Training & Nutrition - Weight Loss Club

40 years old, 165 pounds, 5'8" 14 in arms, 40 in chest...need to drop about 7-10 pounds, or until 30-31 inch pants fit respectably again. Seems like the last couple pounds are taking FOREVER!

That's all right John, you'll get there!

Hello everyone! Just doing the post-holiday check in -- oh, the pain!! I weighed myself this morning and I'm at 165. I want to get down to 155 in 2005 and gain muscle.

I'm going to be 30 this year, and it is amazing how your body changes as you age. In high school and college I could eat whatever I wanted and never gained weight. Not anymore! My sister and I were talking about it over Christmas, and we agree that it's not being 10 pounds overweight that bothers us, it's more that we don't want to gain 10 pounds a decade and be 30 pounds overweight when we're 50! Best to nip it in the bud.

Anyway, my goal for 2005 is to lose one pound a month. That sounds *so easy* -- so it should keep me motivated!!

Gradstudent, It's do-able! Don't lose your drive. If it's any help, you can see that I have a lot further to go than you do. But it's the same plan for all of us. More calories burned then ingested = Weight loss. Go for it, because I'm living proof of what can happen if you don't nip it in the bud. As we age, it get's harder to lose it too. Visit The Tour De Pants (www.tourdepants.com) to see my progress and remember... Live Strong!

OK, count me in on this club!

I've been needing to drop some serious weight for a while now, and I've been putting off getting seroius about it for a number of lame reasons. I'm 5'9", and have fluxuated between 209 and 214 for the last six months or so.

I have been riding to work every day (3x per week) @ 9.5 miles each way, for the last three weeks, and TRY to get out for a weekend ride 20+ miles when I can (read: I live with my girlfriend and we always have things going on.) Between the three days a week that I work, and going to school (3 classes starting Monday 1/3) I'm a bit busy during daylight hours.

So, I bought a trainer from Performance (Fluid2) yesterday and am awaiting it's arrival so I can do a bit of working out after everyone else goes to sleep.

Any tips or thoughts on things I can do are appreciated, inlcuding where I can find training DVDs (Spinervals, Train Right, etc) new or used at inexpensive prices.

Thanks all!

Ron

Welcome aboard Ron! VIVA LA PANTS!

Hello all...I've been reading this thread and I am very impressed with the success some of you have had.

Here is a bit of my story...I started a program just recently. My goal is to cycle and lose weight. My routine presently is cycle/stationary bike and treadmill. I'm hoping to reach my weight loss goal by June.

I look forward to reading more here......

-Carol

Welcome Metro1! You'll like this place. VIVA LA PANTS!

Here we go!


First weigh-in of 2005.


Current weight........= 225lbs

Max weight............= 340lbs

Target/goal weight...= 180lbs (by August 24, 2005)

Distance to goal......= 45lbs


And so it begins.

Welcome to the new folks on the thread! Good luck! We look forward to hearing from you all!


Bob

Hey guys, I'm new to the boards and am a MTB guy. Just bought my first road bike for fitness reasons and hope to lose about 25lbs. Now if I could just get that eating healthy thing down!!!!

255 now, 180 soon, was 308= 75 to go! VIVA LA PANTS!

I'm depressed! Just found out I'm up to 215 after getting down to 203 over the summer. Acoording to the Tanita scale I'm 20% bodyfat but I want to be around 10. I would be really happy if I could get to and remain 190-195. Got any tips? I rode 4500 miles last year and I plan on upping the mileage this year. It seems every year I get down to ~203 and then over the winter I bounce up to ~215

Hey MKRG! Don't sweat the bounce up in weight. I was down to 214lbs in July. Then, I had a bad crash and could only do commuting miles. I have slowly inched up to 225lbs that I am today. Weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint. So, if you look at it in that way, ups and downs are part of the journey. I know sometimes it is hard to accept. Just try to keep your mind around this concept.


On another note. I hit the gym today. Free weights are what I have. I am struggling to make my use of them as consistant as I did the bike during the summer. I am training to ride Logan Pass on the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park this spring/summer. So I really need to get over the oversion to the weight room! URGH!

