How Do You Lose Weight?

[Madeline]

Move to another country where they have real food ?

Eat fresh, home cooked food.
Always eat 3 or 4 small meals a day and park your car as far away from Walmart as you can. Cut your own damn grass. Wash your own car.Paint your own house and clean your own gutters and flew,chop your own firewood, shovel your own snow,rake your own leaves, if applicable.
If not find a place to swim about half hour, 3 or 4 times a week.
In other words...be un-murkin.

Oh. And throw the fucking TV in a dumpster. You're all dumbed down enough.

Well, I have never been a foodie, but you're right about one thing, Douger: my lifestyle has changed, a lot. I used to own a home with a lawn, hedges, etc. I gardened at least 5 hours a week, not counting cutting the grass. And I ran my feet off all day at work, etc. Now I own a townhome, the HOA does all exterior maintenance and I am retired, mostly. It's kinda hard to take in just how sedentary I have become, but even so, "scheduled movement" just does not float my boat. I like walking -- clears the head -- but I am not really into working out in a gym again.

 

[Madeline]

I dropped 5 pounds in one week. Didn't drink beer, only water. Ate smaller portions, no snacking. Rode my bike to work each day, then again in the evening.

The following week I said "fuck this shit" and went back to my old habits.

That's it- habits. Dicipline. Consistency.

Alas, I hardly ever drink. Mebbe I should take it up! LOL.

 

[Zoom-boing]

Move to another country where they have real food ?

Eat fresh, home cooked food.
Always eat 3 or 4 small meals a day and park your car as far away from Walmart as you can. Cut your own damn grass. Wash your own car.Paint your own house and clean your own gutters and flew,chop your own firewood, shovel your own snow,rake your own leaves, if applicable.
If not find a place to swim about half hour, 3 or 4 times a week.
In other words...be un-murkin.

Oh. And throw the fucking TV in a dumpster. You're all dumbed down enough.

Well, I have never been a foodie, but you're right about one thing, Douger: my lifestyle has changed, a lot. I used to own a home with a lawn, hedges, etc. I gardened at least 5 hours a week, not counting counting the grass. And I ran my feet off all day at work, etc. Now I own a townhome, the HOA does all exterior maintenance and I am retired, mostly. It's kinda hard to take in just how sedentary I have become, but even so, "scheduled movement" just does not float my boat. I like walking -- clears the head -- but I am not really into working out in a gym again.

You don't need no stinkin' gym! You can buy a few dumbells, a couple of dvd's and workout in your own home. Treadmills are excellent if you can't get outside to walk due to weather.

My brother had mercury overload and was (finally) dx'd about three or four years ago. He took a lot of time off from work, a few extended disability leaves and basically lost his job because of his health. He's been out of work for a year or so. He's 6' and had lost a lot of weight from being sick, but is better and put what he lost back on. Recently, over the last six-eight months, he's put on more weight even though his eating/exercising hasn't changed at all. He blames some med he's been on for two years . . . I think it's because he stopped working and is much more sedentary.

My hubs job changed two years ago and he lost about 25 lbs or so. Didn't change one single thing eating or exercise-wise . . . his job just has him moving much, much more.

 

[Madeline]

I lost about 10 pounds and one size by chucking out the sugar. It was an experiment so to say. I'm just a SWEET tea demon during summer and sugar in my 3-4 cups of coffee every morning. I switched to Splenda. It was so hot here this summer with major heat/humidity numbers and I was not able to do any walking so it was mostly a "sugar free thing for the weight loss.

I'm still using Splenda but weather has made walking possible again. I have the advantage of going on flat surface, up and down minor hills, up and down a couple of very major hills, up and down stairs - it's about a 2 mile trek when I do the whole routine. So do exercise at least a couple days a week and I was walking it twice a day at one point.

Cereal is a good thing - I use fruit when I can and I use whole milk as I have an aversion to putting water on my cereal. Wheat bread is better than white bread.

Eat fresh food as much as you can - I use frozen veggies as a substitute when fresh is out of season and puny. Eat smaller portions. Don't fry anything - grill it or bake/roast it. Use olive oil - it's expensive, but it's healthier and also the only oil that is not tampered with. Whatever you cook on stove top, cook slowly with lid - it will accumulate it's own moisture from the veggies or whatever. Better yet use a steamer.

