Dieting

[Steely Glint]

Ah, right.

Well, if you're going to try some exercise I'd recommend some running over going to the gym. As you pointed out, going to the gym costs time and also money. It is also boring as shit unless you're lifting weights. Going for a run is free, you can start and end at your own doorstep, and it's not as boring and obsessing over your time is a good way to get you out there when you don't feel like it. But then as I recall you live in some kind of post-apocalyptic urban wasteland full of drug dealers, motorcycle gangs and burned out buildings so maybe that's not such a great idea. Games like football are good also, as is swimming (which is also boring).

[wiggin]

So you are really saying that jogging on soft terrain three times a week will kill your knees when you're 55? I'm sure your research disproves all other research then...

I said nothing of the sort. I just cautioned against going all-out into the running thing. Lots of people get obsessive about running - I can't tell you how many marathon runners I know who are seemingly addicted to the activity. Moderate running is not particularly bad for you, and it has some advantages. But it's not a panacea exercise. Even 'soft' terrain can be problematic - anything ranging from growing joint instability to wear and tear injuries. You don't need to be sprinting on concrete every day to ruin your knees.

A more diverse mix of exercises, especially including some low-impact activities that still involve cardio, is likely to result in better long term health.

(For the record, it's not my research - there's plenty of data out there on the effects of running on joint health, and I doubt you've read any of it.)

[RandBlade]

But then as I recall you live in some kind of post-apocalyptic urban wasteland full of drug dealers, motorcycle gangs and burned out buildings so maybe that's not such a great idea.

Eh? No, I live in a nice new development, though quite near to a Council House estate that does have the drug dealers etc so any strife we get comes from over there. Our own area is quite pleasant - for a building site. Though having said its nice, in the year+ we've lived here we've had our home broken into (which I chased the intruder out of the building) and been evacuated by the Police one night after a neighbours property had the cardboard/paper recycling wheely bin set alight and pushed against and igniting his gas pipe. That was a copy-cat a week after the London riots though.

Have been trying to go for some walks though. If we go into town, I normally try and walk in, while there's a nice walk along the canal nearby.

[Aimless]

Ballroom dancing?

[termite]

Losing weight to look good on your wedding day is like cramming for an exam - it might get you over the line but it won't have lasting results.

Not to mention that it seems a shallow and vain motivation for not only change your entire lifestyle (which has got you this far) but you are also in for a considerable amount of suffering and self loathing - this last part will be mandatory if you have any hope of succeeding in this short term venture. (funny how I said "not to mention" and then went right ahead and mentioned it, that saying is as silly as looking good for 1 day only to spend the rest of your life the way you were meant to look - but I digress)

If you wish to succeed I must recommend a liquid diet, Vodka is your friend in this endeavour as this wonderful drink (vodka) has zero calories and is made from vegetable matter which I believe is good for you. You can of course mix it with low sugar juice (V8) if you must have actual fruit/vegetable content but only the first drink of the day (breakfast) or you will exceed your calorie quota (zero-ish).

Despite the diet being liquid you must sadly avoid beer, it is your enemy from here until your big-fat-wedding day.... it is at this point that the liquid diet seems like a cruel joke (liquids without beer you say?). YES!

You never heard anyone say: "That's the beer mate well done."

No, but they do say: "That's the spirit mate well done."

If you must eat I suggest...



...diet pills, eat as many as you can (lunch and dinner only, you already had juice with your vodka brekkie) and if you find they make you restless and fidgety, good, get off your fat arse and run around the block while your ticker is running at 200 BPM - god knows it has never gone that fast in recent memory (except that time you nearly got caught masturbating) so take advantage of the spare beats and use your feet.

Good luck Randy...oh FFS!

[Loki]

Vodka actually has 55 calories per shot (25ml).

[termite]

Vodka actually has 55 calories per shot (25ml).

Yes and I was clearly 100% serious.

[Loki]

Just 40% I think.

[LittleFuzzy]

Anyone got any thoughts on diets, dieting etc?

I've been slowly losing weight for about eight months. 30lbs so far *yeah it's been slow, but I haven't been gaining any of it back either* Exercising and weight-lifting and sticking with what I'm used to eating but in smaller portions; planning the day's meals out and counting each calorie so that I only take in about 17-1800. Sometimes I get the urge to splurge and I'll eat an extra portion or add in some chips or ice cream to a day's plan but afterward I go right back to the counting. I have another 15lbs I want to lose at a minimum and I'd really like to go a bit further and end up at 180lbs but I suspect I'll be taking a break from the strict counting and figuring out a "maintenance" level before I make that last push.

