How much do you want or need to lose? How ya gonna do it?

[Sinecure]

I'm 5'10". I'd like to weigh around 175-180. I've been injured and lazy all summer. When I left the house on 12/16 I weighed 215 - the most I've ever weighed in my life. I've since skied (and taught) 14/16 days (had to drive home to pick up the kids). No scale at the ski cabin. Judging by my jeans, I reckon I've lost at least 10, maybe closer to 15lbs. Lunch has been from the salad bar most days and I've limited my alcohol intake, except on a couple nights. I'll report back on the ski teaching diet later this week when I get home and get on the scale.

[brice618]

Well I'm definitely fatter than I've ever been at 6'3 230. Fighting weight for me is 200 and I usually float between that and 210 depending on how much cardio vs met I do. However this whole- sit on the bed for a few months and relearn how to walk for a few more is really killing the ability to stay in shape. Its also increasing the post count here. I need to control my eating more but damnit when you're injured like this its your only joy in life!

[Alaskan Rover]

Don't need to lose anything. I swam 550 miles last year and I swam HARD. If anything I need to make sure I don't lose weight.

Wow!!! That's a long way! Where'd you go? How'd you get back? Did you take any pictures or pick up the obligatory post card while there? No sharks?? I've heard of trying to save money traveling, but that's a little overboard, eh?

--

[Evil E]

Sorta off topic, cause i also dont care what i weigh so long as I feel strong, flexible and I can do the sports I love with strength and power. Ive been doing crossfit now for 2 months and loving it. I probably have not been this strong since high school when I ran track daily. I usually burn out in typical gym routines cause theyre fucking boring and repetitive. Ive done yoga in the past which is really good for flexibility but has its limits for strength gains. I think a regular crossfit regimen 3x week mixed with a solid yoga program 2-3x weekly and a healthy diet would make me fitter than ever. So thats my plan. I may give the paleo diet a go since it seems to be what the crossfit guys recommend and everyone there is fucking ripped.

[Alaskan Rover]

I changed minor things. Eat high fiber oatmeal or cereal in the morning. Banana everyday and one other piece of fruit. Red meat reduction and avocado or salad everyday. Tuna, chicken chipotle or that type of thing. Surprisingly back to high school weight within a month. Oh lots of water and less soda.

I think Whyturn has found the key....just make small incremental changes to your diet, fine-tuning it 'til you find something that works.

I think the average first-worlder probably eats 1.5 to 2.0 times what they really need.

I've started really studying the printed serving sizes on food packaging. Take oatmeal packets: They say one packet is one serving, right? Pretty abysmally small, right? Well, I used to always eat 2 or three packets, because they were so small. Same goes for most serving sizes.

Try this: for a couple weeks...try and stay within the printed serving sizes of everything you eat. They have serving sizes on practically ALL packaged food. At first, you'll probably be damned hungry for a couple days, but then your body will gradually adjust to the lessor amount of intake. Try it for a couple weeks and see if you notice any changes. The good thing is it is not a HUGE untenable diet shift, but foods you're already used to...so may be easier to keep up with.

And then actually DO the resolution stuff that you already know about: More fiber, less prepared foods, more fruit, less sweets, more water, less soft drinks/energy drinks.

Exercise: I think the key here is to do what makes you feel good....do the exercise/sports that you love. Otherwise your exercise routine will quickly become a chore and not something you'll gladly take time to do. Things like fast kayaking, skiff-rowing or bouldering give you a GREAT work-out. No boulders in your area? Try buildering on your own house. Your neighbors will think you've flipped. Fuck em...tell them you're inspecting your soffets for termites.

The point is to find that high energy routine that you like enough to keep doing it. Don't let it become a chore...that hated homework assignment. If it does, switch to something you DO like.

Nike might be a super-overrated shoe company....but their main motto makes a hella lot of sense:

Just Do It.

--

[stuckathuntermtn]

If you need a specific date to decide to do something, you're not gonna do it.

[Downbound Train]

I think Whyturn has found the key....just make small incremental changes to your diet, fine-tuning it 'til you find something that works.

I think the average first-worlder probably eats 1.5 to 2.0 times what they really need.

