Droppin some poundage

[tomEisenbraun]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAtKcwew8zY[/media]

Anyone here ever gotten on a good slimmin down kick?

Was just looking through some pictures from about two years ago--the summer that I worked in a good hot warehouse all summer. I was thinking I looked pretty much the same, but then I saw a side shot of me and realized that I was damn skinny compared to the belly I've got now. Bought a scale a few months ago and realized I've gained somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 pounds since then. Woah! I think it was one of those slow things where I honestly thought my cheap apartment dryer was slowly shrinking my clothes, but now I do in fact know that it's been the opposite way around!

So what have you guys done to get off your ass and lose some weight? There's way too many things out there that cost a lot of money and I'm working on a college sort of salary and not able to put too much extra money into the venture. Is the secret just to eat more greens, cut out fast food and run? Seriously, what's worked for you guys?

Here's the proof:
Then:





Now (my clothes need to fit a lot looser and I've been realizing how much I've been slowed down by carrying some extra meat):

[ItStillJaimoe]

Exercise and Weight-Watchers. It works wonders and will teach you to eat a proper diet unlike those idiot fad diets like Atkins.

[megalicious]

I am a big fan of sparkpeople.com. It helps you track your daily calorie intake, which kind of forces you to really think about what you're eating. It's free, and the site also has a lot of other really cool resources.

[TheBigChicken]

kill the soda and fast food

[tomEisenbraun]

is Diet Coke bad for you?

[TEO]

I just dropped 5 pounds by pounding the trails at Natural Bridge State Park in KY for the last 3 days in 90+ heat. I felt flushed and cleansed after each hike. I started with water with meals, only Ale 81 for soda, skip the fries and have a salad. I just have to keep it going once school starts!

[TEO]

is Diet Coke bad for you?

Maybe too much sodium? Could influence blood pressure and water retention.

[ItStillJaimoe]

  

is Diet Coke bad for you?

Maybe too much sodium? Could influence blood pressure and water retention.

Waaaay too much sodium and it's a diuretic, not to mention being loaded with caffine, plus Coke is an evil company. There's also studies that point to excessive Diet Coke consumption leading to the rotting of the lining of your stomach. But Diet Coke does taste awful refreshing when you are hung-over to the gills.

[Penny Lane]

is Diet Coke bad for you?

diet soda won't really add weight but it will keep weight on (so yes, bad for weight loss) and like everyone said, too much sodium. the only good thing to drink is water. the chemicals in diet soda and other sugarless drinks (crystal light) are too complex for your body to break up, so they store them as fat.

keys to weightloss---exercise for good metabolism, fiber and drink a ton of water (and lay off anything that comes in a bag/bottle/can) when you go to the grocery store--only shop in the outside aisles except for low carb/organic/whole wheat pasta and high fiber cereals)

also try a juice or complete water fast everyone once in a while to cleanse the system.

[ycartrob]

2 summers ago, my dad called me for the first time in 23 years. I promptly lost 20 pounds over a 9 month period (I changed nothing in my diet or eating patterns). I have since gained it all back...

[mjkoehler]

I lost 60+ pounds about 6 years ago. I was up to about 250 and got down to 170 at the lowest. Lack of exercise and portion control were major contributors. That and a 2 litter of Mountain Dew a day habit. Quit soda, period. Cut back on portions, not necessarily what I ate, and I exercised like a California Raisen on crack.

On the exercise, do something that you find fun. I started running and really enjoyed it for some strange reason. I had major motivation in a 5'2" blonde with ummmm a great set of assets. We ran together for 4+ years including 4 half marathons. She motivated me.....and I leave it at that. I felt fantastic those 4 years. I could get up early, stay up late, never felt tired, and the errr bedroom activities were better. I have since gained about 15-20 lbs depending on the day and how much work I did outside over the weekend. I have cut back on the exercise to 3 days a week and my portions have steadily gotten bigger again. I feel tired more, but that may be because I'm almost 36 and I have 2 kids. I need some kind of motivation to workout hard, again.

I'll have to see if I have some good before/after shots. It was alarming noticible. People didn't really think I was that big until they saw me afterwards....at the say the beached whale body I had at a pool.

[vespachick]

2 summers ago, my dad called me for the first time in 23 years. I promptly lost 20 pounds over a 9 month period (I changed nothing in my diet or eating patterns). I have since gained it all back...

Tracy, can you please have your dad call me?  I havn't spoken to him in over 40 years....I figure that'll lose me somewhere around 30 lbs?!?!  Thanks.   8-)

[Penny Lane]

2 summers ago, my dad called me for the first time in 23 years. I promptly lost 20 pounds over a 9 month period (I changed nothing in my diet or eating patterns). I have since gained it all back...

Tracy, can you please have your dad call me?  I havn't spoken to him in over 40 years....I figure that'll lose me somewhere around 30 lbs?!?!  Thanks.   8-)

yeah i'll even take a text message or email---anything

[colleen]

acidophilus/probiotic supplement every day for a billion reasons.

hoodia tea (natural appetite suppressant).
http://www.florahealth.com/flora/home/USA/Products/HoodiaSlimmingTeaUS.htm

stevia (natural sweetener/fiber supplement).
http://www.herbalremedies.com/stev50pacswe.html

aspartame in diet coke is poison (yes, I still drink it).

eat small meals more often to speed up metabolism.

chew your food! eating too fast makes you fat.

mangosteen (supplement that increases fat metabolism/regulates blood sugar levels).

and, not to get too oogie boogie, but the key to a healthy weight is feeling full emotionally, spiritually, etc. otherwise we try to fill that void with food and other things (I did this for years).

[ycartrob]

2 summers ago, my dad called me for the first time in 23 years. I promptly lost 20 pounds over a 9 month period (I changed nothing in my diet or eating patterns). I have since gained it all back...

Tracy, can you please have your dad call me?  I havn't spoken to him in over 40 years....I figure that'll lose me somewhere around 30 lbs?!?!  Thanks.   8-)

yeah i'll even take a text message or email---anything

it's not worth it...  

[Angry Ewok]

I've lost 30 pounds in 8 weeks or so. I look much better, I think.

[Penny Lane]

I've lost 30 pounds in 8 weeks or so. I look much better, I think.

congrats, brad!! you're wasting away!!

[Penny Lane]

i'm training for another marathon so hopefully i'll drop these alcohol pounds i've gained this summer---alcohol=not good for metabolism or calorie intake LOL

[tomEisenbraun]

I've lost 30 pounds in 8 weeks or so. I look much better, I think.

very nice. what have you been doing? taken any comparison pictures?

[bowl of soup]

I've lost 30 pounds in 8 weeks or so. I look much better, I think.

very nice. what have you been doing? taken any comparison pictures?

My clients assure me that an all-cosuming meth addiction will do the trick.  You'll probably lose teeth in addition to pounds, so there's a trade-off.