The HTF Weight Loss Support Group (1 Viewer)

[Dan Galyen]

As a former athletic trainer and now military officer, I can offer up some advice that can be of use to everyone on this thread. I myself have battled the weight problem since the day I left HS until now.

The first thing I had to do was to understand MY body and MY metabolism, not what someone else was telling ME to do. What works for someone else may or may not work for ME.

I read soooo much about this diet and that diet and this workout and that workout. In a nutshell, it breaks down to one simple formula: (Realizing the body requires 1000-2000 calories a day to sustain life i.e., keep you vertical depending on your size, age, etc.)

Calories burned - Calories taken in = +/- weight gain or loss.

Burn more calories than taken in = weight loss (the bigger the differential the quicker you burn it off)

How does YOUR body react to different meals? How does YOUR body react to different workouts?

I offer up this case study on myself. After losing my job I ballooned to 5'6" 175 lbs. I was 28, almost 29. In a nutshell, I was a chunk for my size. My diet consisted of high fat foods and BEER. My body fat skyrocketed as well as my cholesterol. I needed a job, and I needed a serious lifestyle change.

I entered Naval Officer Candidate School in April of 2001. The regimen consisted of a lot of running, standing at attention, and eventually classwork that lasted 4-5hrs a day (ie sitting). Our PT was in the mornings, pretty high intense, but that was due to my drill instructor, not the actual exercise which consisted of stretching, push-ups, sit-ups and running 3-4 miles M,T,W,F,S, taking Thursday and Sunday off. (Oh, yeah, we did spend time in the sand doing push-ups and abs Officer and a Gentlemen style when we were bad). The running was at a relatively low pace except for our 1.5 mile run for time.

As for our meals, well, we ate like pigs because it was the only times we were allowed to eat until we were "secured" and allowed to leave the base after the first month. We also drank our fair share to escape.

On the side I slipped Xenadrine before morning and evening meals to help increase my metabolism and give me an added kick. Others used Ripped Fuel.

I left OCS at around 150 lbs and cut after only 13 weeks. My cholesterol went way down. My meals were very starchy and calorie oriented. They had to be.

After that I entered flight school, which entailed hours and hours of studying. Its a well known fact that after you leave OCS it is very easy to put the lbs. right back on. Its impossible to maintain that intensity in daily life. Well, I did. Stress helped jump me right back up to 170 lbs.

I started to notice a trend. If I ran occasionally, ate normally and WALKED 18 holes every other day, entering 4 miles of rollerblading on Saturdays for fun, and putting in 30 minutes of cardio M,W,F, I started to shed the lbs. off again. However, it went very slowly.

HOWEVER, THE SINGLE BIGGEST CHANGE I MADE WAS REGULATING ALCOHOL, BECAUSE MY BODY COULD NOT METABOLIZE IT!!!!

I ALSO NOTICED THAT MY BODY METABOLIZED FOOD VERY SLOWLY!! When I stopped taking Xenadrine that increased metabolism, I noticed even when I ate and didn't drink I put on weight. Went back on Xenadrine, started burning calories again.

I immediately cut back drinking and started to eat less often. Note I didn't change what I ate, just how often.

The pounds came right back off again. I'm happy to report that I am sitting at 155, fitting into the clothes that I did right after OCS, and much happier that I now know what I needed to do for MYSELF.

So where did I go with all of this?

1) Don't worry so much about each and every calorie, worry about how YOUR body reacts to what YOU eat and how much of it.

2) You have to eat. If you don't, you won't have the energy to work out.

3) Do workouts and exercise you enjoy. (I hate to lift weights, so I simply don't do it). If you burn a high enough calorie differential it won't matter what you eat.

4) It takes, time, work, effort, and belief in YOURSELF. Not what the next guy is eating or drinking or lifting or running.

5) KISS (Keep it simple stupid). Don't get caught up in complex workout calorie burning formulas, or using calculus to find how many calories you ate or burned.

Work hard, believe in YOURSELF and you will be just fine. If this helps just one person, than my time was worth it.