I've started really studying the printed serving sizes on food packaging. Take oatmeal packets: They say one packet is one serving, right? Pretty abysmally small, right? Well, I used to always eat 2 or three packets, because they were so small. Same goes for most serving sizes.

Try this: for a couple weeks...try and stay within the printed serving sizes of everything you eat. They have serving sizes on practically ALL packaged food. At first, you'll probably be damned hungry for a couple days, but then your body will gradually adjust to the lessor amount of intake. Try it for a couple weeks and see if you notice any changes. The good thing is it is not a HUGE untenable diet shift, but foods you're already used to...so may be easier to keep up with.

And then actually DO the resolution stuff that you already know about: More fiber, less prepared foods, more fruit, less sweets, more water, less soft drinks/energy drinks.

Exercise: I think the key here is to do what makes you feel good....do the exercise/sports that you love. Otherwise your exercise routine will quickly become a chore and not something you'll gladly take time to do. Things like fast kayaking, skiff-rowing or bouldering give you a GREAT work-out. No boulders in your area? Try buildering on your own house. Your neighbors will think you've flipped. Fuck em...tell them you're inspecting your soffets for termites.

The point is to find that high energy routine that you like enough to keep doing it. Don't let it become a chore...that hated homework assignment. If it does, switch to something you DO like.

Nike might be a super-overrated shoe company....but their main motto makes a hella lot of sense:

Just Do It.

--

Thanks Denise Austin

[neufox47]

As of today 13 lbs or until I hit 8-9% BF based on calipers. Diet - eat more vegetables, less crap (should be easier now that I'm not going to holiday parties every week that have DELICIOUS food and booze and my co-workers stop bringing in all the candy and cookies that they make), and drink less alcohol and beer.

Exercise - hopefully we get more snow and I will be skiing more and harder on the weekends, continue doing strength/ agility/ conditioning workouts on M and W, do long slow jogs on T, TH, staying under 130 BPM.

In September I needed to lose 8 lbs. In October I was on the road for 28 days straight and gained 7 lbs. In November I lost 3-5, and in December I gained 5. January has started out right. I need to cut this yo-yo shit out.

[JayPowHound]

Glad to hear I'm not the only one around here who is at their fattest ever..

I'm 5'7 and recently tipped the scale over at 180 for the first time in my life. I coasted along for years at 160 eating good sometimes and bad sometimes, exercising enough to do what I want and feel ok but never so much that I wasn't a little soft. I was always fine with that, but things have gotten a little out of control lately!

So what am I going to do about it? My wife works in the evenings and I'm home with my daughter, so my only free time is spent tied to the house after she's in bed. I just picked up a stationary bike that I can log hours on without having to go out, and I'm not going to drink so much during the week. I rarely get drunk anymore, but have 1 or 2 pretty much every evening. Aside from that I eat pretty healthy meals, but definitely snack inbetween them more than I should.

With the bike and fewer beers and snacks I'm hoping to be down around 155 by spring... we shall see.

[OldLarry]

Push ups, pull ups, train for marathon. No beer on train, except for thrdays and fridays

[Tippster]

6'3", 250 - yes, fattest I've ever been (and that's saying something, right Jer?)

Like the Reverend I don't give a damn about what the numbers say, but what I can do and how i feel doing it. Now that my gout is under control I plan on continuing being active (had a great Christmas vacation swimming and hiking) and plan on pulling the clothes off the elliptical trainier and getting a sweat going while watching TV, rather than shoving almonds and pouring soda in my mouth.

Goal by Year's end is to lose 50lbs, btw... Inshallah.

[grrrr]

Less beer. more skiing. Down 6 since the season began, shooting for another 14.

[Mofro261]

Less beer. more skiing.

For me more skiing=more beer. The last 14 days straight were a skiing/drinking bender, sobriety and return to work today sux. Usually too much skiing causes a general decline in my fitness as I start to slack off on exercising since I'm skiing all the time. 1 lb off my "ideal" weight this am.

[Spats]

If "eat less move more" was all there was to it, internationally ranked ultraendurance athletes wouldn't average 17% bodyfat.

