Anyone Dieting?

Well I figured I would post and ask if anyone has started a diet for the new year. It has been one of my top goals for this year to shed about fifty pounds. Amazing how fast weight can pile on if you’re not careful. I’m 47 and have been eating like a 20 year old and have realized that I have to make a lifestyle change. I’m trying low carb and walking twice a day. Would love to hear some of you all chime in maybe we can all encourage one another.

 

I lost about 15 pounds since Halloween. I cut out fried food, no soda (regular or diet) drink green and black tea, still drink coffee but instead of flavored creamer I use a little milk and molasses for sweetener. Every day after dinner I walk a mile. It’s all the little things that seem to add up. Good luck.

 

More activity, smaller portions and less snacking. I hope my will power is up to it.

 

My wife told me she is quitting beer or else she'll end up being 150lbs soon. I started drinking more beer in the hopes of getting down to 160.

 

I’ve found portion control really helps. My wife had a health scare in the fall and it changed the way we eat a bit. We’ve always eaten relatively well, but now incorporated more veggies and pretty much nixed all the junk food in the house.

 

That’s awesome, I hope by this spring to be down some.

 

8 months ago I was 212. I'm now 190. Daily 16-18 hour fast is mostly all I've changed. Being down for shoulder surgery for 3 months and a couple months leading up to the surgery, limited my normal exercise routine during that time. I expect to loose more and quicker now that I can ride again.

 

I tried the keto diet last May. First two weeks were hard, but soon I was fasting without any cravings or weakness for 18 hours. Felt great, lost 20 lbs, but got tired of 10 cubs of salad a day. I'm trying it again when the cold breaks in June.

 

I'm 250. My normal weight is ~230 when I'm exercising routinely. Not going to diet, I'm going to need it for the upcoming food shortages. I do plan on smoking more (cigars).

 

I don’t need to loose weight as much a rearrange it. I’m 6’ tell & weigh 160 but I feel like an old piece of furniture. My chest has fallen into my drawers.
I feel so weak compared to what I used to be. Not that I was ever really that strong. I hurt my lower back really badly in 2008 & was afraid to do much because I didn’t want to re injure it & experience that excruciating pain again. But in doing so I lost what little muscle mass I had & I can’t seem to get it back now.

 

I'm not dieting either. I'm living this way now. Its the only way I've found I can eat what I want and loose weight.

 

Part of the reason I did the Keto thing was for pain management. Something about it being the best for inflammation. It really did work. I've never been a porker in my life, but thought losing weight would help.

 

No diet unless more bacon counts.

Weight not an issue for me but I need to watch my carb intake.

 

A couple of tips that may help:

1) If you don't work a physically demanding job, focus on strength training. Building muscle is the best way, in my opinion, to improve longevity and quality of life.
2) Focus on eating protein. The RDA is the minimum to survive basically. Ideally you should eat 1 g/lb of your goal weight. This is easier said than done (especially if you're getting it all from whole foods), but even if you fall short you will benefit from increasing your protein intake.
3) Eat the protein in your meal first. It has been said eating protein before carbs helps to minimize blood sugar from spiking. Also, protein is very satiating leading to feeling more full while eating less calories overall.
4) As was already stated by Skier76, portion control is a big one. It's amazing how much portion sizes have changed over the years.
5) Change your mindset to the best of your abilities. Instead of saying, "I'm on a diet, I can't eat that," tell yourself "I don't want to eat that right now." This reframes your thinking and gives you the power over your cravings. There's nothing wrong with treating yourself on occasion especially in celebration of reaching a goal or milestone. Moderation is key.
6) And this is a big one: consistency is king. None of these strategies, or any others for that matter, will work if you cannot stick with them. Implement small changes over time until they become a part of the new lifestyle you want to live.

These are generic tips and can be tweaked to fit individual needs. We tend to look at exercise and nutrition as being a one-size-fits-all type of thing, but this is not the case. Everyone is different and what works for one may not for another.

Find what it is you enjoy and stick with it

 

I go through this around this time of year most years. I work on firewood year round which helps but my weight always creeps up in the winter (even since I was a kid.) It used to naturally drop off come spring and summer but now it takes a concentrated effort. The 195-200 range is ideal for me (6'2") but I normally creep up to 215-220. I also like to ski and when I ski, I ski hard. It's difficult to put in an honest day on the slopes with that extra weight especially as I get older (47) I cut out all snacks and most if not all carbs (except beer 1-2 times a week). I also hit the gym/weight room here at work during this time, mostly working on legs and cardio for ski season. I can usually shed 10-15 pounds in a month when doing this. Once I hit my desired weight, I typically maintain it fairly steady until fall when the cycle begins again.

 

I have no time to be healthy. I worked out for years, since I was in HS. For about 8 years, I was working out 5 days a week (most weeks, certainly not every week) with a couple of coworkers. We would go to the gym for lunch (hour) and do strength training alternating muscle groups different days so they got rest. We watched "The Price is Right" during our workouts and actually managed to get intense strength training done. 3 days a week we played racquetball after work for cardio. I think I was benching 315 5X and never maxed out, I just did what felt right for me. I ate healthy, slept good (used a CPAP) and managed stress much easier.

We gradually got out of our routine. One of them left to go work in another state, the other I don't talk to anymore. All of the old guys that used to be in there that I liked talking to are gone. Now it's a bunch of weak azz "bro's" and "bruh's".

I tried starting back up again but once I'm over something, I'm over it. I find myself just spacing out and thinking I'd rather be doing something else, and I have plenty to do.

 

I feel really fat and squishy compared to my "normal". I guess age has finally overcome genetics and I can't eat whatever I want whenever I want anymore without having to worry about working out.

I'm going to try to drop about 15 lbs and get back to my fighting weight. I need a shock to the system so for the next 90 days:

No sugar (deserts, soda, etc).
No alcohol.
No snacks between meals.
16 hour fast (eat only between 10AM and 6PM).
Bare minimum carbs.
Skip a meal on Wednesday and Friday.
Work out 6 days a week.

On 12/31 I weighed 205. Today I'm at 199 and feel quite a bit better already, but still have a long way to go. 190 seems to be a good weight for me...maybe even down to 185.

 

Gains bruh

 

Lost 10 lbs beginning of Nov.

Found 9 of them this past Sunday.

 

Marvin hit it out of the park.....

Most people underestimate the need for good muscle, especially as you get older. Folks always want to focus on cardio...running etc to cut fat. That can actually be counterproductive eventually, as can be restricting calories too much. Like he said (and others), moderation. And I think moderation is key to all of eat, from eating all the way to the exercise, especially kiss starting out (or getting back I to it). Too many people try to cut too much food out at once, or types of food, or they try to start exercising too much too fast, and either get hurt or burn out quickly.