 

[EarleD]

Well it been a good 4-5 days. I havent strayed to far from my diet. I continue to run daily and am feeling great. I'm down to 204lb which brings my total loss to 31 lbs.
Bill,I tried the crucnches and they burn like hell... I still hate doing abs exercise and am still slacking on them. Im up to 3 sets of 20-25 push ups and can definatly see the results of them.
This thread hasnt moved in a few days so I thought that I would bump it up.
The big problem I have now is that my pant are too big and I need new ones soon. I told myself that I would get new pants when I reached my goal of a 36" waist. I have a perfect 38" waist now. Much better than the 42" on I had 2 months ago
Heres a few pictures of my inspiration for this weight loss.
Earle

 

[Bill Catherall]

Earle, isn't it amazing how big the pants get! When I finally bought my new jeans (36") and took off my old 40" jeans for the last time I looked at them and was completely amazed at how fat I was. You know, for some reason we can never see the weight until we lose it and our clothes are really hanging on us. A belt I got when I first started this now no longer fits unless I start punching new holes in it. It's kind of fun isn't it.
And congrats on the baby. We just had our third 2 months ago.

 

[Chris Smith]

Not a bad weekend, but not great. Didn't lose any but didn't gain any either. Still fluctuating between 7 and 9 pounds lost.

 

[Mike__D]

Ok, I've been really bad this week. I won't get into too many details, but I've been staying down my shore house this whole week and healthy food is hard to come by. Not to mention all the beer. And it's only going to get worse tonight, since I have off from work tommorow and Friday. Oh, and then there is the weekend.

I brought my rollerblades w/ me to get some excersise. I strapped them on after work and only made it about 10 minutes until my shins were killing me. It's been a year or so since I've rollerbladed, and this always happens the first few times out. Oh well, at least I got a workout playing volleyball last night, but the rest of the week I'm screwed.

 

[EarleD]

Hurray...I finally broke the 200lb barrier. At least according to my home scale. That brings my total to over 35lb
I hit a plateau at 32-34lbs, couldnt seem to get past that for a week or so. It feels great to finally get past it. If anyone here has stopped losing, dont worry suddenly you will lose a quick 3-5lbs, you just need to work thru this frustrating time.
Bill,
I just tried on a pair of my old shorts and could get over how huge they were, its a great feeling.
I had to get some new pants, so I just sucked it up and picked up 2 pairs of 38X30 chinos. The 36" waist were just a bit tight, I figure by the end of nest week they should be perfect.
How is everyone else doing? Lets keep everyone updated.
Good luck guys
Earle

 

[Brian Harnish]

I haven't posted much here lately but just wanted to let everyone know about my progress! Currently, my weight is at 236 (down from 260).
I'm on my way to getting down to 200!!! If things keep going like they are I should be able to lose another 40-50 lbs. by New Year's. What an awesome day that'll be!

 

[Bill Catherall]

Good to hear things are still going well for you Brian and Earle. I'm also still enjoying my diet and exercise. Well...the waking up at 5am is getting harder with the baby wanting to stay up until 11pm. (My wife is nursing him so she wakes up at night for the feedings. I feel bad because I can't help that much so I let her go to bed early and I stay up with him until he falls asleep. But we're going to try a plan of alternating nights staying up with him and see how it goes.)
My weight loss continues but I still don't know what I weigh. The scale at the gym is now gone and has been gone for a couple weeks. I really don't want to go buy one of my own because I question the accuracy and don't want to spend the money on a really good one. With my luck the day after I buy one for home the gym will get one back.
The compliments from friends and coworkers are now rolling in. I get embarrassed, but it's good to know that it's actually noticeable. One guy at work asked "Are you losing weight? What are you on?" I said "Nothing...just exercising and eating different."

 

[Chris Smith]

Hey guys, just checking in. Not too bad of the last week or so, down about a pound, but none gained. I think I have to excercise a bit more than I have been, but I just can't seem to find the time. I cannot force myself to wake up in the morning and my g/f (ooops, excuse me fiance) keeps me pretty busy after work. Oh, well, no more complaing time to start doing!

