Trying to drop some pounds

drummingman

Gold Member
So i really want to drop about 50 pounds. I just switched to a vegetarian diet again (i was veg for about a year awhille back). As is i am overweight and im still eating like crap even on the veg diet.

I have never really stuck to any kind of diet for long in the past. I would try to start eating better but i always go back to eating food thats not good for me. I really would like to be able to eat a vegetarian, even vegan, diet and lose a bunch of weight and keep it off. I think that if i drop about 50 pounds that i will look and feel a ton better.

Do any of you have any advice that will help me out?
 
The basics of weight gain/loss is how many calories you eat per day vs. how many you burn. There are about 3500 calories in a pound of fat. When you eat, any left over calories get stored as fat. That's the simple way of looking at it. Find something that works for you, which should include a change in diet (caloric intake) AND exercise levels.

Most successful weight loss stories involve some kind of exercise regimen. Not only do you burn a few hundred calories per workout, but your muscles metabolize more calories when at rest when they're stronger. You burn roughly 1500 calories a day just to keep your body going (if you live a sedentary kind of life) and probably around 2500 if you're active. So, if you're sedentary, and you start working out, your base metabolism will start to rise (your body will start to burn more calories per day on its own), AND you'll also burn the extra calories every time you work out. Well, a few hundred calories may not seem like a lot per workout, but it adds up over months, and you'll lose weight and feel better. Be sure to include some strength training as well as aerobic exercise. Oh, and stretching is super-important for how you feel, too, so be sure to do that after every workout.

Changing to a vegetarian or vegan diet won't help you lose weight. Sure, some people believe that there are health benefits to it, but if you're eating 3000 calories per meal of pure vegan goodness, you're still going to gain weight. The problem is portion control. If you feel as though you need to eat a lot to feel satisfied, you may have either a psychological or physical imbalance, or you just might be an American. What I've had success with is a tip I learned from a relative who dropped over 100 pounds. He felt as though he had to eat a LOT of food every meal so that the hunger would go away, so he'd eat the volume he needed in lower-calorie foods (carrots, broccoli, celery, etc...), and have a little bit of other food with it. He was getting the volume his stomach "needed" to lose the hunger pains, and because he was eating healthier, that amount got less and less. If your body doesn't get what it needs, then it might tell you that you're hungry when you aren't actually--it's trying to get the nutrients it needs. Sometimes, your body is just dehydrated, but it might be misunderstood as hunger.

In the end, self-control, dedication, and motivation are the biggest factors to success in losing weight. If you don't have those, you won't be able to stick to a lifestyle change and see it through. Hope this helps!
 
hey man, i started doing this roughly a year ago. i was fat as a kid and got depressed and ended up weighing over 300 pounds by the time i was 20. what caddywhumpus wrote is true, it is really simple, its just hard to stick to for the first few weeks. it is not simply 'go on a diet and then i can eat crap when i'm lighter' it is literally 'eat nutritious food/good sized portions/do exercise for the rest of my life'.

the first thing i did was stop eating all junk food. anything with high saturated fats i gave away for discount. i also cut out a lot of stuff like pastries, cakes, etc. i then switched to eat more vegetables, salad, fruit, fish and this stuff called 'quorn' (its a meat substitute, really nice stuff).

i then started going to the gym 3 times a week, 2x 1hour cardio and 1x 1 hour cardio/weights. once i had lost some weight (so that my ankles weren't so stressed) i took up football (not american), rugby and regular jogging each morning. well, since those dark days i am down to around 220 pounds. this is still a little heavy, but it is much better than where i was previously.

however like i said, i will not be giving this routine up! exercise and eating well is very good not only for your body but for your brain, and i respect mine so i shall keep it up (hopefully for the rest of my days!). i know what it is like to be overweight (i was morbidly obese for a time) but it is so worth it. you'll feel so much happier!

good luck.
 
Set up your drum kit and have kids 1/2 your age come over to jam, and try to keep up with their energy!! At least that works for me when i can get the young rascals to come over.

But really, Caddy said it all. Being veggie or vegan doesn't mean squat if you eat high calorie food that just happens to not contain meat. I know plenty of vegetarians who are over weight because they eat lots of fatty foods.

EDIT: I also know people who went veggie to successfully help them lose weight. I wasn't slamming going veg, just pointing out it's not an end all solution unto itself.
 
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Also eliminate sugar and white flour in all it's variations. Doing this alone will take off most of the unnecessary weight. Eat whole unprocessed foods, the ones found on the outer aisles of your supermarket. (that's where all the refrigeration is).
Sugared soda is one of the worst things you can consume, because the sugar in the soda spikes your blood sugar so fast, insulin has to be released to bring it back down. When this happens, you feel like crap, and crave more sugary stuff after the insulin does it's job. Meanwhile, eating high sugar foods, your blood sugar is up, down, up, down...This makes you feel like crap compared to a steady level of blood sugar, acheived by eating foods that don't prompt an insulin release. Refined sugar, while flour, HFCS, are all slow poisons to humans.
 