I don't have a trainer or rollers yet, so I did 15 minutes on the wife's ski machine. I found it to be almost useless for me. I couldn't get my HR up into the aerobic zone. :(

Oh well, I guess it was better than no workout at all.

Good luck everyone! Keep at'r! Only 5 more months until good riding weather...LOL

Bob

:eek: An appropiate start to a post I really don't want to make. Man was I ever duped by the old scales. My previous post will now be updated...
Now = 280.5 pounds
Goal = 180 pounds
Heaviest = 308 pounds
Pounds to go = 100.5 pounds
I WILL do this! VIVA LA PANTS! :D

Ok. Here is the ULTIMATE accountability. Not something I would normally do! However, I am very dedicated to reaching and maintaining my goal weight. So......

The following is a link to my public Weight loss journal on FitDay.com. You will be able to see the foods I eat, good and bad, and the activities, or lack of them, I do daily. I think this is a great tool to help track and to help keep me motivated! Thanks to dplex for turning me on to this site.

N7CZinMT's FitDay Weight Loss Journal! (http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJournals.html?Owner=N7CZinMT)

So, how about you weight loss junkies! Lets see your public journals on Fitday!

Bob

Way to go Ron! :beer:

C'mon ya'll! No other takers? Lets make 2005 the year we reach our goals together!

Hey Zin, You know where all my stuff is... Let's see if we can egg on any others. C'mon guys and girls! 2005 is the year to be alive! Did you see that the Mag man has joind the RoadBears? Pedal! Pedal! Pedal!
VIVA LA PANTS! http://www.tourdepants.com :D

Well, I have new motivation to pedal away the pounds. My wife informed me last week that she wants me to participate in http://www.bikethewest.com/OATBRAN.html 2006. She asked if I could make it this year and I said probably not, but 2006 is possible. This means, of course, that I will need a multi geared road bike and all, which is motivation in itself, as I love doing mechanical work and will build my own Surly Long Haul Trucker. Gotta keep going!

Sounds like you've got your work cut out for you! VIVA LA PANTS!

C'mon ya'll! No other takers? Lets make 2005 the year we reach our goals together!

Ok I will bite. I put on some weight last year with my no xc riding. I think this year I have to get more km's in just pedalling and start at the gym. Just bought a new weight set and have been on the trainer (too much snow to ride)...although I am likely a little different then some of you as I don't want to be thin. I have a lot of muscle from my football days and I wanna lean down.

weight 280
bf % 20%
lean mass 220ish

I would like to get down to a lean 245 to 250, mostly get rid of my gut and work my climbing weight down so I can xc a little better. Hopefully without loosing muscle. :)

come spring I want to up my miles and stick to dh 2 days a week and xc 2 days a week. (sorry I can't stop dh...I love it ;))

I will keep the update going.

Wore a pair of 31 in waist pants into work for the first time in months...woohoo

Wow! That's a major accomplishment! Congratulations! :) I still have around eleven inches to go before proclaiming that particular victory, but I will do it! 2005, what a great year to be alive! VIVA LA PANTS!

Hi I have not posted very much I weigh 280 and am 6' 6" want to get down to 235 I have started spinning 30 to 40 min. daily and weights 3 times a week. My ride to work is about 12 km one way but with this bad weather and my marrage braking up I have a hard time getting it together.

Any activity , more than your "regular routine" will eventually lead to weight loss. Just be happy you only have 45 pounds/ kilos to go... You could be like me and have 100! :) Best wishes with your sucess!

OK, I'm in. Came up short on my year end goal of 185.

7/15/2003 - 258
01/08/2005 - 193
new goal is 175 by May 22, 2005.

This date is the 2 year anniversary of when my doctor sat me down and strongly urged me to find some way to lose weight. He was firm but polite. After I left his office I walked across the street to visit my dad in the hospital. By the time I got there he had passed away from heart failure. I think the light came on. Both my parents have spent their whole being obese. I saw first hand the really bad effect it had on their health. I don't mean for this to sound like a downer.

