SDN Weight Watchers, Thread the Second

Dillon · Post by **Dillon** » 2008-02-03 04:00pm

I'm down to 200 lbs in the morning, until I drink my three liters of water throughout the day. That's right, three liters. I've read that it's very important to keep one self well-hydrated, so I try to drink at least three liters a day. I've completely cut soda and juices. They're just pointless calories anyway.

Anyway, I'm still a tiny bit overly-flabby, although definitely much, much better, so my new target is 185-190 lbs. So about 10-20 lbs to go. I now do at least good 10 minutes of jogging per day, and I did some pushups this morning, and plan to start doing a routine of that and some other calisthenics on a daily basis. I also plan to do some major biking once the weather permits.

Obviously, my weight may to go up if I start putting on more muscle, so my weight target is flexible.

I am also making some major dietary alterations. I can no longer afford to eat at restaurants everyday, as I've started school, and am therefore only working half days. It's healthier not to eat at restaurants anyway, so that's an added bonus. Now, my diet will consist of either a bowl of Mini-Wheats with skim milk or a light peanut butter and jam sandwhich for breakfast. If I don't have time for breakfast, I'll just grab a few tangerines on my way out.

For lunch, since I have all kinds of free time at lunchtime now with my new schedule, I'll go home and make myself a nice sandwich with assorted light cold cuts, sliced provolone cheese, sliced tomato, a bit of light mayonnaise and mustard on whole wheat bread.

For supper, I'll bring maybe five or six tangerines to school to eat during the break.

I'll also have a banana, or a tangerine or two as a snack if I happen to be feeling hungry throughout the day.

So? Thoughts? Comments? Criticisms?

Schuyler Colfax · Post by **Schuyler Colfax** » 2008-02-03 04:11pm

I'm in one of those "I'm going to start dieting right after I have this chinese food" moods.

Dillon · Post by **Dillon** » 2008-02-03 06:12pm

Schuyler Colfax wrote:I'm in one of those "I'm going to start dieting right after I have this chinese food" moods.

In my experience, that means you won't.

Post by **weemadando** » 2008-02-13 01:03am

I'm on the wagon again.

Been working at it for a few weeks after having a rough patch over X-mas (didn't we all).

Currently at 176.5kg (not pounds - kilos) after losing 5 kilos last week (intensive exercise and actually eating properly will do that).

Aiming to reach 120kg as a psychological target (upper-end of heavyweight division).

Havok · Post by **Havok** » 2008-02-13 02:09am

OK fat. I'm sick of you now... again.

So I weighed in at 365lbs (pounds, not kilos. Crazy metric users), which is actually lighter than the 380+ I thought I was. That was a nice little surprise. (That was sarcasm, since the weight loss is surely do to atrophied muscle)

The last time I did this, I went from 315+ down to around 235 in 3 months, but I didn't like being that small, so I'm thinking an even 100lbs and I will get to 265, and I have until the end of August, so I can be dedicated, but not quite hardcore.

Hopefully life or injury doesn't get in the way this time. I'll keep you all posted!

Post by **weemadando** » 2008-02-13 02:35am

OK Hav - meet you at 265lb (which is the 120kg I'm aiming for).

What's your height anyway?

Havok · Post by **Havok** » 2008-02-13 02:41am

weemadando wrote:OK Hav - meet you at 265lb (which is the 120kg I'm aiming for).

What's your height anyway?

6'1". What is your method?

Post by **weemadando** » 2008-02-13 03:39am

I'm 6'6" so 120kg is a decent weight for me - when I was doing a shitload of exercise in year 12 at school and was shorter than I am now, my weight was 110kg, so I think 120kg for me now is pretty damn good.

My method is getting back into the training I've done previously and that a few friends have been working on too.

Lots of cardio work (mainly shadow boxing/kickboxing, bag work and running).

Strength routines (bag pick up+slams, 20kg kettlebell workouts, lots of pushups, squats etc).

Various other stuff (my abs hate me at the moment).

Food is mainly "low point", but with a healthy dose of low-fat meats (chicken, lean pork) to stop my body from just shutting down. For the past fortnight I've been doing a "zero point" dinner thing to try and dump down a few more kg before Easter, but as my training ramps up again (currently at 3 days a week, want to move to 5, then 7) I'll increase my intake accordingly.

Mainly its about me cutting snacking at work - or snacking on stuff that isn't M&Ms, Cadbury and Pods.

Havok · Post by **Havok** » 2008-02-13 04:54am

weemadando wrote:I'm 6'6" so 120kg is a decent weight for me - when I was doing a shitload of exercise in year 12 at school and was shorter than I am now, my weight was 110kg, so I think 120kg for me now is pretty damn good.

