# Weight Loss Plan



## whodunit (Mar 29, 2004)

Well, I finally went over 300 pounds after eating like a pig for several days. I had hovered near there before, but always seemed to drop back down into the high 290s. 

I'm a male, almost 43 years old, and stand almost 5-11. I consider myself large-framed, but according to my wrist meaurements I am closer to medium-framed.

The charts say my weight should be about 185 pounds, so that means I am 115 pounds overweight, which puts me into the "obese" category. If you saw me, you wouldn't consider me "obese", since I seem to carry the weight well.

A friend, who is a few years younger and about the same build and height, weighs even more than I do. He recently expressed that he is seriously concerned about his weight and eating habits and may seek professional help.

This, along with employment and spiritual issues, got me to thinking that I am tired of being this way. 

Here is what I am doing (I thought someone might be interested in my approach):

I committed to walking two miles a day with my wife most mornings. We don't walk Sundays, since getting a large family ready for church is enough of a workout. 

I then calculated my Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) using the calculator below.

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

My understanding is that BMR is the number of calories you burn doing nothing, but existing. It's based on your gender, age, weight and height. Mine came out to about 2551 calories a day. 

Next I used the calculator below to factor in my activity level. This gives a factor to multiply times the number you got above. The result is the number of calories that you need to consume in order to MAINTAIN your current weight. Mine was just over 3500 calories a day.

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-benedict-equation/

In order to lose one pound of fat you need to have a deficit of 3500 calories either by consuming less or burning more (via exercise).

So, I took 3500 and multiplied it by 7 (days) and got 24500 calories, which is what I need to consume in a week in order to MAINTAIN my weight. 

Losing two pounds a week is generally considered okay, so that means a calorie deficit per week of 7000 (3500 X 2). 

So, I took 24500 - 7000 and got 17500. I then divided that by 7 (days) and got 2500.

If the science holds true, I can eat 2500 calories a day and lose two pounds a week.

I basically eat what I want but I count the calories. This includes everything, butter to fry an egg, ketchup on a hotdog, salsa on a taco, etc..

I understand how eating sugar raises then crashes my blood sugar so I make an effort to eat sensibly in that area. I don't use any fake sweeteners other than maybe half a packet in my iced tea at a restaurant. 

I don't eat low-fat. I eat full-fat cheese and drink full-fat milk (farm fresh, raw). I also eat red meat.

I try to eat three meals a day with basically three "snacks" in between. One of my favorite snacks is Ritz crackers with hummus.

So far, I am finding on a typical day eating 2300 calories is about right for me. This should accelerate my weight loss some with minimal effort.

When I want to eat and don't have the calories to spare, I do something else; garden, watch the chickens, make a phone call, cruise the internet.

Whatever your calorie amount make it reasonable and eat it EVERY day within 100 calories. This will keep your body from slowing its metabolism due to the calorie reduction, sometimes called "starvation mode".

After about a week on this plan, I have already lost over 6 pounds. That is with a nice slice of DW's birthday cake!!!

Most of it is likely water (so I am trying to drink more), but it's still an encouragement to keep going when I see that number on the scale. 

My short-term goal is 20 pounds by the end of August. I haven't set a long-term goal as of yet, but I'm thinking in the 200 range.

To those of you who have tried all the fad diets and medications (I know I have tried a few), it's nothing magical; just simple science- burn more than you eat.


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## cider (Nov 13, 2004)

Very sensible! Keep us posted on how you are doing.


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## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

I was about your size when I started. The 1st 50 lbs was pretty easy. Staying away from high carb foods should help.


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## PamB (Jan 15, 2008)

Hang in there! it didn't go on over night. You have a good start! It is good not to prohibit foods it makes you want it all the more. Pam


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## whodunit (Mar 29, 2004)

Thanks!

As far as prohibited foods, about the only one is soda. We are trying to limit high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) which is in just about everything.


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## Nancy_in_GA (Oct 20, 2004)

Great plan. It worked for me. Only thing I did different was to gradually substitute more vegetables. I found they made me feel really almost "stuffed" at meals for the same amount of calories. Lost 25 lbs in 12 weeks. I've actually learned to like vegetables now  I kept track of the total calorie deficit and weight daily, and it tracked very closely with the 3500cal/lb rule. That helped me ignore day-to-day fluctuations, cause I knew it was just a matter of time.

Good luck! You can do it if you stick with it.


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## whodunit (Mar 29, 2004)

The thing I like about counting calories is that it makes me focus on eating more healthy foods, like fruits and veggies, which are typically lower in calories. Therefore, I can eat more of them! 

I also email my best friend my food list for the day. It helps me analyze what I've eaten and see where I need to make changes. 

For instance today I can see that I ate a smaller breakfast and ended up hungry earlier. I chose high sugar and high fat snacks, which caused me to really have to watch it the rest of the day. It seems I do better with hunger early in the day if I've had a higher calorie breakfast.

