The getting back in shape thread

[protege]

Some of you might remember that I had hernia surgery in early 2004. At the time, I was around 160-165lbs. Since I was taking a huge amount of painkillers and not eating very much, my weight dropped....to about 125-130 Two years later, I'm at 175. Go figure.

I do know that several people have commented that I "look better" since I've started working out. Maybe it's because I look a bit different, or maybe because they're not sure if I'll kick their ass

[stormtreader]

Well done everyone!
Ive been dieting for a year now - lost 2 1/2 stones (35 pounds) and still got 35 to go (thank you, weightwatchers food!).
My exercise so far has only consisted of 1 1/2 hours of walking per day (lunch hour and to/from train station) - i suppose thats better than nothing, but nowhere near all you gym people
You dont notice how tired it makes you until you lose some of the weight - i can get up from squatting down now without having to rock back on my heels and pull myself up

I definately second the 'lots of water' thing, pints of squash when im playing pc games in the evening.
Treats are important too, if youre really craving something then have it - just dont let it become every day

[PuckishOne]

Feeling your pain

I had food poisoning for three day! For three days I barely ate and if I did it usually didn't stay down long. I go to weigh myself after I started feeling better and I lost a whole 1 POUND!

I soooooo don't recommend this as a weight-loss, tool - not that I think anyone's suggesting it. I seem to be prone to food poisoning, and the last bout I had, about 8 months ago, laid me out for 4 days, during which I lost 11 pounds. Not fun.

To echo what a couple others have said, I've had several doctors tell me to focus on my dress size rather than my weight, that muscle does weigh more, and to aim for eating "well" 75-80% of the time and not stress over the other 20-25%. All in all this seems to be the most sensible approach I've found.

[Kiwi]

well, ive been rather slack this week, trying to walk to the supermarket when we need stuff and generally been good with food, I made a smashing sundried tomato, basil and onion risotto the other night. Delish!

Ive had a busy week though, 2 interviews, paperwork to fill out for work, tests for the new job and buying a new car all while searching for a cheaper apartment!!

I had a crappy sales week last week so im dreading this week.... I have to improve my sales and I always work myself up into a tize. Next week I plan on buying my sneakers (I finally get paid) and then walking for an hour everyday to make up for my slackness.

Lunch today was cheese and pineapple on toast with strawberries on the side. Yum!

[Phoenix79]

I definitley need help figuring out how to change my diet.

I grew up eating spagetti, mac and cheese, hot dogs . . . all that stuff they say you shouldn't eat. I grew up on it, and have yet to grow out of it (i'm 27). The problem is, I have two medical problems that require me to diet if I want to start feeling like a normal person. I had thyroid cancer in 2000, and have to take thyroid meds to replace my thyroid - and I also have PCOS (poly cystic ovarian syndrome). Both of which screw with my metabolism, and make it difficult to lose weight.

I've checked into surgery, and I'm not overweight enough? I weigh 210lbs, and I'm about 5' 9", they say I need to be at least 260 to qualify for lapband surgery (I would never get gastric bypass, too risky). The best way to control my PCOS is to diet . . . but it costs more money to eat veggies and fruits than it does to just buy boxed and canned stuff. I'm one broke person right now, so if anyone has some low-budget diet ideas (I've seen a few great ones on this thread already) please share them!!

My goal is to eventually drop enough weight so my body begins working like it should, that way my hubby and I can finally try to have a baby (probably need to lose about 30-50 pounds). As it stands now, due to the PCOS, my body doesn't want to cooperate, and we cannot currently have a child.

Anyhooo, probably TMI, but I felt like if I shared, I would feel better. This thread is a wonderful idea, thanks!!

Phoenix

[stormtreader]

A good cheap dieting meal/snack is rice boiled in water with a chicken OXO cube in it, and some frozen vegetables (peas, spinach, whatever you like).
Costs next to nothing, you can make enough for 2-3 days easily, and is a good side dish for other stuff as well

[TeslaRecoil]

I'm not a health professional, but I'll tell you what worked for me ...

