[DWind]

Originally Posted by WindRide

Pls clarify on the banana and healthy snacks to carry to office.

Since your target is only to reduce less than 5 KG, would suggest that you continue having the banana (plantains). You cannot replace the other nutrients in the fruit. Also, being in a deskjob does require some sugar for your brain. I usually have soup sticks in my desk. They are filling and not messy. You can try it.

And yes,try to get involved in house hold chores. Walking to nearest Kirana shop, washing / waxing your car, cleaning the house. Makes the missus happy as well.

This is based on my experience of loosing 30 Kgs over 13 months period.

[WindRide]

Originally Posted by DWind

I usually have soup sticks in my desk. They are filling and not messy. You can try it.

That sounds promising. Will try it out. Thanks.

Originally Posted by DWind

And yes,try to get involved in house hold chores.

Absolutely. "Let go" the maid a month ago. Now it is my duty to sweep and mop the house, allowing wife to concentrate on the kid and kitchen. Both child and mother happy!! Also planning to wash my clothes myself instead of putting them in washing machine. Will be quite a work-out wringing out the jeans

[muni]

Originally Posted by WindRide

That sounds promising. Will try it out. Thanks.

Absolutely. "Let go" the maid a month ago. Now it is my duty to sweep and mop the house, allowing wife to concentrate on the kid and kitchen. Both child and mother happy!! Also planning to wash my clothes myself instead of putting them in washing machine. Will be quite a work-out wringing out the jeans

Looks like you are firing on all cylinders to get those extra pounds off you. How long have you been following this regimen and what are the results. Your weight and height are identical to mine and your job too. I am hitting 35 soon and need to start on something soon as my genees have been kind to me till now. I am yet to control my diet as I usually dont eat junk. I eat all kinds of veggies, greens and lots of fruits. I eat a lot of rice though

Wifey is exchanging our Treadmill and getting an ellitptical trainer for herself. I will join the party too.

[AvinashKeezh]

Originally Posted by WindRide

Now it is my duty to sweep and mop the house

I need to make sure that the wifey doesn't read this. Might be good enough reason "for me to handle the broom" .

[WindRide]

Originally Posted by muni

How long have you been following this regimen and what are the results. Your weight and height are identical to mine and your job too. I am hitting 35 soon

Iam 35 too!

The changes have been effective 2 weeks now and these are the improvements iam seeing already:
1. Increased stamina. Today morning i didn't huff and puff like a old geyser after climbing 5 floors.
2. More energy and better mood at the end of day - am able to play with my daughter and be pleasant at home. Earlier i used to get irritated for no reason, scream at wifey, scare my lil princess and keep to myself.
3. Better habits - no more late nights watching rubbish on the idiot box and binging on potato chips. I now find it impossible to remain in bed after 6.15 AM. It helped that i instructed the milk-man to keep ringing the bell till i come and open the door. Does a better alarm exist? Till 2 weeks back i never used get out of bed till 8.30 AM
4. Feel light on my feet while walking; earlier i used to drag myself around feeling heavy and no energy.

Did not check my weight yet. Am in no hurry - enjoying the process too much and that's important isn't it?
All the coveniences, facilities and "posh" life-style made me feel like a stuffed pig and much heart-ache. It feels beautiful going back to the basics.

[goandude]

Originally Posted by WindRide

Iam 5'9" and weigh 79 kgs. I feel iam overweight by 4 to 5 kgs. I have recently started brisk-walking, slow-jogging (alternatively) every day for an hour (except sunday), and continue that with Suryanamaskara and Pranayama and meditation on returning home. I prefer to stay away from gym/health clubs.

