A punch in the face from reality.
 

So, I've been down with strep for a couple of days and I made a trip to the doctor yesterday. Anyway, the dreaded scale was waiting for me when I came in and told me the horrible truth (or at least part of it). The thing stops at 440lbs and I weighed more than that. It was unpleasant. I'm starting to think that more drastic steps may be required than just hitting the bike for a few miles a day. Anybody out there done the lap-band?

Kabong30:

I'll defer to whatever your doctor recomends however In the first 6 months of my Journey I lost 25 lbs. It took me that long to slowly develope the habits necessary to lose the 200+ pounds that I've lost. I can't put a happy face on this task but I can attest to the fact that's it worth it. The 200+ lbs has taken over 19 months.The changes come slowly. I truely thought it would take 4 years to get where I am now. What good would it be to quickly lose the weight without learning how to keep it off?

I'm a lot lighter. But what I found is that I lost a fair bit of weight from cycling, but sort of plateaued, too. I figured out that to lose any more, I was going to have to change how and what I ate. I've been working on that, and am losing again. Among other things, I pretty much cut out all the hamburgers and fries and all the Mexican food.

Something else I figured out was that it doesn't do much good to mosey around, you've got to put some work into it to get some benefit out of it. So you need to tear around the neighborhood, not cruise around the neighborhood.

On weight-loss surgery in general, I've known a couple of people that had one kind of surgery or another, had to go back in the hospital for infections and stuff, and then when it was all said and done, they don't seem to have lost much if any weight. I don't know how successful these procedures are statistically, but I wouldn't be too eager to rush into one.

Thanks guys, I think I just kinda got into a funk. I'm gonna get my ass in gear and ride. I'm reticent to do surgery anyway.

We have lots of posters who have become 'lesser' men. All these guys started 400 pounds and over:

Tom Stormcrowe
Bdinger
TakingControl
Sayre Kulp
MinnesotaMongo

And, The Historian.

You can do it too.

Kabong30:

Me five years ago:

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._2023541_n.jpg

Me a year later:

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._3059321_n.jpg

Or, if you prefer standing:

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._7806823_n.jpg

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._5054371_n.jpg

You can do this too. BELIEVE!

Diet and exercise. I've cut out sugar, bread & toppings, processed food. The plan called for giving up coffee too, but I'm holding on to that without the sugar.

Only out on my bike once this week but that will improve with the weather.

We all can do it, and just like the Historian said, we have good role models here. And lots of support I might add.

This. If you're toodling around the neighborhood burning 250 calories/hr while exercising in "the fat burning zone", you'll actually lose less weight than someone who's burning 550 calories/hr but exercising at a more aerobic level.

Also, keep in mind that if you haven't been exercising regularly, it will take time before you start to see results. You'll have to develop a base level of fitness before you can get to the point where you have enough endurance to burn a significant number of calories. Once you get to that point, however, you should notice more rapid progress. You just need to stick it out for that first 4-6 weeks...

So, what are you standing there for? Punch it back!

+1.

Weight loss is easy in theory, it's basic math: I-O=C where I is calories-in or what you eat. O=calories-out or what you do, the average male burns about 2000 calories a day, cycling can help, but you have to do a real ship load of it on a constant basis, to have much change. C is weight change in calories, figure that 1lb = 3500 calories, 1kg = 7700 calories. That means if a recommended weight for your height is 180lbs, you need to lose at least 270lbs or 945,000 calories. The recommendation from the medical community is to lose around 2lbs per week, so it should take just over 2½ years.

Before starting any kind of diet or exercise program, have your doctor give you a full physical, to make sure that you are not going to have any serious problems, make sure that the A1C test is part of the lab work. A1C measures the number of blood cells that have been bound to sugars, it's a test usually given to people who are potentially diabetic, and if your over 440lbs, then there is a good chance you are, or will be real soon now.

The next thing, go buy yourself a small notebook like cops use, also get a small pencil, use some thread or string to attach the pencil to the notebook. Now first thing in the morning, you get up, put the date at the top of the page, on one side of the page you write the word IN on the back the word OUT, this book must be kept with you at all times, EVERYTHING that goes into your mouth, you write in the book, even if it's just one tic-tac it goes in the book on the IN side of the page. If you do any exercise, that goes into the book as well on the OUT side, so that at the end of the day you have stuff written on both sides.

At the end of the day you go to a food tracking site, like MyPlate and you key in everything from your notebook. On really good days the calories remaining will be a positive number, on bad days it will be a negative number, you want the average to be zero or slightly negative. Talk to a nutritionist, show them your log book when you do, so that the nutritionist can see what your doing and make recommendations. Check with your health insurance, sometimes they will cover the costs of the nutritionist visits, you will need more then one, your doctor can write a letter for your insurance staing that you need it for medical reasons. Remember there is one thing you can eat that is "free", and that is good old water.

While this is all going on, you need to steadily increase the amount of bike riding your doing, you can safely increase distance 10% per week, so if a ride is 5 miles per day, then you want to actually make this six times a week, so you have a recovery day, and add 3 miles next week, until your total gets to 40 miles, then you add 4 miles a week, etc. ad nausium.

Give yourself 3 months, if you can't get your weight coming down, within that 3 months, then consider lap-band or other surgery. Most people once they start logging their intake and seeing the calories connected to stuff that seems relatively benign, have an :eek: type reaction, and that's normal. There are some things you will choose to avoid, because the number of calories associated with those things, is just too high to be worth it.

Yes, the physics of weight loss is easy. The problem is that for most of us, there's more to deal with than simple physics. Very few of us got the way we were/are because we have a healthy relationship with food. The hard part of weight loss is either overcoming those food issues, or learning how to cope with them so they're no longer in control of our lives.

