Weight Loss

[yellomalibu]

I discovered that hiking for a week on the AT does wonders for weight loss and metabolism boosting. Probably eating a couple thousand calories a day, burning more than that... yet the weight loss continues for the next several weeks.
I've been hanging around 175 since I started this hiking thing. Not that I "needed" to lose weight at 185, but I feel better and my BP is lower...

While my weight and my BP have been steady, I donated blood before Christmas, and my cholesterol is over 220. Because of that, I've changed my diet, and looking for more options of things to eat - on a small budget.
-Breakfast is a 1 cup of oats and 1/2 cup of rasins. Regular oats, no sugar or mystery chemicals or preservatives added.
Regular raisins, no sugar added.
-Lunch used to be either turkey or ham (the lean pre-packaged deli stuff), one slice of cheese (usually swiss) and mustard, 2 sandwiches, 2 bananas; 1 at 10:30 and 1 at 12:30. Switching to tuna salad made with mustard and spicy relish. No mayo, no cheese.
-Dinner used to be a Totino's party pizza or restaurant... still struggling with healthy options, but have been eating hiking food: 1 Knorr side dish (full of artificial crap) and 1 packet of flavored tuna.

[DanStokes]

Seriously, cut out cheese - completely. It's nothing but concentrated fat. My first cardiologist got me off of it and now that I'm used to it (that was 13 years ago) it just tastes like lard to me. And yes, that was "cardiologist" - take that as a hint. It's also a HUGE help in weight loss. When you drop cheese you also lose the foods that it's often attached to like pizza, etc.

Try to lose fat as much as possible. A lean steak (say, 6 oz. or so) won't hurt a bit once in a while though I've had people look weird at me in a restaurant as I cut the fat out of it. A fast food tip - burgers grilled over an open flame on an open grille are better as much of the fat drips thru and out of the meat. When making chili, spaghetti sauce, etc. DRAIN the meat after you cook it and before you add it to the dish. It does lose a little flavor (thought not that much) but it's WAY better for you.

All the things that help my heart and therefore my cholesterol also help with weight loss. It's how I keep this stunning figure at my age - I hover around 163-165 which isn't bad as I have a tendency to be chubby and I've had to fight that my whole life.

Dan

[Russell]

February weigh in, down a hair, 199.2. I have eaten less pizza and FF. But I was out of town for 6 days at a conference and it snowed, so not being up is a win.

Goal to be 195 on March 1!

[sueunit]

Here are a few options of things to eat:

Cheerios (original, plain). or even frosted mini wheats make an decent dry snack, or with reduced fat milk, a meal. Pretzels (i got used to the no added salt type). Other "no cook options that I have used are Albacore tuna in water, apples, pears, prunes, and nuts. I would make a salad with romaine lettuce and a variety of veggies, and add raisins, chopped walnuts or pecans, and then a choice of one following, depending on what's leftover or in the cabinet.......albacore tuna, leftover chicken, steak. I occasionally added a hard boiled egg or a slice of swiss cheese. You could even use that deli lunch meat you mentioned. When I was first put on low fat low sodium diet, like you, I went right to sandwiches with the "healthy" lunch meats and one slice of swiss cheese. All the bread though, too much sodium for me, and it got boring. I switched up to salads with leftovers from dinner the night before incorporated into it. The way food is prepared is important. Dan mentioned open grilled as a better option that frying, for example. Be aware of what sauces or condiments your food is cooked in, and how it is cooked.

You will notice I didn't find a way to regularly incorporate some of the other foods that reportedly lower cholesterol, like kidney beans, barley, avocado, and bananas. They are there though, so you could. Oh, and use olive oil in place of other fats when possible.

[Barry Donovan]

weight loss.
two sides of the coin.

I am back up to 141.
I was death imminent fpr 20 years, 30 under weight , all at once in january of 1997.
non-organic origin. This means poison. Going as sensitive as bruce lee.. I did learn something.

anything yeast, preservatives (heavy salts - monododium, BHT, etc ), those are the bad weights. They do nothing but inflate a dough boy.
Me at 175 pounds would still be called a bean pole. The weights and being over/under, don't get too serious. We are all different...our own odds at living.
the whites of my shoulder bones and stil need my 44 shirts. Gaining weight would put me in "jumbo" anyway.