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Rich Engelhardt
10-30-2013, 7:41 AM
When I stopped smoking, I dropped about ten pounds the first two weeks.
Probably because I stayed away from beer and some other food that I associated with smoking.

That was then & now is now.

I swelled up like a huge bloated toad in the last couple months!!

I've gotten enormous!

Anyone have any suggestions?

Re: exercise - - that's going to be a tough one.
I'm so overweight right now, I'm afraid if I overdo it I'm likely to have "the big one Elisabeth".

Sean Troy
10-30-2013, 8:17 AM
When I stopped smoking, I dropped about ten pounds the first two weeks.
Probably because I stayed away from beer and some other food that I associated with smoking.

That was then & now is now.

I swelled up like a huge bloated toad in the last couple months!!

I've gotten enormous!

Anyone have any suggestions?

Re: exercise - - that's going to be a tough one.
I'm so overweight right now, I'm afraid if I overdo it I'm likely to have "the big one Elisabeth".

If you can find the time in the morning, start by walking normally for a half hour without stopping. Have a cup of coffee before you walk. Each day add a little speed to your walk as your body feels it can and then add time to your walk also. If you truly feel you're enormous as you say, let your body tell you how hard to push it. Don't drink soda or eat breads and you would be surprised how the weight starts coming off the correct way and stays off. After a few weeks you should be fast walking an hour a day. Your body and especially your heart will thank you. If you can eat 4-5 smaller meals each day instead of the "normal" 3 big meals a day, that would REALLY help you get in shape. Nothing to eat after 7pm is important. Lot's of water through out the day, every day. By spring time, you would be fit as a fiddle and look great also.

Sam Murdoch
10-30-2013, 8:24 AM
It will take courage and effort Rich, and sadly it will take longer to go the other way to healthy. I think the best starter advice - WALK-WALK-WALK - away from the fridge and the cookie jars and to everywhere else. Walk upstairs, walk from parking spaces furthest from the store doors, walk on trails on the weekends if not every day, walk on a treadmill if not outdoors, walk in circles if space is small :). You get my point. We'll cheer you on but onward you must go. Later you can start in on the Bowflex or some Yoga. Good luck.


Yeah, and what Sean says.

David Weaver
10-30-2013, 8:31 AM
No bread, no sugar, no calories in any drinks.

No stuff like processed corn or wheat products, either, they are dense in calories and easy to eat in large amounts.

If you do the above, you're left with vegetables, fruits, meat, etc...mostly non-processed foods that are a lot less calorie dense. Takes about a week to get used to not eating the junk. If you still binge on food even with what you have left out of nerves or anxiety of being on a diet, literally go to counting calories and keeping a chart. Keep something around that eat that you can have unlimited, like raw broccoli or raw carrots.

By the end of the week that you're not eating all of that stuff, you'll feel better, too, and lose the urge to eat the junk. It's easier to cut it out 100% than it is to try to limit your intake of it. Once you've got a week under your belt and you have a normal energy level, then you can start doing stuff like walking, etc. Doesn't have to be walking 5 miles, start small and don't worry about what small is, sooner or later you'll have the urge to do more or faster. If you just sort of let it happen, you'll be better off than if you try to force it.

Prashun Patel
10-30-2013, 8:56 AM
My philosophy is "everything in moderation (including moderation)."

Don't deny yourself any foods; just have half of what you normally would. Think European.

It's about learning how to stop, not how to prevent yourself from starting.

Dan Hintz
10-30-2013, 9:04 AM
I don't exercise (though I know I should), so I had to find a way to cut down my growing belly size.

After taking a look at my eating habits, I realized I ate way more than I needed to... portion control. The first 2-3 weeks was tough as I felt hungry within an hour of eating, but after that my body didn't notice it. I dropped 15+ pounds in 3 months, and so far have kept it off without issue (going on a year now?). I still eat whatever I want (ice ceam, candy, fatty beef, etc.), but I don't gorge myself... if I walk away from the table feeling stuffed, I definitely ate too much.

When I go to restaurants, I'll order a hamburger and fries, with water or tea to drink (the water was tough to get used to, but it doesn't bother me now), no soft drinks... I eat half of the hamburger (take the rest home), sometimes all of the fries. When I'm feeling generous to myself, I'll order a shake. But I always walk away feeling satiated, not overly full.

It's slower to lose weight that way, but I didn't have to lose out on anything I craved, and I think that's what kills most diets... people get frustrated they can't have the things they really want, so they break their diet once, and then it's all down hill.

EDIT: To add to some of the comments above... the first 3 months I counted calories. It was tedious, but it let me know just how big a portion size should be for a healthy amount of calories. Once I had a concept of portion size, you can give up the calorie counting and enjoy life a bit. I realized I was putting close to 5k calories a day on my plate, rather than a more healthy 2.5-3k.

