Fifty Plus (50+) - What's your weight loss experience?

This is obviously directed to those who have already lost weight.

Although there many times I've attempted to lose weight, I've been successful with major loss three times.

For some reason I've managed to enter cycle #4: I'm 5' 10" and on New Years weighed a gut-popping 215 :eek:

I've now turned into a calorie-counting fanatic and have gotten my weight down to 205 or so. My target is 185. I could stand to lose even more but in the past going much below 185 elicits comments about what kind of chemotherapy I'm on or when will the divorce be final.

I'm hoping that I will notice a big difference, especially when approaching my bete noir: the Evil Forces of Gravity, aka hills.

I'm not interested in racing but I think this is the year I need to conquer the 100 mile (in one day :))
mark.

Any thoughts? There's a thread on the 41 about this topic but I never believe much of what anyone says over here. I can trust my testosterone-depleted friends over here, except for two of you.

I'm 5' 11". Over the years I'd slowly creeped up to 205. From doing a bit of research and common-sense, fad diets don't work so went the calories route. A nutritionist friend told me to limit to 1800c per day and at least 28g fiber per day to lose weight and then about 2100 - 2500 (same fiber) to maintain my weight depending on how much riding/skiing I was doing. As she stated, this isn't a diet, but a lifestyle change - forever. For past 4 years I've hovered between 155 and 165 which is a healthy weight for me (and does make a huge diff on hills).

I was about 215 when diagnosed with colon cancer in 2003. I got down to about 190 (involuntarily) as a result of surgeries and chemo, then got back up to around 200. I got serious about cycling and got down to 182, then floated back to about 205. My goal now is to get back to 185 by my birthday in September.

Gaining weight is like borrowing money - quick and easy to do, slow and tough to undo.

Completely correct about the comments you get when the weight is off. When I was at my lowest weight, my cycling was at it's best, I felt the best, but there were lots of rumors going around about being sick again.

I've lost about 35 with another 10 to go. The nutritionist I go to says that getting it off is the easy part :-(

And she says that long term studies show that the two things that people who keep their weight off have in common: 1)report in somewhere regularly to weigh in--at least monthly, weekly is better; and 2) keep a food journal and write down everything you eat when you eat it. Everything else is just blowing smoke.

I've noticed that the hills aren't quite so high, lately and that the folks who used to run away from me have slowed down a bit.....

I was 230 3 years ago and through diet and exercise am down to 175. I don't really diet but I make at least one meal a day a large spinach salad. I also drink a lot of water, am aware of the type of food I eat, cut back on coffee and have a glass of wine every day. The holidays are my nemesis..

Five years ago I dropped from 230 to 200 in about 6 months by limiting carbs and adopting basically a Mediterranean style diet (also similar to South Beach) and by riding more frequently. Counting calories just doesn't fit my wiring, but I am sure my caloric intake dropped by eating less calorie dense foods.

I'm 6'2" and weigh 165. I lost 60 pounds over a period of time and have kept it off.

My situation is a bit unusual. My work is about 8 hours from home in Louisiana, and I have an apartment in northwest AR. In the beginning of this strange sojourn, I didn't have a lot to do, so I brought my old mountain bike (Specialized Hardrock) out of retirement and began riding. Because I am lazy and a cheapskate, I began to eat frozen diet meals (supper) available at the Wally World, Campbell's soup (dinner [lunch for you yankees]), and an oatmeal, flax, oat bran, honey, walnut gemisch for breakfast. All of this stuff is fairly cheap, it can be nuked, and there's little to clean afterward.

I began to enjoy riding more and more, but finally I recognized that if one is going to ride on the road, one should have a proper road bike. I got Ol' Fuj, and my mileage increased a bunch. Between the miles and my lazy/miserly eating habits, I lost the 60 lbs and have yet to find them, thank goodness! My goal with the cycling was not to lose weight but to stay sane while living solo most of the time.

I've lost enough weight that my dear bride of 40 years says I am too skinny and appear as if I had escaped from a concentration camp. My mother, all 94 years of her, shares those same sentiments. I prefer to think of my physique as that of a hot cyclist with "Lance Legs". At least that's what I tell the Mrs. and the Mom in rebuttal to their assertions.

