Getting in shape, round's a shape right?

[whitewolf001]

I am getting in shape once and for all, I've been on several health kicks of working out and trying to eat right for the last year and a half. I relapsed and got to the point that I was worse off than I possibly could have imagined. I weighed 330lbs and was very unhappy with myself. I was attempting to rekindle a previous relationship I had with my ex, which fell flat on it's face. I then watched a documentary called "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead". It was about an Aussie gent who was a little shorter than me and about 310lbs. He began a journey for weight loss called a juice fast. He lost 90lbs in 60 days. I'm not going to attempt his feat BUT I am going to do my own 10 day juice fast(possibly longer if I don't burn myself out), use that as a catalyst to get back in the gym. Between the failure of a relationship and after watching this inspiring documentary, I decided that a change in my lifestyle NEEDED to happen, not a diet, a change. So, I went out and bought a juicer and have begun my own juice fast. It's very difficult and most assuredly not recommended for the weak of heart. I am on day two of this, and just like everything I've read about this, your body detoxes and cleanses itself of all the crud you've ingested, I've sustained headaches and bouts of weariness that make you wanna curl up and pass out. However, I weighed myself a few minutes ago and I've lost about 3lbs in 2 fregin days!!! I swear this sounds like some infomercial crap, but it's legit. I posted here as I am also doing this so that I can attend Tactical Response's High Risk Contractor course sometime soon, after getting into reasonable conditioning for myself. I can honestly say, that juicing is an awesome meal substitute. It sucks when you're out in town and smell that awesome food, believe me, I could almost make out what kind of food it was by the fragrance. The hunger for normal food is hardest on day one, today wasn't near as bad. Weighed 330 last time I checked myself, which was about 2 months ago, today weighed 327. I'll report back in every day or so to show my findings. 

[hipower]

Congratulations on starting a lifestyle change that will greatly benefit you and your health. And it most assuredly is a lifestyle change that is necessary for almost all of us to lose weight and re-condition our bodies. 

 

I've started this literally dozens of times. And literally dozens of times I have failed miserably.

 

Why? No will power. Not enough desire to change myself and actually make those changes and stick with them.

 

Go for it!!

[rugerla1]

You can do it!! The fact is that almost everyone can keep from gaining weight, but will power is a SOB! But when someone is starting a diet/lifestyle change, just cutting out breads, and cokes (aka cold drinks aka pop). You don't have to do it forever, but it's literally noticeable the week after you start it. I haven't drank any cokes of any variant since 1999. It didn't give me a forever six pack, but there's not one single thing in them that is beneficial for you. It's hard for most people to drop them, but it wasn't for me because I didn't decide that I wasn't going to drink them ever again (Thank God), I was doing a lot of outside work and they were making me sick with the amount I was trying to drink. 

 

All in all, I wish you the best of luck. If you're like me biscuits and gravy are harder to do without on a diet than anything lol. But I always feel better when I do what you're doing right now.  :up:

[wewoapsiak]

 Good luck with it!  My wife and I watched the same documentary you did a few years ago, went out and bought a juicer and everything; we couldn't do it for a myriad of reasons and it was too expensive for us at the time anyway. Not advocating anything since you know your body and your health, but to put the bug in your ear I eventually did the ketogenic diet for a while which helped me lose a lot of weight, and it was a diet I could stick to easily.

[runco]

I am watching this with great interest.  I too have reduced to almost zero any carbonated beverages, just fell of the wagon this past week after about 2 month hiatus.  I drink mostly coffee, water with lemon, and would like to get rid of my addiction to milk.  Not much of a tea guy.

[Lumber_Jack]

I'm not sure what this juice plan is, but if it works for you then great. Be careful though because the weight loss your experiencing is actually from a significant calorie deficit. You were possibly consuming 3-4k calories a day and most likely a high carbohydrate component. So the lack of carbs and calories are what's leading to the bad feeling. Anytime you feel bad like that it's harder and harder to stay the course.

I wish you all the success and happy you have changed your mindset to be healthy. That's the hardest part. You have I decide "I'd rather lose weight than eat that".

