Weightloss and fitness

Congratulations! That is outstanding and I feel the same way you do about "good old-fashioned exercise/weightlifting."

I lost about 30 lbs (from over 250 lbs down to 220) over a 4-month period back in early 2019. I cut back quite a bit on my portion sizes (I was putting away the food pretty good back then) and I walked for about an hour a day. I'm a big advocate for walking...I am not a fan of walking on a treadmill (although I have to do it now sometimes since it's Winter) and try to walk outside as much as I can ( I've cut back to around 3-4 times per week now, since my boys are getting older). I don't drink alcohol either.

Also, when the weather gets nicer, I try to make it to a golf driving range at least once a week and hit golf balls. I know golf isn't thought of as being a "workout," but it's surprising how many calories one can burn hitting golf balls for an hour or so on a warm Summer day.

when i heard about covid in january of 2020. i decided to lose weight, take vitamins, and get the immune system humming. im over 6ft and was about 245 i didnt feel right and covid forced my hand.

i started with quite a long fast of a week. from then eating only on my days off, any other day i take 1 orange juice in the morning and only water (with a dash of himalayan salt) for the day. after a couple days, something weird happened. i started feeling gassy even though i didnt eat and loss any sense of appetite. it felt like the fuel tank was switched to the reserve tank! i started walk/jogging outside on my 2 days off. moved to intermittent fasting and portion control and kept the orange juice in the morning, trail mix if i got hungry, mondays became my cheat day.

by the end of '20 summer i was at 195. over the winter. i fell off the wagon and was back up 30. ive yo-yo'd especially during the winter months. this winter i decided if its clear weather im jogging/walking. even if its 30 degrees outside. i started wearing thermals, a sauna suit and a jogging sweats over them. just being careful not to cool down too much with such a sweat going in the cold.

my plateau is still 195-200. im stuck here. as soon as i hit 190, i was *starving* and devoured a large pizza. its ok. im just trying to maintain this plateau for a bit and try to move down later, my body seems to like this weight right now.

I'll say that based upon my experience, diet is much more key than exercise for weight loss.

The best exercise results I have ever had was when I was much younger using the original 70s era Nautilus machines which would fit in well with the torture racks in a dungeon.

Waits for DrAnitaBeEtinPhD (21) to respond....🍿

Signed, million man.

That's very pleasing to hear :) You and your mom have done an amazing job in staying healthy. It's not always fun (at least in the food dept.) I'll agree, but your heart and joints will thank you in the long run. Your immune system and stamina will also be better off, as well as lowering anxiety and stress.

There are two big problems people run into with weight loss: following crash diets, and staying the course. It's the hardest aspect of losing weight, and as you have demonstrated, it takes time, dedication, and there's no fast way to do it either. So many people lose patience and fall off the wagon after two weeks. I get particularly worried when I read about how much weight actors and models are forced to lose in a short amount of time. Small wonder they get sick and stressed out.

What's interesting is, I hated phys ed when I was in school, because it wasn't fun, I had to do whatever the teachers demanded, I had to play sports I hated and didn't know how to play, and all the athletic kids made my life miserable. Going to a regular gym as an adult is nicer. You can work at your own pace, nobody's gonna judge you based on age or size (often, like in college, the other people there are more focused on their own lives than wasting time being bullies to you), and you get to pick what you do to work out.

I lost 80lbs when I was in my 20's just by eating 2 big meals of meat and veggies twice a day. I was actually fasting, but was unaware of the concept at the time. I've always lifted weights, but life has gotten out of control over the many years and ballooned out to 250, heaviest I have ever been. This month started fasting eating 2 big meals a day and sticking to a low carb eggs, meat, cheese and veggie diet 6 days a week, generally Saturday I have some beers so I'll just eat whatever on that day. I haven't really changed my workouts. Usually workout 5 to 6 days a week, 45 to 60 minutes each session. Mostly it's weights, but I have come to enjoy the elliptical too. Alcohol has always been my biggest challenge since it's so terrible for you. When I was younger, let's just say I had drinking problem, was drinking heavily 4 times a week. Now it's just one night a week and don't get too crazy most nights. Anyway, down 10lbs so far this month. Hoping to get down to 200 by end of the summer.

One word, HILLS! During my younger, distance running days, I always deliberately sought out hills to climb, whether short and steep or long, steady inclines. After retirement, I've had a walking regimen which included a walk to a nearby park and traversing a steep hill located there, several times. Climbing hills is not only excellent for keeping the waistline trim, it's also a great stamina builder.