I’ve lost a 16lb bowling ball…

[Richard Moore]

…and I intend to lose two more, or at least the equivalent. I know we have had weight loss threads before, so here is mine.

It was a week after News Year that I stepped onto our scale and horrified myself. I had hovered around the 220lb mark for the last 5 years or so, but now found myself at 229. Enough! At first I decided to just cut down a bit on food, mostly the large amounts of candy, butter, donuts, etc, and take the dog for longer walks, but after a week or so of that I decided to get serious.

So now I’m counting calories with the help of a free and easy online fitness recorder (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ ), bought myself a quality rowing machine as well as a cheap weight bench and bar-bells. I thought the food thing would be tough but, by eating smarter, I’m really not having a big issue with it. I’m eating more often, just leaner and greener. My dog walks now average 4 miles and are getting brisker. I actually jogged (me!) sections of Green Lake today. I also row 30 minutes or 5km each day wearing a heart monitor to push myself…but not too far. I am 61!

This whole diet/fitness thing (lasting longer than just a good intention) is a first for me but I’m really into it. I already notice that the longer inspections don’t beat me up as much. And it’s kind of fun jumping on the scale each morning. I’m down to 212.5 after 5 weeks and intend to keep going until I get to 180. At some point I’ll try to finally give up smoking as well.

I picked up my old bowling ball today and can’t imagine constantly carrying those 16lbs around. The thought of putting down two more has me motivated!

There is the added expense of new clothes, but my wardrobe is very simple…mostly Fred Meyer and Costco. I’ll deal with that.

Anyway…just thought it might motivate some of you older curmudgeons. I’ll let you know when I lose the second ball(????).

[Brandon Whitmore]

Way to go Richard.

[randynavarro]

Nice work, Sir Richard.

You may have motivated me. . .

I can't figure the smoking thing, though. You're all Jack LaLane-ish but Marlboro at the same time?

[Richard Moore]

Yeah, I've smoked since I was 17. Dumb, stupid, I know. Giving up cigarettes at the same time as my other treats would be too tough, so I'm concentrating on the diet and exercise for now. But, I think one will lead to the other and I will try in a few weeks, I promise.

[Chad Fabry]

I will try in a few weeks, I promise.

Say this instead: I will quit in a few weeks, I promise.

You're way too smart to smoke- except for maybe a pipe while sitting in a leather chair in your library with your lab at your side. Actually, scratch that.

I quit smoking years ago- and it was hard, but not that hard. Anyway, years after that, I convinced myself that I could have an occasional cigar. Soon after, I was smoking again. Just cigars instead of cigarettes.

It was very difficult to quit the second time.

Nice job on the lifestyle change. It's exciting to get a youthful body back.

[Erby]

Move more than you eat and before you know it you'll have lost both your balls!

On a serious note, congratulations on making it work for you.

[kurt]

Dude, it' 2011, it's time to quit. Stop ****ing around. Quit, dammit.

Way to go on the weight loss. It's the perfect inspiration to quit smoking.

[Marc]

I covered 1.8 miles twice last night. First time walking then again jogging. Plan to do it again this am. Been running almost 2 years. Never gets easy but my motivation gets a boost from Richard's OP.

My approach is to focus on a permanent change in lifestyle, not just until I get the weight down.

Marc

[Les]

Richard, good job!

I actually gained 28lbs when I quit smoking; 2-3packs of Camels per day for 48years. There was a couple of years at the beginning when I'd only smoke a pack or so.

I never even thought of quitting until one day I had a person describe me as the guy that is always smoking. I quit that day and never looked back. You will come to that day in your own time. Likely nothing will make you quit until then.

Good job with the weight, it is a health issue!

[Nolan Kienitz]

Richard -

You post (as Marc noted) also gives me an additional boost.

I've lost 25 pounds over the last 4-months and still have about 5-8 more that I'm targeting to shed.

Has helped management of my Type 1 diabetes to say the least.

[hausdok]

Hi Richard,

Way to go! Your post comes at just the right time; 'cuz I've been looking at dropping some weight but have been dragging my ass about it. You may recall that I dropped 62 pounds back around 2004. I've gained about 40 of that back but am at the point where I'm starting to notice that my age (I'm nearly 60.) isn't allowing me to do some of the stuff that I used to do and the extra weight is definitely a factor that's compounding the issue - especially when it comes to getting through some of these difficult crawls and attics. As tough as I know it's going to be, I need to get back on my Nordictrac and do it again. Thanks for the motivation.