Portion Control :

Just cut back. That's all. You don't have to start eating raw tofu and drinking water and basically starve yourself. Just eat less. Instead of 2 helpings of mashed potatoes, just have one. Don't have that second burger. That's how I got started, and it paid off.

Watch Your Sugar:

The first thing I did was cut out soda. Until I did that, I never realized how much I was drinking. I try to stick to water, unsweetened iced tea, black coffee, or even diet soda. I definitely watched the sweets too. It was rough, especially around Christmas time, but eventually, you learn to live with it.

Trim The Fat:

You don't have to eat white fish and grilled chicken all the time. Just buy lean cuts and trim what you can. A good lean piece of beef is no more fatty that a lean piece of chicken (I won't debate the other health concerns of red meat here). Look for other ways too. Have a hamburger instead of a cheeseburger. Try skim milk instead of regular milk. Most of the products you buy have some fat free version which USUALLY does not cost much more than the original.

Exercise:

Yeah, it may suck, but it has to be done. I started running again (first on the elliptical, then on the treadmill). At first, it was rough. But after a few months, I was doing 6-8 miles at a clip, 3-4 times per week. It helped a lot. And you need to switch this up every so often as well, else your body will get used to what you're doing. Try running up and down hills, or even jogging backwards.

I know this sounds like generic advice, but it worked for me.

I had gotten up to about 245 (which is huge for someone typically between 200 and 205), and let's just say it wasn't muscle. By following the above (and having a little fun every now and then), I got down to 198 in 6 months. I was felling better than I had since I started college, and I was loving every minute of it.

I started lifting again, and I'm around 210 right now. But I don't focus on the number so much. I focus on the look. If you look and feel good, what does a number matter?

Anyway, that's my 2 cents ...

[Kiwi]

the best way to find cheap fruit and vege is to go to a farmers market

that how we do it, plus we only buy WHATS IN SEASON, no way im paying $4.99 a kilo for tomatos when carrots are $0.99 that way your diet changes to

we also make up double portions and freeze the left overs in to gladware and use the fozen meals for lunches. so if i make beef casserole (best way to use cheap meat and make it taste good) I will make 4 portions worth then we have the second two for lunch the next day

eating cheap means always taking lunch from home and planning your meals ahead. Use a cheap bulk low fat carb to fill you up

potatos, corn, rice, pasta but avoid adding fat, thats what makes carbs have such a bad rep. I add spices like paprika and tumeric to make a "spicy rice" so I dont have to add lots of oil.

frozen veges are a god send, someone recommend using them with rice GREAT IDEA. Im lucky I dont like meat, me and kyle can make a chicken breast between us a meal. Try meat alternatives, refried beans (the non fat veriaty from elpaso is go) or nut meat, mushrooms if you like them.

all meat has the same nutritional value, the only thing that changes is FAT content. Double strain the fat off hamburger to lower the fat content, buy cheap meat to make a stew and skim off the fat. Beef and potato stew (carrots onions garlic and add peas at the last minute) you can also add rice to bulk it up or serve it over rice.

check your portions are in control, one of those gladware containers is ALL YOU NEED for a meal.

I have found that buying prepackaged foods are more expensive and shop the outside of the supermarket, plus we swapped supermarkets, our bread price HALVED. However Baked beans etc are healthy and if on sale usually really cheap. Add a clove of garlic to everything, its a cheap way to add flavour to a meal and its one of natures super foods.

consider buying from the bulk bins to, we now get our pasta from there and we only have to buy as much as we need each week.

great guns everyone, keep it up!!

I have a website for you all http://www.destitutegourmet.com/

its about eating healthy but cheaply. Sophie also gives you a seasonal calander (reverse it, its for the southern hemisphere) these are what the cheapest fruits and veges should be.

kiwi, drinking her blueberry and spirulina anti-oxident milkshake and feeling very proud of herself

[PuckishOne]

Portion Control : Just cut back. That's all.

Exercise: Yeah, it may suck, but it has to be done.

From my experiences, I would consider these to be the 2 most important - and most often overlooked - pieces of diet/fitness advice. Eat less, move more. It's so simple, it's beautiful.

