Weight Loss Thread

What areas are in pain? I'm sure if people knew, they could recommend more tailored suggestions

My biggest piece of advice regarding losing weight, as so many others have said, isfood and exercise that fits into your daily lifeand isn't a problem to keep up. Diets are terrible. You diet, lose weight, stop dieting, gain weight. There is no point to it unless you can find a way of eating that is easy and comfortable enough to maintain. Don't be unrealistic about food. Same with exercise. Plan an exercise routine that works with your life, one that isn't extreme unless you are dedicated and able to keep it up.

Sean_sl said:

Heh, I guess I haven't really said much about my pain problems in here before. I'm pretty much in constant pain and have to take some nasty stuff to really do anything. Just standing around in a grocery store for 10-15 minutes brings me to absolutely excruciating pain. So, I'm not a big fan of exercise. I definitely could not handle something like p90x. Between that and an anxiety disorder I rarely go outside.

I was walking my dogs quite a bit in the summer, but even though my legs were strengthening up a bit from that it really got to be too much. I need to get back to light stuff like that again, I know. It's pretty difficult for me to get into anything though with all my various problems. Plus, right now it takes most of my will power to keep my eating habits in check. I'm really not eating too little compared to how much I burn just by being alive, which is all I'm really able to do most of the time. Once I get used to it again (it worked for me before, for nearly a year, I just need to not make the mistakes I did before - Pop/WoW/etc) I can probably try to add in things like light exercise.

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No one is denying that you or others have physical limitations, but it really comes down to whether or not you are "not a big fan of exercise" or a big fan of being fat. You can always do *something* and it makes the entire process a million times easier.

The biggest thing that people don't really seem to get about losing weight is that YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE HUNGRY. That is the natural feeling of losing weight. It sucks, which is why people are fat.

Just like the feeling you get when you are stuffed silly from a big dinner is the feeling of you getting fatter, the feeling of hunger is what you are aiming to replace it with.

Obviously if you're doing it right you won't be passing out from hunger, but I think this is a realization that most people don't/can't have.

You'll definitely be hungry eating at a deficit but you can make it much easier on yourself by eating good quality food and avoiding sugars and starchy carbs.

Yeah absolutely. I cut out all grains, pastas, starchy carbs etc, and it's been amazing. I get all my carbs through vegetables with a few fruits and it definitely keeps me full. Most days I like to do a vegetable shake (Kale, Spinach, Broccoli, Celery, Carrot, and an Apple) and eat that throughout the day and I'm usually full as shit the entire day. Not to mention it really does give me a crazy clarity of mind and energy that I had not had before.

One helpful tip that I've been given is to primarily stick to the outer ring of the super-market. Also, avoid things that say specifically that they're "healthy." That's usually a marketing gimmick to get stupid fad-dieters to buy their shitty products.

Sir Funk_sl said:

The biggest thing that people don't really seem to get about losing weight is that YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE HUNGRY. That is the natural feeling of losing weight. It sucks, which is why people are fat.

Just like the feeling you get when you are stuffed silly from a big dinner is the feeling of you getting fatter, the feeling of hunger is what you are aiming to replace it with.

Obviously if you're doing it right you won't be passing out from hunger, but I think this is a realization that most people don't/can't have.

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This is a great point and relates to cigarettes, or other addictions. You're going to feel bad temporarily, sack up and deal with it. Sure I felt bad for a couple of weeks when I quit smoking, but I knew it was going to happen and just let it happen. Felt like I had a mild illness for a few weeks while I broke the habit, then it was over. If you get a bad flu you'll feel like utter shit for a couple of weeks, then you'll get better. That's how I looked at quitting smoking and it worked, and how I'm treating my weight loss. I'll feel bad for a while while my body re-orients itself, but it will pass. It's not like it's torture, just mild discomfort and hunger pangs.

So..Since monday I dropped about 6 lbs using Stillman diet. It's basically eating nothing but protein. Very similar to the Atkins introduction phase minus fat and no carbs lol.. I'm sure a good amount of it is water weight since you need to consume a ton of water with it, but it's a fast way to drop some pounds and get you motivated with results. I don't think it's healthy long term but for a few weeks it's good. On avg you lose about 7-15lbs the first week and up to 5 lbs each week after. It's not easy but after abut 3 days you start to adapt. You're basically forcing your body to use it's stored fat by putting yourself in Ketosis. It's a 2 phase diet. Once you get to a weight you're happy with you're suppose to move into the second phase which is for maintenance again similar to that phase of Atkins. Just putting this out there in case someone if feeling overly motivated. I need to drop about 15lbs or so. It's hard to tell since I have a lot of muscle from lifting weights for so long so I just use the mirror.

Convo_sl said:

On avg you lose about 7-15lbs the first week and up to 5 lbs each week after.

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So on average people lose 30lbs in 1 month?

That sounds:

1) Gimmicky
2) Healthy
3) Like bullshit

Things like this are why there needs to be "weight loss" threads because you want to drop 15lbs asap. If you(not you specifically) exercise 4-5x week, and stop eating crap, or cut some crap out, you can lose 15lbs in a much healthier time frame and it'll be permanent. Ketogenic diets have been around forever, and as soon as people come off them they balloon the fuck up and wind up weighing more than they did before they started. Keto diets work, of course, but so does exercising a lot and eating high carbs, so does a bunch of other ways, and so does starving yourself.

