[crazychile]

I'm 6'2" and about 205 lbs. Down from 230. I was 172lbs for about a decade when I worked retail. Then I turned 30, got married, and got a desk job. I am determined to get back around 170-180.

A juice fast is great. Get a good juicer and drink nothing but fresh veggie and fruit juice for 10 days. The first day is pretty easy. Days 2-4 are hell. Then you start to feel really good and start to realize how much time out of the day you spend preparing food and cleaning up the kitchen, etc. You will probably lose 20-30 lbs this way. It's been about 1.5 years since I did this and I need to do another. Then eat a balanced diet and excercise a bit to keep it off.

Atkins is a bad idea for the long term. It works on the principal of Ketosis, which puts yourbody in an imbalanced, toxic state. I know a handfull of people that do it and it works, but it is the lesser evil for them because they are grossly obese and it is a start.

 

[andrzejpw]

Quote:

Originally posted by Dweebgal here's how i reckon you can lsoe weight: drink more water drink less alcohol eat less junk food get off your backside and down the gym now if only i could do it....

1. Check
2. Check
3. Check
4. Check

It's going pretty well guys. I've now found that because I'm done with my summer classes at CMU, I wake up around 11 or 12. Only 2 meals a day for me or so. And I don't eat after 630. . .

 

[skagen]

Quote:

Originally posted by mbriant Despite the negative press most fad diets get, I've found the low carb (pseudo Atkins) diet to be the easiest for me to stay on ... and a diet's no good if you don't stay on it. Yes, all sorts of meat, eggs and cheese aren't good for you, but if you were already eating all sorts of meat, eggs and cheese anyway.....along with all sorts of donuts, chocolate bars, ice cream, white bread, potatoes, rice, soda pop, milkshakes, etc., etc., I can't help but think it's an improvement.

There are very few easy outs in life.

First, you might lose some weight initially but in the long run you cant really keep that weight of eating like that.

Second, no matter what your weight is, your long term health is seriosuly compromised if you do it at the expense of your cholesterol levels - ie heart problems coming right at you.

You can't think one-dimensionally about weight only. You have to be genuinely concerened about your overall health and find the personal discipline to eat properly (holistically) + excercise properly. And on top of that, all of this has to be a lifetime program - its not about an "X-week" diet. That's a fallacy.

At the end of the day, you have to acknowledge the magnitude of the task and approach it properly and steadily, rather than be seduced by false hopes of an easy out.

 

[mbriant]

Quote:

There are very few easy outs in life.

Do you think giving up bread, pasta, cake, pudding, chocolate bars, milkshakes, etc. etc. is easy? I don't know if you've ever had to seriously disrupt your normal eating habits for any length of time in order to lose weight, but it is not easy or fun.

I called it a pseudo Atkins diet because I am eating some carbs. I usually drink a can of V8 juice (vegatable juice) and have some sort of greens every day. And like I said, compared to the way I usually eat, my present eating habits (no pop, no chocolate, no desserts, no white bread, no sugar, no candies, no McDonalds, no donuts, lots of water, etc. etc.) are infinitely better.

And actually, I read in the paper only a couple of weeks ago, that new studies have shown the bad cholesterol levels actually drop and the good cholesterol levels increase when on the Atkins diet.

I, and many others who really enjoy eating and are considerably overweight, find it extremely difficult to stick to a diet where you are allowed a silver dollar sized piece of meat, one slice of bread and 15 tiny servings of vegatables per day. Also, if you can see some noticable results quickly from a diet, it gives incentive to stick with it.

Now that I'm weened off of all the junk I've grown addicted to, I hope to be able to modify my diet to include pasta and sushi and other healthy in moderation carbs I love. I realize it has to be a long term process to lose and maintain the weight, but I really need a jumpstart to be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

With the millions of people who have tried the Atkins method during the past 20 years, you'd think that even without official studies, if it was harming people to any great degree, someone would have picked up on it by now. Everything I've heard, including the article you've linked to, has been rather vague.

Practically every "study" I've ever read has a group of conflicting studies to counter it. Studies show vitamin E can prevent cancer. Studies show vitamin E has no effect on cancer. Studies show vitamin E can be harmful to your liver.

