[ Hypnos Forum ]

I'm the one who has to loose, so I'll be brave and begin.

I do remember one thing from those nutty nutrition classes at FSU that the first step is to write down every thing you eat.

Breakfast: 1 Bowl of oatmeal with 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and coffee (black, as always)
On the way to work:  Coffee (and I didn't get a drive to work snack!)
Arrive at work:  more coffee (damn narcolepsy!)
Mid morning at work snack due to the receptionist brought in Easter candy(2 little tiny chocolate eggs and 2 bite size Nestles Crunches) :o
Lunch:  A Lean Cuisine Stuffed Cabbage (210 calories!), a vanilla Activa low fat yogurt (110 calories), and a Golden delicious apple
Afternoon snack:  Low fat Peanut Butter Toast Chee crackers (1 pack, 190 calories)
Beverage: water (I never drink sodas, well, almost never)

A boring trivial personal no one cares why am I posting this message.  If you need to loose, be honest and take the challenge.

I'll be back Monday and I'll want to see some posts!

I don't exactly NEED to lose but I'd like to nudge back down in the 170s again this spring & summer.  I will take the challenge!  BRING IT!

I'm up for it, too! We're getting ready to do the P90X 90-Day shred program together, (anyone seen the infomercial?)

(Crosses arms into a big "X"): BRING IT!!!  ;D


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIyjnyHj1mk&feature=channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQwHGiAyyBU&feature=channel

Thing is, I'm already so fit, I think P90X will actually make me WEAKER!

Maybe I can talk my wife into getting a set of electronic drums for exercising.

I'll be working on it.   

Mike and Lena, you should totally post before and after picks for P90X... that goes for Wayne and everyone else too.  I'm pretty thin though I like to be sporty, so I would more likely participate in a weight-gain challenge... but I do like my weight, at least I feel fit.

I need to lose some myself. I'm not really overweight ( 6' , 175 lbs.) But I do have a bit of a beer belly that I'd like to see gone. Unfortunately, beer and great Mexican food are plentiful around here. I think I'd like to get to about 160 -165 lbs.    Harry

I want to gain weight.. I constantly forget to eat because I'm so busy doing much more interesting stuff.  :-[

OK. I'm in.

I need to lose some of this beer related belly myself! Currently I am performing with a number of yoga teachers and younger musicians and I feel like a sea lion around them! My hiking buddy passed away from cancer and my morning walk pal moved away so I have not been out exercising much. The weather is starting to be real inviting so the timing is good. Best wishes to my fellow forum weight-loss participants!

Peace, Kirk (who feels like he weighs as much as 1000 snakes)

Wayne:

I need to lose at least 50 lbs (way overweight) and am planning my attack now.  I would suggest avoiding sugar as much as possible, so no candy, not too much fruit, and replace the 1 tablespoon of brown sugar with some cinnamon.  It's true counting calories are important but avoiding sugar as much as possible (cuz it converts to fat in your body) is equally important.

I agree about sugar.  I know people love sweets, but sugar (and worse yet, high fructose corn syrup) is the biggest reason so many Americans are obese.  Pre-packaged foods cram in so much sugar, even foods like bread and crackers and spaghetti sauce and salad dressing that you might not think of as sweet.  Not only obesity but diabetes is skyrocketing because of this.

My problems are portion control and lack of exercise.  I'll be posting here periodically -- I'm 6'3" and 255 lbs and would like to drop at least 30 lbs.

I'm still 20 pounds less than my all time high of 275 in 2002.

5' 10"   (used to be 10.5 but I think I shrunk...)

I've been overweight for years.    My worst weight was 225, I got down to a consistent 188 early last year, but then gained it back.    I'm up at 205 right now.   

When I exercise - the weight comes off.   My wife and I eat stupidly healthy most of the time - seriously - we have for years.   Started when her cholesterol skyrocketed well into the 200's (I think mid-200's) - and she's dropped it 100 points over the last few years.  She's now well in the normal range.   My cholesterol is still at 240 - working on it.

I have asthma - and get hit with really bad attacks about once a quarter now - enough that I get derailed from exercising.   I'm just coming off another bout of illness (sinus/chest infection - took a lot of antibiotics and prednisone on top of my normal daily drugs).

So... yes - I'm ready to lose it and I'll be happy to post progress as I go along and cheer on everyone else jumping in. 

We can do it.

I've always been a relatively thin guy (5'9" and around 156 lb as of Sunday), though after I hit my late twenties, I definitely had to start watching the beers and burgers or I'd get a little bit of a gut.  I'm an avid swimmer and I took up tai chi last year which is a really relaxing way to exercise.

