lol's weight loss journal

lol

lol

Member
Hello World
Happy Wednesday. I noticed that someone else on here has a weight loss journal on here, so I am going to start my own! Muhahaha!
I currently weigh 260lbs. I am 6ft tall. When I started losing weight, I weighed about 270lbs at the beginning of February. So, ten pounds a month so far.
Things I have done:
1. Quit drinking soda/pop.
2. No fried foods.
3. Make a support team of family and friends.
4. walking, weight lifting, and jogging every day/other day. I walk every day of the week. I jog 3 times a week. I work my pulling muscles (aka biceps) on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I work my pushing muscles (pectorals, legs) on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
So far, I have increased my bench press weight from 135 to 170 in the last month that I have been working out. I have been able to walk and jog longer then usual as well. I feel better that I don't have any caffeine in my system either. So... Yeah, I'm going to keep a journal on here as well. Any objections?
 
el guapo

el guapo

Active Member
Glad to see a trend starting.
Last January I decided to get in shape. I was 5' 10" and weighed around 210-/+. I joined a local gym and began training in Brazilian Jiu jitsu, Muay Thai kick boxing, and Crossfit. I was lucky to run half a mile with out stopping to take a breath and eat a few donuts . I changed my diet and life style. The physical part was easy to over come the mental part was tough. You see your brain tells your body its tired long before its actually tired. You have to learn to over come the mental part of it all. Now I weigh 170 pounds and can keep up with the big dogs in the cardio dept. All I can say is treat everyday like its a new day. If your not getting the "quick" results, Don't worry its better to see small gains over a long period then to drop a lot of weight and then gain it back. Don't worry about yo-yo'ing a pound or two, It happens. Just stay focused and mentally up to the challenge. I don't always have the best answers but if you ever need advice or just some encouragement let me know. I have helped to keep RU motivated and he has had some pretty good results.
This is a picture from last Friday. We drive up to Red Rocks to run the stairs/bleachers. Its 6700 feet above see level , there are 69 rows of seats. We run from the bottom to the top only stepping on the wood edge of each level (look close to judge how much of a step up that is. WE do this multiple times as well as fast feet up the stairs at the end. I'm not trying to brag just saying you can do what ever you put your mind to. You body can go farther on less than what your brains says it can.
 
lol

lol

Member
My Caffeine Addiction:
Yes, like many Americans, I was also addicted to caffeine. I drank maybe a pot of coffee a day, and at least 4 to 5 soda pops on top of that. Maybe I would have a sweet tea as well. I would take a couple of those no-doz tablets to keep myself up at night while I studied. The average American consumes 300mg of caffeine before lunch! Caffeine is one of the legal psychoactive drugs that alters your world view. Here are a few of the other effects of caffeine on your body:
Nervousness, headache, increased heart rate, irrecular heartbeat, anxiety, upset stomach, irritability, GI irritation, elevated blood pressure, agitation, heartburn, increased cholesterol, tremors, diarrhea, nutritional deficiencies, insomnia, fatigue, poor concentration, depression, and dizziness. http://www.celestialhealing.net/caffeine.htm
Caffeine is a drug - simple as that. It is currently being studied for the possible cause of dementia and alzheimers(sp?). Combine caffeine with a syrupy substance like coca cola and here is what you get:
Here’s what’s in Soda Pop:
Phosphoric Acid: May interfere with the body's ability to use calcium, which can lead to osteoporosis or softening of the teeth and bones. Phosphoric acid also neutralizes the hydrochloric acid in your stomach, which can interfere with digestion, making it difficult to utilize nutrients.
Sugar: Soft drink manufacturers are the largest single user of refined sugar in the United States. It is a proven fact that sugar increases insulin levels, which can lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, weight gain, premature aging and many more negative side effects. Most sodas include over 100 percent of the RDA of sugar.
Aspartame: This chemical is used as a sugar substitute in diet soda. There are over 92 different health side effects associated with aspartame consumption including brain tumors, birth defects, diabetes, emotional disorders and epilepsy/seizures. Further, when aspartame is stored for long periods of time or kept in warm areas it changes to methanol, an alcohol that converts to formaldehyde and formic acid, which are known carcinogens.
Caffeine: Caffeinated drinks can cause jitters, insomnia, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, elevated blood cholesterol levels, vitamin and mineral depletion,

[hr]
lumps, birth defects, and perhaps some forms of cancer.
http://www.oleda.com/oleda_tips/tips.asp?dept=48
Don't drink the stuff.
 
lol

lol

Member
By the way, I am currently a month and a half into drinking only water and occasionally skim milk. I got off of my soda pop addiction and now I feel great. I feel almost like a new person. My blood pressure has gotten better. I can breathe easier - and combined with exercise I am losing weight slowly but surely.
If you think about it, a 20oz can of soda can have 10tsp of sugar (in the form of high fructose corn syrup) and about 120 calories. If you drink on average 4 of those per day - you've consumed 480 empty calories!
If you think about it, the general rule of thumb is to reduce your diet by 500 calories per day and you will eliminate 3500 calories per week out of your diet. 3500 calories makes up about 1 pound of fat. By me not drinking soda, I am cutting about 500 empty calories out of my diet and have been losing an average of 1 pound per week without exercise.
Most of you might be saying that it's not as simple as that. Well, to tell yah the truth... it isn't. I have been losing an average of 1 to 1.5 pounds per week since I have made simple lifestyle changes. Including walking and being more active. You can't just do it one day and then not follow it the next. A diet is everything that you eat - so step 1 is to be more conscious of what you eat.
 
