Weight Loss Inspiration Project #1

[Devils'Advocate]

I posted in another thread the CTV interview I did last month. In that interview I talked about the three projects that I am currently working on. Well, project #1 has launched as of 5am this morning. My web site went live:
www.runningdownourdreams.com

I, along with my co-founder Bergen, formed a team of 12 runners that will run a relay race basically from Boston to the end of Cape Cod. The 12 runners have lost a combined 1,500 pounds.

Our Facebook page is also up where we will be posting updates on what the team is doing, linking to resources that helped us along the way and helping others who want to get healthier to do so. It can be found at:
www.facebook.com/running.down.dreams/

My profile page, that includes the CTV interview is here:
http://www.runningdownourdreams.com/don/
And my team co-founder, Bergen, has her profile page here:
http://www.runningdownourdreams.com/bergen

[taco.vidal]

Some good stuff there.

Im curious as to your thoughts on the use of the word "fat" in the title of the movie From Fat to Finish Line.

[Devils'Advocate]

Knew someone would bring that up. I had a good talk with Dacia (http://www.runningdownourdreams.com/dacia/) about that very fact. I would not have appeared in a movie with that title. But we are going to assume that "fat" in this case refers to the noun, and not an adjective. As a noun, it refers to the gelatinous mass within our bodies. As an adjective, it is an insult.

Like I said, I would have objected to the name.

One person I talked to was, like, "But it's like the n-word... we should be able to use it". But I think the N-word should just die, like "######ed" has. Slurs, whether against someone else or against yourself, should just disappear. Not by banning them, but by reasonable people not wanting to denigrate others.

[ranchlandsselling]

Awesome, all those people look great and have made some incredible changes!

[Nyah]

Pretty inspirational, good work!

[ExiledFlamesFan]

Hey DA,

You're a real inspiration. Losing all that weight and keeping it off.

Any advice for keeping weight off during the winter? Seems like every winter I put on 20 lbs and spend the next spring/summer burning it off.

Cheers

[Devils'Advocate]

Yeah, it's tougher. My podcast (project #2) co-host lives in Calgary and she was saying how "it gets to be -40 here. All I want to do at -40 is turn up the heat, wrap myself in a blanket and eat nachos."

Uhm, treadmill + plasma TV + Criminal Minds

I am back at the gym with my personal trainer as of this morning. Apparently I went UP in my bench press weight while I was away for the summer. Don't know how that happened, but I'll not look a gift horse in the mouth.

Also, since I can't bike or run, I go to the other triathlon exercise: swimming. I'm taking a class on Saturday mornings and practicing for an hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The other issue with winter is that I hibernate. One big issue I have with losing the weight is that I DO NOT HANDLE THE COLD VERY WELL. Since I'm no longer built like a polar bear, I'm better in the heat, but bad in the cold. So I only go outside if I have to. Winter is a lot of sitting on the futon and watching hockey. Which typically means peanuts or popcorn or some other snack type foods. So I have a note on my cupboard and fridge that says "Are you hungry?", because usually I'm not. I'm just eating the snacks because I'm watching TV and eating snacks is what you DO when watching TV. I'll see the note, realize I'm not hungry, grab my iPad and play Qwirkle while I watch whatever is on Netflix.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

The other issue with winter is that I hibernate. One big issue I have with losing the weight is that I DO NOT HANDLE THE COLD VERY WELL. Since I'm no longer built like a polar bear, I'm better in the heat, but bad in the cold. So I only go outside if I have to. Winter is a lot of sitting on the futon and watching hockey. Which typically means peanuts or popcorn or some other snack type foods. So I have a note on my cupboard and fridge that says "Are you hungry?", because usually I'm not. I'm just eating the snacks because I'm watching TV and eating snacks is what you DO when watching TV. I'll see the note, realize I'm not hungry, grab my iPad and play Qwirkle while I watch whatever is on Netflix.

Frig, tell me about it. I've lost 70 pounds in the last year, and before I much preferred the cold, hated the heat. But then I started losing the weight and traveled to Mexico and Thailand in a 6 month span. I found myself acclimating to the heat much easier than any other time in my life, and when I came back home in May my internal thermometer was basically broken. I found 20 degree days in Calgary chilly, and now with winter upon us my attitude is thus:



As for the snack food, I simply don't buy it. I have very little willpower to not eat something if it's in my kitchen, but if I don't buy it the choice is much easier. Sometimes I find myself walking through the cracker & chip aisle in the grocery store a little slowly and I need to ask myself "Do I really need this?" before being able to go on my way

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by ExiledFlamesFan

Hey DA,

You're a real inspiration. Losing all that weight and keeping it off.

Any advice for keeping weight off during the winter? Seems like every winter I put on 20 lbs and spend the next spring/summer burning it off.

