Concept2 Forum

I generally dislike reality television; it's not my cup of tea, but I found the NBC show called The Biggest Loser to be incredibly compelling on a number of different levels. The artificial aspects of the competition were sometimes annoying, but the competition that each contestant had with themself was intensely engaging.. to me.<br /><br />The other aspect of the program which I found irresistable was the whole before/after aspect; it was deeply satisfying, inspiring, and at times mind-boggling to see the contestants get smaller. I don't know why I find it so non-intuitive, but I've always had a hard time visualizing my own body becoming less. I don't know of this is common or not.<br /><br />Anyhow, I've saved the final episode via TIVO, and I ignore the stupid flashy show-business bits and I just look, amazed, at the group of men & women who made such excellent changes in their lives, and I wish them well keeping their weight off.<br /><br />On another note --can it be healthy for people to lose as much weight as this group did (individuals lost between 50-109 lbs over 12 weeks [i think that was the amount of time..])? They were doctor-supervised and had loads of coaching & basically worked out as much as possible --i.e., they weren't going to work or caring for their family --just working out and learning to eat more reasonably. I remember one week where this one guy lost TWENTY-SEVEN lbs! I mean, eeek!<br /><br />We always hear the maxim that it's best & healthiest to lose between 1 and 2 lbs p/week, but why not, with support, lose more?<br /><br />I'm interested in any comments, no matter how tangential. I've been mostly managing to get my goal 10k p/day in, though it sure can be tough in these early days. I'd done some ramping up prior to that, and had not been rowing for a year or so before that. I'm rowing for weight loss & blood sugar control, overall health, and, well, the holiday challenge pin <br /><br />../Iliana<br /><br />../Iliana

I'm certainly no expert, but it makes intuitive sense to me that you shouldn't lose too much weight too fast. The long term goal is to change your lifestyle. If you go on a crash weight loss plan, then you still won't be living the lifestyle that you need to. So I can see how one might lose a lot of weight, then go off the plan, and find oneself right back in the same lifestyle that caused you to gain the weight in the first place.<br /><br />So I've tried to change my lifestyle with the constant understanding that the changes I make are PERMANENT. I'm not exercising just until the weight comes off, I'm changing my lifestyle, and seeing what sort of weight comes off as a result. It's been fun (or it was until I hurt my back on labor day - I haven't been able to row since then )<br /><br />The changes for me have been rowing, and a very small breakfast (less than 150 calories). I've lost 35 lbs in about a year. When I start rowing again, I think I'll take off another 10 lbs, and possibly as much as 20.<br />

<!--QuoteBegin-dmhayden+Dec 5 2005, 11:25 AM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(dmhayden @ Dec 5 2005, 11:25 AM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin--><br />The changes for me have been rowing, and a very small breakfast (less than 150 calories).  I've lost 35 lbs in about a year.  [right] <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />I'm with you, Dave on the slow and steady philosophy. And also on making lifestyle changes than last well beyond achieving a goal weight. But my eating change was opposite yours - instead of a small breakfast, I now eat a large one - consisting of protein, carbs and fat - usually egg beaters with sliced red pepper, 2 slices Canadian bacon, 8 oz of V8 juice, and 1 slice of whole grain toast with Smart Balance spread. Sometimes I substitute hot oatmeal, or a no-sugar, whole grain cold cereal and fruit for the eggs. Starting the day with a full stomach makes me feel cognitively sharper and ready to face whatever is in store. I also snack between breakfast and lunch, and after my afternoon workout now. I find I eat much less at lunch and dinner if I don't sit down feeling famished. Snacks are fruit, cheese, or vegetable. I've kept 25 pounds off since September 2004. The Holiday Challenge helps too!<br />

The smaller changes I've made in diet and exercise have been the most sustainable for me. Occasionally I'm tempted to make drastic changes but haven't been able to sustain those. Worst part is, despite quick results, afterwards my weight tends to rebound higher than it was before I got too impatient. For example, I just lost 8 pounds over 6 weeks, then gained 9 pounds back in 3 weeks--I think I must have over-restricted my calories because I definitely went to bed hungry. <br /><br />Still, I've lost 30 pounds over 5 years, pounds that I'd been gaining the previous 20 years, so that's a reversal and overall success. Ironically, all this weight gain started with that ancient Scarsdale diet, back when I had no reason to diet other than novelty.<br /><br />I suspect several different reasons for my rebounds: old habits die hard, there's emotional resistance to feeling "deprived," and perhaps most of all, if I try to cut back calories or fat too severely, I set my body up for cravings. I'm just now getting to the edge of the "overweight" zone on health charts, but then it took me 15 years to gain that weight. I have not lost weight steadily all along. Generally I have some successes and setbacks and try to learn from them. I think the most important goal I can strive for is consistent exercise and moderation in diet, rather than any excesses.<br /><br />Margaret

I always thought the 2lb a week rule was for if you are dieting the weight off, and that it was to make sure you eat enough nutrients... if you are eating well and training/exercising the weight off I don't see why there needs to be a limit?

