Wanted: Fat Sailors

[mintyspilot]

Hi Kate,

Well, I stood on the scales this morning for the first time in several months and they reported that I was 91kgs = 200lb which is down 5kg from when I last weighed myself last year.

Maybe I can lose another 5kg by next Xmas? It's more likely I'll put it all back on in the next few weeks...

[High Heels]

Hi there,

So I am motivated to drop some weight and start exercising again. Two days ago I logged onto LIVESTRONG.COM - Health, Fitness, Lifestyle | LIVESTRONG.COM and started tracking what I eat and my activity level. It is a great application! It is free at the standard level and allows you to keep with in your calorie range depending on whether you are trying to lose weight or maintain.

The application is called 'My Plate'. There are all kinds of foods, brand name if prepared, and even restaurant selections that are already counted in the program. You simply start typing in the 'What I Ate' box and a list of foods pops up to choose from.

As well, calories burned for specific activities are even options. (Cow Branding is even in there for you farmers and cowboys and girls) ;0)

So, I had a rude awakening while trying to stay at around 1,200 calories a day for successful weight loss of two lbs a week. As I track I can see where no, my excess weight on my body is not due to that melon size tumor I just knew I had in my abdomen...it was from the excess calories I was consuming. I can easily see how I was going a couple hundred calories over 1,800 to 2,000 calories a day...even a hundred could cause weight gain, and then not exercising = fat...

So I have rowed on my ergometer and walk/ran pick ups yesterday evening in the freezing cold.

Getting real about what I have been eating has been empowering. I intend to see this through until I have lost 40 lbs. I want to feel better again and regain my endurance and I am hoping the weight loss will follow.

I hope those of you trying to lose weight will give the livestrong site a try. It leaves little room to delude oneself, and as well there are forums of support for every situation under the sun...

Take care and good luck to all of you who are trying to shed the lbs...

[DeepFrz]

You might want to listen to this audio clip. Scroll down to hour 2. The "Weighing In" article is just a few minutes into the clip.

CBC.ca | The Sunday Edition

I forgot to mention that I have rebounded somewhat, enough that I have gone up on size in my jeans...ugh. Back to the program.

[boatman61]

Well... when I was in the Forces it was reckoned that 2000 calories was the minimum nessecary to keep a man in peak fitness... this included assualt courses daily etc...
So I figure if as an office type your doing 2K a day your gonna bulk up... to be honest 1200 a day is more suited to todays man.. just eat better... you dont need those extra calories to make up the vitamins... know your food... try what I do.. stay hungry.. only ever eat enough to take the edge off.
No more indigestion just after lunch or supper...
Keep excercise as sporty as possible to spread the toning... swimming is the best... so jump over and start splashing... unless your in OZ in which case look out for snakes and crocodiles...
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20110104...t-0b0437e.html
Becoming/is a UK problem as well courtesy unhealthy fast food

[bljones]

I'm bl, and I'm a fat bastard... again.
In 1995, I topped out at 223 lbs. Not a big deal if I was 6'5", but I am 5'6" tall. I was muffintopping pants with a 38" waist, I had bigger breasts than my wife, I knew the location of every drive-thru in a 60 mile radius and the staff knew my regular order, and my penis looked like a very small mouse wearing a turtleneck sweater was sitting in my not inconsiderable lap. I had tried weight loss before, and i realized that trying was my problem.
There is no "try." There is only "do"
So i stopped trying, and did it.
Here's my plan:
-Set a 12 month ACHIEVABLE goal. Break it down into monthly increments. Weigh in biweekly during the first three months, then weekly after that.
-I drank water with every meal.
-I made my own lunch every morning, and left my credit and debit cards at home when i left for work. Pretty hard to cheat when you're broke.
-Instead of focusing on carbs and fat and calories and cholestorol like i had in the past, i focused on just calories. Worrying about too much data just leads to failure, and worse, an excuse for failing. Pick one metric to measure. the rest will take care of itself.
-I didn't cut out the foods I like at home, I became more conscious of the portions. I made my sandwiches open face, thereby cutting my bread intake in half, and i stopped buttering damn near everything.
-I learned that steamed veggies with a little soy sauce is damned tasty.
-I didn't completely cut out fast food- I made it a once-a-week treat, and discovered that a Happy Meal is satisfying, and cheaper.
-I walked. I HATE structured exercise, so I simply made life inconvenient. I parked way out at the mall, I walked to the grocery store, I walked the dog. The more I walked, the more i didn't mind walking. i also discovered that walking is more fun when your thighs aren't rubbing together and your mantits aren't bouncing with each step.
-I didn't buy my own ******** rationalizations for failure. I understood that winners take responsibility, they don't offer excuses. I I didn't make goal one week? I'd accept it, be honest, analyze why, implement change and move on.

