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02/24/2007 01:14:19 PM · #26 |
Originally posted by muckpond:
i did the weight watchers thing a few years ago with some friends. it was a good program, but i had 2 problems with it:
1) they use the BMI to calculate your "goal" weight. i hate the BMI. i'm a broad guy with a lot of muscle (mostly untoned, but it's there) and giant legs. they wanted me to get to 165 pounds based solely on my height (i'm average height) and my gender. there were no other factors (bone density, muscle mass, etc.) involved.
for me to ever get to 165 pounds, something's going to have to be amputated. i wouldn't be healthy at that weight. and they wouldn't make an exception without some kind of official form from my doctor. whatever.
2) i was one of only 2 guys in the meeting. it's really refreshing to see the guys in this thread. the other guy at our meeting was such a queen that i seriously considered changing meetings. i mean, i'm gay but this guy was so out there that he was more woman than most of the ladies in the class. and totally annoying.
anyway, that being said, i did lose 20 lbs. on it and would like to lose about 20 more (well, 10 more + 10 that i gained back *grin*). fella just signed up for the online stuff, but i'm forming a friend-based weight watchers club 'cause i'm more social. and i like to cook, so i'm always on the hunt for new recipes.
i'm gonna watch this thread. fun! |
My goal weight was 145lb, I made it down to 155lb and friends said I was starting to scare them. If I'd actually gotten down to 145, I think I would have looked like a melon on a toothpick. If you go see a Doctor and he tells you that your weight is healthy or gives you a goal weight, WW should accept that instead of the weight on their chart.
I was running 3-4 miles about 4x/week at about 7min/mi and lifting weights 3x/week. And some days I played racquetball, especially if the weather was crappy.
I wasn't the only guy there, actually there were 3 or 4 in the meetings I attended. One guy had lost over 150lb and had about 80 more to go. My problem with the meetings was that most of the women there would weigh-in, then complain that they had gained weight, blame the program and then I'd overhear them talking about eating a whole pizza or a dozen Krispy Kremes.
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02/26/2007 10:07:44 AM · #27 |
Despite the pizza and brownies at my Oscar party yesterday, I'm already down 2 lbs. since restarting Friday! Woot!
I'm one of those who has to weigh in daily to maintain my commitment. Otherwise, it's not on my mind and it's easier to forget or blow it off then when I'm seeing a number daily.
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02/26/2007 10:10:44 AM · #28 |
Originally posted by Rebecca:
Despite the pizza and brownies at my Oscar party yesterday, I'm already down 2 lbs. since restarting Friday! Woot!
I'm one of those who has to weigh in daily to maintain my commitment. Otherwise, it's not on my mind and it's easier to forget or blow it off then when I'm seeing a number daily. |
CONGRATS REBECCA!!!!
That's excellent!!!
I weigh daily as well...it keeps me motivated. I've kept off 10 pounds since Thanksgiving. yay! |
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02/26/2007 10:24:11 AM · #29 |
Joined WW Jan 10th 2007 and to date I have lost 23.5Lbs......now none of my damnd clothes fit!
I need to lose a lot more so I'm timing my interim wardrobe to get maximum useage of my clothes.
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02/26/2007 10:35:25 AM · #30 |
Never tried weight watchers. I made a lot of progress using a little palm pilot program from calorieking. Same sort of thing - just an easy way to track what you are eating. Instead of points, you track actual calories, but it comes with a huge database of foods so it is easy to work out what you are having.
That and a daily tracking of weight really helped me keep focused on what I was doing. Only problem with the software is that it is so full of processed/ pre-made meals and chain restaurant meals. Most of what I cook is from scratch now so it is harder to track stuff.
I lost 25lbs in 6 months just by keeping an eye on what I was eating and snacking 5 times a day. I also did quite a lot of running, swimming and cycling. Mainly I was tracking to make sure I was eating the right amounts, particularly now, I'm struggling to eat enough! The palm app also lets you track exercise expenditure so you can see how it all balances out (Saturday was 2,500 calorie run, Sunday was a 6000+ calorie bike ride)
Message edited by author 2007-02-26 10:37:34. |
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02/26/2007 11:26:24 AM · #31 |
Not Weight Watchers but come see what LAWL did for me!
Message edited by author 2007-02-26 11:26:32.
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02/26/2007 12:31:54 PM · #32 |
I know a lot of people that lost weight with WW. But when they had stopped the program, they gained the old weight or more! I prefer to fast 7 or 10 days a year! Drinking vegetable-broth, tea and water all day long.
I lost 20 kilograms in 5 years! |
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02/26/2007 12:47:41 PM · #33 |
Originally posted by Spazmo99:
My goal weight was 145lb, I made it down to 155lb and friends said I was starting to scare them. If I'd actually gotten down to 145, I think I would have looked like a melon on a toothpick. If you go see a Doctor and he tells you that your weight is healthy or gives you a goal weight, WW should accept that instead of the weight on their chart.
