the tfp weight watchers thread

[Fotzlid]

towards the end of the summer i managed to go from 235 to 220.
been creeping back up to 230 again. would dearly love to get back to 200 but its not a realistic goal. shooting for 220 again.

[snowy]

Bumping this thread for my own good...

Last time I checked in, just about a year ago, I was at 146.

Today: 144

[Lasereth]

I should have posted in here to help out my trek but I didn't so oh well.

1.5 years ago I was 280ish pounds and now I'm at 205 so I lost 75 pounds. One of the hardest things I've ever done. Probably THE hardest.

Right now I'm stuck at 205ish but my muscle mass has went up drastically so I've lost more fat than 75 pounds due to the muscle increase.

[Catdaddy33]

July 2005 - 275 lbs
Aug 2008 - 160 lbs

This past winter I kinda let it go started eating more and switching back to my old ways of really bad food (greasy pizzas, bloomin onions, cheese fries etc.) and stopped weighing myself. I hopped on the scale at the gym in May and was 185 lbs. At first I was disgusted with myself, then too action to drop back down to 160-165 so I switched back to my old calorie-counting diet mode and since May dropped from 185 to 160 lbs as of this past weekend.

While I'm proud of my weight loss the ongoing struggle not to snack while watching TV or movies and not to order that appetizer the table next to us is grazing on, or not finishing the plate of food when I'm full is difficult.

[Strange Famous]

322 lbs.

And Im 5 10 tall and 30 years old, Im starting to think that being the size I am is gonna become a health problem at this age now. This year I'm serious!

[Xerxys]

Hey guys, if this post is offensive in anyway, please feel free to publicly ream me and I will pull it before anyone has to. I have checked everywhere and even called the weight watchers helpline and their programs are all desighned to help people reduce their weight.

I weigh, wait for it, wait for it ..... 114 pounds. I have tried everyting to gain muscle except become that obsessive steroid taking, 24/7, muscle building, gym going douche. I want to gain proper weight as compared to my height and age.

So I began a regimen of regular gyming Mon - Wed - Fri which will be heavily affected when I resum,e school, I run in the morning which is fantastic because I now have all this energy, I do mindless cardio all day seeing as my job needs me to walk around helping people. I have not yet cut down on eating fast foods because I'm lazy. Will change that..... and also, I neither drink nor smoke.

My vices are, fast foods, no eating, eating 1 or 2 huge meals instead of like 3 or 4 a day, and up until two weeks before I began doing what I do, no exercise.

Stats::
21/male - 114lbs 5' 7"

[Lasereth]

How long have you been doing weight training? There is a huge poster plastered on my wall at the gym that says something like "the people who will keep coming back are the people who know that you won't see results for 2-3 months"

I worked out for months before I saw any improvement. Depending on how long you've been doing it, you may not be past that phase yet.

[Lindy]

Originally Posted by Xerxys

...I weigh, wait for it, wait for it ..... 114 pounds. I have tried everyting to gain muscle except become that obsessive steroid taking, 24/7, muscle building, gym going douche. I want to gain proper weight as compared to my height and age.

So I began a regimen of regular gyming Mon - Wed - Fri which will be heavily affected when I resum,e school, I run in the morning which is fantastic because I now have all this energy, I do mindless cardio all day seeing as my job needs me to walk around helping people. I have not yet cut down on eating fat foods because I'm lazy. Will change that....
Stats::
21/male - 141lbs 5' 7"

So, which is it, 114 or 141 pounds? The 27 pound difference is as much as a fourth of your weight. "Mindless cardio" and running, while good for the heart and lungs, is the last thing you should be doing if you want to gain weight. You should be doing weight lifting, or some other strength training, if you want to bulk up. And for most people, a diet high in both carbs and fat (like pizza) seems to work like a charm for gaining weight

Lindy

[Xerxys]

Just edited it, sorry, I have some more things lined up. I will also begin taking a lot of strength training and I was wondering how you guys who go to the gym schedule your time. PM me some of yout time tables folks. Please.........

[Strange Famous]

316 lbs now...