Because of my bad choices earlier, I'm now having coffee as a bedtime snack. Of course, it still has cream (raw) and some sugar, so it's not that bad


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## whodunit (Mar 29, 2004)

Well, the scale said just over 287 today. That's about 12 pounds in a week of dieting. I tend to lose weight easily when I actually make an effort. Most if it is likely water, so I am making an extra special effort ot drink more today. I've probably had 5-6 glasses at this point.


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## glazed (Aug 19, 2006)

Hey whodunit! Way to go for a spectacular first week! 

:bouncy: I am proud youdunit! :bouncy: 

Keep it up, and keep posting for accountability!


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## whodunit (Mar 29, 2004)

Mama Crow said:


> Hey whodunit! Way to go for a spectacular first week!
> 
> :bouncy: I am proud youdunit! :bouncy:
> 
> Keep it up, and keep posting for accountability!


Thanks for the encouragement and play on words, too!

I was disappointed with today's weigh-in since it actually showed I gained a pound or two from yesterday. I'm not too disappointed since I figured what I had lost was water and I made a point of drinking more water yesterday. I'm still happy with a 10 pound loss over a week or so.


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## Thomson (Jun 26, 2009)

Hi,

It is an extremely smart and logical way to lose weight. The way it works is like this, everybody knows that it takes a low calorie diet to successfully lose weight. The Cookie Diet as a starting point and continue with their diet through nutrition and exercise. Goal setting is considered to be one of the most beneficial and useful ways to lose weight for a long period of time. Good luck in your quest to lose weight. Remember to always consult with your doctor before making any changes related to your health.

_____________________
Cookie diet Online


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## whodunit (Mar 29, 2004)

Thanks again for the kind words!

So far, I've lost about 16 pounds total. I have more good days than bad, but overall I'm not having much difficulty sticking to things.

I have increased my calories to 2500 a day since I was feeling like I didn't have enough energy to effectively do my workout routines. I was concerned my body might be going into "starvation mode" since I seem to have stalled in my weight loss compared to how I started out.

MY goal of 280 (just four pounds away) by my birthday is easily attainable and I'm thinking of lowering it to 275. I think my wife has agreed to buying me a prime rib dinner to celebrate.

I really like the calories-counting approach. It causes me to be selective and go for lower calories, high quality foods (fruits especially), but if I really want a candy bar, I have one. I even ate at McD's the other day, I'm sorry to admit, but I ate less than I usually did before this new way of eating.

I'm going to keep plugging away and know one day I'll look in the mirror and not even recognize myself.


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## Nancy_in_GA (Oct 20, 2004)

whodunit said:


> ...For instance today I can see that I ate a smaller breakfast and ended up hungry earlier. I chose high sugar and high fat snacks, which caused me to really have to watch it the rest of the day. It seems I do better with hunger early in the day if I've had a higher calorie breakfast.


_What_ I eat for breakfast seems to make a big difference. Things like breads, cereals, anything with sugar, and I get really hungry before lunch. So I started eating more protein for breakfast, with the same total calories, and that stopped. I never eat anything sweet any more, even fruit, on an empty stomach without tossing in a half dozen or so peanuts.

Good job on the weight loss.


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## whodunit (Mar 29, 2004)

Well the last few days (holidays here) shredded my eating plan. I think I did okay on Thursday and all the way up to dinner on Friday, but that's when it busted loose. I kind of let it all hang out on Friday night and most of Saturday, but I am back to the grindstone today.

I'm also slacking on my workouts which concerns me. It's a funny thing, because I made some significant advancements which had encouraged me, but then I got out of sync and started slacking. Again, holidays seem to be tough because things get all out of whack; special foods, activities, visits to friends, etc.

I guess in the future I have to be on guard about those types of things and plan for them.

I'm also experiencing "fatigue" at being so disciplined and am wondering how to combat that other than allowing myself to go off the diet for a day or two.


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## cider (Nov 13, 2004)

Yes, expect those times and plan for them to happen. Just get right back to it afterwards. That is where most have trouble, they just give up.
Not you though!!!


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## Wolf mom (Mar 8, 2005)

Great, great, great! Great plan, great motivation, great execution.

Don't let a few days of back sliding lead to guilt as that's when people give up. 

It's amazing that people end up on these wierd eating plans to loose weight when it's just what you said - eat less calories and exercise more. 

:clap:


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## RonM (Jan 6, 2008)

Good job, stay with it, also I am ready to gety started to lose a few. I am going to try to not eat anything white.... bread,pasta,rice,potatoes,etc....I need to lose 20#....I need to quit drinking diet sodas...


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## whodunit (Mar 29, 2004)

RonM said:


> Good job, stay with it, also I am ready to gety started to lose a few. I am going to try to not eat anything white.... bread,pasta,rice,potatoes,etc....I need to lose 20#....I need to quit drinking diet sodas...


