asheira:
oh god i just described what i do on a daily basis
Theory_Man:
Try getting into an organized sport, club (fencing) or hit the gym (cardo for weight and heart heath and resistance training for muscle mass and ALWAYS STRETCH before working out). Get rid of all sugary drinks and stay way from fried food. . But what ever you do kept with it, it takes a long time to start losing weight or build muscle mass.
SIDE EFFECTS INCLUDE GRATUITOUS AMOUNTS OF ENERGY.
Xander:
Hehe.
Sojourn:
Oh Malificant; I wish I could solve this problem (because then I would patent it and become a gazillionaire).I haven’t read all the comments, so I apologize in advance for any repetition.
I agree with Xander, a good friend of mine from high school dropped 15lbs by stopping his intake of pop. and it’s true re: pop and juice (aka Fruitopia). look at the label, Fruitopia is something like 36g of carbs (sugar form) and 130calories and a can of Coke is 160cal and 42g carbs. the difference is the serving size. Fruitopia = 250mL (1 std. measuring cup) and Coke is the can size (355mL). they are nearly identical. it’s awful.
There are all sorts of tips, and I experienced the freshman 15 when I went to school (awful). I also can’t go to the gym, I don’t have the attention span. I have asthma and a mild heart murmur. I found that when I stopped physical activity (I’m very into playing competitive sports) my asthma got worse. I was also more prone to having attacks when I took preventative inhalations of my puffer. I stopped that and just gradually worked my endurance up. If you can’t run, walk. I walk to and from the train to work everyday and even that 20-30 mins does wonders. Also look for a place to walk that isn’t necessarily level. I mean, you can walk around a track, but if you can find a neighbourhood that is hilly or a nearby forest, it might be better.
I agree with the larger meals earlier in the day, not that I do this, but also try to avoid eating after about 8pm. Find foods that are filling. I’ve been eating lots of fibrous foods, especially in the morning, and yogurt is really helpful too. I find that it fills me up and is overall just better for you. Try to avoid putting sugar on stuff, even if it doesn’t taste too good. Bran on its own is kinda blah, so I add on about 1/2 a sliced banana or some strawberries. Also, minimize eating out if you can (very tough, I’m struggling with that now too) and when you do, ask for a take out container immediately and put half the meal in there. Trust me, you don’t need all that food. And then you have lunch for the next day 
One tip that most weight loss centres give is this. ALWAYS have a bottle of water with you. If you get a craving (we all do, but they’re BAD! ask Xander about my potato chip cravings… scary) have some water, and wait 15 mins. this does a couple things
a) makes you see if you REALLY need it after the emotions have calmed a little. a lot of cravings are the result of emotions and people’s way of coping with it.
b) it fools your brain. Cold water is actually filling (that’s why the waiter’s at buffets never hesitate to fill your water glass).
hrm, I’ve said a lot. probably enough for now. If something else comes to me, I’ll add it.
Xander:
Also, many people will confuse thirst with hunger. Sometimes all you need is a glass of water.
Theory_Man:
SIDE EFFECTS INCLUDE GRATUITOUS AMOUNTS OF ENERGY.
I surprised that someone actually knew what I was referencing.
Sojourn:
he only knows because I sent him that link originally 
asheira:
this thread made me realize that i’m not in shape, so i went out and walked for HOURS i’m in pain, but it’ll be worth it in the long run, because i’ll be attractive again…wait I’M ATRACTIVE NOW
Willmark:
I’m in shape. Round is a shape. actually been back at the gym for a while…
Malificant:
check my sig to prove i knew powerthirst. part 2: when god give’s you lemon’s YOU FIND A NEW GOD!
Kera foehunter:
well wait a few weeks it will get nice out then you can do more stuff outside
Hashut’s Blessing:
Okay, so I;ve read all of these suggestions and it seems I’m following most of them. I excercise for at least 6 hours a week (very heavily), I do at least 2-3 hours of walking a week (I was doing more, but I have less lectures now), I’m quite active in lectures as I;m a drama student, I only ever drink water, I’m eating far more healthily than I was and yet I’m still putting on weight (obviously not muscle weight asd well), all that’s happened is that since I reduced the amount of walking ionvolved, I;ve reduced the rate of fat-mass increase. Any ideas on that?
Malificant:
no idea there HB, however i will say this:
there is nothing like grilin up a steak at 7 in the morning to wake up my whole dorm!
Sojourn:
HB, do yo know if you’re losing inches? and when you say “eating healthily” what does that entail? and working out heavily? repetition vs. resistance training will produce different results. It’s definitely hard. Even when I felt I was doing better food-wise, I felt I was putting on weight. How OFTEN are you eating? have you tried the 5 meals a day idea? smaller portions, healthy snack. I found out that things like granola bars, not actually as healthy as you’d think (especially my favourite type, dipped in chocolate… yumm! =9 - I know! it’s a shock!)