[highthief]

Originally Posted by Xerxys

Hey guys, if this post is offensive in anyway, please feel free to publicly ream me and I will pull it before anyone has to. I have checked everywhere and even called the weight watchers helpline and their programs are all desighned to help people reduce their weight.

I weigh, wait for it, wait for it ..... 114 pounds. I have tried everyting to gain muscle except become that obsessive steroid taking, 24/7, muscle building, gym going douche. I want to gain proper weight as compared to my height and age.

So I began a regimen of regular gyming Mon - Wed - Fri which will be heavily affected when I resum,e school, I run in the morning which is fantastic because I now have all this energy, I do mindless cardio all day seeing as my job needs me to walk around helping people. I have not yet cut down on eating fast foods because I'm lazy. Will change that..... and also, I neither drink nor smoke.

My vices are, fast foods, no eating, eating 1 or 2 huge meals instead of like 3 or 4 a day, and up until two weeks before I began doing what I do, no exercise.

Stats::
21/male - 114lbs 5' 7"

The gym is good, but you have to eat to get big. Lots of quality food, not a lot of junk food or all you'll get is fat. You'll need to drink a couple of protein shakes a day in all probability to get the protein and calories you need.

You can bench and squat and do rows all you want, but if you don't take in the calories, you won't increase in size much at all, although you may become stronger.

As for cardio - wouldn't tell anyone not to do it, because it is part of a healthy lifestyle and I run 4 times a week myself, but you might want to ease off for a little while until you start to make some quality muscle gains.

[Catdaddy33]

Originally Posted by Strange Famous

316 lbs now...

Good progress!! Don't get bummed when your losses get smaller, 1-2 lbs a week is the norm...

[Baraka_Guru]

Originally Posted by highthief

The gym is good, but you have to eat to get big. Lots of quality food, not a lot of junk food or all you'll get is fat. You'll need to drink a couple of protein shakes a day in all probability to get the protein and calories you need.

All my reply is more or less @ Xerxys: Protein shakes help, but if you're trying to gain weight, one shouldn't rely on them too much. You generally want to increase your caloric intake above what's normal when you're starting to work out and want to gain weight. Working out itself burns calories, as does the recovery period. You need to compensate for this by making up for those lost calories and then some.

You can bench and squat and do rows all you want, but if you don't take in the calories, you won't increase in size much at all, although you may become stronger.

Yeah, but you might even have problems getting stronger. Whenever you do above and beyond the normal things to your body, you're going to need to give it the materials it needs to take care of business.

As for cardio - wouldn't tell anyone not to do it, because it is part of a healthy lifestyle and I run 4 times a week myself, but you might want to ease off for a little while until you start to make some quality muscle gains.

Mind you, weight training can really get your heart going. But you do need to find a balance. If your goal is to be able to run a lot...and far...then focus on that. If you want to gain weight, then focus on that. It's hard to get the best of both worlds. Cardio burns much needed calories for muscle growth and can conflict with weight gain more than you think. Many people don't realize just how important carbohydrates are to muscle growth and recovery. It's not all proteins. It's also glucose and glycogen, of which carbohydrates are the most efficient source. The body also uses protein for conversion to these when necessary.

Try to find out your daily caloric needs based on activity level, and then do your best to meet them.

[Xerxys]

Thanks Ya'll ... I have more questions and no progress to report!! I used to run 1.5 miles in the morning and now I 'm up to 3. I am listening to all of you and I have to say it's great to be able to stay awake the rest of the day but my problem lies in the cardio. It has to be done. I know for a fact it's the main antagonist hence my no progress report, but it's my job.

My main focus is to look better, I mean that ... I am skinny!!! So my questions are, to compensate for the reversal I'm doing to myself with the cardio, ... what are your opinions on food.

I eat 4 small meals a day. I might have to increase my 4 small meals to 4 big meals a day. Do you think that's a good idea? Eating filling meals 4 times instead of the conventional 3 sounds bad even to me. Maybe increase the portions then to 5 or 6 but that doesn't give me time to digest except at night and I don't think I want my body doing 2 things at a time.