[Bitter Jeweler]

Juicing!

Lost 35lbs so far.
Thanksgiving and xMas put a hold on that, but getting back on track.

I have fresh fruit/veggie juice all day at work (40-60oz's), and a nice sensible dinner, often vegetarian.
I also drink lots of water.

In a half hour in the morning, you can make enough juice for the whole day.
There are all kinds of juice recipes, allowing you to vary greatly your nutrient intake.
Like anything, moderation is important. Beets, for instance, contain a chemical that in large quantities is difficult to metabolise. To much carrot juice, and you can turn orange. It's harmless, but still indicates variety is best.

Juice fast occasionally if you want some rapid loss. We're starting another here in a week. They're amazing!

[RandBlade]

So you juice them yourself? With some sort of machine I'm guessing?

[Bitter Jeweler]

Yes. Stephen makes juice at home for himself for the day, and I have a juicer at work.
It just made more sense for me to be able to juice at work, with my typically long hours.
This way I always have fruits and veggies available to me, to juice, or eat.
I stock my fridge twice a week. We've been doing this since August, I believe.

I will say, juice fasting in the fall/winter is harder. You start craving hot food.

This keeps me from going to the convenient store downstairs, or out to all the fast food available for lunch.

[Aimless]

Hmmm I wonder if it wouldn't be easy to go from that to microwave soup...

[Catgrrl]

I'm sure someone already said this, but don't eat that many bananas on a regular basis! They make you constipated. No good when trying to lose weight. One a day should be fine, though.

When I was losing weight it was because I was walking 4 or more days a week. Nicely paced walking for 30 minutes to an hour. I don't do running because it's bad on my knees and ankles. Biking would be a better method too if you live somewhere that is bike-friendly. I also was paying attention to what I was eating; trying to do more home cooked meals and small snacks throughout the day to keep me energized. Of course I was at my best weight directly after giving birth but that's not an option for you

I tried to lose weight before my wedding and that never really happened. So, I wish you better luck!

[Bitter Jeweler]

Hmmm I wonder if it wouldn't be easy to go from that to microwave soup...

Yes, but I don't like soup.

We did some tomato based juices as soup, it sufficed, but just not the same comforting feeling as a hot plate of food.

[Lebanese Dragon]

Eat whatever you want and run it'll solve all your problems. Good for you lungs, circulation, heart, endurance, weight, stress... running is amazing. Run three times a week for the rest of your life, and you'll be one of those old people who are still mobile.

[Bitter Jeweler]

Some people don't like running.

And if someone doesn't like doing something, what are the chances they won't do it?

[Lebanese Dragon]

Unfortunately the health doesn't care if you like how to achieve it or not. I will say this though, what always helped me:

1.) When you first start running it's a chore, once your used to it, it gets so much easier. the first week sucks 2nd week and beyond it's easy. Like starting that school project you never want to start, but once you start it, it goes well. It also feels really hard at start then your body adjusts, it feels much easier as well.

2.) If you can find a partner this helps a lot. When one person is unmotivated the other person is, adn vice versa, it's really nice. And they help you push your pace, since more than likely will be starting at different running levels. If you can find a partner be great.

[Catgrrl]

I get that a lot of people like to run. Personally, I'd like to be able to walk when I'm 60. Obsessive runners end up with blown-out knees, no cartilage left. A ex-coworker of mine is only 35 and she's already had foot surgery due to an injury she sustained running a marathon. Another has chronic knee pain; I left that job before he was supposed to consult a doctor about possible knee surgery so not sure what happened to him.

Brisk walking does wonders for the average person. If you're looking to get heart-rate up and such, fast pace walking can do it. Running to lose weight isn't a sure thing, nor is it necessarily the safest to do if you're overweight to begin with. Fracturing an ankle sucks ass.

[LittleFuzzy]

Eat whatever you want and run it'll solve all your problems. Good for you lungs, circulation, heart, endurance, weight, stress... running is amazing. Run three times a week for the rest of your life, and you'll be one of those old people who are still mobile.

Running is and always has been absolute torture. There's no easier second week, third week, fourth week, it is always agony. I might bike and I do plenty of walking, but I will NOT run. I hate it.

