What about your eating habits?

For me, it's about changing nearly 30 (gasp) years of bad eating habits.

I've gone low-carb before and dropped 40 pounds (with exercise, of course), and I kept those pounds off for a long time -- until I re-introduced myself to a college town, where I decided to drink and eat like a stupid-ass 21-year-old (which I didn't do the first time around).

Thank you, everyone, for your experiences and tips.

 

My wife and I went on Weight Watchers to lose weight for our wedding. It worked very well; we each dropped about 20 pounds without really suffering. I found it really useful just for keeping track of what you're eating and being more aware of the good and bad of what you're eating. Neither of us are still on WW but are still eating with those lessons in mind.

On the desk, like many others here I've found that packing a dinner makes a big difference -- both in avoiding eating bad stuff, and also avoiding snacking the rest of the night -- as does drinking a lot of water.

 

Can't say I've experienced that myself, and I at times drink prodigious amounts of the stuff.

As for the chemical makeup...when it comes to things in my life that will kill me, the line forms waaaayyyy back there.

 

Lots of good stuff here, but one thing bugs me. The idea that carbs are evil is a fat canard. Pun intended. You cannot change your body through diet alone. Eating a giant helping of pasta can be a fantastic diet strategy, if it is pre- or post-workout, when you either need energy to burn or you need to replenish glycogen stores for your muscles.

My biggest problem is eating late at night. If I could stop eating after 10, I'd be ripped like hell.

Ramen WITHOUT the spice packet is a very serviceable source of carbs, i.e. Ramen boiled with an egg white and topped with salsa.

Pop is never good for you. Ever. Zero nutritional value. Bad for teeth and bones.

Drink lots of water and exercise.

Cutting carbs might help you lose weight, but you'll be skinny and weak.

 

This thread is making me want to eat pasta three meals a day every day until my metabolism slows to a crawl the day I turn 30.

 

Agreed. I eat pasta and bread all the time...and I'm still skinny and weak (and way over 30).

 

So what are you trying to say? ;D ;D

 

I don't think anyone said carbs are bad. People, myself included, are suggesting it's important to make a distinction between good carbs - fruit, whole grains, etc. -- and bad carbs like Wonder Bread. Carbs are very necessary.

 

I need to be regimented in what I eat in order to lose weight. If I'm not, it's bacon, egg & cheese for breakfast, chicken wings for lunch and the pizza burger with fries for dinner and a pint of ice cream after.

Monday-Friday, I eat pretty much the same thing for breakfast (yogurt, granola and berries), mid-morning snack (banana) and lunch (spinach salad with either tuna or salmon). For dinner, we've been cooking, and I try to avoid red meat, fried food and dessert. Even if the recipes aren't as healthy as my other foods, making things ourselves allows us to control the ingredients. My wife does a low carb diet, so I don't eat much pasta or rice.

On weekends, I'm a little more liberal, but I try to eat bad things only in moderation. I also have stopped keeping bad foods at home, so as to reduce temptation. I have given up soda, except for some diet ginger ale and I drink 3-4 quarts of water.

I'm down 18 pounds -- to 228 -- in two months. My ideal weight would be about 215, but I'd settle for 220. I need to start lifting weights again (I only do the stairmaster and stretching), but I'd like to lose a few more pounds first.

 

I tried years and years of all the low-carb or low-fat this or that things. Finally, last April, I got serious about the gym. My addiction to the gym has surpassed any addiction I ever had for food. Although, if I could totally cut out a few things, I would get over this damn plateau I've been on lately (advice welcome.)

What I discovered is that each person has to find something that works for them, then have the dedication to pull it off. That's the key. What I'm doing might not work for anyone else, but I slowly peeled off more than 50 pounds in the course of a year and I've kept it off. I replaced it with a lot of muscle and toning and feel better than I have in more than a decade. I still would like to lose another 20-30 pounds and I will eventually get there. It's been a slow process and that's what I settled in for. I wasn't looking for a quick fix.

Much of my weight loss came from hard work at the gym (lots of cardio to burn calories) and just common-sense eating.

I spend so much of my life as a beat writer on the go. Sometimes, you have no choice but to grab that piece of pizza in a press box. But as long as you're not grabbing 4-5 pieces, it's not so bad. Anyway, I just greatly cut back on the no-no type things. I haven't cut them totally out, but when I do eat them, I eat in lesser quantities. And if I want to treat myself, then I do.

As for the gym, I work out 6-7 days per week. For three days, I do nothing but cardio for an hour. On the other three days, I do 30 minutes of cardio and about 45 minutes or so of weights. I love the gym. Some people don't, but I do. I love being there, sweating, pushing my muscles. LOL...and I'm vain about them as well. Most women hate muscles, but I think I have great calves and the shoulders are coming along nicely. To each her own.

That said, it's time for the gym right now! Oh, and I love my arc trainer. Ellipticals and treadmills are good, but nothing beats the arc trainer if you have one at your gym. More bang for your buck, so to speak. For 30 minutes on an elliptical, I'll burn like 390 calories. That same 30 minutes on an arc trainer gets me 440. You do the math. Today is legs day on the weights. I love legs day!

 

Not that I want to discourage anyone from weight lifting or other "strenuous" workouts, but if you're thinking long term, you really ought to get in the habit of doing things like walking and/or bicycling. You don't see too many seniors hitting the gym, so that strategy probably won't work forever.

 

This post is useless without pictures!