Anyway, I find the following website really helpful for tracking both your exercise and eating habits:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com

You can track weight, etc., and share your progress with your friends.  And you might be surprised about the calorie payload a lot of your favorite foods carry!  Might be fun if a bunch of Hypnos Weight Challenge people started tracking there for regular "sharing" of their progress!

Brian, you just made my wife, Heidi, very very happy!  She loves the myfitnesspal.com website - we've been looking for a replacement for "ephit" for quite awhile (it was provided as part of her wellness program at her work... but costs like $35/month for individuals) - this is a great replacement so far.

She's already mapped out a days of meals.   I'll be looking at it later.

Very cool!  Thanks!

I'm "johnkn" on myfitnesspal.

(http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker)
  Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter (http://www.myfitnesspal.com)

QuoteMike and Lena, you should totally post before and after picks for P90X

Ha! Not bloody likely!  :D

(Well, OK- maybe "after" pics for me, if the program goes well...)

Now that I've kicked the smoking habit, I plan on attacking my soda addiction.  This one is almost as hard as nicotine, at least for me.  Seriously, if I laid off sodas and excess sugar in my diet the weight would come off, even without exercise.  But I'm gonna have to hit the gym and start walking, building up slowly to running, to burn off all the excess weight I'm carrying.  I did it a few years ago (lost about 50 lbs. in 3 months) by walking, cutting out sugar/white bread, increasing water intake, drinking green tea, and eating about five small meals per day.  It really worked.  This has been proven to change your metabolism, in combination with exercise, in that your body burns calories more efficiently.  If you try to "eat less" by skipping meals it's actually counter-productive.  The challenge is it takes much more planning (buying groceries, preparing meals), but it pays off.  It's so much easier to skip breakfast and then go load up at lunchtime with a big meal at a restaurant, but that hasn't been working for me, as Dr. Phil would say!  ;D 

Quote from: lena on March 19, 2010, 09:15:36 AM

QuoteMike and Lena, you should totally post before and after picks for P90X

Ha! Not bloody likely!  :D

(Well, OK- maybe "after" pics for me, if the program goes well...)

It won't be a "HYPNOS Challenge" if you don't post the pics!

Ha ha- easy for YOU to say, since:

QuoteI'm pretty thin though I like to be sporty, so I would more likely participate in a weight-gain challenge... but I do like my weight, at least I feel fit.

;)

Well I'm with the need for more weight - always been slim - even when I did tree surgery and was as fit and strong as F**K (amazing what swinging around trees with heavy chainsaws can achieve) I was 8 1/2 stone - mainly sinew connected by steel....

I am 5' 8" and up to 9 stone and feel OK, mainly through hard eating of 2 meals a day - good canteen food at work and then another meal in the evening, usually cooked by me....all this eating is wearing me out.... ;D

I don't want to put any more weight on at the moment, I think it would just add flab that would look silly on me and would take too much energy to turn into muscle.

If you need to look up the nutrients in a food - this site is really good:

http://www.nutritiondata.com

Food for thought ;D
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35315651

I was feeling pretty good this morning when I weighed myself and found that I had lost 2 lbs. since we started this topic. So what did I do today but go out and have a chicken parmagiana sub for lunch! :-[ The Horror!!!

It's a win or loose situation. ;D

I was doing fine.  I thought this week would be a good one to start on a diet.  My wife went to a training in Orlando for the week, so it was me and my mother-in-law at home.  While doing the weekend shopping, I told my wife I wasn't going to buy much.  Sunday, the mum in law makes a big dish of pork chops and sauerkraut.  Lasts me three days.  On top of that, Monday she makes a bigger pan of stuffed cabbage.  Me thinks there is a conspiracy at hand, but it sure tastes good.

BTW, how many calories are in a glass of Jameson? 8)

Quote from: Wayne Higgins on March 25, 2010, 07:09:07 AM

BTW, how many calories are in a glass of Jameson? 8)

Same as in a bottle of Shiner Bohemian Black Lager. But, luckily for us they don't count. ;)

Wayne, you'd be totally fine eating everything you listed if you just decided to go low carb for awhile!  ;)

Hey all,

I may be borderline diabetic, my cholesterol was way through the roof and triglycerides were horrendous (much worse than I expected) so now my meds are upped for one and I am working on watching what I eat and how much.