What foods to eat. I have cut down on fast food by at least 50% but I still eat fried foods as they are easy to make and fit my monster working hours. Fast foods are mainly starch and not carbs ... right??? I bought a crock pot and consume 3 times more white meat than I used to before. Veggies on the other hand are a bitch to make. I try to include them everyday though.

Fruits ...er... what are they? They fill me up in the morning and are not productive at all to be consumed before any meal. Nuts are fine. They do nothing for me though. I also take shakes twice a day. I sleep less than 8 hours though. I just can't sleep beyond 6am!! But I work past 11 hence the dynamic ... guess I'm on my way to be rich ... hehe,

What are your guys take on food??

[evilbeefchan]

Jan 2004 (joined TFP) - 237lbs
Feb 2009 - 180lbs
Goal weight - 175lbs

Slow and steadily getting there, mostly be cooking more and eating better (yogurt, oatmeal and veggies). I have cut back on meat, but it's something that kinda just happened without me thinking about it. I still love me a big fat ribeye, but I know I need to balance it out the next couple of meals. The less money I spend on crap and filler, the more I can spend on quality produce.

I still go drinking with my friends at least once a week, but try to drink half a glass of water between each drink (I believe it takes 8oz of water to metabolize 1oz of alcohol). My biggest vice is all the late night eating that follows, usually at a taco truck or bacon wrapped street dog vendor. I'm working on it. =)

[highthief]

Originally Posted by Xerxys

Thanks Ya'll ... I have more questions and no progress to report!! I used to run 1.5 miles in the morning and now I 'm up to 3. I am listening to all of you and I have to say it's great to be able to stay awake the rest of the day but my problem lies in the cardio. It has to be done. I know for a fact it's the main antagonist hence my no progress report, but it's my job.

My main focus is to look better, I mean that ... I am skinny!!! So my questions are, to compensate for the reversal I'm doing to myself with the cardio, ... what are your opinions on food.

I eat 4 small meals a day. I might have to increase my 4 small meals to 4 big meals a day. Do you think that's a good idea? Eating filling meals 4 times instead of the conventional 3 sounds bad even to me. Maybe increase the portions then to 5 or 6 but that doesn't give me time to digest except at night and I don't think I want my body doing 2 things at a time.

What foods to eat. I have cut down on fast food by at least 50% but I still eat fried foods as they are easy to make and fit my monster working hours. Fast foods are mainly starch and not carbs ... right??? I bought a crock pot and consume 3 times more white meat than I used to before. Veggies on the other hand are a bitch to make. I try to include them everyday though.

Fruits ...er... what are they? They fill me up in the morning and are not productive at all to be consumed before any meal. Nuts are fine. They do nothing for me though. I also take shakes twice a day. I sleep less than 8 hours though. I just can't sleep beyond 6am!! But I work past 11 hence the dynamic ... guess I'm on my way to be rich ... hehe,

What are your guys take on food??

Eat 6 meals a day (they can be a combo of good food and protein shakes if you can't find the time to get in all the meals), of about 400 calories each. I don't know how many calories you take in right now, but you need more. I would keep track of your calories for a week, keep track of everything, then add in 10% increments until you find a good number of calories for you.

Stay away from fast foods or empty sugar calories as much as possible. Chicken breasts, lean cuts of beef, various fish (tuna, tilapia are easy), eggs - take in at least one gram of protein per pound of body weight each day. So, if you're 114 pounds, take in 114 grams of protein per day from quality sources.

[Mirth]

Originally Posted by Xerxys

I weigh, wait for it, wait for it ..... 114 pounds. I have tried everyting to gain muscle except become that obsessive steroid taking, 24/7, muscle building, gym going douche. I want to gain proper weight as compared to my height and age.

So I began a regimen of regular gyming Mon - Wed - Fri which will be heavily affected when I resum,e school, I run in the morning which is fantastic because I now have all this energy, I do mindless cardio all day seeing as my job needs me to walk around helping people. I have not yet cut down on eating fast foods because I'm lazy. Will change that..... and also, I neither drink nor smoke.

My vices are, fast foods, no eating, eating 1 or 2 huge meals instead of like 3 or 4 a day, and up until two weeks before I began doing what I do, no exercise.