By June 1996 I was down to 165. I maintained that weight, within 10 lbs of seasonal adjustment, until April 2009, when i quit smoking, cold turkey. By January 2010, i was up to 203 lbs. AAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!
Time to get back on the plan again.
Currently i am right around 185. By May 1, I WILL be back to a fit(ish) 165 lbs.

[High Heels]

Thanks DeepFrz, I will definitely give that a listen.

Thanks Boatman for the info. I was once very good at eating just whole foods and very little to NO fast food or take out. I was getting monster classical migraines w/ aura, which for me translated to the pain was the least of my issues, I was having all kinds of weird neurological symptoms including sight, wandering numbness, etc. It scared me enough to stop eating MSG and all the other crap. Then I got treated for Lyme Disease and now the migraines are almost non existent. I can get away with eating and drinking tons of things I never did...but now it feels more like with the weight gain.

BLJones your post is quite entertaining and informative Thank You! You do have a way with painting a picture with words! Thanks for all the tips that helped you. I do think that Fast Food is the devil incarnate. I am convinced there are addictive food additives that they contain in their food like MSG. I have eaten the most of it that I have ever eaten in my life in the last two years...and ugh! not good...

It has been good for me to see the nutritional breakdown, because I would have told you it was my sugars that are a problem....but low and behold I am consuming under the recommended sugar daily allowance, but my salt intake is off the charts.

Since purchasing our boat food on the road has become much more frequent, and food out of a can as well, when we are on the boat. Time to get the refrigeration on the new to us boat working again so I can really be diligent about preparing foods from scratch.

I have a job that keeps me moving all day - Therapeutic Massage Therapy and Bodywork - however I have been working very little since our venture in getting our home on land on the market...SO, now I am having to work to keep moving everyday...

I do plan on rowing on my ergometer, power walking and jogging, swimming at an indoor pool while the winter is still here, and free weights at home. Interspersed with some yoga and maybe some other stuff like pilates...

It is not going to be easy but I am shooting for losing 40 lbs....I am going to make it happen...

Thanks and Good Luck to you in your weight loss goals...Keep me posted!

[DeepFrz]

Way to go bl on two counts. Quitting smoking is huge and now getting back to your ideal weight is great too. You are half way there.

[Pblais]

Losing weight is a lifestyle not a diet. Losing it as slow as possible (and steady) means you just go from losing to maintaining without notice. My wife is 5 lbs from losing 100 lbs. Things she did that worked:

1. Read the label on what you eat. If you know what you need to "pay" then you can pick the things you like informed. She had no idea. It gets harder however.

2. There is no goal but good health and healthy eating. You didn't gain all the weight from being healthy.

3. Activity lets you have some more! If you never have exercised then find something you like. Doing exercise you don't like is no way to live. There are fun things that provide the activity.

4. No diet you hate is sustainable! You'll gain it all back in spite. Weight Watchers is how she is going after the last 10 lbs. They just revised all the points. It's more healthy!

[High Heels]

Staring to row on the ergometer has felt good this week...sticking to a 1175 calories a day program...not quite a week in last night and I was crawling the walls trying not to eat anything after 8 p.m. Fat cells were screaming, we want food...had a couple almonds, cup of tea and went to bed....think I was more tired than hungry...Awe, weight loss is always such a lesson in Awareness for me...Hope you all are doing well and having luck in your weight loss journeys...

