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PA Weight Loss Challenge: Beware the Ides of March!

2456763

Posts

  • ForarForar #432 Toronto, Ontario, CanadaRegistered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I know a bit of competition can be a fine motivator for many, but I don't think it has to be, or would necessarily benefit from it.

    I don't intend to compete with anyone but myself. Doing the elliptical lets me know when I'm running farther, working harder (calories burned that is) and how my heart rate responds to the changing stresses. Knowing that I lost 10.2% of my body mass while another forumer only lost 9.8% doesn't really change anything.

    To take this to a "everyone gets a medal for participating" level of mushiness, just being a part of it and working on the issue means we've all already won to some degree or another. It's just a matter of sticking with it and focusing on the long term goals.

    Forar on
    First they came for the Muslims, and we said NOT TODAY, MOTHERFUCKER!
  • KyouguKyougu Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I do know that I tend to run faster on the treadmill when someone gets next to me. Specially if it's a cute girl. :P

    I agree no cut off date, but I was thinking monthly weigh ins would be a good idea. Just to have some sort of short term goal for each of us, and to show off progress.

    Kyougu on
  • FelixFelix Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I'm in as well, just restarted my regimen this week anyway. I originally started at 285 and dropped down to an all-time low of 188, about a month ago. My vacation however bumped me back up to 195 so I'm trying to get down to my target goal weight now.

    Felix/werdcrime/195/175

    Felix on
  • ForarForar #432 Toronto, Ontario, CanadaRegistered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Kyougu wrote: »
    Specially if it's a cute girl. :P

    Well that goes without saying.

    There was one woman I used to see every other day who was all but mesmerizing to watch on an elliptical. I sincerely tried not to stare. Mostly.

    Can you stare with peripheral vision? Yes? ... yeah, "mostly" stands.

    And agreed on monthly weigh-ins, or at least with some regularity.

    Forar on
    First they came for the Muslims, and we said NOT TODAY, MOTHERFUCKER!
  • Mr. J.H. GumbyMr. J.H. Gumby Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I agree with the monthly weigh-ins as well.
    So, are we doing the shirtless photos? because I'm game, but I don't want to be the first

    Mr. J.H. Gumby on
  • Disco11Disco11 Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Ok so I probably have the most weight to lose.

    Disco11/Disco11/320lbs/250lbs.... Ya, I know :(

    Don't want to be competitive. Just want some tips and see what other people are doing.

    Disco11 on
    PSN: Canadian_llama
  • Silas BrownSilas Brown That's hobo style. Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Yeah, I assumed this was gonna be more like the kind of challenge where the idea is you stick it out with everyone else.

    Silas Brown on
  • amateurhouramateurhour One day I'll be professionalhour The woods somewhere in TennesseeRegistered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I'm in.

    I'll update and register for the site when I get home.


    edit: and eat one last calorie filled meal maybe.

    amateurhour on
    are YOU on the beer list?
  • MurphyMurphy Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I'm going to give some thought to participating, but I'm definitely going to monitor the thread and maybe jump in later.

    At the moment I'm 195lbs (6' tall, 32 years old), down from a record high (after a few years of depression eating and MMOing) of 335. Right now my main focus is toning, worrying about these fucking stretch marks that aren't going to go anywhere, and building muscle (meaning my weight will likely go up a bit, but that's ok).

    It took me, like, three years to lose all of that.

    Murphy on
  • Disco11Disco11 Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Murphy wrote: »
    I'm going to give some thought to participating, but I'm definitely going to monitor the thread and maybe jump in later.

    At the moment I'm 195lbs (6' tall, 32 years old), down from a record high (after a few years of depression eating and MMOing) of 335. Right now my main focus is toning, worrying about these fucking stretch marks that aren't going to go anywhere, and building muscle (meaning my weight will likely go up a bit, but that's ok).

    It took me, like, three years to lose all of that.

    As someone that has a lot to lose, do you mind me asking how you did it?

    Disco11 on
    PSN: Canadian_llama
  • TehSlothTehSloth Hit Or Miss I Guess They Never Miss, HuhRegistered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Man, what awesome timing, I decided that this week I'm going to start getting my act together as far as health goes.

    tehsloth/tehsloth/250/195, which still isn't exactly fantastic on my 5 foot 8 frame but it's definitely going to be a solid improvement. I walk a mile and a half M-F and I don't eat too terribly, I just REALLY need to get soda out of my life and try to space my meals out. I *until today* would just drink soda or whatever all day and then when I got home from work eat one big meal. Some of my coworkers have been talking about doing this lemon juice/ cayenne/ maple syrup thing which doesn't seem like a good idea to me, so working on this with people from PA sounds better.