Yum, lots of interesting posts to wake up to!<br /><br />Like Dave (dmhayden) and Linda, I lean toward the `slow & steady wins the race' concept of diet, exercise, and weight loss, and that's because I've been told my whole life that healthy & serious weight loss programs take time, effort, and concentration, i.e., that maxim we've all heard about 1-2 lbs p/week. Yet watching the Biggest Loser program made me question that maxim --and I'll admit that I'm all about questioning my own perceptions So I'll try do some research and see what studies have been done, and maybe I'll contact the program producers and see what they have to say.<br /><br />As I might have said previously, I eat an exquisite diet --full of whole grains, loads of organic veggies & fruit, lean protiens and very little processed/sugary foods, with a focus on diversity. Only, I eat enough for TWELVE. Well, at least for two. Portion control hard!<br /><br />I think the biggest & best change I've made to my diet is exactly what Linda wrote about --making sure I get a good breakfast. I have to balance solid slow-releasing healthy carbs (steel cut oatmeal, our Danish whole-grain rye bread) with non (well, minimally) blood-sugar-raising protiens like egg, cheese, and meat --all the while keeping an eye on the fats so I get the important ones but not so many that I contribute to high lipid numbers when I get blood tests. <br /><br />That approach worked last time when I began rowing & attempting to lose weight, so hopefully it will work once again. Back then though, I was losing around .75 lb p/week, and I have to admit that it felt agonizingly slow.<br /><br />Y'all are mighty inspiring --being in the early days of my resumption of rowing & trying to get my health & losing weight --it can be discouraging & lonely, and it does me good to hear your accounts..<br /><br />And CRAN! Oi! <br /><br />Okay, off to do a few things. I'll post again for sure when/if I find out any neat stuff about the super-fast weight loss question.<br /><br />../Iliana

Hey, Iliana! I remember you from the older version of this forum. I always enjoyed your posts back then (I still have a copy of your list of rowing music), so I'm glad to see you back on the board.<br /><br />You're fighting the good fight! <br /><br />Body image issues can be so damned persistent. Several years back I lost 70 pounds (I'm just under 6ft; it took me from fairly pudgy to thin), and at times afterward I felt as though I looked exactly the same. I'd fold laundry and be shocked at how narrow my new jeans looked. How could I possibly fit into those, my holdover pudgy-body-image said. Point being: I think gradual weight loss can be a real challenge to those of us who are hard pressed to see the results. A quicker initial drop offers positive feedback that slower progress may not provide. Is the more rapid loss sustainable? I think it can be, especially if there are elements of the weight-loss regimen that can be adapted to maintenance levels—as in, keep working out, but .75 hrs per day instead of 2—and only if you recognize that the loss is a component of a permanent lifestyle change.<br /><br />My 70-lb loss was fairly rapid (a little over 3lb per week), and I maintained it for 6 years. I've gained 30 back over the last two years, and am now chipping away at it at about a pound a week, which suits me fine for now.<br /><br />Cheers,<br />AnnS

Hello Ann <br /><br />I remember you too, and thank you for the welcome back and for describing your experience. I'm super impressed & inspired everytime I read or see or hear about someone successfully losing weight, because I'm super aware of how difficult it can be. <br /><br />It seems bizarre to me that we can hold on to these outmoded (and often negative) images of ourselves long after change occurs, but I'm not really surprised either, given my own flexible ability (or lack of ability, more often) at accurately seeing myself. An example: having had a particularly cruddy several months where I got very little exercise and felt that I'd been overeating a lot, I had a doctor visit and expected that I might have gained 15 or 20 lbs. Instead, I had -lost- 15 lbs --not necessarily a good thing (it might well have been more muscle loss than fat), but still, it was more evidence that I don't do a great job of perceiving myself accurately or dispassionately. I don't think I'm alone!<br /><br />I managed to get through yesterday without doing the 10k I'd hoped to do, but now I'm focused on today; my knee felt a bit weak yesterday, and today it feels fine, and I'm set to go row shortly.<br /><br />Onward <br /><br />../Iliana