# Anyone else on a diet?



## Faisal Khan (Apr 16, 2009)

I quit smoking and gain 8-10 lbs in 8 months, what to do?
In the past if I got above my weight limit I would just increase activity level and be back to normal weight in a few weeks. Well, this time I found out that I have become lazy and will have to watch what I eat (unheard of thought process in my philosophy). 

So discussing with a coworker while we ate donuts, she said just down load a free cell phone app called "Lose It". Been 5 days and I am following the guideline suggested by "lose it" to achieve my target weight and I have already lost 2.5 lbs. Never thought it would be that easy, especially when you go for a certain # of calls/day, everything possible to eat has a cal listing on google!

Two more weeks and I am home free!


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Yep, I downloaded "lose it" on my iphone a while back and it's great. I enter all the food I eat, (every bite), and all the exercise I do, I have my iphone with me all the time, the app keeps a running total of calories in vs calories burned. I've lost a little over 30 lbs so far. I even took a break from my dieting for about a month, but still kept track of calories eaten and burned so that I could maintain my weight loss. Now I'm back to losing again.

I also down loaded "walk star" because it's a good one to keep track of how much I walk, how far, how fast. I've been doing 5 - 8 miles a day, walking and jogging, off road,and on the trails, with the dogs.


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## Lindsay Janes (Aug 9, 2007)

I am not on a diet, but I am counting my calories intake.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

I was 180 when I got out of the service in '67 and 190 when I retired 10+ yrs ago. After that I got lazy and shot up to about 215 and for the first time in my life I had this......doughnut around my mid section. About two yrs ago the wife and I started walking and I also started out a bit on the bowflex and heavy bag. 
The wife lost 40 lbs and I've been holding between 195 to just a bit over 200 for the last 2 yrs now at 68. 

When I quit smoking it was at a time when I was very serious about working out. 2 hrs at the dojo, 4 times a week and running 3-5 miles a night at a 6 1/2 -7 min mile pace. Consequently/fortunately I didn't gain anything then but how I did all that smoking 2-3 packs a day is beyond me. 
Youth! So very far away now. :lol:


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

I am working on it. With help of doctor doing high protein low carbs but not Atkins. Lost 20 so far. Biggest issue is powering through the bad ankle arthritis from a plated fracture about 8 years ago. I can hardly walk first thing in the am but walking on it helps during the day. The ankle brace came yesterday. 

A little app called My Tracks is great because it gives you stats so you can see min max speed, avg moving speed, % grade etc. ......... Learned about it from some K9 officers using with with their tracking dogs.

Using her software right now but for easy to use and comprehensive I really like My Fitness Pal. My biggest issue is that my metabolism will slow down to a crawl and body temp will plummet when I cut calories too much if I don't get at least 1.5 to 2 hours a day of excercise, so it seems.


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## Karen M Wood (Jun 23, 2012)

http://www.pbs.org/program/michael-mosley/
This is a link to a 3 part series on PBS about health and exercise. The one i watched the other night was about fasting and diet. The science is very interesting considering we are trained in this country to eat 3 meals a day. And to over eat by "Super Sizing" our meals.
The medobolic changes seen in this series make them really worth considering. I'm not a faster, but i have done it from time to time because my body simply tells me i'm not in need of food. But now i'm considering doing fasting to try and drop 20 lbs and regain my (Normal) metabolism. I eat healthy i've just gotten greedy and i'm eating too much. And i'm now over 40 and what i ate when i was 30 isn't such a good idea at 40. And my desk job i have now isn't helping either.
So i'm off to bike the dog and then skip breakfast lunch and dinner. 
K


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## mel boschwitz (Apr 23, 2010)

Ive been struggling to lose that annoying 10lbs for awhile now. No one thinks I am overweight, and I'm not. I just hate that bit of fluff around the middle. Lol. I work out (aside from the dogs and horses) and eat healthy, but it wont come off. One of our dispatchers started using a diet pill ("ACE")and she's lost a lot of weight with its help. She's got a bunch of people using it, so I decided to try it. I've lost about 4lbs so far in 2wks. It does a good job as appetite suppressant so its easy to cut calories, without cutting too much to slow metabolism. It gives you a lot of energy without feeling wired too.