    TehSloth on
    FC: 1993-7778-8872 PSN: TehSloth Xbox: SlothTeh
    twitch.tv/tehsloth
  • MurphyMurphy Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Disco11 wrote: »
    Murphy wrote: »
    I'm going to give some thought to participating, but I'm definitely going to monitor the thread and maybe jump in later.

    At the moment I'm 195lbs (6' tall, 32 years old), down from a record high (after a few years of depression eating and MMOing) of 335. Right now my main focus is toning, worrying about these fucking stretch marks that aren't going to go anywhere, and building muscle (meaning my weight will likely go up a bit, but that's ok).

    It took me, like, three years to lose all of that.

    As someone that has a lot to lose, do you mind me asking how you did it?

    As trite as it sounds? Diet and exercise.

    I cut out a lot of sugar from my diet (soda, fruit juice, etc.), started eating more lean meats, vegetables, whole grains, etc. And stopped eating take out and fast food.

    Exercise was a bitch at first. I could barely walk around the block without needing to rest. But I kept at it, then graduated to riding my bike around town, jogging, and hitting up the gym for the elliptical trainer and free weights. It wasn't a perfect plan, or really a "plan" at all. I just kind of changed the way I did things and tried out various methods until I found what worked for me. The biggest part was just finding the motivation to say "Hey, I fucking hate being this heavy/large. So what do I need to do to fix that?"

    Murphy on
  • ChillyWillyChillyWilly Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I agree with the monthly weigh-ins as well.
    So, are we doing the shirtless photos? because I'm game, but I don't want to be the first

    I'll be first to do a photo. The first one I have isn't shirtless, but it shows what I used to look like.

    Not sure when this picture was taken, but it's a few years old. This was when I was in the 240-250 range:
    5215_557080784048_56704575_32804631_5232497_n.jpg

    I'm the fatty on the left.

    I used to wear size 46 pants at my largest and now I'm down to size 36 (getting close to 34).

    These were taken on Jan 1st of this year:
    DSCN1365.jpg

    DSCN1362.jpg

    Feb 7th:
    DSCN1416.jpg

    DSCN1412.jpg

    March 18th:
    DSCN1442.jpg

    DSCN1441.jpg

    June 6th (new tat is a bonus :D):
    DSCN1493.jpg

    DSCN1494.jpg

    I'm definitely in better shape than I was at the beginning of the year, but I hit a little bit of a wall until I started using Insanity. I won't be taking anymore pictures until I'm done with it.

    One thing you can't really see from these pictures are my legs. I dislike them. I don't like wearing shorts in public most of the time. So I'm really hoping to shape that area up.

    ChillyWilly on
    PAFC Top 10 Finisher in Seasons 1 and 3. 2nd in Seasons 4 and 5. Final 4 in Season 6.
  • ChillyWillyChillyWilly Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    TehSloth wrote: »
    Man, what awesome timing, I decided that this week I'm going to start getting my act together as far as health goes.

    tehsloth/tehsloth/250/195, which still isn't exactly fantastic on my 5 foot 8 frame but it's definitely going to be a solid improvement. I walk a mile and a half M-F and I don't eat too terribly, I just REALLY need to get soda out of my life and try to space my meals out. I *until today* would just drink soda or whatever all day and then when I got home from work eat one big meal. Some of my coworkers have been talking about doing this lemon juice/ cayenne/ maple syrup thing which doesn't seem like a good idea to me, so working on this with people from PA sounds better.

    If people are trying to get you to do some kind of crash diet like that, don't do it. Things like that, even if they give short-term benefits of some kind, are never a replacement for solid exercise and correct eating habits.

    And, yes...cut soda out of your diet completely. There's really nothing good about it. It's just sugar water that will increase your waist size.

    ChillyWilly on
    PAFC Top 10 Finisher in Seasons 1 and 3. 2nd in Seasons 4 and 5. Final 4 in Season 6.
  • HerrCronHerrCron It that wickedly supports taxation Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Well, the backlog challenge over in G&T certainly helped me with my excess games so I'm hopeful this can help me with the excess pies i have consumed over the years

    HerrCron/HerrCron/169lbs/150lbs (I'm used to Stone/pounds so those figures are probably a bit off/ crazy)

    But I'm more concerned with getting fitter than anything else, as long as my weight doesn't go back up again it should all be good.

