OhThereYouAre

Losing weight is not a diet, a pill, or a band aid fix.

It's a changed way of life. Either you do it or not. Period.

For 90% of the population, hard work and consistency will work EVERYTIME.

There is no secret to losing weight - if you think what you're about to eat is bad, it probably is. If you think your workout wasn't hard enough, it probably wasn't.

The idea is simple. You have to burn more calories than you take in daily, so your body will start to eat your fat content for energy. Obviously, the more calories you burn, the quicker your results.

The best way to accomplish this deficit of calories is simply with both revised eating habits and a constructed workout plan.

To make the eating part simple, stick with a simple diet. It gets monotonous, but its worth it.

When I am trying to shed body fat this is all I eat.

Tuna/Peanut Butter/Light wheat bread/Salad/Grilled Chicken Breast/Bananas/Granola Bars/Cereal/Water/Protein Shakes/Skim Milk. All the fresh veggies are fair game. If its not on this list, I don't eat it.

My workout regimen - Intense Cardio on the elliptical or bike or running for at least 30 mins daily. Yes, daily. Every day. Watch the pounds melt off. Weights help a lot, but i'm trying to keep this as simple as possible. Weight routines are much more detailed than just saying get on the treadmill and run for 30 mins.

You do that for 2 weeks straight and you will see a noticeable difference - in your appearance and your mood. Your grocery bill too!

After you start seeing results, it becomes addictive and you get to a point where you don't crave food because you know it will ruin your progress.

These things are the devil -

Fast food.....any. Read the nutrition facts everywhere you go - you will so surprised to see what you are actually taking in. If you want to succeed, don't go out to eat.

Soda - Empty calories. 140 of them in a 12 ounce coke. Don't even drink diet - it makes you crave the real stuff.

Carbs - Carbohydrates are the body's source of energy. Bread, cereal, grains, sugars. When your body has an excess of carbohydrates that haven't been burned, it will convert this into fat. As a result, don't eat carbs past 7pm or you body will be manufacturing fat as
you sleep.

Alcohol - OUCH. No beer....pure carbs. No fruity drinks - pure sugar/carbs. In addition, the intake of alcohol increases the body's estrogen levels which makes it more conducive to
storing fat. In addition, drinking usually lowers your inhibitions and will cause you to eat poorly. If you are going to drink, drink vodka and diet tonic water. About 70 cals per drink.


Things i've seen people do that kills their progress:

Eating more - Just because what you are eating seems healthy or low cal, that doesn't mean you can eat MORE of it. Calories are calories...and what you are trying to do is reduce them!

Cheating - You can have 2 cheat meals a week. That's it. Most people will rationalize and say, i had a hard day at work I deserve this. Do you deserve to wreck your progress? Do you deserve to be frustrated with what you are doing? No. Don't cheat. You're only cheating yourself. No excuses, get it done.

I am not a dietician, nor am I in the medical field. However, I have done a lot of reading on my own and i'm just telling you what works for me. It will work for you as well. Good luck.

WildChild

All good points and most have been made before.
There are always people who look for the quick fix, the no effort way. We don't get out of shape and overweight overnight and change takes time. Education and understanding are critical. Unfortunately there are a lot of people who have virtually no idea how their bodies work.

Hopefully this will encourage some to get cracking.

OhThereYouAre

No responses here, but a million more to the Acai Berry and Apidexin threads.

Typical of our society.

bagotta

Well...I guess I agree with your overall ideologies regarding lifestyle changes. But I differ personally in my approach. For me personally, I could never follow a diet that consists of only the things you listed. I believe the more varied the diet, the better. That doesn't mean it has to be "bad" for you.

Also...things like wheat bread can be extremely misleading. You really have to look at the ingredients. The majority of wheat breads out there are maybe only a fraction of a step above any white bread out there. The wheat flour found in most of these wheat breads is just as processed as the flour in most white breads and is therefore just as easily converted to simple sugars.

I'm not saying your diet plan is bad or anything, it's just not something that would work for everyone. I'd go crazy. I think eating is a wonderful experience and I really, really enjoy it. I enjoy cooking and trying new recipes. I just would not be able to sustain a lifestyle on the things you listed. Eating is so enjoyable and can be so while eating healthy foods. But who knows you might be eating really high quality foods and more power to you, I just think it is more complicated than boiling it down to a list of foods. There are so many different variations on everything out there, ya know?

I also don't really buy into the myth of eating past a certain time at night. In my own experiences with this, my own body seems to care more about overall caloric intake. I've also read some studies done about this (one by the Dunn Nutrition Center out of Cambridge, but I'm sure there are others for and against this) that agree. I would agree that people who skip meals throughout the day and then binge and night are likely to gain more weight. We all know binging is not good. I guess I'm of the belief that our bodies are more unique and we all should tailor our intake of certain things (like carbs) to our own personal needs.

As for "pills" I am currently going through my first experiment with weight loss supplements. My reason for choosing to do so is that I've followed what in my mind is a generally healthy lifestyle...working out, eating well, etc...but I haven't gotten to where I want to get to. I'm using the supplement Apidexin to do just that, supplement my weight loss. I used to be one of those people who looked down on diet pills as a way to be "lazy" about weight loss, but my perception is changing I think. I definitely would not stay on them long-term, but I guess I will have to wait and see what my experience turns out to be.

