Old, formerly fat guys

[brigeton]

How did you loose weight? I am 5'11". when I was working I was about 220#, I should have been under 200. I've been retired about a year and a half. Last fall at the doctor I was 235, I didn't have a scale at home but bought one last week and I was 250. Partly because I finally quit smoking about 3-1/2 months ago. So anyway I should be loosing about 50#.
I have an exercise bike I've been riding and cut out the ice cream and did go down to 246 in the last week. I don't mind most vegetables but really don't like lettuce or salad. I want something I can stick with and not go back to my old ways after I loose weight.

 

[5-Shot]

Cut out carbohydrates. It works.

Ed

 

[Smoke]

Join a gym.

I've been at Planet Fitness a year and I've lost 30 pounds

 

[retiredbadge8091]

Diet and exercise, get a good diabetic cookbook and make your menus from it. And congratulations on quiting smoking, that is a habit and "diet plan" that will lead to an early grave.

 

[cardguy]

I'm loosing weight now. I could barely walk 5 minutes on the treadmill 2 weeks ago, yesterday I walked 1 hour. I give credit to great sleep via a CPAP machine, eliminating sugar, nutrition and supplements. I take 30 grams of protein 3 times a day. Im 68 years old and I feel like I'm 40 years old. I'm going to keep at it until I'm where I want to be. And I'l go back to Planet Fitness again soon.

 

[chaparrito]

Ditto reducing carbs. Ice cream and sweets are the most obvious but bread, pasta, biscuits, potatoes, cereal and fruit are just as likely to spike blood sugar and cause fat deposition as the usual suspects.
Eat all the lean meat, part skim cheese and leafy vegetables you want. You won't be hungry and you will lose weight. Stay out of the center aisles of the grocery store where all that boxed, prepared junk is and shop only in the produce, meat and dairy sections. Just say no to fast food and anything battered or fried.The trick is to make it a lifestyle change. Do it for a while and drop your 50 lbs and then go back to your old ways and you'll gain back 75.
If you really want to jump start it here's what I do, YMMV: For two weeks, use one of the many online carb counters and limit your carb intake to 25 grams per day. The first few days will not be pleasant. Afternoon headaches and feeling like you're completely out of gas. After a few days your system goes into a state called ketosis and begins burning its own fat. When I first switched a number of years ago I lost 15 lbs in two weeks. It melts off. Afternoon coffee helps the headache. After two weeks you can begin adding back good carbs a bit at a time to maybe 100 grams. The weight loss will be less radical but steady.
This is sort of like quitting smoking cold turkey. You have to get past the initial phase where your body craves the fat, sugar and salt that comprises the bulk of the typical U.S. diet.
If you have any serious health issues I'd ask your doctor before starting.

 

[Salty RI]

Don't worry about it, the scales they make today are not as good as they used to be.

 

[Ilike9mm]

I became Diabetic back in 2012. The meaning of "Diet & Exercise" became my words to live by. Easy?

Trying to change eating habits is difficult. Craving something sweet is tough, like a drug; hard to quit.

Doing better here, A1C went down to normal!

I'd give myself a pat on the back, but I can't reach around there anymore. Ugh!

 

[gman51]

I hear you and I can relate big time.
I quit smoking 9 years ago and now I wouldn't even think about smoking another one of those death sticks. Yep I was one of those that didn't think smoking was that bad till I was on the edge of it killing me.
People don't realize their chance of dying from an embolism is drastically increased due to smoking.
I weighed myself after my 38w pants were getting to tight and my t-shirts would barely cover my gut. I was up to 235 LBS. and I am only 5'10" short. I am not going to say tall because that isn't IMO.
I have lost weight before by removing as much sugar from my diet as possible and that includes getting off high carbs which turn straight to sugar when consumed. Pasta is one of the worst foods you can eat as it turns to sugar and spikes high triglycerides.
Quit eating or drinking anything with HFCS which is in so many processed foods it is ridiculous. Get off anything claiming it is a no sugar diet product because they are all laden with aspartame or artificial sweetener. Look at any artificial sweetener label of ingredients including Stevia products. I dare you to find any that doesn't have a sugar base of some kind. Product says 100% Stevia but the package isn't filled with just Stevia. The Stevia may be 100% Stevia but the other contents don't make the package 100% Stevia. Just get off unnatural sweeteners period.
I have to laugh at diet pills when they say if you take the pills and increase exercise and eat smaller food portions you will lose weight. Heck just exercise and eat smaller portions and leave the pills in the bottle. You will lose weight like they say.
Low fat diets are a dang lie because your body needs good fats. Fried chicken or French fries are a no but you can enjoy a broiled steak instead.
All the talk about exercise to lose weight but people don't realize exercise will not make you thin if you keep eating unhealthy foods and portions.
I basically don't exercise, sold the tread mill I never used. I got off the sugar and HFCS and artificial sweeteners. I downsized from a big dinner plate to like a salad plate. I cut out pasta and almost all high carbs. I eat foods high in protein like eggs. I eat vegetables that I like the taste of. Cut out all soda pop. I don't buy hardly any processed foods and make most all my meals from scratch. I actually learned how to cook some darn good meals.
Bottom line is I went from 235 to 200 presently and that was within 2 months. Tight 38/40 waist to a now snug 36 waist. I set my preferred weight goal at 170 so I have another 30 lbs. to go.
You don't have to starve yourself, you just need to eat healthy.