I nibble all day between meals - fruit, raw veggies. I do allow myself sugar-free ice cream , but very, very seldom eat any kind of junk food lilke chips, etc. Water is good - especially if you're exercising. I don't eat anything that says "sugar free, no cholesterol, no fat" on the same package because it has no moisture and tastes like shit.

Good ideas, Granny. I do the fresh fruit thing but I'll admit, I love me some chocolate. And I swear, 10 of the 15 pounds is due to those blasted frappes at McD's. I got hooked on the caramel ones...I bet they're 1,000 calories apiece.

But o, they are good.......

 

[Kalam]

- Don't snack between meals, especially not after dinner.
- When you have the option, always walk.

 

[geauxtohell]

Ever wanted to take off a few pounds? Were you successful? Let's discuss diet and weight loss, guys.

I have tried every theory of weight loss or weight maintenance under the sun. (I've been "naturally skinny" all my life until the past five years or so, and have grown a tad fluffy with time.) In my 20's my doctor gave me speed -- man, that works like a charm! The guy who invents an appetite suppressant that has no bad side effects will make a fortune, and I gather they are making some progress that-a-way.

In my 30's I tried exercise. I was diligent as hell...seven days a week, mostly strength training. Never lost an ounce nor did I become any stronger. Exercise is unbeatable for stress management, though, I will say that much.

In my 40's keeping weight on was the problem, not getting it off. I blame the yo-yo hormones a lady has at an older age for this. Unfortunately, "skinny" is a bad look for an older lady.

Now, I am kinda sorta just watching what I eat, walking every day, blah blah blah. I'd like to take off about 15 lbs and nothing is happening. I'm beginning to think it's because I am meant to have the extra padding.

What say you? Ever wondered if the diet gurus are full of shit?

Calorie counting and exercise. There is simply no other way. Weight loss needs to be a gradual thing (like 1 to 1.5 pounds a week). If you cut a ton of weight on a crash diet, you'll gain it right back and just further screw up your metabolism.

Now there are online calorie counting programs that make it relatively easy.

I use this one:

MyPlate - Food Diary & Food Calorie Counter | LIVESTRONG.COM

 

[geauxtohell]

I lost 25 lbs and 5-6 in off my waist by keeping strict track of my calorie intake. After two months I didn't have to anymore, because my new eating habits started to become ingrained. Cut out the junk and count on going to bed feeling hungry some nights. If you keep that up and maintain some sort of physical regimen, daily brisk walking for me, you should be able to lose and keep it off. It takes some willpower, though. I wish I had the same fortitude when it comes to smoking.

That's the beauty of calorie counting. You are training yourself to have healthy eating habits.

 

[Cecilie1200]

Okay, let me first say that I had gastric bypass surgery six years ago because my metabolism was so screwed up, I couldn't lose weight any other way.

That being said, this surgery is truly successful when you learn to follow the eating regimen and stick to it, and that's how I keep the weight off and lose a few pounds if they happen to creep on. I eat a lot of lean protein and dark, leafy green veggies. I eat four or five small meals a day instead of three big ones. I avoid fried foods because they make me nauseous. And while I don't cut out carbs entirely, I stick to healthy ones, like whole grains. If I want a snack between meals, I have lowfat popcorn or fruit.

I don't weigh myself except at the doctor's office. I judge my weight by how my clothes fit and how I feel. On those occasions when my jeans start feeling a bit tight, I drop back to my post-surgery solids diet: baked whitefish with lemon juice and pepper and steamed greens.

Most important, I keep active. Being sedentary is the worst thing for you, not only in terms of weight but in terms of mental and emotional health and well-being.

 

[Phoenix]

Get divorced. You can immediately lose 150+ lbs of unwanted fat.

No - seriously, ummmm ... I worked out and worked out - got me toned some, but nothing beats incredibly high levels of stress. And lots and lots of manual labor.

Follow me around, do what I do and you can eat or drink whatever you want, will have great muscle tone, excellent BP and will fit into whatever size clothes the basic frame of your body will go down to. True story. You may have to work to keep weight on again.

 

[Zander]

I can help you lose weight QUICK!! , it is pretty simple too- Just cut off an arm or leg!!

