Do you see the irony in what you just asked for?

[BookstoreEscapee]

If you're bored by running, don't run. Walk your dog, go for a hike or bike ride, join a team - basketball, softball, soccer, hell you can even find kickball leagues for adults. And you don't have to work out for an hour at a time. Take a ten minute walk instead of vegging in the back during your break, do another twenty minutes after work...it all adds up. I like to park my car as far out in the parking lot as I have time for (when I'm not running late) and it takes me five minutes to get from the door to my office at a reasonable pace, anyway...

[Crawling_Chaos]

I have heard about these diet pills and I am not impressed with any of them, as their side effects are a bit rediculous for what they do. Some screw up your metabolism along with your heart. Others make you suffer loose stool and nutrient deficiencies. While others just plane kill you. So in essence you got Palps, Poop, and Death.........hmmmm such a lovely trade off for actually going out to exercise and eat right to begin with.

Personally, I used to weigh about 235 lb's all through Middle School and 9th grade. I was also about 5' 11". When I entered 10th grade, something just snapped and I instantly changed alot of my eating and exercise habits. I stopped eating tons of fast food, and substituted grains and veggies as my primary fuel source. I made boxes of Raisen Bran disappear as fast I could consume them for breakfast. I would eat at least five servings of veggies a day and four pieces of fruit. Along with 1.9 mile walk to my highschool, I supplmented my exercise routine with large amounts of endurance weight training.

After about four to five months of this, I noticed some nice results. My gut was gone and I was seeing the first traces of a lean abdominal muscle under my skin. I would role over on me side and when I propped myself up on my arms I was greeted with a nicely formed bicep. I also started ot notice the shape and form of my muscles elsewhere on my body as the fat melted away. Now I am not saying I was some overmuscled beast, not at all, in fact I do not like the body shape of a body builder. What I did have though was the beginnings of a very well toned build with nicely chorded muscle. I have continued this way, with some laxness in the past few years ever since and I enjoy it. I have since maintined a wait of between 155 and 160 and am now 6'.

All I can say is, that developing a taste for lean meats, nuts, fruits, whole grains, and veggies helped alot. If you are one who feigns eating veggies or fruits, due to taste or inconveience of prep, try forcing yourself to eat them in moderation and see how it goes. Like Scotch, they can be an aquired taste, but once you get it, the health benefits will be great. You eat far fewer calories and you fill up even more. So if you are prone to eating large portions, said taste will be even better for you.

One thing you must avoid like the plague though is refined sugar, hydrogenated oils, and trans fats. If you start eating healthier, watch your food lables like a hawk! Many things that say trans fat free stilll contain hydrogenated oils which are just as bad. Hydrogenating oils basically makes them more "solid" at room temp and thus more like saturated fat. Also these oils are artifical in molecular structure, thus your body has difficulty in using them and they tend to clump and stick to arteries just as bad or worse than saturated fat itself. So, always make sure their are no hydrogenated oils in your diet, lest you give yourself heart disease even quicker.

I try and model my diet after a South America(Corns, beans, Squash), and Oriental(Greens, veggies, lean meats, etc) diet. They are two of the three for the top healthiest diets in the world. So if you like either areas cuisine, then that is an even bigger plus.

I am also quite the geek and gamer, and we all know that the types of snack foods that float around during sessions can be quite bad.I normally counteract that by simply cycling or walking to the events I attend and bringing my own snack, such as carrots, shredded wheat, etc. It works well and helps me maintain a phsically fit body while doing activities that are normally sendentary.

All in all, I am quite happy with my decision back 10th grade. I have waaay more energy than I did before the wight loss and I thouroughly enjoy healthier foods now more than the typical quick fix fast food packages of sugar and bad fats. So if you can exercise and get within your appropriate body weight to heigh ratio, its very much worth it. Just go at your own pace and think positive.

[Andara Bledin]

I guess the lesson here is that MA is a great way for most people to lose weight, but only if you've got people you can work with without holding back too much.

It probably depends a lot on your routine. You can effectively tone and lose weight with yoga, and there's very little high-impact anything with that, so I suspect you can get similar results by doing kata.

As with anything, mileage will vary according to metabolism, body type, caloric intake, etc.