But being single = cooking for one is a pita. Meaning I cook a box of pasta and a jar of sauce and eat it for like 4-5 days. BUT I am trying to eat tuna fish/chicken sandwiches for lunch, pasta at night (doing the wheat pasta now) and I use whole wheat/stoneground wheat for awhile now. Hardly do whitebreads unless it's italian restaurant meal. I also have been drinking 1% milk for ages and switched to sugar free frozen sweets and fat free frozen yogurt. The other things I am trying to do more of (than before) is fruit and salads (baby spinach) and I do so badly need to get back to exercising. I'm up at least 8-10 lbs from about 5 months ago.

As for soda intake I used to do 1 can a day with my sandwich lunch. Still trying to stick to that adage but I had been drinking a lot more ginger ales recently during the day (sometimes 3-4....). Also trying to get back to drinking more water = less hungry and better for you. It's not an easy thing and harder IMHO being single trying to cook smaller meals and vary things so you don't get bored/eat too much of same things lol.

And for obesity in this country IMHO partly parents fault letting kids eat junk food too much and not enough exercise and adults portion control. Moderation to me is key in a lot of this. Just my opinion of course.

Mike

Moderation is the key. Cooking for one or two is difficult. I do all of the cooking at my house and I don't get home from work until 7:45 or 8:00 p.m. I try to keep us on a decent diet, but all to often it is just too easy to pick up something on the way home. The things I pick up aren't always the best choices. It is a struggle, but it is also worth the struggle. I'm going away for the weekend to see my mom, so it will be restaurants and a barbecue at my brother's. It will be fun, but eating right will be difficult.

Quote from: darkenedsoul on March 26, 2010, 05:59:17 AM

I may be borderline diabetic, my cholesterol was way through the roof and triglycerides were horrendous (much worse than I expected) so now my meds are upped for one and I am working on watching what I eat and how much.

It's not an easy thing and harder IMHO being single trying to cook smaller meals and vary things so you don't get bored/eat too much of same things lol.

Hey Mike,  Something you might want to try is getting a food steamer. I've got an Oster which is pretty good. I can cook rice, veggies and a fish filet or chicken breast at the same time and it's really easy. It's also healthy and by getting creative with seasonings, it's really good.

I miss my steamer. My sister got me one a few years ago and I used it until it died.

My daughter just bought a bamboo steamer at a local Asian food market.  We haven't given it a test ride, yet.

I've been doing good for the past 10 days.  Drinking a lot of water, green tea, diet ice tea, skim milk are the only beverages.  5 small meals per day, walking, stationary bike, weights. Had one really rough day at work and came home and, since I'm off the cigarettes now, I "stress comforted" myself with French Bread pizza, a 16 oz. Coke, and a whole box of See's peanut brittle (felt pretty sick afterwards, too).  A temporary slip up, but I didn't quit my program.  I need to lose at least 50, but ideally 60-65 lbs.  My motivation is seeing my big gut and pudgy face in the mirror.  I think after I quit smoking I sort of "woke up" to how badly out of shape I'd become.  Losing weight takes patience and persistence, at least in my experience.  Very helpful to post on this thread as a kind of "online diary."  Hope we can keep it going for awhile.  :)

Quote from: drone on on March 26, 2010, 04:34:22 PM
I've been doing good for the past 10 days.  Drinking a lot of water, green tea, diet ice tea, skim milk are the only beverages.  5 small meals per day, walking, stationary bike, weights. Had one really rough day at work and came home and, since I'm off the cigarettes now, I "stress comforted" myself with French Bread pizza, a 16 oz. Coke, and a whole box of See's peanut brittle (felt pretty sick afterwards, too).  A temporary slip up, but I didn't quit my program.  I need to lose at least 50, but ideally 60-65 lbs.  My motivation is seeing my big gut and pudgy face in the mirror.  I think after I quit smoking I sort of "woke up" to how badly out of shape I'd become.  Losing weight takes patience and persistence, at least in my experience.  Very helpful to post on this thread as a kind of "online diary."  Hope we can keep it going for awhile.  :)

Awesome job, Drone On- WTG!!!  :)

And don't worry about the occasional slip-up, we ALL have them from time-to-time. The very most important thing is not to let it throw you off track entirely- just get right back on your plan again, starting the very next morning!

Mike & I eat "lean & green" dinners six nights per week, (I lifted that from a Medifast commercial ;D ), but one night a week we get to have whatever we want for a treat dinner. "Lean & green" would be like either a grilled chicken breast & broccoli, salmon & brussels sprouts, salad with a salmon burger chopped up on top, chicken & veggie stir fry, turkey burger (no bun) with cabbage slaw, etc. I feel really GREAT eating this way, plus I don't feel deprived because I know that I get to have whatever I want for one meal a week, (and that includes carby stuff like bread & pasta AND something sweet.)

QuoteModeration is the key.

