Weight issues

Hi I am Geoff Since high school I have had issues with weight, and the emotional struggles from it such as self-image issues and some depression. I Belive that one of the steps to having a healthy mind is to work on a healthy body. So I ask you all who have struggled and overcame a weight problem what are some tips to help whether it advice on a good eating routine, advice to resist temptations of unhealthy things, exercise tips, or tips on dealing with the emotional side of things. My hopes are to have helped some of the peoples through the advice shared on this post including my self.

Rember everyone is beautiful, and you are loved. Have a wonderful day.

May the force be with you always.

Sincerely Siothurn (Geoff)

drink lots of water, eat whole grain snacks and bread, instead of eating 3 big meals a day eat 6 small meals, keep active...know your body's needs and anticipate its cravings...

there's really no universal method, each person has different dietary needs so it's best to do research and learn what works best for your body..

Is it overweight or underweight that is the issue, I couldn't tell from the profile pic? I guess they'd have different advice, but perhaps not entirely, or do you mean both?

MSG(aka "natural flavour") makes you fat. It's in almost all processed food. If it comes in a box or a can, it's processed. It's a chemical that tells your brain that your stomach is not full. This makes you feel hungry 24x7. At mcdonald's it's in the ketchup. At taco bell it's in the sour cream. It's in your salad dressing(aka "ranch") when you decide to eat salad to lose weight. It's in your lowfat yogurt... your fat-free this and that. It's in your "steak seasoning".

The best advice I can give here is to avoid all processed food and prepare everything yourself. Instead of investing in Weight Watchers you should invest in kitchen equipment and use it every day.

Peace

Dont eat processed food , eat biological where you can, go easy on the carbs , keep moving , drink lots of water and normal coffiee and tea without additives ...

First the disclaimer...I am not advocating any special diet plan, only that the one I use works for me!


I have used and am now on the "South Beach" diet. The last time I was on it I lost 30 lbs in 3 months. That having been said, I am Italian American and love my food, so It took about 7 years to put the weight back on. I am now doing the diet again. I started on January 1 and to this date have lost 12 lbs.

Its a low carb no sugar yada yada yada.....

It must be done with a good exercise plan and a commitment for a lifeime.

I hesitate to give any specific diet recommendation because of personal experiences that warrant caution. I used to be in incredible shape but after I left the Army my weight really bloomed due to a leg injury, a sedentary lifestyle and apathy.

I have tried several methods to lose weight, all with marginal but temporary success. The entire reason for this post is that last year I did a high protein and fat diet. It was my most successful in terms of weight loss but it absolutely destroyed my gall bladder. Several ER visits with severe, crippling pain and finally they did emergency surgery to remove it.

All of this is to say, consult a medical professional if you are able so they can help you find an appropriate diet and monitor your health.

Thanks everyone for posting. For the earlier question about the problem being underweight or overweight, it is an overweight problem I had/have. I started to work on losing weight in 2014 with struggles emotionally and physically like food diet and exercise but i have had some success and some moments of re weight gain.

When I was losing weight One of the things that has helped me a lot is hydration the less soda and energy drinks I drank I swapped them out with water and tea. Being hydrated from what I know is something most people all over the world don't get enough of including me. Hydration helps keep your mind clear, your organ function, and your metabolism. one of the other things I learned is to try to swap out foods you like for healthier versions or add vegetables prepared in a healthy way to your dishes like peppers and spinach to quesadillas, and definitely portion size for me was, and still is a problem at times. but as Ryujin mentioned above smaller portion size and meals more often helps. I am a bit of a habitual eater when I'm bored and finding something to replace eating with an activity that isn't harmful, for me it is biking is a must. My biggest problem comes from keeping routine and being a culinary school grad there are a lot of unhealthy things I can make that taste good so it is a bit hard at times. Emotionally I found someone to talk to about my weight issues, and opening up helped a lot emotionally. All I can really recommend here is to find someone you can connect with that is a good influence on you and just talk to them. If you have a friend and family member that you can diet and exercise with it helps. Having a buddy to work on things with makes it a bit easier in my opinion.

Here are some online video and article's I found for everyone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l26-q3VFg7I
Healthy substitutions

http://www.epicurious.com/
Largest recipe website out there they have just about every recipe you could think of.

http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/healthy-chefs-how-chefs-lose-weight-and-keep-it-off
How chefs lose weight and keep it off.

http://oldwayspt.org/resources/heritage-pyramids/mediterranean-diet-pyramid
Mediterranean diet info (helped me start losing weight it is a diet where a lot of people report being happier while doing it although this one may not work for you. Although in my opinion worth a try.)

May the force be with you.
Sincerely Siothurn.