Stats::
21/male - 114lbs 5' 7"

Don't feel bad, I'm in a similar boat as you. I'm 24, 5'5, and 114 pounds. Except a got a little bit of a gut, even though I weigh so little.

I just don't know what to do... 2 weeks ago I started running every other day, I'm at 3 miles now when I run. Except, all this "eat more" stuff is really weird because I have a little gut that I want to lose, but I don't want to lose anymore weight because I'm 114, but I don't want to eat anymore cause I feel my gut will get bigger; it like, all doesn't make sense...

[Baraka_Guru]

Originally Posted by Mirth

Don't feel bad, I'm in a similar boat as you. I'm 24, 5'5, and 114 pounds. Except a got a little bit of a gut, even though I weigh so little.

I just don't know what to do... 2 weeks ago I started running every other day, I'm at 3 miles now when I run. Except, all this "eat more" stuff is really weird because I have a little gut that I want to lose, but I don't want to lose anymore weight because I'm 114, but I don't want to eat anymore cause I feel my gut will get bigger; it like, all doesn't make sense...

I responded to his post in Tilted Nutrition. Generally, if you weigh 114 and want to get rid of your gut, you need to convince your body it doesn't need it. As mentioned in the other thread, one way to do this is through weight training. At 114, I can surmise that you don't have much muscle mass. Resistance training combined with cardio and proper nutrition (yes, even eating more) will tell your body that the fat in your gut is no longer required, so get rid of it.

Why does this happen?

You do things to your body that shocks it into tapping into the fat supplies accumulated there. Cardio increases your ability to convert things into energy and to transport things in your bloodstream. Resistance training does this too, but it also requires protein, carbohydrates, and, ultimately, fat in such a way that cardio alone would never.

Do you know what glycogen is? It's the prime fuel of muscles, similar to blood glucose but loaded into your muscles, lock and stock. Cardio uses mainly blood glucose and fat, and intense cardio uses some glycogen, but heavy resistance training taps into glycogen like you wouldn't believe.

How is glycogen replenished?

Your body uses mainly carbohydrates to replace it, but often fat stores are used where a steady stream of carbs won't do. This is why you find few people with a certain level of muscle mass with little belly fat. They are constantly burning energy (both carbs and fat) with their exercise and recovery. Your metabolism stays high for up to 24 hours after a resistance training session, mainly because your body is repairing muscle tissue and growing new tissue. This takes a lot of energy.

The biggest reason for extra fat on your body: It's being saved for a rainy day. Try giving your body that "rainy day" 3 days per week and see what happens to your gut after a couple of months.

[Mirth]

Originally Posted by Baraka_Guru

I responded to his post in Tilted Nutrition. Generally, if you weigh 114 and want to get rid of your gut, you need to convince your body it doesn't need it. As mentioned in the other thread, one way to do this is through weight training. At 114, I can surmise that you don't have much muscle mass. Resistance training combined with cardio and proper nutrition (yes, even eating more) will tell your body that the fat in your gut is no longer required, so get rid of it.

Why does this happen?

You do things to your body that shocks it into tapping into the fat supplies accumulated there. Cardio increases your ability to convert things into energy and to transport things in your bloodstream. Resistance training does this too, but it also requires protein, carbohydrates, and, ultimately, fat in such a way that cardio alone would never.

Do you know what glycogen is? It's the prime fuel of muscles, similar to blood glucose but loaded into your muscles, lock and stock. Cardio uses mainly blood glucose and fat, and intense cardio uses some glycogen, but heavy resistance training taps into glycogen like you wouldn't believe.

How is glycogen replenished?

Your body uses mainly carbohydrates to replace it, but often fat stores are used where a steady stream of carbs won't do. This is why you find few people with a certain level of muscle mass with little belly fat. They are constantly burning energy (both carbs and fat) with their exercise and recovery. Your metabolism stays high for up to 24 hours after a resistance training session, mainly because your body is repairing muscle tissue and growing new tissue. This takes a lot of energy.

The biggest reason for extra fat on your body: It's being saved for a rainy day. Try giving your body that "rainy day" 3 days per week and see what happens to your gut after a couple of months.

