I lost 23 pounds in 2 months -- ask me how!

Just thought I'd share my good news while waiting for my usual noon Sunday City of Heroes session to get underway. For the last year or two, I've been telling myself that I need to lose weight and get in shape. I finally made the commitment this past April, when Ein_boser_Schotte (my sister's boyfriend) sent me a couple articles detailing the evils of high fructose corn syrup (the cheap sugar substitute used in most soft drinks). The fitness class he was taking as a part of his U.S. Naval Reserves training indicated that by drinking a couple of sodas a day -- and not changing exercise habits -- the average person would gain 18 pounds in 1 year. That was enough to convince me, so ever since April 5th I haven't touched soft drinks or junk food. I also bought a new bicycle to start getting some exercise, and had E_b_S draw up a simple free-weights workout schedule using some dumbbells he'd left here at the house. I started drinking a minimum of 144 fluid ounces of water a day -- which makes for plenty of visits to the Courthouse restroom, but it's nice to have an excuse to get up from my desk for a bit. The women I work with in the Warrant Division find difficulty in putting away 2 or 3 small bottles of Evian a day, but the last 15 years of 7-11 fountain drinks have made me more than capable of putting away 2.5 Double Gulps of water. I started consciously down-sizing my portions at mealtimes, and began taking small containers of raw carrots and broccoflower (a green/white hybrid of cauliflower (which I love) and broccoli (which I don't)) to work with me -- I'd been reading that it's better to have 5 or 6 small meals (or small portions at breakfast-lunch-dinner with some fruit/veg snacks in between) than to have 2 or 3 large meals per day (increases the likelihood of the body constantly burning what you put in it, rather than storing it up as fat, or some such thing).

Anyway, I didn't bother checking my progress by weighing myself, though. So many of the women I work with at the Court are on the Adkins Diet or the South Beach Diet or what-have-you, and they all seem so stressed out by only losing 2 lbs here or gaining 1 lb there. I wanted to wait a good couple of months before weighing myself, in the hopes of seeing a marked (and encouraging) difference. Yesterday, it occurred to me that it was 2 months to the day that I'd been off the junk food, so I figured I should probably hop on the scale to see what my progress was. After seeing the reading, I had to check the scale several times to make sure it was working. On April 5th, I weighed 194 lbs. Now, 2 months later, I weigh 171 lbs. Needless to say, I've been doing the Snoopy dance in my head all evening (I'm going to be so dead sexy by the end of the year ). Anyway, I'm rather excited, and I just wanted to share my good news with you lot.

If you're a heavy soda drinker, cut that shit the hell out. If you need a soft drink with a good dose of caffeine, go get a Monster Energy drink -- it's got all the caffeine but no high fructose corn syrup (and they put a bunch of other healthy stuff in it, too, but the lack of HFCS is the big deal).

--Chris

What if you dont drink soda already?

I've been doing the exact same thing for a few months now, and I can tell you that drinking water and eating better is making a world of difference for me.

Now I need to focus on quitting the smoking habit.

All those words and this is all you really needed to say:

"I exercised and started to eat right."

While it's great that you guys lost weight....why did you let it come that way in the first place?

anyway, keep it up.

Exercise, people. That's all it takes, and it's so much easier than you think. Make the time: exersice.

I'm going the other way. I'm having a hell of a time putting on weight (muscle). You think losing fat's hard? Child's play.

Spike

Good job, bro

I'm glad to see that another person has seen that weight loss doesnt have to be a torture-filled adventure or a gimmick diet thats sure to make you crash and burn later. Start small with some simple life changes and the results can be seen rather quickly. I love how people will complain about how they wanna loose weight but dont want to make any sacrifices....

broccoli >> cauliflower

Freak OF NATURE!

Nesagwa said:

What if you dont drink soda already?