When I realized that I had lost significant weight, I began to pay attention to caloric content of foods, % fat etc., but I've never actually counted calories, fat grams or anything else. I've given up soft drinks, chocolate, Cheezits, and fast food except for an occasional trip to Popeye's. I'll admit to eating well when I go back to Louisiana, but I take the bike as well. For all intents and purposes, I gave up alcohol years ago. I still have a thimble full for medicinal purposes once in a blue moon, but that's about it.

Since I was in Louisiana for two weeks for Christmas and New Years, I ate, and I put on some weight. It's coming down gradually. Were it not for several inches of global warming and climate change, I would have been on the bike more in January and February, but Ol' Fuj and Slick don't do well on frozen surfaces.

Last summer, I got down to 159 lbs for a while. Mostly I stayed around 162 to 164.

I'm not sure I could make this work if I were back home full time.

My doctor, a smart alec young punk and a road cyclist, said I could tell the Mrs. I am not too skinny. Also, my cholesterol and other blood chemistry is in good shape.

Didn't mean to run on and on. Sorry about that.

Through the years, my weight has varied some, but not badly.
When I came to the US right after surviving 4 years of Nazi occupation in Europe I weighed in at a whopping 60 lbs at age 14 1/2.
Five years later volunteered for the US Air Force and was almost turned down for being too skinny. Weighed 108 lbs.
Twenty years later, my racing weight was 118.
Now at age 77, am a whopping 135 lbs. Weight has been as high as 140 lbs but it's not difficult to get back down to 135.
Am 5'7" tall and still ride 100+ miles a week.
Have bicycled over 300,000 miles and while I do not diet, when my weights sneaks up, I just cut out dessert. Do eat meat and lots of veggies/fruit.
Also, since I retired and do not burn near as many calories as when I worked, my food intake is abou half of what it used to be.
Believe eating good food (no McD's except their Sr. coffee) and keeping physically active keeps my weight down to where I am comfortable.
Rudy/zonatandem

Although some, no, most, will tout this or that "diet" and claim great results there is only one way to lose weight; assuming you have weight to lose. That is to have a calorie deficit. In other words; make sure the calories burned are more than the calories consumed.

Over the long term, not some short term crash thing, to maintain acceptable weight and fitness one must have a healthy lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle includes exercise and nutrition. (The word "diet" is actually a word of death as we use it).

For years I was able to maintain my weight and fitness at acceptable levels. Then, I changed work and social settings. I felt I was a bit fat and soft but persuaded myself I actually was doing fine. My reference was to look at others around me. A fitness exercise gave me a wake up call. It wasn't that I was doing good. It was that the overwhelming majority of the people I saw on the street were doing so bad.

I started biking. I rode spin bike in the winter and on off days during the summer. I also took up serious weight lifting to build muscle mass and with it more strength and endurance. I changed my food intake back to high protein, low fat and finished out my calorie allowance with complex carbohydrates. This eliminated about 85% of everything in the supermarket. All this staying within my calorie allowance.

The result is that over 2 years I lost 20#, increased my fitness to the point I can easily ride 25 miles over hill and dale with a lolngest so far of 55+ miles in 3 1/2 hours. I am well on the way to taking off another 10# and riding my first century this summer. I have concentrated on fitness and not weight. The weight loss came along with the fitness.

To date I have never met, nor heard of, any person who did not do the same thing and who succeeded over the long term.

Face it most people are Fat and Unfit. Most people are looking for the quick fix; take a pill, use a short term diet, etc. In fact there is no substitute for good exercise and a proper diet with foods as close to nature as possible.

My initial thought is that you are trying to drop too much weight too fast. The principle of weight loss is the same no matter how you approach it. Burn more calories than you take in. You can loose weight without exercise. Smaller portions at meals. Dried fruit for snacks.

My own weight loss was 35 lbs over 8 months. Thus far I have kept the weight off for 5 years. The cycling helped but I would still be overweight had I kept eating and drinking as in the past.