I am also quite the geek and gamer, and we all know that the types of snack foods that float around during sessions can be quite bad.I normally counteract that by simply cycling or walking to the events I attend and bringing my own snack, such as carrots, shredded wheat, etc. It works well and helps me maintain a phsically fit body while doing activities that are normally sendentary.

My gaming snack of choice is sunflower seeds in the shells. They're a bit messy, and loaded with salt, but otherwise, they take a lot of effort to eat, and they can keep you busy for hours with very few calories taken in. Thankfully, salt is nothing I have to worry about. Like my mother, I have borderline low blood pressure. She once had a doctor joke that if she were any more relaxed she'd be dead.

^-.-^

[MadMike]

My personal favorite? The woman who came through the DRIVE-THROUGH and asked me to go run out to go get a bottle off the shelf for her. Madame....perhaps if you got a bit more exercise, you wouldn't be in the shape you're in now.

I used to say that to my ex, after she'd make me circle the parking lot several times, looking for a space that was closer. Of course, she'd always say it was my fault that she was so heavy, since I was one of the people who was always snacking. Somehow, I don't remember prying her jaw open and forcing food down her throat, but I guess it's easier to pass the blame than it is to actually do something about it.

In recent years, it eventually caught up to me. I'm hovering right around 200 now. I don't blame anyone else. I know I snack too much, and could probably stand to cut back on the beer and soda, and I while I do excercise, I really need to do it more. Funny thing about that, it's all in my gut. That's the only part of me that's really fat. My face, my arms, and my legs are far from it.

You know, not all of us skinny girls are anorexic. Some of us were just born that way. And believe it or not, we get really sick of people's comments, too. "Would you look how skinny you are!" "You really should eat more." "You need some meat on your bones!" "Are those your RIBS?"

I used to get that a lot too. I was always skinny, and didn't even break 150 until I was 22. While I'm heavier than I'd like to be now, I wouldn't want to go back to where I was either.

can i chime in something here. nothing is wrong with being big, so long as you take care of yourself.

the north americas are the most skewed in their perceptions of size it is scary. this is the only place i see people encouraced to become skeletal, wheras most places like people with a bit of meat on their bones.

Agreed. I'd rather have a woman who's a little on the heavy side than one who's starved herself to the point of looking like a toothpick. I think I'd be afraid of breaking her if I tried to hug her.

My ex was always on the heavy side, even before she let herself go. But it wasn't that much (I think she was about 150, and 5'3" tall), but she dressed so that it wasn't that obvious. And even without that, she was still quite attractive.

Unfortunately, she really let herself go since then. If I showed you a "before" and "after" pic, you'd swear up and down they were two different people. Her weight has almost doubled since then.

[Kusanagi]

cinnamaniac, congratulations on your weight loss! I've been struggling to maintain my weight and I admit, when you first move out on your own, it can be hard to eat well.

Too bad you live in NYC an I'm in San Diego. I would love to ask you out for a coffee sometime, and totally not be a creep about it.

Off Topic - how exactly can a guy compliment a woman he finds "hot" and not sound like a creep? I was out with a buddy one night and we got into this discussion. There was a very attractive brunette playing pool and I actually approached her and said "I just wanted to come over and say that you are a very beautiful woman." That's all. Didn't try to hit on her or buy her a drink. But later on in the night she came up to me and we had a good conversation, and then allowed me to buy her a drink.

Pity she was out from England on vacation, but it was a fun night.

On Topic - I actually lost a ton of weight recently when I did an organic toxin flush in May. I lost roughly 20 lbs, and had more energy than I ever could remember having. I got off of it though because I wanted to eat the feast I prepared for Mother's Day, and it takes about a week to break a fast like that.

When I go on it again, I'll actually do the required work afterwards to keep the weight off.

[greensinestro]

With the money people spend on those stupid-ass weight loss drugs, they could buy themselves a gym membership and healthier food.

I know that's right. They at one time wanted $50 for a bottle of Metabolife when that first came out. You could buy a good piece of exercise equipment for what that costs. People are just lazy any more. They want to lose the weight but not even do a simple form of exercise, like walking.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

These same people that will pay that kind of money for what basically amounts to snake oil will turn around and tell me they can't afford to do low carb because the food is more expensive (which it is...decent quality food IS more expensive than filler food like bread and rice and pasta. And you buy and waste much less of it, because it's more nutrient dense and stays with you longer. )

But no, they don't want to get healthy. They want a pill to get rid of their problems with no effort from them whatsoever.