Click to expand...

ditto

Dash no Chris said:

Just thought I'd share my good news while waiting for my usual noon Sunday City of Heroes session to get underway. For the last year or two, I've been telling myself that I need to lose weight and get in shape. I finally made the commitment this past April, when Ein_boser_Schotte (my sister's boyfriend) sent me a couple articles detailing the evils of high fructose corn syrup (the cheap sugar substitute used in most soft drinks). The fitness class he was taking as a part of his U.S. Naval Reserves training indicated that by drinking a couple of sodas a day -- and not changing exercise habits -- the average person would gain 18 pounds in 1 year. That was enough to convince me, so ever since April 5th I haven't touched soft drinks or junk food. I also bought a new bicycle to start getting some exercise, and had E_b_S draw up a simple free-weights workout schedule using some dumbbells he'd left here at the house. I started drinking a minimum of 144 fluid ounces of water a day -- which makes for plenty of visits to the Courthouse restroom, but it's nice to have an excuse to get up from my desk for a bit. The women I work with in the Warrant Division find difficulty in putting away 2 or 3 small bottles of Evian a day, but the last 15 years of 7-11 fountain drinks have made me more than capable of putting away 2.5 Double Gulps of water. I started consciously down-sizing my portions at mealtimes, and began taking small containers of raw carrots and broccoflower (a green/white hybrid of cauliflower (which I love) and broccoli (which I don't)) to work with me -- I'd been reading that it's better to have 5 or 6 small meals (or small portions at breakfast-lunch-dinner with some fruit/veg snacks in between) than to have 2 or 3 large meals per day (increases the likelihood of the body constantly burning what you put in it, rather than storing it up as fat, or some such thing).

Anyway, I didn't bother checking my progress by weighing myself, though. So many of the women I work with at the Court are on the Adkins Diet or the South Beach Diet or what-have-you, and they all seem so stressed out by only losing 2 lbs here or gaining 1 lb there. I wanted to wait a good couple of months before weighing myself, in the hopes of seeing a marked (and encouraging) difference. Yesterday, it occurred to me that it was 2 months to the day that I'd been off the junk food, so I figured I should probably hop on the scale to see what my progress was. After seeing the reading, I had to check the scale several times to make sure it was working. On April 5th, I weighed 194 lbs. Now, 2 months later, I weigh 171 lbs. Needless to say, I've been doing the Snoopy dance in my head all evening (I'm going to be so dead sexy by the end of the year ). Anyway, I'm rather excited, and I just wanted to share my good news with you lot.

If you're a heavy soda drinker, cut that shit the hell out. If you need a soft drink with a good dose of caffeine, go get a Monster Energy drink -- it's got all the caffeine but no high fructose corn syrup (and they put a bunch of other healthy stuff in it, too, but the lack of HFCS is the big deal).

--Chris

Click to expand...

Congratulations man....great progress...

Im in the same boat as spike, this time last year i wasn't fat but certainly wasn't toned or very strong. i bought some free weights last july and stopped drinking fizzy drinks ( still have the odd beer every week though so you dont have to totally go without) and the difference is unbelievable, my arms are simply rock hard and my i can feel my chest muscles actually bulge out, i sometimes cant' believe it's me. but the last few months i havent' seemed to gain any muscle at all , it's as if there's nothing left to develop. In fact i have booked to see the doctor because my weight has plumeted to 9 1/2 stone and my trouser size is roughly around 26", none of my trousers fit right anymore and i'm always tired, even after a good long sleep (10+ hours) .

I drink about 5 cans of coke a day........sad.

lemonflav said:

I've been doing the exact same thing for a few months now, and I can tell you that drinking water and eating better is making a world of difference for me.

Now I need to focus on quitting the smoking habit.

Click to expand...

shut up fatty, smoking is good for you. BUTTROK!

buttasuperb said:

shut up fatty, smoking cock is good for you. BUTTROK!

Click to expand...

Do you have any scientific evidence to back up your claim?

I would like to loose 20 lbs since I'm about 25 over my ideal weight. So I think I may just do that. I don't eat much durring the day but I get my fill at night. But I also drink way too much soda. The soda I have been wanting to stop drinking anyway. I chipped one of my teeth and since there is no enamel there I don't want to risk loosing it (Its one my my front bottom teeth).
Thank you slim fast, err... Dash no Chris

[edit]
Oh yeah and since my knee has healed from the surgury I can also play DDR again... yay!