Since iam in IT, meaning a desk-bound sedentary lifestyle, these are some small steps i have started on recently:
1. Have stopped using car/bike to office. Now i walk to the bus stop ( distance of 1.5 kms from home) and catch bus. It helps that my employer reimburses part of the monthly bus pass for AC Volvo. Even if they stop this policy, i will continue to take bus since its healthier on body and mind - stay out of dust and avoid road rage.
2. I do not take the lift to my 5th floor office. Always take stairs. Earlier used to go out of breath, now finding it easier.
3. In my Outlook calendar, have kept a recurring reminder every-hour to stop work and go for a little stroll around.
4. I do not store drinking water in bottle from the dispenser. Instead i walk up to it every hour for a drink during the stroll. I drink water every hour without fail.
5. I do not take the nearest rest room. Always walk up to the farthest one. My office occupies only one floor of the building. If there were multiple floors, i would have taken stairs to the rest room on next floor - depending on urgency ofcourse
6. I never eat lunch outside. Dear wifey packs me a lunch from home. On occassions when she is unable to, i have veg meals outside - with more chappatis and less rice. Never ever non-veg.
7. I carry a banana in my bag for the 4 to 4.30 pm hunger pangs. I never have biscuits/snacks from cafeteria. I had asked here earlier if banana is a wise choice, since i heard it gives you a paunch. Pls clarify if you know. Also which are other healthy snacks to carry?
8. Iam a mallu, which means lots of fish - but more curry and very less fry. I find it difficult to stay away from mathi and netholi fry though - my favourite fishes. Used to have lots of rice earlier - kerala matta variety. Cutting down on it now.
9. I ABSOLUTELY hate junk food (pizza/burgers/etc). Have gone hungry when colleagues used to order pizzas for team lunch. Don't like sweets either.But love potato chips and anything that has potatoes in them. Trying to stay away from these.

Pls clarify on the banana and healthy snacks to carry to office.

You presently have a BMI of 25.8 and should try to get it down to 23 or so. What you are following above is good and you should see results in a month or so. My credentials- height 170 cms weight 62 kg. Got health conscious since 1995. Age 53. resting pulse 64.

[WindRide]

^ Thank you for the encouraging words.
After reading your post, googled BMI and understood more about it.

What made me look at myself seriously in the mirror were these - constant feeling of "being heavy and unhealthy" and frequent cold and cough (indicating low immunity).
And also the recent India-England cricket series. Was amazed to see the physique of the English bowlers - trim all around and so agile. That really prompted me to leave behind my lazy ways and get serious about fitness.

I will be damn lucky if i manage to look like Rahul Dravid on reaching 38 - the guy looks so young, lean, mean and very fit

[hiren959]

I have joined the Gym and on diet plan(somewhat) since last May month, I have lost almost 6kg as of now and still to lose 10kg more.

[chaunfa]

Originally Posted by W.A.G.7

I will try out the GM weight loss diet plan next week starting from Sunday. Let's see how that goes...

Has anyone successfully completed 1 week and noticed any weight loss?

Please the GM DIET IS A TOTAL SCAM, it only exits on the web. That being said my wife tried it for years but it has a yo-yo effect. Try the South Beach Diet, the main trick that all the diets preach is low carb and more protein.


Regards,

Chaunfa

[bblost]

I came across a very interesting experiment.

Fit 2 Fat 2 Fit | Personal Trainer | Weight Loss

My journey from FIT to FAT and how to get back to FIT again!

This is my story of how I plan on going from being obsessed with being fit, to fat in 6 months and how I plan on showing everyone how to get back to fit again in 6 more months.

Its so interesting to follow.

Reminded me of my own story.

In 2003, I was FIT. I was not having a six-pack or anything. But I was doing a lot of gym and running. My last semester in college gave me a lot of free time. I would spend most of the time in the Gym.
My sister was already married and I was living alone with my mom. She would cook a lot of very healthy food. Boiled meats with lots of greens. I have no idea what my weight was. But I could lift a lot of weight and jog about 3 kms everyday.

I moved to Hyderabad in Feb 2003. Never lived away from home. The first few months were painful. I would eat at office. The cafeteria was veg. I would eat at cafes. Most days my breakfast would be a couple of samosa's and tea.

I tried to join a Gym, but it never worked out.

I bought a new motorcycle and even the little bit of walking ended.

Since I did not like the food at most places. I was eating the thick curds with rice. Adding Sugar to it.
Most of my evening would be spent eating out with friends. Heavy greasy food.

In short, I was letting myself go.
By 2004, when I got married I was hitting 102+.

Marriage did not change my eating habits. Work was increasing, responsibilities piling on. At no point did I consider getting back into shape as a serious challenge.

