Decided to start this topic for anyone interested in taking an inch or 2 off the waist or dropping 20 - ?? pounds..

Recently for the first time in my life I had to have some suit pants let out an inch as they were too damn tight... I became tired of stuffing my spare tire into them in the morning..

It seems I don't have the disipline I used to and cannot say no to beer, peanut butter and a few other goodies.. Knowing of a lot of products advertised out there to trim down such as fat blockers (chitosan), metabo-life, Herbalife, electro muscle zapping belts, sauna belts, etc.. Decided to find something that works..

If anyone has a success story to share please jump in..

This morning while laying in bed, flipped on the tube to see another infomercial.. This one was from SLIM DOWN which is supposed to use the active ingredient taken from the fat blocker (chitosan).. This ingredient is called........... D-glucosamine..

Did some research on the web and couldn't find any back up to claims of it absorbing fat, instead it seems to be used for joint aches & possibly migrane headaches..

OK, anyone have any success stories to report? Could be from a wife, girl friend, or whomever, doesn't have to be from your own personal experience.. I'm just too leary of all this commercial hype, I'd rather hear from real people about something before I give it a try..

Well. Im willing to try anything and have tried quite a few of them. Again, started a new program with something like Body Solutions but a different brand....I will let you know. My brother said he lost about 15 lbs but gained it back when he stopped using it.

Tried Metabolife which really suppresses your apetitite but have to taken constantly and if you put one bit of food in your mouth then its like you never took anything and you eat like a pig.

The only proven method is watching what you eat and daily exercise. Sessions w/favoritas do not qualify as exercise.;) Miracle drugs do not exist.

This product Body Solutions is really advertised a lot on radio, now they have a morning formula as well as the one taken before bedtime.. Problem with the night formula is you need to take on an empty stomach, 3 hrs after eating...

If I eat dinner at 6PM that means I have to stay up till 9PM to take the stuff, hehehe (just kidding)..

Pecs, do you know the brand of the other similar product, so we could do a price / ingredient comparison?

Alto,

D-glucosamine has nothing to do with lipid metabolism/blocking or digesting fats that I've ever heard of. I prescribe it everyday and it s great for articulating joints, especially retstoring and preserving cartilage.

Weight loss good luck. I battle with it myself.
All, I mean all of the products are hype and temporary benefits at best.

There is no substitute fot regular exercise and caloric reduction. Oh yeah sorry beer's off the menue hehe.

PS Chromium picolinate is cheap. You can get it at Henry's or Trader Joe's. Take 600 mcgs per day. It can help to gradually add lean muscle mass/which burns more calories, regulates the secretion of insuline from the Islets of Langerhan in the pancreas/reduces hypoglycemia and can protect against diabetes and slightly increase energy.

Try it for about three months REGLARLY and see if you notice a difference.

Dazed, appreciate your "innocent" comments.. That confirms that the infomercial for SLIM DOWN which Joan VanArk is on, is nothing but lies.. They are making false claims by stating that D-g is X # of times more powerful than chitosan as a fat blocker..

Thanks for the reminder for me to take my C-P after a fatty breakfast this morning.. I've not been taking it reguarly.. You are right, it is CHEAP!

Papacito,
You are probably right, but... I will always hope for a miracle drug over watching diet & excersise..

And... I DO count sessions with la favorita as excercise.. (she makes me do all the work, hehehe)

Dazed

Since Viagra and other upcoming improved releases will take care of making the plumbing work another main factor for aging hobbyists will be worn out joints and cartilages causing pain during the movements needed for active hobbying.
Are these semipricey supplements like
glucosamine,chondroitin,MSM,and
various mixtures of these
shown to be worthwhile longterm supplements to prevent the ravages age takes on our joints and also possibly prevent future arthritic type problems?Or is it pissing away dollars.
Taxibob

XENICAL -a prescription is required,but you can buy it on the net.It blocks the fat from being absorbed.I've lost 12 lbs in 6 weeks with it and
dont watch what I eat.In fact, I have probably increased my intake of stuff I should not eat.NO SIDE EFFECTS.At this rate,I will be at an acceptable weight by 2004!

Sorry guys, I have also done a lot of research in this area and come to the conclusion that the ONLY way to get long term weight loss is to change your eating and drinking habits. Exercise can help, if it is done right (geberally 45 minutes or more per session, with your heart rate at 60 - 80 percent of max), but it will seldom do anywhere near as much good as diet. Most fad diets are useless. Both low fat and low carb diets can work well. No one diet works best for everyone. I personally have found that a low carb diet does wonders for my health in general, as well as my weight loss. My mom tried it and had a horrible reaction, however. The key is to find one that you are willing to stay on, in a somewhat less restrictive form, once you have lost the weight. Unfortunately, beer interferes with every diet I know of, especially the non-light varieties which are all that is available in the TJ zona. Tortillas, rice, and beans don't help much either.

