Hi. I am new to this forum and I would like to bore you with a few details about my weight loss struggle and perhaps someone out there can steer me to a happier conclusion. I am a 57 year old male who has been heavy for the last 25 years. Three years ago, I found out I was a Type II diabetic as well. In November of 2004, I went to my doctor and weighed in at 256 (I am 6'1") and was told that becasue of my blood sugar and my weight, he was going to put me on even more medication than I was already on. I made a deal with him that I would try harder to lose weight and get my blood sugar under control. By February 2005, I had lost approximately 20 pounds and my blood reading were very much reduced. I did this by drastically changing my diet which not consisted of eating a lot of salads (which fortunately, I really enjoy). By June of 2005, I was down to about 220, which means I had lost an additional 16 pounds. I accomplished this by walking at least 4-5 miles a day and even longer on weekends. My doctor was ecstatic and actually took me off several of my meds. By July of last year I weighed around 212 which is exactly where I am today. I have hit the classic plateau but this one has lasted 9 months! I am still on the same diet and in order to keep up my exercise during the winter, I bought a treadmill which seems to actually give me more of a workout than just walking outside did. My problem, besides my failure to lose additional weight (I wanted to get under 200 pounds) is more of a cosmetic one. I lost all that weight but I really haven't lost many inches. My waist size is about 2 inches smaller and I am still comfortably wearing the same clothes as I did at the beginning of this process. I look in the mirror and I can't really tell that I have dropped any weight! Nor have many other people noticed. I guess at this point, I am looking for suggestions to actually slim down. My son, who is very slim, bought one of those AB-loungers so he could work on his abs and impress the girls. He, of course, never uses it. Does anyone have one of these and have they helped? Would riding a bicycle be an answer. I am very frustrated at this point and would welcome any suggestions. Thank you.
Rather Discouraged
- Thread starter Ronman
- Start date
Definitely start a weight training program. Also adding some cycling into your routine will help. You need to change things up! That's usually the key to breaking out of a plateau.
Can you give us an example of what you eat on a daily basis?
Congratulations on your weight loss!
Can you give us an example of what you eat on a daily basis?
Congratulations on your weight loss!
Yes, I can. I apologize though as I now see that I have posted this under "Women's Health" and I am relatively sure that I am not of the feminine persuasion. To answer your question, I have pretty much the same thing almost every day. At 10:00AM I have a cup of dry rice crispies. At lunch I have a can of soup, usually the Progresso or Campbell's Select. At night, after my treadmill workout, I have a large salad, usually consisting of cabbage or lettuce with raw broccoli, carrots and jalepenos. I do use a fair amount of dressing on my salad. On weekends, I don't have the cereal or soup, but generally "treat" myself to a small steak or chicken or ribs which I B-B-Que on my grill, and have a salad either for lunch or dinner. I never eat bread and rarely eat any type of sweets. If I get hungry, I eat pretzels, peanuts (in the shell), sunflowers seeds (in the shell) or popcorn all in moderation due to my diabetes.
Red Flag. You're not eating enough. Start eating 5-7 times daily. Can't lose weight unless you eat. Do you wake up at 9 am? If not you need to eat earlier in the am, then eat at 10 as a snack. A diet change combined with a weight training routine will blast you past this quicksand.
*Tell your son that crunches alone wont give him impressive abs.*
*Tell your son that crunches alone wont give him impressive abs.*
Thanks, Tony. No, I get up around 5:00am everyday. I guess I don't quite comprehend the concept of eating more to lose weight. Sounds like one of those infomercials! Not trying to be faceious but what should I be eating 5-7 times a day that will help me lose weight? Is there some sort of regular plan I could try? I am one of those people who thrive on regimentation that takes all the guesswork out of it for me. Also, what sort of weight training should I be employing? I take it you are saying that this Ab-lounger won't be of any use to me? BTW, my son is very fit. He is actually trying to gain weight at this point. He lifts weights and swims everyday and eats like a horse!
This one you're gonna have to look around on. For the most part you want fruits/vegetables, wheat everything (bread, pasta), lean meats (turkey, chicken, fish), and lots of water. Check out the Nutrition FAQ in the mens section. Eating in this way keeps the metabolism going, and that is what you want. You should look at www.fitday.com.Ronman said:
Ronman said:
Here is a good link for weight training. Again if you dont have any equipment or access to a gym, do a search on this forum (upper right corner) for "weight training without weights".
Weight Training
You want to be very careful of what you eat. I would recommend starting with weight training as well. Focus on developing a full body strength training program. Also, you DEFINITELY need to eat more. I can go into a whole speech about who, what, why, where and when but that would be too much info right now.
Basically without eating more you are doomed. Your metabolism is slowly burning out. You need to rev up its engine and get going again. You have to bust through your plateau. How should you do that? Start with these 5 tips and go from there...
1) Eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day. Each meal should be 2-3 hours apart. Each meal should contain one protein and one carb. The first meal should be eaten within an hour after waking.
2) Drink a cup of water at each meal.
3) Rest properly. This means taking at least 48 hours between strength training the same muscles, and it also means getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Lastly, it means taking 1-2 days off from exercising per week.
4) Cardio. This should be done at different intensity levels and different session lengths. Consider doing a low intensity/long session, a high intensity/short session and a few medium intensity/medium length sessions.
