Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Back when I was training 20-25 hours a week, diet was still the biggest factor in controlling weight just as it is now that I'm lifting for 30 minutes three times a week and doing maybe 2-3 hours of cardio a week (bike or run). I'm way more lax in my diet now though. I've got my weight back down where I'm happy enough with it. I wouldn't mind losing another 10 pounds or so.
I love having a craft beer or two with dinner/lunch, but it's one of the first things I cut when my weight starts creeping up. Other mostly empty filler calories like potatoes and rice (and bread) are other easy things to cut. They provide few nutrients for the calories. No issue with them. I eat a lot of them as well but they're another thing I cut when I'm creating a calorie deficit to lose weight. If you're drinking ten typical glasses of wine a week, that's around 1,200 calories. Roughly a third pound of nothing a week. Beer is even worse. One of my favorites, Drake Denogginizer, has around 270 calories per 12 oz bottle.
Back when I was training 20-25 hours a week, diet was still the biggest factor in controlling weight just as it is now that I'm lifting for 30 minutes three times a week and doing maybe 2-3 hours of cardio a week (bike or run). I'm way more lax in my diet now though. I've got my weight back down where I'm happy enough with it. I wouldn't mind losing another 10 pounds or so.
I love having a craft beer or two with dinner/lunch, but it's one of the first things I cut when my weight starts creeping up. Other mostly empty filler calories like potatoes and rice (and bread) are other easy things to cut. They provide few nutrients for the calories. No issue with them. I eat a lot of them as well but they're another thing I cut when I'm creating a calorie deficit to lose weight. If you're drinking ten typical glasses of wine a week, that's around 1,200 calories. Roughly a third pound of nothing a week. Beer is even worse. One of my favorites, Drake Denogginizer, has around 270 calories per 12 oz bottle.
Potatoes actually provide quite a bit of nutrients for only 110 cals per 5 oz, about the size of a med potato. Brown rice is only 170 cals per cup (I usually eat one cup) and provides fiber and b vitamins. Can't really lump them in with true empty filler foods like chips, etc.
if you eliminate / cut back on alittle of the wine and make a concerted effort to eat far fewer rice potaoes and bread ... I bet you lose those 15 lbs over a 3-4-5 month duration
I agree about the wine. If I am going to drink wine, I need to eat accordingly to accommodate it. But I disagree with the rice and potatoes. I love a small baked potato with a little olive oil, and I cook a lot of Asian style food that needs some rice. Moderation.
You can still cut out the above and not lose an ounce if you are simply overeating.
I agree about the wine. If I am going to drink wine, I need to eat accordingly to accommodate it. But I disagree with the rice and potatoes. I love a small baked potato with a little olive oil, and I cook a lot of Asian style food that needs some rice. Moderation.
You can still cut out the above and not lose an ounce if you are simply overeating.
And I'd also like to add that a person can lose 15 pounds over the course of 3-5 months without drastically reducing carbs. If a person doesn't care for starchy foods, by all means. but for those who do enjoy potatoes, rice, beans, whatever with their meals, you can lose and maintain weight.
I've been battling weight issues my entire life, starting from grade school on up. The year I turned 20 I dropped 150 pounds in total and leveled off a little heavier than that for nearly a decade (I weighed roughly 225 lbs and looked and felt reasonably fit). In my early thirties I crept up as high as 265 lb, freaked and came back down to 240 lb where I sat for several years. Over the past ten years (I'm now about to turn 53), I've sat at somewhere between 255-265 lb.
However, I've worked out regularly almost the entire time, typically three days a week for more than an hour. So while I was thick, I was otherwise fit. It is seriously frustrating to try and stay fit, try and eat responsibly, but still have your weight fluctuate. I mean, I was putting in the time without the desired results.
But like with anything else, part of the reason I struggle with weight is that we as a species are good at ignoring what we don't want to see. Truthfully, while I was responsible in my food choices at least 5 days out of 7, there were always at least 1-2 days where the wheels came off and I overate. I had this convoluted theory that the body couldn't properly digest and store the full calorie load of a massive (think all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet) meal, and so told myself one such meal a week wasn't that impactful.
Earlier this year I started following the advice of a colleague who is a calorie counting proponent and once I fully embraced it, started losing weight consistently. I now weigh 202 lbs, am still losing, and look and feel exactly the way I'd always hoped to. Some might say I've struggled or worked hard to get here, but the truth is, once you understand and confront your food choices, weight loss/management is neither hard nor mysterious. I don't have to deal with the complexities of a diet, I eat whatever I want, whenever I want. However, I track the calorie intake and adjust accordingly. So if I want to average a daily deficit of 500 calories, if I have a binge day where I consume 3,000 calories, I simply adjust on the days following to ensure I make my numbers. I eat ice cream, enjoy french fries and will share dessert with my wife, but still lose between 1.5 - 2.5 lbs per week. I never deal with the guilt of cheating because I'm not dieting, I'm just tracking calories consumed versus calories burned. Want to eat more? Exercise more! And now that I'm 55 lbs lighter than I was in January, I can jog, hike for miles and play all sports.