As for the smoking - just quit! My father smoked for 40 years and one day just said to himself, "I'm NOT going to do this to myself anymore," and he quit cold turkey. He was climbing the walls for about a week but after that it got easier and that was it. My wife Yung did the same thing about 4 - 5 years ago.

I've never smoked; so I don't know of any ways to help you get through the physical aspect of it. What I will tell you though is that, though you don't realize it, cigarette smoke isn't the only thing that non-smokers have an issue with; our time with you is not as pleasant as it could be if you didn't smoke.

A non-smoker can smell the cigarette smell on a smoker all the time and from quite far away and it's pretty unpleasant - so unpleasant that we'll pick up and move to a different seat in a theater or restaurant in order to not to have to endure it and I've had times when I demanded that flight staff change my seat in a plane so that I wouldn't have to spend hours on a flight sitting next to a smoker enveloped by that ashtray smell.

For a non-smoker, shaking hands with a smoker is not much fun, because our hand comes away smelling like an ash tray. We always smile; but inside we cringe. Then if there's no restroom nearby where we can go to wash the smell off, we spend the time until we can get to one constantly distracted by the odor, and, in a word, grossed out.

I spent years trying to point these things out to my wife but she wouldn't listen. She never told the folks at her church that she smoked and she actually thought that nobody knew she was a smoker when it was absolutely impossible for a non-smoker not to notice. She thought I was exaggerating and couldn't imagine that non-smokers could actually smell her from 10 ft away and couldn't believe how unpleasant that is for non-smokers. Now, years after she quit she gets it. She's actually apologized to me for putting me through that all those years.

Think about that every time you walk into a room full of folks or have to shake hands with a friend or client. Sure, you want to quit for your own health; but also do it for those around you so they can enjoy your company more.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Tom Raymond]

Congrats on the weight loss. No lecture on the smoking from me, just a bit of advice-quit while your on the health kick and loosing weight. I quite last July, after about 3/4 of a pack a day for 27 years, and my weight gain has finally leveled off in the last month or so.

Now to do something about my extra 30 pounds.

[hausdok]

No lecture on the smoking from me.

Hi Tom, congrats on stopping smoking. I apologize to the smokers reading this if it seems like I'm lecturing. I assure you, my intent is not to lecture but to provide some insight into something that I don't think most smokers are even aware of. Perhaps it will serve as a little more motivation; perhaps not.

I lost my favorite uncle and my little sister to lung cancer. Every time I think about them I feel a little twinge of guilt for not having spoken up more often and more forecefully to them about it when they were alive. I'd hate to lose Rich the same way; so, if it seems like myself or others are lecturing, so be it.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Jim Morrison]

Richard,

Congrats on the substantial weight loss. No small feat. I just watched my proud Irish mother succumb to a long-ass bout with emphysema and metastatic lung cancer, so I'm not going to lecture you about smoking either.

By way of encouragement, I will only add that every day above ground is a good one, and healthier days are best of all. Keep heading in that direction.

Your pal,

Jimmy

[mgbinspect]

Congratulations on the weight loss. I struggle with weight constantly. All I have to do is look at food and I gain weight.

I smoked for many years - two packs a day (one during the day as I laid brick and a second at home in the evenings after work). I legitimately quit twice for about three years each time. Now, it's been about fifteen years.

I was holding my father-in-law's hand praying him into the after life on the day he finally passed away from lung cancer. It was the most draining and crushing experience of my entire life. The man drowned to death before my eyes. His daughters had to leave the room long before he passed leaving the ordeal to me. I had to be strong in that moment for him, but, when I finally got home, I experienced the melt-down of my life - partially because I loved and respected the man so. I believe that another reason that his passing undid me so was that when he finally reached that ever so frail edge between life and death, it was so abundantly clear that he literally chose not to take another breath. As frail as he had become, that momentary pause was enough to push him over the edge. It was just one more act of courage in a life full of it. You see, he lost a leg when he was shot down on a bombing raid over France in WWII, as a pilot of a flying fortress. The Germans had no penicillin and could not care for him properly so he lost the leg.

When he was diagnosed with cancer, they gave him six months, but he didn't make it six weeks. It's now been fifteen years, or so, since that event, but even my own brother's sudden passing a year and a half ago, can't hold a candle to that experience. I wouldn't wish the way my father-in-law passed away on anyone.

For what it's worth, all three times that I stopped, I just got up in the morning and didn't have a first. And, as the day's went by I convinced myself that I didn't want to ruin the record number of days without one.

