I'm fed up and I'm not gonna take it anymore!

Good for you. You don't like what you see in the mirror, and you want to do something about it. You're half way home with that attitude. For me, it was all about evenings. Cutting back (out, actually) ice cream and other non essentials in the evenings made a world of difference, still eat about the same through the day. Good luck bro

Bill

Remember eat to live don't live to eat. Swimming, and riding Bikes are the best exercise, running is good but takes a toll on the knees. I love to grill kebobs with zucchini with cherry tomatoes onion and chunks of venison steaks, all veggies are from the garden, grilled salmon steaks are tasty, wrap fresh veggies in tinfoil and cook on the grill,

As far as that morning pick me up skip the energy drinks and drink one of those little bottles of 5 hour energy. There is no better feeling than a 20 mile bike ride it invigorates the body and mind. Keep at it, an iPod full of good tunes makes for a good time while walking or biking, take ol fido out for a walk. I wish you luck on your weight loss regimens.

I agree with gudnoyez, get on a bike and roll some miles. Works for me

I'm right there with ya bud! I reached a point about where I couldn't believe what I was staring at in the mirror. My clothes weren't fitting right and I jumped up another waist size. So I started working out at CrossFit about a month and a half ago 2-3 times a week. I'm not sure if CrossFit is a socal thing or nationwide, but there methodology is great. I'm only now just starting to focus on the diet part, but my cardio is better and I'm stronger than I've ever been. It's a great feeling.

I don't know if this helps, but my main focus is not necessarily worrying about cutting foods, but rather incorporating BETTER foods (fresh organic veggies veggies veggies!). Eventually, the body just starts wanting the good stuff. Good luck and keep us posted!

EndersShadow wrote: »

Yup, thats where I am. All my old "fat" clothes are all now the ONLY clothes I can wear.... That was kinda what put me over the edge.

It's a hard thing to loose the pregnancy weight.

The last couple of pics I saw of you on a top secret NSA live feed were truly shocking as for a minute I thought you looked like Kim Kardashian:twisted::eek:




lol... j/k bro... I need to drop about 35 myself.:cool:

Sounds good to me. I've gained and lost my own body weight several times during the course of a few decades. Just call my YoYo...(I don't play cello, though). I never really get to the obese stage either just 20-35lbs or so over where I should be.

I assume you've dieted before, because the BEST part of dieting and exercising is when you HIT your sticking points (the place where a week or two or more passes and very little weight comes off, and you get a little disgusted with the entire project, but then, magically, you get on the scale and 4-5 lbs peels off, lol).

So hang in there, the first 10 lbs, almost anyone can lose, the rest, that takes time!

cnh

Well Dan welcome to that age of 30 something, when things slow down and we blow up...if you let it...been there done that.

Th quicker you get a handle on it the better...but those treats will taste better

Let me start by saying this will be wordy! I understand if ou want to come back and read it another time but I was there not long ago.