Wow... that actually makes sense; you really seem knowledgeable on this subject. I read the post you linked, and that is very informative as well! I'm going to have to keep reading these posts to remind me how it's working because it's all new to me still, but it's very reassuring.

I'm going to keep doing my running. I also started the P90x training video stuff two days ago; the two 1 hour exercises I've done so far are very intense and use a lot of energy; I'm actually still sore from the workouts to the point where I can't fully extend my arms side to side. Not sure if that means it's working or if I overdid it. And of course, I will try to start eating more. I'm a little unsure of which "meal-type" foods are good to eat; I assume white-chicken and eggs and things like that. Maybe rice too? As long as I keep away from fast-food, which we have every friday at work. I'll miss that, but it's worth it.

Oh yeah, might look to purchase a barbell and weights sometime in 2 weeks (after midterms) to do the weight training portion.

I'll keep checking up on both threads to get more knowledge. Thanks!

[highthief]

Originally Posted by Mirth

Don't feel bad, I'm in a similar boat as you. I'm 24, 5'5, and 114 pounds. Except a got a little bit of a gut, even though I weigh so little.

I just don't know what to do... 2 weeks ago I started running every other day, I'm at 3 miles now when I run. Except, all this "eat more" stuff is really weird because I have a little gut that I want to lose, but I don't want to lose anymore weight because I'm 114, but I don't want to eat anymore cause I feel my gut will get bigger; it like, all doesn't make sense...

At 5'5" and 114 it is unlikely the gut is a lot of fat - bloating, a lot of startch, beer, can all cause this.

I would not worry about trying to stay very lean while gaining weight - it is extremely difficult to do. I would gain the muscle mass you want over the next year, and then trim off any excess fat you put on.

In other words, lots of heavy weight training (compound exercises), lots of eating high quality protein, easy on the cardio - then see where you are a year from now, because it does take that long to grow.

[Strange Famous]

318. Not so good.

But according to this new site I found, day 1 of my new diet scores an A!

Date Calories Grams Fat Carbs Protein Grade
2009-03-05 1,198 1,102 3 278 23 A

[Catdaddy33]

Originally Posted by Strange Famous

318. Not so good.

But according to this new site I found, day 1 of my new diet scores an A!

Date Calories Grams Fat Carbs Protein Grade
2009-03-05 1,198 1,102 3 278 23 A

1200 calories a day? That might be a little low especially at 318lbs.

[Baraka_Guru]

Originally Posted by Catdaddy33

1200 calories a day? That might be a little low especially at 318lbs.

Wow, good point.

I've read recommendations suggesting that most males should not go much further below 2,000 calories/day. Certainly not below 1,800.

At 318 lbs., the situation might be different (i.e. you might need to look at levels higher than 2,000). SF, I'd highly recommend speaking to a nutritionist or a dietitian to find out the best strategy in terms of caloric levels that are both safe and low enough to lose weight over the long term. You might even find some government health resources available for free.

[Lasereth]

I was up at 280 a couple of years ago and I tried going down to 2,500 a day and it did jack shit. I had to go down to 1,000 to 1,500 per day to lose any weight. Right now I'm on 1,500 a day (many days it is lower than that) and if I go anywhere close to 2,000 or 2,500 then I start gaining weight immediately (hence the 10 pounds I gained from going to 2,500 early this year).

[Catdaddy33]

When I was losing I started at 275 lbs and did 2000 calories a day, somewhere around 200-220 (been a while) I started to plateau so I cut it to 1800 and the losses picked back up.

Everybody is different so what works for someone may not for others...

[Baraka_Guru]

The major factors here are age, weight, gender, height, and activity level. I could drop down to 1,200, but I'd have to stop going to the gym.

You're right, though. Everyone is different. But if you're overweight, you need to take a good holistic look at all the factors and realize that it isn't just a caloric number. There is so much else to it.

Males who consume less than 1,200 calories per day could be putting themselves at risk.

That said, there are certain males who aren't built to weigh much less than 200 lbs.

It's important to keep realistic and achievable goals.

[Titan_Uranus]

Down to 88kg from 120kg ,took me about a year,basically changed the way i eat,exercise ,etc.