    HerrCron on
    sig.gif
  • MurphyMurphy Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    ChillyWilly, great progress. I wish I'd had the sense to take photos of my progress, though I'm still not confident enough to take my shirt off. Need to tone mah belly and chest. But I think perhaps from this point on might be a good idea for me.

    Murphy on
  • joshua1joshua1 Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Howdy guys. I am really really proud about dnd really just deciding that now is the time. To be honest? I think shirtless (not braless, for lady forumers), should be mandatory. I know it sucks, and you look like a hogbeast from slargnack 9, but we are a group determined to change! I say we should all have candid photos in the OP, but if that is too intense; we could settle for imgs on our morlock sparkteam.

    Creating that sparkteam, I tried to encapsulate the flippant nature of DnD. Weightloss can be a joke, but our results matter. If it is a kilogram or an oz, it is sucess.

    But seriously, jeans companies should think about the tensile strength of denim. I just ripped my 17th pair by crossing my legs.

    Also. I love you guys. Together we really can improve our body image.

    P.P.S: stop binge drinking. That stuff is just pure calories.

    joshua1 on
  • Silas BrownSilas Brown That's hobo style. Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    You are an inspiration, joshua1.

    Silas Brown on
  • Satanic JesusSatanic Jesus Hi, I'm Liam! with broken glassesRegistered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I can't put pictures up, but I'd sure like to join in.

    I'm 280 and 5 foot. My biggest problems in my addiction to cocacola and love of chocolate and pizza. I can get very bad tempered if I don't drink coke so that's another reason to quit it. I also don't know how to cook.

    Satanic Jesus on
    my backloggery 3DS: 0533-5338-5186 steam: porcelain_cow goodreads
  • joshua1joshua1 Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    You are an inspiration, joshua1.

    I am naturally cynical, but is this a jibe? I can't process internet sarcasm. (ps. not trying to be a douche) Also, if this is actually going to be a good thread, I will post photos later this week.


    You have been warned.

    joshua1 on
  • Silas BrownSilas Brown That's hobo style. Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    joshua1 wrote: »
    You are an inspiration, joshua1.

    I am naturally cynical, but is this a jibe? I can't process internet sarcasm. (ps. not trying to be a douche) Also, if this is actually going to be a good thread, I will post photos later this week.


    You have been warned.

    I am genuinely enjoying your admittadly glib approach and I am finding it is having a positive effect on my otherwise-waning ambition.

    Silas Brown on
  • joshua1joshua1 Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I can't put pictures up, but I'd sure like to join in.

    I'm 280 and 5 foot. My biggest problems in my addiction to cocacola and love of chocolate and pizza. I can get very bad tempered if I don't drink coke so that's another reason to quit it. I also don't know how to cook.

    S. Jesus, I have to remind you that cooking is easy.

    You see that bluishred thing that hurts to touch? That is fire. What you do is find a piece of meat, cut the fat off and place it on some metal that has been heated by fire for 10 minutes or so. After 5 min, you flip that meat, and devour the smell of meats while it sits there for 5 more minutes, then you whip it off.

    ta daaaaa, cooked steakmeats.

    add steamed microwave vegetables (5-7mins, perfect veges, I am addicted to broccoli and carrots atm)

    = meal

    joshua1 on
  • KyouguKyougu Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Working on updating the OP, but I just want to throw in to the chorus of people who say it CAN be done.

    This is me, 3 years ago at my heaviest.
    31811_535649657264_63304074_31382711_5756242_n.jpg

    This is me a month ago.
    l632342197.jpg

    I went from 260 to 180. I been stuck at 180 for a while now, which is what spurred me to do this thread. I think I got so used to telling myself that I had already done enough that I stopped trying as hard. That's hopefully changing.

    So yeah guys (And gals) it can be done, there's plenty of proof in this thread already and we haven't even gotten started.

    Kyougu on
  • joshua1joshua1 Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    joshua1 wrote: »
    You are an inspiration, joshua1.

    I am naturally cyLnical, but is this a jibe? I can't process internet sarcasm. (ps. not trying to be a douche) Also, if this is actually going to be a good thread, I will post photos later this week.


    You have been warned.

    I am genuinely enjoying your admittadly glib approach and I am finding it is having a positive effect on my otherwise-waning ambition.
    W

    Well...... I'm glad. (dammit, I promised I wouldn't cry)

    joshua1 on
  • simulacrumsimulacrum She/herRegistered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I'm in. I could really use some motivation.

