Thanks..I can use all the help I can get..

Thank god I never started smoking, I have enough vices as it is.

Down to 238 this morning. Should have 20 pounds off by next week.

-spence

Well...diet has really gone to the wayside for me...no change since last weigh in. Well at least it didnt go up!!

Diets rarely work unless they're lasting lifestyle change...what elements of your lifestyle haven't changed?

-spence

For me getting into the 180's is becoming a struggle and may take me longer than expected.All I eat is fish,vegetables,yogurt and some plain popcorn for snacks.Oh and black coffee by the pot.Thats been my diet all year.I may need to make adjustments.I have been pushing harder and changing up workouts and found I am alot more hungry than I was doing my old workout routine.I think muscles need nutrients to heal that I'm not providing and that's where my hunger is coming from.I may have to look for some vitamin supplements.I figured the yogurt and carrots everyday were plenty of the good stuff.Who knows ?

Adam,

When are you eating and how much?

You want to ensure the diet is balanced, but not loaded. How the food is distributed over the day is very important...

-spence

adam,

a few pointers that might help you break through the plateau

1. ditch the popcorn, it'll just make you hungry and is the nutritional equivalent of cardboard with calories

2. add more protein (chicken, fish, lean beaf) and some good fat (olive oil, nuts, etc.) and spread it out over 3 meals and three snacks every day. eat every 2-3 hours, and make sure you get some protein and fat each time. don't eat more, just spread it out more

3. vitamins won't help with hunger and recovery (although a good mutivitamin is always a good thing). go with a low carb protein shake (whey powder and water) if you feel like you need something right after the gym, i'd take it within 30 minutes of the end of your workout.

4. swap out some of the coffee for water and green tea. more than 4 cups of coffee a day will actually hurt your workouts. shoot for at least 3-4 liters of water per day

5. as far as workouts, if your looking to switch it up, try high intensity interval training (HIIT). Basically a five minute warmup, and then a series of 6 intervals of running or biking as hard as you can for a minute and walking for a minute, then cooling down for 5 minutes. really kicks up your metabolism more than any other cardio (something about anabolic and aerobic systems being engaged). I switched to it when i hit a plateau a few weeks ago and have dropped 10 pounds since.

just a few things that work for me.

Breakfast is a large DD black coffee.Lunch consists of small bag of those small baby carrots,same size bag of plain celery,a no-fat yogurt and some tuna.The tuna is in a tin container called something melodies I think.2 servings per can.Coffee after lunch black.Coffee again @4pm and salad for dinner around 6ish.Same menu day in day out.I will eat the same lunch for years at a time before I change whats on the menu.I run everyday on the eliptical.Hard run almost sprinting for 15 mins.Then alternate days to abs and chest/shoulders.All excersize are high reps no weights.I do pushups and situps well into muscle failure.Thats my routine.Anyone on this board can try it.It has worked great up to this point.I'm still dropping weight just alot slower since the bulk was burnt off.

Clogston

Thanks for the info.I need to make a new shopping list for the wife.Trying some new snacks and will try and ween off some of the coffee.

If you do anything please do this...

Start every day, as early as you get up with a glass of soy or whey protien.

I drink 8 ounces of a fresh soy fruit smoothie http://www.odwalla.com/product1.asp?...nutrient&id=19 that's expensive but good. There are many less expensive options...

But before you do anything else, get in the habbit of some calories first thing in the morning will ya?

Secondly, if you really eat like this you need a lot more protien and a lot more real food in your diet. If you're exercising regularly there's nothing wrong with some fat and carbs spaced throughout the day as indicated above. Trust me, you can eat a lot and still loose weight when you're exercising as long as you're eating the right stuff...

-spence

hey guys,

I'm back... just walked in the door from a 10 day all inclusive vacay in jamaica.. needless to say the red stripes and various cocktails took their toll.. I slipped a little to 207.

Spence thanks for the help here.I been looking for something in the mornings I may have to give the smoothie a shot.

On a side note I fell way off my strict diet today.I found myself at a buffet inside foxwoods and hungry.Uuuuughhhhh.Shrimp,cod,clams,mussels,rice,l ittle bit of chinese food.Stuffed.........

tough to beat eggs for breakfast also. or yogurt (just make sure its low sugar, and not fruit on the bottom).

just about anything that you eat for breakfast will help though. that's why special K and other such cereals always make those claims that people lose weight by eating their cereal for breakfast, they compare their results against people who don't eat breakfast. there are also plenty of studies that show that eating 2 eggs for breakfast results in more weight loss than eating cereal.

i think if you add breakfast, throw in a few healthy small snacks and lots of water during the day and add some lean protein to your salad at night - you'll feel much better and less hungry and find that you'll actually lose more weight by eating more food

how about an update, TDF....:cputin:

Nothing beats a morning smoothie :sleeps:

You just don't know how to make 'em :cheers2:

-spence

It ain't the eggs...its the Bacon/Sausage/Hash, Homefries, Toast w/ butter, and pancakes with Syrup that you have w/ them thats the killer. :drool:

I'm Slacking, aren't I? I'll get it up today...sorry

All Updated.....sorry about the delay.

well, i got some of the post vacay weight off, in at 205 this am.

hello 180's! hehe.

down 5. :)

have the week off and yard work is no substitute for real work and being home has screwed with my "new" eating habits. still managed to drop a few.
223 this morning.
that's -44 from the start.
new goal, at least by may 1, is 217, or an even fifty.

208....:fishslap: still no smokes though...

160lbs down 25lbs

226 today.

Now comes the big push.

I am very excited to see what the remainder of the contestants send for plugs.... Should be a very good haul for someone.

236---thats a solid 30 gone so far

191 for me thats 38.5 lbs to date.

Some of U guys are doing Great..Keep up the good work..
I'm Up 4 lbs to 261..Quitting smoking cost me a few lbs in the wrong direction..Not sure I did overcompensate with food to satisfiy the physical urge to smoke.It was not like that...I think I had a huge hole in my metabloism...Dropping Nicotine has had quite a few side effects..I think I have em mostly all whupped...Thank God for coffe...:wave::tm:

Ladies and Gents, we are in the home stretch right now. A lot of poundage has been lost and a Lot of Donuts avoided.

I will get the latest weight updates done today so everyone can see where they are at. I do still need some pluggage for the entry fees from some of you so If you can get those in the mail soon that would be great. If anyone needs my addy just PM me and I will send it to you.

Hows it going for everyone lately ?

Interesting book I'm reading right now titles "In Defense of Food" which is sort of an anti-nutritional book. Basically it says that everything you've been tought from the food pyramid was based on little science and mostly assumption.

It prescribes a very simple approach to a regular diet.

Eat food.

Not too much.

Mostly plants.

-spence