My method is getting back into the training I've done previously and that a few friends have been working on too.

Lots of cardio work (mainly shadow boxing/kickboxing, bag work and running).

Strength routines (bag pick up+slams, 20kg kettlebell workouts, lots of pushups, squats etc).

Various other stuff (my abs hate me at the moment).

Food is mainly "low point", but with a healthy dose of low-fat meats (chicken, lean pork) to stop my body from just shutting down. For the past fortnight I've been doing a "zero point" dinner thing to try and dump down a few more kg before Easter, but as my training ramps up again (currently at 3 days a week, want to move to 5, then 7) I'll increase my intake accordingly.

Mainly its about me cutting snacking at work - or snacking on stuff that isn't M&Ms, Cadbury and Pods.

Good man.

The Spartan · Post by **The Spartan** » 2008-02-23 07:30pm

I haven't weighed myself lately. Frankly I've been scared to since I haven't worked out in like three weeks because of inclement weather and, mostly, because I've been sick/getting over getting sick.

I've tried to keep my food intake sane but that's difficult when you're sick and bored and especially when everyone at work insists on putting out snacks and you just can't control your-damn-self.

Which is why I don't have snacks in my house but there you go.

Anyhow, I'm getting started back on Monday to my routine. I'm planning on going pretty hard to get back into the swing of things. Though, we'll see how long that last when I actually start running into my atrophied state of conditioning.

Dillon · Post by **Dillon** » 2008-03-04 02:04pm

Down to 195 lbs. My diet is mostly the same, however I'm exercising more. I still do my daily 10 minute jog. I've added 5 reps of 15 pushups (hoping to push it up to 20 soon) and 5 reps of 20 squats. I'll alternate during my exercise time, like do a squat rep then a push up rep, etc, taking 5 minute breaks between reps. I figure I'm hitting pretty much all my muscle groups with this routine.

I must admit I'm amazed how much a little practice can help with practice can help with the push ups. The first day, I could barely do 10 without feeling like I was going to faint afterwards. Now I can do up to 20 in a row and it's not too bad.

However, I am still very new to this, so any advice would be mucho appreciated.

Soontir C'boath · Post by **Soontir C'boath** » 2008-03-04 02:18pm

The first time you exercise will always be a pain in the ass.

I'm still about 195 pounds but even then, my waist seems to be the same when I was 180/185. The only thing I could think of is that, I am gaining muscle mass as I am going to the gym almost five days a week now.

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » 2008-03-04 02:23pm

At goal weight, 150 lbs.

Schuyler Colfax · Post by **Schuyler Colfax** » 2008-03-04 04:00pm

Cpl Kendall wrote:At goal weight, 150 lbs.

Same, currently I'm at 185.

irishmick79 · Post by **irishmick79** » 2008-03-08 12:25am

Might as well join in the....fun

Height: 5'8''
Weight: 196 lbs
Body Mass Index: 29.8
treadmill activity: 1.59mi in ~18 min.
push ups: not doing them
sit ups: not doing them
diet: huh?

I also do some repetitions on a weight resistance machine thingy where there's a bar hanging overhead, you sit on a bench, and pull the bar down across your chest with your arms. No idea what it's called but whatever it is, I do about 3 reps at 100 lbs (first rep I do 8 pulls, 2nd I do 6, 3rd I do 4-6 depending on how burned I am).

I used to be 235-240 lbs in December, and I have been greatly aided by stress weight loss thanks to the arrival of my newborn daughter on Dec 31st. My goals are to drop down into a BMI in the 'normal' range, and get the 1.5 mile run under 10 minutes. I'm applying for a direct commission in the Naval Reserves and I don't want to completely embarrass myself during the physical training. Because it's a direct commission I only have to do a 2 week indoctrination course, but still, don't want to look like I'm near death after running half a mile.

Diet issues are usual - portions are too big, too many trips to the freezer to grab ice cream and other novelties, too many fatty foods. I have no idea how many calories I'm actually supposed to be consuming daily, but however much my intake should be, I'm probably exceeding it.

I do the 1.5 mile run and do the resistance machine thingy every other day. I'm trying to figure out a more complete physical fitness program - I don't go to a gym at all since I work nights and most gyms that I can find in the Burlington VT area are closed by the time that I'd be ready to do a work out. My work has a excersize room in it, and I use the equipment before I begin my night shift.

Do any of you have any advice for how to figure out the right amount of calories to take in a day, or how I should augment my excersize regimen? I have no idea how to go about doing the math here.....

Soontir C'boath · Post by **Soontir C'boath** » 2008-03-13 09:58am

Wow, only a week later, I find myself to weigh in at 191 pounds from 195. It's a definitely improvement over the 200 LB I was over the winter break. I've also managed to hit my third notch on my belt which is also awesome.

