mwchandler21

I get people asking me from time to time what I do that has helped me lose around 60 lbs. I never really thought about it as a diet so much as replacing bad things with healthy things that I find tolerable. Overtime it has somewhat become routine almost. But I thought it might be interesting to see what people on here that have been successful have done.

FOOD
1st breakfast: 150-200 Cal of yogurt + topping (about 6 am)
2nd breakfast: 1 Naval Orange (about 10 am)
lunch: salad of spinach, carrot sticks, cucumber, mozzarella and turkey
afternoon snack: handful of almonds
dinner: anything within reason
night snack: 1 tea cub of frozen yogurt
at least 2 L of water during the day at work

EXERCISE
1 set of 12 pushups evertime use bathroom (inspired by Tosh.0)
1 hour (total) walking
20 mi bike ride
2 sets of 20 squats
stomach crunch ladder to exhaustion (ie sets of 1 then 2 then 3...until can't do more than previous set or labrador sits on top of me thinking I'm dieing.)
before bed remaining number of pushups to get to atleast 100 for the day

jedrek

I've lost 65lbs in the last (not quite) 3 months.

I eat low-carb, which in my case means I don't eat any processed carbs (other than some sauces) or bellow-ground veggies. No pasta, potatoes, rice, bread, sugar, very little fruit, etc. Lots of veggies, meats, fats, some dairy. Amazing for apetite control.

As far as exercise, last month I walked 200km, this month I want to ride my bike 600km.

CliftonGK1

I'm eating mostly the same foods I always have, but less of them. I'm exercising for the same amount of time, but at higher intensity. I stopped most of my snacking. No alcohol. Very few sodas (maybe 1/week, but I'm not completely giving up my ginger ale.) I must admit that I have horrible willpower when it comes to snack cravings, so I do use a supplement to cut down on cravings.

CraigB

I'm eating most of the same stuff, too, but in moderation, and with a little more emphasis on fruits and vegetables. And I don't avoid root vegetables. I have a great slow-cooker recipe for them, including sweet potatoes, turnips, carrots and parsnips.

There are, sadly, a few favorites I see very little of now, or I see them in virtually unrecognizable form - like pizza.

CliftonGK1

I'll have a splurge day once a week. Big ol' burger or more-than-reasonable serving of pizza; usually after a very long or particularly strenuous ride. Not immediately after, when I'm still ravenous, though. I wait to cool down, I have some recovery time in the sauna and relax for a while, then have a shower and eat. It's more than I should eat, but less than I would eat if I sat down right after a long workout and I'm so hungry I feel like I could eat my own socks.

Santaria

Riding is up to around 250 miles a week. I'm doing a century one day a week and then a mix of HIT and recovery rides.

I stopped drinking soda, and eating fast food. I replaced them with soups, salads, and other options that are both cheaper and healthier for me. I still have fish once every 2 weeks, and 2 eggs a week. I've eliminated 99 percent of my bread intake, but still eat 4-6 tortillas a week with just refried beans, pico, salsa, greek yogurt and peppers.

I eliminated about 80 percent of the dairy products I've regularly consumed.

I went from 281 (Nov. 25, 2010) down to my current 197 (April 23, 2011). I do have about another 27 pounds I want to lose to be at my appropriate weight for my 5'11" frame.

mtalinm

I just count calories using a smartphone app that scans barcodes or looks up the content of foods you type in.

it works wonders for me because nothing is "forbidden" - that's what kills me on most diets, the sense that "I can never have ice cream again". this method leads me to choose lower-calorie, more nutrient-rich foods because they are more filling per calorie.

BigHuf

I am counting carbs and calories.. If I want to be bad I make sure its low carb, but I aim to stay around 1000 calories under my maintenance amount for current weight, so basically every 2 weeks my calorie limit goes down, I try and stay around 40-50 carbs, with this plan, working out or not I am loosing weight, if I work out I generally have to eat more so I can make it through the day without naps. I take a multivitamin and a fishoil tab once daily with my heavy meal. I do drink diet cola's within my calorie limits. with this plan I have shaved off 25lbs in in about 2 months and I have never had more energy. I would not recommend this to a ummm... not truly obese person. but for a guy like me who was getting close to 400 lbs it was a good way to go.

bassjones

I'm on an intentionally long, slow, steady plan. I don't count calories, I don't worry too much about grams of this or grams of that. Just sensible meals, smaller portions. I cut out soda almost entirely (including "diet", which really isn't any better for you) and drink close to 2 gallons of water a day. I also have one "guilt free" day every week, which really helps to keep me on track. On that day, I'll have pizza (REAL pizza), maybe a beer or two, ribs, burgers, ice cream or other dessert, etc... I find that the longer I am on this, the less amount of the cheat foods I eat, but I don't feel deprived this way. Yesterday was my cheat day this week, though I did have a beer Friday night for a friend's birthday party. After church (I played 3 services) we went to a brunch buffet and I had bacon, sausage, prime rib, cheesy potatoes, some pasta (not HUGE servings, but small samples of all of that), some fruit and drank lots of water. For dinner we ordered pizza. Today, I'm back on the sensible plan for the rest of the week. Guilt free indulgences once a week plus sensible eating the rest of the week, plus drinking almost exclusively water and lots of it equals long term sustainable weight loss. Doctor/nutritionist recommended, patient approved, and the scale doesn't lie, IT WORKS!

