Losing Weight

[JLI Jesse]

I love seeing a fitness section on the forums.  I'd love to hear what everyone is doing for exercise, working out, dieting, etc. 

I switched things up a few weeks ago and started focusing on weight training.  While I was probably getting in better shape, I didn't actually lose any weight.  Its a mental game for me.  I need to see the weight dropping or I got a little nutty.  Last week I switched back, hard core cardio and dieting and dropped 3 lbs.  I was also out drinking and eating crap the night before so I am betting I lost at least another pound that I would have seen if I had been a good boy on Friday.

What is your program?  Any tips to share?  Hook me up!

[Open palm]

I didn't expect a thread like this to appear.

I usually exercise at a local gym because my house is too messy to work out in. Right now my concern is cardio and weight loss. I go at least three times a week but I try to do weights at least once, usually for my upper body. For some reason I feel it's necessary being able to pull yourself up. I haven't tried bench pressing yet.

Diet has become very important to me. I try to have salad every night, or include vegetables in two of my daily meals. So far it's worked, because my cholesterol level has improved over the past three nights. But I don't have any cheat days, because I sometimes get really hungry late at night. So I end up having a small snack.

I had hoped I could take a FMA class but it's too expensive to have that and a gym membership.

[Magic Wand]

A good friend recommended that I check my cardio fitness, so I went to the gym and did just that.
Had a trainer evaluate me and learned that even though my body weight is proportionate to my height and I quite tone, my heart rate is in the "stroke zone"!

Eh, he was prolly just tryn'a sell me on his boot camp.
It worked!
Now I'm at boot camp three mornings a week at 6am, running and jumping and lifting and stretching and balancing and whatever else the trainer challenges me to do.  It's an AWESOME cardio-workout AND after just two weeks, I can bounce a quarter off my ass!
On the off-days, I plan to improve and expand my repertoire of strokes at the cement pond.
Gotta sort out what to do with all this hair.

[Hypestyle]

are personal trainers expensive?

[JLI Jesse]

are personal trainers expensive?

The guy at my gym is $50 an hour.  I don't know if that is expensive in general but it sure as hell is to rich for my blood!

[stanleyballard]

$50 per hour is not the most expensive...a friend of mine charges more & she's featured in some national magazines periodically...one of the main things to consider when trying to lose weight would be your diet.  Working at two of the most famous farmers' markets in DC for the past 10 years helps to improve my diet considerably because the farmers grow organic spinach, kale (5 different varieties), tot soy, mesclun, arugula, eggs, french sorrell, mache, wasabi, yellow, orange & blue cauliflower, purslane, mixed greens stir-fry, swiss chard and white sweet potatoes.  Another thing in addition to diet is when you eat...if you stop eating before 7pm each night when your metabolism slows down that positively effects your ability to lose weight and another thing is running early in the morning before 7am which will allow you to burn throughout the day.  Another suggestion on running is to only run on dirt, grass & weeds (like in parks, baseball fields, etc) to avoid injury to joints.

[Reginald Hudlin]

Has anyone lost weight by changing their diet, but not really working out?

has anyone lost weight by working out, even though their diet remained the same?

[Magic Wand]

Has anyone lost weight by changing their diet, but not really working out?

has anyone lost weight by working out, even though their diet remained the same?

Yep! and sort'a!
When I am in China, exclusively consuming Chinese food, weight just falls off me.  The lifestyle is one of more walking, and chasing taxis, but I don't require a cardio work-out while in the Middle Kingdom.

In the US, I tend to put on pounds with the typical vegetarian diet that includes waaaay too many carbs.  When I work-out to balance this out, I will tone up and lose inches, but my weight remains roughly the unchanged.

In short, if I didn't work-out in the States, I could easily exceed 200 lbs in no time at all.  Sux!

[Magic Wand]

  Working at two of the most famous farmers' markets in DC helps to improve my diest

Is one of them the Eastern Market?  Where is the other?

[stanleyballard]

Love my typo.....Eastern Market is the most famous of the farmers' markets in DC....however the one that is technically better right now (because of really good management) is Dupont Circle (and they are a little on the more expensive side too).  Love working at both because it's an easy side gig and the time goes fast...and the atmosphere is really cool (have been working at both for years now).

[JLI Jesse]

Love my typo.....Eastern Market is the most famous of the farmers' markets in DC....however the one that is technically better right now (because of really good management) is Dupont Circle (and they are a little on the more expensive side too).  Love working at both because it's an easy side gig and the time goes fast...and the atmosphere is really cool (have been working at both for years now).

I've seen one run by the USDA on Independence before too.

I go to one in Fairfax out by my house.  Doesn't start back up for another month or so. 

[Afro Samurai]

Has anyone lost weight by changing their diet, but not really working out?

has anyone lost weight by working out, even though their diet remained the same?

I lost alot weight in the past & now by eating the samething but working out alot. Since my old job require alot of movement (I was a cartpusher). I usually used to work from 5 hours to 8 hours, walk back & fourth to my job (it like 2 miles away). After I got used to walking to work alot, I wore my 50 pound ankle weights (25 on each ankles) back & fourth to work. I did this alot and lose mad weight.

I drink alot of water and juice. I eat medium meals whenever I am feel liked it. Since I am not a cartpusher anymore, I need to train my body harder. I got a 20 pound body vest, 50 pound ankles & 10 pound wrist weights (5 on each).....yeah i need to get focus again..........   

[Reginald Hudlin]

Has anyone lost weight by changing their diet, but not really working out?

has anyone lost weight by working out, even though their diet remained the same?

I lost alot weight in the past & now by eating the samething but working out alot. Since my old job require alot of movement (I was a cartpusher). I usually used to work from 5 hours to 8 hours, walk back & fourth to my job (it like 2 miles away). After I got used to walking to work alot, I wore my 50 pound ankle weights (25 on each ankles) back & fourth to work. I did this alot and lose mad weight.

I drink alot of water and juice. I eat medium meals whenever I am feel liked it. Since I am not a cartpusher anymore, I need to train my body harder. I got a 20 pound body vest, 50 pound ankles & 10 pound wrist weights (5 on each).....yeah i need to get focus again..........   

Dude, you are bushido!

[Kristopher]

Has anyone lost weight by changing their diet, but not really working out?

Yes. I started counting calories when I began using a insulin pump in 2001. I was on a 2400 calorie a day meal plan (although I was probably eating between 2100-2300). I started in April of that year weighing 215( I'm 6' 3"), by August, I weighed 184. No work outs. After a transplant in '04, I've slowly began to put on weight by lifting. I'm at 205 now, the goal is 210.

[stanleyballard]

Have dropped weight through a combination of weight lifting, running & stopped eating meat for several months.  Changed my lifestyle and ate no meat for almost 3 months...still eat very little of it & lost more than 10lbs.