Dazed, how would Chromium picolinate interact with a low carbohydrate diet, where the main goal is already to regulate insulin production? I have mild hypoglycemia, so I am particularly interested.

AG....Starting this thread is a good idea. Weight control is something most of us struggle with. As you can see from several posts already, it is a concern to some of us.

We middle aged guys have enough going against us, woman wise, without adding a gut to the disadvantages of being older. A big gut is the kiss of death when dating women in the US.

I have had success using Metabolife. I use it very sparingly however. I take no more than four pills a day. Sometimes I only take two. I think they might be more psychological than anything else. I think they help me during the worst snack time for me. In the mid afternoon I have had a habit for years of snacking out and ruining my weight loss programs. Instead, in the mid afternoon I take two Metabolite (the non caffeine type) and I don't have the cravings.

I also do some moderate exercising. I do pull-ups and push-ups (to keep in mongering shape) and do some very light jogging (I used to be a big time runner and was 30 pounds lighter years ago).

Using Metabolite and getting back into light exercise and having the intense desire to be trim, I went from 210 to 185 in four months. I still feel I am slightly overweight, but most people feel that way no matter what weight they are.

I accomplished the weight lose continuing to drink lots of beer. I drink two beers a day at home and #### beers in TJ. So, I don't feel I have deprived myself of everything. I love junk food, but don't really miss it that much. The key is not to eat even a small amount of junk. Once I eat one potatoe chip, for instance, it is all over for me.

The bottom line on weight control is what we have heard for years. Reduce the calories and increase the exercise. It really is that simple. Taking miracle products is a waste of money, except if they provide a pyschological effect such as in my case with Metabolite.

Good luck with your never ending quest for weight control. Lots of us share the same quest.

I have a suggestion that may be of help. I recently started using a food product line that seems very good. It is called GoLean, by Kashi. I buy the products at a local health food store.

They promote what they call a "Cereal Slimming System". You start the morning off with one of their cereals, for lunch you mix the high protein meal concentrate with milk, in the afternoon you snack on the high protein fiber bar, and finally for dinner you eat a sensible well balanced low fat dinner of your choice.

All of the Kashi products are loaded with vitamins and other good things. There are different cereals and flavors of protein meals and snack bars. They all taste good to me.

I think this system has a good chance of working because you are eating real food and keeping the cravings down without taking any miracle products.

I think you can not help but succeed with this plan when combined with some exercise. I started with the plan only a couple of weeks ago so I can not report great success yet, except to say I feel satisfied with my eating and I have plenty of energy (the girls in TJ have not complained yet). haha

I have tried Body Solutions and it worked the first time. I really slimmed down. It took about 90days.

However, like someone else said I gained the weight back as soon as I stopped taking the product.

The second time I tried Body Solutions it quit working after about 6weeks and the weight came back again.

I have one diet book that I can recommend. It worked for me about 7years ago. I loaned the book to a friend and never got it back. When I finish posting this message I'm headed over to the book store to look for another copy.

It's called the "T-factor Diet". I lost 30 lbs when I used it before. The book explains the theory behind the diet. It gives you a list of foods that you can eat whenever you want and as much as you want. One requirement is you must do 20 minutes of exercise per day.

I used to run a mile in the morning with my wife and sometimes another mile at night in connection with this diet. We lived across the street from a park at that time which was perfect.

Honestly this diet was incredible. What messed me up was that we moved to an area that wasn't close to a park which destroyed my exercise program. We also wound up allowing several relatives to move in with us to help them out which destroyed my eating routine. So of course, I gained the weight back.

This diet worked so well that after 3days you could actually feel your body starting to feed on the stored fat. I would feel what seemed like little pin pricks in my love handles and other fat storage centers.

On this diet I was averaging between 2-5lbs per week of weight loss. I lost so much weight that my best friend asked me how I was doing it. I loaned him the book and never got it back.

You may ask...if it worked so well why didn't I use it again when I needed to lose weight?? Well, like most of us, as I got older I got lazier and started looking for that magic pill that would allow me to lose the weight without any exercise!!

Now I've accepted that fact that exercise is very important as we age and I am committed to the idea of at least 1 mile per day for life, so I will again do the T-Factor diet.

I'm headed to the book store right now!! I hope this has been helpful to someone

I've lost 55 pounds over the last couple of years and still have a good distance to travel...the Erip slow drip diet. No products - they are all bullshit and fall under the axiom if it seems too good to be true, it is (some chicas excepted). Reduced calorie consumption, reduced SATURATED fat consumption, reduced starch/carbohydrates, eat your biggest meal early in the day and work out hard a few hours later. Even my middle age metabolism responds to this. I would have lost more and faster if I wasn't such a hound for pasta and bread. The rate of loss accelerated when I quit alcohol entirely for 4 months.

Without doing any research I have to brashly state that Body Solutions has got to be absolute bullshit...eat what you want, don't exercise and lose weight! Uh-huh, and all the chicas are in deeply in love with me. Maybe the one benefit this product gives is coercing you not to eat for hours before you go to bed - that actually counts for alot in dieting.

