How did you do it, ex-fat guys?

[Roadie]

I am not a "ex fat guy" YET, but I am down 55lbs and 6 inches off my waist, in just over 3 months on Atkins.

If Atkins is too severe for you, you can at least use some of the knowledge from Atkins and watch your carbs as well as your fats. Carbs turn into sugar. Read labels.

I have to agree with the more, smaller meals thing. Don't try to starve yourself thin, it doesnt work. You have to have enough fuel in your body to burn the fat. The more meals will satisfy your hunger and keep you from binging. This was my problem. No breakfast, a quick lunch, then a BIG dinner because I was starved.

Also agreed, dump the sodas and beer, and watch your juice intake. If you have to have soda and hate diet drinks, Diet Dr. Pepper is probably the least "diety" tasting one out there. Also, juice is healthier than soda, but the sugar will not help you lose weight. If you drink coffee or tea try Splenda instead of the other artificial sweeteners, it tastes MUCH better. Did I mention read labels? Make sure you read them WELL and check serving size vs. number of servings per item.

Make better choices. Everyone going to Wendy's for lunch? No problem, salads with low cal dressing, or choose the grilled chicken with a side salad instead of fries. Going to a buffet? Stay away from the fried foods, and fill up on salad, chicken, etc. Watch out for salad dressing though. Most not only have a ton of fat, but a ton of carbs.

Park in the back of parking lots and walk the extra distance. Take the stairs. If you are like I was, and going UP stairs was hard, at least take them down.

If you are like me and a structured diet is frustrating, just simply eating more smaller meals and making better choices, along with increasing your walking, is a great start.

Good luck!

 

[Dr Falken]

if you are in the giving mood i will take one i quit smoking 2 months ago and have gained 30lbs.. On a more serious note weight lifting will help make those lbs come off quickly.

Yeah, I'd add that pumping some iron amd building muscle mass will also help with weight, or at least the wrong weight.

 

[Chefcook]

I am currently a fat bastard. I haven't been this heavy in a long time. I just have yet to commit myself to taking it off again. Once you take off the weight you have to continue to live the life at least to a certain extent or you will get it back. What I lost in 11 months I gained back in 4 months back last winter after keeping it off for 8 years. I am going to do it again. I just haven't been able to get my mind right...

The first thing you need to do is change your concept of what food is for, you can never look at it as a means of deriving pleasure as in OMG this taste soooo good. You have to think of food the same way you think of putting gas in your car, the sole purpose for eating is to fuel your body. Taste has nothing to do with it and only the quality of the fuel matters. You only eat when your body needs fuel. This means no alcohol, no fried food, no soda, and yes, I hate to say it, but NO BACON!!! Accomplishing this is half the battle once you do this the rest is pretty easy. If you don't have the right mental attitude and outlook you will fail. One helpful tip in doing this is to remember one day at a time. Never look at a piece of bacon and say to yourself I can't eat that anymore just say to yourself, I don't want that today, I will have plenty of opportunity to taste that bacon tomorrow or next week its not going anywhere. In other words just never say never, when you start saying never to yourself you'll get jammed up.

I went from 350lbs with a 56" waist to 185lbs and a 42" waist in 11 months. That is from a XXXL shirt to a XL shirt its a huge difference. I lost 2 shoe sizes and the ring on my ring finger was on my thumb.

I ate close to vegitarian, no beef at all, no bacon at all. Occasionally a piece of chicken, fish or pork but only poached or grilled and only about once a month or so and only a very small portion maybe 4oz. Dairy is ok chocolate milkshakes are your friend, eggbeaters are your friend, as long as you use them in moderation and don't fry the eggs in anything other than a 1/4 teaspoon of butter or poach them I also know a microwave trick and eat them with crusty bread with no butter. I also still ate the occasional candy bar or dessert without consequence. Your main staple has to be vegetables, you can eat all the raw vegetables you want as long as you don't put anything on them. Rice, pasta and beans only seasoned with herbs, spices and a little extra virgin olive oil is your best friend along with, and this is the only thing that saved me... Grilled Portobello Mushrooms, if done properly a grilled portobello taste more like steak than steak lol. When eating this starts to get to be too much and your just dieing for pizza or something, go to the store and get a weight watchers pizza I used to eat them for lunch pretty often. You can also eat their meals from time to time to get something that feels more like a meal instead of a compilation of side dishes. After a couple weeks of eating this way you will feel a change in how your body functions, I mean you can actually feel the change to the point if you screw up you can feel it immediatly go back the other way. If that happens it takes about 5 days of discipline for it to switch back again. Once your body makes the switch you will start losing as much as a pound or two a day. Stay hydrated and drink lots of water I also did not give up coffee...