I was strong. Could ride my motorcycle for over 17 hours non-stop and go to office the next day.

But deep down, I knew this is not working out.

I had to set a target. 2008 by fluke, I ended up quitting smoking. The decision was on a spur of the moment. Thankfully, I have made it. I will never smoke again.

In 2009, I became regular at the gym. My weight came down to 98 and stayed there.

I then enrolled in aerobics classes. Started to realize just how much extra weight I am carrying. January 2010, I joined Yoga classes. It revealed to me just how much flexibility has been lost.

May 2011, met with a nasty bike crash. No injuries, but I took a hit on my knee. I stopped all the workouts as my knee hurt. It eventually healed itself, but by then, my wife was expecting.
In January my daughter was born.

She gave me the reason to get back into shape. I want to be there for her every time.

I had always loved cycling. So in June 2011, as a birthday gift to myself. I bought a cycle.
I use it to do my roughly 10 kms daily commute.

The 20km round trip has me getting fitter and fitter.

I currently weigh in at 96 kilos.

Since cycling is something that I love and can do everyday. I am gonna keep at it.

I honestly did not consider weight loss when getting the cycle.
But some where deep down, I guess my mind was telling me to take the right decisions.

Weight in kilo's is just a number. It honestly means very little to me. I don't believe I would ever reach the "doctor approved" weight zones.

But if I am able to cycle till I am a 100. That would be in my definition a healthy life.

[akshay4587]

I am also improving power to weight ratio
Was quite overweight-embarassed to share the figures
Started,strict diet control,and 8kms of work out,Jogging\brisk walking on 12th september this year.I have lost 7kgs till now,i hope the loss figures are decent enough,that said,i still have to lose 10-12 more.
Being a foodie,diet control is the toughest part

[akshay4587]

Another update.
At 2 months down the line.
I have dropped down to 84 from 96
Feeling good,but still have a long way to go.

[Durango Dude]

My road to fitness taught me a few things: there's no lazy way out. Diet is 65% and exercise is 35% (you can't live in the gym, can you, you have other things to do) in getting back to shape. I joined the gym and my wife and me went regularly for 2 years and the gym shifted to a rather busy place closer to my residence: getting there and parking was more of a problem so started working out at home. My routine is 100 pushups in 2 sets of 50 each and 120 ab crunches in sets of 30 each 2 for the recti and 2 for the obliques (R&L) (all of the above the first thing in the morning gets done in say 15 mins) and a rather strict diet and am maintaining my weight at 60 kgs. I do this routine 7 days a week. I don't give up on non veg only it's cooked at home and with a minimum oil, no sugar (use Sugar Free Natura:sucralose, don't use Sugar Free Gold:Aspartame) I eat just one cup of rice for lunch and have a breakfast of cereals and fruits and dinner is sparse with multigrain bread sandwiches/roti/dhalia. Hog on fruits and salads. Healthy snacking is the way to good health. You gain weight and become unhealthy mainly due to snacks/desserts. It's not what you eat for breakfast/lunch/dinner it's what you eat in between and while watching TV that gets you out of shape. Ischemic Heart disease and Diabetes Mellitus is assuming epidemic proportions in India, due to our new found prosperity and due to the rather 'rich' Indian diet which we are used to. Just like car insurance get adequate medical insurance and then pray to God that you don't get to use it.

[luvurride]

Originally Posted by akshay4587

Another update.
At 2 months down the line.
I have dropped down to 84 from 96
Feeling good,but still have a long way to go.

wow very impressive figures! Can you elaborate on the diet regimen you follow please?

[akshay4587]

Originally Posted by luvurride

wow very impressive figures! Can you elaborate on the diet regimen you follow please?

I havent been following a strict diet plan.
However i have cut down totally on Junk food,and non veg.
For break fast i take 4 Slices of Multigrain Brown bread with boiled egg whites,Lunch and dinner comprises of usual Vegetables\pulses,with chapati's,and yes i have cut down on rice intake to a bare minimum too.
Its the running that has been working for me,i run\brisk walk for 8kms a day,takes around 60 mins.