Plisken said:

Im in the same boat as spike, this time last year i wasn't fat but certainly wasn't toned or very strong. i bought some free weights last july and stopped drinking fizzy drinks ( still have the odd beer every week though so you dont have to totally go without) and the difference is unbelievable, my arms are simply rock hard and my i can feel my chest muscles actually bulge out, i sometimes cant' believe it's me. but the last few months i havent' seemed to gain any muscle at all , it's as if there's nothing left to develop. In fact i have booked to see the doctor because my weight has plumeted to 9 1/2 stone and my trouser size is roughly around 26", none of my trousers fit right anymore and i'm always tired, even after a good long sleep (10+ hours) .

Click to expand...

Sounds like you're burning yourself out dude. Cut back a little on the exercise, and make sure you're eating properly. Don't worry about being thin, but about being healthy.

Spike Spiegel said:

Exercise, people. That's all it takes, and it's so much easier than you think. Make the time: exersice.

I'm going the other way. I'm having a hell of a time putting on weight (muscle). You think losing fat's hard? Child's play.

Spike

Click to expand...

If I can add 10 pounds of muscle I'll be happy. That comes out to like what, 500 extra calories burned per day. Basically, the more muscle you carry the more fat you'll burn. So I hear.

For you soda drinkers, try Polar-brand, flavored Seltzer water!
Comes in Cran-lime, lemon, wilderberry, and manderin orange.

Ingredients: Carbonated water and natural favoring

Yea at first it was pretty blah but I grew to like it. I'm one to definately like carbonated drinks and while I can't quit drinking them, drinking the Polar stuff is a great compromise. Over a few months, I lost about 15 lbs too.

Another hint for those of you who live on popcorn... try Act 1 94% fat free popcorn. According to the Weight Watchers scale, it is 0 points. The fiber in the popcorn negates what little fat is resident in the butter/salt mix.

My Fiancee has been on weight watchers for about 14 months now, and took her 12 of those months to drop from 165 to 115! 50 pounds! She had to convince her own physician that she wasn't starving herself. Dicipline was the key.

Dieting is about allowing your body to evolve itself to its new regiment, losing it slowly, and portion control. Exercise is a must.

Calories left over = Calories consumed - Calories burned

Sweet!

Dash no Chris said:

Just thought I'd share my good news while waiting for my usual noon Sunday City of Heroes session to get underway. For the last year or two, I've been telling myself that I need to lose weight and get in shape. I finally made the commitment this past April, when Ein_boser_Schotte (my sister's boyfriend) sent me a couple articles detailing the evils of high fructose corn syrup (the cheap sugar substitute used in most soft drinks). The fitness class he was taking as a part of his U.S. Naval Reserves training indicated that by drinking a couple of sodas a day -- and not changing exercise habits -- the average person would gain 18 pounds in 1 year. That was enough to convince me, so ever since April 5th I haven't touched soft drinks or junk food. I also bought a new bicycle to start getting some exercise, and had E_b_S draw up a simple free-weights workout schedule using some dumbbells he'd left here at the house. I started drinking a minimum of 144 fluid ounces of water a day -- which makes for plenty of visits to the Courthouse restroom, but it's nice to have an excuse to get up from my desk for a bit. The women I work with in the Warrant Division find difficulty in putting away 2 or 3 small bottles of Evian a day, but the last 15 years of 7-11 fountain drinks have made me more than capable of putting away 2.5 Double Gulps of water. I started consciously down-sizing my portions at mealtimes, and began taking small containers of raw carrots and broccoflower (a green/white hybrid of cauliflower (which I love) and broccoli (which I don't)) to work with me -- I'd been reading that it's better to have 5 or 6 small meals (or small portions at breakfast-lunch-dinner with some fruit/veg snacks in between) than to have 2 or 3 large meals per day (increases the likelihood of the body constantly burning what you put in it, rather than storing it up as fat, or some such thing).