And the nutritional guidelines put out by the government have changed more than once over time. I've also read believable reports that the vegetables grown today, artificially using modern fertilizers, although aethetically pleasing, lack the all important minerals, vitamins, and enzymes that used come naturally from the soil. Add to that, the fact that all vegetables and grains have been doused in and have absorbed herbicides and pesticides, an argument could just as easily be made that these foods are extremely bad for you. I think more conclusive studies are required before we outright condemn Atkins.

Again, my drastic diet is to kick-start for encouragement, a longer term diet modification.

 

[skagen]

Quote:

Originally posted by mbriant I've also read believable reports that the vegetables grown today, artificially using modern fertilizers, although aethetically pleasing, lack the all important minerals, vitamins, and enzymes that used come naturally from the soil.

If you're talking about most commercial stuff or stuff grown in a greenhouse, I completely agree with the above + the issue of pesticides, chemicals etc.

But that's *exactly* why we need to quit operating on auto-pilot and buying all the crap that they market in front of your and put in the supermarket. Organically grown foods have real nutrients and far less, if any of the chemical issues.

But if you ask people why they don't eat organically grown food, they either say they don't care or that its too expensive. But what is your life worth? We need to ask what is worth spending money on, if not your own health.

That's the kind of stuff I mean when I say that we always want to pick the easy way out, instead of the right way. Its a way of life, and if you don't think about it like that then you would always be suceptible to the next fad diet or gimmick that people come by with every few months eg ike Phen-phen and all that other stuff.

 

[benhatchins]

Non of the popular diets actually work for me. Maybe I am just hopeless

 

[chezzer]

Well, I've decided to lose some weight. I'm currently 5'7" and 170 lbs, but I'd like to be closer to 150.

For the past few days, I've been taking very quick walks twice a day that last about 40 minutes or so. Is walking a good way to burn off fat? Consequently, I've, uh, also given up something else for added incentive. LOTS of energy now.

I've pretty much eliminated sweets from my intake, and I rarely eat out.

So, I'm pretty much asking: is walking ok for now? I remember reading that for burning fat, walking was better than running. Is it ok to split up my exercise, or should it be in one lump?

Take that set of Audeze off your head, that'll work

 

[Lenni]

You could try a trip to Ethiopia, and stay in one of their remote villages for a few weeks where there's hardly any food to eat. That'll do it.

 

[botmann]

I didn't read through this thread. In general, the best way to loose weight is diet and portion control. What I suggest to poeple is to clean up their diet first. Cut back on sodas, alcohol, caffinee, and so forth. Drinking clean water is best. You will eventually develope to "taste" water. Next to cutting back on processed foods and eating more natural foods. This includes cutting back/eliminating salad dressings. Fruits and vegetables and flavors. Need to give yourself to be able to taste them.

Next would be portion control. Doesn't matter how healthy you eat, if you over do it. Intermittent fasting is alright. Make sure to stay hydrated.

After that is getting more exercise, specifically weight training. You burn more calories when you have more muscle. Plus, women really need it since they lose a lot of bone density after menopause.

 

[piakoB]

There's actually a really good app for smart phones called my fitness pal that will scan the food item barcode and input the nutrients and calories into the app so you can stay below 1800-2000 calories a day. I used that app for a while and lost 30 pounds pretty easily just on a 2000 calorie diet. You will need a food scale you can get on amazon but it's pretty easy.

 

[elwappo99]

Non of the popular diets actually work for me. Maybe I am just hopeless

This has to take the cake for the oldest thread necro I've ever seen. 20 years.

 

[DenverW]

This has to take the cake for the oldest thread necro I've ever seen. 20 years.

But, i've really gained a few pounds since 2003....

 

[pail]

wheat bread, integral bread, rye bread will not make you fat furthermore it will help your digestive system, soft white bread is the worst bread.

 

[Ferdze]

best way to loose weight is still through dieting. some diet regimens are really hard to comply with though. maybe you can start on cutting off on your regular diet little by little. some would drink water so they will have the feeling of being full earlier.

 

[Spareribs]

I just had a lovely healthy meal

Brown rice bowl with garbanzo beans, firm texture tofu seasoned with mushroom powder, feta cheese, fresh cherry tomatoes and avocado

Mmmm…..delicious and healthy