One thing that helped me was to weigh myself multiple times a day. Not to see how much I had lost or gained but as a reminder about eating right. Even if racing is on your list of goals, if you drop the weight too fast you will be inclined to put it back on.

I'm 5' 9" and almost 60 years; was up to 185 lb. at one point, then seemed to plateau at about 165 for several years; now down to between 158 and 160, up and down very little from week to week.

I don't keep track of anything, calories wise. Miles wise, Jan. was 642, with 33,300 feet of climbing and that's up just a tad from last year. My blood pressure is low but not dangerously so, just light headed if I stand up too quickly.

My goal is 155 lbs., but I'm not fanatical about reaching it, just making what I consider a modest effort. The not-good thing is I still have 19% body fat. Have to work on that too!

Rick / OCRR

I'm hoping that I will notice a big difference, especially when approaching my bete noir: the Evil Forces of Gravity, aka hills.

Liteweight!:D....I use the hills to help me lose weight. If I set a goal for an event I'll watch what I eat somewhat and climb climb climb. I'll drop 25 lbs in 4 or 5 months.

If I control my intake alone, 10 lbs maybe, it's the climbing that helps me drop weight. I have too many friends that shy away from hills ill they hit target weight, never happens!:D. Heck, I just hit them and incorporate as part of the weight loss program!:thumb:

I thought about a reply, then I figured I'm probably one of the two so... never mind

I was 210 a year or so ago and started riding bikes almost everyday and dropped to 185 . My eating changed but I am on no diet, I just eat less than I did before and stopped sodas and snacks. ( well mostly)
I eat less "fast" food these days and cook my own meals now. Eat a lot of chicken type dinners.
I drink lots of water too.
I still have my days though where I eat too much but I love food. Oh and I still have brewskis too just in moderation.
As far as cycling goes, hills are no big deal anymore and yes I can see and feel the difference while climbing.
Try packing a 50/30 or whatever pound backpack on and do a climb. Much harder than with the pack off.

I can loose it as far out into the country as possible but it always finds it's way home before winter.

I thought about a reply, then I figured I'm probably one of the two so... never mind

No, you're not one of the Embellishers. Feel free to opine.

One interesting thing I noted, FWIW. It dawned on me yesterday that I no longer wake up with headaches, and that the headaches that have been plaguing me for years have gotten better. Perhaps it's my NSAID du jour (Lodine) but I wonder whether perhaps I have an element of obstructive sleep apnea that has gotten better with the weight loss.

My calorie restriction right now is a bit too severe, I would agree. I think I'm going to continue it until my weight is sub-Clydesdale and then liberalize it a bit.

The only diet that has worked for me is low-carb like the Atkins. Unfortunately, the last time I followed that diet I developed a kidney stone, which apparently is a risk with low-carb diets. My nemesis is my sweet tooth. I crave carbs and could get by just fine only eating them. I exercise a lot but my weight creeps up a little more every year. I've been thinking lately about following a low-carb diet just for a few months to get my weight back down, but I don't want any more kidney stones. All the advice about drinking lots of water, eating small meals more often, lots of fiber, etc., does nothing for me. I am hungry all of the time with any diet I have tried except Atkins. That is why the Atkins diet worked for me, because all the protein kept me feeling full.

[QUOTE=The Weak Link;10359961]No, you're not one of the Embellishers. Feel free to opine.
QUOTE]

I hope I'm not an embellisher either - but I recognise I might often be a 'free associator' or a 'thread different direction' kicker.

("Embellisher" - sounds like something out of Phillip Pullman!)

No particular insights to offer. My own case is a bit individual - my big weight loss from 135 to 88 pounds was part of getting type 1 diabetes at age 16, (40 years ago)and I really wouldn't recommend that as a strategy

But one of the effects of that, silver lining, was a lot of portion and food composition awareness (which from your post it sounds like you have already) - and also a 'consumption speed' awareness. I'm always the slowest to finish, at the table, even though I usually have the smallest portion.