Anyway, I didn't bother checking my progress by weighing myself, though. So many of the women I work with at the Court are on the Adkins Diet or the South Beach Diet or what-have-you, and they all seem so stressed out by only losing 2 lbs here or gaining 1 lb there. I wanted to wait a good couple of months before weighing myself, in the hopes of seeing a marked (and encouraging) difference. Yesterday, it occurred to me that it was 2 months to the day that I'd been off the junk food, so I figured I should probably hop on the scale to see what my progress was. After seeing the reading, I had to check the scale several times to make sure it was working. On April 5th, I weighed 194 lbs. Now, 2 months later, I weigh 171 lbs. Needless to say, I've been doing the Snoopy dance in my head all evening (I'm going to be so dead sexy by the end of the year ). Anyway, I'm rather excited, and I just wanted to share my good news with you lot.

If you're a heavy soda drinker, cut that shit the hell out. If you need a soft drink with a good dose of caffeine, go get a Monster Energy drink -- it's got all the caffeine but no high fructose corn syrup (and they put a bunch of other healthy stuff in it, too, but the lack of HFCS is the big deal).

--Chris

Click to expand...

That's KICK-ASS! Congratulations on all the goodness!

I see fat people ....

Dude that rocks!

Keep it up!

i lost weight by:

first month and a half - cut down on soda and fast food (either getting diet soda or water, and not eating everything). went from 215 to 195.

then i got the illshits - weird combination of food allergies, acid reflux etc for a whole month. couldnt eat the whole time. went from 195 to 180.

started working out for one straight month. diet consisted of salads, seafood, just water. no weight gain or loss.

more working out and same diet plus thermogenic supplements (fat burning pills) for the next 3 months. went from 180 down to 165.

essentially half a year. that's thru january.

i've been teetering since then nearly everyweek between 165 and 159 (so about 163). i still take diet pills every now and then, i eat a bit more regularly now, dont exercise as much but at least my weight has stayed relatively the same for the past 5-6 months. the only "regiment" i sorta stick to is lots of water (its main purpose is to suppress appetite) and try to not eat as much carbs/calories at night. i basically stick to that philosophy 90% of the whole week. the other 10% isnt enough to make me balloon up suddenly, essentially if i take in more, it's not enough that i couldnt burn it off.

i figured i had to do it while i still have some semblance of metabolism cuz i'll be turning 30 in a few months.

Questions

I greatly applaud the efforts of Dash these past few months. I have been on the proverbial soda wagon for about a year now and it has been great. If you have a need for a carbonated drink look for one of those energy drinks, oh sure they are full of things you are not able to pronounce, but they aren't half bad for you. I suggest monster as it is quite the buzzer. When I need that fix I grab one of those and continue on with my day. Converting to the water drinker will help to improve your physic and your stamina. You will notice an increase in energy a general lack of the lethargic feeling once bestowed upon you buy the soda. If you don't drink soda there could be something in you eating habits that need to be cut or modified. Don't listen to the other buggers when they say "how could you get to that point" don't worry about it, all can be routed. Your desire to better yourself is enough. Eating constantly during the day is much better than eating one lump meal, have snack of nutritional value throughout the day don't wait until you get home thinking that skipping a meal will help you to lose weigh. Eat to live not live to eat. If any of the NG forum members need some advice about weight loss/training or adaptive living feel free to give me a write. I have no desire to put any of you down just help out.
Cheers
Ein Boser Schotte

Kris



The Legendary Victorious Tartan Avenger lives

Spike Spiegel said:

Exercise, people. That's all it takes, and it's so much easier than you think. Make the time: exersice.

I'm going the other way. I'm having a hell of a time putting on weight (muscle). You think losing fat's hard? Child's play.

Spike

Click to expand...

This needed a quote to give it more attention.

Unfortunately I know too well what you mean with the last part as well.. I'm having the exact same trouble. But it's a luxury problem actually.