Exercise it off??!! (veggies, overweight, patient, doctors)

[woodworkingmenace]

OK, I have been exercising Since last February, mostly 2-3 times a week, sometimes only once (rare occasions).

What I want to know is this...

Can I lose the 'weight' I want, by simply exercising?

Im losing 'inches' so far, but, my Wife insists that I have to 'DIET' also, in order to lose weight. I keep telling her NO! I believe at some point, I will have a 'break even point', where my muscles will out weigh, or be more, than my 'fat', so that I will burn more fat off, as I pound out the weights.

I have tried dieting with out exercise...(every diet that came down the pike, and never lost more than the 10 pounds of water weight, and being a heart patient, I can take a 'water pill' and lose that in one night!), and have never succeeded, so, I figure, it was time to try a new route.

I plan on doing this until next February 2012, and see if I get anywhere in regards to my weight loss. My Heart Doctor thinks I am doing Great...but, he really isnt keeping track of my weight.

My Regular Doctor wants me to go under the knife to a 'lapband'...I said "No Thanks", I will exercise this off, before I allow anyone to 'slice and dice' on me!!

Im 356 pounds, and have been that way for months now, but, I can fit into a shirt that my Wife bought for me a couple of Christmas's ago, that was too short So, Im doing Great in that department...

So, has anyone ever lost the Weight by exercising it off, OR, DO I have to finally give up and admit to my Wife that she is right, and submit to a diet plan of her choosing?

[Alley01]

You need to do both - and by diet it doesn't necessarily mean eating cardboard. It could mean cutting down on your portions which is more effective usually than trying to eat things you don't enjoy. If you just half your portions and continue exercising, you will see a difference but it won't hurt to modify the amount of fat in your diet too. But, hopefully you are like a lot of people who regularly exercise and lose a lot of those unhealthy cravings. In the beginning, you get a ton of cravings, but after a while they start to balance out a bit.

Cut down on the sugar a bit and fat in addition to exercise and you will love the results. Good Luck!

[LadyKLO]

You have to do both...I weighed 350 in April 2010..I am now 250 and I did it naturally by changing my eating and exercising. You can't have your cake and eat it too! LOL!

Your wife is right and tell her she has my full support. I did cut out all the bad stuff although I eat junk about once a month or so but it's a lifestyle change and if you want your weight to drop dramatically, you have to change your food...I don't like the word diet so I just call it a lifestyle change.

[LadyKLO]

So..is your wife right??

[Bluefox]

If you're obese, the biggest rule is calories in < calories out. How many calories do you burn when you exercise? How many do you eat a day? As Jillian Michaels said, "you can eat 1200 calories of Oreos a day and you'll lose weight as long as you're burning 1500 calories a day"

But for someone who is not obese or even really overweight, and is just looking to lose a few of those last pounds, I don't think it is so simple. I read Jillian Michaels' "Making the Cut' and it has really worked wonders for me.

I've never been truly overweight. I was 5'9 and 177lbs beginning of the month, and had basically no definition in my stomach area. I used to work out about 5 days a week. I'd switch between cardio (usually run 3 miles or 1hr on elliptical) and strength training on off days. I was eating clean overall, but no results whatsoever in the definition dept and my weight stayed about the same give or take three pounds. For about a year. I felt like I was more maintaining my physique than getting real results.

Wasn't til I started doing the high intensity circuit training program provided in that book, which incorporated cardio, plyometrics, and strength training all into one workout, that I truly noticed results. Now I'm 165lbs and can actually see some abs. I'm working out 4 days a week for 35-45 minutes. I've been doing this program for about two weeks.

As far as diet goes, I try to stick to about 1400-1700 calories a day. I stay away from processed foods and especially processed carbs. I eat every four hours and I do not eat after 8p. I stay away from alcohol usually, and when I do drink I'll have light beer or something clear like vodka-soda. One thing I learned from "Making the Cut" is that drinking alcohol causes your body to produce estrogen, which in turn promotes stomach fat (i.e. beer belly) which as a guy, you definitely don't want.

Either way, for me at least, my diet hasn't changed. I had to tweak my exercise regimen to get results. However, everyone is different.

[OngletNYC]

Tell us what you eat in a typical day, and be honest.

[Alley01]

Originally Posted by LadyKLO

So..is your wife right??

I think that they are both right at this point.

[woodworkingmenace]

On a typical day, I eat what the rest of the family eats... But, each of my family members are overweight also, so thats not a good thing, is it? sheesh!

I have a couple of cups of coffee when I wake up, with French Vanilla flavoring.