lol

lol

Member
So, I guess the next thing I want to discuss in more detail is to be more aware of the foods that you eat. I didn't say eliminate these foods from your diet- just be aware and maybe share them with a friend or two or three...
Outback Cheese Fries: 2900 calories
Applebees: Tortilla Chicken Melt appetizer: 480 calories
IHOP: Omelette Feast has 1,335 calories and 35 grams of saturated fat.
six Hooters chicken wings have between 520 and 726 calories
Romano's Macaroni Grill Spaghetti and Meatballs with Meat Sauce
2,430 calories 128 g fat 207 g carbs 5,290 mg sodium
Uno Chicago Grill Pizza Skins (full order)2,400 calories 155 g fat (50 g saturated) 3,600 mg sodium
Chili's Smokehouse Bacon Triple-The-Cheese Big Mouth Burger with Jalapeno Ranch Dressing2,040 calories150 g fat (53 g saturated)110 g protein4,900 mg sodium
P.F. Chang's Tam's Noodles 1,678 calories 93 g fat (17 g saturated fat)
T.G.I. Fridays Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad 1,360 calories
http://eatthis.menshealth.com/conten...ticle=1&page=1
Worst "Healthy" Sandwich
Blimpie Veggie Supreme (12")
1,106 calories
56 g fat (33 g saturated fat)
2,831 mg sodium
96 g carbohydrates
The Worst Food of 2009
Baskin Robbins Large Chocolate Oreo Shake
2,600 calories
135 g fat (59 g saturated fat, 2.5 g trans fats)
263 g sugars
1,700 mg sodium
etc... etc...
 
lol

lol

Member
The next two days are going to be gruesome for me. I'm going to watch my diet, but I don't think I'm going to be doing any formal exercising because I have to work for someone - doing a lot of physical labor for the next ten days. The next three days are going to be very stressful for me. Say a prayer!
 
el guapo

el guapo

Active Member
Originally Posted by lol
http:///forum/post/3243353
By the way, I am currently a month and a half into drinking only water and occasionally skim milk. I got off of my soda pop addiction and now I feel great. I feel almost like a new person. My blood pressure has gotten better. I can breathe easier - and combined with exercise I am losing weight slowly but surely.
If you think about it, a 20oz can of soda can have 10tsp of sugar (in the form of high fructose corn syrup) and about 120 calories. If you drink on average 4 of those per day - you've consumed 480 empty calories!
If you think about it, the general rule of thumb is to reduce your diet by 500 calories per day and you will eliminate 3500 calories per week out of your diet. 3500 calories makes up about 1 pound of fat. By me not drinking soda, I am cutting about 500 empty calories out of my diet and have been losing an average of 1 pound per week without exercise.
Most of you might be saying that it's not as simple as that. Well, to tell yah the truth... it isn't. I have been losing an average of 1 to 1.5 pounds per week since I have made simple lifestyle changes. Including walking and being more active. You can't just do it one day and then not follow it the next. A diet is everything that you eat - so step 1 is to be more conscious of what you eat.
Your dead on right with the effects of the Soda pop. Water is a great idea. If your skipping on the milk make sure your taking a supplement that is going to help replenish calcium in your system. Stay away from fruit juice also its not much better than soda. Its often thought that Juice = fruit. This is not so, most of the "good stuff" in fruit is striped away as they make juice. Your left with mostly water and sugars. you losing the fiber and alot of the vitamins.
 
lol

lol

Member
I absolutely agree. If you are going to drink fruit juice, it's better to just go ahead and eat the actual fruit and get the pectin, antioxidants, and fiber that the piece of fruit contains, rather then the juice with all of that sugar.
I don't drink much milk, it hurts my stomach a little. I try to eat other things that contain a fair amount of calcium, however. I saw, by researching, that Vitamin C will help you lose weight. I also saw that by taking fish oil, you will increase your metabolism and lose weight a little quicker then that. Potassium is also a great way to increase your metabolism - it helps balance out your bodies water cycle.
 