During this time I didn't really do any extra exercise, unless you count sex once I started to feel better I was ravenous my girlfriend threatened to move out on more than one occasion. I was also working a lot of hours in a job where I was on my feet and moving all the time in a very hot environment. But this was the extent of my exercising. I would think that if you added a regular workout schedule to this you could really drop it off fast, not that I didn't anyway..

This is just my experience and what worked for me and what I am going to do again. I am frustrated as hell right now because I have gotten back to a 54" waist and none of my winter clothes fit me, my leathers for the bike are too small so I cant ride... But that is the way of things. A person will change when the pain of remaining the same outweighs the pain of the change.

 

[HICKMAN]

2XL on the left, XL on the right

 

[Glock21]

I never make many friends when I bring this up, lol, but I had a teacher in highschool that used to be really blunt and brutal about things. He said something to a guy one day that stuck with me - they were talking about medical reasons some people might not be able to control their weight. He asked: Have you ever seen a picture of a fat person in a concentration camp? No? Then if you don't want to be fat, don't eat so much.

I find that to be the truth in my own life and pants sizes. :-)

 

[Jack Ryan]

I never make many friends when I bring this up, lol, but I had a teacher in highschool that used to be really blunt and brutal about things. He said something to a guy one day that stuck with me - they were talking about medical reasons some people might not be able to control their weight. He asked: Have you ever seen a picture of a fat person in a concentration camp? No? Then if you don't want to be fat, don't eat so much.

I find that to be the truth in my own life and pants sizes. :-)

It's easy to be really blunt and brutal when it's some one else's problem you are talking about. Those same guys will cry like a little baby when you offer the same "service" for their "benefit".

 

[Glock21]

It's easy to be really blunt and brutal when it's some one else's problem you are talking about. Those same guys will cry like a little baby when you offer the same "service" for their "benefit".

I'm a bit confused on what you're saying.

All I know is that I have my own "problem" and it stems from eating too much - the end.

 

[Jack Ryan]

I'm a bit confused on what you're saying.

All I know is that I have my own "problem" and it stems from eating too much - the end.

I'm saying I've seen those gym teacher types before puffing out their chest lecturing 13 year olds like they were marines and getting down on the fat kid, and the skinny kid who then act like they are only concerned with "helping" them.

 

[Jeremiah]

SO anyone that attended the OC walk noticede I wasn't exactly petite, I have sitched back to drinking water, but as of yet have been unable to find any vegetables besides rice palatable, I can ditch pop and beer as they are cost prohibitive anyhow, not aiming for the service but will take advice. things to avoid, things to do, etc.

 

[MyGlockRocks19]

Even if I wasn't planning on joining up, I still want to shed the pounds. I'm tired all the time, and never seem to have any energy. I used to love to bike and hike, and now I get winded just walking to the store and back when its warm out.

And believe me, I WANT it. I'm 27, and I've been bouncing from dead end job to dead end job since I left home at 18. I didn't sign up then because I thought I knew better than those who were recommending it, and didn't want to leave my friends and family behind. I had a good gig with a construction company when I was 24, and thought thats what I wanted to do....until the housing bubble popped, and the company went under. I've been struggling to get by ever since, and I'm sick of it.

The military offers stable employment and a REAL future...what I'm doing now is just going to eventually run me into the ground, with nothing to show for it. So yeah, I'm doing this, for me, even if it means I'm living off of grilled chicken and brown rice for the next 6 months. I remember how well my parents were doing at my age, and I'm no where near their quality of life at the time....the military worked well for them (they met while both in the Navy) and I'm sure that if I apply myself, it'll do the same for me.

 

[gus1989]

Was 260 and now hover around 195. Started Aug 2008 and was down to around 205 by December. Hit a rough spot during the winter with work (stress) and my bad back acting up and gained a little back. Decided I needed to get going again in April and am still at it.