Matt Marsh
10-30-2013, 9:12 AM
Shop at farmer's markets, and keep to the outside isles of the grocery stores as much as possible. I know you said it's a tough one, but you need to exersise. Just start out gradual and work your way into a more strenuous routine. Any exersize is better than none, even if it's just a few minutes to start with. I bought a good quality elliptical machine, and try to use it at least 4-5 times per week. I started slow with only 15 minute routines, and I monitor my heart rate. I fell off the wagon with all of this during my wife's illness, but now after she passed away, I know she'd want me healthy, so I'm back at it. I'm now back up to 30-45 minutes per session, and try to vary my heart rate between 100-120 BPM throughout the routine. Ask your doctor for assistance in setting up a routine. It's your life. Your health needs to come first.

James Conrad
10-30-2013, 9:17 AM
As most have mentioned, you have to want to do it and be disciplined. One thing that helped(s) me is keeping track of what I'm eating using an app called My Fitness Pal, they have a website, Myfitnesspal.com (http://Myfitnesspal.com), if you are not into mobile apps. You can look up foods, restaurant foods, make recipes, scan bar codes etc. and it will track your daily intake of more then just calories which helped me realize how much sodium I was consuming. Maybe it can help you, good luck!

Phil Thien
10-30-2013, 9:35 AM
Have a cup of coffee before you walk.

Each of those things (coffee and walking) has a slight laxative effect. I'd encourage anyone knew to that regimen to wear some adult diapers the first few times they try it.

Dan Hintz
10-30-2013, 9:37 AM
Athey have a website, Myfitnesspal.com (http://Myfitnesspal.com),

My diet started because of an office bet between three of us (which quickly rolled into 15 people joining in with a buy-in of $20!), and most of us used that site for tracking.

James Conrad
10-30-2013, 9:51 AM
My diet started because of an office bet between three of us (which quickly rolled into 15 people joining in with a buy-in of $20!), and most of us used that site for tracking.

It is really a great tool, forgot to mention that it is free.

Steve Rozmiarek
10-30-2013, 11:24 AM
Nothing else radical to offer, but will add that I went from getting lightheaded walking up stairs and weighing 295, to being able to run a 10k and weighing 230 in a little over a year. My wife took me to Deadwood on my birthday a couple years ago, and I thought I was having a heart attack. Scared me enough to take getting healthy seriously. Decided to change my lifestyle rather than diet. Diet sounds like something that ends at some point and you fall back into the old habits that made the fat.

I started out counting calories, I'm a math nut, so it was kind of fun calculating where I needed to be to meet goals by certain times. Turns out my hardest time is evenings after a hard day at work. I'd eat a couple thousand calories watching tv, then go right to bed.

Some basic rules that worked for me, eat what you want, but count the calories (I went with under 2500/day with exercise). Walk or run, which also makes you feel better quickly. Find something healthy you like to eat as much of as you want. Fuji apples and mint tea are awesome for me. Most importantly, every time you eat something, make a healthy choice.

Its a tough job, but the way you feel from succeeding sure feels good.

Raymond Fries
10-30-2013, 11:25 AM
A few years back I started doing the six week body makeover and lost 70 pounds. The program is tailored to your body type. For me it was high protien, natural carbs, and fruit. I ate 6 times a day and was not hungry. Starting my day, breakfast would be 4 egg whites, a cup of oatmeal, and fruit. It worked for my wife as well and I would recommend it to anyone.

I have learrned that to lose weight and keep it off, it requires a lifestyle change. To give up foods and make choice changes to lose weight is great. But then, adding them back when you get to your target will only add back the pounds.

Good Luck on finding a lifestlye change that works for you and your family. Hang in there - you can do it.

BTW - Congratulations on giving up the smoking. I quit over 30 years ago. I too put on weight but lost it.

Bill Edwards(2)
10-30-2013, 11:27 AM
Michael Thurmond's 6 week program

(exercise is optional)

Ken Fitzgerald
10-30-2013, 11:35 AM
Rich,

While you may have gained weight....Congratulations on quitting smoking!

As far as the weight? I quit smoking and put on 35 pounds. Late one night while working on a CT scanner, I bumped into a cardiologist in the radiology department. He said "Hi Ken! You are putting on weight!" I replied yes..I'd quit smoking and took up eating. He asked how much I smoked. I told him 1 1/2 packs a day for 41 years. He told me I could afford to put on 60 pounds before it had the same effect on my heart as smoking 1 1/2 packs a day.

Like so many things in life, find the right method of modifying your eating habits that works for you! There is no definitive plan that all can voluntarily stay on. Yes, starvation works for everyone but only if its involuntary.

Again....Congrats on giving up the smoking! It's tough!

