ILE Weight Watchaz

it is the 7th sense

There's no way a 5lb/wk weight drop is sustainable, in terms of continually doing so week after week after week. This last coupla weeks were my most physically demanding, if you will, since I got out and biked around for 30-50+ mins almost every day. Way I figure it, once I hit my 10% goal(around the upper 220s), the rate will change and losing a significant amount per week will require more effort & activity.

But, hell, that's a problem I should only be so fortunate to have.

I have noticed that in the 5-6 weeks i've been on weightwatchers, I've lost enough weight to decrement my daily point allowance twice.

i'm getting a steady 2 pound drop a week and feeling just great for it. fitting into clothes ive not worn in years, positive comments from friends, love handles noticeably shrinking, the only thing left is a small paunch i need to shift. the split second decision to do this in mid-jan is pretty much the best thing i've ever done. big thanks to you AA for the encouragement and advice (that bodybuilding site you linked to has proven very useful).

This is great to hear. Now that you've seen what's possible you won't go back; everyone I know who's gone through the same thing has stuck to their new weight.

i'm heading to the gym three times a week now and actually look forward to it. i didn't before because i didn't have a routine or plan, it was just half-arsed ad hoc bits of cycling and weights that didn't help at all.

Crap innit? I used to do the same thing and wonder why nothing was changing.

i listen to music and read magazines while on the exercise bike - i think the more hardcore gymgang frown on it because i'm not giving it 100%, but i'd rather give 95% and have 5% of enjoyment along with it.

Pffft. You've got to have music, and I don't think flipping through a magazine will have much of an impact. It's when you take in a novel or chat to people that you're wasting your time.

i'm planning for the 3 x weekly gymtrip to be a longterm thing, but what happens when you go on holiday for a cpl of weeks? does the muscle drop off quickly, is it bad to do this?

I've been told that you lose half your strength after two weeks off, but it's probably a bit of a stretch. You couldn't lose half your size (muscle mass) or fitness in two weeks. I'm prepared to be proven wrong though.

In October I'm going to Vietnam for two weeks, and there won't be time to do a lot of gym work. I think there's basic stuff you can do in a hotel room just to keep on top of it; when/if I find out what it is I'll stick it in the gym thread.

AA, do you have any basic tips for the gym? as in, increase the weights by one level every 2 months or so or whether its better to do small number of reps at a higher weight, or more reps at a lower weight, just general things like that!

Change everything every four weeks. That's the biggest one.

If you're doing strength training, you always want to be trying for heavier weights. If you're doing hypertrophy (as I am now), you need to be increasing the number of reps (or sets) roughly every week.

If you don't want bulk, focus on strength training. If you bulk too much, do fewer weights sessions and focus on cardio. If (like me) you want bulk, cut out cardio altogether. :)

My brother's college football weighttraining program was 3 times of 30 reps. Once you can do that, increment the weight and start again.

Is this a good diet?

Bran flakes, brown toast and coffee for breakfast

Bagel with sliced meat for lunch

Lean meat with rice and veg for tea

Apples and bananas as snacks

Cuz it's mostly all I'm eating at the moment.

30 reps?! 15 is probably enough.

Bodrick: I can count three food groups there. You could be adding to that and mixing it up. The sliced meat sounds processed. It could certainly be a lot worse though.

Yeah, you want to get meat sliced fresh from the deli, not pre-sliced packaged stuff.

Also, you should get like 2 teaspoons of "healthy oils", like olive oil or something per day.

And a multivitamin.

Some of the meat is off the counter, some is processed.

I heard multivitamins are bullshit, I dunno tho.

Olive oil is god. It's still oil though, so don't be drinking it :)

Still, two teaspoons instead of say, butter or margarine, is quite easy.

Oh, definitely. Don't cook with anything else.

Down to 236 today. Gained half-a-pound when measured last week, seem to have more than made up for it since. Am within like 7 lbs of my original 10% goal.

Must feel sooo good.