But if you want to lose body FAT and only body FAT, well, that's a bit harder. It can be done, but it takes effort and commitment. I highly recommend the e-book "Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle" by Tom Venuto. Follow his advice and you WILL lose body fat, lots of it. The problem is most people are lazy and undisciplined. They want to look great, but aren't willing to actually do the hard work.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

I usually just set it down somewhere and turn my back. sooner or later someone will come along and snatch it up,

 

[Nosmo King]

Ever wanted to take off a few pounds? Were you successful? Let's discuss diet and weight loss, guys.

I have tried every theory of weight loss or weight maintenance under the sun. (I've been "naturally skinny" all my life until the past five years or so, and have grown a tad fluffy with time.) In my 20's my doctor gave me speed -- man, that works like a charm! The guy who invents an appetite suppressant that has no bad side effects will make a fortune, and I gather they are making some progress that-a-way.

In my 30's I tried exercise. I was diligent as hell...seven days a week, mostly strength training. Never lost an ounce nor did I become any stronger. Exercise is unbeatable for stress management, though, I will say that much.

In my 40's keeping weight on was the problem, not getting it off. I blame the yo-yo hormones a lady has at an older age for this. Unfortunately, "skinny" is a bad look for an older lady.

Now, I am kinda sorta just watching what I eat, walking every day, blah blah blah. I'd like to take off about 15 lbs and nothing is happening. I'm beginning to think it's because I am meant to have the extra padding.

What say you? Ever wondered if the diet gurus are full of shit?

Portion control. Here's the secret: buy smaller plates. Eat off a salad plate rather than a dinner plate. Eat NOTHING after 9:00 in the evening. Walk a mile a day (I'm lucky as there is a cemetery that is more like a park with a measured mile along the roadway)

 

[Madeline]

xotoxi and geauxtohell will likely pop a gasket overe this post, but o well:

Before you diet, check in with friends, loved ones etc. and see if you need to lose weight. Damned near every chick I know has a mild form of body dismorphic disorder. I thought I was fat in HS, in college, in my 20's. Yet I am 5'7" and never weighed more than 125 lbs during this era unless I was preggers. You cannot fix a mental or emotional problem by diet and exercise.

You should not expect to weigh the same all your life and it is likely you won't look your best if you do. Both men and women over 40 generally look more attractive if they carry an extra 20 to 40 pounds or so compared to their weight at 21. You once again need to check with your loved ones, but also, look on the 'net at photos of celebrities. There have been infamous weight loss transformations, like Tom Hanks did for "Philadelphia", that might convince you "skinny" is no longer your best look.

If you are otherwise happy, being overweight should not be an issue. Morbid obesity, yes, but not merely being overweight. You simply don't have the life energy to expend on a perfect body -- or if you do, God bless ya but I doubt you and I would relate all that well.

There ARE meds that cause sudden, severe, irreversible weight gain. You'd be startled at just how many are around. NEVER accept a new script from your MD without asking and ask again at the pharmacy...this is especially true if body image is a source of insecurity for you. ("Irreversible" without drug or surgical intervention.)

Starvation would cause anyone to lose weight. So would training like you're competing in the next Olympics. But leaving aside these extremes, if you try a weight loss program and it does not work, don't blame yourself. Bodies are unique and complex. Give it up and try something else.

There is nothing you can eat or drink (except speed) that will make you lose weight. The grapefruit diet, the soup diet, the all-protein diet, etc. are all utter bullshit and what's worse, this dramatic imbalance in your diet is damaging to your health. Don't do something your inner Adult senses is harmful.

Lastly, weight maintenance is far superior to weight loss. Not only will you avoid feeling unattractive, but you will also avoid lengthy periods of hypervigilance over what you eat. Cecilie is to be commended for this very thing. Many more bypass patients than we ever hear of manage to put the weight back on because they never addressed the underlying issue that caused the obesity to begin with. (Usually, but not always, emotional eating.)

Bodies, like food, were meant to be enjoyed. Sexiness is 10% good looks and 90% attitude...and no one who thinks he or she is unattractive is unwittingly sexy.

 

[ekrem]

Eat less, exercise more.