Bob Vavricka
10-30-2013, 11:41 AM
I have struggled with weight since I was young and I had the most success with Weight Watchers and another time when I started "counting calories." For the calorie counting/food diary, I used a program called Calorie King. At that time you could purchase and download the program, but it looks like it is all online now. The nice thing about it was they had the calories already counted for common food/brands and you could just plug in the quantity and it would calculate calories along with protein, carbs, fat, etc. You would set a target daily calorie count and could look to see how many you had left for the day, so it forced you to make decisions about what you put in your mouth. They also encouraged exercise and depending on how much of what kind of exercise you did, it would reduce the calorie count for the day. Their website has a lot of other helpful dieting support. But the one thing that is most important is realizing that you are making a life style change that will last forever--something I am still working on. Good luck the second toughest part is getting started. The toughest part is getting restarted after "falling off the wagon."

paul cottingham
10-30-2013, 11:44 AM
Swimming. If you can swim, the pool will work miracles, without hurting your joints. I am up to 2km a day in 45-50 mins, and have increased my muscle mass, and gotten smaller in about three months. My blood pressure dropped to boot. When I quit smoking and drinking 30 some years ago, the pool really helped.
My doctor also told me that being overweight is preferable to being a smoker, by a long shot. So regardless of what path you take, you are headed in the right direction.
As an aside, I have trimmed down without making a conscious effort to eat less. My appetite has gone down, to be sure, but good exercise is hard to beat.

Jason Roehl
10-30-2013, 11:45 AM
I would add that you should also incorporate some form of strength-building exercise. This will boost your metabolism so that you burn more calories even when you aren't doing anything. You'll also feel like you have more energy. Studies have shown that only doing aerobic exercise (amidst an otherwise sedentary life) generally has the effect of increasing appetite--that is, most people over-compensate for the increase in calories burned with a larger increase in calories eaten.

I'll also agree with some of the other sentiments: lifestyle change ("transition" may be a better way to think of it--learn to like and eat what is good for you a little more each day/week/month/year), not a diet (which has a beginning and an end). Soda is pure evil--diet or regular. Whether it's the sugar, or the fake sweeteners, both of which mess with your brain and your desire to eat, or the carbonation, which stretches your stomach, allowing you to eat more before you feel full, it's just plain bad for you.

Kudos to you for dropping the cancer sticks!

Mike Henderson
10-30-2013, 12:47 PM
What worked for me is cutting way down on carbs and eating a VERY light dinner - sometimes no dinner at all. I eat a normal breakfast and lunch (not excessive at lunch).

Halloween is difficult for me.

Mike

Pat Barry
10-30-2013, 12:48 PM
What Jason said about strengthening exercise is important to remember and for this, its best to work on the larger muscle groups most because muscles burn calories and bigger muscles burn even more calories. For example, doing leg strengthening exercise is way more important than bicep building due to the size of the muscle involved. So, walking can help, but tougher exercises such as walking uphill, stair climber, squats, etc are better.

Steve Rozmiarek
10-30-2013, 3:03 PM
+3 on the strength building. Keep in mind that you'll probably lose weight with exercise, then plateau and actually gain some back as you do strength training. Muscle weighs more. More muscle dramatically increases metabolism, which makes it easier to lose weight.

One downside to weight loss, you have to wear more coats to stay warm!

Bill Bukovec
10-30-2013, 9:13 PM
I lost 20 pounds since February and that's even after I stopped exercising. I did it by using the Michael Mosely diet. You fast (meaning eating 600 calories per day) for two non-consecutive days per week. The other five days you eat normally. You can exercise if you want. Yes, you do get hungry on fasting days, but it gets easier each week. No matter what you try, you will have to eat less to lose weight.

James Tibbetts
10-30-2013, 9:36 PM
Rich,
Congrats on quitting!! I'm coming up on 4 years and it has gotten easier. Fewer cravings that pass much more quickly. For a while I traded them for anything in the refigerator.
Blimped up 40 pounds in a hurry. There really is only one way to do it: Burn more calories than you consume! Try to eat healthy; take a daily vitamin. For me the easiest way to cut down on calories was to eliminate as much fat as possible from my diet. Read the label on EVERYTHING. Eat what ever you want! Just don't eat all of it as Prashun said. We smoked a lot of cigs from habit; teach yourself the habit of thinking about what you eat. Another thing that helped was walking a treadmill that had a calories burned counter. When you figure out that you have to walk another 1-1/2 miles to pay for those cookies before bedtime the light starts to come on. Good Luck!!

Phil Thien
10-30-2013, 9:40 PM
I lost 20 pounds since February and that's even after I stopped exercising. I did it by using the Michael Mosely diet. You fast (meaning eating 600 calories per day) for two non-consecutive days per week. The other five days you eat normally. You can exercise if you want. Yes, you do get hungry on fasting days, but it gets easier each week. No matter what you try, you will have to eat less to lose weight.

These types of diets have the advantage of keeping your metabolism guessing. A constant low-calorie diet often results in your metabolism coming to a screeching halt. Fluctuating up/down doesn't tend to reset your metabolism to a lower rate as quickly.