The Atkins Diet and other extremely low carb diets seem to work best for fast weight loss, but I have some health issues that don't lend themselves to a diet rich in fat and protein.

Buy a backpack. Put about 20 pounds of clothing
and guidebooks in it. Quit your job. Buy a ticket to Asia. Walk about five miles a day in the heat and humidity as you chase greatlooking women. Drink
lots of water and eat spicy Thai food. You will sweat off five pounds a month until you get down to around 175 pounds. And you'll add years to your life if you are presently 30 pounds or more overweight.

Two things: diet and exercise.

It's a simple formula: expend more energy (calories) than you feed your body. Really simple.

In theory, anyway.

I have lost 50 pounds in the past few months, and my exercise program is only now moving into high gear. (It's really hard to exercise when you are as fat as I was.)

Also, eat five meals a day - don't eat MORE, just spread it out during the day.

In my case what I find is that it takes incentive to keep me on the program. (A cute chica is GREAT incentive, BTW.)

Close to 10 years ago I dropped 40 pounds in 5 months. I have gained back 15 of it at various times and resume the more aggresive battle when I hit that magic number and get rid of 10 of that. There is a risk in this approach of becoming skinny fat. When you diet you burn muscle as well as fat. This is another reason that excercise is important. My keys to the initial weight loss were the following.

1. No alcohol
2. Black coffee
3. Diet pop
4. No candy, donuts, or desert type stuff.
5. No fried foods or red meat when trying to loose wight. minimize consumption of these later on.
6. salads for lunch and go easy on the dressing
7. fruit for snacks
8. excersice, building in moderation
9. quit smoking - nothing to do with weight, but it works well with the others.
10. Extra trips to the Zona in order to keep your mind off of things - after a few weeks of practicing the first 9.

buena suerte,

Gitano

Wow! A lot of response and good ideas... (and to think I was about to name the discussion "THE CHEESE PLATE REFLEX" in order to get replies, hehehe)

Doug, I think you are on to something, we should all be so lucky to be able to hike around Thailand..

All the other advice sounds well worth trying too..

Another ad came in yesterday's mail for a product from France.. It's made from grapes using the whole grape, including stem & seeds.. Claims 1 days dosage is equal to eating 4 lbs of grapes.. (how can they prove that?)

Anyway, the ad is very impressive, even after all this good advice I may be tempted to try the 60 day free trial... I love grapes and believe they are very beneficial for the "polyphenols" and digestive enzymes if nothing else..

Anyway this company is called Nutri-Phenol Labs, out of NY in case anyone has already tried it and wants to contribute their experience..

Hi guys

I am a big eater , I can eat with the best of em !
before I moved to TJ I was around 190.
I was always very athletic in school and played 2 sports.
2 sports injuries including one time playing chess but it was a very tricky move and that caused me to stop playing other sports and since I eat so damm much and I was basically held up in my bed once for 3 weeks I gained 40 pounds in 1 year and never looked back.

I tried everything from slimfat to reduced fat meals aka - weight watchers foods and so on.

Nothing worked then my buddy told me about the Atkins diet and he is a big guy almost 280 and 6 feet tall.

I used to make fun of him because he said he was dieting yet we would go out to eat and I would think he would just order a junior salad with no dressing but he order 2 huge burgers everytime we went out to eat.

He lost 30 pounds in 6 months on this diet , so I said if I can eat meats and food i like and lost that much I would be very happy.

Well in 3 months on the aktins diet i lost 25 pounds and I did it again right before I moved to San diego and lost another 15 pounds in 2 months and kept it off.

I eat like a friggin maniac here and have only gained back less than 10 pounds since my Atkins diet.

You can check out his website or buy one of his books and start losing weight , it is not for everyone but for me it worked out awesome.

Its a great diet because you can still eat a lot of food and watch the pounds just shred off you every week!!!

The diet consists of almost no carbs , and all the meat you want , bacon , chicken , pork , red meat , fish , certian greens , no fruits , no sugar , no caffiene and you can buy these strips at the pharmacy to make sure oyu are doing it right.

People would make fun of me
(well people still do but for other reasons) because I told them I was on a diet yet eating tons of food but after a few months they noticed I did lose a lot of weight.

I have also done the hollywood diet juice while I have been here twice and lost 6 pounds both time in 2 days.

So if you havent tried this diet , do so it worked for me.

take care
milkman

" I feel so stupid , I think I am the only guy in the world that could break his leg playing chess"

" Don't be too hard on yourself Milky that was a very tricky move"

Milky, I know this diet works when others don't.. Believe it or not I tried it way back in 1971 after Atkins came out with his original diet...

The only problem I had was I craved more grains, fruits & vegitables... Maybe I cut them out too much, can't recall..

I do remember getting cranky until I started eating salads & fruit again.. Concerns about enough fiber (meat has none) and bad breath, body odor are also concerns.. How did you get around that, drink more milk? hehe

Each of us have a different chemistry & disposition but Atkins is a tested & proven way..