I don't want to sound flippant, but every single way to lose weight - outside of seeing a doctor - ultimately comes down to this.

Simple and true.
And if you get older, your organism needs less energy. Most people do not adapt their eating behaviour to this.

 

[Annie]

Ever wanted to take off a few pounds? Were you successful? Let's discuss diet and weight loss, guys.

I have tried every theory of weight loss or weight maintenance under the sun. (I've been "naturally skinny" all my life until the past five years or so, and have grown a tad fluffy with time.) In my 20's my doctor gave me speed -- man, that works like a charm! The guy who invents an appetite suppressant that has no bad side effects will make a fortune, and I gather they are making some progress that-a-way.

In my 30's I tried exercise. I was diligent as hell...seven days a week, mostly strength training. Never lost an ounce nor did I become any stronger. Exercise is unbeatable for stress management, though, I will say that much.

In my 40's keeping weight on was the problem, not getting it off. I blame the yo-yo hormones a lady has at an older age for this. Unfortunately, "skinny" is a bad look for an older lady.

Now, I am kinda sorta just watching what I eat, walking every day, blah blah blah. I'd like to take off about 15 lbs and nothing is happening. I'm beginning to think it's because I am meant to have the extra padding.

What say you? Ever wondered if the diet gurus are full of shit?

I went on high carb with fair amount of protein and veggies/fruits. Cut out sugar. Walked at least 5 miles a day. In 3 months lost 35 lbs and kept it off. That was in my 50's. I did it for blood pressure. Yeah, I swam laps too, thinking on it a bit. 15 minutes of laps, minimum 4 days a week.

Lots of whole wheat pasta, rice, veggies. No salt, low sodium soy sauce or salt substitute. No more than 4 oz of meat twice a day.

 

[Annie]

I lost about 10 pounds and one size by chucking out the sugar. It was an experiment so to say. I'm just a SWEET tea demon during summer and sugar in my 3-4 cups of coffee every morning. I switched to Splenda. It was so hot here this summer with major heat/humidity numbers and I was not able to do any walking so it was mostly a "sugar free thing for the weight loss.

I'm still using Splenda but weather has made walking possible again. I have the advantage of going on flat surface, up and down minor hills, up and down a couple of very major hills, up and down stairs - it's about a 2 mile trek when I do the whole routine. So do exercise at least a couple days a week and I was walking it twice a day at one point.

Cereal is a good thing - I use fruit when I can and I use whole milk as I have an aversion to putting water on my cereal. Wheat bread is better than white bread.

Eat fresh food as much as you can - I use frozen veggies as a substitute when fresh is out of season and puny. Eat smaller portions. Don't fry anything - grill it or bake/roast it. Use olive oil - it's expensive, but it's healthier and also the only oil that is not tampered with. Whatever you cook on stove top, cook slowly with lid - it will accumulate it's own moisture from the veggies or whatever. Better yet use a steamer.

I nibble all day between meals - fruit, raw veggies. I do allow myself sugar-free ice cream , but very, very seldom eat any kind of junk food lilke chips, etc. Water is good - especially if you're exercising. I don't eat anything that says "sugar free, no cholesterol, no fat" on the same package because it has no moisture and tastes like shit.

Good ideas, Granny. I do the fresh fruit thing but I'll admit, I love me some chocolate. And I swear, 10 of the 15 pounds is due to those blasted frappes at McD's. I got hooked on the caramel ones...I bet they're 1,000 calories apiece.

But o, they are good.......

Find something low cal that satisfies. Me? Sun tea with peppermint extract and lots of fresh lemon. No calories. I drink my coffee black. Pretty much I'm a no drinking calories type of person.

 

[Madeline]

LOL Annie...I thought you had scored some yummy low-cal chocolate!

 

[Madeline]

Ever wanted to take off a few pounds? Were you successful? Let's discuss diet and weight loss, guys.

I have tried every theory of weight loss or weight maintenance under the sun. (I've been "naturally skinny" all my life until the past five years or so, and have grown a tad fluffy with time.) In my 20's my doctor gave me speed -- man, that works like a charm! The guy who invents an appetite suppressant that has no bad side effects will make a fortune, and I gather they are making some progress that-a-way.