Jerry Thompson
10-30-2013, 10:12 PM
Buy the book "Grain Brain." I have just started reading it for the second time. There is a lot of information in it. Most is from peer reviewed research & some anecdotal. It is written by a Neurologist who has written other books including "Grain Belly." I found it did not change my usual eating habits that much and I do not crave certain items such as sweet rolls, bread, etc. I have lost 13 lbs. in four weeks with not much excersize. I hate loathe and despise excersize. I consider a work out flaring my nostrils 50 times. I am not obese but the pounds creep up with the years and need to be lost.

Tim Janssen
10-30-2013, 10:47 PM
A lot of good and encouraging advise in all these post. I would suggest if you haven't done so already to have your doctor give you a good check up. Just in case nothing else is going on.
All the best.

Tim

Brian Ashton
10-30-2013, 11:06 PM
If you look through google scholar you find that no diets actually work. Over 90% of the people who try dieting always gain the weight back and often more. The key to losing weight is your mind and a close second is a great deal of support from your spouse, not what you eat. It's that simple, but also that hard at the same time. You'll find those that are the most successful are those that need to lose weight or die; it's a real motivator to change ones habits. The rest is simple common sense... eat good foods and avoid processed foods as much as possible and eat less of everything (especially the older you get), take up physical activity on a regular basis... Don't give up your vices like ice-cream, pizza and beer... Just don't have as much - everything in moderation.

paul cottingham
10-31-2013, 1:13 AM
I have heard it referred to as the "rhythm method of girth control." With all due apologies to our Catholic friends. Lifestyle change works.

Bill ThompsonNM
10-31-2013, 6:18 AM
As most have mentioned, you have to want to do it and be disciplined. One thing that helped(s) me is keeping track of what I'm eating using an app called My Fitness Pal, they have a website, Myfitnesspal.com (http://Myfitnesspal.com), if you are not into mobile apps. You can look up foods, restaurant foods, make recipes, scan bar codes etc. and it will track your daily intake of more then just calories which helped me realize how much sodium I was consuming. Maybe it can help you, good luck!

+1 for MyFitnessPal , 30 lbs down and counting

'Jacques Malan'
10-31-2013, 6:33 AM
I am in the process of losing weight at present. Since March I have lost 40 pounds., and have another 50 to go.

The problem with the internet is that there is too much advice, and all of it worked for someone, so nobody is wrong.

I started of using a C25K program, the first week is running for 60 seconds and walking for 90 seconds and it almost killed me. And 9 weeks later I completed a 30 minute run at my then weight of 268 pounds..

I've since moved onto some bodyweight training and cycling owing to a foot problem.

I eat a lot less, trying to eat as much vegetables as possible.

In the part of the internet where I am living at present ( Crossfit / Primal / Paleo / strength training ) there are 3 basic rules:

1. Eat right: As much vegetables as possible, lean meats and some fruits and nuts.

2. Sleep right: get 8 hours sleep a night, lack of sleep can cause obesity.

3. Exercise right: Move a lot slowly, pick up heavy things 2 / 3 times a week, and run very fast once a week.

Oh yes, and try to find things to do that you like, and don't do things you don't like. Everybody has a different road.

Good luck, it will go slow, but it feels so much better.

Rich Engelhardt
10-31-2013, 7:00 AM
2. Sleep right: get 8 hours sleep a night, lack of sleep can cause obesity.Interesting. That's the first time I've heard that.
Me and sleeping just don't get along. We haven't for years. I believe it's mostly due to my being overweight - which would set up a vicious circle.
Can't sleep because I'm a tubby & I get tubbier because I can't sleep.

Anyhow - lot's of good advice here.
I'll have to mull it all over and come up with a plan of some sort.

Jim Matthews
10-31-2013, 7:33 AM
Nicotine is an appetite suppressor, and one of the unspoken secrets to the French physique.
It's likely that most ex-smokers also have a renewed palate, so more things taste good when they're hungry.

The challenge is to put things on your plate that will satisfy, without a large calorie load.
I'm down to under 1800 calories a day, and still can't lose any weight.

Without a great deal more strenuous exercise, diet is the only recourse.
My knees won't tolerate most of the recommended activities, and access to a swimming pool is limited.

That means I concentrate on diet, and watch WHERE I eat as much as what I choose.

I have added fresh berries to my morning breakfast, and while I haven't shed a great deal of weight,
it's stable for nearly five years. (I'm within 2 pounds of the mean at every physical.)

While I'm probably 50 pounds over my ideal weight - I'm still in the same waist size since 2008,
can carry the groceries into the car, split the firewood (3 cords a year) and cut the grass - all without chest pain or weakness.

Our family motto "minimum derigere" serves well. With less lofty goals, I knock off achievements regularly.
As it turns out, the low hanging fruit is also nutricious as well.

