My goal to lose weight

[LeaningIntoTheMuse]

I am currently 215 lbs and 5'10". I'm also considered obese by the official BMI.

 

I am very healthy for being overweight, but I'd like to get down to my goal weight, which is 185, by December 2011.

 

This will be a chronicle of me trying to lose the weight. Any help on losing it would also be appreciated.

[Honorable_Venerable]

Any help on losing it would also be appreciated.

 

The short answer is "eat less, do more, get used to feeling hungry and be prepared to defer your gratification". The devil is in the detail of HOW to eat less, do more etc.

 

Look hard at your "why". Unless your "why" is well-developed, it's hard to stick to any sort of plan. The "why" has to be strong enough to "sell" the delayed gratification. If you can use a sport to drive diet and exercise training, it makes doing the dull grind of the gym much, much easier. When I could fence and do judo, exercising was easier since the end was a good river. "Maintaining a healthy weight" simply doesn't do it!

 

Do NOT get hung up on numbers early on. Remember a pint of water weighs 20 ounces (in the UK), or 16 in the land of Sam. Therefore plus or minus a pint of water is pound of bodyweight. And as the comedian Peter Kaye pointed out when discussing this sort of thing: "Lost a pound? A POUND?! I can sh*t a pound!" Also, if you weigh 215lb, 2lb is an accuracy of +/- 1%. I'm not convinced domestic scales are THAT accuate, so look for a trend down, rather than getting hung up on the steps.

 

That said, 30lb in a year is appears an eminently achievable target, assuming you have no underlying health issues

[LeaningIntoTheMuse]

Thanks for that!

 

I admit, my unhealthy addiction is soda. And I'm going to stop drinking that, because it messes with my teeth. I do drink and enjoy coffee, but I'm cutting the creamer out and drinking it black (which should help.)

 

As far as weight loss goes, last year I was 230. I dropped 15 pounds within a year. That's pretty good, as far as weight loss goes...and all I did was walk more and eat less junk food (minus the soda, which I kept in. If I had given up the soda, I'm sure I would have lost more!)

 

I have taken up yoga, and now love it. I feel it's a great way to exercise. Granted, I probably would lose more if I got on the treadmill every once in a while, or did pushups/situps/jumping jacks every morning and every evening. Those are my goals to start off with.

 

I never was much for exercise. I don't have any sports I enjoy, and was always very non-athletic, so even if I tried a sport, I always sucked at it. But sucking is better than not trying at all, so perhaps I should take it up again?

 

Anyway, thanks for all the helpful advice. I appreciate it.

[Honorable_Venerable]

Thanks for that!

 

I admit, my unhealthy addiction is soda. And I'm going to stop drinking that, because it messes with my teeth. I do drink and enjoy coffee, but I'm cutting the creamer out and drinking it black (which should help.)

 

Work out how many sodas you would drink in a week / month / year. Determine the sugar content, then work out the amount of sugar you are foregoing. It will come to a tidy amount, I can assure you. Ditto getting sugar out of your coffee. Sitting there and thinking about the calorific value of the sugar you haven't ingested is quite nice. And it's got to help!

 

I have taken up yoga, and now love it. I feel it's a great way to exercise. Granted, I probably would lose more if I got on the treadmill every once in a while, or did pushups/situps/jumping jacks every morning and every evening. Those are my goals to start off with.

 

I never was much for exercise. I don't have any sports I enjoy, and was always very non-athletic, so even if I tried a sport, I always sucked at it. But sucking is better than not trying at all, so perhaps I should take it up again?

 

Anyway, thanks for all the helpful advice. I appreciate it.

Been there, done that. I hated all teams sports and athletics with a passion, and held their devotees in even more contempt:laugh:. Once I discovered fencing and judo, I got quite enthusiastic:o. My knee is too screwed to be anything other than embarrassing at either now, and the lack has hurt my fitness. Have you tried tai chi? As a yoga afficionado, it might suit you.

 

HTH.

[LeaningIntoTheMuse]

Work out how many sodas you would drink in a week / month / year. Determine the sugar content, then work out the amount of sugar you are foregoing. It will come to a tidy amount, I can assure you. Ditto getting sugar out of your coffee. Sitting there and thinking about the calorific value of the sugar you haven't ingested is quite nice. And it's got to help!

 

This is actually a very good idea. I suppose I should start reading the labels on the back of the cans!

 

I had one soda today, and a coffee (black.) I think that's enough. My body needs water, therefore I will drink nothing but water for the rest of the day.

 

I don't think soda is that bad, really. However, I have the tendency to drink it all at once, instead of breaking it up and having it little by little. I'm sure that's why I'm not losing weight as fast as I would like, no matter how fast my metabolism is.

 

 

Been there, done that. I hated all teams sports and athletics with a passion, and held their devotees in even more contempt:laugh:. Once I discovered fencing and judo, I got quite enthusiastic:o. My knee is too screwed to be anything other than embarrassing at either now, and the lack has hurt my fitness. Have you tried tai chi? As a yoga afficionado, it might suit you.

