Plenty to Lose

Can a woman get in on this or is this a man only thing?

I stand 5 foot nothing. Before I tried to quit smoking the first time I had never weighed over 100 pounds in my entire life. When I first tried to quit smoking I weighed 95 pounds. Six months after quitting I weighed in at 145. 50 pounds!!! Since then, I can't seem to get back down (and I'm smoking again! I know, shame on me!). I don't want to get down to 95 pounds again, but 110 - 115 would be great! But, for the past few years I've been yoyo-ing. I'll lose 30 and gain 25, lose 25 and gain 30, which isn't healthy at all. I've been trying to get back into walking, which is a challenge since I spent most of the last year being ill and barely even left the house unless it was for doctor's appointments. I guess that I either got lazy or developed even more bad habits while I was "homebound"! I have altered my eating habits, more raw vegetables, less sugar and am drinking water. I need to exercise more, but, sometimes it's difficult to motivate yourself. Maybe y'all can motivate me! Help me... help me, please!!!!! :D

I know what'll do it. "Hey fatty, I bet I can lose more weight in one day than you will in a year. If you don't like what I just said come get a piece o' this bad boy!"

Now, since you are probably fuming and wishing you had a very large rocket launcher right about ... ... now.... :D you can indulge in beating me up at your leisure. You choose the time and place and you don't even have to let me know when. Catch me off guard...(if you can :wink: :wink: ).

The only stipulation to this deal is you have to jog to my place. No driving or hitching rides. Every footstep must be on the ground if you are heading my direction. If you leave this week you'll be here by Spring, have dropped 32.7 pounds and will be too tired to take a swing. You can thank me after you've rested up. I prefer my steak medium. :D

Good luck losing weight. Reading this thread has made me think. Tonight I decided to make an attempt myself. Chowing in at 220, I'd like to drop 20 and then another 20. 180 would be real nice for this barrel belly behemoth.

Time to dust off the workout gear, get the mind in order and begin. Slim ya'll later. :D

Help me... help me, please!!!!! :D

"Help me Obi Wan Kanobe. Your my only hope." :D

Sign on up Electrablue. We share very similar stories.. other than gender. :lol: I gained about the same you did when I quit smoking. I yo yo between 200 and 220 now. I havent started smoking again but it took dozens of tried before I actually quit. You can do it.. Some one said start small and I think that is very important, other wise its easy to give up again.

I've been in one of my sad funks this week but as soon as I come out of it I think I'll start walking again. Everyone move to Norman, Oklahoma.. We'll walk together. :D

Geoo

Help me... help me, please!!!!! :D

Everyone move to Norman, Oklahoma.. We'll walk together. :D

Geoo

Is that anywhere near Ponca City? I lived there when I was 3-5 years of age.

And Electrablue you know I meant no disrespect. :oops: :) You should go join the smokers thread too. :( They're all doing good.

Everyone move to Norman, Oklahoma.. We'll walk together. :D

Geoo

Can't truly move there (my students would kill me first! :wink: ) but would love to visit someday. Likewise if you're ever up this way, come stay over a spell. I think we've got plenty of places to walk. Perhaps a few more hills!

Downside is that it's been pouring rain the last two days and have been pretty much inside just writing and teaching. You'd think I'd have all the time in the world to exercise but it's almost like practicing or playing and heaven knows I can't ever find enough time for that sometimes.

Enough grousing. Work to do, pounds to lose! I hope you cheer up soon, Geoo - we could always get Vic to write a song to make you smile! :wink:

Peace

Help me... help me, please!!!!! :D

Everyone move to Norman, Oklahoma.. We'll walk together. :D

Geoo

Is that anywhere near Ponca City? I lived there when I was 3-5 years of age.

And Electrablue you know I meant no disrespect. :oops: :) You should go join the smokers thread too. :( They're all doing good.

Geoo, that's one of my problems.... no one to walk with. That would make it so much easier!! It gets really boring out there by yourself! So, IMHO, everyone needs to move to Weatherford, TX!! :lol: We could walk a few miles, then play guitars for a while!

And, as for you, Mr. Bish!!! :lol: I know you meant no disrespect! By now I've gotten to understand your sense of humor!! And, you're right about the smoking thing. I need to quit. I'm a veteran (if you can imagine me as a soldier! :lol: ), and the VA offers a smoking cessation clinic at no cost to the vet. They provide patches, gum, pills and a support group! I've got the forms to file to get started, but I haven't gotten my head in the right place to do it yet. Tomorrow. I'm going to mail them in tomorrow. And, I'm going to walk at least a mile. 8)

glad to hear you are going to quit smoking also ElectraBlue.
My wife and i quit when we had kids and it's really made a differance in our lives. Now we are going to lose the weight we put on in the last 7 years :wink:

Yes , my next song is on how difficult it can be to break old school habits and yet at the end we win over them :wink: (oh and by the way , i am having full extra meals these days :lol: )

I hope you cheer up soon, Geoo - we could always get Vic to write a song to make you smile! :wink:

Peace

Thank you David, its a passing thing. Will all be good soon. Vic writes them ANGRY songs. :lol: Just teasing. I need to get back over into SSG and write some. Havent since week2 I think.

