Getting into shape

[Leroy]

So thirteen days in a row, at least a half hour mostly 45 minutes, alternating between treadmill / elliptical and weights.

And I haven't lost one damn pound. Frustrating.

[ZigZagCardsFan]

Diet is infinitely more important to weight loss than exercising.

Track those calories. It's the best way to guarantee weight loss.

[Freed Roger]

hard to lose weight in winter. combo of the food from holidays, less active with being indoors. Also, the body just doesn't want to give up the strategic reserve.

[Gashouse]

Diet is infinitely more important to weight loss than exercising.

Track those calories. It's the best way to guarantee weight loss.

Very true. I'm generally of the opinion that I don't care much about how much I weigh as long as I'm in decent shape, and assume the weight will take care of itself if I'm in shape. But the only time in the past several years that I've lost more than a couple of pounds is when I was strictly following a diet for a little while. First was the South Beach diet, and then the Whole 30. Neither case was the intention just to lose weight but also to reset some poor eating habits - mostly sugary snacks. I don't think I exercised much either time, but I was losing half a pound a day by cutting sugar, beer, and carbs. Then I put it back on when I revert back to bad habits.

Exercise helps and is good for many other reasons, but I'd guess diet is probably 60-70% of weight loss/management.

[Gashouse]

A couple days ago, I somewhat impulsively signed up for a 40 mile mountain bike race - the Chequamegon 40 in northern WI.

http://www.cheqfattire.com/event-info/chequamegon-40/

Guess I'm getting myself in shape or else I'm going to hate all the things that day.

[Freed Roger]

A couple days ago, I somewhat impulsively signed up for a 40 mile mountain bike race - the Chequamegon 40 in northern WI.

http://www.cheqfattire.com/event-info/chequamegon-40/

Guess I'm getting myself in shape or else I'm going to hate all the things that day.

looks cool. I'll have to pass race info on to some friends.

The whole training process is a win - getting in shape, the routine, being outside, meeting some new people that like the same [expletive].

[Leroy]

Maybe things are turning. I'm down pretty much 4 pounds. Even if I can only lose a pound a week, it would be something.

I did take the advice, and have cut back on calories without starving myself. Actually I haven't changed all that much except less high calorie crap. Not too hard. I have also done a pretty hard work out 20 of the last 21 days, so there is that.

In the end, I just wanted to stay exercising to keep blood sugar down naturally (as I've mentioned, I'm diabetic), but losing a few pounds would help that as well.

[Gashouse]

Maybe things are turning. I'm down pretty much 4 pounds. Even if I can only lose a pound a week, it would be something.

nice work. I remember reading that losing roughly a pound a week results in doing a better job of keeping weight off. Both times I've lost weight in recent years, I lost it quickly (not necessarily intentionally), and i eventually found it all again.

[ZigZagCardsFan]

I can attest to that. Back in college I was 325. Dropped down to 265, but it didn't take long to gain back into the 300s again.

My long-term plan has given me better, more sustainable results. Weight loss seems like the obvious goal, but it's really about changing years of bad habits into a sustainable healthy lifestyle.

[Freed Roger]

Self -important post, but this is the thread for it:
Ended my dry month at about 3 weeks last night without a beer (or other alchohol, which I never imbibed much to begin with). It was kind of a forced quit, wasn't lusting over a beer last night, but felt that sticking to a month solid no-drinking was kind of neurotic at that point.

Not the best test period for cause-effect observations. This wasn't really a normal month - a lot of stuff going on, but here goes:

-lost maybe 1-2 lbs. At first was rationalizing some junk food in lieu of the beer (or crave-replacing the sugars that are in beer), so could have been more.

-no big pickup in energy in the AM. Was hoping I'd start to get up early and workout, but never got to it, (though the home projects have worn me out)

-Slight less patience with stupid trivial things, like my daughter and friends being obnoxious teenagers at home. A little edgy/pissy while working on home projects (mixing in a beer late used to help). But that may be as much attributable to self-imposed deadlines and amount of work.

- Read a little more in the evening, as opposed to watching TV. Easier to lay down and read when not drinking a beer.
-saved about $75

-no proof, but probably helped the liver out some, break from processing beer and the statin that I'll be taking the rest of my life.

-it became easier abstaining after 2d weekend passed. At first I was day-counting, then I lost track.

i definitely had/have a dependency -but not really an overall negative dependency. Maybe I kid myself, but feel I can control it while enjoying it again -and maybe go on a rare moderate bender on a safe day. I probably more dependent on caffeine than this.