 

HTH.

 

Yeah. The funny thing is, I love watching Basketball, but I can't play it. I played soccer and baseball as a kid, and one of the most humiliating things is for a coach to bench you because you're not good enough. That's pretty much how I feel about all sports, even fun ones like "Ultimate Frisbee."

 

Yoga is something that I'm good at, it's true, and it makes me feel at peace. As a pacifist and non-violent person, this makes me feel fulfilled.

 

I don't think I'd be good at fencing (the whole idea of me trying to fence is actually laughable), but Tai Chi is something to look into! My college does offer Tai Chi classes, perhaps I should start there?

[jerryhill]

Losing weight is quite easy and not a big deal. I was on diet pills and I coupled it with some great exercise and a balanced diet. I reduced a lot of weight in a period of 7 months. Also, I drank water like anything to boost my health and feel fresh about it now. Be slim and live happily ever after.

all done.....

[Gettingtired]

I'm also considered obese by the official BMI.

 

BMI is such a crock! It says to me I am overweight, when I'm not. I just have more muscle so weigh a little extra.

 

I think it's all about fat to muscle ratio.

I would go of these type of charts rather than BMI info;

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.bodyspex.com/asset.aspx%3Fid%3D11&imgrefurl=http://www.bodyspex.com/Community.aspx%3FArticleID%3D3&usg=__xgWNOHg8kFV39Fd35PFbnyp9JwI=&h=360&w=430&sz=16&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=2FlmkPG0TCkCVM:&tbnh=147&tbnw=176&ei=y701TZ6DDoqLhQfDs4GZCw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbody%2Bfat%2Bpercentage%2Bchart%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26biw%3D1259%26bih%3D823%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=140&oei=y701TZ6DDoqLhQfDs4GZCw&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=51&ty=19

 

Best way to lose weight is to do cardio first thing on a morning, eat smaller portions of food 4-6 times a day, drink at least 2 litres of water a day as well.

[LeaningIntoTheMuse]

BMI is such a crock! It says to me I am overweight, when I'm not. I just have more muscle so weigh a little extra.

 

I think it's all about fat to muscle ratio.

I would go of these type of charts rather than BMI info;

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.bodyspex.com/asset.aspx%3Fid%3D11&imgrefurl=http://www.bodyspex.com/Community.aspx%3FArticleID%3D3&usg=__xgWNOHg8kFV39Fd35PFbnyp9JwI=&h=360&w=430&sz=16&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=2FlmkPG0TCkCVM:&tbnh=147&tbnw=176&ei=y701TZ6DDoqLhQfDs4GZCw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbody%2Bfat%2Bpercentage%2Bchart%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26biw%3D1259%26bih%3D823%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=140&oei=y701TZ6DDoqLhQfDs4GZCw&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=51&ty=19

 

Best way to lose weight is to do cardio first thing on a morning, eat smaller portions of food 4-6 times a day, drink at least 2 litres of water a day as well.

 

Thanks for the advice, Gettingtired!

 

And yeah, I don't consider myself obese. I look in the mirror and I don't see an obese man.

[akkaiberry]

My long term goal is to loss weight and keep it off for the rest of my life. While, I too will be much more active.

 

My short term goals I have set for myself is the most weight, instead of just being happy when I reach the target total weight, instead I set small goals weights so I can be proud of myself along the way.

[Eddie Edirol]

Muse, theres always something fun you can do for exersice. For you , you need some serious cardio. Best thing? Bike ride or roller blade. Works everything, and you only need 40 minutes of it. ANd INTERVAL cardio. One minute fast, one minute slow. You keep burning calories way after youre done.

 

I was a pepsi addict, until I looked at the label and saw how much SODIUM it had in it. Sodium takes its toll on your system in the long run, and in the short run, interferes with healthy digestion.

 

The real way to lose weight is to eat 6 small meals a day. Not tiny meals, but you dont eat till youre full.

 

Best way to eat is straight meat and veggies and fruits. Meat form the butcher, the rest off the shelf. ANything that s\doesnt have fat and preservatives in it. You make your meals out of that with no oil included, and you can have an easily balanced diet that you can lose weight with. Once you lose the weight, then you can start throwing in foods that you like to eat more.

 

Also you dont eat anything 3 hours before bed, and nothing heavy for your last meal.

[Danneth]

I can't expand on anything that's already been said- but I can and will follow this thread and hope to see that you're achieving your goal.

 

Good luck.

[vvjones]

Weight loss has become one of the biggest businesses these days. People from all walks of life have become so conscious with their looks that they are willing to go the extra mile just to get the body they want.If you suspect that food allergies might be part of your problem, ask your doctor to help you identify the offending items. Your doctor may recommend that you see an allergy specialist.