I was running 3-4 miles about 4x/week at about 7min/mi and lifting weights 3x/week. And some days I played racquetball, especially if the weather was crappy. |
Spazmo - that is serious exercise, but all appears to be high intensity/non-fat burning exercise! Running needs to be at conversational pace to burn fat - otherwise you put on muscle (and get heavier!).
Good luck to the dieters - tough work, I am sure.
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02/26/2007 12:55:00 PM · #34 |
Originally posted by Matthew:
Spazmo - that is serious exercise, but all appears to be high intensity/non-fat burning exercise! Running needs to be at conversational pace to burn fat - otherwise you put on muscle (and get heavier!). |
For all the really skinny people I run with, 7min/mile is a conversational pace. The sub 5 minute mile marathoners aren't exactly muscle-bound either, so I think this theory is a bit doubtful. The idea that 'fat-burning' exercise is slow, easy exercise is a bit of a myth too. Certainly at lower intensities studies show that you burn a higher percentage of fat to carbs, but at higher intensities, the total amount of fat burned is still higher, just not the relative percentage.
E.g., if you run 3 hours at 7min/mile pace, you'll burn a whole lot more fat and lose more weight than if you run 30 minutes at 10min/mile pace.
Message edited by author 2007-02-26 12:57:24. |
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02/26/2007 12:59:33 PM · #35 |
FYI - the Thai Curry Soup at Noodles & Co. is only 8 pts and it's ridiculously good. It also happens to be my lunch today.
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02/26/2007 01:24:53 PM · #36 |
Originally posted by Matthew:
Originally posted by Spazmo99:
My goal weight was 145lb, I made it down to 155lb and friends said I was starting to scare them. If I'd actually gotten down to 145, I think I would have looked like a melon on a toothpick. If you go see a Doctor and he tells you that your weight is healthy or gives you a goal weight, WW should accept that instead of the weight on their chart.
I was running 3-4 miles about 4x/week at about 7min/mi and lifting weights 3x/week. And some days I played racquetball, especially if the weather was crappy. |
Spazmo - that is serious exercise, but all appears to be high intensity/non-fat burning exercise! Running needs to be at conversational pace to burn fat - otherwise you put on muscle (and get heavier!).
Good luck to the dieters - tough work, I am sure. |
I was, and still am, OK with adding muscle, hence the weights. I'm certainly at no risk of being musclebound. As Gordon mentioned, while the ratio of carbs/fat burned changes with intensity, the basic fact is that the more intense the exercise, the more calories burned. Also, bigger muscles burn more calories too.
As long as the caloric intake is lower than what's used, you'll lose weight.
Message edited by author 2007-02-26 13:26:12.
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02/26/2007 01:31:16 PM · #37 |
Originally posted by Spazmo99:
As long as the caloric intake is lower than what's used, you'll lose weight. |
Though it seems ridiculously unfair how much work is required to burn 100 calories, compared to how easily it is to eat that much. 10 seconds with a mars bar, compared to 10 minutes running.
I try to eat as little refined and processed food as possible - so I try to go for the nutrient dense stuff (lots of fruit, veg) , rather than the calorie dense food. Usually that way, you fill up without eating a lot of calories. When I start eating out more is when I have more problems (not surprising given that most restaurant meals are easily enough calories for one day, never mind one meal) Having a clue about portion sizes really helps too, as it seems totally out of whack in the US.
Message edited by author 2007-02-26 13:32:31. |
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02/26/2007 01:47:28 PM · #38 |
Originally posted by Gordon:
Originally posted by Spazmo99:
As long as the caloric intake is lower than what's used, you'll lose weight. |
Though it seems ridiculously unfair how much work is required to burn 100 calories, compared to how easily it is to eat that much. 10 seconds with a mars bar, compared to 10 minutes running.
I try to eat as little refined and processed food as possible - so I try to go for the nutrient dense stuff (lots of fruit, veg) , rather than the calorie dense food. Usually that way, you fill up without eating a lot of calories. When I start eating out more is when I have more problems (not surprising given that most restaurant meals are easily enough calories for one day, never mind one meal) Having a clue about portion sizes really helps too, as it seems totally out of whack in the US. |
When I eat out, I'll order from the ala carte menu if they have such a thing. If not, I'll order a salad, with cheese,dressing etc on the side. Another good thing is grilled fish, again with the sauce on the side. I also have learned not to feel bad about not cleaning my plate and, if the food was good, taking it home. If I'm out with the family, my wife and I will often split a meal, provided we can agree on one thing. Restaurant eating can be a real minefield, but if you know where the bad calories are (sauces, fried foods, cheese dressings), limit the amount of those things in your meal and can reduce your overall portions, it's not as bad as it seems.
Sometimes, if it's a special occasion, I'll just eat whatever I want. But I try to keep those occasions to once a month or so.
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02/26/2007 02:29:31 PM · #39 |
My trick for eating out is to check out the menu in advance. Most chain restaurants these days have nutritional info online (which means I can calculate the points ahead of time instead of guessing at the table), and it helps keep me from making a bad hasty decision under pressure from the server and my party. For larger dishes, I ask for the box before I start eating and stash half of the meal away for later right off the bat.
