I've lost 4 pounds since the original post. Cut out all sweets for a few weeks. We're also trying to reduce our portions. Now we've decided one day a week to indulge in sweet is okay. We've switched to primarily organic food and we're eating a lot more fruits/veggies. Also started exercising more. It's a process.

Your original post was almost exactly 4 weeks ago so you have lost about 1 lb per week. That is a great pace and well within the "safe" rate that is often recommended. Congratulations!

Try "meatless Mondays."

I agree that 1 pound a week is a good, sustainable approach. Much faster than that and you risk getting on the weight-loss/weight-gain rollercoaster. Anyone can lose weight quickly; it's a lot harder to maintain the weight loss over time. If you take your time and lose it slowly, it means you're building new habits and adjusting gradually over time. That means you're more likely to maintain those habits and sustain your weight loss than if you go on a crash diet, lose a lot of weight, but then go back to your old ways because you haven't given yourself enough time for the new habits to take hold.

J.D. Roth actually started another blog with a friend of his some years back called "Get Fit Slowly." I don't think J.D. contributes to it anymore (and it doesn't look like it's been updated at all since March). My impression is that J.D. found it lot harder to get fit than to get rich, but his friend lost a lot of weight and has managed to keep most of it off...or at least he did until March.

Mac (JD's "Get Fit Slowly" friend) has made a complete lifestyle change since starting the blog, and often runs long distance races (10k's up to marathons). His wife runs 100k ultra-marathons, and their kids are now old enough to run shorter distance races themselves. He has let the blog go, but continues to live a healthy, fit lifestyle.

JD did struggle more with the getting fit slowly than the getting rich slowly for a while, but then as GRS became more successful, he found he had more time to concentrate on healthy lifestyle things like working out -- like being able to spend two hours a day doing Cross Fit. He still has a weakness for donuts, but overall he has managed to make his lifestyle change stick.

@ DoingHomework & Brad - Thanks for the encouragement

I would also recommend starting a Biggest Loser Weight Loss challenge at work or church to stay motivated.

The problem with the Biggest Loser is that it tends to cause people to lose weight quickly, which in most cases means they'll just put it back on after the competition is over. Very few people who lose a lot of weight fast are successful at keeping it off; one year later the vast majority have gained it all back and then some. I don't have the statistics at hand but you can look them up online; there have been lots of studies.

Eagle's on the right track: gradual weight loss and gradual incorporation of healthier habits (eating and exercise, smaller portions) is the best way to reach and maintain a healthy weight.

I dated a low-fat cookbook author for a couple of years, and I lost 20 pounds over that time without even being aware that I was losing weight -- it was so gradual that I didn't notice until I started having to buy new clothes because my old clothes were too big. I've kept that weight off for nearly 25 years now, with minor fluctuations up and down, because eating that way became a habit for me.

Hi Eagle, there are literally hundreds of diet plans out there as I’m sure you know, just a simple search for such will net millions of totally contradictory reports and ideas. Having struggled with weight in the past, and even a little now, here’s my opinion about what does and doesn’t work.
Before anything else please check out the mayo clinic’s website on weight loss and health, and I’d suggest menshealth.com, I use both for research and some exercise ideas. Just take anything you read with a few grains of salt as again you tend to get contradicting information.
Much of what you will find on internet searches and talking to professionals will differ greatly for the simple fact that what may work for one person just doesn’t work for anyone else. There’s allot of opinion in the weight control field and not a lot of fact.
For what I’d suggest to you, first don’t ditch meat, many people dieting forego all meats in their diet and it’s a bad choice, there are plenty of substitutes out there for protein but there’s material in chicken/pork/beef you just can’t find anywhere else. Your body is tuned to be omnivorous and needs complex meat based protein, denying it this basic food that humans have lived off of for thousands of years isn’t a good idea. Lean meat can also aid in digestion and staying regular, allowing you to forego a carb based fiber supplement.
Dieting alone will rarely work for weight loss, remember exercise is key, to really start seeing results you need to burn calories, cardio is best, especially bursts of high to low intensity cardio, I prefer running outdoors or the treadmill. It will take an average person of my height and build about 2 hours to burn 1000 calories in one session of jogging. Most reports state that 3500 to 4000 calories burned equates to a pound of fat lost, this number really helps me “do the math” of weight loss.
Try to stay out of GNC or the Vitamin shop unless you really research and know what works, those places are money pits for vulnerable people looking for quick fix weight loss, which I’m sure you know, doesn’t exist.
Having said that, there are some really good supplements out there with research and testing on your physique may work great.
Finally a few things I do personally that may help you:
Drink 2-4 cups of hot green tea a day, preferably before work or in the morning, this aids in weight loss, as well as many other benefits. My favorite is Begelow green tea and mint.
Ice cold water with lemon and lime juice or seltzer water is a great replacement for sugared tea or soda (the bane of my existence)
Veggies and more veggies, usually my lunch consists of a protein shake and fresh cut raw veggies.
Most important, don’t get discouraged if the pounds just don’t fall off, what you’re doing takes a lot of hard work and effort to see results, and it’s not always apparent from the scale.
Hope this helps!

My husband has attempted to change his lifestyle numerous times and I find it quite laughable that everyone thinks it's as simple as "eating less, working out more" because it's not true for everyone.

I feel badly for my husband because the guy eats less than I do and works out three or four times a week. Not only does he eat less than I do but he eats better than I do. He is naturally a "big guy" --- very bulky --- but he has also always been overweight. (I am not. Never have been.) The only way he has ever, EVER lost weight is through Atkin's. And I am talking about merely losing weight, not actually being within "normal range" for his height. He attempted to go vegetarian for awhile only to find he could not shed a single pound. I have never seen anyone struggle so much to lose a single pound.

He is back on Atkin's, mostly due to my concerns for his health and his weight. (And his as well---he doesn't want to be fat.) He talked to his doctor about it and he thinks his problem is largely genetic especially when you take his lifestyle into account. I had him ask his doctor to check his thyroid---he did one of the basic tests---but I saw no problem there. Every year I ask for a copy of his blood work from his physical (I work in a clinical lab so I am obsessed with these things) and have noticed his cholesterol levels rise since he has been off of Atkin's to the tune of nearly thirty or forty points.

From much of the research I have read, I think low-carb is a necessary lifestyle for some people. Many studies have shown that low-carb, high fat diets actually result in lower cholesterol levels in many people (and lower blood sugar levels), as well as weight loss. Most people think that bacon and eggs really up your cholesterol but I really believe that it is the highly processed carbohydrate crap that does it. (The stuff I love!)

I also think the genes play a huge role in whether someone is large or small. I never understood why people always assumed everyone who was fat didn't work out and/or didn't eat well---if someone could eat like garbage and be naturally thin, why couldn't someone eat well and be naturally fat? Do I think this is the majority of overweight or obese people? No, I don't. But I do think a percentage of people, such as my husband, fall into that category of being "naturally fat."

This is an article I read a million years ago and it has always stuck with me: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/08/healt ... emityn.www


Sorry to go off-topic! But I do agree that a lifestyle change, not a diet, is needed. And yes, I absolutely agree that a cheat day is needed---especially if you really WANT that stuff and now keep it from yourself. For example, though my guy is on a low-carb diet (and I use the word as it is supposed to be used here, not what diet has morphed into) he will throw in a cheat day here or there because if you find yourself eating 30 g of carbs at day at most, you will find your selection seriously limited. And then you might binge.

Good luck! Your slower weight loss is definitely a good thing.

Agreed on all counts. It's clear that a low-carb diet is the only thing that works for some people, while others (like me) have no trouble losing weight on a low-fat or simply an "eat a little of everything and not too much of anything" diet. And I think that those different responses probably boil down mostly to genetics.

There are also different responses to exercise: most people can't lose weight through exercise without also changing their diet, but some people can. Again, it's probably due to genetics.

The problem is that these genetic differences run across the population, so you get millions of people who can only lose weight on a low-carb diet, so they tend to unversalize it and say that low carb is the best way for anyone to lose weight when in fact it's not true. It's the best way for people like them to lose weight.

You can find lots of people who've lost weight successfully (and kept it off) on low-fat diets, on low-carb diets, on Primal diets, on just about any diet you can think of. I think the best approach is to experiment and find out what works best for you, keeping in mind that to be sustainable any diet needs to provide you with a balance of nutrients, fiber, and other essentials. That cuts out many of the fad diets that eliminate entire food groups: they're great for losing a lot of weight quickly, but you probably can't live on them for 50 years without serious side effects.

I agree with you as well. It's unfortunate that nothing really works for someone like my guy. He's tried low calorie. He's tried vegetarian. He's tried low carbohydrate, which is the only one that has sort of worked. But once he resumes "normal eating" habits, meaning he introduces something like pasta back in his diet, the weight goes back on his body. It's kind of frustrating to think that because of your genes, there is really nothing you can do. If I wrote down what the guy eats on a daily basis and his exercise routine, people would probably not believe he is "medically obese" because his diet is so meager, in my opinion.

Unfortunately, since my last post, my husband has lost very little weight on Atkin's thus far and it has been almost a month. He is not even near the weight where he usually stabilizes on Atkin's so it's pretty disappointing. He's going to keep at it, since he has more patience and determination than anyone I know, but I know he is very, very disappointed. The guy has not eaten a SINGLE SNACK (aside from pork rinds because they are zero carbs) in about a month. Crossing my fingers for him!

The first thing you must think, before starting anything, are you prepared mentally to make this commitment?

It may sound silly, but if you don't prepare yourself to face a diet plan, you might lose the way and end up wasting your time and health.

IMO what you need to face FIRST, is a mental attitude to face your need. Are you really prepared to follow a diet plan? are you prepared to start excercising your body? How are you feeling?

Lost 10 pounds since the original post.

Continuing the healthy diet. Cut out more red meat eating more chicken and fish. Also not eating out as much and cutting out 90% of junk food for the month.

Excersizing 2-4 times a week. Mainly jogging & walking.

It really is a lifestyle decision.

Thanks for all the tips all!

That's really fantastic! Congratulations



Even though it's not about that...I bet you're saving money too.

Congratulations! all those changes sound beneficial because they promote overall healthy lifestyle, no matter what one's weight is.

I think I'm one of those people, as long as I get exercise in, I can be pretty liberal with my diet. Went to Disneyworld. We were on the dining plan. Probably the lightest meal was breakfast (usually oatmeal) but had full lunches and dinners, often buffet style, some with appetizers, every sit down and counter service with a dessert, plus some beer or wine with main meal. Far more (and richer) food than I was used to eating. But- was walking probably at least 5 miles a day at the parks, plus swimming, and felt healthier by the end of the vacation than I have in awhile. I was starving the first 2 days I came back from vacation because I got used to eating so much more. I think I'd much prefer to live that way, but time/pocketbook does not allow limitless eating of prepared food/hours of free time for physical activity