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Hey doc, Even though I'm not in maintenance or the losing mode, I thought I would throw in an observation. I think that what you are doing will get you to where you need to be in a healthy manner. I know that you could probably change things and lose the weight faster, but I wouldn't do that. This is why: I have friends who have lost 80 pounds or more, seen it on TV, and read articles about people losing a LOT of weight very quickly. All of them have excess skin. Some to the point where they needed to get surgery. One woman I saw on TV needed to have 16 POUNDS of skin removed because she had taken off the weight so fast. I know that you want to lose it as quickly as possible. But you are doing really healthy amounts of exercise and I think a body needs time to shrink everything in porportion. You won't stop losing it, and if you do I think it's just a way for your body to "catch up" to the weight loss. Tighten up your skin, let your muscles work for a while. I know that when I get there I will probably be in your shoes, "PLEASE just make it come off!" But I think what you have going is a good thing and that you should stick to it. Sorry if I rambled too much!
Hi Doc! That is a great question. I think that weight loss never "happens as fast as you want" If you feel satisfied eating the way that you are, then I would stick with it. 45 pounds over the course of a mere 3 months is a great deal of weight to shed, and you should be quite proud of what you have accomplished! If you are lifting weights, take into account that muscle weighs more than fat, so even though you may be losing weight, you are replacing it with muscle that weighs more. As for the "flab" I know what you are talking about. It is enough to drive you crazy. I was a size 24 and skin on my tummy, thighs, and arms REALLY misses the fat that used to be there. These are the places I am trying to "target" by exercising because I'm not sure what else to do to combat it. If you are exercising regularly, maybe challenge yourself a little more. Add weight to your sets, or add a set to your routine. If you normally walk, maybe try to add a little running or jogging in intervals. Mix things up a little, maybe your body has become used to what you are currently doing. When the snow starts to fly, I have been thinking about adding some of the old winter sports to kindle my fire! I hope this helpful..
Thanks both of you for the responses. I don't have flabby skin - thankfully. The weight I have lost hasn't produced this loose skin. Rather, when I say flabby, I mean there's still a lot of fat on my stomach, chest, back, inner thighs, etc., that I would think by now would have shrunk more. For example, I can see that I have a more muscular chest and my chest muscles are even sore from my extensive work-out this past Saturday. Yet, there's still plenty of fat left on my chest. Why hasn't this left yet? Even though my pants are still loose, I still have this fat hanging down on my belly. Why hasn't this fat left yet? I know by lifting weights, I'll combat the issue some people have of extra loose skin. Lifting weights builds muscle, and skin clings to muscle. So as I lose weight, I won't have loose skin. I guess I'm just disappointed that I don't see as much actual fat disappearing from my body. On my dog, for example, I noticed that he's lost some "pockets of fat" that he used to have. While I'm clearly a lot thinner, it seems that I still have the same "pockets of fat" everywhere that I did 3 months ago - maybe they are just a little smaller. The South Beach diet supposedly helps one lose stomach fat first. I thought if I can keep weight-liftintg and have a diet that targets stomach fat, maybe this will help me feel better about my weight loss. Yet, as I feel I'm doing quite well on my current diet, I'm hesitant to switch. Plus, a higher fat diet has never made me feel good. I can overeat on carbs and protein and feel full, but never bloated like I've felt on high fat diets. Still, if something like Atkins or South Beach helps me lose extra fat, it might be worthwhile. Hence I wanted anyone's comments. Based on what both of you wrote, it seems I should stick with what's working. :)
You might have hit a plateau. It is probably worth mixing things up a bit. But it also is possible that you just want everything to move faster. Losing weight does take a long time. It is almost unreal how much effort it can be at times. You have actually done VERY well on your current diet so far. Maybe patience is the best bet.