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02/26/2007 02:35:44 PM · #40 |
Originally posted by bubeltrubel:
I know a lot of people that lost weight with WW. But when they had stopped the program, they gained the old weight or more! |
This is only because they no longer watch what they eat. Once you reach goal weight on WW - using points for example - you then go onto a 'maintenance' points scale - this is about 4-6 more than what you were on. This is because you're not trying to lose but maintain.
If at goal you are on 20 points, then stop and don't watch what you eat and start eating 50 points a day guess what happens!
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02/26/2007 02:37:07 PM · #41 |
Originally posted by Rebecca:
My trick for eating out is to check out the menu in advance. Most chain restaurants these days have nutritional info online (which means I can calculate the points ahead of time instead of guessing at the table), and it helps keep me from making a bad hasty decision under pressure from the server and my party. For larger dishes, I ask for the box before I start eating and stash half of the meal away for later right off the bat. |
Rebecca this is a great website!
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02/26/2007 03:07:33 PM · #42 |
Originally posted by PurpleFire:
Originally posted by bubeltrubel:
I know a lot of people that lost weight with WW. But when they had stopped the program, they gained the old weight or more! |
This is only because they no longer watch what they eat. Once you reach goal weight on WW - using points for example - you then go onto a 'maintenance' points scale - this is about 4-6 more than what you were on. This is because you're not trying to lose but maintain.
If at goal you are on 20 points, then stop and don't watch what you eat and start eating 50 points a day guess what happens! |
Right. I'm not exactly eating special foods. I make a point of eating as little processed food as possible - lots of fresh produce and very little meat. Today it's oatmeal, a banana, a cup of grapes, 24 bbq soy chips, thai curry soup from Noodles & Co., a Stouffers herb chicken frozen dinner, and a mocha swirl ice cream bar. This is actually more processed than I like, but it's a school night, so I won't have time to cook. But it gives you an idea of how un-special it all is. It's definitely all about the tracking. It forces you to measure everything out, calculate points, portion properly, and makes it harder to conveniently forget the cookies your co-worker brought in to share.
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02/26/2007 03:10:49 PM · #43 |
Originally posted by Rebecca:
It's definitely all about the tracking. |
That's been the single most (or only) successful thing I've found. Food logs, WW points, CalorieKing Palm apps, or whatever - tracking calories in and calories out is what seems to work.
It really is as simple as calories in < calories out & you lose weight. The tracking helps keep you honest, until you learn what is the right amount. |
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02/26/2007 03:11:29 PM · #44 |
| i've also found that if you plan what you will eat -- and work in beverages and snacks at least a day ahead of time, it is easier to stay on track. |
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02/26/2007 03:13:49 PM · #45 |
Originally posted by karmat:
i've also found that if you plan what you will eat -- and work in beverages and snacks at least a day ahead of time, it is easier to stay on track. |
That's true - I pack my lunch and all the snacks I'm going to eat through the day for work in the morning. Stops me grabbing stuff from the vending machine or if co-workers bring in donuts. |
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02/26/2007 03:21:02 PM · #46 |
Yep I'll second that. I stopped tracking once I moved back to my home town ... POOF drinking with friends, junk food, I'm almost back to where I started 2 years ago.
I just use //www.calorie-count.com
If you honestly track your food intake you'll do a lot better than just "trying" to eat better. It's scary how many calories I can eat in a weekend if I don't watch it.
Originally posted by Gordon:
Originally posted by Rebecca:
It's definitely all about the tracking. |
That's been the single most (or only) successful thing I've found. Food logs, WW points, CalorieKing Palm apps, or whatever - tracking calories in and calories out is what seems to work.
It really is as simple as calories in < calories out & you lose weight. The tracking helps keep you honest, until you learn what is the right amount. |
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02/26/2007 03:37:37 PM · #47 |
This website is GREAT! Cheers Jacko
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02/26/2007 03:45:58 PM · #48 |
Originally posted by Rebecca:
My trick for eating out is to check out the menu in advance. Most chain restaurants these days have nutritional info online (which means I can calculate the points ahead of time instead of guessing at the table), and it helps keep me from making a bad hasty decision under pressure from the server and my party. For larger dishes, I ask for the box before I start eating and stash half of the meal away for later right off the bat. |
As I mentioned earlier, Dottie's Weight Loss Zone has compiled the nutritional information (and WW points) for most menu items at many (most) chain restaurants. I always check there first. That eliminates the need to go to a specific restaurant's website.
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02/26/2007 03:48:36 PM · #49 |
| i can eat what and/or as much as i want and/or could, i'm not bcoming more than 116lbs...;D |
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02/26/2007 03:50:06 PM · #50 |
Originally posted by Mephisto:
i can eat what and/or as much as i want and/or could, i'm not bcoming more than 116lbs...;D |
When I was 19, I could do that too. Just wait...
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