As mentioned earlier sessions in la cama don't qualify as exercise, but prolonged sessions on the dance floor do! Dancing is a great form of aerobic exercise, and a good way to work off all those hi-carb cervezas. Great icebreaker with the chicas, tambien!
pj

My comments.

First, if you do have a good base (hidden somewhere under the fat) of muscle, then you'll find it easier to lose weight than if you don't. Basically, that seems to me the only benefit of exercise in a weight-loss regimen -- it builds up sufficient muscle to help raise your metabolism and "lose weight while you sleep." So, ya gotta HAVE that muscle FIRST.

Second, once you have that muscle, the only thing that reduces your fat is calorie debt. That means, intake less than you expend. Simple. Some subtleties can modify this theory slightly -- Atkins, for example, clues people in to the idea that simple carbohydrates are "easier" to convert to fat than proteins are. But basically, if you eat 1700 calories and live a 2500 calorie day, you'll lose 800 calories worth of fat. And there's no other way to do it.

The existence of muscle underneath all that fat, can increase your day (and night) from 1800 to 2500 calories. That's the principle.

I think Atkins is on to something, and so is T-factor, and so is the glycogenic thing. It all has to do with micro-nutrients, or macro-nutrient MIXES, and how they lead to a higher or a lower metabolism.

I personally can tell when my metabolism is high or low. I "feel" it. When my metabolism is high, my skin glows more, and I prefer being in a hotter room, and I don't feel "antsy pantsy," and I twitch and fiddle (bounce my legs and drum my fingers while working, etc.). When my metabolism is low, I rely on more climate control, and I sometimes get "panic attacks" or precursors to them -- a vibrating "aware" sensation that makes my muscles feel crampy and annoyed. The hi-metabo. heat-sensation continues throughout the night.

I recommend the following:

1. Determine if you are low-muscle mass. If yes -- then get onto some kind of resistance training now, and get to know the stair master. Thighs and glutes are some of the largest muscle groups in your body, and they grow fairly quickly. Other muscles which increase mass easily are triceps and trapezius. Look 'em up. The "pushing" muscles and "extending" muscles will help your weight loss the most, because they are larger and faster to grow. As a rule of thumb. If you already have muscles hidden under there, go on to step 2 right away.

2. Then, consider using the Atkins plan for your first few weeks, to "jump start" your metabolism. Get it REALLY cranking into high gear. At a time of year nearing the Winter Solstice, is not a good plan. Do it in the early spring if you can -- say, Valentine's Day if you're in the lower tier of the US states; or Easter if you're nearer Canada.

3. Enter into calorie debt. Not before you have the foundation, but when you do, eat less than you expend. Eat proteins, keep your glutamine count and your t-factors under control, and engage in daily semi-aerobic semi-anaerobic activities, like stair walking or helping the cute file clerk move boxes. Nothing so strenuous that it counts as "weight lifting," but nothing so long-winded that it benefits your lungs and heart more than your waist line.

Get to know a heart-rate monitor if you want. It will help you to determine a proper "zone" for the strenuousness of exercise. Sex with a hot chica is, by the way, just about the right level -- not too aerobic, not too anaerobic. Unless you hold your breath. ;)

I went from a semi-professional athlete to a fat slob over five years. I had the advantage of a solid base of muscle mass in my body; and the disadvantage of a 3500 calorie per day habit of eating. Part of my challenge, was to learn to feel "satisfied" (in a manly-man kind of way) by small portions. I had to trick my stomach into "shrinking" -- the best thing I ever did, was move next to a diner. I eat a minor diner-style breakfast every day before I even shower. This tends to make me spread my smaller meals across the day -- 5 small is better than 1 large, as some people here have already mentioned.

I had to stop taking linebackers like Saragusa as my model of how I wanted to live my life, and learn to value the Marine or Navy Seal mentality of efficiency and effectiveness. I try to treat myself like a lifetime commando -- someone who is "ready to fight" wherever he is, including just walking to work. I ended up putting some "survival" gear in my briefcase (simple stuff, like a pocketknife and a few power bars) more to remind me of the metabolism attitude, than anything else.

Also, I bought some small free-weights. I have two foot-long handles, four clips, and 100 lbs. of weight. I do curls, pec flyes, lawnmower-style back exercises, tricep extensions, and the famous Arnold overhead press (deltoids) whenever there's a soccer game on TV. I just pick 'em up and swing 'em around, for lack of anything better. And I have a jumprope. Any moment that I catch myself at home thinking I really want a nap, I do 200 hops on the rope. Then, I can have my nap if I still want it. Usually I don't.

My results have been good so far. I am 5'8" and 175 lbs, up from 155 seven years ago when I was in fighting trim (playing competitive soccer, which is heavily aerobic) but down from 215, which was just a joke.