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## Astrya Durden (Jan 10, 2012)

I need to check out the "Lose it" app

Karen I'm not a fasting person but I agree with the science behind it. BTW thanks for the link to the video very interesting


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

Yes, I watched the excercise one and am going to ask my Dr about doing HITT (I have heard about for a few years but it is pushing HR up quite high) and the genetic test for what value exercise would bring..even if there is a clinical trial for it. 

One thing on my list is to get my husband to bring my exercise bike into my office though because every 30 minutes I should hop on it and do some....He mentions much greater value for a desk worker throughout the day to keep doing something frequently than just going to the gym for an hour after work. I know that sitting at a desk is one of the worst things you can do.

Post menopausal fat woman. I have struggled dearly and had demoralizing 3-4 month plateaus on 1200 calories (and that is the magic number you are told you are not supposed to drop below)....and exercise and weight training. Fortunately despite it all no evidence of atherosclerosis so that is good for something. Cleaner arteries than most 20 somethings and lung capacity of a 40 something which is good for an ex smoker.


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Nancy Jocoy said:


> Post menopausal fat woman. I have struggled dearly and had demoralizing 3-4 month plateaus on 1200 calories (and that is the magic number you are told you are not supposed to drop below)....and exercise and weight training. Fortunately despite it all no evidence of atherosclerosis so that is good for something. Cleaner arteries than most 20 somethings and lung capacity of a 40 something which is good for an ex smoker.


me too! It's nice to know I'm not the only one.  It's definetely a lot harder to lose weight at 57 years old, but I make myself look at it like a science project, and the "Lose It" app really helps me keep on track.


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## Faisal Khan (Apr 16, 2009)

Unbelievable, I lost 3lbs in 6 days!


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Faisal Khan said:


> Unbelievable, I lost 3lbs in 6 days!


Wow, well done!


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Go for it!


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## Ben Thompson (May 2, 2009)

I know heart disease and cancer are big killers in the USA and I suspect alot of it is food related.


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## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

I believe in a combination of less food - more exercise - cheap :grin:


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## Faisal Khan (Apr 16, 2009)

Checked this morning and I am 3.6lbs down in 7 days! Something went wrong as I set 2lbs/week target with no change in exercise and "lose it" calculated 1500 cal/day to achieve goal. 
Apparently training 2 dogs is more exercise than I thought! but hey I'm not complaining


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## catherine hardigan (Oct 12, 2009)

Ugh, diets sound miserable.


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

The other thing that helps is having a gym buddy. My friend and I go together to the gym, mondays, wednesdays and fridays, and neither one of us wants to be the first to quit, so she and I motivate one another.
:lol:


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Gillian Schuler said:


> I believe in a combination of less food - more exercise - cheap :grin:


I agree, Gillian. I think when it comes down to it, there really is no magic pill, at least none that I've found. Also I like the idea of getting in shape and staying that way, there is a sense of accomplishment and doing something for the right reasons.

The "lose it" app that started this conversation is free, as is the pedometer app I use to keep track of how far I walk/jog with the dogs and how long it takes me is free.

My gym membership is not free, but I do get a lot of use out of it.


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## Mark Horne (Oct 12, 2006)

Remember when WALKING the dog its a minimum of 130 steps a minute for the walk to become cardiovascularly beneficial. This is quick guys, length of stride doesn't matter but the professionals prefer shorter strides and more of them.
This equates to 1 mile per 20mins, and 120 calories for a 6ft male.

Normal pace walking is only beneficial if you're over 80 or just had a recent stroke/heart attack. 

Walking first thing in the morning after JUST some coffee (including going tracking) forces our bodies to utilise FAT stored, the body being lazy will always try and use that days carbs or breakdown muscle.

In order to breakdown FAT your body needs carbs. Brown bread, oatmeal, porridge, high fibre foods stick to the lining of your stomach causing BAD Cholesterol to stick to it, they also break down slowly drip feeding energy into the blood stream and preventing insulin spikes (diabetes later on); WHITE BREAD as nice as it will kill you as there's not fibre in it so it's quickly absorbed.

Its not a diet guys its your new lifestyle, just like our dogs its a 24/7 way of life not something we do at the weekend.

Best of luck.

Mark


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## Hunter Allred (Jan 28, 2010)

I don't try and cut anything out... I just add healthy things into my diet. They end up displacing crappy things over time and you don't put yourself in a situation where you have to be so vigilant or count this or that.


