Let's lose a tractor!

[Uncle Doug]

I am a long time lurker but a new poster. I just found this thread today.

It seems I gained 10 pounds a year every years since I got out of high school. I have been over 300 pounds for well over 20 years. My peak weight was 345 last summer. I am 52 and over the years the weight starts to wear on you. I have had 4 hernia surgeries over the past 2 years. My doctor says the only way to keep them form happening was to loose weight. I lost 20 pounds since the summer but had another hernia surgery (#4) in November. So I have been off work since before Thanksgiving and due to the number of them my employer agreed to let me take 3 months this time to heal. The first time they gave me 7 days.

I did manage not to put on any more weight during the holidays but was getting no where fast. Not wanting to go the surgery weight loss method I was refered to a local weight loss doctor. After all the blood work and everything, I am a somewhat healthy but overweight male. My BMI was over 40.

My weight Jan 5 was 325 the first day of the very strict diet. Only 6 units of protien a day. In the first week I lost 13 pounds. and have lost a few more since then. My BMI had dropped below 40 after the first week.

My goal is to be at or below 250, that would be a 75 pound weight loss from the first of the year. 225 would be better but I don't want any unrealistic goals. My current goal is to be below 300 which I have not seen in 20 years.

Good luck to all, even with visits to the wight loss doctor twice a week it is not an easy task.

 

[Nissan197]

So far I have lost five pounds. I have been jogging for 30 minutes 3 -4 days a week. Sort have been watching what I have been eating. The Girl Scout cookies arrived a couple of days ago and I am trying to eat them as quick as possible to get rid of them

 

[Iplayfarmer]

My goal is to be at or below 250, that would be a 75 pound weight loss from the first of the year. 225 would be better but I don't want any unrealistic goals. My current goal is to be below 300 which I have not seen in 20 years.

Good luck to all, even with visits to the wight loss doctor twice a week it is not an easy task.

It's good to have you on board! I'll put you down for 75 pounds, but be sure to post when you go below 300 so that we can all celebrate the first step with you.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Weigh in time again!

I hate to admit it, but I haven't changed at all from last week. I guess I need to get out of bed in the morning and exercise to get to my goal.

I look forward to seeing some progress from others in this thread. Any newcomers feel free to join in too.

 

[George2615]

Weighed in at 228 today. Down another 2 lb.

 

[Uncle Doug]

I went to my midweek doctors apt and am down another 3 1/2 pounds. every little bit helps. That put me down 16 1/2 pounds since Jan 5.

You don't realize how much revolves around eating or snacking. Even at church we usally have a half hour of mix and mingle that include dougnuts. I will need to learn to avoid them.

 

[WBWI]

No change since I joined in last week - still at 203#

 

[milkman]

The last couple of times I've weighed, I've been stuck at 240, that makes 8.6 lost so far, rebounded 1 from my lowest. I have got to do better with the eating late.

 

[dooleysm]

Me and 5 other buddies started a weight loss competition on 12/17. We decided to make it cooperative, so as a group we're shooting for 100 pounds by 4/4. We're each kicking in $40 and if we meet our goal by 4/4 the guy that lost the highest percentage gets to pick what to do with the money. If we don't make it we're giving the money to another guy that stopped hanging around with us as much to go back to school. We haven't and don't plan to tell him about that part. We're just going to mail him a check out of the blue if we don't succeed.

Anyway, I started at 239 on 12/17. I'm down to 229 as of this morning. My goal is 220 by 4/4. I'm 6'4" and was at 265 when I graduated college back in 2000. By mid-2003 I was down to 208 as my all time low. I was playing basketball 4-5 days a week for an hour at lunch, lifting weights 4 days a week for about 2 hours after work, and playing in 2 basketball leagues at night. I occassionally jogged other evenings. That was the best shape I've ever been in. Since then I've gotten married and had 2 (with another on the way) kids. Most of my free time that was spent working out has turned into family time. Good for the soul, but bad for the waistline.

 

[jinman]

Uncle Doug, welcome aboard. You have the ability to be an inspiration to the whole group. Those of us who have gained and lost weight all of our lives know just how hard it is to get started on a diet. I use each day's successes as motivation for the next day. I tell myself each day that I've gone too far to mess it all up. Somehow, that gives me a little extra edge.

As I mentioned, I've been up and down all my life. At 15, I weighed 245. I decided that I did not want to go to high school at that weight. On a bet from a cousin, I went on a diet and started my 10th grade year down at 190. Before I graduated, I was down to 180 and holding steady.