Best benefit: now my arms are almost as well developed as my legs. I feel like I have a more balanced physique -- when my only outlet was soccer, I was half a human. From the waist down, I was damned Lou Ferrigno; waist up, I was Kent Tekulve. Worst detriment: none. Absolutely no regrets. I even passed up some occasions of meeting hot women who were pretty much begging to be my sucker-partner (you know, North American wife style) which would probably have been at least free sex, in order to stay in and exercise. And I still don't regret it.

PS -- the sex is better the stronger your upper arms are, and the smaller your abdomen is. Logistical advantages.

Whoops. By glutamine I think I mean glycolic. Oh well, read the T-factor book, you'll figure it all out. Also, I neglected to mention, body type is a major factor. Some people are muscle-types, some are marathon-types. You need to know what you are genetically, and therefore what sorts of stimuli you respond best to. My plan is real good for a mesomorph with a background of athleticism; other guys may not fit that history.

Good posts here. Thanks guys, and especially Book Guy. Just laying out the exercises I am gonna learn!

Any comments on the electrical-impulse muscle exercisers? I knew a friend who was ripped, and he swore by one.

Thanks Book Guy for the good information.. Here is a link that lists some pretty extreme T-Factor-2000 Rotation meals (3 weeks worth).. They could be used as a guide but they are only 17 grams fat per day, around 1700 calories.. Kind of extreme but no doubt effective..

http://www.wwnorton.com/tfactor/rotation.htm

OK, time for my walk/jog up the hill, gotta run...

No substitutes for exercise and eating wisely.

My semi-success story

I was determined to lose at least 20 lbs before my November trip. I had been gaining weight, primarily from poor eating habits as I was still exercising occasionally. I wasn't at my heaviest, but was close to it at 5'10 and 187 lbs. I had 9 weeks before I finally decided to do something about it.

I went at it from several angles: change in diet, weight loss supplements, and exercise.

My supplement of choice was Xenadrine. I didn't do a lot of research on it, it was simply the "hot product" at the time according to GNC. There was one other that was hot, so my choice was an eenie-meenie-miney-moe one. Xenadrine is a metabolism booster like Metabolife. They recommend 1 or 2 tablets, once or twice a day, starting off at the low end and gradually working towards the high end. I followed the recommendations, but cut back at times when I was bouncing off the walls. As a side note, I typically got lots of taks done at my peaks.

Fast food had been devastating for me and restaurant food wasn't much better, so my change in diet consisted almost entirely of self cooked food. I went for a lower calorie diet, which the Xenadrine made easier, and tried to eat lower fat meats and avoid heavy carbohydrates like pasta and thick breads. I ended up eating a lot of small meat portions, especially turkey based products, as well as a lot of fruits and some vegetables.

Exercise for me consisted of dancing. I danced a lot. I'd play music and dance around in the house if I wasn't dancing somewhere else. The Xenadrine helped here, too. I was kind of spastic at times so I'd dance around. I know it sounds silly, but I hit 164 (23 lbs) in 9 weeks and no one saw my silly dancing, so who cares?

I say semi-success story because I gained about 9 back after eating heartily overseas. But now I'm back on track with a new goal to reach before my next trip, hopefully in a few months or so.

Here's a tip: "Miracle" drugs & devices don't work. It's all a scam. No pill or device will help you lose the gut or grow your hair or elongate your dick. The only way you will get in shape is to work out regularly.

I have worked out with a weight machine once every three days for 1.5 hours a pop for the last 6 years ... with a short rest between sets for cardio.

Ninety percent of my meals are fast food and the rest is vending machine or 7-11 junk food. I don't eat vegetables unless they come on my hamburger. I used to use Creatine, but now I don't use any supplements whatsoever, other than the One Source Multivitamin from Wal-Mart. I am 6' 200 lbs, and ripped.

The key is to simply work out regularly. This takes dedication. Once in awhile does nothing. Working out regularly for two weeks and then not again for a month does nothing. Find a program that works for you, and stick to it. As long as your program is regular, you will see results.

-Superman-

I would disagree with Superman. Exercise alone does not work for MOST people. There are exceptions, however, usually people with both a naturally high metabolism and a high testosterone level. These are the same guys that are able to build muscle mass twice as fast as the rest of us when we both start out on the same weight training regimen (the bastards!!!).

Regarding the Atkins diet that has been mentioned, this is the most famous of the low carb diets, but not the best, in my opinion. I researched them pretty extensively a couple of years ago, and felt that "Protein Power" was the best book to follow. For instance, they recognized that fiber should not be counted as carbohydrate over a decade before the Atkins books did. All of the low carb diets are pretty much the same, having been around for over 100 years, I just think this book explains things the best.

Yes Hippie, each of us are different.

I was on a weight loss program under a Doctors care when I was in my 20's, and I GAINED weight on his "weight loss" plan.

Turned out my body is extremely good at storing away fat, and reacts completely wrong to sugars (including carbs). On a glucose tolerance test my blood sugar fell so low the nurse was ready to call 911. I, however, was walking around and felt just fine.