Little cutlery?. Cutlery down on the table between mouthfuls? No reloading the fork till the mouthful's gone?

Good luck!

I love to EAT. And I like it all. Chocolate is KING. Steak and beer. Hot dogs and beer. Pork chops and beer. And of course a good hamburger with fries.
This is why after three years of riding a road bike I am still at 220 pounds. I did start at 260 pounds, so there has been progress, but I am still 30 pounds overweight.
One time a number of years ago I tried the no carb diet. It really worked. Cannot make myself do it again.
How do you people motivate yourself to diet?

I have always worked out and played a number of sports, even into my 40's. I came to the false conclusion that being older and stronger allowed me to weigh 220 or more with a 6' body. Once I began cycling as the main form of activity I thought my optimal weight was around 212. I would ride or workout hard then hit the food and drink just as hard as a reward. Three winters ago I finished up ice fishing season weighing just under 230. I wanted to take cycling up a notch by riding club rides and even do a race or two and decided it was time for a reality check.

I knew that I needed to make a change in my lifestyle regarding eating and drinking (beer). I bought into eating more healthy and watching the beer intake. With the goal of focused cycling and eating better foods with smaller portions I dropped my weight down to the low 200's. Riding went well unitl I compared myself to good club riders and racers and realized what our differences were. I knew that my ideal weight should be in the 180's and made it a goal for the 2008 season. By continuing to eat good foods, saying "no" to french fries and other choices along the way I have been able to maintain my off season weight in the low 190's and get into the 180's in the warmer weather. Lately, my workouts were non-existent during December (ankle surgery) and limited in January. My current weight is 193 and I will to lower it to 183 by mid-May.

I do keep a log of my cycling and workouts as well as make notes regarding weekly weight and eating challenges. I do follow the "Abs Diet" to an extent but don't make the smoothie drinks as frequently as reccomended.

I think if a person just got off of sweets and bread you could lose a lot of weight. I know that's my downfall. I bet if I got off of those two I could lose the 10 pounds, that I would like to lose. I'm presently 200# at 6'2" and this sugar is killing me. I probably should say it's killing a lot of people.

5'9" 200 when I turned 40. Lost around 7-10 a year till I got down to 152. Racing between 152-160 now. If you go slow with the diet changes and weight loss you have a better chance of keeping it off. My metabolism is slow enough that if I stop riding for a week I can easily put on 5 pounds though, so I have to adjust diet to match exercise.

I love to EAT. And I like it all. Chocolate is KING. Steak and beer. Hot dogs and beer. Pork chops and beer. And of course a good hamburger with fries.

You and me both. I had a craving for a Backyard Burger yesterday. I ended up eating a bag of Lite Popcorn instead for a fourth of the calories.



This is why after three years of riding a road bike I am still at 220 pounds. I did start at 260 pounds, so there has been progress, but I am still 30 pounds overweight.
One time a number of years ago I tried the no carb diet. It really worked. Cannot make myself do it again.
How do you people motivate yourself to diet?
It was a combination of a few things for me.

First, I thrombosed my great saphinous vein in my right leg in December. I didn't require anticoagulants but because there is a 99.9% chance I'm a money-hungry jerk I couldn't take any days off and had to live with the discomfort. It reminded me of my own mortality.

Second, a male nurse in his 50s here keeled over dead from a heart attack late December. During his visitation another nurse in her 50s from the same unit keeled over dead from a heart attack.

That is just creepy.

But it was motivation enough for me.

Try Weight Watchers. Works for me and once you reach goal weight there is no cost as long as you stay there. It's basicaly calorie counting with accountablity included and I believe that is what helps, being accountable.

Perhaps I should not be weighing in here as I am a lightweight at around 147 to 155 lbs. I would like to get to 140 but that would take a lot of Effort from my part.

so 147 is my "Normal" weight. (10 1/2 stone over here) I can keep down to this providing I exercise enough. Exercise enough and I don't even have to worry about what I eat. Cut the exercise and I start gaining. This is what has happened over the winter and at 155- I feel sluggish on the bike. OK- its down to lack of exercise- but that extra weight does a lot to slow me down. As soon as I can get back nearer 150 and things start working and 147 and it must be the mental part that works.