After I got married, I maintained my weight until I joined the U.S. Navy. The first two years of my Navy career, I did nothing but go to specialized technical schools. Sitting in class was just too much for me. The boredom led me to pick up eating and smoking. When I graduated and went aboard ship, I was back up to 215.

I again took my weight on and dieted down to the lowest I can remember in my adult life, 158 pounds. Boy, was I skinny. I really worked hard at keeping my weight down and was able to maintain my weight between 165 and 175 until I retired from the Navy. Even when I was going through my divorce, I didn't really have a problem with my weight.

Since I retired, I've had a couple of times I let my weight slip up, but nothing quite as high as now that I am again remarried. My wife is a great cook and we also enjoy going out to a restaurant a couple of times per week. My weight has slowly crept up over the 3+ years we have been married.

The advantage I have is that I have a history of losing weight and know that I can do it. I know how I have to severly limit my diet and I also know how good I feel when the weight comes off. My diet is working and I know I'll be successful. You can do it too.

This week's weigh-in is not so dramatic as last weeks. I've only lost 4 more pounds, but I've broken the 250 lb barrier. Today, I weigh 249. I've not slipped up once on my diet. Fruit for breakfast and a small snack in the afternoon only if needed to make it to dinner. For dinner, I can tell you that there are hundreds of ways to fix stewed tomatoes, spinach, beans, sauerkraut, broccoli and rice, mixed vegetables, and salads. I have not had one bite of bread nor one teaspoon of sugar in two weeks.

Even as hard as it is to lose weight, I still think the hardest thing I ever did was to quit smoking. In my usual hard-headed fashion, I just put down the pack and quit cold turkey. The next month was pure agony, but my resolve won out. This January 8th was my 11-year anniversary of quitting. I consider this diet a walk in the park compared to that.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

...Since then I've gotten married and had 2 (with another on the way) kids. Most of my free time that was spent working out has turned into family time. Good for the soul, but bad for the waistline.

My brother, who is still single, calls it "Married Man's Belly".

Glad to have you aboard. That was a pretty cool idea you and your buddies had with the money pool. I'll bet that helps the motivation a little. I was actually hoping to get a few more stories of self-bribery from the rest of the group too.

What are you all planning as a reward if you make your goal?

 

[dooleysm]

Only half have decided. If I win we're getting 240 powerball tickets. Winnings will be dispersed based on percentage lost. This will work out well for me, since I'll get the most.

One guy is having a big 30th birthday party in June, so if he wins we're taking a one nighterroad trip to the NO area to eat seafood and pick up a bunch of crawfish and shrimp to cook up at his party. If that happens I'll be looking for TBN suggestions on how to pull this off...where to get the seafood, how to prepare it, etc.

The other guy is going to rent out this gym type place in Louisville that has big trampolines and foam ball pits and having a party there. He's kind of an odd dude and we're all more motivated to lose weight to specifically avoid him winning, because none of the rest of us are going if he wins. It'd be great if we were all 10.

The other 3 haven't decided yet.

 

[jinman]

What are you all planning as a reward if you make your goal?

The goal is the reward, isn't it? I'll pick up a 50 lb bag of deer corn and walk up a flight of steps with it over my shoulder. When I get to the top, I'll consider that the climb was easier than when I weighed 265 and walked up without the bag of corn. I don't think you can beat that for reward. If I need more, I'll just go buy a new pair of pants.

 

[tallyho8]

One guy is having a big 30th birthday party in June, so if he wins we're taking a one nighterroad trip to the NO area to eat seafood and pick up a bunch of crawfish and shrimp to cook up at his party. If that happens I'll be looking for TBN suggestions on how to pull this off...where to get the seafood, how to prepare it, etc.

June is the absolute worst month for crayfish. Most suppliers stop selling them in June as they get very tough and hard to peel at this time and harder to catch. Blue crabs are a good choice in June. Let us know if you need boiling instructions, etc.

 

[tallyho8]

I just got back from my Caribbean cruise and am ready to start losing now but I do not need to lose nearly as much as I was expecting to. I was 5 pounds overweight on January 1 but started eating less to prepare for my cruise and I lost 2 pounds by January 10 when we left.

I stuffed myself with all the food I could eat at 3 meals a day plus snacks at least 3 times a day also. The food was exceptionally good and since you could eat all you want of anything you wanted at no extra cost, I really made a pig out of myself. To make up for eating all this food, I used the steps instead of taking the elevator in the ship and I probably walked up and down 8 flights of steps about 8 times a day plus the length of the ship several times around. Not to mention climbing to the top of several pyramids we visited.

