Losing Weight and Getting into Shape

OKAY so I was wondering how many of you keep your great girlish figures 365 days a year and yes this goes for the men out there as well

Last Feb. I tried climbing Colvin and Blake and got turned around just short of the summit after being exhausted and dehydrated after my water froze completely.

I am 5'8 almost 36 years old and I weighed in last Feb. at 235lbs. This was definitely a wake up call for me. So I started eating right and exercising and today I am down 35lbs and still dropping weight. Man does it feel good

For starters I cut out 95% of all sugars. This was mainly from candy that was my downfall for sure. M&M's were my best friend especially at my desk at work and at home in front of the tube. The other 5% of sugar I get now are from the carbs that I eat. I can live with that. Iam also eating steamed veggies that I have now grown to love Actually they are not half bad. I also do not eat fried foods or Pizza anymore. Man Pizza was my favorite too. I could order a large pizza and sit down and eat 4-6 big slices. Now the thought of grease makes me sick.

I am sure I will get bashed for this next statement but oh well here it goes.....I rarely drink beer anymore either and if I want a drink now I have a diet Pepsi with rum.

So not only is this a bragging moment for me but maybe some inspiration for others here as well. Trust me when I say this. If I can lose the weight so can you

Happy Trails,
Adam

1ADAM12 said:

For starters I cut out 95% of all sugars. This was mainly from candy that was my downfall for sure. M&M's were my best friend especially at my desk at work and at home in front of the tube. The other 5% of sugar I get now are from the carbs that I eat. I can live with that. ....

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Bad Adam, bad for business!

But seriously, good for you! But now comes the hard part. Keeping it off. I suggest a contest. I need to loose thirty pounds, so we need to come up with some sort of bet. I'll give it some thought.

Good job. It is rewarding and a lot of work. When you reach your goal and enter maintenance you can have some of those old friends back. One thing you can do is like Yogi Berra did. He ordered a pizza and the guy said do you want it cut into 6 or 8 slices. Yogi said better make it 6, I do not think I can eat 8!

I too have heeded my own wake-up call this year and started dropping some weight. I'm 5'10" and weighed in at a whisker over 200 lbs last April 1. I am now down to 180 and also dropped a pant size and a shirt size along the way. Walking or running on the treadmill 4-5 times a week for anywhere from a half hour to an hour a session has been my key to shedding some weight, and by cutting back on my portion size. Like you, I have a sweet tooth (yes Paradox, my dentist thanks me for that ) so I've tried to reduce my candy and soda intake as much as my willpower will allow.

What keeps me driving forward is the results themselves: I've never been able to run for any distance, and now I can jog 4 miles without putting myself in cardiac arrest. I don't want to go back to the size I was, I like having to go out and buy smaller jeans. If I shed another 10 lbs I won't be carrying around the weight of my 3 y/o daughter 24/7/365.

What has been really helpful is the weight-loss thread started by TrishandAlex(andSage) over on "that other hiking forum". Myself and a few other hopefuls have been posting our losses (and gains) in that thread and getting support from the rest of our online friends. I made the commitment to post my weight once a week because it keeps me honest with myself. It's harder to ignore slippage in your program when you see it in print, and posting losses is much more rewarding to my ego.

Congrats on dropping the 35 lbs! You'll be able to fly uphill this winter.

That's it, I'm banning you from VNBs!

Hey Adam, I'm glad to see you've shaped up! Beer definitely contributes in the calorie count. All things in moderation...

Just watch the Cheese Whiz!

Congratulations ! Keep up the good work !

About 12 or 13 years ago I was 30lbs over my ideal weight and was experiencing a lot of foot pain. I stopped Dunkin twice a day and improved my daily diet somewhat. I also started swimming (initially 3 or 4 days per week) and then got back into bike riding laps around the yard, walking and backpacking, albeit sporadically. On average I'm still about 9 lbs over my ideal weight. Last year before Rainier I think I got down to about 4 lbs over, that last 5 pounds is freakin tough.

Dieting is weird. If you reduce calorie intake too much your motabolism slows and you lack energy and stop losing weight. A small increase in exercise and adding back some calories can help. Small permanent changes lack dramatic weight loss, but can help "keep it off" over time.