I've heard that some artificial sweeteners (not sure which ones) can act as appetite stimulants and they are just plain bad for you, so you'll do well to get them out of your diet. I'm almost of the opinion that it would be better to occasionally indulge in a real soda, but as for me, I drink only water, coffee and tea.

Your approach of not eating anything white is along the lines of limiting those things that can lead to rapid blood sugar rise, which in turn can lead to cravings when it crashes again. If this works for you, do it. I read somewhere that those who were successful at long-term weight loss did it their own way; they found something that worked for them and stuck with it.

I'm back on track after my two day free-for-all.


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## whodunit (Mar 29, 2004)

I'm at around a 22 pound weight loss, although Fridays are a bear since it's movie and pizza night! 

My running is going well, too. I started running a 29 minute two mile and it's down to just over 22 minutes.

I feel good and seeing improvement makes me even more determined to stick with this long-term and get down to near my college entry weight.


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## Haggis (Mar 11, 2004)

Good to see folk keeping track of their weight and their diet.

I weighed between 185 to 205 from the time I was 15 until about 40 (I'm 6'2"), then gained a bunch of weight and eventually reached 305 pounds. Three and a half years ago I decided to do something about it and lost 100 pounds in 6 months, and I haven't regained any of it. Now I watch the scales closely, watch what I eat even more closely, and hit my exercise bike for 30 minutes before breakfast every morning (cranked up to the highest resistance; 30 minutes and five miles, which ever comes last. 

I had a stress test just this week, and the Docs all say that for 59 I"m in great shape. My blood pressure had always been that of a kid, my total cholesterol is 102, and now I feel great; I even split 10 cords of firewood last month by hand, well, I did use a maul, but no mechanical splitter, just muscle and sweat.


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## ronbre (Apr 26, 2009)

good luck, check out the free food journaling and exercise journaling at 
www.fitday.com 
I love it and use it every day


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## whodunit (Mar 29, 2004)

275.3 this morning.

Weight loss seems to have slowed some. I've had some bad days here and there and haven't been as disciplined so I guess I need to re-focus.

Some of the slow down can hopefully be attributed to muscle gain since I've been working out (push-ups, sit-ups, walking and running). I do look more defined in my upper body.


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## Deacon Mike (May 23, 2007)

whodunit said:


> 275.3 this morning.
> 
> Weight loss seems to have slowed some. I've had some bad days here and there and haven't been as disciplined so I guess I need to re-focus.
> 
> Some of the slow down can hopefully be attributed to muscle gain since I've been working out (push-ups, sit-ups, walking and running). I do look more defined in my upper body.


Might need to further cut your calories. Go through the calculations you did in the first post again. My opinion (free, maybe worth what you payed for it), no more than 2000 HIGH QUALITY calories a day. Are you strength training?


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## whodunit (Mar 29, 2004)

Deacon Mike said:


> Might need to further cut your calories. Go through the calculations you did in the first post again. My opinion (free, maybe worth what you payed for it), no more than 2000 HIGH QUALITY calories a day. Are you strength training?


So you think re-calculate using the new weight and activity factor? I had thought about that, but didn't think that just over a 20 pound loss would make all that much of a difference.

The only strength training I'm doing would be the push-ups, sit-ups, and vertical jumps. I then run. I do this every three days, so twice a week. On some of the off days, I walk two miles and/or mow lawns, garden, clean house, etc.

I would not call all my calories high-quality. Sometimes when fresh fruit runs low, I tend to snack on high carb stuff like crackers. I also am still eating sugar (no soda, but candy here and there).

My theory was that because of my now higher activity level, I would still continue losing weight while eating in the 2300-2500 calorie range and that anything less would slow metabolism.


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## whodunit (Mar 29, 2004)

274.7 lbs. this morning...last two days have easily been below 2000 calories a day. 

I think I may need to do away with Friday pizza night, since it seems to throw me off my game plan. I'll still get it for DW and the kids and figure out something else for me. It will be cheaper, too.

My new goal is 270 by August 22, which should be doable. DW suggested 200 by August 22, 2010. That would be 5-6 lbs. per month which seems slow, steady and safe, but we'll see what happens. Last time I was in that weight range would have been circa 1984!!!


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## plowjockey (Aug 18, 2008)

I you really want to lose the weight, you will need to cut *ALL* of the fat out of your and your families diet.

My ds is finishing up at the Wellspring weight management camp for children. His and the other campers results are remarkable.

Part of their method is to set a intake goal of *zero percent fat per day, but consuming no more that 20g per day!* This is not a goal to shoot for until the weight is off, it a goal for every day, for the rest of one's life. Of course, 0 percent is not really realistic, but less than 20g/day is absolutely possible - but not with visits to the pizza hut, or anywhere else that serves unhealthy food.

