Old, formerly fat guys

[yashua-p]

Joined a fitness club and lost several hundred dollars. I lost 80 pounds by eating popcorn and drinking sugar free drinks during the day and a sensible meal at night. EVERY evening spent time on the bicycle. I started with 15 minutes at 333 pounds and up to an hour and a half(250#) over a period of six months. Now with replacement hips and knees I can't bicycle any more.

regards

yashua

 

[Kinman]

Diets are all **** if you don't alter your eating habits. Cutting out empty carbs is especially important, eating lots of green vegetables and protein. Fat is important, just stay away from unsoluable fats.
I retired four years ago and since then have gained ten pounds, I walk from 3-6 miles every other day and try to stay away from empty carbs like sugary treats, bread products, too much rice or taters...try to concentrate on veggies to fill up, good clean protein, I eat alot of eggs usually four at a time.
Try to stay active, I hate gyms...prefer to walk. I shoot at the range three to four days a week, all day...it ain't alot of exercise but it keeps me out of the bars.

 

[Wishbone]

If it taste good spit it out!

 

[twodog max]

Five years ago and weighing 238 I was real tired of being heavy. Been that way since high school over 40 years ago. I looked at every diet on the net looking for one that did not cost a fortune for food and something that would help me change my eating habits.
I settled on Weight Watchers online. I lost 70 pounds in about 15 months. I no longer live to eat but eat to live. On WW you can literally eat whatever you want it is just a matter of how much. Two good friends did it after I did and one went from 300 to 190 and the other , a woman, is smaller than before kids and marriage. My wife went on it and lost nearly 30 pounds and has kept 20 of it off.
I walk almost every day nearly 5 miles but I enjoy walking and live in the country where the scenery is nice.
It obviously worked for me but it does not for everyone. The most important thing to do is make up your mind you are going to do this thing and get determined. WW is not a diet it is a lifestyle change. Diets end and when they do the weight comes back. I still do it daily and as far I am concerned always will. I am 62 and before I retired after losing the weight I could walk and work men into the ground that were 30 years younger. My turkey hunting buddies hate me because I go up and down the Ozark mountains like a billy goat. I wish I had done this 40 years ago.

 

[PatriotX]

My parents lost a combined 110lbs by walking on a treadmill and The Zone diet. They were always eating, but the weight came off anyway. It was impressive, as they were both seniors at the time.

It's basically a 'balanced diet' that keeps the body from triggering fat retention. Another side effect was that mom was able to get off of injectible insulin, as the diet and moderate exercise balanced out the blood sugar levels.

 

[RobertJ.]

At 56, I don't consider myself old, but I was fat. I'm 5'7", and have always been stocky, but I got up to 240 pounds before wanting to do anything about it. I'm now down to 180, which works for me.

I used to drink a half gallon of milk a day. I'd go through a container of Hershey's Syrup a week. My shelves had Chips Ahoy, Pop Tarts, Cap'n Crunch, and usually several types of chocolate candy. I've always been active, but not enough to be eating like that!

I stopped drinking milk, I quit eating garbage. I started drinking fresh fruit smoothies and eating turkey sandwiches. I started eating steel-cut oats. I replaced the chocolate milk with Vitamin Water Zero. I don't snack in between meals.

I became friends with that little hunger pang we get that makes us start stuffing food in our mouths, realizing that it won't kill you, they're just a little uncomfortable. I drink a big glass of water when I feel one of those.

It took a year and a half to do it, but I hit my target weight 3 years ago now. I'm on the scale every day, and extremely aware of everything I eat. I stay between 180 and 185. When I dip below 180, sometimes I treat myself, like getting a tube of Nestle's Cookie dough and eating the whole thing. When I get above 185, it's nothing but turkey and oats until I'm back down. Thankfully, I love both those foods.

And now, I can eat whatever I want. I just choose not to most of the time.

And, I'd always had borderline high blood pressure. A couple years ago, after I lost weight, I went to the dentist to have a tooth pulled. My BP was normal, and I don't like dental procedures at all! It's been normal every time it's been checked since.

