so i was reading the waist size thread and a lot of people were talking about how they were losing the inches
simple poll, how’d you do
how’d you recomend i do it
Diet and exercise.
I was feeling kind of bad about my (big for me) waist size. Then this morning I saw a guy riding his bike down the side of the road. He had amazing balance and fluid motion, so I paid a little more attention than I normally would (and to keep from getting to near to him). He had amazing definition and muscular legs that looked like they were cut from solid iron and clearly did a lot of biking. The gray peaking from below his helmet had me guesstimate his age as late 40s/early 50s, although he might be a bit older and just in great shape. Except that he still had a couple of extra inches around the middle. Despite the fact he didn’t look as if he had an ounce of fat on his legs or arms.
So I’m almost to the point of resignation, whereas at a certain age, if the girth is there, it’s going to be damned near impossible to get it gone. At least not back to late teens/early twenties waist size.
Eat well, lots of cardio (walk, walk, more walking and walk some more). Eating well also means a whole new diet that does not consist of spaghetti, meatloaf, and hamburgers. It sucks.
eating well would be nice, but has anyone else noticed how expensive it is,
i do eat kind of well, get my daily requirements, most of the time
I just eat one meal a day; a fairly nice-sized evening meal of whatever I want; If I don’t start eating, I don’t get hungry and the pounds are just faling off me. I think I’d better not recommend this to anyone else, but I don’t suffer at all with it.
Atkins. Seriously. I was never overweight per se, but it did give me a flat stomach for the first time in my life. No disrespect to Hung Mung, but you can eat all the meatloaf and hamburger you want (minus the bun, or eat low carb buns).
Corsettry?
Ditto to Mangetout and Licentious.
Low-carb. Meat, fish, eggs, fat, and tons of non-starchy veggies. And usually one or two meals a day. Three meals is for wimps and people who listen to nutritionists.
Low-fat rabbit food works better for women.
Also light beer. Taken to excess on one day of the week.
I took considerable weight/inches off once I started biking.
Minor changes to my diet. Less beer was the biggest thing. I don’t drink light beer.
I put the weight on originally after blowing out my knee. I always used to run, and I couldn’t run any more. For about the past year, I’ve taken off about .5 pound per week. That’s with high intensity workouts and a lot of mileage, though. This year alone I’ve put 3200 miles on my bike, and spent 180 hours on it, about 6.5 hours per week.
Marathon in '97: I weighed about 145
Post-marathon: walking around weight at around 155
Post-knee injury: 175
After taking up biking: 150 (maybe 145. I don’t actually have a scale, but my waist has gone from about 35 to 31).
Moderation of all things. That’s what I do - that way I can eat whatever I want - using moderation and good reason. I also pay good attn to when I’m hungry, and when I’m full. Sounds mundane, but it makes a big difference IMO. And then there’s exercise - the hardest part for me.
Started biking. I ride for about 10 miles about 4 days a week. Since I started about a month ago, I lost about ten pounds (I weighed myself a week ago when I noticed that my belt fit on a smaller notch). I have not changed my diet or other habits in any way.
I used to weigh 180 pounds. I now weigh 115 pounds, and have been relatively slim for about thirty years.
I learned a hard lesson long ago: I have to choose between having a slim body and having what I really want to eat, in the quantities I desire. I chose the slim body. For the last thirty years, I have felt hungry much of the time. I don’t like being hungry, but I didn’t like being fat either. As the song goes, you can’t always have what you want.
Here’s how to lose 30 lbs in a couple of months:
Swim for 30 minutes every morning (weekends too)
Run 2 or 3 miles 5 days a week
Overdose on Synthroid (50mg/day? I forget and don’t want to remember. It wasn’t a pleasant part of my life. I never thought I needed medication and apparently, I never did.)
You’ll be a nervous wreck and have the feeling that you’re about to burst into flames, but, by Og, you will be skinny! Downright skeletal, actually.
I’m 20 lbs heavier, off the pills, and feel much better now.