Not that exercise isn't important...but you can't just train your way out of a shitty diet, either. Lose the birdseed (and the birdseed byproducts) and you'll improve your health -- with a more normal weight being just one of the beneficial side effects.
http://www.gnolls.org/1141/eat-like-...ational-guide/

[AlpiNord]

Currently, 5'10" 180, and fattest being 185 for a short period, no matter how hard I've tried in the past with diet and regular exercise, I could not stay below the weird number of 173 for any length of time. Without a 'boot camp' type, multi-week trip, or a 2 to 3 hour a day 'activity/workout', I cannot get much below 170. Since I refuse to 'Man Up' and drink Lite beer...and since the best recovery drink known to man is a black and tan, which is not going to be refused, portion control and 'daily activity appointments' will become higher priorities.

To help curb appetite, 5-HTP is supposed to help in that department and keeping you from turning into a serial killer due to it's positive 'warm fuzzy feeling' characteristics.

[TahoeJ]

I needed to lose 6 or 7 pounds. Came down with a bad case of the flu over the holidays and it lasted a full week. Mission accomplished, although exercise would have been more enjoyable / rewarding.

[chatton18]

Currently 6'2 173 after eating/drinking too much around the holidays - i should drop about 5lbs. Was down to 165 this summer, i've been as high as 205. I was around 180 until this summer, ended up dropping my gym membership and mostly running or riding my bike after work. I do some core work/leg jumps/pushups/basic dumbbell lifts a couple times a week at home but am much faster and feel better at the lighter weight. It's not like im getting in fights or trying to pick up chicks at the jersey shore so i'm okay being thinner.

I dropped down from the 205 weight by eating less and running. The key for me with the initial running then was doing it outside and not on a treadmill bc I tend to hit a wall and its easy to just stop on the treadmill, but when you're 3 miles from home, its either going to take you an hour to get back or you can suck it up and keep running.

I might be partial to running, but it burns the most calories of just about any popular activity (swimming might be close) since its full body with a lot of energy coming from the large leg muscles (which swimming uses less of).

Also with food my theory is its all about calories taken in for the day and being able to fuel yourself. Protein is a good fuel for recovery so eating that is good. Otherwise eat foods that will fill you up but are low in calories.

[skifishbum]

I'm lucky to have been born a mesomorph with a classic, David-style natural athlete's body.


--

wow my given name is David
you need to LOSE 9 out of every 10 words you type
thank jah I can't see the shit your probably spewinging
in the adverse room of stokeless talking head polidumbfucks

[frozenwater]

I never thought I was fat. A little over a year ago I weighed 215 at 6'3. Today I weigh 175. I have more muscle, and well really no fat. I did it by stop eating meat, I am basically a vegetarian with the little meat I eat being fish. I run 6 miles every other day, I biked 20-30 miles a day in the summer, I do yoga 1-2 times a day now. I don't eat desserts, I don't drink anymore. My bodyfat probably doesnt register, I have a six pack and am lean but built.

I am not on a diet, I just live better than I used too.

[schuss]

Starting to get back on the good train now. Constant travel/relationship cut my workouts from 5+days a week to 1 or 2. Now I'm climbing 2-3 days a week (with GF, which is good for both of us), skiing (once Tahoe has snow anyway) 2 days a week, and I figure everything else is gravy.

Never really ate badly, other than a love of good meat, but I'll be damned if I give up good food. I will note that I don't drink soda, eat veggies as snacks (because veggies are delicious) and cook healthy-ish meals most days.

[Sinecure]

So I got on the scale this morning. Down 10lbs since just before Xmas. I was hoping for 15, but I'll take 10. I still really have 20 to go though.

[Nohillsnearby]

I never thought I was fat. A little over a year ago I weighed 215 at 6'3. Today I weigh 175. I have more muscle, and well really no fat. I did it by stop eating meat, I am basically a vegetarian with the little meat I eat being fish. I run 6 miles every other day, I biked 20-30 miles a day in the summer, I do yoga 1-2 times a day now. I don't eat desserts, I don't drink anymore. My bodyfat probably doesnt register, I have a six pack and am lean but built.

I am not on a diet, I just live better than I used too.

worthless without pics... :-)

[gaijin]

I've recently lost about 15lbs. From 180 to 165ish and I'm 5'9". The big change was meat. Less of it. Much less. I'm not a vegetarian, but meat is a delicacy. Like two bites if it's there.