Sugar! Get that out. Anything artificial. My rule is if you cannot pronounce the ingredients you don't need to eat them. I spend a lot of time reading labels. Support local farmers markets and coops. The closer to natural a product is the better and the easier your body can handle it.
For me I try to go more paleo but I do use organic milk products. I produce most of my own meat and vegetables.


Here is a picture of a turkey that was served to my family pay close attention to those ingredients. There is no reason a turkey should have added flavor and sugar. This is garbage.
Good luck!


May the Force be with you, Always. Walk in Beauty.

Personally and ex military (PARATROOPER) I can suggest a few options. Obviously cutting out snacking and saturated fats but also bread and bread products is a big deal, fizzy drinks and alcohol too. Many people suggest fitness programs or circuit training however power walking and eventually power walking carrying weight is amazing for weight loss. I say power walkimg aiming for mini um 5mph. Not much else is needed. You will notice a difference from those small things alone for a start. Every odd is beautiful in their own way but I understand some people not feeling comfortable. There is no shame in been overweight and trying to lose weight at all. If you wish I could keep oak together a low workout military style programme and nutritional information too if anybody requires it. For weight loss or gain. May the force be with you!

Well, I have the same problem, I´m not agree with my body, I have´nt weight problems but I want to be strong and healthy at all. At first I recognize its that I´m sedentary, first thing to change. I´m thinking to start learning Aikido too. With this and walk a lot, I think will be healthy, not very strong but healthy sure !

Greetings, Siothurn,

I'm so glad you've found a community you can trust in which to discuss these things! Like you I have struggled with weight and body-image ... from growing up obese in the 60s, bullied by even my teachers, to trying to keep a healthy weight as I age into my mid-50s, and beyond. The body and its processes do change over time, especially accounting for gender (hormones), stress levels, genes, etc.

As others here have said, "N=1," and what works for one of us may not work for any other of us. *My* breakthrough as a post-menopausal woman was low-carb/primal (ish) and intermittent fasting. Now, ironically, I "worry" about losing too much weight (like, lean muscle mass). When I was 14 I weighed 225, in junior high school. Now I weigh 133, bike and run, lift weights, throw kettelbells around and ... do ... PULL UPS!

It's never too late, and congratulations! How brave you are to invite us in to your life and allow us to share your challenges. Thank you.

May the Force Be With You!

--Zabeth

Depending on your build and genetics, you may never be an abercrombie model. However you can still maintain a healthy body fat percentage. I'm gonna break this down into two sections.

Section one - muscle
The more muscle you have, the more calories you spend doing everyday things. Even starting with a simple pushup routine can make a difference. I started off with pushups, sit ups, and pull ups at home. I did all of them three times a week. I drop from a 38 to a 34 pants size in three months. I also notice some muscle growth. I advice you to eat a protein rich meal about two hours before you work out and get some protein ASAP after.
Section two-eating
On days you don't workout you should avoid eating carbohydrates, especial simple carbs like sugar and white bread. Sources like potatoes and beans are a much better source as it is harder for the body to break them down and convert it to fat. If you change your food intakes, cutting it down or adding calories, you should always do it gradually. Increase or decrease by around 200 a week. If you need help Noom is a very helpful app to teach you how to judge calories.

The thing to remember is unless you gained it all over night, don't expect to lose it all over night. Weight loss takes time and so does building muscle. You can speed it up with some short cardio between pushups. You step up and down on a stool or do jumping jacks. Anything to increase your heart rate. My general rule is move more, eat right.

Agree with Master Ryujin i do -

In this regard as well - Using hot water daily - a hot bath or hot tub per say. You must make yourself sweat for a 10 minute period minimum, the more you can handle after that 10 min mark the more fat gets burned without doing a THING... You see when you sweat you body is working very hard to push that water out - simply drinking cold water during this process will allow you do do it longer, and better.

HOT WATER - I went from 205 lbs - in one year down to 168 lbs - no running, no diets, just basic muscle work outs 3 times a week, not to intense. BUT a hot bath EVERY day for a month, and you WILL loose the weight you wish - shoot you may even see your abs! (points to his stomach) "Hello abs!"




Strength comes from the force, and those who are trained to use it - YOUR strength is within, find it

muscle definition is a tricky thing as genetics and build do play a big part...when i was young i played high school football, and worked out twice a day everyday...despite being one of the strongest guys on the team i looked like a stick figure....no muscle definition....even now i still don't get definition, i gain strength, i gain muscle mass, but i don't gain definition....at 135 pounds i never seen my abs, at 190 pounds i still never see my abs....

it's important not to hold yourself to the same aesthetic standards as others....definition and mass are both matters of aesthetics....the only important part of exercise and diet is to be healthy, anything else is purely aesthetic....