We are making choices about our health that will have great benefits in the future.

new goal is 175 by May 22, 2005.

This date is the 2 year anniversary of when my doctor sat me down and strongly urged me to find some way to lose weight. He was firm but polite. After I left his office I walked across the street to visit my dad in the hospital. By the time I got there he had passed away from heart failure. I think the light came on. Both my parents have spent their whole being obese. I saw first hand the really bad effect it had on their health. I don't mean for this to sound like a downer.

We are making choices about our health that will have great benefits in the future.

Great work so far Rocky, you'll meet your goal weight..no doubt!

I'm sorry to hear about your father's passing, I learned what that's like first had this past September. My father passed away in his sleep (shouldn't we all be that lucky?) also from heart failure. He too was obese, and I definitely want a better life than to have to die so young because of bad choices I've made in my past.

Keep it up, and email/IM anytime!

Ron

Rocky -- What an accomplishment you've made by losing over 60 pounds last year!! That is fantastic! I'm sure you're an inspiration to the people around you who watched the changes you've made.

Good luck reaching your new goal!

-GS

I am 230 lbs wanting to go down to 170. I was thinking of setting a target date of six months to reach my goal. Roughly 2 pounds a week. Does this sound like an attainable goal?

Thanks Ritz with your kindness and your quote I think that you can do anything that you set your mind to. I am going to try to my best not to let things that I can't control worry me and work on the things that I can control like my weight.

In response to cdnguy


If you eat right and exercise, then definitly! I was 230 and started to lose weight back in August and am now 174, very close to my 170 goal which I had originaly planned on getting to by May, but it actualy went much quicker then I had planned.

Lone Rider, I know that a lot of things can come along and bum us out, but like you said, don't worry... you added... about things you can't control, But consider stoping at those two words... Don't Worry. Read Matthew 6 when you get the chance, it might just make you feel a little better. Visit my website too for encouragement! http://www.tourdepants.com .

The great thing about losing 1-2 pounds a week is that the method you use soon becomes a habit. My plan was basically to maintain about a 500 calorie a day deficit and ride my bike for exercise. I figured that it took
20 years to put on the weight, so I would reverse the process. So far so good. Oh, and I just bought a pair
of 36 pants this weekend. Been a long time since I could fit into that size.

Your right Ritz I find that since I have started going back to church I am more @ peace with myself. The funny thing is I get the same feeling when I am riding. Maybe I should start my Sunday rides from the church parking lot when I am not working .

Not wanting to freak anyone out, some folks get offended by talk of our faith, I'll just say this... You are not alone! When I get the chance to ride and attend services in the same day, the only way to describe the sensation is...Sublime! Peace Brother. WWW.TOURDEPANTS.COM .

All right, I think I'm going to join this club. I need all the help I can get. I weighed myself this morning and I've hit 213, which is the heaviest I've ever been. I'm 5'11" and should probably weigh somewhere is the range of 170 or so. I turn 30 this year and I've made it my goal to be in better shape at 30 than I was at 20. Although I was skinny at 20 (probably 130 or so) I wasn't in great shape, so I think this goal is attainable.

Anyway, I'd like to get to 170 by September 2 (my birthday), but it's going to take a lot of work. Does anyone here have advice on cutting out junk food? That's my Achilles heal. I drink way too much Coke and eat too much of things like potato chips and other salty snacks. I also used to eat McDonald's and crap like that way too often, but since New Year's I haven't eaten fast food. I've tried cutting back on the Coke and snacks, but it seems like an addiction. I just can't do it for a sustained period of time. Whenever my stress level goes up, I talk myself into believing I "deserve" something I like, and before you know it I'm overeating again.

Part of the problem may be that like some others in this thread, I used to be really skinny and could eat anything and everything I wanted. I used to actually have a really hard time gaining weight. I think that period allowed me to develop really bad eating habits, which are now hard to shake.

Advice?