Now that I'm over 50 I have no interest in the more strenuous sports (I do miss Ice Hockey, but my knees thank me)
and play tennis year around two- three times a week. The only worthy exercise is the one you'll do, regularly.

Here's what I'm trying to get at - I was never a star athlete nor a stand in for Channing Tatum.
Turning back the clock is an improbable, and time wasting pursuit.

For me, it comes down to eating things that aren't handed to you out a drive-through window.

Beyond that, daily walks with your dog, taking one flight of stairs up (two flights down) are the sort of exercise you
can do, without sitting in a gym for hours. People that take on Everest at 50 have something to prove, I suppose.

Fitness is a personal thing, and measuring yourself against the people in magazines is ludicrous.
They're the ne plus ultra of human specimens, and set impossible standards for the rest of us.

It's fine if a program works for you, but simple food substitutions are easier to manage.

Rich Engelhardt
10-31-2013, 8:39 AM
My knees won't tolerate most of the recommended activities, and access to a swimming pool is limited.Shoot - my knees won't tolerate me getting out of a chair most of the time! LOL!

As for swimming,,,,,the biggest problem I have there is trying to get out of the water.
Every time I try to get out of the water, a bunch of Greenpeace people come running shouting something about "beaching myself" and drag me back into the water :D

Harold Burrell
10-31-2013, 8:49 AM
WOW...this thread has generated quite a few responses in a short time. Unfortunately I don't have time to read them all right now...so, please forgive me if I am repeating someone else.

I was a competitive power-lifter for a number of years. I got up to 252 lbs (which is rather heavy for being 5'9". I was, however, in pretty good shape.

Then I quit lifting altogether...and got fat. The exercise went away...but the appetite didn't. I'd never dieted in my life and hated the thought of going hungry. So I did a bit of research and tried the Atkins Diet.

I lost about 60 lbs. in 6 months.

That was almost 10 years ago. I still weigh the same as I did when I quit the diet.

I no longer "count carbs". There are just things I no longer eat. No bread. No pasta. No potatoes (though I do eat sweet potatoes). No sugar. I do, however, eat all of the fruit and vegetables (and, of course, meat) that I want.

Harold Burrell
10-31-2013, 8:55 AM
OK...I see by your profile that you're not a kid. ;)

Also...you did not share with us just how much weight you want to lose.

Thomas Canfield
10-31-2013, 10:42 PM
I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic 8 years ago with A1C of 6.9 with 7.0 then being diabetic. The dietician said that it could usually be controlled usually if a person lost 30 pounds, watched diet and exercised, but that I did not have 30 pounds to loose being over 6' at 195#. They did recommend going on a lower carb diet, about 225 per day, and I had to prick my finger 1 hour after a couple of meals to see the reaction to my eating. When I did start watching my diet, portion size, and using a pedometer to walk about 11,000 steps a day, my A1C dropped down to 6.3 which was good, but then they changed to 6.5 for diabetic, I was able to stop the finger pricking after about 6 months and seeing the reaction to diet, portion size, etc and not having swings in blood sugar outside normal range. I ended up loosing over 30 pounds over about 8 months and have maintained diet and exercise and the A1C has now gone below 6, which is now the diabetic level. I can't do my old tricks with desert and I find that a small ice cream cone is easy to monitor and not overload and a part of my evening walk. Amazing what one can do with proper incentive, and finger pricking did it for me.

greg lindsey
11-01-2013, 1:04 AM
As a big guy myself and 51 now I can testify to the problems of weight loss. My problems came with late nights working and while my machines were running it was very easy to walk into the kitchen area for a "snack" that could be from a hand full of chips to cooking a full blown meal. I gave up eating late and no more soda's. I lost about 20 pounds within a short time but knew it would take more than just that. On March 22nd this year I had the Lap Band surgery, I have lost 83 pounds and was taking completely off all my diabetes meds. It has changed mine and my families life, we no longer eat the carbs and starches, the cool part is you can all the protein you want. who knew there was a bacon diet, LOL. Of course my meals are measured in 1/2 to 1 cup portions, but that makes me completely full, literally I couldn't eat another bite and am full for hours. If you have the means and are really serious, this is a life saver, especially at an age when our metabolisms slow and our bodies just can't take the pounding of extensive exercise. I hope you find what works for you, if I can ever help, or you just need to talk to someone who has been there, feel free to message me and I'll send you my number. Good Luck. Side note* knowing this is a family friendly site, I will be as discreet as possible. Losing that weight and having a spouse 15 years my junior, lets just say "life got a lot easier and better" ;)

Benoit Rochon
11-01-2013, 7:31 AM
Primal or Paleo. Primal is a little bit easier with the allowed dairy food, but the rest is the same. And it's more of a lifestyle than a diet. You switch because you believe the reason behind it, and you feel so much better after. Since I stopped eating grain full-time (i still do once or twice a month for social reason), no more bloating, more energy, skin is clearer, farts went down 90%, and weight loss.

