Let's lose a tractor!

[Iplayfarmer]

The upshot is that I only lost 2 pounds. I'm back on my routine now and should have better results next week. I won't make 220 before the end of February, but I have lost 40 lb since the first of January. I want to be well under 200 by April 15th.

If you can lose anything while eating restaurant food, You have some serious will power.

Way to go!

 

[dooleysm]

I'm down from 239 to 220 since before Christmas. So far 4/6 of us have reported in this week. 2 are down and 2 are up. With only a month left in our competition, our 100 pound goal isn't looking good. Even though 2 of us are down 43 pounds, the other 4 are really slacking off.

 

[Chuck52]

I've weighed 250 for three days in a row, so I guess I can now claim a ten pound loss since I signed on. I'm pretty sure from the fit of my pants that I started at more than 260, but I didn't weigh for a while after I started "dieting" and exercising. If I can lose another 20 pounds by the end of May I'll be fairly happy. Last time I got down to 230 I felt pretty good and was in 38" pants, which I still have in the closet.

I can't claim a rigorous diet plan, though the wife does a good job of making reasonably low calorie meals. I've mainly dropped the beer, avoided chips and nuts, and tried to work out at least 2-3 times a week. The exercise is probably doing more than anything else. Thirty minutes on the elliptical followed by various routines on the weight machine done at a speed that keeps my pulse rate up sure makes me feel good....a day or so later anyway.

Chuck

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I was pretty sore Monday after doing some mechanic work on Saturday. I figured that since I've already got the sore, I might as well get the feel good from it. I ran about a mile Monday night and then a little more last night. (I know a mile really isn't that much, but it's a start.) I spent my cool down time lifting weights.

I'm really feeling the burn in my calves this morning, but the rest of me feels pretty good.

 

[Chuck52]

I never could get into running. When I was using the treadmill, I'd walk as fast as I could go and use the elevation at the highest setting for part of the time, but my boy would run on that thing. He'd put in five miles and not break a sweat. Of course he's about 6' and probably weighs maybe 140lbs. Darn kid. Between the two of us, we finally wore out the belt.

Chuck

 

[George2615]

Weighed in at 224 today. Lost the 1/2 pound I gained on my last check in and 11 lb total since start on 1-2-09. Losing the first 10 lb. wasn't too bad but the past month has really been tough to lose any. Wish our weather here in the snow belt would break so I could get outside and do a little more work.

 

[Uncle Doug]

I was down another 2 pounds but this week back at 286. Still holding steady at 40 pounds lost this year.

I had my monthly check up with the weight loss doctor yesterday. He said to try not to look at the weight loss in short term periods like day to day or week to week. For last month the weight loss was about 12-15 pounds. Which he says was great. He even upped my diet to include some lean red meat once a week and 2 oz of cheeze twice a week. Also added certain fruits daily.

Will be having a hard time over the next several weeks as I am on the Houston Livestock Show volunteer committee which started this week. Food vendors everywhere, committee team cooks every day. I do best on my diet when I stick close to home and away from packaged food places.

 

[jinman]

Will be having a hard time over the next several weeks as I am on the Houston Livestock Show volunteer committee which started this week. Food vendors everywhere, committee team cooks every day. I do best on my diet when I stick close to home and away from packaged food places.

Hang in there! Take a Ziploc baggy of celery sticks with you daily to snack on when tempted to eat. Also, I buy cherry tomatoes from Sam's and eat those as emergency snacks. You could even take a nice, crisp Fuji apple with you and eat that. I like to halve the apple and then cut thin wedges and remove the core. I make eating the apple take a long time. By the time I am done, my appetite is starting to wane. The same applies to celery sticks, carrots, or tomatoes. Eat each bite slowly and chew it fully. It will help the nagging hunger go away.