Part of the problem may be that like some others in this thread, I used to be really skinny and could eat anything and everything I wanted. I used to actually have a really hard time gaining weight. I think that period allowed me to develop really bad eating habits, which are now hard to shake.

Advice?

Welcome to the club!

I think your comment above about developing bad eating habits hits the nail on the head for me. What we don't realize when we are younger is that we can almost eat anything we want an stay fit because of the energy we burn off throughout the day. Hell, I'd pass out if I tried to run as much as I did when I was a kid. ;)

As far as tips go to avoid eating junk foods, etc. The best piece of advice I could give you is to LITERALLY plan out your days food. I eat healthier/smaller meals five times a day (every three hours.) My second and forth meals are usually something like a protein bar or shake (shakes are very filling), or rice cakes. I was surprised to find that they are making rice cakes now in various flavors, many of which have enough sweetness to them to curb my sweet craving after lunch (this is where meal/snack #4 comes in.) I didn't eat as I should have this past weekend, but I still stayed under 2500 calories.

Make sure you have your food for the whole day ready, if you can't take it with you, make sure you are going someplace that will make it easy on you to make a GOOD decision (read: NOT McDonald's.) This should help a great deal.

One other thing I would do is keep track of your intake, and output. A few of us in this group use www.fitday.com this site, which is extremely easy to use to keep track of your daily routine. You have the option of making your profile public or not, so maybe it would help to have others check on it for you. Here's mine if you are interested:

Good luck with your goal!

Ron

Team853, You have made the most important step already, you acknowledge that you have a dependancy on junk food. Yea, it's starting to sound like a 12 step program, but it's the truth, once you have admitted that you have a problem, you are well on your way to fixing it. Congratulations! :D

Welcome to the club!

I think your comment above about developing bad eating habits hits the nail on the head for me. What we don't realize when we are younger is that we can almost eat anything we want an stay fit because of the energy we burn off throughout the day. Hell, I'd pass out if I tried to run as much as I did when I was a kid. ;)

As far as tips go to avoid eating junk foods, etc. The best piece of advice I could give you is to LITERALLY plan out your days food. I eat healthier/smaller meals five times a day (every three hours.) My second and forth meals are usually something like a protein bar or shake (shakes are very filling), or rice cakes. I was surprised to find that they are making rice cakes now in various flavors, many of which have enough sweetness to them to curb my sweet craving after lunch (this is where meal/snack #4 comes in.) I didn't eat as I should have this past weekend, but I still stayed under 2500 calories.

Make sure you have your food for the whole day ready, if you can't take it with you, make sure you are going someplace that will make it easy on you to make a GOOD decision (read: NOT McDonald's.) This should help a great deal.

One other thing I would do is keep track of your intake, and output. A few of us in this group use www.fitday.com this site, which is extremely easy to use to keep track of your daily routine. You have the option of making your profile public or not, so maybe it would help to have others check on it for you. Here's mine if you are interested:

Ron's FitDay.com Log (http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJournals.html?Owner=RON8O)

Good luck with your goal!

Ron

Thanks Ron,

Wow, that's an excellent tool. I created a profile and have begun tracking everything. I can already see where some of my problems lie, and they're not necessarily where I thought they were. For instance, while the can of Coke I had at lunch added 151 calories, the cheese in my sandwiches added well over 700! I can definitely see how this will help me control my calorie intake. Now I just need to work on controlling my cravings!

Anyway, my profile can be found here (http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJournals.html?Owner=Team%5F853).

Thanks again, I can't believe that's a free tool.

Team853, You have made the most important step already, you acknowledge that you have a dependancy on junk food. Yea, it's starting to sound like a 12 step program, but it's the truth, once you have admitted that you have a problem, you are well on your way to fixing it. Congratulations! :D

Thanks, but I think admitting the problem is going to be a lot easier than doing something about it. But I have a goal in mind and my intention is to get there this time. I'm eager to see how much easier climbing will be once I drop the weight!