So weight loss in the order you are proposing must only have one effect on you- so why stop at a mere Century ride? Just keep the diet right to give you enough energy for the rides.

No, you're not one of the Embellishers. Feel free to opine.

Well, cool... alrighty, then...

I, too, am in the ballpark of 5'10" (a smidge -maybe 1/2" over but that's a quibble).
Day One, on the bike, I weighed in at about 225lbs. My Dad weighed 225lbs. He was 6'4". Hm.
I dare say that little or none of that 225lbs was muscle since I pretty much just ate, sat on the couch and played the sensitive artiist.
I knew I was dying. Killing myself, really.

Within a few months, once I was able to actually ride my bike any appreciable distance with any real, appreciable effort I had gotten down to 190lbs.
There were no major modifications to my diet.
Then, I started to creep up again but, funny, my clothes still fit better and better. I came to the realiztion that the added weight was new muscle building in my legs.
So, I got back up to 205. My rides became longer and more strenuous. After I had a year under my belt, so to speak, I started climbing our hills.
Between the added effort and some changes in my diet, I got back down to 197. After the holidays, I added a few pounds of rich living.
Most of that is gone and I'm back under 200 again. I'd like to get to 195, then, 190, and -ultimately- 180-185lbs. In my 20's I weighed 145. That was nuts. I'd be happy with 185 but it might take a little more denial of things I like to consume than I'd like cut out. We'll see. I do not think carbs are the great evil of our times but some of my choices could be better.

I do not think carbs are the great evil of our times but some of my choices could be better.

As long as those carbs are coming from whole grains, vegetables and fruits they aren't a problem....IMHO.

As long as those carbs are coming from whole grains, vegetables and fruits they aren't a problem....IMHO.

Yep, I agree. And, while I DO eat plenty of fresh veggies, fruits and whole grains, I eat some of that other stuff, too. And I like it... therein lies the problem.

I have a story and maybe need some advice. I'm 5'9" and before I started riding again on 12/1/09, I weighed 217. Slimfast and one normal meal a day, plus about 30 miles on the bike a week and now I'm down to 200. But I seem to be stuck at 200, which is frustrating because I'm not doing anything differently than before. Now I suppose there is some gain from leg muscle expansion. I've been reading a little about this and it seems that different forms of exercise may break the "plateau". I'm thinking about running a 3.3 mile track this weekend and give this a try.

At 5'11", I'm just about exactly where you are, TWL. I'd worked to get my weight down to 200, but since right before Christmas I've been fighting pneumonia and sitting around trying to take it easy has put all the weight back on. *sigh* (A virtual sigh is about all I can manage right now.) The weight loss really did make a noticeable difference on climbing, and now I've got to do it all over again. Good luck with your program, I KNOW you'll be pleased with the results.

Carbs aren't evil. You need them to live. But the typical diet includes so many grams of carbs from sugar, potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, sodas, cakes, ice cream, pizza, beer, milk shakes, brownies, etc., etc. that the calorie intake is far more than even an active lifestyle can burn, so we get fat.

I am 6' tall and weigh just a bit under 190. I would like to be close to 180 but my wife thinks I am fine where I am which is more important than what I think.

Well, I work out routinely. So I have a pretty decent caloric burn each day.

As for dieting, I am careful with what I eat. I do not count calories so much. I pretty much restrict fats. There are certain things I rarely if ever eat like ice cream. I love ice cream but it is so calorie dense that I might as well be plastering the fat right onto the body.

Another thing, no matter how much you ride, you can always eat more than enough to offset it.