Its really hard for me to get out and exercise because it is hard to fit time inbetween other things. With kids and getting their homework done, playing guitar, and just manaing to get in enough sleep between the other things... its tough to find time. But then I read this and wonder if its just excuses I am making.

If I could steadly lose just ONE pound a week I would be more than fit within one year. One year just isnt that long any more. Seems like it would be so easy.

Geoo

Nick is right about the walking thing. With not smoking I have been trying to change my habits so I am not in situations where I would automatically reach for a smoke. So instead of standing around Bsing with co-workers at lunch I have been going for a walk around the "campus" here at IBM. It is 2.7 miles around the outside of all the buildings. I've dropped 3 pounds and haven'treally changed my eating habits at all.

If I could steadly lose just ONE pound a week I would be more than fit within one year. One year just isnt that long any more. Seems like it would be so easy.

I'm thinking along the same lines only I'm shooting for one and a half to two pounds a week. I've got a lot more to lose! And doing it slowly ensures incorporating your diet / exercise into your lifestyle.

Funny you bring up the SSG - one of my other resolutions was to write and critique a lot more than last year. So far so good! Two songs and a critique for just about all the others.

Peace

I opted out of this thread when replied before. I have just been reading some of the posts here and one thing I realized is that everyone is concerned about the NUMBER of pounds lost and not necessarily the "QUALITY" of the pounds lost. It is possible to be what I call a "skinny fat person" (please don't be offended..but people tend to understand when I say this). Yes using the scale as a guide can be useful and you should hop on one once in a while. But the MIRROR should be your MAIN gauge. Body Fat percentage should also be used. These two factors are very powerful motivators...more than the scale. How you look in the mirro will boost your self esteem and make your workouts & "dieting" not feel like "work". Remember that muscle weighs more than fat and you want to build up your muscle mass. Muscle uses more calories for energy than fat that is why everyone wonders why muscular people can EAT A HOUSE and not gain weight.

Insurance companies use something called BMI (Body Mass Index) for their rates. BMI is nothing more than a mathematical calculation using weight & height. Based on this calculation most athletes are concidered OBESE! When I used to bodybuild I weighed 235lbs at 10% bodyfat. My doctor told me I needed to lose weight and that I should weigh 175lbs! I am 6 foot tall...at 175 I would be a pencil!! BMI does not take into concideration a person's muscle to fat ratio.

I'll also offer my help to everyone as I did David. Like guitar, the perfect physique takes a lot of hard work, concentration, and devotion...AND SUPPORT!!!!

I mentioned the same thing you are talking about to my doctor. She said that, atleast for me (Being a diabetic), it did not matter if it was muscle or fat. It was bad for my heart to be over weight. She said that if it were all muscle and I still weighed 215 pounds it would still be hard on my heart.

I dont know if it just makes a difference because I am diabetic or if its the same for all people. It still doesnt make sense to me because you would think that if you were muscular then your heart and supporting stuff would be more muscular and it would pump easier.

Hard to know what to believe any more.

Geoo

I mentioned the same thing you are talking about to my doctor. She said that, atleast for me (Being a diabetic), it did not matter if it was muscle or fat. It was bad for my heart to be over weight. She said that if it were all muscle and I still weighed 215 pounds it would still be hard on my heart.

I dont know if it just makes a difference because I am diabetic or if its the same for all people. It still doesnt make sense to me because you would think that if you were muscular then your heart and supporting stuff would be more muscular and it would pump easier.

Hard to know what to believe any more.

Geoo

Keep in mind that many doctors never took nutrition classes in their studies. Younger doctors have but many of the older ones have not. As a diabetic you do have to watch your weight but a bodybuilder I used to workout with was also diabetic and he weighed about 215 at 5'11" and was about 6% bodyfat. BELIEVE me when I say he was healthier than ANYONE I knew!

When finding a doctor I always look for one with a sports background. They tend to be the most knowledgeable and are more realistic. Athletes are a unique breed and they need unique doctors.

I mentioned the same thing you are talking about to my doctor. She said that, atleast for me (Being a diabetic), it did not matter if it was muscle or fat. It was bad for my heart to be over weight. She said that if it were all muscle and I still weighed 215 pounds it would still be hard on my heart.

I dont know if it just makes a difference because I am diabetic or if its the same for all people. It still doesnt make sense to me because you would think that if you were muscular then your heart and supporting stuff would be more muscular and it would pump easier.

Hard to know what to believe any more.

Geoo Mike makes a good point, but I think what your doctor was trying to get across was that the more you weigh, the harder your heart has to work. ( that is an over simplified statement by the way :D ) It would depend on what kind of shape your heart is in, how much damage the diabetes has done to the heart. 215 lb of muscle is certainly better than a flabby 215 lb. But the larger the body mass, the harder the heart has to work. for body builders this is not a problem as long as the heart is healthy :D

the harder your heart has to work. ( that is an over simplified statement by the way :D )

Thanks for the clarification. I am the one that over simplified it, by the way, not the doc. I just couldnt put it the way she did.

Geoo