It's not easy at first, because pretty much everything that comes already prepared contains tons of crap that you can't eat (like saussage with wheat in them???), you have to cook more, eat-out less, but, imho, it's worth it.

Sal Kurban
11-01-2013, 7:36 AM
I know of two things that would definitely work for me but I have not tried them all:

Strategy 1: take a scale and climb Mount Everest; weigh yourself on the summit. You should experience weight loss due to climbing but also due to the gravitational force of the earth, which is the icing on the cake. Caution: Do not eat the icing !

Strategy 2: Check weight on low tide of the moon. Moon's gravity should make a person weigh less. :)

Dan Hintz
11-01-2013, 7:46 AM
I know of two things that would definitely work for me but I have not tried them all:

Strategy 1: take a scale and climb Mount Everest; weigh yourself on the summit. You should experience weight loss due to climbing but also due to the gravitational force of the earth, which is the icing on the cake. Caution: Do not eat the icing !

Strategy 2: Check weight on low tide of the moon. Moon's gravity should make a person weigh less. :)

Remind me to have my scale calibrated by NIST before I start the diet ;)

Rich Engelhardt
11-01-2013, 7:57 AM
OK...I see by your profile that you're not a kid. ;)

Also...you did not share with us just how much weight you want to lose.
LOL! Only a kid @ heart!
Maybe one day I'll grow up, but, it won't be any time soon ;).

I'm an ancient 61.
By that I mean I've been petty much dormant since 1989. That was when I shifted careers and became a desk jockey.
For the most part, after 1989, I did little in the way of physical work - either on or off the clock.

My immediate goal is to get to the point that I can fit into my size 48 bib overalls w/out having to unbutton one side.
For the last month or so, eve squeezing into the bibs has gotten iffy & I can only wear sweat pants.

I'm just guessing at my weight here.
When I went to the doctor in July, I was around 260-ish.

I managed to actually drop a little weight the first part of August and was about 250-ish for a short time.
I haven't gotten on a scale, but, my best guess would be that I'm probably pushing 280.

My weight can vary by, easy, 10 to 15 pounds w/in a few days to a week. I can drop 10 pounds by limiting what I eat to something near "normal" and cutting out any beverages except black coffee and water.
Weight loss @ this point isn't as crucial to me as girth loss.
I need to get my gigantic gut under control somehow.

@ Greg - thank you for the offer!
I may take you up on it.
I have a friend that was well over 470 and had surgery.
He laughed and mentioned one day that he "lost a me!" - meaning after the surgery he'd nearly lost as much as I weighed at the time.
Surgery isn't for me though.
My weight problem is 100% my doing and it's going to have to be 100% my undoing.

Harold Burrell
11-01-2013, 8:28 AM
Weight loss @ this point isn't as crucial to me as girth loss.
I need to get my gigantic gut under control somehow.

Unfortunately(?), they are one in the same.

Some things you might try:

(1) Write down everything you eat for a few days. Jot down the time as well. It will not only surprise you, but it will also help you to know what you're going to need to curtail.

(2) Find SOMETHING to do in the form of exercise. A brisk walk for at least 30 min. a day works well. (Just take off walking...go for 15 min...then head home.) Of course, you will soon have to come up with something different for a few months with winter coming to NE Ohio.

(3) Again...I would seriously look into the Atkins diet if I were you. I went by the original book for my diet. It was VERY restrictive, but effective. Fortunately, they have "tweaked" it over the years to this: http://www.amazon.com/New-Atkins-You-Ultimate-Shedding/dp/1439190275/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1383308617&sr=1-1&keywords=atkins+diet which makes it a lot "friendlier". It is certainly worth a look.

Charles McKinley
11-01-2013, 10:23 PM
Hi Rich,

Get the South Beach Diet Book out of the Library. It explains how your body reacts to what you eat and why it can make you crave more or fell satiated. It is a low carb plan. There is also a cookbook that goes with it.

Pushing Yourself to Power is the exercise book I use. It uses only body weight and your body as a feedback device as to how much you can do.

Just take it one day at a time like everything else. Great job on quitting smoking!

Chuck

Don Morris
11-01-2013, 10:53 PM
When I go over the weight that I don't want to go over, I don't eat as much.

Brian Kent
11-01-2013, 11:22 PM
I only try gradual weight loss.

1) I add a step of activity - a little more walking or anything.
2) Add foods that are really good for me that I really enjoy. I go to the produce department first. At Rubio's I found the 220 calorie broiled fish taco - very satisfying with a small order of chips instead of large.
3) I make one sacrifice. I do not automatically buy ice cream. When I do I get a miniature 3.7 or 6 oz container for me and one for my wife.

That is not for fast weight loss but for me it is sustainable and I have settled into a lifestyle that I am happy with and that keeps me 14 lbs lighter than before.

ps. My friend who went from 450 to 220 said he got help doing one thing - detaching his "insanity" from eating (his words). He is a sane guy, but he still means it.

