Does anybody else need to lose some weight?

[warning]

My jeans are getting too tight.  I'm eating too much fast food.  It's getting hard to bend over and tie my shoes.  I need to lose weight.

Right now I'm about 250 and I'm 6'6" tall.  Most of me tends to look well-proportioned but when I gain weight it goes straight to my gut.  I'm in danger of developing a beer belly without the fun beer habit.

About a year ago I lost quite a bit of weight.  I went from 244 to 224 and felt great.  I lost it primarily from running and changing what I ate.  It became more and more difficult to keep it up though and I eventually returned to old habits.  I could excuse myself and say life got busy (which it did) but the truth is I just got lazy and shifted my priorities the wrong way.

Well I'm drawing the line in the sand.  It needs to happen.  I will have to change some things in my schedule and it will take a week or two to do it but I'm shooting for starting warning 3.0 December 1st.  I'd like to get back down to 220 by April 1st.

Anybody else dealing with this?

[Greggy_D]

I do, I do!!!!  I'm 6 foot and 215.  I'd like to get down to 190 again.  My dad just had emergency triple-bypass heart surgery Wednesday and it scared the shit out of me.  His arteries were 95% closed, all due to diet.

I need to start eating better and need to have some type of exercise (besides sex) in my life.

[Laner]

Same here - after getting off the anti-depressants this summer, I've seen the weight come off pretty quickly.  Well, maybe not quickly, but with very little effort on my part - I haven't seriously worked out in a couple of weeks, and my weight keeps dropping consistently.  Though I celebrated crossing the 200 lb. mark last night by eating an entire pizza  

 Ideally I'd like to be around 180 again - I'm 6'1"

[ericb]

I'm also close to 6'2 and around 210 right now...was down to 200 before I went on vacation a couple weeks ago.  Right now I'm trying to maintain through the holidays...it's just too hard to really cut back until New Years.

[Big Jake]

Good god are you guys lightweights.

5'8", 270 lbs.  Yes, I should put the fork down, but every time I think that...It occurs to me, 'why'?  Hell, I love food and alcohol.  What's the point of living longer if I'm not happy?

[Orgull]

I too am struggling with my weight. I'm 5'7" and last month I was 290lbs. Now I'm 284 lbs. I've started working out again and eating better and holy crap do I feel better.

Maybe we can all let each other know how we're doing.. share our succeses.

Good Luck!

[Gratch]

I'm going to try and drop some in the next few months.  Same thing as you warning;  pants are now too tight, too many McD's during the 1/2 hour between jobs, etc.

I'm 6'0" and about 210.  I'd love to get down around 190, which I think I can do pretty quick if I start lifting and jogging.  The dog's gotten old enough that he can keep up with me jogging, so I'll have to start doing that 4-5 times a week.

My biggest problem is quitting the sodas.  I've gotten so used to drinking 3-4 cans of Pepsi a day, and it's damn near impossible to stop.  Need...more...willpower...

[Grievous Angel]

I'm 5'7", and I was in the 150s last year. However, trying to match portion sizes with a pregnant woman has jacked the weight into the 170s. I need to drop some weight so I can fit back into all my clothes again.

[Jeff]

I'm 6'2 and peaked in early 2003 at 270. Now, since moving from IA to Florida, I'm now down to 210, and still dropping. I aim to hit my goal of 190, and I'm pretty sure I can do it. I've come this far.

It's far more than just a "diet". It's more that I've changed the way I think about food.  And to me, that's just it...  the battle is in the mind.  I don't see myself gaining again. I've been losing for close to 2 years now, and don't have massive cravings or anything.

[Thin_J]

I wish you guys could give me some of your weight.

6"4 and weighing 165 sucks balls. It's damn near impossible to find clothes that fit.

[Jeff]

I wish you guys could give me some of your weight.

6"4 and weighing 165 sucks balls. It's damn near impossible to find clothes that fit.

That's my brother's exact dimensions too.

[Daehawk]

6' 202lbs ...I eat everything I want all day long and overeat a lot and my weight stays right here. ive gone from 200lbs to 202lbs in the last 4 years. Id like to get to 185 but no idea how other than cuttingdown on food. my biggest problem is i dont look fat fat but it goes to my beer gut also and I drink very little. But it seems to shift more and more to my stomach. I also live on soda.