 

[Joe Szott]

Hi Folks,
Grat thread. I'm not on a real program myself right now, but wanted to drop in and give my full support and a little advice. So what the heck would I know?
Back in the 1990s I was pretty heavy and not very good with eating habits or exercise. I was obese throughout high school and most of college. Through a self program of diet control, everyday exercise, and listening to myself I went from 285 -> 185 in 2 years time. I wasn't hungry very often and was very healthy (I still rarely get sick while folks at work are dropping with the flu. It didn't use to be like this for me.) I'm not a doctor, but here's what I found works and doesn't work:
* Your body can thrive on a 30-40-30 diet when active. That means calories per day are 30% from protein, 40% from carbohydrates, 30% from fat. The big problem is the protein, most people don't get anywhere near 30% in a day (more like 12%). It is the very best thing to have right after a workout and allows your body to build muscle right away instead of letting you get sore for days. The best way to get protein (IMHO) is protein shakes, I found Cytopro to be the best brand so far. Met-RX is also good and can be used if Cyto is out of reach or not available.
* Calories in / Calories out type programs can work, but only if they adhere to a 30/40/30 or 40/30/30 program stated above. Slim-fast is not a very good choice because it is carb-heavy. Without a large protein % in your diet, you will be hungry all the time. Enough protein and you are almost never hungry. Met-RX has a simple and effective calorie counting system, it is a very good and simple system that allows you to eat whatever you like as long as you track the P/C/F percentages daily. I had great success with this program and didn't have to buy any special food like weight watchers meals, slim fast, etc (except that I liked using the Met-RX, so I kept buying that )
* Running/walking is the #1 way to lose weight if you do it 4-5 times a week. Swimming is good, biking is good, but running is the all-time master for weight loss. Obviously, you want to start by just walking a mile or two every other day, then scale up to jogging a 1/4 mile, walking 3/4, and so on. Running will also lower your standing heart rate and lowers cholesterol. I figure I would have lost 80 lbs through running alone, had I done nothing else in those 2 years. Also, walking with your dog/kids/SO can be a great endeavor with benefits well beyond physical fitness.
* Weight training (when combined with running) is #2. Running and weight training on alternate days is a bulllet-train pass to weight loss. These two with some mild dieting (see above) is how I lost my 100 lbs. It doesn't matter if you do strength. endurance, or size training with the weights. Just doing it complements the running so well.
* Also, as an aside picking up a physical activity that isn't *too* physical is a great idea too. I enjoyed taking Aikido (martial arts) and Hatha Yoga at different times while/after controlling my weight, and they are fantastic helpers for weight loss. Yoga really helps reduce stress, keep body limber, and calm your mind.
Anyway, that's that as they say. I'm usually at 195-200 these days, just can't work out and train like I could in those early 20s But I still weight train and walk with an occasional run thrown in, kept the weight from coming back. Hope this helped, best to you all...

 

[Bill Catherall]

Thanks for that advice Joe!
Finally, the gym has a new scale! It's a digital too. So weigh-in today put me at 211. That makes for a total weight loss of 29 lbs. so far.
Now, I've got a question hopefully someone can answer (is anybody still reading this...) For the past week I've been experience a strange sensation with my heart. It seems to really be pounding, but my resting heart rate is pretty low. I just took it at 55 bpm. Also, I've found my resting breathing rate to be pretty low too (haven't measured it though). If I take a deep breath I get dizzy. Not really pass out dizzy, but just a little light headed. It feels like I'm getting too much oxygen. At times I can actually feel my heart beating in my chest, but it's not racing. Is this something I should be concerned about? What could be causing this? I only usually experience this while sitting at my desk at work. When I get up and walk around I feel better. Actually I don't notice it at all during any level of activity...just while sitting around.
My diet has been mostly fruits and vegetables. The only supplements I take are a multivitamin and calcium. I have a Myoplex protein shake (I used to use Myoplex Deluxe but switched a couple weeks ago to regular Myoplex...it's cheaper) for breakfast and some form of meat for lunch and dinner. Snacks are usually fruits and vegetables. I haven't been eating any high-fat foods. The meat us usually turkey, chicken, or fish with occasional red meats. I'm still avoiding sugar and complex carbs in bread, pasta, potatoes, and rice. I exercise every morning Mon-Fri consisting of 20-30 minutes on weights and 20-30 minutes on an elliptical trainer getting my heart rate up to about 160 (75% of my theoretical maximum). I feel great working out and never have any dizzy spells. I can maintain a heart rate of 160 with very little difficulty.
Should I see a doctor and get an overall fitness evaluation? I haven't had my blood pressure checked in the past 3 months. Or is all of this a good sign of better fitness? I have felt an increase in my overall energy level and I sleep really well at night.