In the end there is no substitute for daily exercise and reduced calorie diet. If you count calories, don't exceed 2,000 and avoid as much carbohydrates as possible you'll generally fell better through the process and still lose weight. Then as you cross the 250 mark or your weight loss plateaus then drop your daily intake to 1800, 1700, 1600. Etc. once you reach your goal weight anywhere from 17-2000 lean calories should be sustainable.

I will tell you this. I have never been overweight to the point you mention in the OP. So I can't say I understand or know what you're going through but I will offer encouragement and support in any fashion I can. If you need workout tips or meal plan help. Don't hesitate to ask. I'm not a nutritionist but I've been around the block enough to know the simple equations to make you successful.

The biggest two tips I can offer
1) low carb intake, lean meats

2) low impact cardio(elliptical, stationary bike) for 30mins/day. Get a heart rate monitor and use heart rate as an effort indicator

[Troutburger]

My wife and I have juiced off and on for a few years. We watched the same documentary.

In the long run we use the juicer as more of a vitamin shot than a meal replacement.

It's sad that in this country you can eat unhealthy so much faster, easier and less expensive than healthy.

Juicing really adds to the grocery bill. It also adds trips to the store.

Motion is a neglected component to overall health. I'm the fattest I've ever been for 2 reasons, I move very little and have a soft drink habit. I'm so bad Mtn dew is like crack for me.

[jtmaze]

You are doing it right. A lifestyle change is the only way to lose weight and keep it off. Diets don't work. Lifestyle changes do. Good job and good luck.


JTM
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[bersaguy]

Well, I guess I will add my :2cents: worth to this but will probably be more like a quarters worth. Back in November I suffered a heart attack. not a major one but bad enough I had Stints or Shunts or what ever they call them installed to open up closed arteries that had clasped in my heart. Anyway of course the first thing the doctor tells me is I need to quit smoking and I told him I tried that once and I gained about 20 lbs almost over night. His words to me were I would rather treat you weighing 400 lbs than smoking. Well I kept smoking and continued to weigh in about 240 and 6 ft 2 in. Well, I thought I would give the non smoking try a second shot about July and I laid don't my Marlboros.

 

 

All my friends that had quit years ago are very proud of me and I hate myself. Since I quit smoking I just went and weighed myself before making this post and I weigh 285 and feel miserable. I knew I was going to gain a little but not almost 14 pounds a month. See I have several issues which hurts my situation. My physical health is not good at all. I cannot walk more than about 50 feet without being in real pain in my hips and the only way to stop it is to sit down.

 

 

Recently my legs have began to experience pain from ankles to hips both legs. So now I don't trust walking across the room without a cane for assistance. There is no doubt in my mind that it is because of all the additional weight I have put on them. Now my deli-ma is I have gained all this weight and cannot walk or exercise to get it back off with our hurting in other places such as bad shoulders. I have come to a conclusion that pretty much everything wrong is related to getting hit by that truck back in late 70's that destroyed my body and broke more bones that i want to remember but it did fuse 4 vertebra's together and they are now one and  they are applying pressure to nerves to my legs.

 

So of course I know I need to quit eating all the junk I eat and get on a reasonable form of food. I like most folks raised in the south have a terrible weakness for Biscuits any way you make them. I eat at least 3 Biscuits and Sausage or Biscuits and gravy or biscuits loaded with everything every morning. I don't normally eat much at lunch and then eat supper at 4 PM. I eat early trying to fool myself into thinking I will be busy enough in the evening to help it not add much to waist line. I know I am lying to my self because most times I fall asleep in recliner and wake up in time for bed.