This is a photo I took for my mom last May. She knows we like Vegas, and I wanted to show her why I like visiting there, that it's not for the casinos. I wish I had a before photo handy.

 

[twodog max]

I also am no longer taking cholesterol meds. Very little blood pressure meds. My knees hurt very little any more and the orthopedic surgeon says on xrays my knees look good enough that if he had not worked on them 3 times he would not think anything was wrong with them. Before weight loss I was almost certainly looking at knee replacement on one knee.

However you do it the benefits are worth the temporary trouble. The biggest challenge is keeping it off and not relapsing.

 

[JCase]

48, 236 pounds 6'1"

Get My Fitness Pal, it's a free app you run on your phone and a web interface. Works great to easily track and set goals. It can even scan barcodes using your camera. My goal in MFP is 50% protein, 30% carb, 20% fat.

Last year I tried doing P90x... way to much jumping and what not for my knees.

I then went to Body Beast, wow! Now this is a he man workout. I love it.

Use calipers along with your scale. The calipers will help keep you motivated. For example with me. As per the scale over 6 weeks I only lost 4 pounds, but I added .5 inch to my biceps, 1.5 inch to my chest, lost 2 inches to my waist. But here is the kicker!!! By using calipers and scale I know I lost 4 pounds. But gained 3 pounds of muscle! Fat takes up 2 times the physical space on your body verses muscle. Therefore my resting metabolic rate is increased by having more muscle (you burn more calories at rest with more muscle) My percentage of body fat is down which makes me feel good even though it's only 4 pounds.

I look a lot better, feel a lot better even though the scale only showed 4 pounds. I have 5 to 40 pound dumbells. When I started I thought 40 ponders would last me a while, guess what? I need to buy 50's now.

Body Beast has really motivated me. It includes an eating plan and recipes in the program. You even get a free coach with any of the Beach Body programs. P90x was not for me, but they have other programs.

I don't represent or am affiliated in anyway with them. I just feel the have great programs that work.

My coach has a Facebook page that has about 100 people that help to motivate each other and answer all kinds of questions. Especially if you start getting frustrated with your progress.

Edit: motivation example for me. Leg day I lifted a total of 8,000 pounds the next time I did legs I lifted a total of 10,000 pounds. (You only do 1 body part 1 time per week)

 

[brigeton]

exercise bike question

Searching weight loss on Web MD it says short intense exercise is better than long, easy exercise. I can ease up the tension on my bike so I can ride 20min at a time or I can crank it down where I can only do about 3 min. Intense or not I can't see 3 minutes doing much good. There must be a happy medium somewhere. This morning I tried going a little harder until I got winded then stopping for a few seconds then going again for a couple more minutes then repeating. How do you ride yours?

 

[Joe Hohmann]

I'm 73, and I owe my excellent health to global warming.

 

[cowart]

If its fried, its trouble.
If its green, get double.

 

[jmtgsx]

I'm 58, 6'4" and this January I hit 322 on the scale. I've been wanting to try something but I didn't know what. I've done Wt. Watchers in the past and had some success, but I know the diet alone wasn't what I needed to get into any kind of decent shape. (I know, round is a shape, LOL). I saw a video someone shared on facebook about an overweight disabled veteran named Arthur Boorman. Google it. Long story short, he bought some dvds produced by a former pro wrestler named Diamond Dallas Page. Its a cardio yoga work out that doesn't require a gym membership, expensive equipment, or a huge time commitment. 20 to 30 minutes, three times a week starting out. I just crossed the 30 day mark and I've lost 11 pounds, 2 inches off my chest and 3 inches off my waist (gut). I am eating healthier but I'm also feeling better. The two can kind of feed off each other. I've upped the workouts to about 5 a week, but who doesn't have a half an hour a day to get their life back? I can't do all the moves, but modifications are shown, and I can do moves now that I couldn't do last week. Progress. Check it out on you tube.
It ain't your Mama's yoga!

 

[Ghlover]

Try to not eat after 5:30 pm. Start reading labels. Eat a serving, as measured by whatever the label says. Count or keep track of the calories you eat. Weigh yourself every morning. It takes weeks to change bad eating habits. I know, I weighed over 220 lbs at 5'9" but now down to 178. Still would like to lose 18 pounds.
Keep at it. It can be done.