For exercise, 2-3 days a week of swimming for 30 minutes or so, 2-3 days of cycling for 45 minutes to an hour, 2-3 long walks (3-5 miles) a week, intentionally parking further away, taking stairs instead of elevators, playing tennis or basketball occasionally, just having fun! Make exercise "play" instead of work and you'll stick with it.

goldfinch

I count calories and leaning towards lower carbs to help keep the appetite in check.

For example, typical breakfasts: one egg and bacon totalling 170 calories or one apple and a one inch square of very aged cheese, also about 170 calories. My daily calorie range is about 900 to 1300.

For exercise I am trying to bike in the hilly town I am in and swimming at the pool on the off days. I'm not doing much walking beyond strolling. I need to push up the exercise somewhat.

Right now I am on a trip until Wednesday and man it is tough to eat what I want. The exercise has been almost non-existent. I can't wait until I am back to home base.

michaelnel

I am 61 and a Type II diabetic. On March 9th I was 297lbs. In spite of being on three different blood pressure meds and 2 different blood sugar meds, both my blood pressure and blood sugar were too high. I had very little energy and had to nap regularly. I would have to get up to pee sometimes five or six times a night. My doctor decided he wanted to put me on injected insulin.

I really didn't want to do all that self-injection stuff. I made a deal with him to lose weight and exercise instead. We agreed on 1.5lbs a week of weight loss (which would only be 9 lbs in six weeks). This morning I was at 271, a loss of 26 lb in a little less than seven weeks. I have cut out almost all highly processed carbs (no potatoes, rice, pasta, I eat only small quantities of whole wheat bread and then only occasionally. My big sin these days is fresh fruit. I eat lots of fresh strawberries, oranges, and grapefruit. I eat pretty much as much meat as I want. For dairy, I don't like milk much and didn't drink it before, so I still don't. I love ice cream, but have had only a total of one little carton of Hagen Daas in the past six weeks.

I either walk 4-9 miles or bicycle 10-20 every day. I have more energy and no longer fall into a diabetic coma in the afternoons needing to nap. My blood sugar levels are back to normal, as is my blood pressure (but I am still on the meds... I hope to be able to reduce or eliminate meds as this progresses).

I feel better about myself too and have set a goal to get to 180lbs by my next birthday (Feb 13, 2012). I am on-track so far to do that, and I am determined to achieve it, especially after looking at the remarkable weight loss journeys accomplished by many of my fellow Athenas and Clydesdales in this forum. Y'all have been very inspirational to me!

Chaco

I was 270 about 4 years ago, and now I'm around 226, with a goal of getting below 220 by the end of the year. In the past 50 years, I've had my fill of yo-yo dieting, so losing 1 or 2 pounds a month seems much healthier to me. I don't count calories. I do weigh myself almost every day. I eat a good amount of meat and fat, but try to be careful with the carbs. I've cut out easily digestible carbs almost completely - no white bread, no white pasta, no potatoes (except occasionally yams), no polished rice, no pop, no sugar. Two times a week, I do 30 to 45 mile rides, and on the weekend I do one 45 to 75 mile rides. I try to do upper body strength training at least once a week and twice if I can.

I started this because I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic, with a fasting glucose level of 110. I'm still having problems with that, after so many years of eating sugar and high carb meals. But my HDL has gone from 48 when I started 4 years ago, to 73 today. My BP has gone from 145/95 to 125/75.

One year before me 60th birthday, I was beginning to take it for granted that I would die in my 60's. Today, at 63, I'm thinking about cycling into my 90's.

callmeclemens

Its nothing too crazy, my winter diet is pretty crappy, I work alot in the winter (to counter balance how much I don't work in the summer) so lots of quick easy meals, pasta, potato's.

Breakfast is always a Protien bar or granola bar of sorts, generally followed by half a peanut butter sanwich and a piece of fruit.

Lunch is always pretty much the same, small sanwich or salad, piece of fruit, maybe handful of mixed nuts, and a piece of fruit.

Dinner is whatever the wife's making, once the summer gets here the cooking generally stops, just farmer stand fresh produce.

Ofcourse, my diet is always interuppted by, molson light, tavern food, and barbecues, but in general about 300x better than this time last year.