 

[nocents]

reduce carbs, limit dairy and red meat and portion size,portion size,portion size......thats easy for me to say since i had half of my stomach stapled shut....but thats just for people with no will power.....did I mention portion size?

 

[brigeton]

Thanks for the tips.

 

[16thVACav]

I have tried every type of diet. The Adkins diet worked best for me, but the weight always came back eventually.

About a year ago, I watched a BBC documentary about the FAST or 2-5 diet:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ihhj_VSKiTs[/ame]

I gave it a try, found it easy to do, and lost 30 pounds. A year later, the weight is still off.

It may not be for everyone, but it worked for me.

 

[finesse_r]

"Old, formerly fat guys" Now that is a great name for a national string of health clubs. Open a few of them in different cities, then take the whole thing public and sell stock for 50 or 60 million and soon you will be rich. Remember the name is 90 percent of any great company today.


I can't say it will do much for your weight problem but you want care with all that money.

 

[catadjuster]

I avoid all foods with sugar or flour in their ingredient list. At first you do feel like you are starving, but the body does adjust to it after a bit.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

How much time do you spend on the exercise bike ? I am still working-age 66-bicycle to work, about 40 minutes each way on a three speed, uphill on the way home. Carbohydrates are a cyclist's friend. Do you have a swimming pool nearby. Swimming burns off the calories, is easier on joints and ligaments.

 

[kwselke]

Count calories. Eat a balanced diet. Become active again. My diet is called... You Can Eat Anything You Want, But Don't Want Much. Cook your own food and eat out only occasionally. Walk to get your groceries if the store is within walking distance (1.5 miles or less), packing the groceries home will make you decide fast on what food you really need. Make your exercise routine and fun for you, do things you enjoy doing, but make it a routine and stay active. Weigh yourself everyday, but only worry about a pound or two change if it becomes a bad trend. I guess I should not talk, I'm only 60 years old, 6' 1.5" and was at 200 this morning when I was trying for <190 by mid-January, but less than two years ago I weighed about 290 pounds.

 

[J. R. WEEMS]

Try just walking-- work up to it-- will not be easy, but can be done. I went from 250 to 212 when I put my mind to it. No sodas to speak of, easy on the bread and stuff. Drink a LOT of water, with a piece of lime or lemon.

 

[David R]

I did it. I quit smokig 6 years ago. 2 years ago I started riding my biycle every other day. If you exercise 20 minutes 3 times a week, you will notice the difference. I started out that way then It was 6 days a week. Weight was coming off like I wanted. In the fall, I was so addicted to the bike ride, I joined a gym for the first time in my life. Still 20 minutes 6 days a week. I am type 2 diabetic. I know the meal plan, my daughter was type 1 diabetic and I raised her alone. It works. Its a lifestyle change, not a diet. If its a diet when you stop, the weight will come back + some more. I went from 204 to 165 in less than a year. Maintianing is no problem because it was a lifestyle change.

Wallking 1 mile a day will keep you in good shape through the years. I chose to ride a bike or go to the gym and spend 10 minutes on an eliptcal and 10 minutes on a weight machine. It doesn't really matter what I do as long as I put the time in. This has also improved my offhand shooting by a LOT.

Water flushes the bad stuff out, drink the 8 glasses a day like they say. You can eat all the fruit and green veggies you want. Steak is good, prepared food is the worse thing you can eat.

If you have the balls to quit smoking, you can loose the weight too.
Best of luck
David

 

[BC38]

Cut out carbohydrates. It works.

Ed

^^This^^

Join a gym.

I've been at Planet Fitness a year and I've lost 30 pounds

^^And This^^

reduce carbs, limit dairy and red meat and portion size,portion size,portion size......thats easy for me to say since i had half of my stomach stapled shut....but thats just for people with no will power.....did I mention portion size?

^^And I also did this^^

I got up to a top weight of 436.
My injured arthritic right knee wasn't going to carry that load for long.
So I had bariatric surgery to restrict how much I can eat.
It worked well, and got down to 295, but I hit a plateau over the holidays.
So, now I'm focusing more on reducing carbs to get back on track loosing weight again.
I'm doing water aerobics twice a week at the Y.
Reducing calories - especially the "empty" carbohydrate calories, and increasing activity are the only thing that works.

 

[30-30remchester]

I lost quite a few pounds by doing one thing. I changed my dinner plate size. I now eat off a 7" pie plate. If it fits, I eat it.

 

[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.