[evilbeefchan]

Still hanging around 177-178lbs, but felt like posting a picture.

[warrrreagl]

I have a story similar to strangefamous' OP. Although I was athletic-looking in high school, I started gaining weight in college because I loved to overeat. I went up to 200 pounds and then lost weight back down to 165. Then, a few years later, I went up to 235 pounds, and lost weight back down to 200 pounds. After a few more years, I was at 250 pounds, and I lost back down to 225. This rising trend continued until July of this year when I weighed an alarming 291 pounds.

I detailed my weight loss and health plan in my blog, but basically I am down to 264 after only 5 weeks. I lost weight very quickly and steadily at first, and then it began tapering off this past weekend when I gained two pounds. I've lost them back this week, and I really don't have a goal in mind. As long as I eat and live a healthy life, I know I'll end up weighing the right amount.

So, warrrreagl - 264 pounds today.

[warrrreagl]

Warrrreagl - 260 pounds on September 7. I've noticed that my blood pressure has been returning to normal since I stopped eating so much sugar, fat, and salt, so I'm extremely happy about that.

A month ago, my BMI was 37.87 and now it is at 34.45 after losing 31 pounds, and I can't lose sight of the fact that I'm still obese. I need to lose another 35 pounds in order to drop from "obese" to "overweight," and that would take my BMI down to 30. My overall lifetime goal is that sometime in the next year, I reach my ideal weight of 186 (BMI of 25).

[Lasereth]

Right now I'm 220ish, gained about 10-15 pounds since last year. It's mostly muscle though. I've still been working out everyday and the results are still coming in.

[warrrreagl]

Warrrreagl - 259 pounds. That's 32 pounds gone, 73 pounds more to go.

[warrrreagl]

Warrrreagl - 256 pounds. I've lost 35 pounds in 7 weeks, and I want to lose 70 more sometime in the next 10 months.

[warrrreagl]

Warrrreagl - 251 pounds. I've now lost 40 pounds in 8 weeks. 65 more pounds to go.

[amonkie]

July 4 of 2008... I fluctuated between 235-240. Now.. I'm down 45 pounds and a little over halfway to my goal. Currently 194-195, depending on whether I've had any dairy. If your weight seems to jump around and you can't figure out why, check into whether you might be allergic to something.

Before... and now.

[warrrreagl]

Yay, amonkie. Do you find that you have more energy to do little things? That you can look behind you easier as you put the car in reverse? That you can bend over to adjust your socks or shoes without passing out from lack of breathing? That you actually look forward to trying on clothes in the dressing room? That you're just generally happier and more agreeable?

The last week of July, I weighed 291 and wore a size 44 pants. Tonight, I weigh 249 pounds (42 pounds lighter), and Grancey and I went to Old Navy, where I bought myself two pairs of size 38 pants. It's been 20 years since I could fit into size 38 pants.

And I still have 63 more pounds to lose.

[amonkie]

Probably the biggest difference for me is that I climb 3 flights of stairs every time I want to get to my apartment, and I don't have a car. I sold my truck in March of this year, and that forced me to do everything by hand. Even the corner grocery is 2 blocks, and walking back with groceries for 10 minutes, it all adds up.

[Baraka_Guru]

It's interesting. I'm still dropping net weight since starting my program in March. I originally went down from 185 lbs. to 174 and stayed there for the longest time. The weight was consistent because I was gaining muscle while losing fat: an equal exchange.

However, I just weighed myself and I've dropped to 168: I've double and triple checked it over the past few days.

I'm still gaining muscle, and I might even be at my strongest ever. So it looks like I'm seriously burning fat still, which is odd because I thought it would have slowed down when my body fat percentage dropped to around 14% a few months ago.

It's fascinating what high-intensity weightlifting and regular cardio will do over time.

* * * *

BTW, kudos Warrrreagl and amonkie. You're doing great!

[warrrreagl]

Warrrreagl - 243 pounds. I've lost 48 pounds in 12 weeks. 57 more pounds to go (literally).

[Jove]

About a month ago I was at 148 when I decided to no longer consume soynut butter and now I am at 139.