Flakin · Post by **Flakin** » 2008-03-15 12:43pm

I've been running. Lots and lots of running.

This morning I ran through the downtown of sunny Jackson, MS, and completed a 5K road race. The time on my stopwatch was 35:17. (which, as I was considerate and started off at the back of the pack, unlike some of the people in fancy dress who everyone had to run around, will probably officially be around 35:27)

Not bad for someone who still weighs ~280 pounds, eh? I'm doubly pleased because I ran the whole thing, not stopping to walk once. I haven't ran a public 5k since July 2002. Been doing plenty of them at the track behind my gym though.

Schuyler Colfax · Post by **Schuyler Colfax** » 2008-03-15 04:46pm

I lost 10 pounds, I've been drinking a lot more water and have been eating a lot less junk food, not replacing it with healthy food but, just not as much junk food. I actually jog to where my friend picks me up for school instead of walking, as a bouns jogging helps me get there faster so I'm actually on time.

The Spartan · Post by **The Spartan** » 2008-03-15 06:00pm

Observe the ticker. I'm near my goal weight. Mind you that was my weight after running this morning, before eating or drinking anything but before having a movement, so I may actually be even lighter than that. Or, arguably heavier depending upon how you want to track all of that.

Either way, I haven't been this light since I was 14 years old. Half my life ago.

Schuyler Colfax · Post by **Schuyler Colfax** » 2008-03-24 06:32pm

195 WTF.

The Spartan · Post by **The Spartan** » 2008-03-24 07:28pm

Schuyler Colfax wrote: 195 WTF.

Do not let this discourage you. Just keep on top of it, man.

I have been exactly where you are far too many times. Take a deep breath and reassess what you are doing. Is there something making you eat more, like stress? Did you stop keeping track of your intake? Maybe you got busy and weren't able to exercise.

Take a deep breath and say, "Okay, I slipped off the wagon, but I've caught it and it's just time to reapply myself."

Dillon · Post by **Dillon** » 2008-03-30 09:10pm

I'm down to ~185 lbs, so I'm not far off from 175-180 lbs, my new target. Now my concern is becoming more balancing my diet. When I started this, I never really bothered counting my Calories, I just tried to eat less an healthier. Anyway, I added it up, it ended up being ~1200 Calories/day, which is obviously dangerously low.

Anyway, I'm hoping by increasing it slowly and increasing my cardio (to ~1600 Calories, for now), I won't gain all the fat back and will slowly speed up my metabolism.

I've been counting my food intake very closely lately. I even made a spreadsheet document to help keep track of it and I've spread my food intake to 7 portions a day as opposed to 3 big meals, since the general consensus is that seems to be healthier.

My question is what is the healthy ratio between fats, carbs and protein? My Googling thus far has given me such wildly varying reports that I don't even know what to think anymore. Is a diet with 66% carbs/15% proteins/18% fats (80% unsaturated, and yes I know my percentages add up to 99%. They're rounded off) a healthy balance for someone who works a manual labor job part time, and works out about an hour per day, 7 days a week?

Also, is it safe to consume only 1200 mg of salt per day? It seems kind of low, especially since I drink A LOT of water throughout the day.

Durandal · Post by **Durandal** » 2008-03-30 11:22pm

Well I was by no means in a bad spot when I started seriously dieting and exercising. I'm 6'0. Back in November, I was around 195-200 pounds. I had flirted with the gym on and off since March of last year. But I was still technically overweight and had a pudgier midsection than I wanted. I started getting back into the swing of the gym at the beginning of the year and really watching my calorie intake. I wanted to nip the problem in the bud. Like I said, I was by no means fat, but if I kept eating garbage and being lazy, I would wake up one day and not be able to see my dick. Not something I looked forward to.

So today, I'm at 176 pounds. Not too shabby. My midsection is still a little flabby, but it looks better, and my thighs don't rub together anymore.

So here's what I did. For the record, I don't have a goal weight. I figure I'll just keep taking in an adjusted number of calories per day, exercising and I'll see where the weight loss stops. Hopefully, my little regimen will help others out.

Ditch soda. If you want something sweet and fizzy, go for fruit drinks that use sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup. They taste great, have fewer calories, won't wreak havoc on your liver and don't make you hungrier. Trader Joe's has a great selection of sodas and fruit drinks that have no corn. Otherwise, get used to drinking water. When I get into work, I down a 1-liter bottle of water I keep in my mini-fridge first thing. Feels great.

Remove anything caffeinated from your diet. If you consume lots of caffeine, chances are that, by the end of the day, you'll have crashed and will be less likely to go to the gym.