This is the only plan that ever worked for me..Basically you eat small meals 6 times a day and work out for an hour and the weight falls off as well as the inches. The thing that kept me in it was you have 1 cheat day a week and you can eat whatever you want.. when that day comes it tastes great but you start to feel like crap for eating the junk food and after a few weeks your cheat days are much more sensible but you can still go get a hot fudge sundae if you wish.. Check it out it really works for me. I did not do the challenge part of it but you can if you wish. But as most plans go it's eventually up to you and your willpower. this one was just easier for me to follow. Good Luck!

http://bodyforlife.com/
 
Logged on to find Caddy beat me to the punch.

I would just add that you should try to spread your calories out among 4-5 small meals. This will keep your metobolism burning all day. And try not to eat past roughly 7:00, or a few hours before bed. Unused calories are stored in body fat.
Engage in some sort of cardio training 3-4 times a week for 30-45 minutes. (Cycling, running, swimming, elliptical machine etc.)
Also, drinking plenty of water will aid in weight loss. Aim for at least 8-10 glasses a day. More if you are active.
 
Don't go vegetarian just for the sake of it though - like they said higher up the idea is to adopt a new attitude towards food and exercise for life.

I found skipping rope three times a week to be very helpful to me. I lost 20kg in six months.
 
I yoyo'ed my way from 285 down to 230 and back, I'm at about 250 now with a gradual but permanent loss of about 10 lbs/ yr just by taking baby steps as opposed to drastic diet change.

First thing i did was to condition myself to STOP EATING once I was no longer hungry. I was in the habit of eating until i was full. I don't do that anymore. That was a focus for 2-3 months. Once that was part of my automatic routine, i focused on the next thing

Next thing was concentrate on portion size. I used to get 2 big sandwiches or a footlong sub or a 3 pc chicken dinner with sides or the biggest steak on the menu. I don't burn that on a daily basis anymore. Now i get 1 sandwich and no fries.

Next thing was to cut the sodas out. I use artificially sweetened drinks now exclusively, plus a ton of water. Make the switch from whole milk to 2%. Once you're used to 2% go 1% and then skim.

Next, cut out sugars and processed flour altogether.

Another thing was to stop eating big meals within 5 hours of bed time. It's been proven now about the big meals vs small meals thing, it doesn't matter. What matters is total caloric intake. (Funny how we've come full circle back to that. That was the prevailing diet theory in the 50's, 60's and 70's)

Remember, do all these things gradually and you will not miss stuff that you purposefully cut out. If you drop meat altogether all you'll do is increase your cravings for it 24/7.

Excercise is tricky because 90% of people who start a routine fall off within about 30-90 days. Do double bass drum roll excercises for an hour a day and build up your endurance. Heavy metal drummers burn about 600 calories per hour on average. That's some intense cardio vascular going on. if that's not your cup of tea, walking is probably the next easiest, accessible regimen.
 
My bass player is a vegetarian and overweight and out of shape......but he CAN play.

I've been drumming since 1973 and into fitness since 1975 so I am qualified to answer you.

Jack LaLannne says it best; "Exercise is King and Diet is Queen". Focus on moving your body. Going from nothing to something will get you some results. You should lift weights - briefly (15 mins) - at least twice per week covering your entire body. Knowing what to do is another story altogether. Get on a treadmill or stationary cycle or stepper OR WHATEVER. Make a written plan.

Monday--I will do X
Tuesday--I will do Y
etc

Start with committing 15 minutes per day roughly at the same time. Focus your food on High FIBER and LOW to ZERO sugar. Good Luck!

K
 
I do exercise and a diet. Determination is what gets me through. I've been on a diet/running spree for about 4 weeks now? And I lost about 10 lbs now; and I'm a girl. Guys usually can loose weight 3x faster then girls. But I usually try to run a mile every day of the week except one day, but start small if you have to. Running gets addicting after a while :p If you're TRUELY motivated to do this then it shouldn't be super duper hard. Good luck =]
 
Thanks all for the good advice!

As is i drink a lot of soda. I know i need to cut that out. A lot of the times i will continue to eat even when im full because of liking the the taste of what im eating. So that needs to change as well. I also find that i eat when im board even when im not hungry. These are all bad habits that need to change.

Here is a queston, when a musician is on the road or playing a lot of late night gigs where its not so easy to eat healthy what can they do to eat well? I know that Bobby Rock, who is also vegan, somehow manages to eat well and stay in shape. And i assume that he gigs and tours a lot. So i believe it can be done.

I have tendinitis in both of my wrists (i had surgery on my left wrist twice about 11 years ago) and i had knee surgery almost 2 years ago. So i have to find a way to lift weights in a way that wont hurt my wrists and knee.
 
It that case the best solution for you considering your wrist an knee problem would be swimming. It's perfect because your body, and therefore your joints do not have to deal with gravity. I swam for 13 years in clubs (my mom made me start at 3 months old!) it did me wonders at the time...
 
Swimming does sound like a good option. Walking is not bad for me either. Although if i stay on my feet for too long my knee does start hurting.
 
i definitely second swimming, it is amazing for losing weight! yes you will probably look like a whale for a bit, but at least you can divebomb and soak the little kids if they laugh at you. its just a really good workout. it's also really good for toning your shoulders/back/legs. as for lifting weights, have you tried getting weights that strap on? normally you put them around your wrists, but i'm sure you could move them a little further up your arm. i'm not sure if that would aggravate your wrists, but it might be worth a try.
 
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