This is very true- portion control is hugely important, (especially as you get older & less active- your bod just doesn't need the calories it did when you were younger.) I had a tough time at first making my dinners smaller & not having any "seconds." It's fine now that I'm used to it, though, (I actually don't ever even make enough food for second helpings anymore.)


Starting P90X really soon, (I am VERY EXCITE!)  ;D

I'm working on losing 20#'s, and getting back into road-biking shape.  I was doing good, too, until those damn girl scouts talked me into three boxes of Thin Mints.

Quote from: SunDummy on March 29, 2010, 12:42:30 PM
I'm working on losing 20#'s, and getting back into road-biking shape.  I was doing good, too, until those damn girl scouts talked me into three boxes of Thin Mints.

Damn them!! They got me , too. :-[

I have one living at home with me!

Curse those Thin Mints and their handy, single-serving sized boxes!!!  ;)

Yeah, my wife always pokes fun at my belly, and then comes home with Somoas!

Quote from: lena on March 29, 2010, 11:24:21 AM

QuoteModeration is the key.

This is very true- portion control is hugely important, (especially as you get older & less active- your bod just doesn't need the calories it did when you were younger.) I had a tough time at first making my dinners smaller & not having any "seconds." It's fine now that I'm used to it, though, (I actually don't ever even make enough food for second helpings anymore.)

Portion control is a great way to diet. Kathy and I like to have a steak every now and again on Sunday evening. We now split a 10 oz. ribeye and a baked potato with a full serving of steamed asparagus. It looked kind of funny at first on our plates, but I'm satisfied after I have eaten it and don't feel like I need more. I think a lot of us feel we have to eat everything on our plate. So we fill the plate up and eat it all and then feel stuffed for quite awhile.

QuoteI was doing good, too, until those damn girl scouts talked me into three boxes of Thin Mints.

Ha ha! Oh, no way- they can't get Mike & me with their enticing displays & little puppy dog eyes- we just say "no thank you" & breeze right past them, (and never, EVER look directly into their eyes- they'll have you for sure if you do!)   ;)

Maybe if the 'scouts said "hey would you like to buy our genetically modified wheat, round-up ready sugar beet and high-fructose corn syrup-sweetened death cakes?" you might just balk a tad...

I find it safer to just buy the cookies.

Quote from: lena on March 30, 2010, 04:25:26 PM

QuoteI was doing good, too, until those damn girl scouts talked me into three boxes of Thin Mints.

Ha ha! Oh, no way- they can't get Mike & me with their enticing displays & little puppy dog eyes- we just say "no thank you" & breeze right past them, (and never, EVER look directly into their eyes- they'll have you for sure if you do!)   ;)

I apply my steely stare at the grocery store, and ignore the tables at the entrance.  But when my niece calls, how the hell can I say no?  What kind of shitty uncle would I be?  It's not that I like the cookies, you understand...   ;D

Quote from: SunDummy on March 30, 2010, 08:29:53 PM

Quote from: lena on March 30, 2010, 04:25:26 PM

QuoteI was doing good, too, until those damn girl scouts talked me into three boxes of Thin Mints.

Ha ha! Oh, no way- they can't get Mike & me with their enticing displays & little puppy dog eyes- we just say "no thank you" & breeze right past them, (and never, EVER look directly into their eyes- they'll have you for sure if you do!)   ;)

It's not that I like the cookies, you understand...   ;D

None of us LIKE the cookies. We just MUST BUY!! :o

Luckily our girl scouts on this side of the pond are happily entombed in village halls doing crafts and dancing - not learning the evil ways of the free market, emotional bribery and violent retribution.... ;D

(I think the bankers do that here!!) :o

This thread is hilarious. I think I am going to join Girl Scouts.

Quote from: cromag on March 18, 2010, 09:09:33 PM
My problems are portion control and lack of exercise.  I'll be posting here periodically -- I'm 6'3" and 255 lbs and would like to drop at least 30 lbs.

I'm still 20 pounds less than my all time high of 275 in 2002.

Actually, I was mistaken.  Right after I posted that I stepped on the scale and realized that I actually weighed 260.0 pounds.  It was the incentive I needed.

Monday is "weigh-in" day, and today I'm 249.0.

Ten down, thirty to go!

Quote from: cromag on May 24, 2010, 05:38:38 PM

Quote from: cromag on March 18, 2010, 09:09:33 PM
My problems are portion control and lack of exercise.  I'll be posting here periodically -- I'm 6'3" and 255 lbs and would like to drop at least 30 lbs.

I'm still 20 pounds less than my all time high of 275 in 2002.