I might have an egg sandwhich, or some type of sandwhich.

I dont usually eat lunch, but, my Wife buys junk food all the time, (She wont admit to sabotaging my diet, but, every time I start something, SHE is the one that buys me junk food... !!).

I only eat one plate of anything, and I only eat til I get the 'first pause'..(read a diet book by someone once, and he said, when you pause in your eating, STOP!! So, thats what I do!).
I love veggies, but, every day we eat meat for supper, be it pork chops, roast or some other kind of meat.

I snack, mostly on veggies (Wife REALLY gets bent out of shape, when I raid the veggie drawer, but, I find that I eat late at night, and usually, its either veggies or what ever we had for supper... Love left overs, and thats my weakness...

Im sitting here with bubble gum, and cinnamon discs, and neccos on my desk, and thats what I snack on, while at my computer.

I havent stopped my 'sweet tooth' cravings yet, and someday I hope it goes by the way side, but, until i does, I will be eating bubble gum daily...(not the sugarless gums, but the 'super bubble' ones that come in 20 oz bags, and I can put away a bag in a few days).

I constantly drink something-->yea, "SUPPOSED" to be on only a litre and a half of liquids, but, I drink sweet tea by the gallon, and anything else that she makes, (lemonade or kool-aide). I dont drink a lot of milk-->maybe why I have arthritus, cause I dont get enough calcium in my body for my bones, not sure about that one, but, if I drink one glass of milk a month, Im doing great!! LOL...

My problem is, boredom. The computer has not enough interest for me to stay out of the fridge, and my Wife moved my computer out of the kitchen, so I would be further from the fridge and not snack all the time... but, I still do! I would rather snack on veggies any day, then anything sweet from the fridge, (unless its fruit, and thats usually apples). Oh, my Wife does buy me a bag of Granny Smith Green Apples every month, and its by my desk, so I have those to snack on, but, I still look in the fridge for salads or other stuff... Snacking is my downfall, and I will be the first to admit it.

Thats why I am exercising 2 - 3 times a week, with weights, to try and burn the calories up, but, being partially disabled, (arthritus in my spine, lower three discs, so Im in pain all the time), so, I sit around, in front of my desk, when Im not working out, because it pains me to walk too great a distance! I cant also stand up more than 15 seconds with out extreeme pain also, so, when I work out, I have to take three pain pills, cut them up, and down them, so that they 'kick in' when I get to the YMCA and can work out with out feeling the pain. Its been working this way since last February, and I do it every time. My Doctors know about my routine, and agree that, any way to get me to exercise is worth it, and they also know that I dont take my pain meds, if I dont exercise, because sitting down, (unless its an uncomfortable chair), doesnt bring me pain. Thus, I sit until its time for me to go to the "Y".

I think that about covers it...or, if I missed anything, I can always add more later.

Thanks for everyone who has replied to this Thread, as its something that I needed to know, in order to try and 'lose' half of my body weight. I blog a lot on here and I dont hold much back, so, if I remember anything else, I will be sure to include it.

Again, thanks for the help!

I wish you well...

Jesse

[LadyKLO]

Thanks Jesse...one of your issues is what you are drinking..you mentioned sweet tea..the carbs in that alone is enough to wreck havoc on your workouts. I think if you minimize the sugary drinks, you could really have a tremendous drop in weight loss.

Someone mentioned alcohol and when I started my journey, that was the first thing I ditched because I was a margarita girl...three margaritas would set me back 1500 calories if not more!

LOL, please let me encourage you to eat at least 3 to 5 times per day but not candy that's on your desk. Try to incorporate leaner meats and more fruits and veggies into your daily regimen. If your wife is buying junk, tell her to stop it.....you need an accountability partner and she can be that person for you but she has to be willing to make some life changes too!

You got this!

[OngletNYC]

You consume WAY too much sugar. I think you should drop all sugar for a week, kick the "addiction."

A great rule to follow: don't drink your calories. Switch to water immediately.

Another thing is, stop skipping meals. Fat people skip meals, fit people don't. Personally I eat about 5-6 times a day, most people will tell you its the best way and I agree.

It's hard to say what your dinner is like but I'm guessing it is out of whack. Your protein portion should be the size of a deck of cards. Really. An easy way to eat your dinner - meat should be the size of a deck of cards. Starch (yes white carbs aren't any good but let's ease you into things rather than make you choke down brown rice) should be the size of your fist. the rest of your plate should be veggies, pile them high if you want, but not potatoes (count them as a starch)