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## patricia powers (Nov 14, 2010)

i've been taking garcinia cambogia about a month. made no alterations in diet or excercise. lost 5 lbs. i think it might make me a bit less hungry & the melatonin in it might help a bit with sleeping. i bought 5 bottles & got 1 free. i will continue taking it & see what it does over a period of time. i don't expect any dramatic results but if i can lose 15-20 lbs it would be better than nothing.
pjp


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## Faisal Khan (Apr 16, 2009)

4lbs down today from my starting weight! It's a steady .5lbs a day and I don't even feel like I am going around hungry. Long live Subway 

Hunter I was like that too, when young! Things change when you grow old, no longer do crazy stuff, slow waay down etc etc Then one day you realize, gee, gotta watch what I eat


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

The calorie change is easy given the low amount of weight you have to loose but Subway....way too high in carbs/sugars and sodium with a LOT of highly processed meats full of nitrates. 

Subway can control calories but the nutrition is horrible. Better than McDonalds but a far cry from home-made with grass fed local meats, organic product, whole grains etc.


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## Faisal Khan (Apr 16, 2009)

Subway is yummy, saying while chomping down the club for lunch  Not to mention they have the _5 dolla foot long_ promotion going on!!


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

patricia powers said:


> i've been taking garcinia cambogia about a month. made no alterations in diet or excercise. lost 5 lbs. i think it might make me a bit less hungry & the melatonin in it might help a bit with sleeping. i bought 5 bottles & got 1 free. i will continue taking it & see what it does over a period of time. i don't expect any dramatic results but if i can lose 15-20 lbs it would be better than nothing.
> pjp


I added in garcinia cambogia about two weeks ago but can tell no difference weight loss wise....though I am loosing about 2-2.5lbs a week (so far about 20) on a combo of increased excercise and calorie restriction.....I am thinking though that the diet with a 35/35/30 balance which has a good fat distribution within the alloted fats and is very low glycemic is already doing that work. The garcinia is still supposed to help with blood lipid profile. Supported by legitimate research. 

The English guy (link to documentary) made a lot of sense on the value of HITT as well as excercising throughout the day not just before/after work. so breaking it up now that the weather is cooler. Once I hit 6 miles a day at 3mph (right now doing 4-5 miles) then I will start working on speed because the more you loose the harder you have to work to burn the same amount of calories. Saving up for a good quality elliptical crosstrainer because I enjoy them and know I will use it...plus it is easy on the ankles (fracture + metal plate + time = arthritis = no way I will ever run) 

That one sub has more sodium than I allow myself to eat in a day. For those of us who are sodium sensitive keeping below 1500 is the difference between taking a diuretic and not taking one. My biggest challenge is getting enough potassium and diurtics don't help you there either. Most of the foods that are good potassium sources are high glycemic ..... though spinach and kale are not but you should only eat so much of them.


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Faisal Khan said:


> 4lbs down today from my starting weight! It's a steady .5lbs a day and I don't even feel like I am going around hungry. Long live Subway
> 
> Hunter I was like that too, when young! Things change when you grow old, no longer do crazy stuff, slow waay down etc etc Then one day you realize, gee, gotta watch what I eat


YAY Faisal......though at this point I do kinda sorta hate you...:lol:

I'm down too, (3lbs this week) but I'm not losing near as fast as you!


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## Faisal Khan (Apr 16, 2009)

Susan you are my wt loss buddy! Since I overshot my target by a 100%, gave myself a break and OD'd on cake and wine, after all it was our anniversary


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Faisal Khan said:


> Susan you are my wt loss buddy! Since I overshot my target by a 100%, gave myself a break and OD'd on cake and wine, after all it was our anniversary


hahaha OK I no longer hate you......ummmm cake and wine....

By the way HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
\\/\\/\\/


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Happy Anniversary Faisal! 
I just had #46 last week....and we even still like one another. Go figure! :grin:


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## patricia powers (Nov 14, 2010)

nancy, i have found that the fruit/veggie drinks that are high in potassium are easily assimilated--whether you buy the bottled ones or blend your own. i have found carrot/orange to be the most beneficial in controlling the fluid that builds up around my ankles.
pjp


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## Faisal Khan (Apr 16, 2009)

Bob Scott said:


> Happy Anniversary Faisal!
> I just had #46 last week....and we even still like one another. Go figure! :grin:


Wow, #46! You have the recipe down pat! Congrats.