Siothurn wrote: Hi I am Geoff Since high school I have had issues with weight, and the emotional struggles from it such as self-image issues and some depression. I Belive that one of the steps to having a healthy mind is to work on a healthy body. So I ask you all who have struggled and overcame a weight problem what are some tips to help whether it advice on a good eating routine, advice to resist temptations of unhealthy things, exercise tips, or tips on dealing with the emotional side of things. My hopes are to have helped some of the peoples through the advice shared on this post including my self.

Rember everyone is beautiful, and you are loved. Have a wonderful day.

May the force be with you always.

Sincerely Siothurn (Geoff)

All you need to do to loose weight, is to consume fewer calories than you burn. It's really that simple and easy. Fad tricks like special diets, hot showers, or exercise programs aren't going to do anything to expedite this process, in the end it really comes down to diligence and discipline.

There are many calorie and nutrition tracking applications available on the web now, many of which are free. The one I always recommend to people is MyFitnessPal due to the large community that follows it, and the massive food database it employs.

It's also very possible to loose muscle and gain fat at the same time, despite many claims to the contrary. It is also extremely difficult and rather expensive to do so. In order to achieve this, you have to eat a 50 40 10 diet, or in other words, 50% of your diet must come from complex carbohydrates, 40% must come from lean proteins, and 10% must come from healthy fats. Attention to everything you eat and it's nutrient value is the key to making this program work.

Losing a pound a week is also the maximum weight loss goal you should be shooting for. Anything more than that will cause your body to begin cannibalizing muscle in order to supplement essential nutrients such as amino acids (which can only be obtained from food sources or muscle cells).

I have been bodybuilding for eight years, and have seen results from sticking to these simple, yet difficult concepts. It takes time to become overweight and unhealthy, and it will take just as long to reach your goal state of health and fitness.

As far as workouts go, I will say that Ab workouts are pointless for the most part. They will give you a stronger core, but let me state this clearly. Ab workouts will not spot reduce fat on your midsection.

YOU CAN NOT SPOT REDUCE FAT, IT'S BIOLOGICALLY IMPOSSIBLE. The only way to do this is through liposuction or other form of surgery.

RyuJin wrote: muscle definition is a tricky thing as genetics and build do play a big part...when i was young i played high school football, and worked out twice a day everyday...despite being one of the strongest guys on the team i looked like a stick figure....no muscle definition....even now i still don't get definition, i gain strength, i gain muscle mass, but i don't gain definition....at 135 pounds i never seen my abs, at 190 pounds i still never see my abs....

it's important not to hold yourself to the same aesthetic standards as others....definition and mass are both matters of aesthetics....the only important part of exercise and diet is to be healthy, anything else is purely aesthetic....

Then your bodyfat isn't low enough.

I know it may be hard to believe at 135 pounds, but you may very well be both underweight, and emaciated. Clear muscle definition will only begin to show at body fat percentages of 10% or less. I would suggest figuring out your body fat % to get a better idea of where you stand.

i had 8% body fat when i was at 135...

people with low body fat tend to not float well in water, while folks with higher body fat float well....it's how the air force used to measure body fat...they weighed you out of water, then weighed you in water...the difference in weight determined your body fat percentage...i sink like a brick....water survival training in navy bootcamp required a good amount of effort from me to stay afloat...

Losing a pound a week is also the maximum weight loss goal you should be shooting for.

while a fitness coordinator in the navy i was taught that 3 pounds a week was the maximum....funny how things are always changing...

YOU CAN NOT SPOT REDUCE FAT, IT'S BIOLOGICALLY IMPOSSIBLE.

and some things never change...lol

like you i firmly believe you can lose weight without fancy diets or workouts....to prove this i lost 64+ pounds in around 2 years, and i did it without anything more than normal activity and modifying the way i prepared my foods, i also reduced the amount of food i ate at 1 time and increased the number of times i ate throughout the day....

metabolism is like a fire, throw a large log(big meal) on it and it takes forever to burn off, throw smaller logs (small meals) on it throughout the day and they burn off quickly...

I agree as well - Allow me to clarify that my results will not be yours - however this is simply what i have done to achieve them. Every "body" in the sense is different, differently able and capable of many different things. For instance, those of higher weight class, may see themselves as over weight, personally, i see a serious challenge when sparing! Your center is low. With one strike you deliver the same as 10 of mine. You are the tree in the woods. The wind moving your branches. You are motionless unless moved. A solemn and powerful force.

Whether 100 lbs or 500 lbs - you are yourself, and how you are. How you find your peak of fitness and health is your tasking of course. With many minds however that tasking does not seem so arduous. Everything takes but one thing - effort and discipline!