Weight Loss

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Hi All,

After years of watching P90X infommericals I decided to give it a try. I was unable to get through the P90X pre-test and went with the power 90 program. It is the starter program to the P90X.

My goal is not to loose x amount of weight but to change my bad habits and transform my overweight body into something I know is healthy.

I just order the program and am actually looking for to the challenge and hopefully change in my lifestyle.

Hopefully my wife will join me as she would also benefit. I can't wait to start the program. Between now and when it finally arrives I will be walking or doing some form of physical activity for 30 consecative minutes.

I will keep you on informed on my progress.

 

I'm doing it too. My problem is consistency. I'll do any program gung-ho for about 4 weeks and then something happens - illness, crunch-time at work, vacation, holiday - that knocks me off my stride, and I have trouble getting back on track. P90X was no different (4-5 weeks straight, and then I got the flew right after I came home from my vacation, so double-whammy). But those few weeks were brutal, and I felt like a million bucks.

Of all the fitness programs I've ever done, P90X is by far he best, and the simplest to follow. You don't need a gym, all you need is good shoes, some basic dumbbells, and a pull-up bar (pushup stilts are recommended). Those 4 weeks just destroyed me.

Good luck! Definitely post your progress. I won't do the same, but I'll be working out with you in spirit.

 

My mother has attempted something similar to this to try and help weight loss, but in general it didn't really help. Just made her stronger for a time.

I'm still trying to find some decent general exersizes I can do for any length of time I can't do weights or 'suspension' activities which often cut out a large portion of general exersizes.

Generally I need to focus more on building muscles. Too many days unable to move has left me with embarrassing muscle mass!

 

I'm in the same boat as you. I get all gunho about something and quickly fall off the horse. That has been my problem most of my life with my weight. I would start to get in shape and than I lost it and gain all the weight back. So far I have been lucky and have not gotten heavier as I try to watch what I eat but do little to no exercise. I know a sligh increase in my physical activity will help me out and so will finding the right balance with my food intake.

I do have a problem with most of the diet programs and that is most are based on turkey and chicken for a lean protien. The problem I have is I am deathly allergic to chicken and turkey. My lean portien options are limited.

 

I hear ya. dmc is right - there are tons of options in the fish world. One of the power foods I've been relying on a lot are vietnamese spring rolls. Boiled shrimp and crisp vegetables wrapped in white rice paper. 2-3 of those and I'm good for lunch. If poultry is out, I assume that means egg whites are out as well. Whole-grain oatmeal, surprisingly, has a bit of protein in it. Natural peanut butter and almond butter are also good sources. Pork and beef should be eaten sparingly, and get the leanest cuts you can.

Two tactics that have really helped me - but are MUCH harder to do regularly than you would think - are drink 80oz of water and eat 5-6 meals every day. This is essential to shedding weight quickly and safely. It basically flushes out your system constantly, and by converting 3 large meals into 6 smaller meals, you never give your stomach a chance to be very hungry, and you make sure your body processes ALL calories you take in (since you can only process so many calories per hour, all excess calories are stored as fat). These 6 meals should still be nutritious, because you do need SOME calories (which is why all-lettuce diets don't work), otherwise your body will catabolize (burning muscle tissue for energy, and you don't want that). The only way to pull this off is to prepare your meals in advance, and bring your food to work with you in a cooler. Having to "go out" for lunch more than once per week will be the death of your program, trust me.

The irony of me is that I am very knowledgeable about fitness and nutrition. I used to work for a sports nutrition company and a world-champion bodybuilder, write a newsletter for them, and my wife used to work at a nutritionist's office. I know this stuff cold. My problem is I just don't really put it into practice very well. The times I have put my knowledge into practice, I've seen success - I just never follow through very well, and my gains never last. That, more than anything, is my biggest hurdle.

 

Have you tried dairy products like cottage cheese or quark (not sure if it's the right word)? Low fat, high protein, very little carbs - excellent evening snacks. Bodybuilders eat that stuff all the time whether they're dieting or bulking.

 

Eeek - yes. Low-fat cottage cheese (1-2%) is a very good source of protein. A cup of low-fat cottage cheese with a cup of fresh fruit (berries are the best) and some oats dashed on the top is an excellent mid-day meal/snack.

 

Stop DR, this thread is about weight loss and you're making me hungry!

 

No, this is good! Part of the challenge of getting people to eat better is making healthy foods seem more appetizing. For a guy like me - who has a lot of trouble resisting burgers, and pizza, and ice-cold beer, and ice cream (especially when I've had a stressful day) - focusing my appetite in a more positive direction is a must.

 

Burgers, pizza, beer and ice cream? You gotta plumber on speed-dial?!

 

First of all I live with a wife who loves chicken and turkey. I love it too but will be rushed to the ER Room if I eat the stuff, so I don't. As for other lean protiens I know there are other options, it is just that most diet plans like P90X and Power 90 tend to be chicken/turkey driven for their lean protien.

I have no problem with cottage cheese, tofu, grill or baked seafood, or other types of lean and healthly protiens. I just wish it was easier for me and wife to cook one type of protien for the both of us as we both will be on the program come 3/8/2010.

On a side note I hate Thanksgiving. It makes me sick to my stomach just being around a turkey that is baking in the oven for an extended period of time.

 

Sorry to hear that MB, turkey day is one of my favorites. But good luck with losing the weight. My wife has had 2 kids in the past 2 1/2 years and has struggled losing the baby weight. Though this year, she started following Jilliam Michaels diet plan, she is one of the trainers on "The Biggest Loser". She has dropped 32 lbs this year, as of Saturday. She's not working out alot, just eating a very healthy diet, mostly organic. It's working.

 

Not all at once, doof.

 

Ok, you scared me there DR. I was worried for your neighbors, with the possiblity of an explosion an all...

 

Regarding exercise, a healthy regimine needn't be anything more than stepping out the door on your lunch break, walking 15 minutes in one direction, and then walking back (assuming you have no preventive physical limitations of course). I think 30 minutes of moderate excercise (which includes walking) 5 days a week is the minimum recommendation. Best of all, it doesn't require being involved in any 'program,' really. And you might find it easier to continue to do because it can actually be fairly pleasant (helps to clear your mind as well) and isn't exhausting or trying in the way that a gym workout can be.

I don't know how much weight that might cause a heavy person to drop, but it would be healthy in the cardiovascular sense regardless.

 

Get bison meat. It is more expensive than beef, but has 1/5 the fat, fewer calories and cholesterol, and tastes far better.

Good luck on your regime, I hope it works out!

 

Thanks for the advice Saber. I actually had a Bison burger not to long ago and it was quite tastey. Maybe I can use it instead of hamburg in the various meals we eat with hamburg.

 

Today starts day 1. Tonight when I get home from work I will be taking all of the important measurements.