Edit: What I am trying to say is that you have to plan for situations and keep your control in place the same as at home. This diet has been easier for me because I am home most of the time. Just like you, when I go somewhere and don't have control of the choices, it is a real challenge. You may not even get that hungry, but having that bag of celery sticks handy is a nice crutch in emergencies.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I weighed today. I'm still at 173. I'd love to be down from that, but I'm pleased that I've kept it there through the job stress and not eating as healthy as I should. Now that I am getting back into an exercise routine, I should do better.

The fact that Spring is coming should help too. It's always easier to be active when it's warm and green outside.

I've got a convention coming up the end of March, I'm hoping to be down another 5 pounds by then so that I can fit comfortably in my "business casual" clothes.

 

[hunterridgefarm]

Thought I would check in.

Posted on 1/9/09 with a weight of 227#, wanted to lose 10-15 more pounds.

As of 2/15/09 I was down to 219#. Stopped dipping Copenhagen on 2/16/09...as of 3/9/09 I am 229#. I did not know sugar free chewing gum had that many calories.

Time changes this weekend so maybe I can get back on track.

David

 

[jinman]

Time changes this weekend so maybe I can get back on track.

David, it is nearly impossible to get two very strong habits under control at the same time. It's far more important for your long-term health to stop the Copenhagen. Don't get frustrated with wildly fluctuating weight. Once your tobacco cravings stop, you'll be able to concentrate on the weight loss. If you can do both at the same time, you really have powerful willpower.

This week was another good week for me. It wasn't a great week, but a good week is fine with me. I lost 4 more pounds. I'm down to 221. If I can lose another 6 pounds, I've lost my first "bag of feed." When I lift a 50 lb bag of catfish food, I'm astounded at how I got anything done with that extra weight on my body. I also know I have another one to lose before getting to my goal. So, I don't have time to dwell on my success. I just have to get back to the routine and keep losing.

 

[scott_vt]

As of 2/15/09 I was down to 219#. Stopped dipping Copenhagen on 2/16/09...as of 3/9/09 I am 229#. I did not know sugar free chewing gum had that many calories.

Time changes this weekend so maybe I can get back on track.

David

Good Mornin David,
Another week in the bag for you, congrats !

This week was another good week for me. It wasn't a great week, but a good week is fine with me. I lost 4 more pounds. I'm down to 221. If I can lose another 6 pounds, I've lost my first "bag of feed."

Good Mornin Jim,
Thats terrific, my gosh, a bag of feed, that kind of puts what you have done into perspective ! Congrats !

 

[hunterridgefarm]

Thanks Scotty.

Jim,
I can stop snacking once the time changes and I can stay outside. You are doing great and with garden time comming and all the veggies you grow it sould be easy to maintain this summer.

 

[Uncle Doug]

Hang in there! Take a Ziploc baggy of celery sticks with you daily to snack on when tempted to eat. Also, I buy cherry tomatoes from Sam's and eat those as emergency snacks. You could even take a nice, crisp Fuji apple with you and eat that. I like to halve the apple and then cut thin wedges and remove the core. I make eating the apple take a long time. By the time I am done, my appetite is starting to wane. The same applies to celery sticks, carrots, or tomatoes. Eat each bite slowly and chew it fully. It will help the nagging hunger go away.

Edit: What I am trying to say is that you have to plan for situations and keep your control in place the same as at home. This diet has been easier for me because I am home most of the time. Just like you, when I go somewhere and don't have control of the choices, it is a real challenge. You may not even get that hungry, but having that bag of celery sticks handy is a nice crutch in emergencies.

The main problem is that the most healthy stuff like celery I do not care much for. I do like salad and have eaten a lot of it in the past 2 months. I now always request the dressing on the side and just use a little dressing.

I went back for my weekly doctor visit and was down 3 more pounds to 283. That is a 43 pound loss in the past 9 weeks, over 55 for the past 6 months. We have been staying busy down at the rodeo grounds so that helped last week also. While I did eat when everyone else did I ate very light. The good thing about being on the doctors diet program is that I really do not get hungry unless I forget to take the pills at certain times of the day.

