Anyone dieting?

[Charlotteman]

Throughout life most everyone ends up carrying around a few extra pounds at one time or another. Did ya ever have great luck losing weight, or do you have any pointers to share?

[suburban george3]

I prefer not to call it a diet, but a 'lifestyle change.' I have been more vigilant on what I'm eating, how it's prepared, and the quantity over the past year. To this point I have lost around 80 lbs. I am now adding even more exercise, as I still need to lose more.

Mostly, I've cut out most non-water beverages (I still have a diet cola or coffee on occasion), really cut back on carb intake, and have steered cleared of almost all fried foods. I also keep a log daily of my food intake and calculate nightly my carb/calorie intake to see how well I'm doing.

[Charlotteman]

^^^I think you hit on the crucial point----lifestyle change is the only "diet" that works.

What has worked for me is to divorce myself from the idea of three meals a day. I eat something every 3-4 hours....... an apple, an orange, a yogurt, a bowl of high grain cereal, a bowl of greenbeens, etc etc. No meals, just single servings of one food all throughout the day. I don't have a family to cook for, so this works for me.

I continue to cook for my partner (regular fattening foods) but I have no desire to eat any of it. Wearing size 38 trousers has come to mean more to me than eating a German Chocolate cake!

Oh by the way I have lost 56 lbs since May 1, and my goal is only ten pounds away. I did it without exercise: must be a record or something. hehhee

[davidals]

I prefer not to call it a diet, but a 'lifestyle change.' I have been more vigilant on what I'm eating, how it's prepared, and the quantity over the past year. To this point I have lost around 80 lbs. I am now adding even more exercise, as I still need to lose more.

Mostly, I've cut out most non-water beverages (I still have a diet cola or coffee on occasion), really cut back on carb intake, and have steered cleared of almost all fried foods. I also keep a log daily of my food intake and calculate nightly my carb/calorie intake to see how well I'm doing.

[Charlotteman]

I'm pretty scrawny, so no dieting, but I have taken a conscious, recent turn towards eating healthy; organic when possible, more fruit and vegetables. In past years, I've not always eaten healthy, and if sustained, that can be very self-destructive even if you don't put on weight.

[suburban george3]

David you bring up an excellent point. Just because a fast food junky is thin doesn't mean he/she can't have a stroke or a heart attack~~

[Raintree21]

Eat in moderation, don't splurge on high calorie items or overindulge with desserts, and exercise.

[Neo]

I have a long-term diet due to very high cholesterol so by nature I do what I can to eat low-fat meals and I try to stay away from certain meats such as pork as much as possible. I no longer eat fast food unless it is the occasional Chick-fil-a that comes about four times a year. I'm very thin and on the low side of weight for my age but that of course doesn't mean that I can stand to gain by eating fast-food or high-calorie foods which unfortunately is the thought that many American's have stuck in their heads. Regardless of your current weight or health issues it is always advisable to eat healthy meals if at all possible.

[Miesian Corners]

I've lost 40 lbs over the past year (205 to 165). Did it a terrible way: stress and not having time to eat. Even so, I like not being as heavy, so I've joined the ranks of those going to the gym. I'm trying to keep the weight off without resorting to the bad way I lost it to begin with. The gym at school is free and I use a personal trainer there twice a week (only $15 an hour!). Furthermore, I paid a visit to the nutritionist at school who told me the biggest enemy for my body type is sodium. Retain water AND get high blood pressure.

Be careful about loosing weight too fast like I did. It is not healthy!!! And on the vain side, not only did I lose my ass (literally--now I have a long back with a crack), I also immediately got wrinkles from the loss of chubbiness to my face. Now I'm an old(er) looking guy with no butt. It's hell finding jeans now.

[Recchia]

I lost 100 lbs three years ago and have managed to keep most of it save 10 lbs off. I eat whatever I want and just make sure to exercise a lot.

[dimebag1980]

Fook diets. I'm eternally on one. I have a heart condition, high blood pressure, and a laundry list of other ills. Considering I was once very fit, and 5 years ago I was running for over an hour every day... coincidentally nearly 5 years ago I got married.

But I'd rather be fat and happy with the one I love than fit and alone like I once was.

[runawayjim]

i'm trying to lose 50 pounds, hopefully before my wedding (though I don't know if that'll happen). i'm down about 7-8 so far. it's a very slow process for me. i have some joint problems that make some exercise tough. i used to run, but my knees can't take the impact anymore. we have a tony little gazelle that i use from time to time and my fiancee and i have been trying to go for 45-60 min walks every night after work, though it's been cold and rainy here lately.

she uses sparkpeople.com to track her weight loss and meals. they also have some decent recipes on there. it's a free dieting site. i have been drinking more water. i bring a 32 oz. nalgene bottle with me to work, drink it before lunch, go home for lunch, have a big glass of water with lunch, and refill the nalgene and drink it before i leave for the day. and then i have a beer after work (i drink 1-2 beers a night, i realize it's not the best dieting decision, but i really like my beer) and a couple glasses of water with dinner.

one of the most important things that many people overlook is a good breakfast. i have a bowl of frosted mini wheats everyday. while it's not the healthiest, it's not as bad as what i used to eat (usually something like cocoa pebbles or cap'n crunch). the shredded wheat keeps me regular and the frosted part keeps it sweet enough to enjoy. and i use 1% milk (i HATE skim milk, otherwise i'd use that). i have also basically stopped drinking sodas, both regular and diet, except on special occasions (like if i'm at a bbq or something).