[Jack7957]

Years ago, there was a commercial on TV for a "miracle" diet drug, pity I can't remember the name. One day I was in a store, and saw them on the shelf. Well, the commercial pretty much promised that all you had to do was take the pill, and the weight would magically come off. Reading the box though gave a different story. As long as you took the pill, followed the included food plan, and exercised, you would lose weight. I don't think that product stayed on the market very long.

As for dieting, I've found that there's not one diet or food plan that works for everyone, so it's best to try something different if one thing is not working. For instance, my wife is trying to get me to eat similar to what she eats, and I'm gaining weight. For me, I've found Atkins and exercise help me the best. I've tried The Zone, Nutrisystem, and a low-calorie/low-fat diet I made myself. The Zone helped me lose some weight, but not as much as I wanted. Nutrisystem and my created diet were good at maintaining.

Favorite exercise for me was biking. I went to K-Mart one night, bought a decent 18-speed bike for about $100. There's a park in Syracuse with an main exercise road that is 5 miles round trip. Or if you continue on a side road, it takes you over a river and another dirt trail that's also about 5 miles. So I'd start out just doing the first 5. Once I got used to that, I'd do 10, then 15, till I eventually was doing 20 miles each time I went out, which was 3-4 times a week. I lost about 50 pounds that summer, I think I was right about were I was when I graduated high school. People were amazed. Then fall came, and the holidays. So I wasn't exercising, and I was indulging in the sweets. Gained back about 25 of the 50 I lost. And that spring was rainy so it was difficult to get back in the habit of biking, because I don't like biking in the rain. Now I'm back where I was before that. Just remembered I put over 1000 miles on that bike since I bought it.

[LadyAndreca]

We have Alli advertised in our flyer this week. I don't know HOW many questions I've had about it, where to get it, and can they get a rain check (no, it's not actually on sale, so we can't). I wish they'd leave us alone, walk outside and go around back, and sign up at Work Out World instead.

I have a weakness for sugar. If I don't get enough of it, I notice definate changes in my energy level, and not for the better. (I never have the willpower to push past that part, either.) In high school, when I played soccer, this wasn't a problem, but I started walking to work here because I had to do SOMETHING to keep my weight steady. I also started grabbing some of the microwavable diet dinners or a salad from the food bar rather than getting pizza or hot dogs. It's been 7 months and I haven't lost any weight, but I've gotten a 30 minute walk down to 20 minutes, and between that and all the lifting I do at work, I'm starting to get a bit toned. Maybe if I added something drastic, like crunches...hmm...

[Seshat]

I have a weakness for sugar. If I don't get enough of it, I notice definate changes in my energy level, and not for the better.

Offhand, that sounds like an insulin problem. You'd probably have a better time sticking to diets and the like if you found a doctor who'd thoroughly check you out for it.

Don't settle for a simple diabetes test - you may have the problem variously called 'pre-diabetes', 'insulin resistance', or 'sub-clinical diabetes'. Or you may have something else entirely. Get it checked.

[Andara Bledin]

It's been 7 months and I haven't lost any weight, but I've gotten a 30 minute walk down to 20 minutes, and between that and all the lifting I do at work, I'm starting to get a bit toned. Maybe if I added something drastic, like crunches...hmm...

But have you lost inches? If you're going from fat to muscle, you won't lose any weight, but you'll be smaller overall. It's the percentage of body fat that matters, not the actual number that shows up on the scale. If your BMI is good, then it doesn't matter how much you actually weigh.

^-.-^

[RecoveringKinkoid]

It's actually possible to lose a pants size and end up heavier than you were. Fat is much lighter than muscle.

Toss your scale. It's misleading. Trade it in for a tape measure.

[cinnamaniac]

cinnamaniac, congratulations on your weight loss! I've been struggling to maintain my weight and I admit, when you first move out on your own, it can be hard to eat well.

Too bad you live in NYC an I'm in San Diego. I would love to ask you out for a coffee sometime, and totally not be a creep about it.

