Akom a while ago had a thing about his weight loss, and i thought i would atleast have a place i could journal my own?

Today i start meal replacement shakes, twice a day, that my friend lost 100 pounds with. Went to a nutritionist for a idea of what better stuff I can have and cook instead of go out to assist with my diabetes. Lastly, starting a regular workout routine.

Today we walked a mile, which is abouut 5000 feet more than I have purposely walked any where in 10+ years :)

Starting weight is 364 lbs. 114 lbs to goal! See you in a week!

Good luck Greystone. Give us positive updates, I like to hear about these things!

:devil

Good luck mate. Her Indoors has been bugging me to start exercising more. I must admit I'm carrying a bit of holiday weight...about five years worth!

My college roommate just did those shakes and lost about 90 lbs. Its tough, but worth it in spades.
When you finish with the shakes and need to re-adjust to eating regular food, etc. may I also suggest checking out the Weight Watchers Online program they have. He's managed to keep all of the weight off and lost a bit more since.

Good luck Grey! Keep us updated on progress :)

Have you looked into the Nutrisystem stuff yet? I used it for awhile and dropped a good 20lbs before it was just too expensive to keep up with (it's like $400 a month when you add in the fresh produce you have to buy on your own)

But that wasn't bad for 2 months of it, if you follow it religiously (which most people don't) it's pretty effective and a little more appealing than just drinking a shake. It's just so damned expensive.

Edit: And just remember, a little bit every day of exercise is better than trying to make up for missing days and burning yourself out for the next day

Definite best of luck. I lost about 45lbs awhile back through diet adjustment and regular exercise. Keep focused, and it is very doable.

Good luck Grey!

For the record, Day 2 of walking a mile a day WAY more less fun!

So last night at dinner my girlfriend's boss told us that he runs 10 miles every day. About 11 years ago he decided he wanted to be able to run 10 miles, but having no experience or not being in shape, he knew he would have to build up to it and his goal was a mile a year.
He worked it out that a mile was 10 city blocks so he'd only add about 1 city block every month. So he ran until he got tired the first day and spent the rest of that month trying to run that same distance plus a little more until he got to the end of that extra block. Rinse and repeat and now he runs quite effortlessly 10 miles every morning. He said he lost quite a lot of weight that way.

Dunno if I'm gonna try it, but its pretty cool when you think about it.

Running 10 miles a day on concrete will take it's toll on the body. You have to break up that cardio; run, swim, bike, elipticals ect...

Yeah, I'm not saying its what everyone should do but I thought it was pretty neat none the less. The moral of that story is if you break it up into tiny increments it doesn't seem that bad.

Kinda like when I'm writing. I have a calendar and I put a red line through a day where I've written. Its become a bit of a game to see how long I can make that line before I take a break.

Very true, whatever it takes to get you motivated. I am in a slump myself, went from the best shape of my life to nor so good lately.

Good for you Grey! You have a bit more weight on you than I did, so initially it might be a little more difficult, but it is definitely worth the effort. My weight loss (140 lbs) remains as the biggest accomplishment in my life.

I don't really know where my motivation came from, but I do know that having people to answer to helped. Definitely keep us posted on your progress. I suggest posting your results once a week. Then you'll have someone to answer to every week. Also, be strong with your diet an exercise. If you keep up with one, the other will be easier.. they feed off each other.

What really worked for me was setting a calorie budget and becoming a hard core calorie counter. I wouldn't eat anything if I didn't know how many calories was in it. This also made me see junk food and snack food differently. They hold little value in satisfying hunger when it comes to the number of calories to volume of food. I found that eating high water foods, like grapes, is a great way to tide hunger for a small calorie investment.

However you go about it, I wish you the best of luck. I know the struggle you have in front of you, but trust me.. it's well worth it.

The keys to it is frequency, form/posture/technique, intensity and most importantly desire. Certainly it's easy to have a 'desire' to lose weight and get into better shape, but it can't stop there.

We have to find a way to find the 'desire' to change our poor habits, our lifestyles. A workout buddy, an Ipod (for cardio especially), short term-very accomplishable goals *Losing 3 lbs in a week* *Walking 1 mile* *working out 3 days in a week* *going a week without a soda* *going an entire day drinking nothing but water* as examples of very attainable goals. Once those goals are met, then you make the goals a little more challenging. Competing against yourself and TRACKING your progress is very helpful. The more you work out, the more you will WANT to change into a more healthy lifestyle.