lol

lol

Member
good news everyone - I've lost 4.6lbs since the 2nd of this month.
I just made a thing of sweet tea, I used 1/3 cup of sugar and a ton of water/tea mix. I know that I am drinking a little caffeine, however it's not as much as I was consuming. I made it because I can't stand the taste of the tap water where I am living, and haven't had a chance to get by the grocery store to buy bottled water. The funny thing is that this sweet tea actually tastes sweet to me. I used to put at least a cup and a half (maybe more) of sugar in my tea to even taste the sweetness, and now I can taste the sweetness with only 1/3 of a cup!
As far as the physical labor goes, the job was not required of me. So, I am kind of relaxing this weekend - I have to work this evening at my other job. My wife is going to go grocery shopping this afternoon.
Speaking of groceries, I am seriously considering buying groceries from angelfoodministries.com and picking them up at a local church. Times are tough right now, and we've been running low on funds for groceries lately. Doesn't seem fair. Anyone have good experience with this group who would like to share?
4.6 pounds in 10 days (I measured myself yesterday evening after eating) isn't that bad of a thing in my opinion. I have been working hard for it - but I haven't been over doing it in my opinion. Hopefully I will be losing on average 4lbs to 5lbs every two weeks because my body is used to it now. YAY! That's a very big hurdle for me, and I've overcome it!
Now it's time to lose the rest of it and I'm on my way. By the way, I have a motivation for losing weight. Check it out: http://www.coldsteel.com/espadaseries.html I'm already saving for it - so when I do meet my 200lb goal, I can buy that sucker! My wife has already made an allusion that she was going to buy it for me for Christmas anyway. So, I guess I'ma gona tuck away $10 and $20 here and there when I can for the next six months.
Being a college student for so long sucks. After the next two years, I'll be ready to get into the job market and start a career. Hopefully I'll be happier then. Going to school and working - you never seem to have any money.
 
lol

lol

Member
This is my birthday weekend! My wife took me out to eat Chinese food. yum. I tried to stay away from as much fried food as I could. No cake and icecream, that will come later this week.
I'm still on my diet and going strong. I'm saying no to the little things that add a lot of extra calories. I noticed that when I was eating that chinese food today, I couldn't eat as much as I used to - so I know my stomach is shrinking. yay!
I'm going to get back on my exercise routine tomorrow. I'm going to be jogging a mile and walking a mile and then lifting weights again before my 11AM class. It's not easy starting a routine. I'm just now getting in the habit of doing it habitually. Because it is my birthday weekend, I had a Dr. Pepper soda... and it was really super sweet. Like... I tasted the syrup. lol. My body is craving water - and I find myself wanting water more then any other beverage.
So, I don't know if I have said it yet, but I have lost nearly 5lbs in the last 12 days. yay! Now if I can just keep it going. I guess my body is getting used to losing weight, and it just took a month to get used to the changes. So - I'm posting practical results for anyone that wants to lose weight! woot!
 
el guapo

el guapo

Active Member
Keep up the hard work. It will pay off in the long run.
The angel food thing is a great deal. My Dad and step mom have done it for a while now and last year they got my sister doing it too .
 
lol

lol

Member
Hello world,
I started making small lifestyle changes last month in February. I stopped drinking soda, which was a major hurtle, and I continue to struggle with it. I have started eating less, and I can tell that my stomach has shrunk a little since then. I crave water more when I get thirsty. It's like a coke just won't quench the thirst - and my body craves water. I am no longer drinking or consuming a ton of caffeine like I was. I started to walk for a few weeks and right now I can muster up the strength and stamina to start jogging for long distances.
Month one:
1. Stop drinking soda! It's bad for you! See my old posts to discover why!
2. Watch portion sizes. Get rid of "ands" like burgers "and" fries. Just eat the burger.
3. Become more aware of your calorie intake. (buy a good book like Eat This not That.
4. Get off of caffeine.
5. Start walking or becoming more active in some way - at least 20 minutes a day.
Month 2:
1. Stop putting mayo on things. That's a big no no.
2. No more chips and other little high calorie snacks - go for the apples and oranges.
3. Eat more plants, but stay away from the Ranch "original" or caesar dressings.
3. Start taking a vitamin and mineral suppliment.
4. Start jogging.
And I haven't gotten into month three myself, but I am going to go ahead and post what I think I will do to further cut down my calorie intake and increase my exercise:
Month 3:
1. Possibly start halfing portion sizes and making up for it by drinking more water to fill me up.
2. Snacking on healthy snacks during the day when I get hungry.
3. Increase exercise intensity. I'm going to step it up a notch. I'm either going to increase my speed or increase the length at which I jog.
4. Become even more aware of what I eat and the choices I make.
 
lol

lol

Member
Hey all,
I haven't posted in here in awhile, so I will go ahead and update everyone. I've been doing well on my diet. I haven't been eating sweets and I have been watching my portion sizes. I haven't been double eating, like I have done in the past. I am still not drinking any soda, which is awesome IMHO. I jogged the other day 3.5 miles on the tredmill - so I am going faster and longer then I used to a few weeks ago. I'm feeling much better and I can tell that I have lost some weight in my face.
I just got through two interviews somewhere that is better then my current job, so if I can get through this next interview I'm hired. Please, if you can, pray for me or if you don't like doing that - just wish me luck.
Thanks for the encouragement ya'll!
 
lol

lol

Member
When I started I weighed 270. Today I weigh 249. I have lost 21 pounds so far. Thank you.
I still have 49 to go before I'm satisfied.
 
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