Dealing with the unfortunate side effects of pizza love

[Ev]

Sometimes it's not much fun being me. I know I could stand to lose an actual 100 lbs.

[pizzaneer]

Whoever coined "fat and happy" was a complete idiot. 

Overheating, chafing rash, fallen arches, fragile ankles, being self-conscious... what's there to be happy about?

I know admitting this is just going to get me yelled at, but what the hell... Beer + pizza = bloat.  Even "lite" beer is about 100 calories a can.  A six-pack a day may take some of the pain out of your stressful life, but it adds almost one-third your total calories, with no benefits at all.

My resolution is to severely reduce my beer consumption, continue with the healthy habits that so far haven't made a difference.  Eat light, exercise... and no guzzlin'.  Which makes me sad- I love beer, but it's like an evil woman who's just irresistible...

For the record, I'm 42, weigh 228 and would like to weigh 190- of muscle not muscle + beer gut.

[Chicago Bob]

Whoever coined "fat and happy" was a complete idiot. 


My resolution is to severely reduce my beer consumption, continue with the healthy habits that so far haven't made a difference.  Eat light, exercise... and no guzzlin'.  Which makes me sad- I love beer, but it's like an evil woman who's just irresistible...

I am one of those types that people always say "yeah, but you don't look fat, you carry your weight very well". Tell my brain that EVERY time I walk past a glass window or especially a mirror in a department store.....sickening!
  Two months ago I attended the required entrance seminar at Duke Hospital to begin the gastric bypass operation process. One month ago I began doing exactly what Brian has mentioned above and I have lost 28 lbs. Now I'm only down to 260 here friends but it feels like I've lost the weight of the world and the perpetual motion of continuing weight loss has set in....it's getting easier everyday and find myself turning more an more toward healthier options.
  Sure glad I didn't follow through with that surgery....thanks Steve and Brian for what you guys posted above.

[Ev]

Thanks Bob. It's stories like this that will get me motivated to get started myself.
Good luck with your continuing success!

[BrickStoneOven]

If you guys track your macros with online counters and have a set goal you will have fat fall off your body in no time. I'm using Livestrong's My Plate. But there is My Fitness Pal which a lot of people use as well. You put in you weight, height, fat loss goals, and your daily activity level. It will give you a daily maintenance caloric value. Since you are trying to lose weight try and get down to 500 calories less than that daily value, if you can do more you can go up to a 1000 calorie deficient,(I'm around 800). My macro break down is about 45%/25%/30%, Protein/Fat/Carbs. I found this works best for me. Most people do 40%/30%/30% or 35%/25%/40%. The good thing about the Livestrong one is that there is a pie chart at the bottom right corner that tells you your daily macro break down in percentages.

[Ev]

Thanks! I'll check it out.

[Essen1]

http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/lose-weight-fast-how-to-do-it-safely

I don't know if 'fast' weight loss is necessarily a good option or way to go about it. I chose the slow way...1.5lb a week. It's working for me so far.

With that said, I'm weary of "lose-weight-fast" diets. They lead to more weight gain in the long run.

[pizzablogger]

http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/lose-weight-fast-how-to-do-it-safely

I don't know if 'fast' weight loss is necessarily a good option or way to go about it. I chose the slow way...1.5lb a week. It's working for me so far.

With that said, I'm weary of "lose-weight-fast" diets. They lead to more weight gain in the long run.

While we are all technically on a diet of some sorts, most "diets" are bound for failure because they imply a temporary condition to get to a target weight. Once that weight is achieved, most dieters revert right back to their pre-diet normal routines, pack on the pounds and repeat the cycle (or just say eff it and give up).

A lifestyle makeover of eating and exersising habits is often necessary. It doesn't have to be drastic, but the mindset should be to make permanent changes. I know one of the things I need to do is add some muscle mass. Some type of strength training helps as increasing your lean muscle mass increases your metabolism. Muscle burns more calories than fat, whether you are sitting on a couch or exercising.

[pizzaneer]

When you have a need for firewood, come work with me.  I've got a chainsaw, mauls and wedges.  And a buttload of trees.  I cleared enough space on my property to build my house and left the rest alone, figuring I would need it someday.

Being a woodsman, in the old sense, combines all kinds of physical efforts.  Powerlifting, stress reps, sheer anabolic burn.  I was in the best shape of my life after taking down all those trees, cutting them up, splitting them and stacking them.