Myself, if I'm spinning 4 days a week the last thing I want to do is sabotage myself by eating McDonalds and pizza everyday. Sure, possibly in the beginning it was difficult to say no to a tummy full of greasy garbage, but after awhile my body wouldn't accept it. Your's won't either. Train your body, train your mind and train your spirit.

Believe you can and you won't surprise yourself when you find out that you did.

:devil

Workout buddy helps a lot if you can get someone reliable (tougher than it may appear). Another big thing is just adjusting your activities -- make yourself walk to lunch, walk to the store if it's close enough, that sort of thing. I lost about 15 lbs a few years ago over a summer by moving someplace I could walk everywhere and doing so.

Here's a tip: focus on strength training at the beginning and cardio at the end. Your body is typically strongest at the beginning of a workout.

My workout routine usually consists of the following: 5 minutes of warm-up on the elliptical, 5 minutes on an indoor rower, about 50 minutes of strength training routines. I usually cool down with cardio for about 30-60 minutes.

If your gym has Kinesis or TRX Suspension Training, you'd be silly not to take advantage of these equipment. See if your gym has classes. TRX is an excellent and versatile piece of equipment; my ANG pilot friend who is deployed in Kuwait always brings one on a tour for a mobile workout.

As far as an indoor rower goes, I would use it without the straps. I see a lot of people using the rower who don't know how to use it properly. First, you should avoid using the foot straps and place your foot firmly on the pad, pushing into the pad as you make each row. Your foot should never come out from the pad. I typically like to do a gradient or pyramid: 1 easy row at 2:30, 1 medium row at 2:15, and 1 hard row at 2:00; 2 easy @2:30, 1 medium @2:15, 2 hard @2:00; 3 easy@2:30, 1 medium @2:15, 3 hard @2:00... all the way up to 10. That will take most people 5 minutes. Set the resistance between 5 and 6, and move it up as you become stronger.

Always set your resistance up on cardio equipment. I always see many in the gym that move fast with speed, but you receive better results when you set the resistance up to the point that it becomes costs more energy to move quickly. You will have twice the workout in less time. Gradually increase your resistance until you have peaked to maximum resistance.

Invest in a tablet like the iPad or Kindle. You won't even realize an hour has passed. I'm always running my rounds on the net news in the morning and night. Assuming you buy the low-end model of the iPad 3G, that's about $2.50/day for the first year (and just $25/month thereafter).

Hit the gym at least once a day. Approach strength training 3-5x a week, and cardio every day (if possible, twice a day).

When doing strength training, approach it in a cardio manner. For example: - if you're using the cross-chain, do it for 20 reps. Then move to a shoulder lift, do it for 20 reps. Then move to a parallel grip chinup, and do it for 10 reps. Continue in the same manner.

"Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise" should resound powerfully. Try to sleep before 10pm, and rise at 5am. Begin with a cardio workout in the early morning, and come back at night for strength training.

Invest in a personal trainer to keep you motivated until you are familiar with developing your own workout routine. If you have a friend, you can typically split the cost of a trainer. The typical rate is about $70/hour. Meeting once a week for an hour should deliver rapid results. If a trainer is still cost-prohibitive after splitting, I would browse Men's Fitness[1] and look at some of their workout routines. In the event that you will be self-training, it would be wise to have a knowledgable friend around to ensure you have proper form--this is to avoid injuring yourself.

Finally, it boils down to eating. The upside of building muscle is that you will be burning calories at a quicker rate, but the downside is that you may try to compensate in food. The good news is that when you sit on your butt with muscle, you will still be burning more calories than you ever did without muscle. Dinner should become the lightest meal; avoid eating processed food.

My typical eating pattern is as follows: for breakfast, 170g of blueberries, 170g of raspberries, a carb item; for lunch, anything low in salt, fats, and oils; for dinner, fish/meat, and vegetables. You should always reward yourself with a hearty meal; never ever feel guilty since that's the easiest way to drop out of a routine. Of course, yours will be very different from mine, but the guiding principle is to find food in its purest form. Visit your local farmer's market: pick out as many colorful fruits and vegetables, and they'll taste great, and you'll be supporting your local farmer. Kale, mizuna, turnip greens, sunchokes are great tasting vegetables that you'll find at your local market.

Good luck!