 

So now I have decide I do love meat so been looking at different diets and the Adkins diet seems like something I might be able to do. There are many foods along with meat that I can eat. I can snack on several items also so beginning on December 1 it will be an Adkins diet for me. Yea I am going to pig out on Thanksgiving at my daughters house before the diet. Wish me luck............ :up:  :up: 

[whitewolf001]

Progress report gents. Well, going on day 4 and was shocked when I stepped on the scale. I now weigh 320, that's a weight loss of 10lbs in 4 days. I have done nothing for exercise, yet, and have only changed my intake from processed foods and meat 'n' taters to nothing but H2O and juice. This morning's coffee was half a lemon in 16oz of water and breakfast is as follows; 1 orange, 2 granny smith apples, 1 carrot, 1 cucumber, 1/2 lemon, and 1 handful of kale leaves. I made this recipe myself and call it "Tang with a Kick". It's REALLY good and there are several juices that I thoroughly enjoy and there are some, well, not so much. I am currently exactly 100lbs away from my goal. It took almost 3 months of working out to lose this kind of weight so it's really awesome to see this kind of change. Even when I begin to eat normally again, I have no intentions of eating the way I did and will sub out any and all caffeinated/soft/energy drinks with juice. If I feel that I want to drink something besides water, it will be a juice and if I need a pick me up, I'll mix in stuff that will provide me with plenty of vitality. The key to this is dedication, one cannot falter and has to have a mindset as such. I had some mind shattering revelations when I decided to do this so again, it's NOT for everyone. I hope that I can inspire some of my fellow TGO'rs to follow a similar path to better health. It's not easy but then, nothing worth having IS easy. More updates to follow as I go.

[Clod Stomper]

I'm not sure what this juice plan is, but if it works for you then great. Be careful though because the weight loss your experiencing is actually from a significant calorie deficit. You were possibly consuming 3-4k calories a day and most likely a high carbohydrate component. So the lack of carbs and calories are what's leading to the bad feeling. Anytime you feel bad like that it's harder and harder to stay the course.

I wish you all the success and happy you have changed your mindset to be healthy. That's the hardest part. You have I decide "I'd rather lose weight than eat that".

In the end there is no substitute for daily exercise and reduced calorie diet. If you count calories, don't exceed 2,000 and avoid as much carbohydrates as possible you'll generally fell better through the process and still lose weight. Then as you cross the 250 mark or your weight loss plateaus then drop your daily intake to 1800, 1700, 1600. Etc. once you reach your goal weight anywhere from 17-2000 lean calories should be sustainable.

I will tell you this. I have never been overweight to the point you mention in the OP. So I can't say I understand or know what you're going through but I will offer encouragement and support in any fashion I can. If you need workout tips or meal plan help. Don't hesitate to ask. I'm not a nutritionist but I've been around the block enough to know the simple equations to make you successful.

The biggest two tips I can offer
1) low carb intake, lean meats

2) low impact cardio(elliptical, stationary bike) for 30mins/day. Get a heart rate monitor and use heart rate as an effort indicator

 

What he said.  But I will add... 

 

Don't neglect resistance training.  Free weights are preferable to machines.  Multi-joint movements.  When you start to get in better shape, ramp up the intensity of your lifting routine.  A high-intensity  weight workout will replace a low intensity cardio workout, will get you in better shape faster and the results will last longer.  

 

For example, when I follow a Crossfit style routine for a while and then slack off, going back is much easier than when just doing cardio and static lifting.

 

For an example of the principle I'm trying to describe, go to crossfit.com and read up on the workouts there.  Very few people can do all the activities they prescribe, but there are always substitutions.

 

Disclaimer:  I used to be a certified personal trainer, but I'm not at the moment.  I'm also not a doctor, so you should talk to one before doing any exercise that you're not accustomed to.

[TMF]

Simple stuff works best. Cut out all foods which serve no other purpose than pleasure. Soft drinks, lickies and chewies, desserts. Then incorporate just a little exercise which is sustainable for you; not some P90X crap that you'll quit after a few weeks because it's too intense. Those simple things right there will show results over time. You don't want to set crash goals of dropping large amounts of weight in a short amount of time. You will fail to keep it off, or give up when you aren't seeing drastic results quick enough. Cut the garbage food out, manage your portions and do a little exercise. Do this for 6 months at least and you'll not only see results, but you'll get used to the idea of not eating large amounts of crap and drinking soda.




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[MacGyver]

Do something to break a sweat every day.