5) Strength Training. Strength train each muscle 1-3 times per week. You should lift a proper weight and perform the proper amount of sets/reps for your strength training method. If you need more guidance or exercise ideas you can head over
All of the above things combined will result in fat loss.
Basically without eating more you are doomed. Your metabolism is slowly burning out. You need to rev up its engine and get going again. You have to bust through your plateau. How should you do that? Start with these 5 tips and go from there...
1) Eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day. Each meal should be 2-3 hours apart. Each meal should contain one protein and one carb. The first meal should be eaten within an hour after waking.
2) Drink a cup of water at each meal.
3) Rest properly. This means taking at least 48 hours between strength training the same muscles, and it also means getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Lastly, it means taking 1-2 days off from exercising per week.
4) Cardio. This should be done at different intensity levels and different session lengths. Consider doing a low intensity/long session, a high intensity/short session and a few medium intensity/medium length sessions.
5) Strength Training. Strength train each muscle 1-3 times per week. You should lift a proper weight and perform the proper amount of sets/reps for your strength training method. If you need more guidance or exercise ideas you can head over
All of the above things combined will result in fat loss.
Thanks to both of you for your tips. I guess you are basically saying the same thing. My problem is mental I suppose. As I stated, I am 57 years old and all of my life I have been told that in order to lose weight, you must either: (1) Take in less calories, (2) Exercise to the point that you are burning more calories than you are taking in or (3) Ideally, a combination of the two. Now to hear that in order to lose weight, I have to eat more runs contrary to everything I have been taught. I always figured this idea was a selling point of some "voodoo" diet as in, "Eat all you want and everything you want and lose all the weight you want". The idea of changing your metabolic rate at my age seems rather dubious to the skeptic in me. I assume there is some scientific research on this subject.
I think, if it is possible for you, you should start to weight train.
As you say when you look in the mirror you can't really tell that you've lost weight.
Weight training, will help you add muscle, which will help you change your body, so that when you take off your shirt you will see a muscular body, not just a smaller one.
However, this is not to say you should stop walking, as this is wonnderful.
If I were you I would try doing this, full body weight workouts on M W F and then walking on Tues Thurs, and over the weekend.
Now by full body I mean you should pick one exercise for each muscle group, like squats for thighs, good mornings for hamstrings, overhead presses with dumbbells for shoulders, and bent over rows for your back.
Granted this just an example.
start by doing just a few sets per exercise to start and build up from there.
Also, you should start eating more protein, from sources like lean turkey and chicken.
the Ab machine you mentioned is ok, training your abs won't give you a six pack, but it will help in firming up your abs and I belive it does quicken the loss of fat from the waist.
Gongrats on your succes
As you say when you look in the mirror you can't really tell that you've lost weight.
Weight training, will help you add muscle, which will help you change your body, so that when you take off your shirt you will see a muscular body, not just a smaller one.
However, this is not to say you should stop walking, as this is wonnderful.
If I were you I would try doing this, full body weight workouts on M W F and then walking on Tues Thurs, and over the weekend.
Now by full body I mean you should pick one exercise for each muscle group, like squats for thighs, good mornings for hamstrings, overhead presses with dumbbells for shoulders, and bent over rows for your back.
Granted this just an example.
start by doing just a few sets per exercise to start and build up from there.
Also, you should start eating more protein, from sources like lean turkey and chicken.
the Ab machine you mentioned is ok, training your abs won't give you a six pack, but it will help in firming up your abs and I belive it does quicken the loss of fat from the waist.
Gongrats on your succes
Basically if you don't eat enough calories your body goes into starvation mode and stores fat. Trainer Lynn probably has more to say on that. Until then, you can look at this article from webmd.
Here is an article from webmd that explains
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/59/66883.htm
Here is an article from webmd that explains
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/59/66883.htm
Of course I have more to say on that 
But I don't have a lot of time... not eating enough calories will cause your body to store body fat. Your body does not understand that you want to lose fat because you are unhappy with the way you look.
The ONLY thing your body understands is that there is NOT enough calories to sustain its normal functions, the daily activities, and any exercise. So it does what it has learned to do for thousands and thousands of years- store fat and find another fuel source.
When you do not eat enough calories, your body assumes there is some sort of famine. It's natural instinct is to protect you and your organs. So it stores fat to protect the organs and to keep you warm.
But now what is it going to burn tokeep you alive? Muscle. Your body eats its own muscle (called gluconeogenesis) for fuel. This is NOT good. This is why eating the appropriate calories is crucial to over all health.
Personally anyone under the age of 90 should be working out regularly. There is no "I'm too old." Actually check out this book-
It may have the goods you need to get going. Best of luck.
But I don't have a lot of time... not eating enough calories will cause your body to store body fat. Your body does not understand that you want to lose fat because you are unhappy with the way you look.
The ONLY thing your body understands is that there is NOT enough calories to sustain its normal functions, the daily activities, and any exercise. So it does what it has learned to do for thousands and thousands of years- store fat and find another fuel source.
When you do not eat enough calories, your body assumes there is some sort of famine. It's natural instinct is to protect you and your organs. So it stores fat to protect the organs and to keep you warm.
But now what is it going to burn tokeep you alive? Muscle. Your body eats its own muscle (called gluconeogenesis) for fuel. This is NOT good. This is why eating the appropriate calories is crucial to over all health.
Personally anyone under the age of 90 should be working out regularly. There is no "I'm too old." Actually check out this book-
It may have the goods you need to get going. Best of luck.