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## Faisal Khan (Apr 16, 2009)

3 weeks and 6lbs down from starting weight!


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

24 lbs since July 26th. No drugs or surgery just a little less eating and a lot more excercise.


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Faisal, thanks for starting this thread. It reminded me to make an appt at the gym (Anytime Fitness), to go over my workout, see if it was time to make some changes, turns out it was.

I'm pretty much a cardio nut already, so we've added a weight lifting routine in too. 

So every other day I do the eliptical, then work arm strengthening, alternate days I do lifting, and also work core strengthening.

Of course that's on top of my daily 6-8 mile walk/jog with the dogs, which takes from 2 to 2.30 hours. 

I LOVE working out, it makes me feel really good, both phsically and mentally.

Nancy that's great!:smile:Keep up the good work!


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

Susan, that is impressive. I am one year older than you.

My goal is 6 miles at as close to 4mph as I can get. Right now I am at 4 miles at 3mph but I am having serious ankle problems and my doctor is going to send me to an orthopedic specialist. It seems to be issues, possibly the peroneal tendon and some arthritis related to a fracture a few years ago. Pain, I can deal with, but I don't want to set myself up for surgery and/or a lot of down time.

Saving up for a good elliptical cross trainer. I am looking at the Sole E95 or equivalent. I used a cross trainer at the gym and loved it. Also hope to get up with a personal trainer soon to set up some strength training. The older you get the less you want to risk tearing up something by doing it wrong.

Diet alone won't cut it for me.


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

I had a really bad ankle break about a million years ago, and as the years went by, it got worse and worse, very painful and the limp made it close to impossible to even walk much, I couldn't even walk a mile.

I think it was 7 years ago my doctor sent me to an ankle specialist who fused my ankle, and lengthened the Achilles tendon, but didn't fuse it with a screw. Instead he put me in an external fixator. I wasn't a good candidate for the usual method of fusion because of extensive deterioration.

So I was unable to even weight bear for 5 months, my leg was in this awful and uncomfortable contraption, it was a nightmare, then rehab, which was another few months, but during the rehab of course I could do more and more stuff, it just took a few months to get back to normal. 

Now I'm 100% pain free, but more importantly, I have NO limp, I can do anything, go anywhere, stable ground, unstable ground, makes no difference. I can walk normal, fast, and I can jog and even run. 

I hesitated because of the length of time I knew I would be out after surgery, but It was the best thing I ever did.


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## Faisal Khan (Apr 16, 2009)

Girls girls take it easy, all that exercise is wear and tear on joints, tendons and muscles! 32oz multiple sets on both arms is all it takes!


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

yeah....this from the guy who can lose .5 pounds a day and isn't even fat to begin with...:smile:


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

susan tuck said:


> yeah....this from the guy who can lose .5 pounds a day and isn't even fat to begin with...:smile:


It's a guy thing! From Halloween tilll New Years ( I love to pig out during the Holidays) I'll probably put on 10-15 lbs and loose it in 4-5 weeks after that.


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## Ben Thompson (May 2, 2009)

Does anyone ever actually stay on calorie counting diets? I've never been able to for more then a month or two or three. Blah


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

I've been logging everything I eat on my iphone and have been doing so for many months, the calories are automatically counted for me, a running total each day, which is great, I always know where I stand. Also it's not just about counting calories but getting a very accurate picture of what I'm eating, helps me maintain a more rounded diet.


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

Testosterone makes it one heck of a lot easier to loose weight. Women lose it as they age as do men but are not treated for "low-t"..men get viagra and testosterone treatment while women get told to "accept the changes"...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/30/testosterone-women-hormone-therapy_n_3634847.html

I am realizing that counting calories and daily weigh ins will be the only way I can maintain once I get to where I am going. Considering the alternative....The apps do make it easy (I am using My Fitness Pal) and help you make better choices. They also helped me see that as you loose weight you have to ramp up the exercise to burn the same amount of calories.