Things got a little slack for me this week - only made it to the gym twice, and we've eaten out every night but one so far! In the past, this is the point where I'd throw up my hands and say, "Oh well, I blew it already, pass the brownies!!" But now I know that this is just reality...there will be good days and bad days, good weeks and bad weeks, but as long as I stick with it overall, in the long run it will pay off.

[NightWolf]

I know this sounds like generic advice, but it worked for me.

Ok, Sorry to pick our your quote, but I just wanted to point out one more thing quick. What works for one person, might not work for the next. Try a few different diets and or exercise plans. Document your results and find out which one works best.


The one thing I REALLY hate about eating better is how expensive good food costs. I mean, here in the states the media bitches about how the majority is overweight, yet the price of good food is so much more than junk food. WTF?

Still, I NEED to get rid of the belly. So far, what I'm doing is working for me. It's going away, and going away fast. I'm taking pictures so I can compare them from time to time and actually SEE the results. For the rest of my body, seeing the veins start to surface and actually pop out in certain areas is all I need to see that I'm losing the fat and gaining muscle there.


Update to this week. I made it through 3 of my 4 workouts. I really didn't want to miss my abs/back workout, but was not feeling well emotionally and health wise. I felt it best to not workout and hopefully I can pick up something and make up for it this weekend.

[COMINATCHA]

Although some of you guys told me I don't need to lose weight - i've started to already

I've always excersised, so am just stepping it up a notch. Instead of going to the gym 4 times a week, i'm going 6. (being unemployed means i have stacks of time on my hands to excersise, haha).

The other thing i'm doing which works well for me, is eating snacks instead of meals. For example, if for breakfast I would normally have 2 slices of toast at once, I instead have one piece for breakfast, then about 3 hours later have the other piece. It keeps the metabolism stable. I'm also eating mainly fruit and vegies, and drinking HEAPS of water. It's hard when my mum continues to stack the fridge with chocolates and things, but i'm not eating any of it. I think she's actually annoyed for some reason.

I'm also trying to stop drinking coffee and red bull. I don't know if this helps weight loss, but I figure it'll make me healthier. I drink LOTS of coffee, which I know can't be good for me. I've tried to stop once before but it didn't last, so i'll try harder this time

It's only been just over a week, and I can comfortably do up my tight jeans without any pudge getting in the way.

I am kind of hungry throughout the day, but it's the only way to get weight off my body, so it's worth it.

[Kiwi]

Good for you Commie, I think everyone was more worried that youd over react from your ratfink ex-bosses comment and starve youself. We all want you to be happy and healthy.

Red bull is TERRIBLE!!!!

the best way to lose a small amount of weight is to eat the same, but in small meals through out the day, that way your never hungry but never full. Still eating a healthy amount but just in such a way to super rev up your metabolism.

Stay healthy though!

Ive signed up for a 5k fun run on October first to help raise money for breast cancer. Me and kyle start training tomorrow! 60 days to go!

[Sphinx]

I used to run all the time but quit. And now I'm back to running 10 miles again!!! Now I have to step up my goal lol I love to run , especially since I live in the country its so beautiful in the mornings when the sun is just coming up.

[NightWolf]

Good for you COMI!!!

And Kudos to you Kiwi for signing up for the run!


Any other updates on the diets members?



I'll jump first. I just finished my cutting phase of my workout and am starting a bulking phase, which I really need to stick to. This weekend I kinda let loose and had a bit too much fun. I just obliterated my legs last night. 310lbs on the squats and my legs hurt. (But it's a good kind of hurt. ) Tonight it's arms.

[PuckishOne]

I have a collarbone again!! Amazing how these little things motivate us, isn't it?

Decided to switch from morning workouts to going directly after work. Even though the gym is a block from home, I know from experience that once my key's in the door, it's over, so I pack my bag in the morning and just go. Seems to be working so far...gee, maybe I have some work-related stress to burn off, eh?

I'm also playing soccer one night a week, and once my body gets back into that swing I'm going to try to add a 2nd team. My goal is to be active at least 3 nights in the week, and do one active thing at the weekends. I've learned that the more I keep moving, the more I want to keep moving.

How's everyone else doing?