Gotta lose weight......

[Fjolnirsson]

I've always been a big guy. One of those who really is "big boned". In high school, I ran track. I was 5'5" and 185 lbs when I graduated. About 10% body fat. Pretty big. I hit a growth spurt at about 21, and grew a few inches to 5'10" or so, depending on the person measuring(for some reason, the doctor used to get a different height every time. I had Kaiser, go figure). Working in fast food, and later, security, I put on a little more weight than I should have. Still had good cardio ability, so I wasn't too worried. I went in the police academy in July of 2003. I started at 280 lbs, fat and slow. After six weeks of PT, I was 295, and getting trim. I had a 54.5 inch chest, and a 40 inch waist. A measure of my body fat indicated lean muscle mass of around 215 lbs. Now, the BMI for my height states I should weigh no more than 180. Good luck with that, doc. So, my PT instructor and I figured a healthy weight would be 250-275. 235, if I wanted to be a competitive body bulider or such, with extremely low body fat. But, back to the subject at hand. I got injured in the academy, trashed my knee out pretty good, and got dropped with 80 hours of classroom left. :/
I was injured, and the wife was pregnant. Not a good recipe for healthy weight. I shot up to 350 by the time my daughter was born. Yikes! Waited until she was 8 months, went back to work and began losing the weight. I got down to 325. Left CA. While moving our entire household on my own, due to all my help having "emergencies", I hurt my back. The weight started coming back. Then I fell down our stairs and hurt my tailbone. I couldn't sit up straight for 4 months. Screwed us pretty good financially. Luckily, when we moved to Oregon, we paid off our mortgage, and purchased a home for cash. Long and the short is, right now I'm around 340lbs.
I know what I need to do. I know what works for me. No "Atkins type stuff. If I don't get carbs, I will be in the paper for murder. No, what works for me is a high protein diet, with reasonable carbs and restricted sugar intake. The sugar part is hard, because my wife is a stress baker. Also what works for me is intensive exercise.
Why am I posting? Since I know what I need to do? Well, If I tell y'all what my plans are, I figure it'll help me stay "straight". I already cut out fast food weeks ago, not like I ate a lot of it, anyway. I'm kickstarting the exercise this weekend, clearing out what seems like a metric ton of weeds from my back yard, and building a fence around the garden area, then planting.
I'm not so worried about poundage, that's secondary. I do look forward to my pant size dropping. Now that summer is here, the bike is aired up and ready to go, so I can work on my cardio without destroying my knees.
So, wish me luck!

[Nathaniel Firethorn]

Good luck!

Mrs. Firethorn's in Weight Watchers.  Seems to do the job for her.

- NF

[grislyatoms]

"No, what works for me is a high protein diet, with reasonable carbs and restricted sugar intake. The sugar part is hard, because my wife is a stress baker."

Good for you, IMHO you're definitely on the right track.

Shortly after I got divorced, I hit 350. I was eating junk and fast food just about every meal. Began getting angina pain, was short of breath, "pre" diabetes, the whole 9 yards. Sawbones said "If you don't make a lifestyle change RIGHT NOW, you have a good chance of not seeing your daughter graduate high school."

Talk about an eye opener.

I started researching nutrition, diabetes, angina, excercise, everything.

A couple things I have learned:

1. Don't try to change too much too fast.
2. Don't sweat it too much if you mess up.

It's been a long (but educational!) 3-4 years breaking old habits and making new ones.

I shoot hoops whenever I have some free time, but I don't just stand and do free throws, I move around. A basketball is one of the best investments I have ever made.

I still have a bit of a belly but everything above and below is firm and solid. Weighing right around 250.

All the health problems are gone! I can actually even run and jog some now now, and I can see my feet!

I cook everything from scratch, no processed, fast, or junk food for me, as a rule. A little bit of lean meat, lots of whole grains, beans, rice, vegetables, fish and seafood, some fruit (there's only a few that I really like), etc..

Never have cared for sweet stuff, that's turned out to be a blessing.

Anyway, good luck, you can do it, (if I can do it with my poor discipline, anyone can) and if you want some good bean/rice/vegetable recipes, gimme a holler!

(Sorry about the disjointed thoughts, not quite awake yet. Oh, yeah, and watch out for the beer. As my sawbones said, "There's a sandwich worth of empty calories in every can!)

[TarpleyG]

You wanna knwo what works?  Stop eating so much or exercise more--one of the two.  I know this is not what you want to hear.  I am overweight and have been up and down all my life.  8 Years ago I was a nice trim 180# at 5' 9".  I ate like a bear but had to work out a bunch to keep it off.  Got engaged and stopped working out but kept eating.  Now I am teetering around 295#.  Now, I am not unlike you in that it is a well worn 295#.  I have a 44" waist and a 58" chest but it is still too much.  If I was 6' 3" or something it'd be perfect.  So, bottom line is that you (and me) need to stop eating so much.  How many calories a day do you think you eat now?  Don't know?  Start counting...for about 2 weeks.  Once you have a benchmark, cut it in half and you'll see weight start coming off.  Hit a plateau you say???  That's when you gotta hit the gym just a bit and start eating a tad more.  Also, don't concentrate on a weight number--shoot for a pants size or something.  Guys like you and me cannot get by with what a police academy or the Marine Corps says we should weigh.  Good luck and I wish I could get my lazy ass motivated again.