In my 30's I tried exercise. I was diligent as hell...seven days a week, mostly strength training. Never lost an ounce nor did I become any stronger. Exercise is unbeatable for stress management, though, I will say that much.

In my 40's keeping weight on was the problem, not getting it off. I blame the yo-yo hormones a lady has at an older age for this. Unfortunately, "skinny" is a bad look for an older lady.

Now, I am kinda sorta just watching what I eat, walking every day, blah blah blah. I'd like to take off about 15 lbs and nothing is happening. I'm beginning to think it's because I am meant to have the extra padding.

What say you? Ever wondered if the diet gurus are full of shit?

I went on high carb with fair amount of protein and veggies/fruits. Cut out sugar. Walked at least 5 miles a day. In 3 months lost 35 lbs and kept it off. That was in my 50's. I did it for blood pressure. Yeah, I swam laps too, thinking on it a bit. 15 minutes of laps, minimum 4 days a week.

Lots of whole wheat pasta, rice, veggies. No salt, low sodium soy sauce or salt substitute. No more than 4 oz of meat twice a day.

I am 100% convinced swimming is the best exercise...nothing else uses the whole body to the same degree. I had thought about checking out a Y membership or whatnot. Thankies for this reminder, Annie.

 

[ekrem]

In the past I followed diets and instructions, eat a specific amount of carbonhydrates as percentage of total food intake and other instructions.
After a while you see what works for you.

My best results I had with eating just tuna, low fat curd cheese and drinking normal water. The only disadvantage was cramps IMMEDIATELY after waking up, so I took additional Magnesium.
Diets are only a transition phase, after you reached your wished weight level, you should focus on a healthy nutrition plan, which is not too laborious. Otherwise you will fall into old eating behaviours.
In my opinion it does not matter how many times you eat a day. There are the adherents of 3 or 5 meals-a-day theory. For me, it did not make and still does not make any difference. But, you should eat after waking up in the morning to get your metabolism going.

If you have chronical fatigue and no joy for sports, you should let the doctor check your blood levels.
If you talk with a druggist|pharmacist about fatigue, he probably will come up with absence of iron and will advice you to make a 1 month charge phase of Iron as a supplementation.
Probably he will also advise you to buy Vitamine B-* .
But he wont tell you, that orally taken it has a poor effeciency factor.
But iron is good for chronical fatigue and sleepiness.

 

[Annie]

Ever wanted to take off a few pounds? Were you successful? Let's discuss diet and weight loss, guys.

I have tried every theory of weight loss or weight maintenance under the sun. (I've been "naturally skinny" all my life until the past five years or so, and have grown a tad fluffy with time.) In my 20's my doctor gave me speed -- man, that works like a charm! The guy who invents an appetite suppressant that has no bad side effects will make a fortune, and I gather they are making some progress that-a-way.

In my 30's I tried exercise. I was diligent as hell...seven days a week, mostly strength training. Never lost an ounce nor did I become any stronger. Exercise is unbeatable for stress management, though, I will say that much.

In my 40's keeping weight on was the problem, not getting it off. I blame the yo-yo hormones a lady has at an older age for this. Unfortunately, "skinny" is a bad look for an older lady.

Now, I am kinda sorta just watching what I eat, walking every day, blah blah blah. I'd like to take off about 15 lbs and nothing is happening. I'm beginning to think it's because I am meant to have the extra padding.

What say you? Ever wondered if the diet gurus are full of shit?

I went on high carb with fair amount of protein and veggies/fruits. Cut out sugar. Walked at least 5 miles a day. In 3 months lost 35 lbs and kept it off. That was in my 50's. I did it for blood pressure. Yeah, I swam laps too, thinking on it a bit. 15 minutes of laps, minimum 4 days a week.

Lots of whole wheat pasta, rice, veggies. No salt, low sodium soy sauce or salt substitute. No more than 4 oz of meat twice a day.

I am 100% convinced swimming is the best exercise...nothing else uses the whole body to the same degree. I had thought about checking out a Y membership or whatnot. Thankies for this reminder, Annie.

You're quite welcome. I love swimming, spent most of my teen years on swim teams of one sort or another, so natural take in 'middle age.' I think the walking helped with the weight loss, swimming kept me from looking like I'd lost 1/3 of person. Swimming is great for toning and strength.