 

Good luck!

[peejman]

Great that you're making progress.

 

I'm always skeptical of these "cleanse" kind of diets.  The weight you've lost is most likely just what was in your digestive tract.  I don't know how much juice you're drinking, but keep in mind that most any kind of juice contains a lot of sugar and hence isn't exactly "low calorie".  Eating a fairly balanced  diet with plenty of variety is the best choice.  Portion control is key, and very difficult to maintain.  I struggle with that myself.  I eat what I consider to be a pretty good diet, I just tend to eat too much.  I'm also a stress/boredom eater.  It's a tough habit to break. 

 

 

Get all the crap out of the house... cookies, crackers, desserts, etc.  If you don't have any of it on hand, you can't eat it. 

 

 

Please, PLEASE... go see a doctor before you start any significant exercise.  I lost a good friend and coworker a couple years ago.  The scale had risen to well past the 300 lb mark, he got fed up and decided he need to lose weight.  He dropped dead of a heart attack while exercising at home with his wife and son.  He was 37 and born 2 weeks before me. 

[maroonandwhite]

I will second a good hear rate monitor. Popular to contrary belief you don't have to run until you can't run no mo'. :pleased:  You can usually get a good polar monitor with chest strap on ebay for less than $100. Set it to your age and weight and all that and it will keep you in your target heart rate. It's funny to see how little it takes to get your heart rate going with the monitor. I find myself doing lots of walking with sprints in between to keep it in that target area.

 

Also second what Clod said on resistance training. That keeps your body burning calories long after the exercise is over. You can even just go to wally world and buy a pair of dumbbells to have at home. No need to go to the gym at first. When you get to a certain point you will want those exercise options a gym affords.

 

Good luck! :up:

[TN-popo]

Two things about your current path that I would watch for better results (I'm not necessarily offering an opinion on "juicing").

 

1.  As peejman mentioned, watch your sugar intake and make sure and juice with lower GI foods.  Sugar will eventually wreek havoc on your weight loss goals.

Juicing removes a lot of the fiber that tempers sugar uptake.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycemic_index

 

2.  Add a protein powder/source to your "meals."  You want to lose fat, not muscle.  Your body will burn both if it has to...

Also, this will make you feel more full.

 

Good luck.

Edited November 26, 2014 by TN-popo

[btq96r]

That's the hardest part. You have I decide "I'd rather lose weight than eat that".

 

Everything you wrote down is gold, but this is the closest to pure truth as you can ever get.  It's the part I've yet to master.

 

 

Simple stuff works best. Cut out all foods which serve no other purpose than pleasure. Soft drinks, lickies and chewies, desserts. Then incorporate just a little exercise which is sustainable for you; not some P90X crap that you'll quit after a few weeks because it's too intense. Those simple things right there will show results over time. You don't want to set crash goals of dropping large amounts of weight in a short amount of time. You will fail to keep it off, or give up when you aren't seeing drastic results quick enough. Cut the garbage food out, manage your portions and do a little exercise. Do this for 6 months at least and you'll not only see results, but you'll get used to the idea of not eating large amounts of crap and drinking soda.

 

Sage advice here as well.

[Clod Stomper]

So much good advice here.  

[rugerla1]

When I lifted weights like clockwork, I ate like clockwork too. I ate something (small, no fatty stuff) every two hours I was awake. Of course 3 main meals fell in one of those 2 hr points. Never ate anything 2 hours before bedtime.

[mudstud]

Hello every one my name is Andy and I have a problem with Ice cream!! Bud I am in the same boat with you I hurt my back in Feb 2014, I was around 295 and 6' at the time. After being off of work most of the year in early August I went to doctor for a bad cough and when I step on the scale it read 322'. I almost cried right there I had been seeing the weight come up slowly but it never got over 315 I went a few months with out getting on a scale and was shocked that day. I made up my mind that I was going to change my life. I have only been drinking water. And eating a small pack of tuna for lunch, and two pieces of toast for breakfast and small dinner. I have only drank two 12 oz cokes since. As of right now I am 272 pounds. I started walking some at first but I have not since I started back to work in late Sept. I am not wanting to be a skinny guy but I am sick of hurting every dam day and I made my mind up that since the doctors cant help I would. And I have almost gave up ice cream. O.P. I hope you get to the point that you feel like you need to be at. If you need to talk or some help let me know. Keep up the good work.        Andy 

[kieefer]

Speaking of ice creme, Kroger's Private Selection "English Toffee Caramel" is some awesome stuff.

