Anyone attempt large amount of weight loss?

[CarlosDJackal]

I lost 15 pounds in 2 weeks when they put me in the "Fat Boy" Program at the end of AOBC (Fort Rucker, AL). The Major in Charge (a former Air Force Class-A Weenie) wanted to try and scare some of us National Guardsmen. So when I was way under my max weight during the weigh in, he had me take a rigged the tape test so that I was over 2-inches shorter which turns out to be a difference of 8% body fat. So by virtue of this, I was placed in the program.

I saw a Dietitian, worked out twice a day and counted calories to loose the 15-pounds in two weeks (which unfortunately dropped my PT Scores). They finally got my height right (they used a different height measuring thingy) I was way below my maximum allowable body fat content.

What I learned is as long as your Caloric Input is Less than your Caloric Output you will loose weight (Intake < Output = Weight Loss; Intake > Output = Weight Gain). One good way for to this is a combination of good diet (cut down on Caloric Intake) and strength/muscle-building exercises. When you work your muscles correctly, it will continue to burn calories even if you're no longer working out. Cardio workouts are great for building stamina and a stronger heart so it should not be overlooked. But it does not burn as much calories as strength training so make sure you do both.

Good luck!!

[Highway 55]

DISCLAIMER: I am not an expert. These are the methods I used, and they worked well for me. As always, YMMV.

In October of '02 I weighed around 260lbs. In April of '03 I weighed around 170lbs. I'm about 5'10". I lost the 90lbs without "dieting". You can eat almost anything you'd normally eat and still lose weight. It is all about portion control. Don't be afraid to have a hamburger or steak, just DO NOT HAVE A SECOND HELPING (This was the hardest for me, I love good food). By all means stop drinking pop. I couldn't completely stop drinking pop because of that pesky little caffeine addiction. I either drank a diet coke, or in the morning , had a cup of coffee. There are like 160 calories and A LOT of sugar in a can of Coke. You said that you do not eat junk food, so that is not going to be an issue for you. Do not totally cut carbs out of your meals, just cut back on them. You need carbs for energy when you are doing your workout, or just for daily activity.

One thing you need to know is that for the first few weeks or month of working out, you might not lose any weight. If you are like me you will gain weight. Some get discouraged and quit, do not quit! It is only your body building lean muscle mass to enable itself to burn the fat more efficiently. Now for my workout philosophy. I am not an advocate of doing a STRENUOUS workout every day of the week. It is very time consuming, and you get burned out very fast. Unless you are training for a fitness or body building contest there is no need to be at it that hard every day. I hate doing my cardio on a treadmill or elliptical. Unfortunately up here in MN, It is hard to get the ambition to go outside and exercise when it is 0°F. So unfortunately, in the winter, I have to do my cardio in the gym, other than the occasional pick-up hockey game...

I generally only work each muscle group once a week.
Here is my workout schedule in the winter:
DAY 1 - 15 minute light/moderate cardio on bike or elliptical, chest, shoulders, triceps
DAY 2 - REST
DAY 3 - 15 minute light/moderate cardio on bike or elliptical, squats/legs
DAY 4 - 15 minute strenuous cardio on bike, Abdominals, 15 minute strenuous on elliptical
DAY 5 - REST
DAY 6 - 15 minute light/moderate cardio on bike or elliptical, biceps, back, traps
DAY 7 - REST
On this schedule I generally only spend a little over an hour in the gym each day.

Every month or so I like to switch to high rep/low weight, and then back to low rep/ high weight after a few weeks. and also do some different excercises for each muscle group. If you do the same routine for months on end your body will hit a wall and you wont be gaining anything, switch it up once and a while. I like to schedule my grocery shopping, etc. for my rest days as well. That way you get some physical activity without actually working out.

My summer schedule is essentially the same as winter except I cut out all cardio from my gym workouts. and I work abdominals into one of the other days. For cardio I will ride my bike for an hour a couple times a week, or go swimming at my grandpa's house. I have even thought about joining a softball league or something.