After watching my father go through triple bypass surgery, I decided the typical American Diet is killing us. It's upside down. Our grand parents thought it was "eating well." Oops.

Ask anyone with heart disease their opinion on meat: "It's okay to eat a little. You need animal fat." Sounds just like the alcoholic: "I'm just going out for a beer or two." Yeah, right. "Just a little" always = "Just a little more."

Animal fat is addictive. Seriously. And even if you run marathons and are fit, if you eat a lot of animal fat you're still giving yourself heart disease. But now you have an enlarged heart that will have arteries too damaged or too large for stents. (see my father, the stent engineer who didn't even qualify for his own life's work and had to have his chest ripped open.) Fuck that shit. And Fuck the American Diet.

Once you eat well you'll stop counting calories and your taste buds will become more finely tuned to flavors other than fat.

[Spats]

I've recently lost about 15lbs. From 180 to 165ish and I'm 5'9". The big change was meat. Less of it. Much less. I'm not a vegetarian, but meat is a delicacy. Like two bites if it's there.

After watching my father go through triple bypass surgery, I decided the typical American Diet is killing us. It's upside down. Our grand parents thought it was "eating well." Oops.

Ask anyone with heart disease their opinion on meat: "It's okay to eat a little. You need animal fat." Sounds just like the alcoholic: "I'm just going out for a beer or two." Yeah, right. "Just a little" always = "Just a little more."

Animal fat is addictive. Seriously. And even if you run marathons and are fit, if you eat a lot of animal fat you're still giving yourself heart disease. But now you have an enlarged heart that will have arteries too damaged or too large for stents. (see my father, the stent engineer who didn't even qualify for his own life's work and had to have his chest ripped open.) Fuck that shit. And Fuck the American Diet.

Once you eat well you'll stop counting calories and your taste buds will become more finely tuned to flavors other than fat.

Everything in your post is so completely, factually incorrect that I almost don't know where to start. You're putting yourself through misery for no reason at all.

1) There is no correlation between red meat intake and heart disease, or between saturated fat and heart disease. Period. End of story.

Circulation. 2010 Jun 1;121(21):2271-83. Epub 2010 May 17.
Red and processed meat consumption and risk of incident coronary heart disease, stroke, and diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Micha R, Wallace SK, Mozaffarian D.
Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20479151
Red meat intake was not associated with CHD (n=4 studies; relative risk per 100-g serving per day=1.00; 95% confidence interval, 0.81 to 1.23; P for heterogeneity=0.36) or diabetes mellitus (n=5; relative risk=1.16; 95% confidence interval, 0.92 to 1.46;

Am J Clin Nutr 91: 535-546, 2010. Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease. Patty W Siri-Tarino, Qi Sun, Frank B Hu and Ronald M Krauss
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/short/91/3/535
“A meta-analysis of prospective epidemiologic studies showed that there is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD or CVD.”

2) Obesity has risen dramatically since 1978 -- when the government first told us to eat a low-fat diet (particularly low in saturated fat) and eat less animal products. We dutifully did so, and got dramatically fatter.
http://www.gnolls.org/1086/the-lipid...art-1-of-many/

Type II diabetes is still skyrocketing, as is the heart disease that goes along with it. And we're eating less animal fat than ever. Did I mention that functional lifespan in the USA is now decreasing?
http://www.gnolls.org/864/the-lipid-...art-2-of-many/

3) "Heart-healthy whole grains" are what's making us fat.
http://www.gnolls.org/2052/how-heart...s-make-us-fat/

Eat more fatty meat (including organ meats), eggs, and vegetables -- and less birdseed and birdseed byproducts, e.g. "vegetable oil" -- and you'll be leaner, happier, and healthier than ever. Or we can keep supporting Monsanto and destructive industrial agriculture by eating lots of genetically engineered soy, corn, and wheat products.

We're humans, not birds or rodents. Grass seeds aren't part of our natural diet. Meat, on the other hand, is quite literally what made us human: the nutrients and calorie density of fatty meat allowed us to grow and maintain our huge brains. See references here:
http://www.gnolls.org/1763/why-humans-crave-fat/

[dk_alaskan]

15-20 and a break up. easy peasy