should be able to lose half a pound a week. WW says that 1/2 to 2 pounds per week is healthy. Weight watchers has a whole scientific division that studies diet, and they revise their program as new evidence comes in, making it constantly better and better.

    I've never had my body fat tested by underwater weighing, but I've had skin-fold measurement and electrical resistance measurement, and everything suggests that at 135 pounds my body fat percentage is healthy, and at 130 it is still within healthy limits. The old height/weight charts would allow me to be 125 and still be healthy, considering my light bone structure and that I don't have a lot of muscle.

    Oh, and my doctor agrees that 130 is a good healthy goal. But as I said, I plan on holding it at 135 for a while before trying to lose the last 5.

    Weight watchers is a life-long plan, and in fact it's free after you reach your goal. The program for weight maintenance is basically the same as for weight loss, but with a higher daily points target.
     
  17. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2004
    15,140
    611
    0
    Location:
    South Puget Sound, WA
    Vehicle:
    2013 Nissan LEAF
    Model:
    Persona
    first thing that came to mind is an article i read about a company who provided data for Insurance companies and such where "ideal" weights for Americans were revised upwards due to too many Americans falling outside the median ranges, so instead of encouraging Americans to lose weight (a losing battle at best!!) they simply made the chart fit the demographic!

    funny
     
  18. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2004
    14,487
    1,518
    0
    Location:
    Spokane, WA
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    I suspect the idea was not to actually fit the demographic, but to try to find recommendations that Americans would be willing to shoot for. The logic being you do more good if you recommend 10 lbs over and get some people to get there, rather than recommend zero lbs over and nobody even tries.

    I think the same thing happened with the American Heart Association's recommendation for percentage of calories from fat. Rather than recommend an ideal number, they recommend a higher number that they think they can convince Americans to shoot for.

    The definition of obese is 20% over your healthy weight. America is so fat that we see someone who is obese and we think they are "normal." We see someone who is grossly obese and we thing they are fat. We don't think "obese" until a person is morbidly obese. And when we look at a person who is at an ideal weight for health, we think they are skinny.

    People constantly tell me "Don't worry about gaining weight. t's normal to gain weight as you get older." Well, in America it's normal. But it's not healthy. I've been fat and I've been healthy-thin. And I can testify that it FEELS one whole hell of a lot better to be thin.
     
  19. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2008
    11,627
    2,530
    8
    Location:
    Southwest Colorado
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Two
    exactamundo
     
  20. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2008
    11,627
    2,530
    8
    Location:
    Southwest Colorado
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Two
    From what Daniel has written, I think the two of us have similar frames. I am 5' 6", small boned, and when I accumulate weight it goes to my trunk. Until age 40 or so I never gave much thought to weight control because exercise kept me thin. Not the 124 pounds thin of adolescence, but 130 - 135 pounds. Then my shoulders rebelled at the hours playing squash and racketball with poor technique, and I have been gaining weight slowly but surely ever since even though my diet has improved considerably. Sedentary lifestyle and a tendency to eat large portions of food were the causes.

    These past two weeks I have shock dieted involuntarily due to illness and now weigh 132 pounds. I am going to try and at least stabilize at this weight through resumption of exercise using an elliptical (and maybe running, which I used to enjoy a lot) and forced portion size restriction. I presume my muscle mass is less than when I was young, so even 124 pounds is overweight for me, but if I stabilize in the 12x range I'll call it victory.

    While weight gain is all too common as we age, it is neither 'natural' or healthy or advised.