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drf700/f780/f78080jkbhe.jpg

pretty good, yeah. No major life/energy changes yet, but not bad so far.

One of the many side-benefits of my increased bike-riding(60 minutes tonight, up & down portland hills), that i can drink lots of light beer at the end of the night with no problem.

Yes, i know that i'm doing the horrid thing by chugging lite beer, but such temporary concessions must be made in the course of dropping a lot of weight. Once I get to an acceptable level, i'll change up from "losing" to "maintaining", and back to the proper stuff i go.

I am so starting this asap. I am really effing tired of being such a fat-ass.

I am currently formulating my workout plan. I will post for comments.

Alright, so its been QUITE a few years since I was regularly working out and watching what I ate, so I'm starting slow.

The bare minimum rules are:
1) No fried food
2) No fast food
3) No sodas, even diet - if I'm thirsty, water
4) At least two 45 min walks a day, increasing to one 45 min walk and one jog, once my legs/ankles/feet get up to it
5) 3 times a week, gym
6) Consume no more than 1500 calories per day

I'll post each week to see what happens. Its not as if I have a particularly unhealthy lifestyle, but I'm not doing anything to get healthy, and being a desk-bound American, I have swelled. NO MORE!!!

7) lowest possible carbs after 5pm

Also you have to enjoy either doing all of this or the effects it has on your body, otherwise you may not keep it up. I don't mean this to be a sledge or a downer.

Absolutely true. I know that I have the will power to push through and get past the initial difficulties of getting into a workout routine. I just need to kick that will power in.

And totally true about the lowest possible carbs after 5pm. I tend to do that anyway, with my most carbiliscious meal being breakfast.

Ah cool, sorry then.

I'm currently at 260 (you really would never know it to see me), and want to be at 240 by the middle of August. Holding at a little more than a pound a week loss, I should be able to do it.

Hoping for more, but every single resource says that a pound/week is the guideline for sensible weight loss.

I'm currently at 260 (you really would never know it to see me)

That's for sure! 260! I would never have guessed, B.L.A.M.

Ah cool, sorry then.

No need to apologize, my man. Your results above are impressive enough for me to defer to your expertise. I am hoping to post similar ones.

That's for sure! 260! I would never have guessed, B.L.A.M.

It can be deceiving, Ned.

I'm just a large dude. 6'3", 6'6" with the afro.

Hoping for more, but every single resource says that a pound/week is the guideline for sensible weight loss.

-- B.L.A.M., Thursday, 3 April 2008 09:52 (5 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

Yep. If you get lucky and knock it off a bit faster, great, but don't aim to do that. Rapid weight loss is too fast for your system and it all just piles back on again.

i'm down to 231 and change as of last weekend. two months of weight watchers and i dropped 21 lbs or so.

7) lowest possible carbs after 5pm

oof, what's the science behind this? im a sucker for having 11pm sandwiches and similar. what's a good suppery snack to have instead?

and BLAM, all the best with your plans. your goals seem really similar to mine when i began, but don't try to do too much at once, bring it in slowly then it doesn't seem like such a steep curve. this thread (and a cpl of the others about gym routines) should prove invaluable, i've found AA's support and advice especially helpful.

one of the most helpful things should be counting calories, once you start logging the calorie and fat content of your meals you'll soon start eating better. you might need more than 1500 seeing as you're a tall guy, so don't feel guilty about going up to 1700-1800 some days.

and finally, good luck! if you have any questions just ask here and i'm sure someone will be able to help. in all my years of reading ilx these threads have added more joy to my life than any others, hope the same happens for you!

The WW line is that you want to stop eating 3H before bedtime, as that's how long it takes to digest your food, then your body can go on burning fat cals whilst you sleep.

Yeah.

oof, what's the science behind this?

You don't burn off anything while you're asleep. Loading on carbs before lying down for 8 hours means it all piles on as fat etc.

im a sucker for having 11pm sandwiches and similar. what's a good suppery snack to have instead?

