My goal is to safely lose 45 LBS and keep it off. What can I do since running is out of the question and I can't drive to the gym?

PFC Pamala (Hall) Foster — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 13:55:27 -0500

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 8 at 2018 2:01 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 14:01:41 -0500

Walking, weights and diet

Response by LT Brad McInnis made Feb 8 at 2018 2:02 PM

LT Brad McInnis — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 14:02:57 -0500

I was going to make a post about this. I lost 30 lbs (over the holidays no less). All I did was switch up when I ate, no crazy food, no new exercise, just changed the time that I ate. I have always eaten a smaller breakfast, a snack at lunch and then a heavy dinner. Every other day, I would switch it up, and have a heavy breakfast, snack at lunch and a light dinner. The next day, I would go back to smaller breakfast, snack and bigger dinner. FOr some reason, I lost weight, and have kept it off, without adding exercise. I am guessing it is the same principle as muscle confusion...

Response by Maj John Bell made Feb 8 at 2018 3:44 PM

Maj John Bell — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 15:44:33 -0500

Examine your eating habits. Examine you activity levels. Diet and activity level should not be considered as stand alone items in weight management.

A diet with which you cannot live AND enjoy for the rest of your life is not a fix! In the long run it is detrimental. If you are eating a well balanced diet, portion control is the dietary answer. If you enjoy calorie dense, nutrient poor foods (Sweets and processed carbohydrates like bread, cake, etc.) keep eating them. But know the different satiety (satiation) mechanisms (stomach distension, blood sugar levels and cycles, chewing satisfaction, meal duration and rate of food consumption) and organize your eating to make those mechanism work for you instead of against you.

_In general stick to whole foods
_Start every meal with a portion of fresh fruit, They will quickly bring up blood sugar levels without the spike and crash of sweets and processed carbohydrates.
_the second course should be a warm beverage, homemade broths low in sodium are good, or tea. This is a good place to include thermogenic spices in your diet; Ginger, Cumin, Cayenne, Cinnamon, etc. etc. Thermogenic spices can elevate your metabolic rate for 1-4 hours after consuming them by 5%-20%. Some also affect how efficiently foods are digested and the rate of nutrient absorption, fat storage, and stored fat metabolization.
_the third course should be uncooked high fiber, low calorie density vegetables. Cucumbers, Broccoli, Radishes, Carrots, Caulflower etc.; the crunchy stuff. These should be eaten with a minimum or better yet no store bought dressings. Almost all of them ad excess sugars to increase shelf life and enhance flavor. I like Apple cider vinegar with a dash of orange juice and some spices
_the fourth course should be a leafy green salad. Use the following acronym G-BOMBS. G - leafy greens, B - beans (red, kidney, black, etc.). O- Onions, M-Mushrooms (fresh is better than canned) B - Berries, S Seeds (sunflower, pumpkin (pepitas)
_The fifth course should be your entrée if you are eating a piece of meat it should be roughly the same as the size of your three middle fingers or one ounce per 25 pounds of ideal weight. If it is a casserole or some dish that has many ingredients the serving size should be about the size of your hand from wrist to first knuckles, minus the thumb.
_ the final course should be a warm sweet beverage . Many artificial sweeteners actually increase appetite and cravings. Go for small quantities of natural sweeteners like honey, orange juice (fresh squeezed)
_Wait 5 minute between courses. It gives your body a chance to tell your brain you've had enough. Whatever you don't eat can be eaten without penalty anytime before the next meal.
_Space meals between 5-6 hours apart if possible, no more than 7 hours. If you get hungry in between, eat small portions rich in protein and natural fats, (hard boiled eggs, a tablespoon of sunflower seeds. or unsalted almonds) and a portion of fruit and 1/2 cup of whole milk. in-homogenized goats milk if you can get it. Goats milk is somewhat naturally homogenized. mechanical homogenizing greatly increases the body's ability to digest and store milk fats.
_If sweets are your weakness, indulge that weakness, BUT ONLY ONCE A WEEK. I love strawberry ice cream. I cannot give it up forever, but I can give it up for six days if I can have a 1/2 cup on Friday night.
_Limit activities that distract you from the eating experience. No TV, even if its just a quick snack

Activity levels
Three or four hours of low level constant movement are much better than 20-30 minutes of high intensity activity. If yo are a TV watcher, walk in place during commercials. If you have a DVR walk one lap around the yard or up and won a flight of stairs. Every time there is a scene location change stand up and sit down 5 times. My wife and I like to dance but it's a train wreck, so we do it at home for an hour every evening. But we also dance while we do house chores. They take longer, but they are not so onerous. And it make the grandkids laugh uproariously. Find one or two low intensity long duration (2-4 hours )activities that you like to do and try to do them one a week. Mt wife loves to go to yard sales,rummage sales, and flea markets. All week she looks for the right combination that makes sense to walk from one to the next. She rarely buys anything but she gets in a good long workout. I got rid of a lot of labor saving devices. I use a manually powered push mower to mow the lawn, I am a goat farmer and have a skidster, but I usually use a manure fork and wheelbarrow the manure to the manure pile. I only use the skidster to turn the compost bins (12'x16'x4'). I don't use an ATV to retrieve the goats from remote pastures for milking, its me and my herd dogs. What labor savings devices can you give up and make the chore enjoyable or at least useful exercise.?