I went on a 2 week bike tour. It went through the mountains in CO, WY, MT and ID. We were doing 70+ per day and climbing at least one major pass per day. Also we were camping so that meant I had to get my gear from the truck, carry it out to a spot to pitch the tent, unpack it, put up the tent, arrange everything, and the next day pack it all up and take it back to the truck (which was usually over 100 yards away). Also I had to walk to go eat, walk to go to the showers, walk to well you get the idea. There was quite a bit of activity on top of riding. I was careful with what I ate. I ate loads of carbohydrates to be sure that I replaced my glycogen levels each day. But I was careful about fat intake and to not over eat. When I got home, I discovered that I had lost 10 lbs. Now most people gained weight and they were doing the same thing. But they not only ate the 3 meals per day provided, they would get into the camp and go to town and eat the biggest cheese burger and fries they could find and top it off with the biggest sundae available. Just because you are exercising, doesn't mean that you can eat everything in sight with impunity.

A couple helpful thoughts:
>Protein is the base for everything else. Find out your daily calorie needs(not wants) and put protein first. (1g/lb of body weight/day)
>Complex carbs are next. Needed for proper body function and energy.
>Fat next as a high density source of calories. Very useful in cold climates or temporary high energy needs.
>Do not add salt to anything. Be especially careful to read labels and stay away from those with high salt content.
>Remember food labels are not as straight forward as they seem. Example: If an Oat cereal put oats first on the label but then lists three or so different forms of sugar as the next items, in fact the cereal is primarily sugar, not oats.
>Remember the primary purpose of food companies is to make money not supply healthful food. Gee even on the discovery channel you see manufacturers refering to what they make as "product" not food.
>Just because something does not contain harmful bacteria doesn't mean it is good for you.
>Products like Slimfast and other "diet" thingies are no substitute for real food. For long term success you must build your life around real food.
>No one is in charge of your health but you.
>READ athletic magazines and books. They contain a wealth of good information. A good starting place is "An Omnivores Dilemma" for putting the food industry into perspective.
>Be prepared to be considered an oddball when you eat differently than those around you. Even more so when you go out for your daily run/ride/hike, etc. Most people have given in to their lazy side and resent anyone who hasn't.
>The more you exercise the more you can eat. In fact I'm now eating about 1/3 more calories than a year ago and still losing inches. I'm building muscle mass so weight loss isn't so dramatic; but inches loss is.

Better stop this now. As you can tell I'm a bit passionate about good health. Maybe it is because I fear a fat nation is ultimately a failed nation. Plus, it feels good to be able to Do not Watch.

I was 5'-10" and 190 lbs about 4 years ago when I took up biking at age 56. The next thing I did was to quit smoking after 40+ years of addiction. All I had to do was think about what my lungs felt like on the last hill when ever I wanted to light up. I've stayed away from smoking, but by last year my weight had crept up to 205 lbs and I said, "That's it, I gotta start watching what I eat." Now, I'm tipping the scales at 216 lbs. :eek: Stopping smoking was a piece of cake compared to stopping bread and snacks. I think it's because there is no instant gratification like there was to stop smoking.

I gave up on losing weight and now I just concentrate on reshaping it

Quite often I have heard men say their wife complained they have gotten "too skinny" when exercising (biking) and dieting. Even though I am still at 220 pounds, down from 260, my wife was saying the same thing. Then she started REALLY riding and exercising along with a diet and lost over 30 pounds. Now I am NOT too skinny and she is encouraging me to take off more pounds.
Not sure what this story means, just telling it.

can't please them, so stop trying. do it for yourself! :-)

Quite often I have heard men say their wife complained they have gotten "too skinny" when exercising (biking) and dieting. Even though I am still at 220 pounds, down from 260, my wife was saying the same thing. Then she started REALLY riding and exercising along with a diet and lost over 30 pounds. Now I am NOT too skinny and she is encouraging me to take off more pounds.
Not sure what this story means, just telling it.Pretty common I think. Women don't like it when their husband looks skinnier than they :-)

Something I've come to believe is that all of the charts and computers calculate too many calories for exercise. For every 100c of exercise I do I can only eat about 25-50c extra food or I'll start put'n on the lbs.