Brian Elfert
11-02-2013, 11:58 AM
The best diet is simply eating a just a bit less and doing moderate exercise. 1/2 hour on a treadmill just walking at a moderate pace can burn 200 calories or more. You won't lose weight in a hurry, but you probably won't feel hungry all the time like a 1,200 calorie diet can do to you. Between exercise and reduced food intake it wouldn't be hard to cut calories by 500 a day.

A 10,000 step plan can also help, but 10,000 steps is a lot of walking. I am fairly active, but if I've never made it more than about 6,000 steps with just daily activities.

Tom Fischer
11-02-2013, 5:49 PM
Huge thread, but simply, cut down on Carbs.
That will do it.
That will loose weight.

Joe Stein
11-06-2013, 1:06 PM
Rich,

Congratulations on quitting smoking from a former smoker. I joined Weight Watchers for the 8th time and this time I am succeeding because both my head and heart are in it. I'm the only guy there but it gives me the opportunity to listen to what is being said by the Team Leader after 18 weeks I have lost 47.2 lbs without starving myself. I have started an exercise program but had to scale back somewhat due to two bad knees. Good luck.

Gordon Eyre
11-06-2013, 6:58 PM
My diet started because of an office bet between three of us (which quickly rolled into 15 people joining in with a buy-in of $20!), and most of us used that site for tracking.

Dan, you and I did the very same thing. MyFitnessPal.com and a contest. I did it with the male members of my family and we each put in $100.00. In three and a half months I lost 46 lbs. and blew away the competition winning $600.00. I walked a lot and was soon up to 6 miles per day. I also watched my caloric input and kept it under 1500 calories per day. I just ate normal food and did not do anything radical. I have now kept it off for6 months and I feel great. I am on my way to walking 1500 miles this year.

Rich, I know you can do the same thing if you will just make a commitment to yourself.

Greg Peterson
11-06-2013, 10:47 PM
There is no shortcut. Eat less, exercise more.

There is no reason you should be terribly sore the day or two after you exercise. Increase the duration of your exercise gradually. If you do five minutes today, do six minutes tomorrow. And seven minutes the day after.

Once you get to a reasonable duration, start increasing the intensity.

I use the Polar FT-80 heart rate monitor/trainer to manage my training duration and intensity and have had tremendous success with it. It is a very intelligent unit and 'knows' when to push you and when to take the intensity down a little.
.

Chris Griggs
11-07-2013, 11:51 AM
I'm late to the party but let me say...(don't laugh) Weight Watchers! I dropped from 230 to 185 in about 6 months doing it a couple years ago. You don't need to buy their special foods and you don't need to attend meetings. Just use the food trackers system. The reason people gain weight is mostly a simple equation of calories in and calories out. Yes, there are differences in how your body process calories from fat, vs sugar, vs protein, and all that is accounted for in the points system, BUT at the end of the day its a really sophisticated easy to use calorie counting system.

If you are willing to reliably track what you eat and how much you exercise it will work. BUT you have to be willing to keep track. The great thing about it is the only rule is that you track and that you stay within your points. If you wanna eat chocolate cake, a McD's cheeseburger, and a martini everyday you can, BUT you'll see it use up your points and you'll probably end up feeling hungry. The great thing about the system is that it inherently reteaches you how to eat. I haven't tracked in two years, but other than the period 5 lb fluctuation in weight during times of stress or the holidays, I haven't gained any back. This is because it reset in my mind what an adequate proportion is, and really gave me a good idea of how much of different foods was too much. It also taught me what foods I can eat a lot of when I want to fill up w/o going over the top in calorie intake.

The tracking system suited me well, because as a data analyst I enjoy tracking and analysis. The effectiveness relies on a willingness to track and hold yourself accountable, but for me it was much easier to hold myself accountable when I had a concrete tracking system (vs just trying to guess and remember how much I had eaten).

Oh and BTW, if you don't want to spend the money on WW there are free (or at least really cheap) tracking apps and other online software that are nearly identical.

Ole Anderson
11-07-2013, 2:36 PM
Want to loose weight? All you need to do is find out that you have diabetes. That will scare the bejeebers out of you and then you take eating very seriously. Although I wasn't seriously overweight, maybe 30 pounds or so, as I have a fairly high metabolism, I craved sugar, to the point that I am convinced I simply overloaded my bodies natural ability to balance blood glucose via the liver and pancreas. When I cut out most sugar and white starchy food, and thought "portion control", and started loading up on green veggies I dropped 20 pounds in 4 months. and my A1c went from over eight to 5.3 at my last blood draw. So far no insulin, just metformin and maybe 6 finger pokes a week at home. Reading a few pamphlets on proper eating with diabetes and sitting through an hour seminar by a diabetes nurse on diet control really helped. And read the nutrition info on everything you eat. Even McDonald's is posting calories on the menu board now. Another idea, when you go to a restaurant sub green beans or similar for potatoes, get a box to go at the beginning of the meal and put half aside to take home before you take your first bite. If it is in front of me, it will get eaten, as my willpower sucks.