[Simon]

I'm 6'0" and about 210.  I'd love to get down around 190, which I think I can do pretty quick if I start lifting and jogging.

My biggest problem is quitting the sodas.  I've gotten so used to drinking 3-4 cans of Pepsi a day, and it's damn near impossible to stop.  Need...more...willpower...

I'm 6 feet and also weighed 210 earlier this year. I completely switched to diet soda, watched what I ate, exercised by walking/hiking, and was able to get down to around 188 pounds. Right now I'm averaging about 193.

I'm definitely going to be doing my best to maintain during the holidays and I'm still hopeful that in the New Year I can finally get down to 185 and stay there.

[jpinard]

I'm 5'7" and weigh 155-170 lbs.  It's been fluctuating since I've been sick.  Irony is I'm not sure if I should try and lose any weight so I've got reserves for when my lungs crap out.  I've been housebound for 3 months, and been in the hospital twice in the last 3 months.  But thanks to my fat genes I haven't lost hardly any weight.  Which at the time I was disappointed in.  Every extra pound goes right into my gut as well.  It's like I'm storing up blubber for a long winter.

Advice?  I'd like to be 140 again.

[Fafhrd]

I'm 6'6" and at 240 and its all in my gut. While I do exercise some and watch what I eat, and 3 months ago I quit drinking soda's. I don't really seem to be losing any weight. I don't really feel overweight though when I look down at my potbelly my mind sings a differnt tune. I don't drink beer, and rarely consume alcohol of any sort. Yet this belly doesnt seem to want to recind. Still I plan to continue to watch what I eat and drink and exercise trying to get myself down to 210.

[Rob_Merritt]

I'm 6'. At my heaviest, I was 235. (well, maybe heavier but thats when I started looking.) About 2 years ago I dropped down to 186. I regained to 210 and started losing again 2 months ago. I hit 195 and wanted to hit 186 or lower by the end of the year but this morning I was 197 so I doubt that will happen.

[Lewpats]

I'm now 6'1 and 200 pounds trying to get down to about 190.  But a year and a half I was 260.  Lost most of the weight with light exercise and change of diet.  The biggest thing was switching from regualr soda to diet.  That way if I have 2-3 in a day I don't kill my calaries.  Even without exercising now I am maintaining do to the diet soda.

[warning]

Weighed this a.m. and I'm 248 1/2!  Yes!

Of course that could just be the difference between my scale at home and at work.  Actually it probably is just a scale fluctuation...  

[JLu]

It's never easy...

5' 7" -- down to 159.  14 months ago I was at 185.  Did it all with eating better and running (which I'm sick enough to enjoy).  Still looking to drop 10 more, but after all the success (and lowering my cholesterol from 259 to 198) I confess of late I've been a little less strict with my eating.

[rshetts]

I went on the South Beach diet and went from 230 down to 185 in about 4 months.  I cut out sugared pop completely.  It takes about a week to get used to diet cola, but once you do it tastes fine, in fact sugared pop tastes like syrup after you get used to the change.   I got switched to 2nd shift a couple of months ago, the reult of which is my eating habits got a bit lax and I put on 10 pounds.  At 5'9" , 195 is still a bit heavy, but its alot better than 230!

[Jancelot]

I wish you guys could give me some of your weight.

6"4 and weighing 165 sucks balls. It's damn near impossible to find clothes that fit.

I'm 6' and was 145, 5 lbs. under my usual weight, at the start of this year due to a rigorous cardio workout routine.  I've always been a little too thin and thought I couldn't gain no matter what I ate.  Sound familiar?  Bzzt.  I changed my workout routine and diet schedule and have gained 15-20 lbs. so far.  I cut cardio down to 2 days a week, lift heavy 3 days a week and eat 3 solid meals with a couple high calorie snacks in between (actually eating breakfast helped alot) .  I also take protein supplements daily and a weight gainer shake every other night.

Just like the guys here who have reported losing weight, gaining weight requires a shift in mindset and routines.  After a few months it'll become your lifestyle.

[Jeff]

I went on the South Beach diet and went from 230 down to 185 in about 4 months.  I cut out sugared pop completely.  It takes about a week to get used to diet cola, but once you do it tastes fine, in fact sugared pop tastes like syrup after you get used to the change.  