So yes, it's tough, but it's also doable.

Many people recomend what Wogsterca has posted. I doubt that many have faced the monumental task that lies before you. I think his approach would show fast results. My problem with it is long term motivation. At some point in time, adding 10% a week will burn you out. It's forming good habits that will take you all the way. Patience is a virtue that cannot be understated.

So my two cents....The reason I like BL is because they seem to get to the root of the problem (yes I understand it is a reality show, yes I understand that they are in it for ratings etc) why we over eat. Myself? I am an emotional eater...stress goes up...intake goes up...exercise goes down. BUT, I have figured this out, so when I do get stressed, I either reach for something healthy (veggie, fruit, nuts) or I force myself to go out and take a walk. It is no easy journey, but believe in yourself and tell yourself everyday that you can do it, and you are worth it.
peace out
Brian

+1.

Most 'addictions' are more or less unhealthy habits; they are psychological, IMO. Not a matter of the body 'needing', but of the inhabitant 'wanting', in order to feel better in the body...which pays the price.

I say that because of the bad 'addictive' habits I've banished. I'm not trying to elevate myself, just speaking from the other side of the bridge.

Struggled with the cancer-sticks for over 20 years; stopped (quit, I thought, like a fool) nearly a dozen times, always to pick them back up after giving in to an impulse. 9 years ago, I decided enough was enough (too many debilitating sinus infections, they put me on my back with vertigo), and adopted AA's motto, or at least my take on it: "One day at a time, and not today."

I finally got to the point where the smell all but nauseates me, and have stayed there. I'll NEVER pick those nasty things up again.

Some might say that I just replaced one addiction with another, by pedaling so much; that's OK, though, since pedaling doesn't have any unhealthy side effects! It's THE drug that's good for you!

I'm standing by, rooting you guys on, that are losing the weight or maintaining the loss. You give me the extra incentive to re-think my own relationship with food, and handle it before I HAVE to.

Pedal away from life, and into LIFE!

Never make a drastic decision based upon the mechanical limitations of a measuring device.

At a place I used to work (got laid off after almost 9 years) there was a group of people who would go down to the shipping dock and weigh themselves on the shipping scale. You use what you can find that meets your needs.

My goal is to lose 50Lbs this year. I've downloaded several app's for my phone to help track things. I'm learning and training myself to note calorie content of things (like Girl Scout cookies at the grandkids last night, 75 calories a bite, I passed). I'm also tracking my blood pressure and working on that, and along with that I'm starting to take note of sodium content of stuff (if a can of soup has 38% RDA sodium per serving, but the can states it holds 2.5 servings, then you just about max'd the daily sodium RDA for the day).

I'm no expert on any of this though.

Like you, I'm just starting down the path of choosing health. In the past, I've become overwhelmed when I think about how far I have to go and lose hope and focus. Recently I've been trying a simpler approach, which is helping me--take it day by day. While I don't have confidence in myself yet that I can walk this path and achieve success and a change my habits, I know that I can eat right and exercise today. I'm recording each day as a either a + (did the right things w/ diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management), a - (backslide), or a 0 (neutral--some bad, some good). I know I won't always record plus, but I know I can get a plus today, and by focusing on earning that plus each day, I can (hopefully) put together more plusses than minuses and move in the right direction.

Like you I was facing that decision earlier this year, even went so far as to attend one of the meetings about the surgery. I didn't do it because deep down I knew in my heart that I had not actually given dieting 100%. I was also against it because I've known a few family friends that have had the surgery who have gained back all their original weight and more.

Back in the earlier days many practices would educate you and included phsychologic counseling and nutrition counseling. Now it seems that many more practices are popping up where they just shill out the surgery. I would only consider it if I knew I could make the healthy lifestyle changes that are required. You can't just have a surgery, and go back to your old habits. You have to adapt to a new lifestyle. That's what any successful weight loss is about, it's not about a "diet" it's about a lifestyle change. Once you accept that fact and move forward you can be successful.

I'll point you towards my blog if your interested in reading about my journey so far from 413 lbs down to 354 lbs as of yesterday. My goal is to be 185 lbs by my birthday in October of this year. fatguynutrition.blogspot.com

Justin

I suggest you get Gary Taubes's book, Why We Get Fat and What to do About It. The calories in - calories out = weight loss/gain theory is one that has a LOT of holes in it, and his work brings it out.

I don't care to engage in a war of low fat/high carb diets vs. low carb diets. But I do think it's well worth examining another point of view, particularly if low fat/high carb regimens have failed you in the past.

The only issue I have with Taubes or anyone of the like is they haven't walked a mile in a fat man's shoes. While he has great scientific theory in his books, There is a problem going from theory to application for someone very large regardless of how much knowledge you have. Actually it seems the more knowledge you have about the subject the worse offender you are. I'd much rather like to see a decent book put out by someone who has been there and done that. Dr. Eades comes close, but even he wasn't remotely as morbidly obese as some of us are.

I said up to 10%, reality is that you can generally add 10% at the beginning, and most people will either throttle this a little after a while, because life gets in the way, or they find a distance they are really happy with, and stop building. If you find that 75 miles is a good distance for you, then building to 200, really isn't helpful. I finished February with 420km for the month, the longest trainer ride was 35km so far, although I can't see really doing much more then 40 on the trainer. So I may hold until mid-April at the 40 mark, then when the outdoor season starts, I'll start building again, maxing out at the end of June, then slowly dropping back to the trainer about at the end of September, when outdoor riding doesn't work so well anymore, days get too short and too cold....