The Doctor later told me that in 30 years he had never seen anyone's blood sugar drop as fast nor as low as mine did during the test. I also have an extremely low metabolism.

Seems a few hundred years ago my body would be extremely desirable.

Oh well, I always knew I was born too late.

But weight lifting IS extremely good, since it builds muscle. And muscle burns fat 24/7.

Alto,

Get on glucosamine and stay on it. It has been well proven in numerous European and a few studies here that glucosamine lays down new cartilage matrix and mabey even more importantly
helps to rehydrate and increase vertebral disc height throughout the spine.

Even though we may be asymptomatic we are all developing DJD denerative joint disease. Glucosamine should be included as a daily supplement as cheap insurance for good skeletal integrety. Extra weight accelerates the process. I like 1000 mg Glucosamine two times per day. The benefits of chondroiton are debatable.

MSN is an antinflamatory case closed. If you don't have a sulpher deficiency you probably won't notice anything while taking it.

If your diet doesn't contain a high percentage of fresh fruits and veggies you most likely do have a sulpher deficiency.

A couple of last thoughts. The Atkins diet should be approached cautiously because the body can rapidly be thrown into ketosis and serious damage can be done to the kidneys.

Even when done correctly the Atkins diet puts great stress on the kidneys from my observations.

Lastly, all these diets and supplements don't take into consideration the individual constituion of the patient.

Check out sites on the web to find out your Ayurvedic constitution, vata(thin), pitta(medium),
or kapha (stocky), these are wide generalizations
but there are very special diets indicated for your body type or dosha. Just type in Ayurvedic medicine and you should get lots of hits.

Find a site that gives you a evaluation questionaire or just read about the diferent types and see which sounds the most like you.

The system is thousands of years old and I find it clinicaly valid today.

Also ther are a couple of books that have come out in the past year or so. The first is The Answer Is In Your Bloodtype by Steven Weissberg M.D.. I was skeptical at first but I was surprised how well it went along with my A+ blood type. There is one other some thing like Eat Right for your Blood type I can't remember the exact title but I think Weissberg's book is better.

Good Health...

PS Seeing on how I don't get to the Zone these days, Any juicy Araceli or Monica reports hummm..

About Superman's suggestion to exercise: well, sort of, I agree. You have to exercise enough that you enter calorie debt (so, success is relative to how much you eat COMPARED to exercise levels); and in such a manner that you build muscle mass (which will then aid in calorie expenditure); and so forth. Also, an important point is, that he's doing this as a DAILY lifestyle. The regularity of it brings results.

But if you don't ALREADY have a base of health, then simply doing something healthy might actually be counter-productive. Let me explain.

There's a great diagram in one of the Atkins books. It's got a rectangle split diagonally into two triangles, "unhealthy metabolism" and "unhealthy diet." Then, another one split horizontally into "healthy metabolism" and "healthy diet." Combining "unhealthy metabolism" (a triangle) with "healthy diet" (a smaller rectangle) doesn't give you a healthy whole. Instead, you have to do something offsetting first, to rekindle your metabolism. I think the same argument can be made about exercise, too. If you're ALREADY fairly healthy, standard exercise will compound your healthiness. But if you're unhealthy, you need a form of exercise that will jump-start you back to normalcy FIRST, and only THEN can you do the standard thing.

I guess for me, the deal is to listen to your body. And just quit eating sugar. Period. No cola, no sugar in your coffee, no cake, no cookies, no sugar on your grapefruit.

Protein Power, Atkins, and Zone all agree: refined sugar is equivalent to obesity. Demographically and individually, the rise of one equates to the rise of the other, mostly independent of other factors.

Well it's nice to feel a sense of "group consciousness" here.. Encourages me to stick to & refine my routine hearing from all yoos guys..

Maybe we should put it all together in a book, "How to Lose Your Tires", by the "TJ Sires".. (well, it ryhmes ;o)

Guess I need to cut out my sugar laced packets of creamy flavored oatmeal.. I don't even cook it, just dump the packets in a bowl and add rice milk or water.. Learned this from a former girl friend who was a "raw fooder".. She made me raw more than once..

Guess I'll need to cut back on the natural peanut butter de Trader Joe's as well.

Actually, I'm not over weight somewhere around 185 to 190 @ 6' 3".. I just need to lose an inch or 2 around the middle so I can feel comfortable in a 36" waist suit again.. ;o)

Do what I do. For breakfast/lunch eat the dollar specials at Jack-in-the-box and demand a free water. Then eat a normal dinner. I do pig out when I am in TJ but I figure it's only once a week. Works for me.

If you're just an average joe trying to lose weight, I must add to some of the suggestions made here by some of you about dieting and exercising.
Some have missed the boat on what dieting means. Dieting shouldn't be about restricting your calories or what type of foods you should eat (how many of you want to be told exactly what to eat?). Just balance your meals with the four basics: Protein, carbos, fruits and veggies, and fats.
There's plenty of information about a balance diet out there and that's where you should head first.