Jim Barstow
11-09-2013, 12:44 AM
At age 58, I was 40 lbs heavier than when I got out of school. I'd tried dieting and even if I lost weight, it came back. The problem is that I love food and a successful diet requires changing your eating habits forever. This just isn't sustainable.

Recently, I heard about the Mosley alternate day fasting approach. My brothers and I all heard about it independently and tried it. We have each lost 20-30 lbs very easily. A couple key points about the approach:

1. You only need to "fast" 2 days a week
2. Those days aren't a true fast since you can eat 500-600 calories
3. On non-fast days you can eat anything
4. The key is that you really don't overeat on non-fast days as compensation. (Research has confirmed this.)
5. There appear to be real improvements in blood chemistry that you get with this approach that you don't get with traditional approaches (e.g., weight watchers)

This is actually a sustainable system because you really don't deny yourself anything; you just delay it. Want a BLT? You can have one but just not on a fast day. My brother is the farthest
one along and he is now transitioning to fasting 1 day a week to maintain his current weight. I've lost 20 lbs and want to lose another 10.

One other interesting thing is the psychological impact of the fast days. I find I pass up that bowl of potato chips on non-fast days since I remember doing without food on the fast days and don't want to waste the sacrifice. No one has done research on this but I wish they would. I suspect it actually contributes to the overall success of the approach.

Brian Elfert
11-09-2013, 11:31 AM
I need to lose at least 20 pounds, but I couldn't see how fasting would work for me. If I only ate 600 calories in a day I would be so hungry by the next morning I would probably end up eating a 1,000+ calorie breakfast that morning. My other problem would be on a fast day I would be so hungry by evening that I couldn't do anything in the evening because my brain would only be thinking about food from being so hungry.

How do you not get ravenously hungry if you only eat 600 calories in a day? I figure if I just eat a normal amount of calories for someone my height and age that I'll lose weight slowly because I've been eating more calories than I should. A big part of my problem is eating very large dinners with only a small breakfast. I get really hungry by early afternoon and when I get home I end up eating dinners with 1,500 calories or more. I try not to eat lunch because even if I eat lunch I am still just as hungry when I get home and I still eat my 1,500 calorie dinner.

I probably need to see a nutritionist to help me figure out a meal plan that doesn't include eating huge amounts for dinner.

Greg Peterson
11-09-2013, 1:50 PM
Diet is important. But if I had to choose between exercise or diet to maintain a healthy body, I would choose exercise. Our metabolism decreases as we age, mainly because our muscles atrophy from lack of use. Exercise is the only means I know of to maintain muscle mass, and by extension, keep my metabolism rate high. Diet can certainly help you lose weight, but it does nothing about strengthening your body, increasing your flexibility or raising your metabolism rate.

IMO, when you mention diet, people often times think in terms of counting calories. I think of diet as the fuel I provide my body so that I can perform my daily activities. A diet that matches your lifestyle is important. However there is no diet that will compensate for a sedentary lifestyle.

The body was designed to be used. It responds positively to stress. It will react negatively if you over stress it, so you do need to know where the line between positive results and negative results exists. In other words, before trying any new activities you should consult your medical professional to make sure that your body is capable of the exertions you anticipate.

Just make sure you are working hard enough (intensity) and long enough (duration). If you can talk on the phone when doing your cardio, it's likely you are not working hard enough.

rogers kevin
11-18-2013, 8:18 AM
Good you stopped smoking heres a diet plan for you ,
Firstly when you get up early in the morning drink lemon tea with added honey with it or with warm water also,Try cutting fatty foods from your entire eating cycle ,eat fruits vegetables and fired chicken during mid-day ,After that try walking for half hour with your sports shoes keep a Water bottle drink a lot of water during the day time,At night Eat brown rices or bread with curry of fish or meat.And avoid drinking at night.

John Powers
11-18-2013, 10:39 AM
Smaller portions, no seconds, no eating after dinner. Know your danger foods....eating cheese and triskits standing at the counter. Walk.

Chris Walls
11-18-2013, 9:57 PM
Rich
I was having a conversation with a friend and they were telling me about a diet they were on, so I bought the book. I had never bought a diet book before. It's called the S O S diet. Stop Only Sugar . A small easy to read diet book by a Dr. here in the upper peninsula. I've been following it for almost a year and my weight is down about 18 lbs. Feels great to have a diet that not only easy to follow but really works. It's not so much a diet as it is a change in the way you look at food. So much of our diet is composed of foods that are really high in processed sugar. The weight loss is gradual but steady and it really does not feel like it's a struggle to work with the diet. No counting calories or anything like that. Take a look in the book store and I'm sure you could find it. Good luck. Chris