I need to lose

[redball]

I too was at the 280 mark. Here's what motivated me to start the process of taking off the pounds.
1 Recent story in Dive Training about High BP and the increased risk of DCS.
2 Recent trip to Cabo doing deep dives and getting what was believed to be a mild case of DCS.
3. The amount of weight required to keep me on the bottom due to my increased bouancy.
4. The thought of having to quit diving due to health issues.
5. Being able to purchase Large and XL dive equipment (suits, BC's, T's etc) which are more readily available and 15% cheaper than 2X & 3X.
6 Will increase bottom time due to lower air consumption (Yes being overweight increases air consumption).
7 I want to have more energry and look and feel better about myself.

So now what. I had to admit to myself that I was going to need some help. I have tried the gym membership and personal trainer which doesn't work because my job requires me to travel often. Being on the road and away from the trainer doesn't keep me focused. Fast Food is quick, easy, and portable in most cases. So after the failed attempts I joined Weight Watchers and have started to see improvements. I am following the program to the T. It teaches you how to eat and use some portion control. I look at meal planning just like dive planning so I keep my interest. I keep track of my points used and points remaining just like you keep track of depth and remaining air pressure. I am sure many of us have been on a dive just going along to look at the SPG and realize that I need to slow down my breathing or I am going to burn through this tank in a hurry. Since my enrollment I have gone down 6 lbs and counting. I have been on the program for 2 weeks. I used to make fun of it but I saw others who followed the plan and have lost over 100lbs. The nice thing is I still get to eat and I don't feel starved or hungry but I now use portion control and limit my intake of the higher point foods. The bonus of it is I still get to eat chocolate and drink pop but only in limited amounts.

What ever you decide to do just stick with it. If you cheat your only cheating yourself.

Best Of Luck.

 

[watercooled]

ruck it.
i started getting ready for my interagency wildfire physical test in nov/ dec area. the test is a simple road march with 40 lbs. i hadn't realized how out of shape i really was until i rucked up and took off up the road. i know the ground pounder remembers road marches. for the squid, just get a decent backpack and load it with about 35 lbs starting out. trust me 35 doesn't sound like alot but it's a smoker when your new. load up the MP3 player and get your rythem.

 

[Rasmus1234]

eat less and swim more.

 

[hannahevan]

ive lost 10 in 3 weeks with just eating smarterand a little walking!

 

[Diver0001]

Ok Im 280 pounds 6'0" i have a spair tire and my problem is I like to eat what can i do to loose weight. Now dont get me wrong im not all total fat when I got out of the ARMY I weighed 205 and in great shape I would like to atleast see 220 agin

Losing and maintaining your weight is really only a question of one thing:

Eat right and exercise

Let's break that down...

Losing weight is as easy as just eating fewer calories than you're burning (so yes, you're going to have to count calories). There are limits to how much you should cut back though because if you cut back your intake too fast you'll actually slow down your metabolism a bit and make it harder on yourself. On the subject of counting calories, keep in mind that top atheltes measure everything that goes into their bodies..... and in fact they spend a LOT more time counting calories than people who are overweight or dieting. Remind yourself of this fact if it's getting you down. If you want to look althetic then you have to think athletic and that means dicipline with eating and accounting for what goes in.

My first advice, therefore, is to consult with a dietitian to start with. If you're not eating right and learning how to keep it in balance on the long run then you're going to struggle no matter how much dicipline you have. If you are like most people getting educated about food is an essential first step.

Secondly, you should get a medical and start exercising. It *is* possible to lose weight without exercising but it's the hard way and you'll end up thinner but without feeling fitter. Do both to get the result you really want. If there's a particular sport you like, especially an aerobic sport, then get more involved. In my experience you'll if you reorganise your life so you can work out for at about 45 min 3-4 times a week (at this point you'll probably need to build up to that) then your problem is 1/2 beat.

Finally, this is going to take time. Even with a good diet and working out you'll need the best part of a year before you're at your target weight. The good news is that by then you'll have had the time to restructure your eating and exercise habits enough that it will be a part of your lifestyle and not something you're doing to lose weight at that point.

Depending on how heavily muscled you are, you might even want to shoot for even lower than 220...

Well.... My advice about goal setting is a little different. A long term goal is good but be real with yourself. This is going to take time as I said above so set a realistic "goal" of losing a "little bit" each week. Every week you don't gain weight is already a victory on the life-style scale. Even if you lose 1 pound in the next 10 days then you're already moving in the right direction.

Personally, I wouldn't advise arbitrary goals like "I should be losing 3lbs per week" or "I want to weigh 205 in 8 months". If you do that then you're just arming the disappointment trap. The only real goal... the only one that matters is keeping yourself on the road... and that's a goal you can measure every day... every minute if you have to. If you're on the road then you'll get there. Where is "there"? The mirror will tell you.

R..

 

[jed+4]

I have my large ruck from the army I can load it down and get on the treadmil or just put a tank on my BC LOL

 

[marinediva]

Hi Jed
Can recommend the following,
Cut down on the red meat intake.
Increase the white meat intake.
Reduce meat intake to half of what you currently consume.
Increase natural grains.
Reduce white flour and white rice products.
Increase non meat proteins like beans and pulses and whole grains like brown rice.
Reduce consumption of high sugar fruits and soft drink.
Drink only water and clear no sugar liquids during the day.
Reduce "beer o'clock" beer to half of what is normally consumed.
Cut in half the size of portion you are eating each meal.
Eat six meals a day even if you don't feel like it.
Reduce the use of dairy to a minimum.
AND finally
Exercise, and try ten min stretching until it hurts twice a day will give results after six to seven weeks.

 

[jed+4]

My wife is helping me out with the diet and geting the stuff that is good for you to eat and stoped buying so much of the things we normaley eat.She did say something about eating chicken and some fish all baked or on the gril. Thanks for the info marinediva

 

[mud99]

Swiming is a good way to keep in shape

 

[PrISM]

Easy change: stop eating fats. Eat cheerios or oatmeal for breakfast, 6 ozs tuna with no or little mayo for lunch along with 6 crackers. A cup of pasta with no meat sauce for dinner with bread. Use margerine, not butter, eat low fat yogurt as a snack, eat pretzels and cruncy veggies with no dressing.

Get in the habit of looking at the contents, keep foods to ,5mg cholesterol, o trans fat and little to no fats of any sort.

I'm a little late here but this is horrible advice. Far too many carbohydrates with too little protein and good fats. Reducing your fat intake to lose weight is a fallacy. Focus on eating lean proteins, healthy fats and vegetables. Reduce or eliminate simple carbs and sugars from your diet. These things are what packs on body fat.

On your grocery list should be: fish, chicken, turkey, eggs, nuts (almonds are best), peanut butter (natural kind!), milk, oatmeal, beans, olive oil, real cheeses, avocado, fruits & vegetables.