[zeehag]

found the PERFECT weight loss plan.... stress..yipes--lost 2 1/2 dress sizes in 1-2 months--is called sailing trim now--i still have one inch for levis button fronts to fit correctly on me--size 32. i WANT 31...... then i wont have any fat.... i cook for many and eat little-- get tired of the food while i am cooking it....an di try to ccook stuff that is healthy and good for ye-- chock fulla vitamins and electrolytes and good stuff...cabbages nd taters and other goodies in soups-- good winter foods that dont pile it on ye.....prolly is how i can wear those dang wife beater tanks you guys bag on me about--remember-- 5'8 is why the gods invented big n tall for those, as they make great sailing dresses..........

[serah]

Boat work has been my bane as well. Work all day, and straight to the boat after work. The boat is in pieces right now, and DIRTY; sawdust, bilge scum, and fibreglass dust everywhere! It makes preparing a decent meal seem impossible. Also, the hour to clean up, cook and eat, then clean up after dinner really cuts into the three hours of work time available. Add to that having to bring healthful meals to work with me on the bus, and then to the boat... Not much fun with raw chicken!

All leading to grabbing a quick-prepare meal on the way home (mac 'n' cheese, canned soups, etc.) I know we could be more prepared, and sometimes we are with homemade sandwiches or leftovers; just not often enough.

Not good for the hips! But we have to be onboard by the end of the month, so no more excuses! The dirty work should be done, and everything will be there instead of realizing there's no basil on the boat, it's at the house.

The marina is also right next to a great running trail. I have to persuade Brodie that yet another pair of shoes really needs to have a place on the boat.

[mintyspilot]

Originally Posted by High Heels

...I was crawling the walls trying not to eat anything after 8 p.m. Fat cells were screaming, we want food...had a couple almonds, cup of tea and went to bed.

Nuts are very calorific. Keep celery in the larder as it is almost indigestible by humans and requires more calories to eat than you get out of it, but it fills up that empty tummy.

I make a home made soup for diets and the recipe is below. Being a bloke I never measure anything, just chuck it in.

Medium to large pot (that's the steel thing, not the weed)
One chicken breast - dice into small chunks.
One clove garlic - dice or mash.
One medium onion finely chopped
Fry chicken and onion and garlic in small amount of oil in the pot. When cooked add kettle of water

One handful pearl barley - chuck in pot
2 parsnips diced - chuck in pot
At least 6 carrots diced - aim for a carrot/parsnip ratio of 2:1 - chuck in pot

Add more water if needed

One bunch of scallions (aka spring onions). Cut off the roots and dice the rest, green leaves included. Chuck in pot

One leek. Cut off the roots and dice the rest, green leaves included. Chuck in pot

Curled parsley - two bunches each about the size of your hand. Strip out the stalks, chop finely, chuck in pot. Add any other herbs you fancy such as bay leaves, rosemary or oregano.

Allow to simmer. Add salt and pepper to suit and you'll probably need to thin it down with water, but what you'll have is a good filling soup that you can freeze into portions and cook whenever you need a filling meal. TO cook from frozen either microwave it or chuck it back in the pot. It lasts for months in the freezer.

Works for me.....

[jenny2]

My little sister has been working at a medical insurance company for years.She was always thin then when she started working there she started getting big so she started a diet class twice a week.The teacher would tell the class about different foods and what kinds to eat,she started telling me about it I was amazed at how fast she was loosing the xtra pounds also the normal foods you eat every day such as can goods and so on I will get her to help me post on this.

[SaucySailoress]

Hmmm. So, a few months away from the forum, and a few weeks away (you now, xmas, skiing, getting married, honeymoon, all the malarkey) and that's it... I am back up to 81.3kg. That means all I have lost since stating my new healthy regime is 0.7kg. That's not fair!! It looks like I'm even gonna have to give up christmas...

[DeepFrz]

That's not fair!! It looks like I'm even gonna have to give up christmas...

But just realize, you are now legal, you are probably still flushed from all that honeymoon "malarkey", not to mention the skiing and Christmas isn't for another 300 plus days. And you are still .7kg ahead of the game. ;-)