Anything protein-rich and low-carb should satiate you. So no bread or rice or pasta. Grilled giant mushrooms are ace.

protein and healthy oils help to make you feel full(er). go for 2 tsp/day of olive oil.

more tips for suppery snacks please!

also, what is the difference in effect on your body between eating 100 calories worth of crisps and 100 calories worth of apple a day?

For one thing, 100 cals of apple will give you far more energy, along with all the vitamin bits.

Currently down to 230 lbs and change. Been sick since thursday, and unseasonably cold & rainy weather has put the kibosh on my usual night biking.

ok my update, down about 20 pounds from mid-january. i've had a few nice comments this last week or so, a suspicious "you're looking thin..." (as in they think im using drugs or cheating somehow) and a few wow you've lost weight, so that's all great. even my skin is better and ive not been sweating as much. feeling so healthy and energetic, except ive been getting mildly ill every few weeks but i think that's down to something unrelated to diet/exercise.

i've stopped the calorie counting now, as my bmi is about 22 and im feeling good. my eating habits are much better now, it's totally ingrained in my mind not to pig out on crisps or weekly takeaways and such. sticking to the 3xgym per week (how *good* does food taste after a workout, esp if its mega healthy like veg & fish), and hoping to get down another 7 pounds or maybe another full stone. probably won't come to that though, realistically i think i'll level out after losing a cpl more pounds, but that's great - esp as i bought a whole new set of clothes the other week and don't want to have to do that again anytime soon.

best thing ilx ever did: helped me not to be a fattey

i am going to a trainer for the first time: i have dropped my BMI by .78 in the first two weeks of work, as well as six pounds of quick fat.

six days of gym each week: 500 calories @ 130BPM x 3, and 3x weight routine.

my dad and stepmom came to visit tonight, so we went out for a big dinner. then i got back and my neighbors were having the first grill-out of the year, and i couldn't resist. so tonight i ate:

a bunch of mussels
fries ('frites')
bread
1/2 patty melt
crab cake
cheese cake
Anchor Steam
Dogfish IPA

and then for dessert

large burger
ear of corn
Lazy Mutt Ale x2

-- Jordan, Wednesday, April 23, 2008 2:44 AM (0 seconds ago) Bookmark Link

also, if the ultimate goal is weight loss i do not understand why it is better to do 500 calories of walking on a treadmill (+/- one hour at 130 BPM) as my trainer suggests, versus the 870 calories of elliptical workout (+/- one hour at 175 BPM) as i would do on my own.

can somebody explain?

Job security.

what is the difference in effect on your body between eating 100 calories worth of crisps and 100 calories worth of apple a day?

Arseloads of salt and saturated fat.

Sooo good to hear you've come so far btw.

remy: nfi. What's elliptical again?

remy, she's trying to keep you in the fat-burning zone of heart rate rather than the cardio building zone.

So, thanks to being at work for two weeks straight practically and running to opera rehearsals in my spare time, I've lost 10 pounds.

^ brilliant

so i am 18 lbs lighter than when i started, and my belly-fat package is riding higher-up on my abs (which, apparently, i have begun to develop) ... but somewhat strangely, my waist size (32) has not diminished at all.

last time i weighed what i now do, my waist was a definite 30.

176 - 18 = 158 lbs.

I've quit smoking and rather than gain an appetite, I've lost it, which is great as I could do with losing about a stone or so. I was very surprised really. Giving up smoking has also coincided with giving up buying cheese which I was always partial to having a nibble at when bored. I guess it's all a discipline issue really - giving up one thing has taken a lot of self control and now I'm less inclined to pig out, and more inclined to workout. I've noticed minimal effect on how my body looks (I don't really weigh myself) but there is some improvement I think :-)

So much goodness in this thread.

I've been stuck around 230 for almost 4 weeks now. Only dropped a quarter pound in the last week, but i drank a lot, didn't bike too much, so there you go. Less than 2 lbs from my 10% goal.

It always slows down. That first chunk almost falls off and the last takes ages.

Yes, but I am also a lazy drunk. So there ya go.