Actually, I was mistaken.  Right after I posted that I stepped on the scale and realized that I actually weighed 260.0 pounds.  It was the incentive I needed.

Monday is "weigh-in" day, and today I'm 249.0. Wow!! That's great! I'm only down 3 pounds since this thread started. I've been down more, but have yo-yo'd back and forth since then. Good job Cromag!

Ten down, thirty to go!

Wow!! That's great! I'm only down 3 pounds since this thread started. I've been down more, but have yo-yo'd back and forth since then. Good job Cromag!

Congrats, guys!  :)

I'm down 9lbs since starting P90X almost 2 months ago. I can't credit the program entirely, though, since I hurt my knee not too long into the first month & wasn't able to do the lower bod or cardio DVDs, (only upper bod & abs.) I'm getting back to running and stuff now, but for awhile I could only ride the stationary bike at a very low resistance level for my cardio workouts. Oh, and I also got super-strict with my diet right after I hurt my knee, because I knew that if I couldn't do all my cardio stuff, I'd blow up like a rubber raft if I didn't drastically cut calories!

Anyway, 9lbs down & a few more to go!

Way to go, folks!   ;D

I'm down about 5.  Biking season has begun, so I should increase the pace of loss over the next few months.  I got my first good ride in on Sunday - 50 miles on the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes.  If I can ride 100 miles a week, I should hit my target of 200# by fall easily.  And with riding partners like these four lovely ladies, motivation should be easy to find.   ;)

Awesome, and I love that pic!  :)

(Now I really want to go for a looong bike ride.)

Quote from: lena on May 25, 2010, 10:46:52 AM

I'm down 9lbs since starting P90X almost 2 months ago.

Wow! 9 pounds! From your pictures it  looks like you were fairly small to begin with, so 9 pounds is a lot.   Harry

Aw, thanks Harry! I gained some weight over the winter, though, when we quit doing our super-long runs and big hikes and stuff. I'm really excited to start getting back outside for some nature adventures, (if it would ever quit raining!)  >:(

Hey Lena,

How come you didn't tell us you were singing in Eurovision? 8)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment_and_arts/10192518.stm

Ha! There are soooo many musicians who go by "Lena," it's crazy! I even had a GUY write me once, demanding that I stop going by that name because HE was already using it, (his real name was like Mathias, or something.) I wrote him back and told him, "Sorry, dude- that's my actual name!"  ;D

Try being named "John"...  ;-)

And Lena - she looks just like you!  Just not as cute.

John <--- my real name

OMG, ha ha- thanks, John!  ;D

(However, I think being a teenager pretty much always trumps the more "mature" girl in cuteness factor.)  ;)

My knee injury is FINALLY, (after two months), getting better now, and I'll soon be able to get back to lifting heavy weights for my lower-bod strength training sessions, hooray!  :)

Another Monday.  Today's weight is 246.5.

My last dream before I woke up this morning was about buying a bag of potato chips.

237.5

According to my BMI, I am officially "overweight."   Of course, I came at it from the other side!  ;)

Congratulations!   Way to go!

Right on, cromag!  

I'm at 215, slowly dropping.  I've been riding my bike a lot, and am now up to riding 100 miles every Saturday, which is really helping.  Plus it's just plain fun!

One of my brothers is a serious cyclist.  He rode past me once last year, shouted at me, then turned back to stop and say hi.  I didn't recognize him until he took off his sunglasses -- Id never seen him in spandex!

For me, though, it's walking.  I take Shadow, our German Shepherd, out for a 2 or 3 walks a week.  Our basic walk is 6.5 miles (about 2 hours) but our longer ones go up to 8 or 9.  This is working out pretty well for him, too!

I really miss cycling.  Lena and I have been doing tons of running and hiking and weightlifting, and we just realized last weekend that we hadn't taken our bikes out yet this summer.  Gaah...  Must bike soon!

No excuse - just go ride!   ;D  If you're ever near Coeur D'Alene, let me know - there's an excellent, long trail system there.

Working out is great, but I find that I need to be doing something fun in order to stay motivated.  Picking things up then putting them down again is just too boring for me.    ;)

I've been working on Leg Blasters, getting prepped for ski season.  20 lunges, then 20 squats, then 20 jump-lunges, then 20 jump-squats.  Rest 60 seconds, rinse, repeat.  If you can make it through 3 sets, you're doing very very good.  Helps build explosive leg muscles to offset the lean muscle of cycling.  Then do Burpees (yep, you read that right):  as many as you can do in 30 seconds; rest for 30; go again; rest for 30...  do this for ten minutes, and you've done ten sets.  This is an excellent way of getting your core worked with minimal time commitment.