I used The Hacker’s Diet. Lost 40 pounds in six months. No exercise, no fancy meals, just eating the same stuff I usually eat but in smaller portions.
Minimum equipment needed: A good scale, a pencil, and paper.
I walked to and from grad school for two years. I also learned about serving sizes. It turns out that there are alot more calories in a ‘serving’ than there are in a serving. Alot of caffiene, alot of vegetables and fruit, alot of complex carbs. Light on meats, especially fatty meats, and other fats. I try to think about the carbs being the main part of the meal with fruits and veggies as sides and meat as added flavor. Also, I replaced regular soda with iced tea (unsweetened), coffee, and water. Drink lots of water. Leafy greens are your friends. Don’t deprive yourself, just moderate yourself. After a while, your body adapts and less of something is more satifying than more. For instance, I used to drink a 20 oz. bottle of soda and think nothing of it and contemplate a second in an hour. Then I stopped drinking soda. Now, when I have a can of soda, the 12 oz can is more than enough.
My mantainance plan is walking to and from the bus stop, doing many of my errands on foot, using my state parks pass and trail pass to hike and bike, kayaking, volunteering for physical labor for the good of my community by building houses, cutting down trees, etc. I really feel so much better than I did when I was 60# heavier, I just do more 'cause I can do more, so I haven’t regained anything other than a 5# range that I fluctuate in. I also avoid convenience foods. They aren’t especially good for you and they make food too available. I don’t have a microwave and have very few ready-to-eat foods so I have to actually expend energy to cook food to eat. It also tastes better too, cause you can make it exactly how you like it.
Were you looking for an easy answer? Sorry, I don’t have one.
No sugared soda. Ever. Cut it out completely.
I’ve been eating low carb-ish, lots of fruit, smaller portions. Smaller portions is easy when you’re eating a lot of protein because you stay full.
Diets are bullsh*t. If you want to lose weight, the only way is to burn more than you take in. Any temporary modification of your routine is doomed to failure. You have to be in it for the long run to be successful. Throw away your scale - that way you don’t obsess with the little things.
Cut a soda a day from your consumption. That will amount to 5 lbs. lost in a year. Start walking whenever you can. Have lots of sweaty sex. Eat fruit as a snack. But whatever you do, stay the f*ck off the scale!
I have dropped 2 pants sizes since January. I have had to buy new belts, and I have discovered a whole closet full of slacks and pants that I can now wear. Last year, the buttons never got within inches of each other. I credit my wife with making the change. 
No replacement for the expensive dietitian I’m going to school to become, but… OK, let’s start w/ free stuff. Since you’re already on the web, I assume it would be free for you to go to the brand-new food pyramid your tax dollars paid for. Follow the prompts on the right side of the screen to get your ‘own’ pyramid.
NEVER GO THROUGH A DRIVE-THRU AGAIN. Yes, even at your bank, those tubes can’t be trusted! 
What you said about healthy foods being expensive is not always true; frozen veggies and fruits, which are flash-frozen when fresh are as good for you as fresh, the vitamins and fiber don’t die! Most fruits are good to thaw to softness and throw into the blender w/ a cup of cold water for a nice and quick breakfast. No blender/ Frozen blueberries are a great snack. Anyone can shop at Gordon Food Service stores, you don’t have to join a club and their frozen section is extensive and inexpensive.
There are many single-serving cans of veggies out there as well, w/ pull-tops so they’re great for lunch. Campbell’s has many low carb style soups that are no more expensive than regular soups.
I heartily second the cutting out of sugary beverages, and sadly that can often include juices. Do your weight and your teeth a favor and skip them as much as you can manage to. This is different from the fruit slushes because in the sodas/juices there’s no fiber to make the sugars worthwhile.
Finally, there’s some crazy book that says you should aim to drink half your weight in ounces of water a day. It’s an alright goal, but I think a little over a third is much more manageable for most people who don’t live in the bathroom all day long.
Anorexia. And I definitely do NOT recommend it.