So for me, the lifelong struggle has come to an end. Even if I gain back some weight, I no longer feel encumbered by the mysteries of "why can't I lose weight". I can, all I need to do is manage my calories. And every thin person out there is managing calories, whether or not they do it consciously.
I've been battling weight issues my entire life, starting from grade school on up. The year I turned 20 I dropped 150 pounds in total and leveled off a little heavier than that for nearly a decade (I weighed roughly 225 lbs and looked and felt reasonably fit). In my early thirties I crept up as high as 265 lb, freaked and came back down to 240 lb where I sat for several years. Over the past ten years (I'm now about to turn 53), I've sat at somewhere between 255-265 lb.
However, I've worked out regularly almost the entire time, typically three days a week for more than an hour. So while I was thick, I was otherwise fit. It is seriously frustrating to try and stay fit, try and eat responsibly, but still have your weight fluctuate. I mean, I was putting in the time without the desired results.
But like with anything else, part of the reason I struggle with weight is that we as a species are good at ignoring what we don't want to see. Truthfully, while I was responsible in my food choices at least 5 days out of 7, there were always at least 1-2 days where the wheels came off and I overate. I had this convoluted theory that the body couldn't properly digest and store the full calorie load of a massive (think all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet) meal, and so told myself one such meal a week wasn't that impactful.
Earlier this year I started following the advice of a colleague who is a calorie counting proponent and once I fully embraced it, started losing weight consistently. I now weigh 202 lbs, am still losing, and look and feel exactly the way I'd always hoped to. Some might say I've struggled or worked hard to get here, but the truth is, once you understand and confront your food choices, weight loss/management is neither hard nor mysterious. I don't have to deal with the complexities of a diet, I eat whatever I want, whenever I want. However, I track the calorie intake and adjust accordingly. So if I want to average a daily deficit of 500 calories, if I have a binge day where I consume 3,000 calories, I simply adjust on the days following to ensure I make my numbers. I eat ice cream, enjoy french fries and will share dessert with my wife, but still lose between 1.5 - 2.5 lbs per week. I never deal with the guilt of cheating because I'm not dieting, I'm just tracking calories consumed versus calories burned. Want to eat more? Exercise more! And now that I'm 55 lbs lighter than I was in January, I can jog, hike for miles and play all sports.
So for me, the lifelong struggle has come to an end. Even if I gain back some weight, I no longer feel encumbered by the mysteries of "why can't I lose weight". I can, all I need to do is manage my calories. And every thin person out there is managing calories, whether or not they do it consciously.
BINGO
Someone that gets it !
You have to understand what and how much and how often you are putting various food substances into your body - it really is that simple
Would you try to make a chocolate cake using motor oil in lieu of some other correct ingredient and expect the cake to turn out as expected ? Of course not
Then why do people expect to lose weight and be fit and continue to over eat all the wrong food choices ?
If it were easy ... 1/2 the population would not be fat
Me. Ugh. I have PCOS. I gained a lot of weight in just a couple of years. I had two doctors brush off my concerns. I was so frustrated during this time and I was tracking my food and cutting calories each month because I was gaining. When I was still gaining while eating 1200 calories per day (I gained 5 pounds in a month), I just gave up. If I was being meticulous and still gaining weight, I might as well eat what I want.
Eating what I wanted went on for a few years. In this time, I went from teaching and also working part time retail (so on my feet and moving literally all day almost every day) to a desk job. I didn't gain weight, but my health/fitness went to crap. Every category - blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, etc... were way out of the target range. I was out of breath walking from my car into a store.
During my last year teaching, I finally found a doctor who knew what they were doing. I went in for an initial consult and she looked at the forms I filled out and told me it was likely PCOS but she needed tests to confirm it. (I suspected PCOS when I first began gaining weight.) Test confirmed it. Doctor told me what I already knew- it is next to impossible to lose weight with insulin-resistant PCOS. I spent a couple of years trying different medications to help lessen the effects. Most medication caused a bunch of awful side effects. During this time, I mainly ate what I wanted. We finally balanced medication in December 2016.
In February, I started walking every day. I only lasted about 30 minutes at first because I would be out of breath and in pain. Mainly back pain, but also my knees, hips, feet. Ugh. I kept going. At the beginning of May, I really put forth effort in my diet. I started tracking my food again. By mid-May, I had also increased my walks to 3 miles/55 minutes. (Pain is gone.) I could walk farther, but I just don't have the time to commit to it.
I went to the doctor yesterday. I lost 11 pounds. I almost cried. Only 11 pounds in 6 months. I have been working so hard. It is only about 4% of my body weight Admittedly, I was not super diligent with my diet for about 4 of those 6 months. The doctor was very pleased with the 11 pounds because it is so difficult to lose with PCOS. Half of me wants to give up. But I know I need to keep going. My primary care doctor did bring up surgery during my last visit. It is something I have always wanted to avoid. But if losing 2 pounds per month is considered good progress, I will definitely consider it more than I previously have.