I thought I would gain at least 5 pounds on this trip but wound up gaining only one pound. So now I only need to lose 4 pounds. This will only be enough for the top link on the tractor so we will still need a lot more recruits for this program to lose a full-sized one.

 

[jinman]

Tallyho8, you really know how to rub it in on a fella who gains weight by just talking about food. You must have some Cajun blood in your veins to stay so skinny and eat so much. Actually, I'm very happy for you and glad you had such a good time. Maybe, if I reach my goal, I'll take my wife on a cruise to celebrate.

Things are still working for me. This week I've dropped another 5 lb down to 244. I think I've finally settled into a routine I can maintain for a long period of time. I call this my 200-300-300 diet. I eat 200 calories for breakfast (fresh fruit) and then 300 for lunch and dinner. As hard as that sounds, it is not all that hard if you like vegetables as much as I do. Green Giant and Del Monte have great frozen vegetable meals in steamer bags. The one I had for lunch yesterday was 150 calories in the entire bag. Along with that, I had a nice cold salad. It filled me up without filling me out. For dinner last night, I had some French cut green beans and new potatoes. I think my stomach has shrunk, because I am completely satisfied after a meal.

I'm sure I'll slow down in weight loss as time goes on. Some weeks I may not lose but 2 lb and others I may suddenly drop 8-10. My body has always gone in cycles rather than a slow steady predictable loss. So far I am very please to have over 20 lb lost in just three weeks. I have begun to see the difference in the fit of my clothes and how my face looks. I like it.

Okay guys. . .let's hear some weigh-in reports.

 

[scott_vt]

Green Giant and Del Monte have great frozen vegetable meals in steamer bags. The one I had for lunch yesterday was 150 calories in the entire bag. .

Good Mornin Jim,
Do you mean to tell me that with all those beautiful vegetables you grew in that monster garden that your eatin Del Monte ?

Tell Kathy to start canning and freezing some of that great home grown stuff !

Dudley,
Man that is impressive, all that eating and only one pound gained !!! There had to be some serious walking involved on that ship !

 

[jinman]

Good Mornin Jim,
Do you mean to tell me that with all those beautiful vegetables you grew in that monster garden that your eatin Del Monte ?

Ha! We have eaten tons of veggies out of the garden. I just cooked up a big pot of pinto beans from our freezer last week. The only issue with our own stuff is that it has to be thawed and cooked. Sometimes the quick convenience of having a tasty meal in less than 10 minutes is just too much to bear. I'm also very fond of snow peas with red peppers in a nice sesame sauce. A Green Giant steamer bag will give me that in just 6 minutes. When I have time, I cook. If I want something quick, I call on "the Giant."

 

[jinman]

Tell Kathy to start canning and freezing some of that great home grown stuff !

Okay Scotty, you shamed me into it.

I went down to our freezer and looked at what we still have the most of. Other than blackeye and purple hull peas, we mostly had beans (both green Kentucky Wonders and shelled pintos), squash, and turnips. It takes so long to cook fresh peas correctly, that I opted for the KW beans with squash and turnips for my soup.

Of course, you always have to add something, so I got a couple of cans of stewed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, a frozen bag of store-bought carrots, and a big onion the size of a softball. While the squash and turnips (rutabagas actually) were thawing, I cut up the onion and got my stew pot ready. I cooked the beans for about 1 hour with onion and spice before adding the rest of the ingredients to the pot. I added 1 quart of low-calorie chicken broth to the mix along with spices to my taste and then put the soup on low heat for the next three hours, stirring every half hour or so. The soup is very close to the taste of minestrone.

Attached are the pictures of my soup when done. I also decided to make a big pot of shelled pinto beans too. That's the pan on the back of the stove. I tossed in a handful of leftover ham scraps and spiced them up as I like them too.

Last night I had a bowl of soup and a cup of beans on the side. What a meal! Thanks for the suggestion, Scotty. I just wish you were here to help me eat some of this soup. I have about two gallons.

 

[tallyho8]

I have lost one pound since I got back from vacation and only have 3 more to lose. I love to eat so much that I do not cut down on my food when I am trying to lose weight. Instead, I increase my exercise to burn more calories. That might not work if I had to lose a lot of weight.

I don't know how some of you can lose so much weight so fast. It would be incredibly hard for me to eat so much less all of a sudden. When my health gets worse and I can't get as much exercise, I will probably turn into a blimp.