Over the span of 13-14 years, I gained 95lbs after moving out of my parents house. I was always ok with it and was confident in myself no matter my size so I made the jokes as being the fat kid before others could make them. Kind of like Eminem in 8 mile; take their ammo away from them and they can't hurt you thus making it easier to accept. A buddy at work was about my size (but taller so heavier number wise) hit his breaking point and jumped on MyFitnessPal then after 20 or so down, started running. After 10 months, he was down 80lbs and running half marathons. I was his biggest supporter for a good amount of time until I decided to pick up biking as I always loved it as a kid. First couple rides were rough. 30 minutes and I was gassed and sore for a couple days. Really? Early 30's and that out of shape? So I said, if he can do it, I know I can. Downloaded MFP, entered my intake and exercise and what do you know? That isn't hard. At first my net was 1490/day. After 10 down, 1460 and so on until it bottomed at 1200 net. So after kicking my own ****, sticking to healthier options (aka low cal at the time), I eventually lost 70lbs in 8 months and fealt great! Friends, family, co workers, customers at work... All making comments how I look great. But with my work, I eventually decided to maintain and stop trying to lose as I can't do much cardio in the winter. I maintained (only put on 5lbs in 3 months) and was happy with that. I will say I also spent all winter doing nothing up researching food, exercise, nutrition, etc. I eventually picked up Insanity and finished it (only 7% do finish so call that a win for me!). Then the weather got nicer but I started to return to my old ways and ended up at 12lbs back on. I've recently got back at it and am back on my path to lose again for the summer and lean out. But it's going to take muscle so my focus is shifting to weight training instead of pure cardio. Once you hit a plateau, you must change it up pretty drastic to blow past it. Motivation is key obviously. I even tried a week long juice cleanse. While I lost 9.4lbs in 7 days, 7 popped back on in 3 days of finishing and that's even with primarily eating veggies and lean protein. I don't know if I just didn't do it long enough or if its a fluke but I am unsure what to think about it. There's thousands of people losing weight but few do long term result reviews. The few that do will still do 10-14 day cleanses every 3 months. But I'll leave that up to you to research if you want to try that. I don't NOT recommend it, must saying maybe... If you want, watch Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead on Netflix. It's all about juicing and his website has a lot of good recipes. I'll eventually do another cleanse and make it longer to see how I feel about it more long term. So for fitness, I'm a cyclist with focus on mountain biking. I've always hated running and I still do. So I picked up running at the end of last summer to compliment biking and to challenge myself. If I can conquer and become good at something I hate, I can do anything I set my mind to. I'm now running 3-5 miles every time I lace up. Still hate it but it also gives me bonding time with my dog so I love that side of it. As already said, I even completed Insanity just to say I did. Lots of coworkers tried but stopped 2-3 weeks in. Well the former fat kid finished and I love that I can say that. I have a FitBit pedometer my dad bought me so we can see each others activity level. It can sync to MFP but I don't recommend it because it'll skew your exercise and give you the impression you can have more calories than you should IMO. For working out, I use Endomondo simply because it'll automatically input the exercise and calorie burn into MFP. Get a heart rate monitor to even further help its accuracy. Otherwise, track EVERYTHING into MFP. No point of tracking if you're not going to track it all! Your body will keep a log of weight and calories even if you don't so there's no point in cheating/lying to yourself.

So what have I learned about all this? What is my key to success? Lots of things actually. First, figure out your triggers for cheating/unhealthy eating or binging and find viable solutions. For me, I'm a sweets guy! Now I eat strawberries, grapes, kiwi, blueberries etc. food portions is also very key for me! I'm an over eater. Not because I needed the extra food but I didn't want to stop the flavor intake. Just remember, the fat will stick with you a lot longer than the flavor in your mouth. Ive been on twitter for quite some time but have changed who I follow to be part of a fitness sub culture basically (nicknamed the FitFam) which has helped with motivation, motivational sayings and pictures, as well as workout programs and proper eating techniques. Eat clean, train dirty! Anyway, I've watched every food documentary on Netflix and have learned a lot. Now I don't look at food in terms of calorie intake so much as nutritional value and content. You can eat all you want if its veggies, fruit and lean protein. I've also switched to a 2-3 meals guy to 5-6. So don't stop your snacking, change what you're snacking on! It'll help keep your metabolism up, as will eating spicy food, cold water and numerous other things. Which brings me to my next point that I didn't see anyone mention unfortunately. DRINK MORE WATER! Damn near drown yourself, or it'll feel like it at first. 8-12 cups a day, more depending on your exercise needs. That is the #1 thing to remember! Eat fruits that also give your body water. Melons, berries, grapes, cherries, etc. if your body is dehydrated, it'll retain water because it doesn't know when you'll be getting your next water source from. Water water water! Switch away from as much dairy as possible. I only drink almond milk now for my cereals, protein shakes etc. Much better for you, lower cal, more nutritional. Ive taken almost all dairy out of my diet and dont miss it at all. The only time is if its melted cheese. If its unmelted, it's a lot of calories and really doesn't add any flavor to your food. For a good filling source of protein, eat more natural nut butters. Peanut, almond, cashew, etc. Find a good protein powder and drink a shake after every hard workout, run, biking, you name it. Also, starting the day with protein is good for the system. So drink a protein shake for breakfast and watch the pounds drop. Much better for you than cereal. If you have time to make a real breakfast, oatmeal, eggs, fruit, peanut butter, all good options to fuel your body for the day. I've seen documentaries on going vegetarian, vegan and paleo and while I'll never go to any of those extremes, there's a ton of good information out there to incorporate into your daily regiment. For example, check out Food Matters on Netflix. Also find a good multi vitamin and fish oil (I get mine from Advocare) to help your body all around. I even throw in some vitamin D during the winter when I'm not outside all the time.

