Weight Loss
On 1st November I decided to try to lose some weight. I was already overweight at the start of this year but then put on an additional 15 pounds during the five months I was in the US and Europe.
I need to lose somewhere between 30 and 50 pounds. My first goal is to lose the 15 pounds to get me back to my weight at the start of the year. The next goal after that is to lose an additional 15 pounds to get me to the weight I was five years ago. Anything after that is a bonus but I'm going to go for another lot of 15 pounds to lose a total of 45 pounds.
My target is to lose 2 pounds per week.
I'm not doing anything dramatic. I'm easing my way into the first phase by doing four things:
- no snacking
- no sugared sodas (and only the occasional diet soda)
- smaller meal proportions (resisting the temptation to have seconds)
- no eating after 9pm
For the most part, I've stuck with that so far.
More than anything, this strategy is simply reflective of what I was doing wrong before.
How am I going? I've lost 8 pounds as of last weekend (i.e. after 4 weeks). I already feel a lot less bulky. Hopefully I'll reach my first 15 pound milestone by the end of the year.
The real test will be whether I can continue the loss when visiting the US next.
Comments (9)
rjw on Nov. 29, 2005:
The thing to realise is that you can change your metabolism in two ways : decrease input (what you have been doing), or increase output. To increase output - exercise. The best exercise for weight loss is resistance + cardio, eg weightlifting and swimming. Resistance is important since an increase in muscle mass will increase your base metabolic rate : this can be further helped by increasing protein intake. Decreasing input alone is often very hard to keep up.
Good luck!
James Tauber on Nov. 29, 2005:
I do plan to introduce exercise soon. Stopping overeating was just the low hanging fruit.
Bob Hutchison on Nov. 29, 2005:
Exercise! From the beginning. You'll feel much better, you'll be less hungry, you'll be distracted from hunger (and possibly, with sufficient pain, not even feel the hunger), and you'll increase your chance of success at the beginning (i.e. avoid depression)
Exercise is also the key to maintaining your weight.
Bob Hutchison on Nov. 29, 2005:
Sorry, I forgot the :-)
But I was serious. And you don't have to exercise all that hard to get most of its value.
Good luck!
Anthony B. Coates on Nov. 30, 2005:
I lost about 6 kilos (1 stone) on the GI diet (Glycemic Index). I'll told that a lot of food in Oz is now labelled with the GI index. I can recommend it as a workable longer-term approach. Not that I was overweight per-se, but the doc told me the weight was in the worst places, and that wasn't going to be good for my heart.
Cheers, Tony.
dda on Nov. 30, 2005:
I lost 25+ pounds in 2 months doing more or less the same as you, with the addition of a lot of water – gallons and gallons of it. It helped clean the body, too. And now I am hooked on drinking water.
Good luck!
YR on Nov. 30, 2005:
Stick with it. I recently lost 55 lbs and feel great. I went on the South Beach diet last March as recommended by my doctor, and it was the best advice ever. The weight loss was gradual over 8 months. I'm a believer that it's all about limiting sugar intake. Exercise is also key - I get on the treadmill daily. It's hard work, but it's worth it. I look younger, feel wonderful.
James Tauber on Dec. 1, 2005:
Yep, dda, I've switched to drinking a lot of water too. Sparkling water whenever I get cravings for soda.
Last Modified: Nov. 29, 2005
Author: James Tauber
d on Nov. 29, 2005:
JOOOOUUUU can do IIIITTTT!
I know JOO can.
BTW thanks for the GNT!