Response by AA Joseph Moody made Feb 8 at 2018 4:46 PM

AA Joseph Moody — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 16:46:10 -0500

I'm going to tell you what worked for me.

1- no more fast food (save on the bi-weekly cheat day)

2-come to terms for how often you are permitted to cheat, I find one minor cheat day a week and one major one a month works well for me.

3- Healthy snacks, not all calories are made the same and I've found that as the nutrition value of my food went up that the cravings to eat went down.

4-It is a little on the ikky side, but I would suggest the occasional high fiber day just to clean your crap out...sorry for the pun.

5- Drink extra water.

6-cook all of my own food, I've found that my lazy is more powerful than my munchies. It seems if there is no instant food around and all of my food requires time and effort that I somehow end up sticking to my diet.

7- And on the cheat days when you have them, make it a point to do so in a somewhat ritualistic sort of way, don't just go for a cheap candy bar or potato chips or whatever, find something quality it is the one day of the week to cheat so make the most out of it.

Response by WO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 8 at 2018 5:25 PM

WO1 Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 17:25:39 -0500

Portion control

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 8 at 2018 5:32 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 17:32:25 -0500

You can’t outrun a poor diet. Look up Banting AKA LCHF.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 8 at 2018 5:34 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 17:34:01 -0500

If you want to manage your weight, focus on your eating plan. If you want to be more “fit” focus on a workout plan.

Response by CWO3 Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 8 at 2018 5:59 PM

CWO3 Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 17:59:21 -0500

Diet and anything that safely raises metabolism. Treadmill, stationary bike, walking etc.

Response by Capt Tom Brown made Feb 8 at 2018 6:25 PM

Capt Tom Brown — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 18:25:33 -0500

Best wishes in reaching your goal... Everyone here is cheering for you and hopefully you will get some good tips which meet your particular sitution...Keep US posted!

Response by Cpl Justin Goolsby made Feb 8 at 2018 6:41 PM

Cpl Justin Goolsby — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 18:41:26 -0500

Proper diet is the big one. Proper sleep helps as well. Try not to drink anything that isn't water. Too many beverages have a lot of additives and those are a lot of calories that adds up over time. If running is out of the question, how about walking? Even a little extra movement can go a long way. Then there's body weight exercises. You want to lose weight, well one way is to use your weight against you. Build up those muscles to help burn unwanted fat.

Just remember... you don't need a gym membership to work out. Everyday objects can get you where you want to be. 1 gallon of milk weighs 8 1/2 pounds. When you're done lifting 1 gallon, move on to 2 and that's 17 pounds. Think outside the box and get creative. Good luck.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 8 at 2018 8:47 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 20:47:25 -0500

I can't speak much on nutrition but I've written plenty about losing weight. You can always exercise at home.
http://golivelively.com/2015/07/27/myfatlossthoughts/

How I Would Help You Lose Fat

I hope you enjoy my rant of tips for people looking to lose weight. Exercise. Do something. You don’t need a gym to work out. That’s an excuse. You need motivation and dedication. You c…

Response by SSgt Shawn Springsteen made Feb 8 at 2018 9:37 PM

SSgt Shawn Springsteen — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 21:37:46 -0500

You got this!

The Daniel Fast is a great kick-start to any program and it’s pretty flexible! Also, very clean and easy to follow. It’s in line with several of the other recommendations listed here.

Response by SPC Erich Guenther made Mar 19 at 2018 1:14 AM

SPC Erich Guenther — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 01:14:41 -0400

Replace all soda or soft drinks / beer with water. Reduce your portion sizes, stop eating before you feel full, take a multi-vitamin each day, start replacing high calorie foods with low calorie but keep the nutrition. Good example is breakfest cereal........most are loaded with sugar and calories. Replace with two packets of 110 Calorie Quaker Instant Oatmeal. Very filling and nutricious and cuts your Breakfest calories probably by 250 or more. Skip the Orange Juice unless it is freshly squeezed and only has natural sugar and replace with an Orange that you have to peel. Lunch, 1 Tuna Salad Sandwich with a side salad of sliced fruits and vegetables. Dinner, will leave to your imagination but keep watching your caloric intake without sacrificing on the Nutrition. The Multi-Vitamin will help balance things out.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 19 at 2018 1:30 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 01:30:27 -0400

Victoza

Response by CSM Darieus ZaGara made Mar 19 at 2018 5:49 AM

CSM Darieus ZaGara — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 05:49:28 -0400

Spc. Guentger has great advice, add research on caloric intake so you know what you are putting in your body. Find an online program or group that counts calories and exercise. Buy some sort of monitor, like a Fitbit and track your steps, most cell phones even have step and often fit trackers built in. Start walking and exercising. You can purchase bans and go on you tube to find programs, many for free. Ensure that you have spoken with your physician and Knick off the pounds. Thank you for your service.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Mar 19 at 2018 6:54 AM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 06:54:48 -0400

Do you have a bike? Start slow, but it will take off the weight.

Response by SFC Jim Ruether made Mar 19 at 2018 8:37 AM

SFC Jim Ruether — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 08:37:18 -0400

A Schwinn AIr Dyne exercise bike will take that weight off and keep it off. Good Luck to you! Goals are important too!

Response by SPC James Harsh made Mar 19 at 2018 12:16 PM

SPC James Harsh — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 12:16:22 -0400

Ever see video of liposuction, they use a tube and suck out fat, looks like it works. When people are older too the fat stores itself in places that are difficult to get rid of