After attending the parent's training weekend at the camp, we have thown out or gave away, all fatty processed foods, oils and my favorite beanut butter. We are done dining out, unless it's subway, or somewhere to order really low fat food.

The DW and I (as well as my son in camp), have been fighting losing weight battles for many years. We have made a radical change to our lives, that our skinny kid's don't like, but everyone's health is more important than the so-called "good food". We are researching "tasty" low fat meal dishes. Some are quite good, some are all right and some it "the end justifies the means".

It's what has to be done.

Good luck.


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## jhonny (Aug 11, 2009)

what are the best weight loss plan?


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## whodunit (Mar 29, 2004)

jhonny said:


> what are the best weight loss plan?


I think calorie reduction and eating good, whole foods as much as possible.


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## Deacon Mike (May 23, 2007)

whodunit said:


> So you think re-calculate using the new weight and activity factor? I had thought about that, but didn't think that just over a 20 pound loss would make all that much of a difference.
> 
> The only strength training I'm doing would be the push-ups, sit-ups, and vertical jumps. I then run. I do this every three days, so twice a week. On some of the off days, I walk two miles and/or mow lawns, garden, clean house, etc.
> 
> ...


I stick to the 2000-2100 calorie range. To keep from getting hungry, try 5 or 6 smaller meals per day. Space them out every 2 to 3 hours.

You've gotta build muscle. This is what burns more calories. Lots of workouts on line if you can't get to a gym.


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## whodunit (Mar 29, 2004)

276.3 lbs. this morning. 

I haven't been as disciplined in counting calories. I am also a night eater, yet knowing this, I have been staying up later than usual because I am usually not tired and I hate laying in bed staring at the ceiling, especially if I am hungry.

I haven't been doing my exercise routine as faithfully either.

IN both areas, weight loss and fitness level, when I see progress I tend to use it as an excuse to slack off.

Overall, I'm doing okay. I have been as low 274 something, but there seems to be this 2-3 pound weight fluctuation that drives me nuts. I'm down to 274, then the next morning back up a couple pounds.


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## EmilyMArkansas (Jul 22, 2008)

The mystery of weightloss. I have that same problem. When I weighed myself first thing this morning I weighed 187.6, then I fed the animals, showered and couldn't help but reweigh myself at 189.2. I hadn't ingested anything and I was wearing a different shirt, jeans instead of shorts, different socks and my hair was slightly damp. Do my jeans really weigh that much? Sometimes even wearing the same thing my weight will fluctuate 3-4 pounds in a day. Complete craziness.


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## whodunit (Mar 29, 2004)

Well, I got my prime rib birthday dinner for being at or below 275 by today. The "official" weight was 274.3 lbs. Later in the day, I even weighed 273 something, since I was eating light to gear up for a big meal.

I am trying to think of a good set date for the next small term goal. It really seems to help. It maybe adds some positive pressure that I need to keep on program. I'm thinking at least 265 lbs. by DD's birthday about 43 days from now.


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## plowjockey (Aug 18, 2008)

EmilyMArkansas said:


> The mystery of weightloss. I have that same problem. When I weighed myself first thing this morning I weighed 187.6, then I fed the animals, showered and couldn't help but reweigh myself at 189.2. I hadn't ingested anything and I was wearing a different shirt, jeans instead of shorts, different socks and my hair was slightly damp. Do my jeans really weigh that much? Sometimes even wearing the same thing my weight will fluctuate 3-4 pounds in a day. Complete craziness.


Clothes can easily add up to 5 pounds.


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## Deacon Mike (May 23, 2007)

EmilyMArkansas said:


> The mystery of weightloss. I have that same problem. When I weighed myself first thing this morning I weighed 187.6, then I fed the animals, showered and couldn't help but reweigh myself at 189.2. I hadn't ingested anything and I was wearing a different shirt, jeans instead of shorts, different socks and my hair was slightly damp. Do my jeans really weigh that much? Sometimes even wearing the same thing my weight will fluctuate 3-4 pounds in a day. Complete craziness.


Always weigh yourself at the same time each day, on the same scale, wearing the same thing.

This is easiest if you do it naked first thing in the morning or last thing at night


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## Momish (Aug 16, 2005)

and dont get discouraged if the scale fluctuates, give or take 5 pounds. It may even be in your best interest to not weigh daily, but weekly or bi-weekly. The best scale you own is your clothing! You know when your clothes feel different. No scale can tell you how you feel. After a shower, your bath towel wrapped around your body can tell you more in a month of watching your diet then the scale can tell you. You know whats looser then normal. 

Best thing we can do for ourselves and those we love is change our diets


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## whodunit (Mar 29, 2004)

274.4 lbs. this morning...down almost two pounds from last Thursday weigh-in. New goal is 265 lbs. by November 5.


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