    Don't know what my current weight is, but my goal is 130.

    simulacrum on
  • DarkewolfeDarkewolfe Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Alright, I'm signing up. After radiation last year I lost 30 pounds, which I guess was all muscle, and I've since put on 40-50 pounds since I'm less active. I'm trying to fix that, but I can't work out heavily right now because of a pulled or torn rib muscle. In the mean time, I'm dieting and I'm signing up.

    Darkewolfe on
    What is this I don't even.
  • saggiosaggio Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I'm in.

    saggio on
    3DS: 0232-9436-6893
  • Nova_CNova_C I have the need The need for speedRegistered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I'm in!

    I originally started at 350 lbs back in Nov '08. I'm currently 302. I was down to 289 a few months ago, but I fell off the wagon. My long term goal is 200 lbs even, but right now I'm gunning for 250.

    I'm pretty good with my planned meals and I drink a shitton of water every day (I have a kidney disorder, have some pretty specific instructions from a specialist) and I (usually) exercise regularly (I go to a gym 5 days a week). Like I said, I fell off the wagon, today I climbed back on and I'm joining this thread to keep me on! :)

    Nova_C on
  • Hi I'm Vee!Hi I'm Vee! Formerly VH; She/Her; Is an E X P E R I E N C E Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I'm in, although I probably won't start in earnest until I get settled in Kentucky (I'm moving right now).

    I've been trying for awhile to get down from about 180 to 155/150 or so (I'm 5'5", 24 years old). I've managed to get to the point where I hover around 170 (approx where I am now) but about the best I end up doing past that is touching on 165 every once in awhile.

    Once I move, I'm hoping I'll be able to do a lot more exercise like biking and tennis and whatnot. Do we have a specific start date, or is it pretty much "sign up and then try to make progress"?

    visiblehowl
    Age: 24
    Height: 5'5"
    Current weight: 170
    Target weight: 150

    Hi I'm Vee! on
    vRyue2p.png
  • ChillyWillyChillyWilly Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Kyougu wrote: »
    Working on updating the OP, but I just want to throw in to the chorus of people who say it CAN be done.

    This is me, 3 years ago at my heaviest.
    31811_535649657264_63304074_31382711_5756242_n.jpg

    This is me a month ago.
    l632342197.jpg

    I went from 260 to 180. I been stuck at 180 for a while now, which is what spurred me to do this thread. I think I got so used to telling myself that I had already done enough that I stopped trying as hard. That's hopefully changing.

    So yeah guys (And gals) it can be done, there's plenty of proof in this thread already and we haven't even gotten started.

    Well done, Ky. That is some massive improvement on your part. What you've done is pretty much what I'm trying to do. Around 260 to 180.

    Listen to this man, folks. Losing weight can be done by anyone (unless you have some kind of glandular disorder, etc) with proper diet and exercise as long as you have the willpower to put time and effort into both of them.

    I've seen some people say that they can't get away from their cokes, sweets and other awesome foods. Here's some advice: You don't have to. You just have to cut back on them a lot. You can see in my above photos that I've made improvements this year, but one of my secrets is that I have one day out of the week (usually Fridays or Saturdays) where I will eat something amazingly trashy. I mean I will call Domino's, order a large with chicken, jalapenos, pepperonis and a ton of cheese and I will devour that whole thing by myself.

    I can't cite them right now, but I've read studies that show having a junk day helps keep your psyche from getting burned out on eating healthy food all the time. If you let yourself go for a meal or two on the weekends and eat right the rest of the time, you can still see results.

    For reference, my normal foods are always whole grain (bread, wraps, shredded wheat in the mornings), as low sodium as possible and as low fat as possible. I eat turkey and chicken almost every day and with the chicken, I generally throw on some brown rice or quinoa (look it up if you don't know what it is...wonderful stuff) after I'm done cooking it. Admittedly, I don't get enough fruits and vegetables in my diet, but I try make up for it by drinking at least 2 cups of V8 Fusion a day (Without a doubt, the least amount of calories and sugar you're likely to find in any commercial fruit juice).

    Anyway, it can be done with some control. You have to have the mental power before you can change your physical appearance. If you're ever having a hard time, come to the thread. We'll be glad to help.

    ChillyWilly on
    PAFC Top 10 Finisher in Seasons 1 and 3. 2nd in Seasons 4 and 5. Final 4 in Season 6.
  • KyouguKyougu Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Damn.