Greg

[Fjolnirsson]

Stop eating so much or exercise more--one of the two.  I know this is not what you want to hear.

Actually, that's exactly what I am doing. I've known for a long time that this is what works. Just a matter of getting my lazy butt to do it.

[kudu]

I didn't have as drastic of a weight problem, 6' 2",  When I hit 265 right before Easter, and didn't feel good half the time because of my gut hanging out in front of me, I decided to lose weight.  I quick drinking any soda pop, no caffeine at all, went light on the carbs, and lots of meat and vegies and fruit.  I didn't cut the carbs entirely, as I love pasta and breads, but eat about 1/4 of it as I used to.  I have lost 25 pounds now and still losing about a ound and a hlf a week.  I want to hit 220

[stevelyn]

Atkins is the only thing that worked for me. It's not "no carbs", (except for the first two weeks) but rather low carbs and the right kind.
There are a couple of other plans out there like "Neander Thin" by Ray Audette and "Sugar Busters" . Regardless, you won't lose the weight and keep it off without restricting the carb intake. It's just a fact of evolution.

[Standing Wolf]

Best of success, eh?

If all else fails, take up smoking.

[Brad Johnson]

I've lost 35 lbs since January by simply eating right and exercising regularly. The eating part consists of nothing more than a balanced, healthy diet with lots of fresh fuits and veggies, an effort to curb the calorie-intense foodstuffs (high fat content, concentrated sugars, etc.) and a general process of moderation in all things. My only guideline is keeping my calorie intake at less than 2000 a day. What helped more than anything was a conscientious effort to take smaller bites, chew slower, and enjoy my food more.

I also bought a used treadmill and parked it in the middle of my living room so there is no excuse to ignore it. I slowly worked up to three miles at day at a 3% incline in 45 minutes. And I do it 6 days a week. No excuses, no "I'll get to it tomorrow". I just get on the silly think a do my miles while watching TV or listening to the radio (a good thumping rock channel at high volume is great to walk to!)

Blood pressure is down, energy is up, and I feel about a jillion times better.

Brad

[Waitone]

Going through it now.

What is working for me is:
--No sugar, period.
--Nothing with white flower in it.  Whole wheat is good, white is bad.
--Eat only when a>it is the right time of day, and 2>I'm eating at the table.  No snacks.
--No cheese products.
--Walk aggressively.  I do 1.2 miles at a time mostly up hill.  Rough for a few days but afterwards it feels good.
--Don't use the scale.  The change to your body shape is where the gratification is, not the scales.

--I also monitor my blood pressure and it really does improve with exercise.

Good luck.

[Jamisjockey]

Try cycling.   After I got married, I put on 20lbs.  That put me at 164, my max weight (I'm 5'3") for the Marine Corps.  After my EAS in '97, I promptly began putting on more weight, another 30lbs in 1 year.  I plodded along at 195 for awhile, shaped like a bowling ball.  We moved to Utah about 4 years ago, and I began having back problems.  Went to phys therapy for that, lost a few pounds, picked up a nice shiny road bike, and promptly lost 10lbs before winter set on.  Now, I'm an amateur racer, and weigh in at 155 (160 in the winter).  I have a sweet tooth and a beer tooth, and haven't given up either.
Cycling is a big commitment, but for about $500 you can get a comfort-hybrid.  (Avoid anything with a front shock in this price range).  Start with an adustable stem so that you can be upright and comfortable, and lower it as your belly drops.  Get some loose-fitting mountain bike shorts with a chamois for comfort.  Try out some different seats to get your butt the best fit.  Big and wide isn't actually very smart, as they can cause numbness and chafing.  The skinnier seats are better, as your sit-bones are what park on them, limiting discomfort.  
If you have anything to live for, wear a freaking helmet.
Start with short rides by yourself or with a more experienced.  Put a cyclomoter on the bike to mark off your distances, and go from there.  The more you do it, the faster you get, the more weight you lose.
Also, add in a workout with very light weights, high reps, and do not rest between exercises.  Don't neglect your upper body!  An overall fitness regime will help you burn it off fast.  You big guys can actually make some huge losses, so you might see some real good progress fast.
Good luck.  Get healthy and you'll never look back!

[RocketMan]

Fjolnirsson,

Aren't you around Sweet Home or Lebanon?  Drop me a line, I'll get my bike out and we'll pedal a few miles.
I know a few places around Albany that are pretty good, road or dirt.
Are there any out your way?

RocketMan

[Jamisjockey]

Cycling is a big commitment, but for about $500 you can get a comfort-hybrid.  (Avoid anything with a front shock in this price range).