 

[scooter123]

I'm 5'10" inches tall, 61 years old, and last March I weighed in at 203 lbs. Note, by the standard BMI charts this is "overweight" and heading towards obese. For a lot of years my weight would range between 165 and 175 but after quitting smoking in 2012 my weight started going up.

So after 40 years of a 1 1/2 pack a day habit and being basically a couch potato I decided I needed to mend my ways after the sudden death of my older brother who was only 59. Step One was quitting smoking as noted. Last March I started on Step Two. Which was to get a bit wiser about my diet. McDonalds is now a once per week treat on Monday morning and that treat is a Sausage McMuffin with no egg with a Diet Coke. Note, that Diet Coke is my weekly allotment for that beverage, the rest of the time is either Tea, Milk, or Gatoraide G2. I started Step Three May 15, 2015 and that was to start exercising daily and it's where where I made the most significant gains in losing weight. Started out by walking just 1 measly mile and slowly built my mileage and pace up until I was walking/jogging 6 miles a day after work and doing up to 10 miles a day on the weekends. December 11, 2015 I weighed in at 162 lbs. at my Doctor's office. Do the math and that works out to an average weight loss of just 1.5 lbs. a week. The lesson here is that those claims about doing this or that resulting in losing 20 lbs. in 1 or 2 weeks is a boat load of BUNK. Getting weight off and keeping it off has no easy fixes, you have to change your habits and commit to making those changes permanent.

Note, last October I joind a gym so I could still exercise when the weather is miserable and I am fortunate that it's only 4/10 mile from my house. Now I will typically work out for 1 to 1.5 hours 6 days a week. For me joining a gym provided an alternate means of exercising when I overdid the walking and ended up with a severely inflamed 4th metatarsal in my right foot that kept me from doing any real walking for 6 weeks. Tip, when you feel a pain like stepping on a pea sized stone in your shoe stop walking immediately and go to a zero impact exercise until you are 100% pain free. My foot got so bad I had so see a podiatrist and get 2 rounds of cortisone. When that happened I shifted my cardio from the treadmill to some new torture devices, as in recumbant and erect stationary bikes and an eliptical trainer. Take it from someone who has been there, it's a lot less strenuous to walk or run than it is to ride a stationary bike or elliptical trainer for long periods of time. You'll also discover that you don't use the same muscles in the same way on any of these devices, the bikes will light your backside and thighs on fire and the elliptical gets every muscle above the knee in the legs burning.

Now for my current status. I'm still weighing in between 161 and 164 lbs. but I am MUCH more fit than I was even two months ago. I've equipped myself with a Garmin Forerunner 15 with a heart monitor and a typical session will average about 800 calories burned with an average heart rate of about 140-145. My resting pulse has dropped from 80 last May to 54 last Saturday. I can also crank the incline on the treadmill up to 10% and go at a 15 minute per mile pace for a full hour without my heart rate going over 140. Note, on the elliptical or bike I'll typically be going at it for 40-50 minutes with a heart rate between 150 and 160. Crank the resistance and pace up on those machines and they'll really give you a workout. On the treadmill I limit myself at present due to my foot issues. I've also started taking Whey Protein supplements because at our age these are essential for building muscle. Until I started taking supplements I was stuck on a plateau I just could not get past.

Note, I am working towards a personal goal, thus the reason for the high intensity of my workouts. That goal is to go for a run with my brother in law and beat him. Granted, a rather silly goal but boys will be boys even when they are Old Farts. BTW, Evan is a lifelong runner who still does 3 miles a day after retiring from the Air Force. So, I may not actually be able to beat him with my history of smoking but by golly I'm going to try. On the plus side I do feel REALLY good now and even if I often dread going to the gym after about 10 minutes of cardio the endorphins start to kick in and I actually start enjoying it.

