Biggest loser on CF.....

[Tink]

I am interested in participating in this but I would like to know more first and I would also prefer to report my weight to a female and in PM.

YAY!

 

[CoachR64]

All weigh ins will be reported via PM. I don't want anyone to think they have to do it publicly. I want this to be something to help people, not embarass them in public.

Whatever we need to do to get people to feel comfortable in participating, I am down with that.

Coach

 

[memoriesbymichelle]

I want to join too! I have been going to the gym since New years Day although I haven't been all week because I have been sick And I have a personal trainer IRL too and we do weigh in's monthly. I could use the extra encouragement though.

 

[Tink]

All weigh ins will be reported via PM. I don't want anyone to think they have to do it publicly. I want this to be something to help people, not embarass them in public.

Whatever we need to do to get people to feel comfortable in participating, I am down with that.

Coach

Yeah. I'm the only one currently that is reporting via public post. And that's just because I know if the "embarrassment factor" isn't there, I won't try nearly as hard.

Sorry for the confusion, MayContainNuts. <3

 

[Tink]

I want to join too! I have been going to the gym since New years Day although I haven't been all week because I have been sick And I have a personal trainer IRL too and we do weigh in's monthly. I could use the extra encouragement though.

YAY! Another participant!

Welcome!

 

[puddleoffaith]

Work out??? Well, I do have "free" gym membership by virtue of being at university. Have I used it yet? well, that's another story...I'm gym-aphobic. This will be an interesting challenge.

 

[ido]

Work out??? Well, I do have "free" gym membership by virtue of being at university. Have I used it yet? well, that's another story...I'm gym-aphobic. This will be an interesting challenge.

You mentioned that you are on the thin side. I have a co-worker who is super thin, but loves the gym b/c it helps her define/elongate her muscles and then she looks thin instead of skin and bones.

 

[kingoffools13]

You mentioned that you are on the thin side. I have a co-worker who is super thin, but loves the gym b/c it helps her define/elongate her muscles and then she looks thin instead of skin and bones.

yeah, I hate it when I look like skin and bones ....


K
O
f

 

[FlatpickingJD]

I have some thoughts, if I can share them. First, losing weight is not easy, but it can be done. And more importantly, you can keep it off too. When I finished grad school, I weighed 240 pounds. I'm a short 5'10" (meaning like 5'9 3/4" but round up). I dropped to 175 pounds in a reasonable time. I lifted weights and walked almost every day. It wasn't easy, as I said, but it was doable.

That was some 16 years ago, and I've kept the weight off since. So just know it can be done. If I can do it, you all can too.

Now a couple of suggestions: make sure you drink plenty of liquid. Don't overdo it, you don't want water poisoning, but you need to stay hydrated. And drinking water will help keep you full, so you won't eat.

Don't get down on yourself if you blow it a couple of times. It may happen, it may not, but the key is to keep plugging forward. If you slip, brush yourself off, and start again tomorrow.

My final suggestion is to keep a diet diary. Write down everything you eat, every day. I prefer to make it as precise as possible, so instead of saying "salad" I say what's in and on the salad: for example, spinach, cucumbers, zucchini, carrots, sunflower seeds, oil and vinegar. I read about this when I started my diet, and it works. The idea is that we underestimate how much we eat every day and if we write down what we eat, we'll see in black and white what's causing us the weight gain. It also can be handy if you get sick or have an allergy, but that's neither here nor there.

Again, I know each of you can do this and will succeed. Good luck to each of you!

 

[ido]

yeah, I hate it when I look like skin and bones ....


K
O
f

 

[ido]

I have some thoughts, if I can share them. First, losing weight is not easy, but it can be done. And more importantly, you can keep it off too. When I finished grad school, I weighed 240 pounds. I'm a short 5'10" (meaning like 5'9 3/4" but round up). I dropped to 175 pounds in a reasonable time. I lifted weights and walked almost every day. It wasn't easy, as I said, but it was doable.

That was some 16 years ago, and I've kept the weight off since. So just know it can be done. If I can do it, you all can too.