 

[Andrew W]

Alright, I'll join in too. I'm 6'1" and 210. I had been up to 240 five years ago and then reduced to about 180. I was doing competitive road cycling and in good shape. Work and other stress got to me, so I haven't been riding or exercising and got back up to 215. At that point, I decided I couldn't stand it anymore and decided to start riding and eating right again. I've started in-line skating and cycling, but my major calorie burner is cycling. I am back up the 25 mile rides, but only averaging around 17mph. So far, I've been pretty motivated and only missed a few days and for good reasons. I'm going to try to get back down to around 185 at around 2lbs a week loss.

Just a few comments to those of you who may be cycling. A bicycle is one of the most efficient machines ever devised. You have to work very hard to actually burn some calories. If you're working just as hard as you would running or swimming, you're probably not burning a significant number of calories. The work is all due to air resistance and that really starts to kick in at 15mph+.

 

[BrianB]

A bicycle is one of the most efficient machines ever devised. You have to work very hard to actually burn some calories. The work is all due to air resistance and that really starts to kick in at 15mph+.

How do stationary bicycles figure into this? No air resistance with them!

 

[Andrew W]

How do stationary bicycles figure into this? No air resistance with them!

My indoor trainer has a pretty hefty hydraulic resistance unit that can dump about 300 watts worth of power as heat.

However, since it is hard to get a fan that can simulate a 20mph airflow, it is really difficult to ride it for as long as a typical ride on the road. I've never heard of anybody that has lost a significant amount of weight and gotten in shape riding a stationery bicycle.

 

[Brian Harnish]

Heya, guys. Just bounced back in here after a slight hiatus from the gym (three weeks...ugh). I was just very burned out with working out (but, I still attempted to stick with my diet regardless). I've modified my diet quite a bit: I have removed fast food from my diet, my main source of drink is water (I'm down to one soda per day -- I haven't had *any* sodas this weekend so far -- yay!!!).
Anyways, I'm back at the gym and I've entered the Body For Life challenge. If anyone isn't familiar with that, you can pick up the book Body For Life by Bill Phillips. Since starting the program (already completed my first week), I've already noticed minor changes in my physique, including a better skin complexion.
Can't wait to complete the next 11 weeks!

 

[Robert G]

Well guys I'm new to this thread. I have been on a diet plan for the last 8 weeks. My plan for eating is basically moderation. I have also been exercising regularly. For the first 4 weeks I walked on a treadmill for 30 minutes a day on a two days on and one day off routine. I also incorporated small hand weights while walking and have gradually worked up to five pounds per hand(this gets heavy after 30 minutes).
For the last 4 weeks I have started lifting weights. I only do 2 exercises a day(still on the 2 days on and one day off schedule) and three sets per exercise. I work a different part of my body each day.
This system has worked great for me. I am 6 feet 4 inches tall and started out weighing 270 pounds. I now weigh under 230 pounds. I have so much more energy and stay in a better mood most of the time. I have also started riding motocross which is a great full body workout. I never realized how how much conditioning was involved in this sport. It is a great compliment to my regular exercise. What a great feeling to get that 5 gallon Ozarka jug off of my back and get back to doing active things!!

 

[Brian Harnish]

Robert -- It feels awesome, doesn't it?

 

[Robert G]

Robert -- It feels awesome, doesn't it?

Absolutely!! The only problem is that I almost feel guilty when I sit down for a 2-3 hour movie. Almost!

 

[Bill Catherall]

Robert - Welcome to the thread!
Weigh in report: today's weight, 209#
That means I've lost only 2 lbs in the past 2.5 weeks. It's an improvement, but not as good as I'd like. And certainly not as good as before.
This could be because the past 3 times I've weighed myself it was on 3 different scales and each one is reading different (a cop out). Or it could be because my workouts just haven't been as intense or as long as they used to be (the truth).
While my fitness level has been increasing, I've been tapering off my workout. Mainly because of being too tired. I haven't been getting to bed as early as I need to and it's been too hard to get up in the morning. And last week I skipped going to the gym 3 days (same the week before). This has most likely caused my weight loss to plateau. Today I recommitted myself to getting up on time so I can have enough time to get a good workout in. And today's workout felt really great.
I've made a few changes to the way I'm going to be working out too. On Mon, Wed, Fri I plan on lifting heavier weights and doing only 20 minutes of cardio. I want to build up the muscles and get a little bigger (muscle wise). Then on Tue, Thu I plan on doing lifting with lighter weights with many more reps to define and refine the muscles I'm building along with 30 minute cardio. I'll probably mix in swimming occasionally too.
Diet wise I'm still on track. I haven't cheated at all on that (accept for the weekly "treats" I give myself for being a "good boy" ).
The compliments (which are a bit embarrassing) still roll in from friends. People are calling me "slim" now. :b It's nice to know that it's a noticeable improvement, but I've never been one to draw attention to myself...and I've been getting a little more attention than I'm comfortable with.
Oh, and the clothes. I need to replace almost my entire wardrobe, but I just don't have that kind of money. It is nice though, knowing that I've out shrunk my clothes.
And energy wise I feel great (unless I stay up late of course ). I used to be really sluggish, but now I really don't feel as tired as I used to.