Cheers

Try out the intermittent fasting thing, where you only eat in an 8 hour span of the day. For myself I don't start eating until noon, and after 8pm the only thing I have is water or other zero calorie drinks. The first week of not having breakfast and waiting until lunch can be pretty hard, but after that your body adjusts and now I don't even miss eating in the morning. And since so many unneeded calories come in the late evening snacking binges, having a hard rule to stop yourself can help a lot

[MrMastodonFarm]

[The Ditch]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

Try out the intermittent fasting thing, where you only eat in an 8 hour span of the day. For myself I don't start eating until noon, and after 8pm the only thing I have is water or other zero calorie drinks. The first week of not having breakfast and waiting until lunch can be pretty hard, but after that your body adjusts and now I don't even miss eating in the morning. And since so many unneeded calories come in the late evening snacking binges, having a hard rule to stop yourself can help a lot

telling people to not eat breakfast is horrible advice

[GoinAllTheWay]

Start smoking....you'll lose a ton of weight.

[V]

Just don't quit. I gained 40 pounds almost instantaneously when I quit smoking.

[Flabbibulin]

Originally Posted by The Ditch

telling people to not eat breakfast is horrible advice

Its doesn't necessarily mean skipping breakfast. Many people that do IF have their eating window starting as soon as they wake up: 7-3 sort of thing. You would still have your regular number of meals, just crunched into a shorter time window. I think the idea though is typically to start your eating window after your workout. A lot of this is based on bro science, which suggests working out after fasting, when glycogen levels are low, burns more fat.

Anyway, Im not an advocate of IF or anything. Imo, all it does is limit your eating window so that it is more difficult to be in a caloric surplus/maintenance. You will lose weight if you are in a daily caloric deficit regardless of how big your eating window is. Either way, people that follow IF stricty are losing a lot of weight. It is more of a scheduling tool than some ground breaking discovery.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by The Ditch

telling people to not eat breakfast is horrible advice

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-b...b_4436439.html

Are there benefits to skipping breakfast?

There's also the new data showing that skipping breakfast might not be so bad after all.

Folks with Type 2 diabeties, for example, did better in this study when they skipped breakfast altogether and ate a larger lunch.

Other folks who were told to skip breakfast ended up eating less overall compared to breakfast eaters.

And skipping breakfast is also just as effective as eating breakfast for weight loss.

[Devils'Advocate]

On the flip side, according to the National Weight Loss Registry, a registry of people who have lost 30 pounds or more and kept it off (the average weight loss in the registry is 68 pounds if I remember correctly), 80% say they NEVER, EVER skip breakfast.

I used to skip breakfast when I was losing. Never skip it now. If I'm not careful, my body, which still wants to be 350 pounds and keeps wanting to drag me back, will strike me with uncontrollable hunger. But if you can skip breakfast and not be hungry, all the power to you. I always say that each of us is an experiment of n=1. Whatever works for you.

[GoinAllTheWay]

Originally Posted by V

Just don't quit. I gained 40 pounds almost instantaneously when I quit smoking.

Really??? 40 Pounds??

Wow...I'll have to consider myself fortunate. I quit a month ago and lost a few. Not really sure how that happened.

[T@T]

Originally Posted by V

Just don't quit. I gained 40 pounds almost instantaneously when I quit smoking.

I feel your pain, people have a hard time believing but it is far from a myth, not quite 40 but 27lbs in 10 months and I eat less and exercise slightly more.

[T@T]

Originally Posted by GoinAllTheWay

Really??? 40 Pounds??

Wow...I'll have to consider myself fortunate. I quit a month ago and lost a few. Not really sure how that happened.

I didn't notice any change until the 3rd month or so. It could be an age thing as well because I quit 15 years ago as well and didn't gain more than 5 lbs in 3 years.

[ExiledFlamesFan]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

Try out the intermittent fasting thing, where you only eat in an 8 hour span of the day. For myself I don't start eating until noon, and after 8pm the only thing I have is water or other zero calorie drinks. The first week of not having breakfast and waiting until lunch can be pretty hard, but after that your body adjusts and now I don't even miss eating in the morning. And since so many unneeded calories come in the late evening snacking binges, having a hard rule to stop yourself can help a lot

I tried the intermittent fasting, instead ate early in the day and tried not to eat after 5 or 6 pm. My father is on IF and he's lost weight and is looking healthier so I do believe it works.

But I'm really bad at late night snacking and would find myself half awake eating chips at 1AM.

I think a big thing for me is that I love running outside, the shorter days just kill me as I can only run outside on weekends because running in the dark sucks. I'm gonna cave and get a 4 month gym membership and slag away on the treadmill.