Final tips. First and Foremost, get good shoes and plan on replacing them about every 200 miles. Because worn out soles will beat up your feet and cause problems like metatarsalgia or stress fractures. Second, Dr. Scholls Active Series or Edge Sport shoe inserts are something I consider essential. Because as you age the connective tissues in the soles of your feet get thinner. Third, BUILD UP SLOWLY. That means don't plan on running even 100 feet for at least 3 months after you've started long distance walking. Try and progress too quickly and you'll end up needing knee surgery. Walking reduces the load on your knees by 50-70% and you'll actually burn more calories per mile walking than you would running. I'll also tell you have there are a lot of physicians today that feel that people really shouldn't do a lot of long distance running at our age due to the damage to the joints it can cause. If you want a low harm exercise walking is the finest exercise you can do and even if your pulse rate tops out at 130 doing that for 2 hours will provide plenty of cardio. I'll also tell you that Plantar Fasciitis is something that any runner or walker our age will become well acquainted with. Note, this is a pain in the sole of the foot on standing or walking after being idle for a moderate or long period of time. When I get up in the morning the first 50 steps or so can be rather painful. However, once I walk for enough distance to get my feet loosened up the pain vanishes. Note, the standard "cure" for this condition is total rest of the feet for up to 6 months. Since this condition typically doesn't cause any real damage you really don't need to do this. However, if you can't "walk the pain away" within 100 to 200 feet don't push your luck and get yourself to a podiatrist. Because pain that doesn't ease quickly with some light exercise is an indication of an underlying condition that really does need treatment.

 

[RJJ 1971]

Well I'm kinda old and still fat.
So no advice from me.

 

[fdw]

I'm mid 50s and started weight watchers with my wife at the first of year. I'm down 15 lbs. and feeling great. 5 more to go for my goal, then I'll try and stay in a +- 5 lbs range.

I never thought I'd do something like weightwatchers but it works for us.

 

[JcMack]

Unfortunately, the only way I can lose weight is to quit drinking. Lost 20lbs last year eating sticks and greens and vegitables, and no beer. Started drinking beer and eating pizza again around Christmas and gained back 10lbs. I gotta lose it again, my knees are killing me.

 

[brigeton]

yup, I don't drink much anymore. A couple beers if going out to eat on Friday night is about it. A beer is as bad for weight as a coke.

 

[chaparrito]

48, 236 pounds 6'1"

Get My Fitness Pal, it's a free app you run on your phone and a web interface. Works great to easily track and set goals. It can even scan barcodes using your camera. My goal in MFP is 50% protein, 30% carb, 20% fat.

Last year I tried doing P90x... way to much jumping and what not for my knees.

I then went to Body Beast, wow! Now this is a he man workout. I love it.

Use calipers along with your scale. The calipers will help keep you motivated. For example with me. As per the scale over 6 weeks I only lost 4 pounds, but I added .5 inch to my biceps, 1.5 inch to my chest, lost 2 inches to my waist. But here is the kicker!!! By using calipers and scale I know I lost 4 pounds. But gained 3 pounds of muscle! Fat takes up 2 times the physical space on your body verses muscle. Therefore my resting metabolic rate is increased by having more muscle (you burn more calories at rest with more muscle) My percentage of body fat is down which makes me feel good even though it's only 4 pounds.

I look a lot better, feel a lot better even though the scale only showed 4 pounds. I have 5 to 40 pound dumbells. When I started I thought 40 ponders would last me a while, guess what? I need to buy 50's now.

Body Beast has really motivated me. It includes an eating plan and recipes in the program. You even get a free coach with any of the Beach Body programs. P90x was not for me, but they have other programs.

I don't represent or am affiliated in anyway with them. I just feel the have great programs that work.

My coach has a Facebook page that has about 100 people that help to motivate each other and answer all kinds of questions. Especially if you start getting frustrated with your progress.

Edit: motivation example for me. Leg day I lifted a total of 8,000 pounds the next time I did legs I lifted a total of 10,000 pounds. (You only do 1 body part 1 time per week)

Building muscle slows weight loss. Muscle weighs more than fat.

 

[brigeton]

Building muscle slows weight loss. Muscle weighs more than fat.

Weight is not about a number on a scale, it's about fat. I'd rather be a muscular 210 lbs than a fat 190.