    31 people are signed up for this. That's way more than I expect, and freaking awesome.

    First weigh in will be in 30 days. I updated the OP a bit, if I'm missing any info from anyone send me a pm. Same for anything that should go in the OP. And if anyone wants their pic, I'll spoiler it under their name in the long list.

    Kyougu on
  • ZombiemamboZombiemambo Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I found a workout posted at the rec center's pool that added up to 900m, and so I did that (it took longer than it was supposed to, but I feel pretty good about it anyway). That's 300 more meters than I usually swim :D Less intense on the muscles, more cardio, which is what I want.

    Zombiemambo on
    JKKaAGp.png
  • WashWash Sweet Christmas Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Currently don't have access to a reliable scale (there's one I can use but it ends at 250 and I'm heavier than that :( )

    but I think I'm somewhere between 255 - 265, recently down from 275.

    in summary:
    Age: 21
    Height: 5'11"
    Weight: 255 - 265 lbs
    Goal Weight: 200 lbs

    Wash on
    gi5h0gjqwti1.jpg
  • Satanic JesusSatanic Jesus Hi, I'm Liam! with broken glassesRegistered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I can't put pictures up, but I'd sure like to join in.

    I'm 280 and 5 foot. My biggest problems in my addiction to cocacola and love of chocolate and pizza. I can get very bad tempered if I don't drink coke so that's another reason to quit it. I also don't know how to cook.

    I forgot to mention, I'm hoping to reach about 10 stone.

    Satanic Jesus on
    my backloggery 3DS: 0533-5338-5186 steam: porcelain_cow goodreads
  • Silas BrownSilas Brown That's hobo style. Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Awesome, this is really happening. It'll be like those Little Britain sketches!

    _45041201_bbc_britain_marjorie466.jpg

    I have to buy a scale tomorrow.

    Silas Brown on
  • FelixFelix Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    This is from about 2 years ago, I think I'm about 275 or so:
    Camping%20Memorial%20Weekend%2007%20030.jpg

    This is from last month at about 190:
    Vacation%2C%20Hawaii%20230.JPG
    Flabby moobs! :winky:

    I had to stop thinking of losing weight as a diet and more of a lifestyle change. Cut out the simple carbs, added fiber, read ingredients removing products that had hydrogenated oils and HFCS, and exercised. For exercise it started on an elliptical machine and dumbells. Once I got to about 220 I started running using the couch to 5k program. That's a solid two years so far of losing and keeping off weight.

    It's amazing how much better you can feel. Now if there was only a non-surgical way to get rid of the excess skin. D:

    Felix on
  • DirtyDirtyVagrantDirtyDirtyVagrant Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Are we supposed to PM to join? Or just post? I'll join.

    I weight about 325 now, and I'd like to get down to about 200, maybe 210.

    I wanna go from looking like this.
    FatNerd.jpg

    To this
    beautiful_tahiti_man.jpg

    No, that's not actually me.

    And I am eating a salad right now.

    DirtyDirtyVagrant on
  • FeatherBladeFeatherBlade Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Woooo!

    Just finished 31 minutes brisk walk on the treadmill, and 25 minutes of stretching.
    Two days of exercise in a row, yay!

    Fair warning: I'll probably be posting similar messages everyday until I actually get into the habit. ^_^

    FeatherBlade on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • Silas BrownSilas Brown That's hobo style. Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Woooo!

    Just finished 31 minutes brisk walk on the treadmill, and 25 minutes of stretching.
    Two days of exercise in a row, yay!

    Fair warning: I'll probably be posting similar messages everyday until I actually get into the habit. ^_^

    Yes! Rock that shit like there's no tomorrow! Except there totally is! And it's awesome because you ROCKED THAT SHIT

    Silas Brown on
  • ZombiemamboZombiemambo Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I can't put pictures up, but I'd sure like to join in.

    I'm 280 and 5 foot. My biggest problems in my addiction to cocacola and love of chocolate and pizza. I can get very bad tempered if I don't drink coke so that's another reason to quit it. I also don't know how to cook.

    I forgot to mention, I'm hoping to reach about 10 stone.

    Thankfully, being a decent cook is ridiculously easy. If you pick up a cook book and have kitchenware, you can make tons and tons of stuff that's not complicated. Also, the more you cook, the more comfortable you become with it, and the more you play around. Hell, I made a marinara sauce without having any idea of how you actually do it, I just tried a method that seemed like it might work. And it did! And it was awesome.

    Zombiemambo on
    JKKaAGp.png
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