I think for men trying to lose weight, getting down to around 2000 calories a day(???) is ideal… but I’d look that up to be sure. Women I think is around 1800calories… but I’ve never been one to count calories, so I can’t be sure.
torn:
i think thats an average staying the same weight calorie count. if you want to burn fat you need much less im sure. 1400 to 1200 i think. basically instead of eating less food you can eat the same amount of healthier food. easiest way is substitute your chips and potatoes with veg and salad.
Hashut’s Blessing:
By eating healthily, I mean more healthily than I was (which was take-away every night on top of ordinary meals), reducing snacks and replacing them with carrots and instead of picking the fattier, more sugary and salty foods, I’ve been picking the ones that have lower contents (looking at the % of GDa for each). I’ve reduced my meal portions to just under the average perrson, been eating more in the mornings and less of an evening. I do stamina training and ordinary training. i know it’s not muscle because I’ve gained inches. 2500 calories is avergae for a man to flatline and 2000 for women. So, the numbers Sojourn suggested sound healthier than tonr’s because they will reduce fat levels without causing muscle decay. It’s not so much the weight I’m trying to lose as the inches, but often they are coupled. I’m not dangerously overwieght and I’m very muscular benath the extra inches, so would weigh somewhat more than the average for my height anyway (I’m thicksetm barrel-chested and broad shouldered. Think American-style dwarf. [5’6.5" ya see ]).
Malificant: They cook all sorts of things in the morning. Waking up to that sort of smell isn;t good when you know you shouldn;t eat it and won’t get any 
rabotak:
- drink only water
2. only eat what youve cooked yourself (cut down on sugar and fat) - it makes eating an exercise by itself- and no prepared food
3. positively no food after 6 pm (or at least 4 hours before you go to sleep)
4. walk everywhere
5. start smoking!
torn:
from weightlossresources.co.uk
"UK Department of Health Estimated Average Requirements (EAR) are a daily calorie intake of 1940 calories per day for women and 2550 for men."
"In order to lose weight you need to eat less calories per day than your body needs. To lose 1lb a week you need a negative calorie balance of 500 calories per day. To lose weight at 2lb a week you need to reduce your calorie intake by 1000 calories a day."
n.b. not eating wont waste away your muscles unless you are actually starving yourself. 1250 calories to lose 2lbs a week isnt starving yourself. And if your 280lbs trying to get down to 200lbs dieting that way will still take the best part of a year according to the numbers.
asheira:
@rabotak
smoking?
Hammerhand:
Well, just to throw in my two penny’s worth!
I’m what you might call a fat lad. This is because I eat too much sh*t and I drink too much beer. I am over weight but I’m really not bothered. I am happy! I see too many people who may be slimmer and fitter than me, but spend much of their day worrying about what they are eating, worrying if they’ve put on weight, devoting more time to the gym than their family etc. That doesn’t make you healthy, it makes you ill! So if you’re happy the way you are, stay that way!
If you still want to lose weight then the first thing is, don’t starve yourself. Your bodies defense mechanism when you haven’t eaten properly for a while is to store everything it takes in, converting the energy into a gel that it can store around the body. this is called fat.
A balanced diet is a good step towards a healthier lifestyle, but don’t expect to loose weight by simply eating healthily. Going on a diet works if you stick to the diet, as soon as you come off it, your body will start saving up that surplus I mentioned earlier.
The most effective way of loosing weight is by taking on regular exercise. You don’t have to go to the gym, or go out running everyday but take into account what you do during the day. Chances are, if you do heavy manual labour, you are not going to need much exercise outside of work unless you are on a staple diet of pie and cake.
Loosing weight is all one simple equation:
Calories in - calories out = weight loss/gain.
If you take in a million calories but burn a million and one, you will loose weight. FACT.
Swimming burns off more calories than running, running burns off more calories than cycling. keep in your lower cv range (aka fat burning heart rate) and run for longer, this burns fat at a much better rate than thrashing yourself for a short period.
Take the stairs instead of the elevator, when you go shopping, park as far away from the main entrance as you can. Walk everywhere that’s close enough.
If you walk your dog regularly, try running with him, he will probably enjoy that more than walking.
If you live within 15 miles of work, cycle once a week instead of driving. You don’t have to go fast, your just burning extra calories.
When you go up stairs, take two at a time.
tell your Wife/Husband/Girlfriend/Boyfriend that you need to have more sex in order to lose weight!! (note: my wife doesn’t buy this)
Doing stuff like this will mean you can carry on eating what you want but still lose weight.
Hope this helps!