But I like my Trek Hybrid.

When I want something comfortable I get on the Cyclocross bike....fat tires and a steel frame!

[Sean Smith]

I've paid alot more attention to my diet lately, not because of weight, but because of cholesterol starting to get high even though I was exercising 3-5x/week.  Some suggestions:

-You are probably eating high-calorie things regularly that you actually don't enjoy that much.  Cut them first.  
-Take your vitamins.  
-Low sodium V8 juce is a good way to get extra vegetable servings in your diet in a fast, portable way.  Just get the little cans and keep them handy.  
-Eat more slowly.  When you aren't hungry anymore, just stop.  Sounds simple, but it can be weirdly difficult to leave food behind on purpose.
-Drink lots of water.  Make a point to add a glass with each meal, and between meals.  It makes you feel better & makes you less hungry.
-Weigh yourself every day and at the same time.  Your weight can swing 3-5 pounds depending on the time of day you weigh yourself (mostly in water content).
-Substitute low-fiber carbs with high-fiber carbs.... whole wheat bread instead of white bread, for instance.
-Don't TOTALLY give up on food you like.  Better to have a burger (or whatever) once a week, than to give up all red meat completely and go mental as a result.  Just don't go insane.
-Be aware that drastically cutting the fat in your diet will probalby make you hungrier most of the time.
-Eating more meals that are smaller is actually helpful if you want to lose weight.  Just take a meal, and split it in two, and eat the halves a couple hours apart.  This is not the same as adding snacks in-between meals that stay the same size.  
-I don't think "power bars" and the like are a substitute for real food, but they are alot better than a candy bar if you have a sweet tooth.  Calories are about the same as a Hershey bar, but with 1/9th the saturated fat, some fiber, some vitamins, and the carbs aren't all pure sugar.  I happen to like Cliff Bars.

If your joints are giving you problems, you might also want to consider swimming.  Also, eliptical crosstraining machines are good for a cardio workout that won't beat up yor joints, I used one alot when I was getting over a really nasty ankle sprain & the pounding from jogging still hurt.

Incidentally, doing the above caused me to lose about 5 pounds in 3 weeks while eating more.

[mtnbkr]

What Sean said is right on the money.  In fact, it's so close to what I'm doing now, it's scary.

Doing that has cut 30lbs off my body in less than 4 months.   Turns out, I had a high fat, high carb, high calorie diet.  I'm substituting lots of fruit and veggies in place of the fat and carbs.  

Chris

[K Frame]

"Doing that has cut 30lbs off my body in less than 4 months.   Turns out, I had a high fat, high carb, high calorie diet.  I'm substituting lots of fruit and veggies in place of the fat and carbs."

I take it you won't be participating in next years bacon smoke?

[mtnbkr]

I take it you won't be participating in next years bacon smoke?

Did I *say* that?   I will, but it'll take longer for me to consume the fruits of our labor.

Chris

[K Frame]

"our labor."

our labor?

Thank God I had you to talk to during the 10 hours I was tending the smoker. I would have gone nuts otherwise.

You were pretty silent, but I knew you agreed with what I was saying. You kept wagging your tail.

Wait...

THAT WAS MY DOG!

[mtnbkr]

I provided long distance moral support.

Chris

[K Frame]

The Field Artillery provides long-distance moral support...

[Fjolnirsson]

Heh. So, it turns out, after that first post, I got weighed, and the doctor's scale read 360.

As it turns out, the exercise didn't take off as smoothly as I'd hoped. However, there is good news. At the start of August, I weighed in at 348.
Since then, I started a very physical job, which helped a lot toward my weight loss goal. The job is now gone, (temp work), but the results so far are pleasing.
I'm down to 325, and my pants have dropped from a 52 to a 44.
I've lost almost two years of fat. Another half pant size, and I'll be where I was in January after the Academy.
It's much easier to conceal my Glock, now that I don't have all that fat shoving it out!

[brimic]

Since then, I started a very physical job, which helped a lot toward my weight loss goal. The job is now gone, (temp work), but the results so far are pleasing.

I find that the job I do has more to do with my physical fitness than anything else. I weight 280 right now (I'm 6'4"). 3 years ago I weighed 235. Coincidentally, 3 years ago I got promoted to a managerial paper shuffling type job.

In college, my weight went up to 260 when I was delivering pizzas. I took a job in  factory where I built French double doors and loaded semi trucks- weight went down to 225.

There are some hobbies one can do to keep in shape and have fun at the same time: Upland bird hunting (grouse, pheasant, quail), landscaping/tree planting, and trout fising- all of these require a lot of physical exertion.

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

I'm in the same boat.  Took a desk job a year and a half ago, and gained too much weight.  I've never been a trim, skinny man, and that's fine, but I'm larger than I should be.  I'm trying to cut out soda, and fatty foods.  Going to start walking nightly, and last week I started doing situps and pushups before bed.