Just don't eat before going to bed.

[Ted S.]

Just my recommendations: drink plenty of water and visit a nutritionist If possible. A "good" nutritionist will work with any of your dietary concerns and won't tell you go on a straight "low carb" or "low fat" diet. Everyone's body treats food differently, and the 2000 calorie "rule" is bogus depending on your physiology. But all in all, you must understand that nutrition science is heavily dependent on statistics and conjecture, which is why new diet fads come out as often as they do.

[TMF]

Yeah, fad diets are never good, and that 2,000 calorie diet would kill me, or at least make me less pleasant to be around than I already am. If I went down to 2,000 calories a day I'd look like a bulimic Ethiopian, so clearly those plans are not built for everyone. Just like some folks couldn't put down the amount of calories I take in and not be fat.

Simple portion management, removal of junk foods and light exercise will achieve amazing results for sedentary, overweight people. If someone can successfully implement those lifestyle changing steps, and maintain that for 6 months, I'd say the next step would be the more intensive programs which achieve advanced fitness goals through a professional.


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[dwatts1984]

Congrats and keep it up... First week is usually the worst! Spend most of the time on the toilet, and going to bed at night with a void that seems it can only be filled with solid food. After the first week your body realizes its new food/energy source and adapts to it. Im not big on juicing, I use a nutriblast; however I have a juicer as well. Benefits of the juicer are a tons of nutrition in a small glass however alot of waste also. The nutri blast keeps me more "full"

 

ONce your done with the initial detox and cleanse stage try this mind shift " I dont want that"! It sounds dumb I know, but telling yourself u dont want soemthing vs "I cant have" something is a huge difference!! Also try to eat just natural foods. leave the stuff with wrappers alone :) If god put it on earth its prolly ok! If man made it... its probably cocaine... thats how I look at things.

 

Anyhow... keep it up... When your ready for fitness stuff hit me up. When Im done with my certification im looking to do prepper fitness course in the knoxville area. I see to many preppers and woodmans who dont take good enough care of themselves, So Im trying to find a way to appeal to them and help them out!

 

KEEP IT UP

[bersaguy]

Well, I see a lot of talk about getting rid of junk food and garbage food but no one defines just what those might be. I do know about soda drinks like Pepsi , Coke and Dew and I have not drank on of those in about 55 years so  that is not an issue. I am a water freak and buy it 6 cases at a time in the fruit flavored brands. I do drink coffee Black in the morning only. I quit smoking back in July and replaced  morning smoke with a couple Sausage egg and cheese biscuit because my doctor said I need to eat breakfast but never said what kind. I have began swapping out Oat Meal some mornings. I weighed at doctors office last week and came home and weighed and our scales are 2 ounces off but since I began eating breakfast I have actually lost 5 lbs. I have a very bad habit of taking a snack to bed which I know must go but I am also required to eat something with night medications. Until now it's been no such good stuff like Snack cakes from Lll Debbie's so swapped that out for some granola bars like Fiber One's. And trying to stick with one of those each night with night meds.

 

So ok, here is where I know I am stuck and that is supper. I have been working on trying to change a few things like no potatoes(really toughy there) then I hear I can eat sweet potatoes so looking into that. I am trying to go with meat grilled most of the time. White meat Chicken Breasts skinless, Deer burger seasoned up to taste, Beef steak if I am very lucky and catch a butcher mark down with green veggies. Like I said supper is the hard one and I have began adjusting my eating supper times. I was eating at 4 and hungry by bedtime so have began eating later to see if that helps.

 

Now someone tell me what the trash and garbage foods are I still might need to get rid of........................... :up: :up: