Belly-Offers/Sexification Participants: Thoughts On What Works

[peregrinerose 0]

I lost about 8 lbs (from 225 to 145) about 3 years ago, the same way you did... working at it. I'm now at about 154, my goal is actually 125, which is reasonable as I'm only 5'3"

I did exactly the same things that you recommended, here are a few more.

The best magazine I've ever read is called Light n Tasty. Everything in it is low calorie, low fat, easy to make, and absolutely delicious. I have never had a bad meal out of it, and when I cook for friends, they have no idea that it is all healthy.

Chew gum. Keeps your mouth busy and your brain off of actually eating if you are the compulsive snacker type like I am.

I hate water. GAG. But I do drink a lot while I'm at the gym. I drink a lot of coffee. I know it's not all that great, but it keeps my stomach thinking that it's full... I have a lot of skim milk in it, and a bit of splenda, so good for me too.

I love Starbucks. A large non fat sugar free cinnamon dolce latte with no whipped cream is only 160 calories and tastes delicious.

Is the office going out for lunch? Order a non-cream based soup. Filling, and generally lower in calories than a burger or something.

Don't weigh yourself every day, it's depressing. Pick one day a week. Have your spouse hide the scale if you are a pathologic weigher like I am.

Eat off of a small plate size instead of a big dinner plate. You will eat less and your body won't even notice.

Pick one day a week to relax on the food... don't gorge, but have that bowl of ice cream, or brownie, or pizza, or whatever it is that is your weakness.

Work out. It doesn't have to mean going to the gym. Pack yourself instead of paying a packer (Unless the packer is me... I need the money. Keep paying me! ) Park at the far end of the parking lot whereever you are going. Walk the dog. Anything.

When you eat, leave one bite of everything on your plate, it teaches you to be able to say no, to be in control of your food.

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[skymama 37]

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Another thing my mommy taught me (she has slimmed down 25 pounds) is to brush your teeth if you're craving sweet! That's right, you don't often feel like eating after you've just brushed your teeth.

Some docs on tv suggested using those mints that come in strips that melt on your tongue for the same purpose. It might work at those times when it's not really convenient to brush.

My hints...

I eat pretty much the same thing every day for my breakfast, snacks and lunch. Yeah, it gets a little boring but it's a lot easier for me to watch my weight every day and this way I make sure I get my necessary vegie and fruit intake.

For carb cravings, I buy those 100 calorie packs. They stop you from mindlessly eating half a box of crackers before you've figured out that you really just ate 7 servings...not that I've ever done that.

Plan ahead, make a grocery list and buy healthy food for yourself to eat. It's really not that hard to swing by the store once a week and stock up. I rarely eat out, even when I go to the dz because I always bring my own food. It's cheaper this way too! One of my friends told me that going to a boogie with me is like going with your mom because I have so much good food.

Exercising first thing in the morning is a great way to get your metabolism going and you won't end up making excuses at the end of the day as to why you are too busy to exercise. If you have time to post whore, you have time to exercise!

If you're craving something like chocolate, buy the little snack pieces, perferably dark chocolate (my favorite is Dove miniatures). I've found that it's better to just eat the little piece of chocolate instead of eating everything else in the house trying to forget about the chocolate!

When you do go out, only eat half of your dinner and save the rest for later. Most restaurants serve way too much food. Stay away from cream sauces!

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[TrophyHusband 0]

i'm charting my progress on graph paper. each square up and down is a pound and each square left and right is a week. i weigh myself every monday morning. losing only two pound a week makes my graph drop sharply. it is taped to my bedroom mirror so i can always see my progress. my wife also promised me one week in an all inclusive resort in the carribian next winter if i can get down to 170 pounds. this is very motivating and i highly recommend finding someone to bribe you in this way.

"Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama
www.kjandmegan.com

[SkyDekker 1,465]

Try to stay away from enriched flour or wheat, but ins stead buy the whole grain versions.

High Frustose Corn Syrop (HFCS), which is labeled as glucose/fructose in Canada, is worse than sugar. It will actually turn off the signals in your body telling you you are full, whichg results in massive over eating. I would suggest cutting HFCS completely.

I have fgound that a handfull of walnuts is a great snack that fills me up for quite some time.

The advice in this thread has been outstanding.

[skybytch 273]

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Do something. Even if you hate to work out, do something.

I'm carless at the moment (and my neck hurts when I try to ride my bike) so I've recently discovered the joys of walking. Besides being good exercise, walking is free, it can be fun and I think it provides some mental benefits too. I'm amazed at how much sharper I feel in class now that I'm walking to school instead of driving.

You may think you can't fit walking into your schedule, but you probably can. Get up 15 minutes earlier and do a lap around the block before breakfast. Take 15 minutes out of your lunch hour and go for a short walk, or walk to and from wherever you're going to eat instead of driving. When you get home, leave your stuff in the car and do a lap around the block before you go inside. Grab the s/o, kid(s) and/or dog(s) and go for a walk after dinner. Search your local area for hiking trails; put lunch and some water in a backpack and go do a weekend morning or afternoon hike.

On the theory that every little bit of exercise helps - if where you need to go (work, store, school) is close to home, walk to and from instead of driving. If where you have to go is far enough away that you have to drive, park the car waaaaaay out there instead of grabbing the closest space you can find.

[skybytch 273]

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This is all bullshit anyway. The real secret is to take at least four different diet pills, each of which will take pounds off a different part of your body. Of course, in addition to that, you will need to eat only grapefruit, pop tarts, and jordan almonds.

Nah. Don't bother with all those fad diets. Just get a nice methamphetamine addiction going and you'll all be skinny in no time.

[karenmeal 0]

For me, losing weight is about being prepared. Having low-calorie snacks always on hand and ready to go. I cut up veggies ahead of time so that it is easier to just munch on those instead of something unhealthy.

My boyfriend brings home chips and stuff like that sometimes which is a major temptation for me. Frankly, I would rather not have them in the house at all. But, he hides the junk food and he is under strict orders to not let me eat any!

A big problem for me is cooking a nice dinner and then having all kinds of leftovers or not watching portion size. I found the best cookbook EVER which always helps me out tremendously when I cook from it, it only makes enough for two. It also has awesome, easy, tasty recipies that are bulked up with veggies so that you always feel full after dinner. Here is the cookbook:
http://www.ww-wmi.com/section.asp?categoryID=15§ionID=218
You may need to scroll down to see the book.

"Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham

[bodypilot1 0]

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For me, losing weight is about being prepared. Having low-calorie snacks always on hand and ready to go. I cut up veggies ahead of time so that it is easier to just munch on those instead of something unhealthy.

My boyfriend brings home chips and stuff like that sometimes which is a major temptation for me. Frankly, I would rather not have them in the house at all. But, he hides the junk food and he is under strict orders to not let me eat any!

A big problem for me is cooking a nice dinner and then having all kinds of leftovers or not watching portion size. I found the best cookbook EVER which always helps me out tremendously when I cook from it, it only makes enough for two. It also has awesome, easy, tasty recipies that are bulked up with veggies so that you always feel full after dinner. Here is the cookbook:
http://www.ww-wmi.com/section.asp?categoryID=15§ionID=218
You may need to scroll down to see the book.

But a good bottle of wine will ruin the caloric intake every time........


Be safe
Ed

www.WestCoastWingsuits.com
www.PrecisionSkydiving.com

[karenmeal 0]

That is what the gym is for!

"Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham

[mnealtx 0]

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That is what the gym is for!

Or not eating the next day due to the hangover??

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[NWFlyer 2]

Just saw this article and thought it had some good tips in it for eating healthy while still trying to save money:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17113255/

And another on exercise:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16657730/

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[micduran 0]

Great articles. Thanks for the thread Krisanne.

One thing I found to really help get my eating habits in order was to keep a food diary. Log everything you eat and drink in a day. Add up calories, fat, carbs, fiber and then you can make adjustments where necessary.

Be patient with the faults of others; they have to be patient with yours.

[NWFlyer 2]

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Great articles. Thanks for the thread Krisanne.

One thing I found to really help get my eating habits in order was to keep a food diary. Log everything you eat and drink in a day. Add up calories, fat, carbs, fiber and then you can make adjustments where necessary.

Fitday is free if you want to automate it.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[micduran 0]

That is a great website. I forgot about that one.

Be patient with the faults of others; they have to be patient with yours.

[McBeth 0]

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Fitday is free if you want to automate it.

Thanks for that one... I've been wanting to keep track of my food intake. Signed up and have today filled out

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[hollyhjb 0]

I need major help with changing my habits! I really don't need to lose much weight, but it seems like the only time I have been able to lose anything is in the middle of the summer when I'm sweating non stop.

It seems like working up a good sweat is the answer, but I have a really hard time doing it. I was a ballerina for 15 years, and I am really strong, so when I workout i don't get tired, and i never sweat from it. Plus, I have zero motivation...usually I only last a few days on a workout plan. Also, I have no time to go to a gym (two jobs with odd hours and full time college) on a regular basis, and absolutely no money for it either.

As far as eating habits go, I've always believed in just listening to my body, which means tons of milk, little water (seriously the nastiest thing ever), and tons of carbs! I always graze through the day with granola bars, banana chips, juice, and mashed potatoes. I have a slimfast in the morning (because I hate breakfast) and something of substance for dinner (the only time of the day I'll eat meat). I am one of the seemingly few people that wouldn't mind drinking the majority of my meals, but healthy drinks (I like odwalla super food) are so expensive.

It seems like my tastes are off from other people and I have no idea where to start (and I'm usually too uncomfortable to ask). so there, I'm asking...any ideas?

"I reject your reality and substitute my own" ~Adam Savage

[jcecil 0]

The thing that worked the best for me was just counting calories and MAKING SURE not to go over whatever you goal for the day is (1500, 2000, 2500, etc). I ate whatever I wanted, but didn't exceed the calories limit. I learned very quickly what kind of foods I could eat, stay below that limit, and not be hungry the rest of the day, and it was usually food thats good for me anyway. Sure you can eat 5 slices of cake and stay below the limit, but when that's all the food I would allow myself that day, and the hunger kicked in later, I learned to avoid eating stuff like that to excess. It worked ok, I dropped from 270-ish down to my present 215 lbs four years ago and have kept it off.

[hollyhjb 0]

The problem with counting calories for me is that I like to cook and bake and I have no idea where to figure out calories for things like that. Usually it's a bunch of stuff in a casserole (turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, gravy and cheese are popular). and honestly figuring calories for each of those things seems like it would be a pain...not to mention I'd never really be sure how much is in each serving once I cut it up for left-overs. I know it can be done, but if it's too much work I know I won't do it for long.

"I reject your reality and substitute my own" ~Adam Savage

[jcecil 0]

I guess the fact that I was living in the dorm and "cooking" consisted of putting something in the microwave made the method I used a little easier.

I did forget to mention I didn't count it if I ate fruits and vegtables, those were freebies.

[hollyhjb 0]

Well I counted my calories for today and came up with a whopping 1100 calories . I go up and down with eating habits. Some days it's close to 1000, while others I'm sure are more like 2200...still if i'm going to be picky enough to count calories I want to be sure I'm getting it right (I was able to today because the only things I made where a pancake and PB&J sandwich, which were ok to figure out.)

"I reject your reality and substitute my own" ~Adam Savage

[skymama 37]

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Also, I have no time to go to a gym (two jobs with odd hours and full time college) on a regular basis, and absolutely no money for it either.

Sorry, but you're just making excuses. Get up earlier and go for a 30 min walk with some interval training thrown in where you do a few min. of jogging instead of walking. Buy some hand weights, go online and find exercises you can do in your room. Throw in some sit-ups, push-ups, lunges, etc. and you have yourself a workout. And yes, I do practice what I preach, I do this every weekday morning.

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It seems like my tastes are off from other people and I have no idea where to start (and I'm usually too uncomfortable to ask). so there, I'm asking...any ideas?

Is the milk skim or low-fat? I think you really need to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet and make better choices. Instead of banana chips, have a real banana. Instead of juice, have a real orange. Instead of mashed pototoes, have whole grain pasta. There are flavored waters out there that taste great and Cyrstal Light is a good thing to add to your water to make it taste better. There's a lot of sugar in the foods that you are eating, you should check the labels and try to cut some of them out.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[jm951 0]

Some great stuff in this thread. What I've learned over the years is that no one plan fits everbody, you have to try stuff until you find something that works and is healthy.

Back when I used to commute nearly 2hrs each way to work, my weight shot up to about 215, I'm 6'1 and normally about 185-90. Those 20lbs left me feeling horrible much of the time. It took changing diet and activity levels to get it under control. I started back playing soccer 3-5 days per week and not eating junk and the weight rapidly fell back to normal levels and I felt much better.

One observation, as we age, our metabolism and body chemistry changes as well. If I tried to keep up eating with my mid 20's sons, I'd be at 300+ in no time. They like to poke fun at the old man for eating only till he's satisfied, but I don't have a problem with being overweight.

If anything, I have the opposite problem now. Since I quit playing and referee soccer for extra income (read jump funds!! now), I've found that I lose weight during the season at what some consider an unhealthy pace, like 20+lbs in under 2 months. I'm saying this as a bit of a cautionary tale, I've found that towards the end of the season, I started having borderline sycope problems. Symptoms are severe lack of energy, possible fainting. It was like running a marathon and literally hitting a wall. After some experimenting, I traced it back to vitamin/mineral deficiency and I altered my diet a bit to compensate and the problem, while not going away entirely was greatly reduced till I gained some weight back over Christmas. Your body needs a certain level of fat for proper metabolism.

Upshot is, your body is always changing, pay attention to it. It's easier to maintain health than gain it back. The belly is one of the hardest areas to deal with, gym time, diet and crunches can work wonders.

[Remster 30]

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Also, I have no time to go to a gym (two jobs with odd hours and full time college) on a regular basis, and absolutely no money for it either.

Sorry, but you're just making excuses. Get up earlier and go for a 30 min walk with some interval training thrown in where you do a few min. of jogging instead of walking. Buy some hand weights, go online and find exercises you can do in your room. Throw in some sit-ups, push-ups, lunges, etc. and you have yourself a workout. And yes, I do practice what I preach, I do this every weekday morning.

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It seems like my tastes are off from other people and I have no idea where to start (and I'm usually too uncomfortable to ask). so there, I'm asking...any ideas?

Is the milk skim or low-fat? I think you really need to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet and make better choices. Instead of banana chips, have a real banana. Instead of juice, have a real orange. Instead of mashed pototoes, have whole grain pasta. There are flavored waters out there that taste great and Cyrstal Light is a good thing to add to your water to make it taste better. There's a lot of sugar in the foods that you are eating, you should check the labels and try to cut some of them out.

Leave the gild alone! lol... She said she doenst need to loose weight.

Carbs are not evil. If your body needs them, eat them. As long as you stil have a balanced diet, who cares. And 1100 cals? Thats low!

You dont need to sweat for excercie to be benificial. You nedd to raise you heart beat. Look up tables that show target rate based on age for an idea.

Remster

[skymama 37]

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Leave the gild alone! lol... She said she doenst need to loose weight.

She's still making poor choices. Unhealthy eating will catch up with you in no time. Better to get into good habits early in life and make it a lifestyle instead of a "diet".

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[wmw999 2,589]

A couple of rules that serve me well for no-recipe cooking. We eat a cooked dinner pretty much every night, and I have the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Whole grains with no additives whenever possible. Shredded Wheat'n'Bran cereal with peanuts is my favorite afternoon snack. Brown rice is better for you than white rice, and quinoa is much faster to cook than rice. Potato skins are good for you; if you don't like the heavy ones, buy red (new) potatoes.

If you keep filler ingredients around (e.g. onions, carrots, celery, a green or red pepper), it's easy to come up with something cool and less fatty on the spur of the moment.

Remember when you're cooking that meat doesn't have to be the largest-sized item on the plate. Make a salsa for it out of corn, peppers and onions with a little jalapeno. Or mushrooms and spinach. Or some sauteed onions with rosemary.

Sitting down to dinner with someone at the table, with a plate and silverware etc. makes it an occasion to talk with your S/O if you have one, and to relax and enjoy that part of the evening. Sitting down to dinner alone is, for me, only something I do if there's a book to read or something.

If you open a bottle of wine for dinner, cap it when you've each had your one (or 2) glasses, rather than leaving it there to tempt you into drinking more. We have one of those suction-type wine bottle stoppers that reduces oxidation.

Get a steamer and a crock pot. They're wonderful.

Make the whole experience of eating more enjoyable, and the quantity of food that you consume might be less important.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)