 

[Chris Brown]

I've found that lowering your carbs helps a lot. I'm not talking about a "No carb diet" but I’ve found that there are many places that are very easy to reduce. Like first of all, things like Kool-aid and regular sodas have way too much sugar... Instead I use substitutes such as Crystal-lite and Diet-Soda (I like Pepsi One personally, although Diet-SOBE drinks are awesome!). At first it kinda sucked, but now drinking anything with too much sugar doesn't even taste good. A nice side effect to this is that you don’t loose as much energy. Sugar tents to give you a lot of energy in a short period of time and then leave you tired for the rest of the day… yuck.
I know one thing is fast food… I read somewhere, although I cannot confirm it’s accuracy, that the average American gets half their fat from French fries. So when you go to a fast food place, instead of getting a burger and fries, get two burgers… this *usually* has less fat unless you unload an entire can of mayo on each burger or something.
Another thing is that I’ve found it’s really good to keep up with the vitamins. I like to drink a V8 in the morning, and have a vitamin with dinner. Eat a nice breakfast and you won’t be so hungry for lunch when it’s easy to eat too much.
Also, I know this is the hardest… but NEVER snack in front of the TV. You just loose track. There have been times when I’m watching TV and start out with a full bag of cheeto’s or something and then finish the whole bag… That’s not something I normally do, but it’s just too easy to over-eat snacks and crap when you are watching TV. I’d suggest a few things to help with this. One is you could eat snacks that are more healthy while watching TV like maybe a sliced-peach… or something that requires more effort like sunflower seeds, so you are not just popping them into your mouth without thinking.
But before you start anything, something that is really simply is to just look at the back label on foods before you eat them. You may be surprised to find that there are a lot of things you can easily cut back on without being too intrusive. The other day I was at a 7-11 and I was going to get a Skor-bar… but then I looked on the back and it said it had 20grams of fat. That’s insane. You should try and keep your daily intake at 30 or less grams, or at LEAST avoid stupid things like that skor-bar that are obviously going to put you over. I’ve been surprised on more than one occasion just how much fat some things contain. I used to eat a lot of Chile till I read it had like 600calories and 13grams of fat… and worse yet I think that was only for one serving and there were two servings in the can… I don’t know about you but I always eat the entire can.
The basic rule I’ve figured, is that if you make your “diet” a pain in the butt for yourself, you are going to stop doing it, so what’s the point. Don’t “go on a diet” but instead, just be aware of what you are eating. Doing simple things like drinking Diet-soda and not eating too many things that are totally loaded with fat or calories isn’t that hard. For me at least, I now like diet soda better, and I’ve found enough cool new food that It doesn’t hurt to avoid the occasional skor-bar or can of chile.
Last tip, Mustard doesn’t have any calories, and doesn’t have any fat. So if food tastes a little bland, don’t be afraid to slap some extra mustard on there. Try using more mustard and less mayo on things like hamburgers, and, well, I’ve found a whole lot of things that mustard tastes good with. And on that note, try If you can to keep your potassium intake above your sodium intake. Excessive sodium intake can raise your blood pressure. Bananas are good.
What I’ve said above is what I follow on a daily basis, but I’m not going to lie and say that it’s a miracle diet. I’m rather “Big”, and I have to admit I sit on my ass pretty much all day. What this diet HAS done is kept me from gaining even more weight. If I can live the ultimate couch-potatoe lifestyle and not gain any more weight, then I’m sure someone who actually tries to do some exercise will find lots of success with this method. I try and walk a little when the weather is good, but I’d suggest not walking alone. When I do get around to walking, I always take the dog, seems to make things a little easier and less lonely.