I have a story and maybe need some advice. I'm 5'9" and before I started riding again on 12/1/09, I weighed 217. Slimfast and one normal meal a day, plus about 30 miles on the bike a week and now I'm down to 200. But I seem to be stuck at 200, which is frustrating because I'm not doing anything differently than before. Now I suppose there is some gain from leg muscle expansion. I've been reading a little about this and it seems that different forms of exercise may break the "plateau". I'm thinking about running a 3.3 mile track this weekend and give this a try.
As you lose weight you expend fewer calories per given exercise because a) you get more efficient at the exercise, and b) there's less of you to have to drag around.

You may have to cut back more on your calories and increase or change you exercise.

What the heck...I was 235lbs @ 5' 11" in my early 30's with cholesterol arnd 220, and bp of 150/ 90, Type A personality and high stress job. I also have family history of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, etc. Doc wanted to give me the full drug regimen to treat my problems.

I resisted, and began the lifestyle change. Riding, cut out fats, sugars, simple carbs, all the things you've read about in these and MANY other posts. It is about intake vs. output, but also about mindset. Like so many other "addictions", nobody can force you to quit, ya' gotta wanna. Took 2 yrs but got to 150lbs, and rode my first RAIN ride in 1992. Slipped a bit during the height of early child raising, back to 185 and a physical at age 50 coming in with cholesterol at 200, and triglycerides at 300, that scared me straight, currently at 155 +/-.

IT"S TOUGH! I LOVE ice cream, an occasional glass of wine, and cook some pretty mean Carolina pork BBQ and ribs, but now it's mostly family and friends who eat it. But I'm relieved that I take no medicine for any of the afflictions I was staring down 20 years ago. I also recognize that I may have traded the food jones for a cycling one. I'll gladly make that trade to stay fit and be around to see my currently 14 year old twin daughters eventually finish college and perhaps teach a grandchild to ride their first 2 wheeler.

Here is an example of what is so frustrating for me. Since New Year's Day, I had gradually lost 4 lbs. by watching what I ate and cycling a lot. Last weekend we had a snow/sleet storm that has kept me off the bike for the past week due to icy streets. During that time, I have gone for a number of long walks for exercise, although not every day. I weighed myself this morning, and I had gained 5 lbs. over the past week! Incredible. It's not like I was laying around, drinking beer and eating ice cream all week. I eat a healthy diet, but I am hungry all the time and have the metabolism of a snail.

Here is an example of what is so frustrating for me. Since New Year's Day, I had gradually lost 4 lbs. by watching what I ate and cycling a lot. Last weekend we had a snow/sleet storm that has kept me off the bike for the past week due to icy streets. During that time, I have gone for a number of long walks for exercise, although not every day. I weighed myself this morning, and I had gained 5 lbs. over the past week! Incredible. It's not like I was laying around, drinking beer and eating ice cream all week. I eat a healthy diet, but I am hungry all the time and have the metabolism of a snail.

You are now at the crossroads. you can either get discouraged and go back to eating the wrong stuff all the time, or you can shake it off and get back with the program and continue to see good results. this little setback will be meaningless over the long haul if you choose the latter option.

it's not a diet; it's a life style. there is no end even though you may have several timely and spaced out short term goals. patience is important because if you rush your goal and don't achieve it you can get discouraged and binge, and you don't want that. so have patience and realistic goals. weekly; monthly and yearly. yes yearly! meaning say to yourself - by this time next year I will be this much better, but that is a long term goal which should not overshadow your short term goals.

tarwheel - throw out the scale.

1) research how to increase your metabolism like spreading out your meals making them into snacks.
2) include protein in your meals ~ this will help with the hunger including before bed.

you can not lose weight by being hungry. those two things DO NOT go hand in hand.

As you lose weight you expend fewer calories per given exercise because a) you get more efficient at the exercise, and b) there's less of you to have to drag around.

You may have to cut back more on your calories and increase or change you exercise.

I'm giving it a try.

As part of my mid-life crisis when I turned 40, I got scared/serious about my health. I was borderline obese at ~185 and changed my habits dramatically, dropping about 40 lbs. over 18 months. In the 10 years since then I've stayed between 143 and 157.