Thanks Ron,

Wow, that's an excellent tool. I created a profile and have begun tracking everything. I can already see where some of my problems lie, and they're not necessarily where I thought they were. For instance, while the can of Coke I had at lunch added 151 calories, the cheese in my sandwiches added well over 700! I can definitely see how this will help me control my calorie intake. Now I just need to work on controlling my cravings!

Thanks again, I can't believe that's a free tool.

Yeah, I find it to be a great tool, and I'm even considering the purchase of their Fit PC version, which has more functionality to it. Looks pretty nice!

I've bookmarked your profile, and may check on it every so often. You should do the same with mine and chew me out when I've been bad. ;)

Has anyone in this club seen the movie "Super Size Me"? I'd be surprised if anyone who saw that continues to eat McDonald's. This may be the best way to avoid the McDonald's cravings...see the movie!

Ron

I haven't seen Super Size Me yet, but I'd like to. I've heard from those that have seen it that you'll never want to eat McDonald's again. To be honest, halfway through eating McDonald's food I feel like I never want to eat it again, but something about the smell always seems to draw me in. But not anymore, hopefully.

Oh, and I'll definitely check in on your progress from time to time. I think some accountability will definitely help me.

Hey Ron,

Is there anywhere on FitDay that offers a better description of the lifestyles? I chose Seated Work, with the intention of entering any exercise I do (like biking). But I wasn't sure if Seated Work, Some Movement might not be better.

Also, what's the deal with the weight descriptions? Based on my height (5'11") and weight (213), it says that I'm severely overweight. I don't think I (or anyone who knows me) would describe me as severely overweight. I need to lose weight, but when I think someone who's severely overweight, people like John Goodman come to mind.

Hey Ron,

Is there anywhere on FitDay that offers a better description of the lifestyles? I chose Seated Work, with the intention of entering any exercise I do (like biking). But I wasn't sure if Seated Work, Some Movement might not be better.

Also, what's the deal with the weight descriptions? Based on my height (5'11") and weight (213), it says that I'm severely overweight. I don't think I (or anyone who knows me) would describe me as severely overweight. I need to lose weight, but when I think someone who's severely overweight, people like John Goodman come to mind.

You will be able to enter multiple activities, I choose "Conditioning Exercise" for work I do on my bike/trainer, and of course Bicycling for any bike rides I go on. I think their descriptions leave a bit to be desired, but I just choose what I think is best for the type of work/out I've done for the day. Today for example, I have two entires, "Bicycling, stationary, 150 W, moderate effort" for 15 minutes, and "Bicycling, stationary, 200 W, vigorous effort" for 25 minutes. I really don't know how many Watts I'm pushing so it's really just your best judgement that counts. I personally always side with the lesser of the two, so it may possibly show that I've burned fewer calories than the next option. Take a look at my Activities (you can also go back over the days that have passed too) to see how I've done mine.

As far as falling in the "severly overweight" group, welcome to the club. Although we don't "feel" that overweight, according to practically every healthcare group and government agency out there, we are in fact overweight by a lot. They say a healthy BMI (Body Mass Index) is 20-25, mine is 30.4. The BMI is just one more way to see how you are doing with your weight loss, it's calculated by multiplying your height in inches by itself (mine: 69 x 69 = 4761), then divide your weight by that number (mine: 206 / 4761 = .0432), then multiply that number by 703 (mine: .0432 x 703 = 30.37.)

Email anytime!

Ron

You will be able to enter multiple activities, I choose "Conditioning Exercise" for work I do on my bike/trainer, and of course Bicycling for any bike rides I go on. I think their descriptions leave a bit to be desired, but I just choose what I think is best for the type of work/out I've done for the day. Today for example, I have two entires, "Bicycling, stationary, 150 W, moderate effort" for 15 minutes, and "Bicycling, stationary, 200 W, vigorous effort" for 25 minutes. I really don't know how many Watts I'm pushing so it's really just your best judgement that counts. I personally always side with the lesser of the two, so it may possibly show that I've burned fewer calories than the next option. Take a look at my Activities (you can also go back over the days that have passed too) to see how I've done mine.