I agree. That's one of the main things I did to lose weight as well. I cut out all "sugar water" drinks. I got used to diet coke, and now I don't like the taste of regular coke.

[PaulBot]

DO IT GUYS - YOU WON'T REGRET IT!!

I lost 40 pounds early last year, and have kept it off for almost 18 months now, which is amazing for me. I've been on the weight roller coaster too many times in the last 25 years. I'm just under 6ft and have been as low as 157 and as high as 240. I'm at 170 now and it is great!

I finally made some drastic changes to my diet, and that is how I'm finally maintaining.

I occasionally get a comment about me being one of the skinny guys at work, and it feels great to be considered in that group.

Lose the weight, and then stay serious about keeping it off!!

[RunningMn9]

Good to see some success stories here.  I'm 6'6", and back in June, my peak fatitude was 285 lbs.

I got down to 236 lbs. by the beginning of October.  I have since been a bit more relaxed about things, and tends to move between 239 and 243 lately (goes up on weekends, down during the week).

I talked to my doctor, and his advice was to come up with a target weight that is in the "green" area on the BMI chart.  I picked 210.  His philosophy was that if you get to 220, and you aren't fat anymore - you can stop.  If you're still fat, you can still lose more weight.  The important thing is to not make the decision about whether you'll still be fat at 220 when you weight 240 lbs.

So that's the plan.  210 by February 2005.  Will re-evaluate then.

[Kiam]

I'm getting the dreaded Freshman 15 and need to do something about it. I wish there was some way to burn calories while in my room by myself (keep jokes to yourselves ) because I hate the gym and it's too cold to jog.

[Laner]

I'm getting the dreaded Freshman 15 and need to do something about it. I wish there was some way to burn calories while in my room by myself (keep jokes to yourselves ) because I hate the gym and it's too cold to jog.

Dance Dance Revolution?

[deadzone]

I just keep getting shorter, so it's technically not being a little overweight.  

Truth be known, Adderrall was the best thing to happen to me with regards to my weight.  My ADD meds really curb my appetite.  I now know the difference between eating for pleasure and eating for necessity as I pretty much do it out of necessity now.

Now don't go looking for meds to solve the problem though!!  I recommend a viewing of Supersize This! to really bring things in perspective about the evils of fast food.

[warning]

I recommend a viewing of Supersize This! to really bring things in perspective about the evils of fast food.

Added to my Netflix Queue!  Thanks!

[SpicyJ]

6'5, 270lbs.  Up from 6'5, 185lbs when I got married 9 years ago.  If I can get down to 215 I'd be happy.

[SpicyJ]

I just keep getting shorter, so it's technically not being a little overweight.  

Truth be known, Adderrall was the best thing to happen to me with regards to my weight.  My ADD meds really curb my appetite.  I now know the difference between eating for pleasure and eating for necessity as I pretty much do it out of necessity now.

I took Ritalin till I graduated high school.  Came off it, and gained 100 lbs (I don't know that the 2 are directly related, the 100lbs didn't come on over night).  I was put on adderall for a time and really noticed my appetite being curbed.

[RunningMn9]

6'5, 270lbs.  Up from 6'5, 185lbs when I got married 9 years ago.  If I can get down to 215 I'd be happy.

That's what the doctor told me to shoot for.  Good luck.

[Jag]

Ok, where do all you folks come from. The town of Gigantisville in the Land of Gigantia??? I mean, you guys are friggin huge! Maybe it's all the time spent in front of the computer, although i'm surprised you don't smash the keyboard to bits with your oversized ham hands. Do you also crush small animals when you try to pet them??  :wink:

[RunningMn9]

Ok, where do all you folks come from. The town of Gigantisville in the Land of Gigantia??? I mean, you guys are friggin huge! Maybe it's all the time spent in front of the computer, although i'm surprised you don't smash the keyboard to bits with your oversized ham hands. Do you also crush small animals when you try to pet them??  :wink:

I live in the middle of NJ - which is full of toxic waste, so perhaps that accounts for the 6' 6" part of the equation.  The 290 lbs that used by packed onto this frame came from fast-food eating, soda drinking, and zero attention paid to portion sizes (which is something of a positive feedback loop).

No more fast food.  Water instead of soda.  Portions that a normal human would eat.  And 50 pounds later, I no longer feel like the guy that ate Andre the Giant.