Off Topic - how exactly can a guy compliment a woman he finds "hot" and not sound like a creep? I was out with a buddy one night and we got into this discussion. There was a very attractive brunette playing pool and I actually approached her and said "I just wanted to come over and say that you are a very beautiful woman." That's all. Didn't try to hit on her or buy her a drink. But later on in the night she came up to me and we had a good conversation, and then allowed me to buy her a drink.

Aww, thanks! ^_^ and yeah, that's exactly the way to not be creepy about it. If a guy came up to me and said I was beautiful, I would say thank you and smile, whether I were interested or not. Its the ones that come up with some generic cheesy line or say something totally perverse that really annoy me. Lots of guys just throw out these really nasty lines and its sad. For example, in another thread I posted about the men at my job and how they say bad things. Yesterday I was told that the reason I'm single is because I haven't found someone that has me d**k whipped yet and it would do me good to sleep with a black man. That is NOT the way to get someone to like you or have interest in you.

Also, I agree on the BMI thing. I've been trying to tone up my arms and abs a bit more recently and even though I'm eating very healthy and doing lots of exercise, I gained a pound and a half within the past 3 weeks. I know it's not a bad thing, because my pants are starting to sag off my waist and I need a belt.

[Seshat]

Aww, thanks! ^_^ and yeah, that's exactly the way to not be creepy about it. If a guy came up to me and said I was beautiful, I would say thank you and smile, whether I were interested or not.

I agree. I'd also like to add that it's important you make it clear that you're the type of man who can take 'no' for an answer. Not immediately, naturally! Just when a 'no' of any sort comes up naturally, notice and accept it.


I did a straw poll of some friends earlier this year. While we were pretty close to the 'one in four' statistic for rape, we were up around 80% for having been groped or molested despite saying 'no'. Some of us multiple times.

This is a really sad statistic: but it means that you can get a huge stack of bonus points just for not being pushy when you get a 'no thanks'! And if you're lucky, all you got a 'no thanks' to was 'can I buy you a drink?' - and you still get to talk with her.

[Jester]

...so many Americans are desperate to lose weight and it seems that they will do almost anything to accomplish that goal.

Except, of course, eat sensibly and have something resembling a vaguely intelligent exercise regimen. Americans, as a whole, simply want an instant fix, without bothering to put any work into it. For this, I must quote my European roommate: "Fucking Americans." Insert appropriate sardonic eye roll here.

sorry for the rant, but making fun of fatter people seems to be the only socially acceptable prejeduce left, and it irks the hell outta me.

Well, that and making fun of men. And uneducated people. And people with mental illnesses. And anyone who is 'uncool'.

Don't forget short people. I know that one from experience.
And intelligent people. I know that one because RW has told me so.

If you only want to avoid hunger then leaves and roots are fine. Some of us actualy want to enjoy the flavor of our food.

I love food. I am a foodie. I enjoy the flavor of my food.

I also don't eat crap. McDonald's? Crap. Doesn't mean I don't eat burgers. I just eat burgers that are good, and frankly, taste a lot better than McDonald's. True, I like roots and leaves (give me a good seared ahi tuna salad any day, thanks), but I am a carnivore and do eat meat. There are just various levels of intelligence about how to do just that. Fast food and microwaveable instant dinners just don't hit the mark for intelligent diets.

But yes, Virginia, you can eat sensibly AND eat food with flavor. I am a huge sushi fan myself. But you don't even have to do that. For a cookoff tomorrow I am making shrimp ceviche. Nothing fried, nothing excessively fatty. Just shrimp, fish (mahi mahi), citrus juice, cilantro, serrano peppers, red bell peppers, mangos, and cucubmers. Very healthy. Tons of flavor. (I hope. Haven't made this recipe yet. It's my own creation. Wish me luck.) Thank you very much.

And, as an aside, if anyone ever wants to trade recipes, I am always all about that.

Aww, thanks! ^_^ and yeah, that's exactly the way to not be creepy about it. If a guy came up to me and said I was beautiful, I would say thank you and smile, whether I were interested or not. Its the ones that come up with some generic cheesy line or say something totally perverse that really annoy me. Lots of guys just throw out these really nasty lines and its sad.

I've discoursed on this subject many times. Kusanagi had the right idea. Wrong girl, as she was leaving, but right idea.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again....the best line a guy can use with a girl is "Hello." It's worked for me many times....and I'm kind of a goofy looking mofo.