1 - Kudos to anyone who sticks to a healthy diet/exercise program.

2 - As a skinny guy I'll pipe in on this from a slightly different, but important angle.

I see way too many people (family members and friends) obsess about numbers. Ideal weight and all that. Yes, weight is important but getting 'that last few pounds" may be totally impossible because at some point you're going to gain more muscle over a period than you will shed fat and, as muscle weighs more than fat, you'll end up gaining weight. And that's not a bad thing!

Do you feel healthy and have more energy? That's the important thing!

I just wonder... Who makes up these "ideal weights" anyway?

StashZdanuk said:

I just wonder... Who makes up these "ideal weights" anyway?

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Long before the PC Diet Police established their guidelines I saw 2 pro boxers fight who were exactly my height. I noted theirs weights and that's been my (personal) "ideal" weight since then. I do agree with you on the last 5 lbs, but I do know I still have the 5 lbs of fat vs muscle at this point .

I'm skinny too, so it's easy for me, and almost unfair (I can wolf donuts every day and never gain an ounce, even though I'm 53). A lot has to do with genetics, and your body type (ectomorph like me, mesomorph, or endomorph). These classifications are rough at best, but they tend to apply pretty well to most people.

But I try to do the right thing for my body, even though I don't need to do the right thing to keep "that girlish figure." It's actually harder to stay motivated when you can get away with being lazy. Here are a few basic recommendations that I follow, and I think benefit just about everyone:

Exercise:

Aerobic, moderate pace, at least 30 minutes 3-4 times per week. Walking is good; seek out a hilly route, or throw in some stairs. Seated exercise, like paddling or biking, is good but less beneficial.

Weights: We older folks have to do some kind of resistance exercise or we lose muscle mass. Do something at least 30 mintes twice a week.

Core: make sure to strengthen the core (stomach, obliques, etc.) with exercise 3-4 times a week. This will cure many or most "back pain" problems. (Losing the gut also cures back pain.)

Diet:

Mix: I eat the "balance" diet (40/30/30). Pritikin "no fat or protein" diets, or Atkins "no carbohydrate" diets are bad for you.

Sources: Protein from lean sources (low fat turkey, not steak). Carbohydrate from low glycemic index sources (broccoli, not donuts). Fat from monounsaturates (olive oil and peanut butter, not lard (saturated) or margarine (polyunsaturated)).

Timing: "Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper" (source unknown). Most nights I skip dinner and have a light snack. If you plan to skip a meal, skip dinner, not breakfast. (This will cure many or most GERD problems. Also tilt your bed so the head end is up several inches, to cure more GERD problems.)

I know that sounds like a lot of advice, but it's really been very simple to stick to that. Some of it easier because we don't have kids, but anyone can do most of this really easily.

TCD

Paradox said:

Bad Adam, bad for business!

But seriously, good for you! But now comes the hard part. Keeping it off. I suggest a contest. I need to loose thirty pounds, so we need to come up with some sort of bet. I'll give it some thought.

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I'm in. How do we do this?

I got a few more than 30 to lose. I've started a 40 wk diet & exercise plan on 9/1. 4 down so far.

1ADAM12 said:

So not only is this a bragging moment for me but maybe some inspiration for others here as well. Trust me when I say this. If I can lose the weight so can you

Happy Trails,
Adam

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Adam you're inspiring me.

Good job, now comes the hard part. Keeping it off

I lost 55lbs 12 years ago and have kept it off.

My recommendation would be, start with the basics.

1. Count your calorie intake every day.

Recent studies reaffirm what folks have been saying for years; calories in < calories out = weight loss.
Low carbs or low fat or high protein diets don't matter.

2. Try to eat only whole foods not processed foods.

Once you lose the weight and get comfortable with this routine, than you can look at:

1. Exercising
2. Strength training
3. Macro nutrients
4. Adult male enhancement
5. Vitamin and Mineral intake
6. Mind and Body balance, etc.

Good Luck

BTW, in case all you skinny guys didn't know it, those of us that have to work at it hate you.