Now a couple of suggestions: make sure you drink plenty of liquid. Don't overdo it, you don't want water poisoning, but you need to stay hydrated. And drinking water will help keep you full, so you won't eat.

Don't get down on yourself if you blow it a couple of times. It may happen, it may not, but the key is to keep plugging forward. If you slip, brush yourself off, and start again tomorrow.

My final suggestion is to keep a diet diary. Write down everything you eat, every day. I prefer to make it as precise as possible, so instead of saying "salad" I say what's in and on the salad: for example, spinach, cucumbers, zucchini, carrots, sunflower seeds, oil and vinegar. I read about this when I started my diet, and it works. The idea is that we underestimate how much we eat every day and if we write down what we eat, we'll see in black and white what's causing us the weight gain. It also can be handy if you get sick or have an allergy, but that's neither here nor there.

Again, I know each of you can do this and will succeed. Good luck to each of you!

Thanks for the advice and encouragement, JD!!

 

[Tink]

I really like the idea of a food diary. I'm definitely going to do that!

Thanks!

PS How much time did it take you to lose? Just curious since you said reasonable. Reasonable is different for everyone.

 

[kingoffools13]

Another thing that will be different for everyone is the ease of losing weight. That will be affected by a number things from the more obvious like how active you are, and what you eat, to things like metabolism rates, and even ethnic backgrounds etc.


K
O
f

 

[Spicy McHaggis]

Another thing that will be different for everyone is the ease of losing weight. That will be affected by a number things from the more obvious like how active you are, and what you eat, to things like metabolism rates, and even ethnic backgrounds etc.


K
O
f

Agreed.

I'm trying to lose fat, but I'm not going to stop lifting weights for mass while I'm doing it.

Sooo, if al goes according to plan I should be good with the before/after, but the actual numbers won't be so hot.

 

[Spicy McHaggis]

and I just drank a V8, so I think I'm winning this whole competition.

 

[FlatpickingJD]

I really like the idea of a food diary. I'm definitely going to do that!

Thanks!

. . . PS How much time did it take you to lose? Just curious since you said reasonable. Reasonable is different for everyone.

I put that in originally, then thought it might seem too fast to some. It took me 6 months. That works out to 2.5 lbs/week which I think is okay.

. . . I'm trying to lose fat, but I'm not going to stop lifting weights for mass while I'm doing it.

Sooo, if al goes according to plan I should be good with the before/after, but the actual numbers won't be so hot.

I know this competition is about poundage, but have you thought about using body fat or something similar as a measurement? Have you ever had your body fat measured (I haven't)? Just wondering and thinking out loud.

 

[Mrs. Luther073082]

Yeah, sometimes you may not see much change on the scale but you may see progress in other areas. I was encouraged recently because I saw progress in my bloodwork this week when I went to the endocrinologist. Also all my pants weren't fitting anymore (too big) and then I got into a new dress size. But eventually the numbers on the scale need to change for me.

 

[CoachR64]

1-2 pounds a week is normal. It all depends on how much weight you have to lose Persons with a much higher percentage of body fat can often lose weight at a faster rate (4-5 pounds a week, especially early on) and still be doing it in a healthy way.

Coach

 

[CoachR64]

MCN,

You bring up a good point. It is not always a numbers game when it comes to weight. The weights if far less important than body mass index. If you are losing inches, and your weight is not going down, I would be willing to bet you are changing your body composition.

Just to throw this out.... one of my pet peeves is to hear people say "change fat to muscle" and "muscle weighs more than fat"

1. fat cells and muscle cells are two entirely different entities. You can not change one to another. You simply decrease the size of one and increase the size of the other.

2. Muscle is more dense then fat, it does not weigh more. It's like the old joke about which weighs more, a pound of feathers or a pound of lead. A pound is a pound is a pound. That being said, muscle is more dense. So, a 1" by 1" square of muscle will weigh more than a 1" by 1" square of fatty tissue.

Coach

 

[Tink]

Have we finalized this yet so that we can start it tomorrow?