I think it's useful to track calories carefully from time to time using a spreadsheet to keep yourself honest, but in general, I've found the following typical advice useful:

1. Drink lots of water. The usual recommendation is 8x8 oz. glasses per day, so I'll set out three 20 oz. water bottles first thing in the morning and drink them during the day. (Not counting whatever I drink while on the bike.)

2. Don't allow yourself to become ravenous -- eat a little before you get hungry and you'll tend to eat less.

3. Filling foods: high fiber (beans especially) or a little protein (beans again, a small handfull of nuts, or yogurt). Popcorn, pickles and vegetarian sushi are all good, low-calorie, filling snacks.

4. Weigh yourself every day to keep yourself honest. A digital scale is great for this. Don't be too discouraged by 1-2 pound upswings; often it's due to stuff that you haven't ...erm... passed yet.

5. Think long-term: 2-3 lbs. per month seems discouraging until you think about 24-36 lbs. for a year. This will also encourage you to think about long-term habits instead of temporary measures.

Great to see posts reinforcing the long term lifestyle idea. For that is exactly what is successful, a lifestyle that encourages good heath and fitness.

But, be prepared for some serious social issues. Unhealthy people, including spouses, aren't comfortable around healthy people. So, be prepared to deal with sabotage issues for those you must maintain relationships with, like spouse and family, and with finding and developing new friends and relationships for the rest. It is very analagous to the situatioin recovering alcoholics face; the need to change their circle of friends and their environment.

But, it is worth it.

My nutritionist made a pretty big deal out of KISS and ENJOYMENT. "If it's too complicated, too much of a PITA, and takes all the enjoyment out of eating you won't stick with it." In the KISS category she said not to worry about detailed tracking of anything but calories & fiber. Aside from that just try to eat relatively healthy including a fair amount of fruits, veggies, and protein. She's big on Mediterranean foods so lots of shrimp linguine.

She said not to completely give up treats. I still have a cappuccino every morning, red wine with lunch and dinner (cardio's orders :-), and ice cream, brownie, pie, or something for dessert 2 or 3 nights a week. If I'm at a plated dinner I enjoy everything and just try not to eat quite as much of the higher calorie stuff. NO snacks though.

I don't weigh myself or track anything unless I feel like I'm putting the lbs back on and then I'll do it until I'm back to where I want to be. Haven't had to in about 2 years since I've a good idea now what I can and cannot eat based on how much exercise I'm getting. I don't worry one nit about daily or weekly gains/losses cause that's pretty normal. If my belt buckle starts to get buried when I sit then I start tracking stuff again.

Today I had a craving so I ate a piece of pizza.

Still, I'm 194 calories under target for today, and I'm 438 calories under for the week.

We were invited out tomorrow so I'm going to take the unused calories with me and have some pasta or something.

Weight today: 204#. I should crack the Clydesdale threshold sometime later this month.

I wish it would stop raining/snowing so I could test the body out on the hills.

I weighed 193 lbs at one point. When I saw a picture of myself on the internet I realized how horrible it all looked. Through a combination of eating better and hard riding I lost 35 pounds over the next year. I bought a new bike, started riding faster than I ever did before, I felt like I could ride much longer distances (70 miles was an easy ride). I felt great. Then I had a cycling accident, broke both wrists and the frame. I recovered and started training to race the next year. But a funny thing happened. While my average speed in park loops was over 20mph, I found myself gaining weight back. I couldn't ride it off anymore. You hit an age where it gets harder and harder to keep it off no matter how hard you try. I wouldn't be able to restrict my calories and still ride hard. At 55 I've put a lot back on, but I'm starting over yet again. Real life and work (don't confuse those two things) get in the way of riding. It takes a lot of time over the course of a week to ride 100 miles, even if you do 70 in one shot.

To reiterate a few other comments, I had people ask me if I'd been sick. Even people that saw me every day going out on my bike! I had a few people though that said I was an inspiration as I went from a slightly round guy to a skinny guy over the course of a year. And one more thing, at 52 I suddenly found the cute young things looking at me like they never did before, even when I really was young and skinny. That's enough of an incentive to lose it all again, even if I'm married and not looking back.