[GuidoTKP]

Another proponent of South Beach.  Have been doing it for around 5 months now and have lost 46 pounds.  The key thing was giving up sugar, cutting out impulse eating (I have meals and fairly defined snack periods), and really trying to pay attention to when I'm full (I'm a compulsive plate cleaner).  I'm 5'9" and started at 248 (I still can't believe I weighed that much) and am currently at 202.  My goal is to be 165 by May, but I already look and feel much, much better.  A few small changes to my diet has made a tremendous difference.

[JLu]

Any plan that helps you lose weight is great; but can't forget that if you do south beach or atkins to lose weight, you will have to stick with that lifestyle change for the rest of your life to keep the weight off.

I worked with someone who'd done atkins for about 5 years.  He finally went off it and put on about 30 pounds in a year.

For me the key was absolutely just eating less garbage, and exercising more.  Nothing can beat eating less calories and excercise.

Well okay, also had a weight loss pool going at work.  That helped  

[Purge]

<sigh>

Here goes...

5'10", 271lbs ... that might sound bad, but I peaked at over 355lbs two years ago. This time last year I was 349.  When I met my wife (in '96) and I was about 255lbs, so I'm not far off from where I started. I want to get to about 180 before June...2006.  

The last ~80 lbs came off with a trifecta of effort : cut down the carbs/ significantly raise protein* intake per meal, smaller portions of food, and a complete body workout. I spend almost and hour a day in the gym (3-5 days a week) and I feel great. I'm getting my old strength back (as a watermark, I'm pressing ~100lbs more than I could 8 months ago).

Weightlifting is considered the BEST way to lose fat; and a complete exhaustion of all 4 muscle fiber types is critical to getting a full burn. Check out Slow Burn Revolution for a wicked time-effective workout ( I use this on weekends to supplement when I miss a session at work) and  Protein Power Lifeplan for a really good diet changes. Yes, they're permanent, not a short term change; considering how much sugar is being consumed these days it's no big surprise that we SHOULD be changing it.

When my dad was a kid (he's in his late 40's) he used to have a coca-cola... as a TREAT. Once every couple of weeks. Now people consume it 3 times a day.... that's not right. I know the diet stuff is there, but the whole "aspertame kills" thing is making me nervous.

It's sad to read our food labels ... "Now with 25% real fruit juice!" Uhm, ok. And how many fruits should we be consuming? If a full orange produces 1/3 of a glass of orange juice (and we lose out on the pulp and all the good stuff in the essence), why not just eat an orange? I can only eat one naval orange at a time, but I can pound a litre of orange juice (including all the perservatives and sugar additives) without blinking. It's like eating a half-dozen oranges, without the stuff that makes you full. I do also (during moments of "weakness") break down and eat stuff I shouldn't, but I usually pop a phaseII carb blocker, which is a natural  white bean extract. They're available in healthfood stores everywhere.

It's working for me, I thought I should bring it forward in case anyone is looking for some help in the right direction.

[Calvin]

Guys, I do not want to state the obvious-and I am a big fan of what you guys are doing-but as a fairly intense exerciser/lifter-I have to say, you all sound like you are doing the right things, but I am not hearing very much about exercise to go along with diet. It doesnt take much cardio or weight work to start sloughing off the calories-and no diet will "work" or stick with you without exercise to back it up. So make sure you are hitting the gym a couple nights a week.

[Gratch]

I know I need to exercise more, I just wish I could manage to get up the energy.  A 20 minute walking of the dog after (usually) a 15 hour day is about all I can manage.  Gotta find a way these 80 hour weeks!

But I guess something is better than nothing, eh?

[pr0ner]

Does playing hockey 3 times a week count as exercise?  And I'm not talking about video game hockey, either.  

Mike

[whispa]

I lost 25 lbs over the last year and am now 5'10 185 lbs. I lost most of it by cutting down on junk food. Once I got to 190, it was hard to lose weight. I started running and went down to 185. My goal is 180.

My thing is I can't just eat salad. I love to eat. So instead of going the drastic route and eating salad everyday, I cut down on portions. Going from 2 slices of pizza down to 1. Not eating after 9pm. Eating salad once in awhile is good for you but it doesnt have to be on a daily basis. It can be done, the hard part is disciplining your self in keeping it off.