I hope you quit tomorrow morning, brother.

[John Kogel]

Congrats, Richard. Stick with it, and start weaning your body of the smokes as well.

I smoked for 20 years, quit many years ago when my wife was pregnant. Maybe that's an incentive for you? []

I recall staying away from buddys who smoked, no sitting down at a table full of beer, and having to break that habit of a smoke with a coffee. I love coffee. Take another sip of coffee instead of a drag on a smoke.

There are many aids to quitting nowadays, little plastic tubes to suck on, etc. Even hypnosis. Anyway, stay positive.

[Bill Kibbel]

Congrats Sir Richard.

I quit after 30 years of heavy smoking. Like Chad, I thought switching to cigars was quiting. They just ended up being big fat brown unfiltered cigarettes.

I used the Commit lozenges and I was quite surprised how easy it was to quit smoking and then quickly stopped using the nicotine replacement.

[mgbinspect]

Congrats Sir Richard.

I quit after 30 years of heavy smoking. Like Chad, I thought switching to cigars was quiting. They just ended up being big fat brown unfiltered cigarettes.

I used the Commit lozenges and I was quite surprised how easy it was to quit smoking and then quickly stopped using the nicotine replacement.

That's funny. I tended to inhale cigars, as well... and a few other forms of smoke...

[AHI in AR]

Richard, add my name to those adding congratulations. The older you get, the more important maintaining a reasonable weight gets -- but it also gets harder.

If it helps anyone, here is my story. I'm 51. My doc told me 7 years ago to lose 10 percent of my weight. I was 5'10 and weighed 187. Not fat (by American standards, anyway) but decidedly not in shape. To my surprise, I was huffing and puffing after a relatively brief stint on the treadmill. If you've never done a stress test and think that you're in shape just 'cause you walk around some during the day as opposed to sitting at a desk, you may be wrong. (That was my thinking also.)

To put it mildly, I was embarrassed.

So I bought a treadmill and started using it 5 days a week. Later, I dropped to 3, but at a more intensive level. Despite my doc's advice, I didn't start off to lose a certain amount of weight, but rather to let my body "settle" at where it should be with the right diet and exercise. Notice I said the "right diet", not that I "went on a diet." Going "on a diet" is like going on a vacation: it's temporary. And it's a mistake to think that will work to keep weight off long term. I've seen way too many relatives try that through the years without success. Having a proper diet is a permanent thing. I did some online research and learned that the typical American diet is top heavy with carbs. That's not good. Well, it's not good for those who aren't engaged in cardio-intensive activities, anyway. For the record, I already limited fat intake pretty well -- and had for years.

Anyway, I largely gave up "white" foods such as white rice, potatoes, sugar, cereal, bread, etc. I became an avid nutrition label reader, despite how much time it initially added to some grocery store visits.

I'll spare anyone reading this the boring story about how I brought my triglycerides down from a truly scary level to one well below that which TWO doctors said wasn't possible without meds.

Suffice it to say that sweating occasionally -- or better yet, often -- is a very good thing.

Oh yeah--if you have diabetes or are borderline diabetic, read the research about how exercise helps.

[kurt]

That's pretty good advice.

Although, I still like different types of white rice. If you offset it with vegetables and fruits, and low fat, it's fine. There's really not much nutritional difference between white and brown rice.

[Scottpat]

Congratulations on the weight loss!

I have lost about 23lbs over the over the past 3 months and all it took was little heart attack on Thanksgiving Day! Talk about motivation!

[Les]

Congratulations on the weight loss!

I have lost about 23lbs over the over the past 3 months and all it took was little heart attack on Thanksgiving Day! Talk about motivation!

and after all that, I am still better looking than Scott!

I, for one, am pleased that attack was a little one and Scott is still with us!

[mgbinspect]

Congratulations on the weight loss!

I have lost about 23lbs over the over the past 3 months and all it took was little heart attack on Thanksgiving Day! Talk about motivation!

and after all that, I am still better looking than Scott!

I, for one, am pleased that attack was a little one and Scott is still with us!

[:-thumbu] Definitely

[hausdok]

Jeez,

Does this mean I'm gonna end up being the chubbiest of the lot in Kansas City in May?

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Phillip]

Jeez,

Does this mean I'm gonna end up being the chubbiest of the lot in Kansas City in May?

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

What is happening in may?

Taking off weight and keeping it off is hard. So hang in there ,I loose then gain it back/