As far as falling in the "severly overweight" group, welcome to the club. Although we don't "feel" that overweight, according to practically every healthcare group and government agency out there, we are in fact overweight by a lot. They say a healthy BMI (Body Mass Index) is 20-25, mine is 30.4. The BMI is just one more way to see how you are doing with your weight loss, it's calculated by multiplying your height in inches by itself (mine: 69 x 69 = 4761), then divide your weight by that number (mine: 206 / 4761 = .0432), then multiply that number by 703 (mine: .0432 x 703 = 30.37.)

Email anytime!

Ron

The problem I have with BMI is that it's way too simplistic. According to the BMI, just about every running back in the NFL is severely overweight. Now, I'm not saying I'm like a running back from the NFL, but you get the idea. Only accounting for weight and height doesn't accurately tell the whole story.

Having said all that, it's just a label and I know I need to drop the weight, so I'm not going to worry about it. With any luck I'll be out of that category in a few weeks anyway!

Thanks!

All right, I think I'm going to join this club. I need all the help I can get.

Congrats on making the decision to change your life! And that is basically what it's all about. I'm not a believer in the word "Diet"....it's a lifestyle change big time. I think what works for some may not work for others but sometimes you can take a part of what someone may say as advice and incorporate that into your "new" lifestyle.

I changed my life as of three months ago and I have lost 30lbs., to date. But with my lifestyle change came other decisions too. I was in a very negative relationship that I had to remove myself from. And since that decision I've taken on a more positive attitude towards my health and well being.

Today I eat foods which give me energy. And not the sugar laden, high fat foods from the past.
My plan may sound a bit extreme to some but it's what works for me.
For breakfast I usually have oatmeal (not the instant kind....loaded with sugar and preservatives)and a yogurt and a banana.
For lunch and dinner I have salad....not just boring old lettuce...salads can have substance....I will mix in garbanzo beans, or another type of bean, canned/fresh red salmon, beets etc....be creative.
I'm not big on chicken or red meat. And I drink lots of water. Although a large percentage of water comes from the foods you eat. So you don't really need to over do the water quota. I use to drink soda all the time. But since I have cut it out, I don't crave it any longer.

I also keep "trigger" foods out of my house. Those are things like cheese, ice-cream, chips, soda, etc... in general any kind of 'junk'. Some people believe in moderation. I'm the type of person that just avoids the trigger foods altogether.
I also try to eat at least 4/5 other veggies and fruits a day. And take a multi-vitamin.
And of course the other "change" was more activity. I've added cycling, treadmill, (when it's nice I hit the trails outdoors) and free weights. I found out just moving gets your metabolism going. Which then becomes the furnace to burn the fat.
A book I would like to recommend is called: The Healthy Heart Miracle written by Gabe Mirkin, M.D. I think this book saved my life.
Good luck!

I'm curious, how often does everyone here jump on the scale to check their weight?

Am I the only person that likes to wait long periods of time (a few weeks) in between weighings? My logic is that if I check myself daily, and I only see a small decrease one day, then small increase, then small decrease, I feel like it's too small of a jump. No, I'm not in a hurry to lose my weight (although it would be nice ot have it GONE), it just helps me stay motivated by seeing larger differences each time I get on the scale. Make sense?

After winter break, I checked it see my current weight, and nearly started crying. Lets just say that I have since repurposed and am back to strict dieting and more cycling.

I'm curious, how often does everyone here jump on the scale to check their weight?

Am I the only person that likes to wait long periods of time (a few weeks) in between weighings? My logic is that if I check myself daily, and I only see a small decrease one day, then small increase, then small decrease, I feel like it's too small of a jump. No, I'm not in a hurry to lose my weight (although it would be nice ot have it GONE), it just helps me stay motivated by seeing larger differences each time I get on the scale. Make sense?

I check just about every morning at the same time, mostly because the curiousity gets to me. I can understand why you'd wait though. Seeing little change from one day to the next can be discouraging.

Once a day, Just because.