Craig said:

Once you lose the weight and get comfortable with this routine, than you can look at:

1. Exercising
2. Strength training
3. Macro nutrients
4. Adult male enhancement
5. Vitamin and Mineral intake
6. Mind and Body balance, etc.

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Um...Enzyte much?

I keep active all year long even though I loved to pound the beers. It wasn't until I stopped drinking all alcohol that the weight really came off.

It was either that or running up to 50 miles per week.

Another big weight loss came when I got lyme disease last year, but I wouldnt suggest that method.

I just told my friends that I was able to go backpacking this weekend up in NH because I lost 30lbs since the end of June....I went from 220 to 190.....I need to keep the weight off because of knee problems....everyday is a struggle to keep it off but I too like my new loose size 36 pants and want to get down to a 34.....I had a difficult time dieting this summer because I worked in a sleep away camp in the "canteen"....I gave out app 500 cans of soda, chips and ice cream everynight and all I had were some fig newtons and 100 calorie packs of cookies.....I took a spin class and walked everyday....now that it's getting dark outside it's a challenge to go out walking...might join an inexpensive gym....but the trick will be to keep it off...my goal is to do more winter hikes and eventually more backpacking....i like the idea of a weekly weigh in....

Well done Adam! I'm with Tom though... Gotta cut out that CHEEZ WIZZ!
Then you can enjoy the occasional beer.

prino said:

Well done Adam! I'm with Tom though... Gotta cut out that CHEEZ WIZZ!
Then you can enjoy the occasional beer.

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Thanks all for the great tips! Tom and Phil just so you know I only eat the Whiz when I am hiking That is one cool thing with hiking I can eat the high calorie junk since I Am going to burn it off anyways after a 20 mile hike

I've been there...

been VERY overweight my whole life (since about 4 years old)...topping out at 272 (at 5 feet 2 inches!!)

About 5 years ago, it was to the point that I couldn't even go up 4 STEPS (not flights...individual steps) without being winded...AND had developed debilitating arthritis in my ankle...had an ankle walking cast and all (had to have a partial cast for just lower leg as they couldn't easily get one big enoug for my whole leg

BUT...starting with weight watchers and then morphing from there...I'm down to a fairly lean (21% body fat) 133 lbs...working out 3-4 times a week...and being able to hike for 10 hours on trails like Huntington's, Lowe's path, Cathedral/Knife's edge...etc.

It is a VERY SLOW process...and this is good. You not only make the required changes, making them slowly causes them to become who you are...not just what you are doing for now to lose weight. It is a constant battle (I'll always be a fat person in my mind)...Don't ever lose heart.

OH YEA...I agree, one of the benefits of hiking is the ability to EAT THAT STUFF (especially in the winter...hey, you need all that fatty food to stay warm, right? )

I have zero will power and refuse to diet. I won't give up pizza, beer, cheeseburgers etc.

With that being said, I am a workout machine. I belong to a gym and contrary to what some may think, not all gyms and gym members are there for the social scene. I workout 6 days a week doing weights 3X a week and cardio the other 3X. My cardio training usually consists of running a few miles on a treadmill followed by a few miles on an exercise bike. Strength training is with either free weights or weight machines. On occasion I will combine both strength training and cardio by putting on the gloves and pounding the heavy bag for a good 30 minutes.

All this works to keep me in shape (especially for hiking) and allows me to continue to eat the foods and drink the brews I love.

WhiteMTHike said:

I have zero will power and refuse to diet. I won't give up pizza, beer, cheeseburgers etc.

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Hmmm...give up? Oh...I think I forgot to mention my weekly "cheat" day. On this day...well, it's my cheat day. I eat and enjoy every minute of it.

However...I am quite anal during the week about what I eat (my kids call me a food nazi) and my working out. I may only work out 3-4 (mostly 4) days a week, but it includes 15 min of HIIT cardio and 1 hr of strength training each session. The strength training including many HIIT techniques (super sets, drop sets, forced negatives, etc.)

OH...but, the bestest part...when a good hike (greater than 10 hrs and 11-13 miles...) doesn't occur on a Saturday (my cheat day)...I get TWO cheat days that week...he he he