Whatever you decide to do, I'm sure you will make the right call! Maybe your body has become "complacent" with the routine you are doing. Not to say that you haven't saw some amazing results, but a little mix up in your routine never hurts! Maybe try a yoga video if you like to work out at home and wanted to add stretching or meditation to your life.. You may be able to hit some of those spots that are bothering you. :idea:
Hi doc! It seems like a little change might energize your commitment to your new lifestyle. But I would suggest exercise options and not one of those "diets" that you intend to go off eventually. I know you have already addressed this issue for other people... [quote:191cbe3fa2="doctoru2"]Patience is the key in losing weight and toning. That's easy to say as even I wonder how come I haven't lost more of my gut. But then I remind myself that I've only been dieting/working-out for about 2.5 months, so I can hardly expect to be that in-shape already.[/quote:191cbe3fa2] Remember? Just be patient, keep on doing what is working so well for you, and look forward to your upcoming vacation in Chicago. Ice skating rinks will be opening soon! I'm going to try it! Jen
I agree - patience is key. And that's why I wrote this thread. :) I was wondering if people here have seen better success using a South Beach diet (for example) for losing stomach fat. If the answer is no, then I know I'm doing O.K. That is, regardless of the diet plan I follow, I may still have similar results - it'll just take a lot longer to lose this extra fat on my body than I anticipated, even though overall clearly I am in far better shape than I was 3 months ago. To me, the actual pounds lost aren't that important. Rather, I'm more concerned with how I look and the apparent inches. I say "apparent" because I never bothered to measure myself. But I guess all I need to do is look at my pants and see how loose they are - or see how loose one of last year's sweaters are - to realize that the inches are coming off. Maybe I'm just one of those people who loses weight all over his body evenly, rather than in just one area. If there is one good thing, it does appear my face has slimmed down a lot - so much so that I like taking pictures now. If there was any area I wanted to lose weight fast, it was my face and that has occurred. I guess I was then hoping my stomach would be next - or at least the fat on my chest. Of course, to motivate me this morning, I took a look at all of my "before" pictures. I took some without a shirt (where I wasn't trying to hold in my stomach). Wow - talk about a gut! I can't believe how big my stomach was in those pictures!! 8O But even with the pictures I still "held in" my stomach, I'm fricking HUGE! LOL! :lol: I'd show them to you, but you'd probably all want to cut out your eyes afterwards. :wink: So based on how utterly huge I am in those before pictures compared to now, clearly I have lost a lot of inches. I still may have the same overall basic shape, just a lot less of it. So that helps. It proves to me that taking pictures along the way is motivational and necessary as it helps track progress. Still, the reason I created this thread is I just wanted to see if other people had better luck losing stomach fat with other diets. Patience I have (well, almost have :wink: ). I know I didn't gain this weight in 6 months, so it'll take me a lot longer than 6 months to lose it. But I've already hit the 3 month mark and I'm now making goals for the end of March, which will be the 7.5 month mark. I'm hoping by that time, this stomach fat will be substantially reduced. My ultimate goal is to go to the beach this summer and not be embarrassed to have my shirt open (or even off!!). Thanks again everyone for the motivational words!
weight loss is a very slow process. i'm pretty sure the "belly" is going to take the longest to lose because it's the largest mass of fat for most men to lose. just keep it up doc, you are doing a great job.
Hi Doc! I found this and thought it may be helpful for you. http://www.epinions.com/book_mu-5082548/display_~reviews Just some regular folks giving their reviews on The South beach Diet!
[quote:fd47d86022="BigBoy"]weight loss is a very slow process. i'm pretty sure the "belly" is going to take the longest to lose because it's the largest mass of fat for most men to lose. just keep it up doc, you are doing a great job.[/quote:fd47d86022] I think you are exactly right BigBoy. After doing my work-out yesterday morning, I took some pictures. Time was short (as I had to shower/dress for work), but I felt taking those pictures was essential for my mental well-being. :wink: I had taken some pictures of me just when I started dieting. So I found the same shirt I had on then and took more pictures. I also took some shirtless photos of me when I started and compared them to shirtless photos of me now. While I'm still griping and moaning about this gut I have, the difference between my starting pictures and current pictures was stunning! Those pictures clearly showed how much I've lost. And while I still have a way to go, they renewed my hope. So, I've decided to stay with my current diet plan. It's working well, so why change it? I also decided to see if I could incorporate more exercise into my diet. Besides my BowFlex and walking, I have this great exercise bike at home - but haven't used it in ages. This morning - my normal "day off" from exercising (as I walked and used my BowFlex yesterday) - I was on the bike for about 20-25 minutes. It has a calorie burner counter, and I stayed on the bike until I burned 200 calories! I thought I would hate doing the biking, but it was really rather enjoyable! I can see me doing this more in the future. Hopefully this more aerobic exercise, combined with the other things I'm doing, will burn this stomach fat more quickly. Thanks again everyone for your words of encouragement and for information. :D
no problem! one of these days you'll have to show us those photos! that is one thing that will give you some positive re-inforcement when things seem to be lagging along. i'm sure it will also be nice when you decide to toss out all of your "fat' clothes! how is alex doing?
[quote:f394957d2f="PixieChic"]no problem! one of these days you'll have to show us those photos! that is one thing that will give you some positive re-inforcement when things seem to be lagging along. i'm sure it will also be nice when you decide to toss out all of your "fat' clothes! how is alex doing?[/quote:f394957d2f] He seems thinner to me - but when I had a Halloween party a few weeks back, someone said he looked much heavier. HOWEVER, that person last saw my dog in 1997 - so yes, Alex is heavier compared to that time. In the past few months though, he has slimmed. I plan on taking him to the vet in early to mid-December for another weighing. I hope by then he's dropped to under 100 pounds (he was 121). I'd love it if he was 99 or less. Likewise, I'd like it if I were in the 240's (or less??) on my work scale by that time. But even if neither of us reach my pre-set goals, as long as we both continue to lose weight, I'll be happy. :D
Having your health is really what is most important! Taking steps to assure that both you and your dog are healthy is the best thing that you can do. Keep up the good work and I'm sure that both of you will see the results that you are looking for!!