I've read The Aerobics Program For Total Well-Being by Kennet Cooper who suggests that you should start slow (after all you have plenty of time). So, his program is not for those who are in a rush to lose weight, but if you have 2 months this is perfect for you.
He talks about the 1,000 calorie (weight-loss diet)where most should start. Lose a few lbs. with the diet, then slowly but surely you should be on your way. Each pound of fat = 3,500 calories so if you want to lose 20 pounts you need to burn 70,000 calories.

What I like about his program is that you get to pick which aerobic exercise you want (yeah the one you enjoy the most). I don't know how many aerobic points you would get per chica session and I suspect not many so there has to be a second favorite sport you like. High in the aerobic charts are cross country skiing, swimming, and jogging. I would think golf (unless you're running from one shot to the next) doesn't really qualifies as an aerobic exercise.

By the way, if you want to know your ideal weight here's the formula:
Take your height in inches and multiply it by four. Subtract 128 from it and add 10% more if you're big bonned (I mean if the wrist on your dominant hand has a circumference of 7 inches or more :-) ). That weight is what will allow your body perform at it's best.

The lesson learned is that if you want a quick fix, fine do the atkins diet, but if you want to change the whole you for the rest of your life. Follow a program that takes into account nutrition as well as exercising.
"To be or not to be isn't the question. The question is how to prolong being." Tom Robbins

To add to what Dazed said, when going on a low carb diet, be sure to drink lots of water. If you don't, serious kidney damage can indeed result.

As far as the blood type diets, they do sound interesting. I don't personally know anyone who has actually stayed on one long enough to evaluate it, however.

Jarocho, there is a lot of disagreement about what a balanced diet really is. I personally think that the FDA guidelines are way off, as do many others. Also, there is no formula for determining ideal weight that actually works for even close to everybody. The only real way to figure it out is with a body fat test.

As far as low carb diets (which were around way before Atkins popularized them) being only for a quick fix, that is just not so. They are designed to be followed for the rest of your life, although a person does need to eat fewer carbs during a reduction phase than during maintenance. The problem is that most people go right back to their old habits after losing weight with any diet. I do think that doing so after a low carb diet may cause an even faster boomerang effect than after a low fat one.

I don't think that anyone would disagree that exercise is good for you, barring unusual physical problems. Increased muscle mass and better aerobic health will definitely help you burn calories faster, as well as providing other benefits. However, my experience as well as a lot of research has led me to the conclusion that most people can not maintain their ideal weight with only exercise. A proper diet (or eating habits, if you prefer) is also necessary. Also keep in mind that a person can be thin and still be unhealthy due to a poor diet. High blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease are good examples.

Diets come and diets go. The Ayurvedic reccomendations for diet according to body type have been around for centuries.

Again it's not carved instone but it's the best thing I've seen.IMHO.

Altogringo you are a genius for starting this section!

I remember seeing a special on diets, pills and other things regarding weight gain and loss on TV.

It was a 1 HR news report special, they said that anyone who follows the recommended 4 food groups helping is almost certain to gain weight.

They also stated that obesity is going up every year and is linked to all the fast food places opening up and basically giving away their food and to all the new snacks companies and candy companies "gaining" their way on the marketplace in the past 50 years and it is getting worse.

The said 99 percent of the fad diets do not work.
This was said for only diet pills and drinks.
They did have a segmant on Atkins and a couple other special diets which they gave high ratings for but they said wasn't for everyone.
They said Xenadrine was one of the most popular pills and did work for a lot of people, that was one of the only pills that got a good rating.
They said counting calories was a losing diet.
Drinking lots of water and exersise was a must with all diets in order to lose the weight.
Slimfat got the worst rating for weight gained back.
This was a great special and wasn't sponsored by any diet company, it was like a 20/20 or something like that.

I stay away from Sugar almost all together, I do not drink in the states only when I am in tj.
I eat like a maddog but again stay away from sweets.
Counting calories never worked for me.

I am almost an expert on the Atkins diet, so if any of you have any questions feel free to ask, and for about 6 bucks you can buy their book which helped me lose nearly all my fat.

My ideal situation is to lose 15 more pounds then I will be back to where I was in high school!

Bookguy you are correct about it being easier to lose weight if you have or had a good base of muscle under your fat.

In high school I had a decent shape and I can lose weight very easily.
My friend who introduced me to this diet never had a good shape and he struggles from time to time on this diet.

Some diets work for some people and others don't.

I hope to see some success stories from you guys.

Try out the Atkins and let me know how you do

Take care

Milky Simmons -"come on guys sugar is your enemy"

Another high protein/low carb diet plan was made popular in a best selling book called, Potein Power, by Michael and Mary Eades. It is similar to the Atkins plan, but according to them, safer.

You can buy the book in all the major bookstores for $7 in paperback.

I found the book to be very interesting. I do not follow the plan closely, but the book made me think about carbs and the importance of limiting them drastically. I think about carbs differently now. Just look at the shopping baskets of most people in the stores. The amount of carb foods being consumed in America is amazing. Carbs are the #1 enemy of dieters. Cut the carbs and watch the weight come off.