Just calorie count. This has worked out great for me. Don't pay attention to carbs, fats, saturated fats or whatever. That shit just makes dieting a pain in the ass and requires more bookkeeping on your part. You should be able to relatively easily keep track of calories consumed per day in your head. If you don't have an exact number, just guess and you'll probably be in the ballpark. Dieting really is that simple. It's pinning down your individual metabolism that's hard.

Indulge every so often. When you start dieting, you'll have a spike of weight loss as your body compensates for lack of fuel. But that'll drop off over time because your body will get used to the lower calorie intake. So you should sprinkle a "cheat meal" in there every so often to keep your metabolism up. This should be done no more than once a week. Don't binge, just exceed your daily calorie quota by 500-700 calories or so.

Eat small breakfasts and small dinners. For me, I go out to lunch with my co-workers a lot. I enjoy being social, I like hanging out with them, and it's a nice point in my work day. I didn't want to give it up, even though the chosen destination wasn't always the healthiest thing ever. So I eat small breakfasts and dinners and a big lunch. For breakfast, I have a protein bar. (These things are awesome, by the way. They're called "Pure Protein", and they're delicious. They have between 160 and 200 calories per depending on the flavor, and with a nice serving of water, they make a good breakfast.) For dinner, I'll either have another protein bar with maybe some light snacks or I'll cook up a vegetable dish from Trader Joe's, but certainly not a full meal's worth. (Trader Joe's has an excellent shrimp and vegetable dinner. You sauté it in olive oil for about 10 minutes and you're done. It's a filling, tasty, healthy meal that's ridiculously low in calories, about 140 calories per package.)

Look at calorie counting as a weekly thing, rather than a daily thing. If you slip up, just make sure that you don't slip up again that week. You'll still have a net-negative intake at a weekly level; you just won't lose as much weight in a given week. That's not a huge deal. We're talking a pound at most. Also realize that it's only realistically possible for you to gain about a pound per day.

Drag your ass to the gym. Chances are that you won't want to go at the end of the day (especially if you're like me and typically leave work at 7:30 or 8:00), but just remember that once you're there and moving, you'll probably feel a whole hell of a lot better. Try and go about 3 times a week or so, but don't beat yourself up if you miss a day. Make it a part of your life rather than a chore.

I always do about 20 minutes on an elliptical, which according to the little calorie counter, burns 220 to 240 calories for me. (I ramp up the resistance and incline.) I don't do treadmills because they destroy my knees and ankles, and I'm not training for a marathon. I just want to get my heart rate up. Then I do some weight training. I alternate days between arms/abs and chest/core. That's about another 30 minutes. So I'm at the gym for about an hour each day.

So these days, I'll consume between 1200 and 1700 calories per day. According to various calorie calculators around the Internet, someone of my age at my height and weight burns about 2300 calories per day, but I just don't need that much. It is good to know that I have a higher ceiling there if I need it though.

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » 2008-03-31 09:16am

I'm at my goal of 150 and I've decided to work off the remaining gut, so I'm going to do circuit training when the snow clears. Any suggestions for exercises? I've got the usual, pushups, jumping jacks, v-sits and situps. Anything I'm missing?

Post by **Colonel Olrik** » 2008-04-02 08:02am

I always do about 20 minutes on an elliptical, which according to the little calorie counter, burns 220 to 240 calories for me. (I ramp up the resistance and incline.) I don't do treadmills because they destroy my knees and ankles, and I'm not training for a marathon. I just want to get my heart rate up. Then I do some weight training. I alternate days between arms/abs and chest/core. That's about another 30 minutes. So I'm at the gym for about an hour each day.

You're training with real weights, right? Don't take this the wrong way, you're doing great, but I get a feeling from your description that you could do better. I spent years at the gym with barely any increase in definition or strength, just to keep the fitness. While it worked in that regard, almost two years ago a friend of mine convinced me to train harder (or rather, train in a different way I was used to since the time spent at the gym didn't increase) and in a year or so my body changed significantly. I've never looked as good as now, even if due to lack of time I do less outdoor sports than when I was 20.

So these days, I'll consume between 1200 and 1700 calories per day. According to various calorie calculators around the Internet, someone of my age at my height and weight burns about 2300 calories per day, but I just don't need that much. It is good to know that I have a higher ceiling there if I need it though.

It really sounds too little. I'm 165 pounds and 6'1, have a job equivalent to yours and work out also around 3 times a week, and would starve with so little. If I take less that around 2500 cal/day I start losing weight like hell - lost 2 Kg in two weeks in my recent holidays in California due to our habit of having a stronger breakfast and not actually having lunch to save time.