Location: Olde English District, SC (look it up on Wikipedia)
243 posts, read 367,149 times
Reputation: 299
I've been hypothyroid for 20 years (on Synthroid). Before that I was on the thin side of normal without much effort. Since diagnosis I've lost the same 40-50 pounds at least 3 times. Until recently I had been working out very hard (running, weights) and kept losing between 3 and 5 pounds, which I'd regain immediately if I skipped a workout or had even a small indulgence. This type of working out had always made me lose a decent amount of weight before, but it would eventually become too exhausting over time (hypothyroid also makes you tired). Well, I kept up with this routine of hard workouts and dieting for about 18 months and couldn't lose any significant amount of weight. Finally, I decided I also had metabolic syndrome (had high cholesterol and high blood pressure despite all the running in addition to large waist). Saw that people with met syndrome and PCOS were losing weight on Metformin, but doubted my doctor would prescribe it. Research led me to try berberine supplements. I still have some weight to lose, but have managed to lose about 25 pounds for the first time in almost a decade. Cholesterol is also now normal without a statin. So, it might be worth a try for you.
I've been hypothyroid for 20 years (on Synthroid). Before that I was on the thin side of normal without much effort. Since diagnosis I've lost the same 40-50 pounds at least 3 times. Until recently I had been working out very hard (running, weights) and kept losing between 3 and 5 pounds, which I'd regain immediately if I skipped a workout or had even a small indulgence. This type of working out had always made me lose a decent amount of weight before, but it would eventually become too exhausting over time (hypothyroid also makes you tired). Well, I kept up with this routine of hard workouts and dieting for about 18 months and couldn't lose any significant amount of weight. Finally, I decided I also had metabolic syndrome (had high cholesterol and high blood pressure despite all the running in addition to large waist). Saw that people with met syndrome and PCOS were losing weight on Metformin, but doubted my doctor would prescribe it. Research led me to try berberine supplements. I still have some weight to lose, but have managed to lose about 25 pounds for the first time in almost a decade. Cholesterol is also now normal without a statin. So, it might be worth a try for you.
I will have to look into that. I take Metformin. It kills my stomach. We finally figured out a tolerable dose, but it took two years. Metformin did not cause weight loss, but it did keep me from gaining any more. Of course, it has only been about a year since we last adjusted the dosage and it took a few months to become tolerant to it. So, realistically, I've been taking it properly for about 9 months. I didn't try to lose weight for the first few months since work was crazy and I was working 80-100 hours per week. I was just trying to survive, lol.
Me. Ugh. I have PCOS. I gained a lot of weight in just a couple of years. I had two doctors brush off my concerns. I was so frustrated during this time and I was tracking my food and cutting calories each month because I was gaining. When I was still gaining while eating 1200 calories per day (I gained 5 pounds in a month), I just gave up. If I was being meticulous and still gaining weight, I might as well eat what I want.
Eating what I wanted went on for a few years. In this time, I went from teaching and also working part time retail (so on my feet and moving literally all day almost every day) to a desk job. I didn't gain weight, but my health/fitness went to crap. Every category - blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, etc... were way out of the target range. I was out of breath walking from my car into a store.
During my last year teaching, I finally found a doctor who knew what they were doing. I went in for an initial consult and she looked at the forms I filled out and told me it was likely PCOS but she needed tests to confirm it. (I suspected PCOS when I first began gaining weight.) Test confirmed it. Doctor told me what I already knew- it is next to impossible to lose weight with insulin-resistant PCOS. I spent a couple of years trying different medications to help lessen the effects. Most medication caused a bunch of awful side effects. During this time, I mainly ate what I wanted. We finally balanced medication in December 2016.
In February, I started walking every day. I only lasted about 30 minutes at first because I would be out of breath and in pain. Mainly back pain, but also my knees, hips, feet. Ugh. I kept going. At the beginning of May, I really put forth effort in my diet. I started tracking my food again. By mid-May, I had also increased my walks to 3 miles/55 minutes. (Pain is gone.) I could walk farther, but I just don't have the time to commit to it.
I went to the doctor yesterday. I lost 11 pounds. I almost cried. Only 11 pounds in 6 months. I have been working so hard. It is only about 4% of my body weight Admittedly, I was not super diligent with my diet for about 4 of those 6 months. The doctor was very pleased with the 11 pounds because it is so difficult to lose with PCOS. Half of me wants to give up. But I know I need to keep going. My primary care doctor did bring up surgery during my last visit. It is something I have always wanted to avoid. But if losing 2 pounds per month is considered good progress, I will definitely consider it more than I previously have.
First of all, you need to pay attention to all of the little achievements that were made. Namely the fact that you have increased stamina (and thereby can exercise with more intensity) and the pain is gone. In addition, think of it this way - would you rather gain 11 pounds or lose 11 lbs? Rome wasn't built in a day. Just because your body isn't losing as fast as you'd like doesn't lessen the gains that you've made. "Only" shouldn't be used when it comes to weight loss.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Admittedly, I was not super diligent with my diet for about 4 of those 6 months. The doctor was very pleased with the 11 pounds because it is so difficult to lose with PCOS. Half of me wants to give up. But I know I need to keep going. My primary care doctor did bring up surgery during my last visit. It is something I have always wanted to avoid. But if losing 2 pounds per month is considered good progress, I will definitely consider it more than I previously have.