Daytimer, that is the same book I recommended above. I also do not follow it exactly, but I think it gives you a much better understanding of the principles of a low carb diet than the other books, especially Atkins', do. Of course, many people complain that it is too dry and scientific.

I don't know anything about dieting, I've never been even close to having a weight problem, mostly due to genetics.

I don't think exercise works for most people because of the discipline it takes, so what I suggest to people is that they find a sport they like, more than one is better still. Mens Basketball, tennis, Baseball, anything aerobic. It's much easier to stay motivated when you compete, actually, you won't even realize your exercing. Sport comes easily to most men. It doesn't matter if your shitty at it. Find a league, recreational, and play in your own age bracket.Mix up the sports for vareity.This makes exercise fun, forget about caloric intake, trying to count calories will drive anyone nuts. If you play a few times a week you will be able to eat anything you want, you may not lose a lot of weight, but you WILL lose fat, gain muscle and look much better.Muscle is more dense than fat and weighs more, so some people don't lose a lot right away, but they look better anyway.

MAKE this a priority, you owe it to yourself, have fun, you deserve it,if you can't find time, make time, competitive sports are a gas.

I've played my whole life, everyday. Ride my bike like when I was a kid, I don't give a shit what my nieghbors think, play ball, lift weights all the time. I'm 5'10" 165, shredded, smaller version of Superman. I eat what I want when I want, and a lot of it is crap, cake, ice cream, cookies, burgers, you name it. Btw, forget golf or walking, you got get your heart rate up to 80 percent capacity, and keep it there for 20 mintues. I know Baseball won't do this, but just running to your postion for 3 hours or 9 innings will do the same thing.

ha ha, funny thread.a good diet to follow is the Zig Zag diet.when you reduce calories you lose both muscle and fat.its better to keep the muscle because muscle itself burns fat to support itself.on the Zig Zag diet you give yourself 2 days out of the week and eat whatever you want.the other days you eat 5 high protien meals without any carbohydrates and little fat.thats means no pasta,breads,rice or other starches.salads and a few pieces of fruit are ok.2 days out of the weeks you can eat pizza and icecream all you want.the muscles will suck up all those calories like a vacuum.you can't gain weight on these days because the muscles need to replenish all the lost glycogen.it is important to do strength traning exercises like calistenics or weight training too.

I was browsing through Dr. Coopers Book (mentioned in my previous post) and while he does give the a formula for determining your ideal weight, he suggests mantaining a body fat less than 19%. I talked a fitness expert who told me 15% or less is more desirable.
The question is how low do you want to go? I have friend who has 2.3% body fat, but suffers from sleep apnea. It's there a relationship between his very low fat percentage and his sleep disorder?

I have try-out for a semi-pro soccer team and lost 5 lbs. in one session! Most of it was water and I gained back about 3 lbs. I'm running 4-5 times a week, and it sucks while you're doing, but afterwards I feel I can take on all the chicas in TJ :-)

Well for those who don't know-I didn't until I looked at the drink signs recently-AB serves Bud Light.

What works for me better than anything to control snacking is brushing my teeth when I get in the mood for snacks. Something about freshly brushed teeth seems to do the trick...

If you really want to drop weight fast you can always try Phentarmine. This small blue pill will kill your appetite for the entire day. You can order it over The Net, or you can buy a box of 30 pill or so for $40 in Tijuana.

Senorpanocha is right about the "secret". Exercising is the key, not dieting. You hardly ever see a person running a good pace(<8min/mi) being fat. I guarantee if your run 2-3 miles 2 days a week and workout some with weights 2 other days, drink lots of cold water, and get your rest then you can eat whatever you want. And don't look at the scale, that doesn't mean anything. Muscle weighs more than fat, and if it jiggles...it's fat.

BTW, has anyone ever see a Mexican jogging in TJ(for exercise, not for evading the police)??

Sad but true food and women facts:

What's the difference between a girlfriend and a wife?

30+ pounds.
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What food will automatically decrease a woman's sex drive by 90%?

A wedding cake.
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Name a food that women say they would rather have than sex with a man.

Chocolate.
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Why is it that you never see a grown woman sucking on a Tootsie Roll Pop?

Once they try the real thing they go cold turkey on all suckers.

In summation:

the FDA is fucked up
carbohydrates are fucked up
Slim-fast is fucked up
refined sugar is fucked up
fast foods are generally fucked up (although diner breakfasts work well for 2 of us)

calorie debt, in terms of eating less than you expend, is the only way to go
exercise must be a lifestyle, not just a one-week sort of thing
aerobic is better than golf
sex doesn't count
Atkins seems to have worked for some people, Protein Power and T-factor for others -- but all agree on carbo-restriction
pills, whether fat-slashers or stimulants, get a mixed report (except maybe Xenadrine)

Oh. And soccer players know what they're talking about.