[1] Here's a good routine to start: http://www.mensfitness.com/fitness/workout_routines/802

Good luck with your program, Grey!

Week 1: 360 lbs. 4 lbs loss!!

Outstanding! Build off that momentum. It will get easier and easier and the lbs will fall off you before you know it.

:devil

Week 1: 360 lbs. 4 lbs loss!!

big ^s brah

Week 2: 358 lbs. 2 lbs lost.

Did have a cheat day due to my birthday and the subsequent bbq lunch and steak dinner my GF and friends took me on.

cheat days are ok as long as you don't do it too often. Keep going man. Congratulations on the loss. :)

Got to watch the cheating, it's extremely easy to have a cheat day and then say "oh I'll get back on the program next Monday" or similar. We're very good at rationalizing our desire to eat ice cream.

I seem to remember reading somewhere that you typically don't want to lose more than 2 pounds a week. If you can maintain a 2 pound a week pace for an extended period of time, you'll be doing quite well!

the 2lbs a week kinda scales as you go up, just shooting from the hip (not knowing his other underlying health history) Grey could prolly safely get away with losing 3-6 lbs a week easy.

Week 3: (forgot to update here :p) 3 More lbs. 355lbs.

Had to change to a different belt hole too!

Wife started weight watchers 4 weeks ago. She's down just over 10 lbs so far. I've lost probably another 5-6 lbs since she started too even though I'm not technically on a diet. I've just been trying to not eat a bunch of shit around her that's cruel to make her watch me eat.

Week 3: (forgot to update here :p) 3 More lbs. 355lbs.

Had to change to a different belt hole too!
Very nice!
I have to imagine it's a great motivator to keep going when you see tangible results like this, not just a number on a scale.

The best is when you have to go buy entirely new pants

Awesome Grey! got to keep the mantra "baby steps " in mind it took you a lifetime to get where you were so it will take time to undo it. it a proven that people who try to go to radical in changing their lifestyle are the ones most likely to fail in their goal.

Week 4 353 lbs, 2 more pounds.

Good good, keep it goin!

YAY for you!
Funny I'm actually picking things up myself. I gained too much weight after shoulder and ankle surgery; it feels so good to be able to run again. Exercise has such positive effects on mood and energy. Glad you've found it Grey, good luck to you :)

I think that's the best way to do it, a few pound at a time. There's nothing more painful than seeing people loose a stone in 3 weeks, because you know how temporary it's bound to be, and within a couple of months it's all back on again.

But by doing a little over a long time, your life-diet and style will gradually change with it, one hopes.

I could do with shifting some pounds myself. Put on about a stone since my wedding!

Ok I had to go convert stone to pounds... it's 14. Silly brit!

Haha!

I hate to be a grammar nazi, but unless it's different from American English, Halo, I believe it's lose--not loose!

Keep up the good work Grey.. While I am naturally fit and trim I can appreciate the hard work you are putting in.. Keep it up!

Sorry I havent updated I am down 32lbs!!!!! Though it is going to slow a bit, playing basketball with some friends and had a knee injury, so my primary source of exercise aka walking is on the sideliness

You live in Florida, they should be opening the pools up shortly.

I used to run cross country until I had a knee injury (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osgood%E2%80%93Schlatter_disease) of my own. You won't find any workout that is better on the joints and more effective at burning calories (due to the high resistance in the water but also due to the natural temperature regulation your body will do to keep it at 98.6 degrees) than a swim in a pool. Just a suggestion if you're looking for another workout opportunity.

Congrats on the progress!

Well done Grey - you should be proud of yourself.

Sorry I havent updated I am down 32lbs!!!!! Though it is going to slow a bit, playing basketball with some friends and had a knee injury, so my primary source of exercise aka walking is on the sideliness

WTG Grey! Keep up the great work and keep reporting your progress.

You live in Florida, they should be opening the pools up shortly.

I used to run cross country until I had a knee injury (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osgood%E2%80%93Schlatter_disease) of my own. You won't find any workout that is better on the joints and more effective at burning calories (due to the high resistance in the water but also due to the natural temperature regulation your body will do to keep it at 98.6 degrees) than a swim in a pool. Just a suggestion if you're looking for another workout opportunity.

Congrats on the progress!



Pffft I live in PA and I opened my pool on Thursday.... not that I dare get in with the water temp holding steady at 57 degrees. But I have hope itwill break into the 70s soon and then I'll be in there.