[dimebag1980]

i'm trying to lose 50 pounds, hopefully before my wedding (though I don't know if that'll happen). i'm down about 7-8 so far. it's a very slow process for me. i have some joint problems that make some exercise tough. i used to run, but my knees can't take the impact anymore. we have a tony little gazelle that i use from time to time and my fiancee and i have been trying to go for 45-60 min walks every night after work, though it's been cold and rainy here lately.

she uses sparkpeople.com to track her weight loss and meals. they also have some decent recipes on there. it's a free dieting site. i have been drinking more water. i bring a 32 oz. nalgene bottle with me to work, drink it before lunch, go home for lunch, have a big glass of water with lunch, and refill the nalgene and drink it before i leave for the day. and then i have a beer after work (i drink 1-2 beers a night, i realize it's not the best dieting decision, but i really like my beer) and a couple glasses of water with dinner.

one of the most important things that many people overlook is a good breakfast. i have a bowl of frosted mini wheats everyday. while it's not the healthiest, it's not as bad as what i used to eat (usually something like cocoa pebbles or cap'n crunch). the shredded wheat keeps me regular and the frosted part keeps it sweet enough to enjoy. and i use 1% milk (i HATE skim milk, otherwise i'd use that). i have also basically stopped drinking sodas, both regular and diet, except on special occasions (like if i'm at a bbq or something).

[runawayjim]

You know, man, at one time I couldn't stomach skim milk... and now I can't even stomach 1%. It took me probably 1-2 weeks of using it before it became the only thing I would use with my cereal. Now any other milk seems too thick to me. Funny, but I NEVER saw myself consuming skim milk when I was younger. Now I love it...

[dimebag1980]

skim milk shouldn't even be called milk. i can drink anything 1% and above, but skim is just nasty. it's like white water.

[runawayjim]

There was a time when I said basically this exact same thing... and we're all different but I think it could grow on you. Trust me, I'm all about "flavor" so if I can use it and enjoy it, anyone can. I mean that. I like taste and I always thought of skim milk as basically water, and I'm telling you I never saw myself enjoying it. But now, that's all I can drink without thinking "what the heck is this??"

[Charlotteman]

Back when I lived in a hot climate, I drank skim milk for years. Then I moved and started drinking 2% . A few motnhs ago I tried skim milk and it tasted awful.....

Maybe I didn't drink it long enough to give myself a chance to get used to it again.

[Neo]

If you're local grocery has 1/2% you should try that. The taste is quite close to that of 2% IMO.

[erdogs]

It took me about two weeks of drinking skim milk before I couldn't tell the difference. Now if I try to drink whole milk it taste's too thick and I can't drink more than a few swollows. I don't drink anything but skim and won't ever go back.

[cinco]

^ i don't drink alot of milk and only keep a little skim in the fridge for coffee, but i used to eat cereal regularly. have you guys ever tried a soy option? thats what i used with cereal... more specifically i used "eden soy" brand. it took a second to acclumate but i eventually came to love and prefer the taste over milk... kind of a "nutty" undertone. anyways when i got married my wife preferred "rice dream" - a rice based milk... i thought it was alright, but not as good as eden soy.

[runawayjim]

^ i don't drink alot of milk and only keep a little skim in the fridge for coffee, but i used to eat cereal regularly. have you guys ever tried a soy option? thats what i used with cereal... more specifically i used "eden soy" brand. it took a second to acclumate but i eventually came to love and prefer the taste over milk... kind of a "nutty" undertone. anyways when i got married my wife preferred "rice dream" - a rice based milk... i thought it was alright, but not as good as eden soy.

[Charlotteman]

I've eaten oatmeal my whole life and always ate it with lotsa butter. All those years I wouldn't have imagined eating "plain" oatmeal.

But one day I stopped using butter in my porridge, and now I wouldn't be able to imagine it with butter. After giving up butter, corn on the cob also still tastes delicious, mashed potatoes and baked potatos taste great, etc

Maybe that's the way it works with most foods. You think you can't eat food without a certain fattening embellishment, but when ya get used to it you can't imagine going back. Milkfat must certainly be included in that argument. After drinking skim milk for a while, 2% would probably taste like syrup.

[UptownNewOrleans]

In a sense I am dieting because I've stopped drinking sodas (I'll have a coke once in a while) and carbonated fruit juices. Now I drink straight water. I've pretty much cut out sweets and junk food except for when I eat them once in a blue moon. Regular food, I eat whatever I want but it evens out because I do work out Ronnie Coleman style.