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## patricia powers (Nov 14, 2010)

i had not weighed myself for a couple of weeks & was pleasantly surprised when i checked the scale & had lost another 5 lbs. i have lost 10 lbs in about 6 wks. the only thing i am doing is taking the garcina cambogia. i have not made any changes to diet or excercise---however, i may now as the 10# has encouraged me to work a bit at it. as i said in an earlier post, i bought 5 bottles & got 1 free. i am on my 2nd bottle right now. i will continue with it and report back with my progress. 
pjp


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Very good Patricia! 

My best piece of advise when it comes to working out, walking/jogging is to buy the best pair of shoes you can, do NOT skimp in this area. Also I use one type for road work & gym and another that's specifically for off road trail running/walking.


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## Faisal Khan (Apr 16, 2009)

Bob Scott said:


> It's a guy thing! From Halloween tilll New Years ( I love to pig out during the Holidays) I'll probably put on 10-15 lbs and loose it in 4-5 weeks after that.


Bob, you just gave me an idea! Since I am meeting my target with no issues and the holiday season is coming up fast, I'll target an additional 8lbs loss. This way I can pig out on the turkey and beef n puddings n all the yummy stuff and come back out of the binge at my normal weight come new years!


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Faisal Khan said:


> Bob, you just gave me an idea! Since I am meeting my target with no issues and the holiday season is coming up fast, I'll target an additional 8lbs loss. This way I can pig out on the turkey and beef n puddings n all the yummy stuff and come back out of the binge at my normal weight come new years!


Well isn't that just an awesome plan.
:lol:


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Faisal Khan said:


> Bob, you just gave me an idea! Since I am meeting my target with no issues and the holiday season is coming up fast, I'll target an additional 8lbs loss. This way I can pig out on the turkey and beef n puddings n all the yummy stuff and come back out of the binge at my normal weight come new years!



Works for me and I'm old. A youngun like you could probably add 10 -15 lb and loose it in a short time. :lol::lol::wink:


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Bob Scott said:


> Works for me and I'm old. A youngun like you could probably add 10 -15 lb and loose it in a short time. :lol::lol::wink:


I, on the other hand, would most likely gain 5 pounds just THINKING about the upcoming holiday season!!!
:x


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## Ben Thompson (May 2, 2009)

One thing that has made me aware of my own food intake is the fact that I make my own dog food for my dog. If someone fed my dog a glazed donut I would probably yell at them. People eat that crap all day long in America. Its as if you have a fat dog and you are feeding him "Ol Roy" you get him to lose weight by feeding him a little less. You will end up with a thinner dog but you have NOT ended up necessarily with a dog that is any healthier.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

susan tuck said:


> I, on the other hand, would most likely gain 5 pounds just THINKING about the upcoming holiday season!!!
> :x



Yea but the distribution on wimmins is soooo much nicer. :grin:


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## Faisal Khan (Apr 16, 2009)

4 weeks and 8 lbs lost! I even go blind 2 days/week and feast on ribs n all like yesterday and today  Just changed my goal to -15lbs instead of 8, this is fun. The daily weigh graph clearly shows where the ribs go


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## patricia powers (Nov 14, 2010)

i promised i would update, so here it is. i am just finishing my 2nd bottle of garcinia cambogia & have lost 15 lbs. keep in mind, i have not made any modifications to diet or excercise. the first few lbs i can always attribute to wgt fluctuations or fluids. in losing 15 lbs, i have to conclude that this stuff really does work. not as fast as some would like, but for me, i am very pleased & hoping i will be able to keep it off for good 
pjp


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## Catherine Gervin (Mar 12, 2012)

i amuse myself with the difference between what i feed my daughter--healthy foods to make her grow up big and strong and smart--and what i feed my dog--what i hope is healthy food to make her grow up big and strong and smart--and what i feed myself, which varies so wildly that it boggles the mind...just so long as it nudges towards healthy and adds up to what i'm after calorie-wise because i would NEVER feed my dog or my child the way i feed myself.


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

I am down about 28 lbs but the last few weeks have been a real struggle with a slowdown in weight loss. 

Pulled tendon in foot, I am restricted to one mile walking on flat ground but just got told I *could* walk up and down stairs because that does not stress the tendon. So at least I am getting some good cardio in that regard and still plugging away.


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## kenneth roth (Jul 29, 2010)

Stairs, riding a bicyle, swimming are the best to lose weight.. I'm on a weight gain diet :smile: gained 20 lbs so far need to be at 220 by next year then go down to a lean 195 lbs then go up to 235 then go down to a lean 212.


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