I guess to me weight loss isn't just about weight loss. It's just another factor in improving my overall health.

I also just noticed that bananas were the only fruit you listed. I'm really curious as to why? Is it just a matter of taste or something else?

We are all entitled to our opinions, some things work for someone yet don't for another person.

bagotta

Oh and also...(sorry I don't know how to edit posts???) moderate alcohol consumption (maybe one drink a day) has shown to be beneficial to your health. I.E. Red Wine & Beer. I guess in my opinion I'd sacrifice those calories for the benefits. I definitely don't average a drink a day, but I think it's definitely something that could be incorporated into a diet responsibly.

You should look around, there's a lot of information out there about the benefits. And if you want to go even further, I'm sure you've heard of Eat This Not That...they compare beer and wine choices (I think they even do fruity drinks and such but I'm not into that myself). I don't think I'm allowed to link to it but...well it's not hard to find

I think it's all kind of interesting!

Hopeless Dork

All your points are correct, oh there you are.

I succeeded in dropping an insane amount of weight by lowering calories consumed and burning more of them through exercise.

People seem to think that theres a magic diet, pill or surgery but every single one of those that is successful in anyway has one common element (no matter if they tell you to eat three cabbage heads and scratch behind your ears four times before bed... etc) and that element is taking in less calories.

You can't do it for a man (or woman), you can't do it to fit in the next size down in jeans (well, you can... but then once you get in those jeans you'll go back to your old ways). You have got to commit to the lifestyle... FOREVER. For anyone that is overweight right now, or has been... it would be dillusional to think once you get to your ideal weight you can return to old habits.

If you were or are overweight it means your body doesn't handle food like the bodies of some naturally thin mysteries of science people. So that means you will always have to proceed with caution, and the good part is , the longer you go without bad foods and the more you exercise.. the more your body is happy that way, the less it craves junk the less it is pleased with a sedentery exsistence.

You have to do it because you want to change your life... for good. You have to do it knowing you are making a sacrafice but one that will increase your lifespan, make your self-esteem higher and give you energy. If I had to pick the feeling I get when I pick up a little top in size S or XS vs the feeling I get when I am consuming a donut... I know which one I prefer.

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Defintion of Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein

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OhThereYouAre...

You are 100% correct,

Truth is? We can write on those other threads just those above words and I have, many a time, it will go to deaths ear...

Only those whom understand "hard work", "no quick fixes" will even try the food in-take and excercise....It's the easy way out is it not?

Having said that, there are quiet a few that first tried the pills (quick fix) and then followed your routine once they actually realised they could do it.

A bit like quitting smoking, first you try patches, then you try gum, all things to help because your will isn't strong enough, then it is and bam... "How did you give up smoking?" " Oh, i tried everything, in the end I went cold turkey"..

But, if one person, just one gains insight from what you've written and succeeds? Then you've helped someone and that's worth it's weight in gold....

No pun intended.

CW

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bagotta

I'm sorry doesn't this seem contradictory?

I don't see the problem with having a little motivation such as wanting to look better and what not.

OhThereYouAre

You say you differ in your approach - but you said your approach isn't working
.

The reason I gave such a simplified list of foods is because it is easy and transparent. When you start getting into more complicated foods, recipes and other things, you can start losing track of calories VERY quickly. Does this sound familiar - Oooops, i forgot that two tablespoons of olive oil (240 cals), oh, i didn't count that pat of butter (90 cals), how many calories are in low fat mayo again (45 cals)? I think you get my point.

RE: Wheat bread - I state LIGHT wheat bread...it isn't so much a matter of what kind of grain it is, it is a matter of how many cals it is. Light wheat bread is 35 cals per slice.

Why don't you buy into the not eating past a certain time? It is fact that you sleep every night isn't it? It is fact that your metabolism slows down when you sleep isn't it? It is fact that your body repairs and stores energy during sleep isn't it? Therefore, woudn't it follow that you'd want to have as little calories as possible in your system before going to bed?

RE: Fruit - I stay away from fruit because it has a high sugar content which means a high caloric content. Granted, these sugars are easier to burn, but people tend to get carried away with eating as much fruit as they want because they think because its fruit its healthy. It may have quality calories but again, it has a LOT of calories. I keep it simple with bananas.

You said my diet plan won't work for everyone. What is your definition of "work"? My diet/exercise plan WILL WORK for everyone. I think what you're trying to say is that it won't be enjoyable to everyone. But that isn't the point. The point is to lose weight. It works.

You say that we are entitled to our opinions, and some things that work for some don't work for others....however, followed correctly, this regimen will work for EVERYONE. Caloric deficit = fat loss = weight loss. It REALLY is that simple.

OhThereYouAre

Here's proof: This transformation took about 3 months. I'm still a work in progress.... The fiance and I are going to Cancun soon so I'm busting my butt trying to get rid of more excess belly fat:

I can post another pic in a couple weeks to show you how well my diet/exercise regimen works.