I know I am doing good on the weight loss and am at a weight I have not been it in a very, very long time. So long that I only had one pair of smaller size jeans and a few smaller shirts still in the closet. I have avoided buying new clothes until I see where my weight will end up

 

[teg]

Just checking in; Down 1 to 215... Have not been too active... been sitting at the computer reading TBN ....way too much.

 

[jinman]

This has been a tough week for me. I'm got stuck at 220 and actually gained back up to 223 before slowly starting back down. The reason is that I finished my last refill of a diuretic my doctor had prescribed when I weighed 265. Almost immediately on quitting, I gained 3 lb.

So, I saw 220 for a fleeting moment and now I have to regain it the hard way. Oh well. . .just a "bump in my road." I'll get past this.

 

[Uncle Doug]

Well I managed to loose a few more pounds and now down 45 for the year and am at 281. That was only 2 pounds for the past week but is still progress. It was not an easy week for weight loss. Still spending 3 or 4 days a week down at the livestock show. Too many food vendors and snacks in the committee areas. On my days at home I try and refocus my efforts.

I can not remember back when I weighed less than this. When I hired in at my current job 20 years ago I was at 305. When I got married 24 years ago I was over 290. At just over 6 foot tall I never thought that was too large. Over the years it continued to creep up to around 340-345.

I am getting to the point where I will need to buy some smaller jeans. I had kept 2 pair smaller size of older and nicer jeans from many years ago but now they are a little loose on me.

 

[dooleysm]

I was down to 216 (from 239) yesterday at our weekly weigh in. After everyone weighed in this week we were at -101, with our goal having been -100. We never made clear at the begining of our contest if we had to meet our goal before 4/4 or on 4/4. Hopefully everyone can at least maintain, if not continue to lose, for the next 2 weeks or so.

When we started I was really just hoping to get down between 220 and 225. I thought that was a pretty decent weight for me. My adult low is 208, back when I was playing basketball 5 days a week at lunch, lifting 4 days a week after work, and jogging and/or lifting in the evenings. I had alot more muscle back then too.

My wife is expecting on 5/19 and I'm thinking about starting a similar contest with her, where I get down to 207 and she gets back to her pre-pregnancy weight. Our 5 year anniversary is Nov. 6, maybe we'll take a cruise if we meet our goals. We were planning to go to Gatlinburg, TN for our anniversary.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I was down to 216 (from 239) yesterday at our weekly weigh in. After everyone weighed in this week we were at -101, with our goal having been -100. We never made clear at the begining of our contest if we had to meet our goal before 4/4 or on 4/4. Hopefully everyone can at least maintain, if not continue to lose, for the next 2 weeks or so.

When we started I was really just hoping to get down between 220 and 225. I thought that was a pretty decent weight for me. My adult low is 208, back when I was playing basketball 5 days a week at lunch, lifting 4 days a week after work, and jogging and/or lifting in the evenings. I had alot more muscle back then too.

My wife is expecting on 5/19 and I'm thinking about starting a similar contest with her, where I get down to 207 and she gets back to her pre-pregnancy weight. Our 5 year anniversary is Nov. 6, maybe we'll take a cruise if we meet our goals. We were planning to go to Gatlinburg, TN for our anniversary.

Congratulations on overshooting your goal!

One word of caution... having been married only 10 years I'm finally learning a few cardinal rules. No matter what she does with her hair you love it, don't buy her clothes (give her a gift certificate and let her buy the clothes), don't suggest she go tanning, and don't suggest she lose weight. These rules are especially relevant in the last trimester of pregnancy until she gets at least three full nights of sleep in a row (about 18 months).

Edit: The word "Months" above should actually be "Years".

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I'm steady so far on my weight. No loss. No gain. My goal right now is to take the time again to work up a summary on how we are all doing collectively. Our tractor that we're losing is getting bigger.