[Lebanese Dragon]

Get a partner to run with/light jog with for one full week; then come tell me each day of running is always torture and misery. Because it's not, your body adapts, and your biggest obstacles holding you back grow in strength and endurance quickly.

[LittleFuzzy]

Get a partner to run with/light jog with for one full week; then come tell me each day of running is always torture and misery. Because it's not, your body adapts, and your biggest obstacles holding you back grow in strength and endurance quickly.

You are not everyone. However something is for you does not make it so for everyone else. It certainly does not give you any basis whatsoever for ignoring what someone else tells you about how that thing is for them. I'm not interested in hearing this sort of born-again evangelical One True Way crap on topics where it just might have some actual weight, I'm sure as hell not going to put up with it here.

[Bitter Jeweler]

Fuzzy, my answer is simply "I have a partner, and he doesn't like running either."

[RandBlade]

There's horses for courses, the idea that only one thing suits everyone is nuts.

[LittleFuzzy]

There's horses for courses, the idea that only one thing suits everyone is nuts.

Rand, you were running for a while because you wanted to try that marathon, right? How did running go for you?

[Lebanese Dragon]

I'm not trying to ram it completely down anyone's throat... I will say the majority of people who overlook running is not because of some special reason that pertains to them, it's because they're intimidated by it. That could be different for you Fuzz.. maybe you are in a special boat, but 99/100 are not. It's a psychological game.

[RandBlade]

Rand, you were running for a while because you wanted to try that marathon, right? How did running go for you?

I did a Half Marathon. Completed it but had a mix of running and walking in it - finishing it was my target!

It went well at the time. I wasn't training to lose weight then I was doing it for charity, but my health improved and I did lose weight. The more I did it, the more I enjoyed it and the better I got at it. Interval training definitely worked the best. Once I had completed my target (the Half Marathon) I never ran again for ages though and when I next did I was back to where I'd started having to do the smallest intervals because I couldn't manage it anymore.

I know that running too much is meant to be bad for your joints, but so is carrying 70 pounds too much around with you all the time.

[GGT]

Late night TV is full of commercials for Nutri System and E-Diets. They have lots of actors and athletes endorsing their food, all sorts of choices (Diabetic, Male, Senior) supposedly based on glycemic index. Five meals a day, sent to your door, for about $10/day. "No shopping, no cooking, no dishes".

I don't know anyone who's done them, but somebody out there must be!

[Kazuha Vinland]

So Randblade, you're basically saying you knew how from the start. Then why...?

[oldmunchkin]

Well shit! I find myself here in this position of needing to lose weight, after years of not having to worry about it! I promised myself years ago that I would never get this heavy again, but I did! Personally, I think the doctors did something to fuck me up a year ago! No one gains 35 pounds in less than a month, but I (supposedly) did! Now I find myself 60+ pounds overweight again!

Realistically, I know what the cause of this mess is...I have sat on my ass for a year, with little to no exercise and munched my way to obese again! Unfortunately for me, quitting drinking fired up my pancreas again, so now if I even look at food I gain weight! I am flat out embarrassed to go out in public, which sucks because I have opened my own business!

A typical day's diet is something like this: 1 Pepsi in the morning (yes I know I should quit it all together, but I'm addicted) 1 bowl of corn flakes in whole milk, lettuce and celery to snack on, and 1 normal sized meal in the mid afternoon! All in all, my caloric intake is around 800 to 900 per day, and I'm still gaining weight! Yes, I now get out and walk at least 30 minutes a day, and sometimes lots more. Last summer, The Kid and I were averaging 6 miles per day together, and then whatever I did on my own before and after.

Mommymunchkin and I were trying to remember how I lost it last time, and she came up with the answer! Amphetamines!! Unfortunately, the quack here would blow a gasket if I even asked for any. But, Mom did say that I have never lost weight without pharmaceutical help in my life! I believe I am just fucked, if this is the case! What I know for absolute certain is, my joints are suffering, my hips and knees are currently shot. To say nothing of all I have to wear are ugly, ratty sweats!

Oh yeah, Rand, you CAN overdose on bananas. To be more precise, on potassium! The doc here had me on potassium pills last spring, until GGT pointed out I had the classic symptoms of potassium overload! I quit taking the pills in April...went in last week for a blood test and got the results yesterday..."Your potassium and magnesium levels are perfect, keep taking what you are taking!" I got the pleasure of telling this new quack I quit all those damned things last spring! There was dead silence on the other end of the phone, quickly followed by, "Uh, well, ok."