If you don't have time or the $$$ for a gym membership. I would highly recommend buying a decent adjustable bench and a light set of dumbells, like 5-30 lbs. You can do almost every workout you need with an adjustable bench and dumbells. and then you can buy the heavier weights as you need them, all in the comfort of your own home. This is what I am in the process of doing. Once I save up enough cash I will go and buy a club grade elliptical or stationary bike. If I would've just bit the bullet and bought the equipment I needed 10 years ago, I would have spent less money than the last 10 years of gym dues. A lot more cost effective to buy your own stuff...

Like I said before, this is what works for me, so I thought I'd pass it along.

Good luck with your quest...

[Norva]

I used to ride bmx and skateboard and all that until I was injured from "going big" so many times that my insurance (and parents too) said that I wouldn't be covered anymore.

After this I basically entered the highschool/college party/do nothing phase and for lack of putting it any more bluntly became a fatass.

During this time I finished my degree and work at a desk on computers/servers all day long...so that doesn't help. Recently I've been wanting to lose this weight.

Im 6'1" and weigh 295 (I know, fatass...right?) but wanted to see if anyone here has overcome this before.

I don't eat junk food really at all, I think it's the pepsi etc that gets me. Lately since I got married and got our own place and money is tighter I have been cooking a lot more and I know that's a step away from eating out so much. Last week I made homemade chicken noodle soup, homemade asian chicken noodles, and also made some beef tips.

I've been contemplating working out like I used to in high school, time is just very pressing and I figured I could start with a diet first.

Any tips/suggestions?

I'm 6'5" and was up to 387....didn't look that big but was. I got down to 290 which i look good at that weight. I did around 1200-1500 calories a day and worked myself up to 40-45 min 5-6 times a week on a eliptical machine. I also gave myself one day a week to cheat. I found that i didn't really go crazy on that day. I quit drinking pepsis, which im addicted to. I lost all that in 4 months. Then my wife left me and took my kids 120 miles away and i put some back on.....working on getting back in shape. I'm now working out and working back on MMA and possibly fighting again

[Norva]

Also the diet i went on was 6 small meals a day. I actually ate more, even though less calories, on the diet and loss weight. You need to jump start you meatoblism. I would get up early and do at least 20 min on cardio...chill out and eat a small breakfast 30-45 min after working out. Drink a lot of water. You need to do it slowly and give your body time to adjust. Diet is a good start. Start doing 5 min on the cardio and slowly work up to 30-40 min a day. You don't want to give yourself a heart attack. Thats a lot of weight to lose. Take your time doing it and make it a lifestyle change so it will stick with you for your entire life

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

Not to be a chick, but I did Weight Watchers. I think the two things that come out of it are:

1. Keeping track (like writing down) what you eat. Just taking the effort to write down what you are eating was enough of a barrier to eat something, especially grazing.

2. Weigh in every week with week to week tracking. They say they don't judge you, but they do.

3. Lots of chicks in the meeting that think they have a weight problem and self-esteem issues.

I lost 50lbs.

[TheGhostRider]

A few years ago my wife and I had some personal issues.
In the process I moved out for a few months of which the majority of that time I spent living in my Jeep TJ.

The 1st month my weight dropped from 205 to 150.
I do not recommend this type of weight loss.
In the end, the story has a happy ending and I've managed to keep my weight down to a comfortable 155~ 5 lbs.

[tweakmeister]

Agree with what's being said in here. Just want to add that less soda is also better on your teeth! (cheaper dentist bill!)

[jc75754]

I don't know if you have kids or not but if not then do like I do. wake up 4:30AM 2-4 mile run 5days a week. Mon, Wed, Fri, Lift hard core til about 6:45 am. Tues, Thurs 1hr ab workout. Then 30 min punching bag. Always eat after you work out b/c you burn more calories on an empty stomach early in the morning, but always eat directly after. Eat carbs/protein in a 4/1 ratio and gets lots of fiber to move excess through.