Find an athletic hobby, stop going to McDonalds and Five Guys, profit. No one needs to do "the ____ diet", you need to not be a fat lazy bitch is all.

note: you = the world, not Convo

Low carb diets work, you just have to be methodical with them. You really can hurt yourself while losing weight. If you read Atkins book, he does make a point of this.

My advice to anyone thinking about low carb diets is to read Atkins' book. They work, but you'll be best served understanding why they work. And use some sense -- it's not a license to eat bacon and bratwurst all day. You'll lose weight doing that, but your heart will explode trying to pump the mud that you call blood.

Low carb may not be the best/safest tool in the box, but it is a legitimate tool.

Find an athletic hobby, stop going to McDonalds and Five Guys, profit. No one needs to do "the ____ diet", you need to not be a fat lazy bitch is all.

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This. A million times this.

Eat healthy, get some exercise, and use moderation in all things and you'll be fit as a fiddle. It's really fucking easy to be in decent health at a decent weight.

Cleaning up your diet absolutely works. Starving yourself works too but I wouldnt suggest it. Stay away from sugar, bread, pasta, cereals etc. That shit will make you both fat and hungry. Eat enough quality protein and enough good fat, get your veggies in there and go easy on fruit. No need to get fancy.

I think what's good about doing what I'm doing is just getting rid of all those bad habits at once. It's like restarting your body. I would not suggest this as a lifestyle. It's just a starting point for people looking to make a change and hoping to see results. The real change comes with a balanced diet and exercise. I'll move to a body for life style workout in a few weeks and a more balanced diet. A healthy lifestyle also takes planning and I have a plan I should also add.. I've been consistently working out for years.. I hurt my foot and had to lay off running then my gym closed down lol. It's just been a lazy month which is kind of making me anxious to hit the weights.

Count me in in the "I wanna lose weight" club.

I've always been on the thick side (a bit less than 200 pounds) and wore it well without any direct effect on my health, but two years of unemployment a few years ago really threw out everything out.

I'm now 28 clocking at 240 pounds stable and feeling all around shitty. Joint pains, quickly tired and what self confidence I had was lost.

I thought when I got a job back one year and a half ago that having an active lifestyle would help lose some of it, but so far, nothing really.

Well, I know the main culprit, my fucking eating habits. I almost can't remember the last time I cooked (and it was probably some greasy thing anyway), and nowadays I mostly eat junk fucking food to go (well except when I order japanese, it'd be healthier, if I didn't fucking order for two person just for me).

I've always been a heavy eater, but the current situation really got out of hand when I got a job back. I was so frutrasted food-wise when I had no job and no money, that as soon as I made a living again I kinda took my revenge...and didn't stop. It just counterbalanced my now working lifestyle.

Add to that the fact that I'm often going out with my friends and drinking a lot of beer, and you get where I stand.

Didn't really care for a while, health problems didn't come right away and until recently I wasn't looking into finding girls (yup, have been single and without sex for 2 and a half year and I thought it better. Not really into meaningless sex and didn't want to be in a relationship after a string of hard burns).

But things are changing and, well, at 28, I kinda want to find someone again, which is somewhat impossible in my state (must admit I'm somewhat picky girl-wise, and I don't have any fucking self confidence right now anyway).

The worst shock was last month when this girl I was into just flat out fat-zoned me. We were hanging around drunk at my place, she had sending all the signals for a few weeks (and well, we kinda had a drunk threesome with another girl back in Summer), and we were talking about relationship in general. Drunk as I was, I went right to the "Hey, you could date me, would be simple" and I got a "Well....if you were more...muscled...yeah" while she was looking at my belly (I was shirtless at the time). God damn that stinged.

Anyway, I don't even know where to start to lose weight. Yeah, eating healthier and lesser quantities, ok, but I don't think I could cut everything directly. Kinda need something to ease me into it. Yeah, I have about zero willpower altogether.

As far as exercise go, I try to walk at least 30 minutes everyday already, but of course it's not enough. They should soon (jan/feb) open a company gym at my workplace, and I'll try to take advantage of it. What kind of exercise would be good to start? Can't really start too hard until I get in better shape and I get less joint pains, so any advice is welcome.

Malkav_sl said:

Yeah, I have about zero willpower altogether.

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This is the first thing you need to fix. Getting into good shape is 100% about consistancy, and there is no way you'll be consistant about exercise or eating right if you have no willpower. When you're hungry after work and driving past your favorite take-out place you need to be able to resist the screaming "DO IT, DO IT!" in your head. When you feel tired and unmotivated, you need to gather the willpower to go to the gym anyway and get in a good workout.

Without willpower you might as well not even bother, because you'll just be one of those people that exercises a few times a month, eats like shit Fri-Sun, and then wonders why you never get into shape.

McCheese_sl said:

This is the first thing you need to fix. Getting into good shape is 100% about consistancy, and there is no way you'll be consistant about exercise or eating right if you have no willpower. When you're hungry after work and driving past your favorite take-out place you need to be able to resist the screaming "DO IT, DO IT!" in your head. When you feel tired and unmotivated, you need to gather the willpower to go to the gym anyway and get in a good workout.

Without willpower you might as well not even bother, because you'll just be one of those people that exercises a few times a month, eats like shit Fri-Sun, and then wonders why you never get into shape.

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Yup, I know that full well. I'm just starting to come to term with all of this and trying to prepare myself mentally first. It's also why I thought I'd post here about it, maybe as a kind of support and maybe somebody will call my shit out. Don't really talk about all that stuff with my friends. I'm more touchy about it that I'd like to admit.