Program - eat less - around 1500 to 2000 calories a day
- Walking - around 20 miles a week (about 14 minute miles)
- next step is reading up on and starting a Kettlebell program.

 

[Lucas156]

Maybe we should start an INGO fitness group or somethin. I don't know about you guys but I am not very serlf motivated; some of us need support.

 

[Beau]

Maybe we should start an INGO fitness group or somethin. I don't know about you guys but I am not very serlf motivated; some of us need support.

That would be me. I'm motivated to get back in shape. Just not motivated to do the work. I had a friend when I was stationed in WA that loved to work out and play raquetball. He was my motivator.

 

[Jeremiah]

I can be a bit of a motivator, just not a pleaseant one, I'm teaching a class on welding at ivytech and I tend to use cattle prods more often then I feed carrots

 

[VUPDblue]

I just got back from the gym. That is all. Now if I can do it, y'all can do it. GO DO IT!

 

[6birds]

Run you sissy! Run long, run far, run often!

Gave up smokes a bunch of years ago. Ben and Jerry was my support group. Gained 35 more lbs, 3 months after that, started walking 4x per week, then had to start running to keep heart rate elevated, then ran 5k, then 15K, then half marathon, then a half marathon every other monthe, then marathon. 6 years and 65 lbs lost, and it stays off with a good run a few times a week.

41 years old, and I'm running a 50 miler next week.

Run damn it!

 

[czar996]

I use a couple strategies every time my weight gets higher than I would like.

1. Stop drinking alcohol and soda
2. NO fast food
3. Use portion control. - Put a smaller than usual amount of food on a plate and eat slowly. If you are still hungry 10 minutes after you finish your portion, go back and get a little more.
4. Exercise!!!! If you can't run a mile, run as far as you can, then walk until you catch your breath. Turn around and run home. Try to go a little farther each day.

 

[gus1989]

Run you sissy! Run long, run far, run often!

Gave up smokes a bunch of years ago. Ben and Jerry was my support group. Gained 35 more lbs, 3 months after that, started walking 4x per week, then had to start running to keep heart rate elevated, then ran 5k, then 15K, then half marathon, then a half marathon every other monthe, then marathon. 6 years and 65 lbs lost, and it stays off with a good run a few times a week.

41 years old, and I'm running a 50 miler next week.

Run damn it!

Man, I would love to run again, great results for the time invested ... but my back just can't take the pounding. I had back surgery 20 years ago and it's just not the same. Walking is good, but can't get the heart rate up like running. Thought about biking, but those seats - yikes! Oh well, I'll get to my goal weight, it will just take longer.

 

[Jack Ryan]

Even if I wasn't planning on joining up, I still want to shed the pounds. I'm tired all the time, and never seem to have any energy. I used to love to bike and hike, and now I get winded just walking to the store and back when its warm out.

And believe me, I WANT it. I'm 27, and I've been bouncing from dead end job to dead end job since I left home at 18. I didn't sign up then because I thought I knew better than those who were recommending it, and didn't want to leave my friends and family behind. I had a good gig with a construction company when I was 24, and thought thats what I wanted to do....until the housing bubble popped, and the company went under. I've been struggling to get by ever since, and I'm sick of it.

The military offers stable employment and a REAL future...what I'm doing now is just going to eventually run me into the ground, with nothing to show for it. So yeah, I'm doing this, for me, even if it means I'm living off of grilled chicken and brown rice for the next 6 months. I remember how well my parents were doing at my age, and I'm no where near their quality of life at the time....the military worked well for them (they met while both in the Navy) and I'm sure that if I apply myself, it'll do the same for me.

Sounds like a plan. Just map out what you want out of the service and how you are going to get what you want from them, they will be sure to get what they want. At the end, every one is happy.

 

[Cain71]

As a fat man that has dropped weight due to knee issues,cut out the bread,not all carbs but white bread. the first 30 comes off pretty easy. Beer and cola,flush water into your system. Walk every where, use the stairs and watch what you put in your mouth. Riding a bike works too,but walking does wonders. my dad found out he's diabetic and he to is a fat man, he lost 120 lbs in 9 months with diet and walking at 62 years old. It can be done. i went from 350 to just under 290. no aids or gimmicks,just will power