I have to agree 100% with what you're saying about pool exercises after having multiple ankle surgeries and multiple shoulder surgeries the only thing I have found that did not hurt was pool aerobics.

I also find that biking and kayaking as long as I don't overdo it work well for me too. Running is something I'll never be able to do again after my last ankle surgey this past August...my ortho told me to hang up the hopes and shoes b/c my joint is so far gone until they develop a tried and true joint replacement surgery I'm shit out of luck...which sucks b/c I love to run but more so it means an end to volleyball and basketball for me.

It needs to stop raining and get warmer I'm itching to get outside on the trail and in the water :(

Keep up the good work Grey, your story is inspiring :)

Bike riding is good too. But yeah, swimming is definitely the best aerobic exercise bar none.



:devil

40lbs down, but at a stand still. The knee injury turned out to be partial tear in my ACL and damage. Also there is some scar tissue form a high school football injury that is causing some issues. Looking like knee surgery is in my future.

40lbs down, but at a stand still. The knee injury turned out to be partial tear in my ACL and damage. Also there is some scar tissue form a high school football injury that is causing some issues. Looking like knee surgery is in my future.

well that sucks about the knee thing :( is surgery the only option? would PT/rehab help?

Try a rowing machine for cardio. Worked out well for me when I hurt my foot some years ago.

Don't let it derail your great progress. Exercise helps, but diet alone is enough to lose the weight. Just regulate your caloric intake as tightly as possible.

If you can talk to your doc about getting a PT consult, and then see about doing aquatic therapy so you can keep your activity level up. Also regular physical therapy would likely be good even before your surgery if you end up going that route, because the stronger you are before an ACL surgery the less you'll have to do after. Either way keep at it!

I have another MRI on Tuesday and then will get the verdict on what is going on from here.

You can still do a lot of stuff with a bum leg. I have had a few leg injuries and still managed to work out. it's a pain in the ass but still very doable

Kayak! That doesn't need legs and it's a helluva workout if you paddle and don't just float. I just went out today for the first time this season and I still feel like jello; I love it!

B/C of my surgeries/injuries I have to do cardio that isn't going to aggravate my bum joints. Biking, kayaking, aqua aerobics/swimming are about the only things cardio wise I can do. I can't even walk for long distances or my ankle bruises and puffs up b/c of my damage there that no surgery can fix present day.

Srsly, PT/rehab try it; don't just go for the knife option. Some surgeons are trigger happy, I'm a puss when it comes to being cut so I literally try everything else first... mostly b/c I hate never being the same... It's been a little over a year and I can only just now reach behind my back with my arm and unclasp/clasp my bra...and that's after 8 months of rehab 3 days a week with a PT... but my shoulder was 95% torn and b/c I don't sit still I busted the screws out after my first surgery and needed a second one 15 days after the first :\ . I've had 3 surgeries in less than 2yrs... 2 on my shoulder 1 on my ankle. Overall I've had 4 joint surgeries since 2003, again my ankle... so I'm 2 for 2 on each joint. I abused the hell out of my body when I was younger and still kind of do.

The point I'm trying to make is that I'm not bullshitting you. PTs are amazing today, they have some really great techniques and like Elemak said strengthen before you get cut so you're recovery is better. Knees like shoulders can be a very long recovery, any weight you can get off now before going under will better for you too. If you're partially torn I'd assume you'd be scoped and not actually filleted so that's better but were it me I'd try 4-6 weeks of good PT before I even let them scope me. I've decided I'll have to be almost dead before I get cut or have to take pain pills ever again.

I really wish you the best though and I love hearing about your progress. Any time someone takes control of their life and pushes their limits it is awspiring. So please keep us updated this is one of the few really good threads here right now :)

Just hit the big 50lbs lost. Knee Surgury in a couple days. Oh joyous bliss!!

I almost quit dieting becaue I dont have enough money to buy all new clothes :P

Great work. Keep it up.

Great news. dont stop just yet maybe during your surgery rehab you can take alterations =)

Just hit the big 50lbs lost. Knee Surgury in a couple days. Oh joyous bliss!!

I almost quit dieting becaue I dont have enough money to buy all new clothes :P

Damn thats a lot of weights. Big ^s

We were just studying knee stuff in my class, little trivial pursuit action for you here: Every 1lb you lose is 4% less pressure on your knee or some shit like that.