I will say it feels amazing that I've lost the weight, kept it off mostly and my family and friends are so proud of me. That's an amazing feeling that I'll never forget. My friends at first used to say "come on man, lets get 5 Guys burgers." Now they say, no man. I get it. Now I even have family and friends slowly changing to a healthier lifestyle, becoming more active and becoming happier with themselves. That's how I now I'm inspiring and changing the world. Even if it means a coule people. Lastly, take pictures, and reference them often. I have a couple pictures on my fridge of the Fat Kid just to remind myself to grab a yogurt or fruit instead of a frozen pizza. My phone has a photo album called Progress and I organize them by angle (forward, side shot, flexing etc) to be able to swipe and see the progress a month at a time. That will be key in continued effort.

Without rereading all of this, I'm pretty sure I've covered everything. Can think of off the top of my head. This was a long type for an iPad but I hope I have helped, given some new ideas and maybe even inspired some. If I can be of any help, even be a friend on Endomondo or MFP, hit me up. I'm not the foremost expert but I know what worked for me.

Btw, I'm 33, 5'4" was 240lbs, size 40 pants, XL pushing XXL shirts. Now I'm 175, size 33 pants, med or large shirts (depending on cut/brand) and couldn't feel happier about it. I'll never be a 200lb guy again and once I continuously stay in the 160's, I'll never see 180 again. I don't know what my goals are as they'll always change depending on where I'm at. For now, I want to gain functional strength, lean out and on top of it all, be healthy!!

I'll jump off my soap box now. Sorry, I love to talk about it as you will to someday.

Lots of good suggestions. I'd like to add something about starting a physical agenda, be it the gym, crossfit, biking, running etc. Your body is going to be wanting more "input" (read:food) because of your increased output. We have a gym where I work, and it's a common site to see folks come in with the intention of losing weight and finding they don't because they've increased their calorie count to compensate. It's easily remedied, being aware this may happen is a good start. And whatever combination of exercise/dieting you may choose, please stick with it. Humans, for the most part, are creatures of habit. Most of our bad habits didn't come overnight, same goes for our good ones. It's amazing how if you make yourself do something in the beginning and stick to it, that it eventually becomes part of your lifestyle.

Absolutely Red ^^^.

Discipline ?? That's the real killer in the weight loss world. We have none and our attention span is about as big as a nat. People move from diet plan to diet plan failing at each eventually, searching for that magical plan that requires no exercise/change of habits/ and still allows you to eat junk.

No offense to anyone, what works for some may or may not work for others. Saying you will finish the candy first ? Dude, you just committed yourself to failure off the bat AND your not taking it seriously. Make the commitment, have a plan, have the discipline to see it materialize. Focus like a laser beam pal.

Portion control, variety, good wholesome foods, and yes...exercise. It's a winning formula that doesn't require calorie counting, giving the evil eye at a slice of cheesecake, or turning vegetarian.

Several people have mentioned the sugar thing....very true! Research the glycemic index and how it works. Probably more important than worrying about the calories in a food. Greatly reduce the sugars and the calories are reduced at the same time, this along with gradual increase in physical activities and you'll feel and look better in a few weeks. Stay away from processed foods(including deli meats that have been cured)...eat fresh foods as much as possible and eat lots of chicken, turkey and fish for meat rather than beef/pork. Find a substitute for diet soda.
I say all these things not from my own personal body experience(fortunatley my genes keep my weight in check it seems) but from a friend that weighed about 275 a few years ago, he's now down to 190 and has more energy and feels better today than he has in years.
Good luck to you. Whatever you do to lose weight naturally your body will thank you soon.

I am just going to chime in. I was faced with the same situation you are in about 5 years ago. I had just got married and balloned up 35-40 lbs from my college weight. In college, I always worked out but never really ate well. I started reading and getting back in the gym. I know this is going to sound crazy but YOU MUST EAT MORE CALORIES!. 1400 is too low of intake for any man. 6 meals a day is a must to get your metabo going. You should be eating 2k -2500 calories a day. Its all about what type of calories your eating. Cut out salt and sugar and drink plenty of water. Both are wasted calories and salt makes you hold water. Do give yourself a cheat day. You will go nuts if you dont. Also this has to become a way of life, not just for the moment to lose the weight. It will come back faster than you lost it if you dont. As others said, eat lean meat. Chicken breast( no skin), turkey, and fish(white fish is better). Keep staying active. Eating properly is 70-80% of it. Also keep a journal and chart your calories, carbs, fat gram intake, protein per day. Once you hit the plateau that is inevitable, you can see where you might can adjust to get over the hump. Good luck. I went from 255 to now at a lean mean 200 at 6'1. I also had a friend that went from 420 to 270 naturally by doing these things and he did it in a years time. Discipline is key period.