Posts by jonthebaptist87

Original Post by msmeg1984:

I've lost 20 lbs, just by controlling my portions and getting a little exercise. Keeping my calorie intake under control is the only thing i have done different as far as my "diet"goes. No strange foods, no weird shakes, nothing. Just smaller or healthier versions of my favorites. Right now i'm doing cardio 3-4 times a week. Once i switch back to weight training, i will do weights 3x a week and best of all- get to up my calorie intake!

I like eating regular food - sloppy joes, soft tacos, spaghetti etc.  You just have to make it all work together to get the total calories for the day right.

Changing the way you are used to eating so drastically doesn't work for anyone... They end up wanting to go back to the foods they love and the results can be nasty. So a little portion control can go a long way.

I lost 125 pounds in 7 months. I was 311, standing at 5'10 and am now 186. I did this through rigorous exercise and consistent exercise and a VLCD (Very low calorie diet). The truth is, when theres a will theres a way and many people (like the original poster) dont want to change the lifestyle that put them in the situation they are in today.

Depriving yourself of food that you love to lose weight does NOT make you gain weight. Not one pound. There is no biological disposition for this. It's the will of the person that often breaks, and THAT is what causes them to return to their old ways. Stay focused, motivated, and strong and you will be successful. 

Want constitutes a "wet" cup or "dry" cup? When I get canned vegetable or canned fruit I almost always drain the can or cup. Is this originally "wet' measurement now "dry"?

And in a way, companies ARE scamming people. When you buy a can of corn, or a can of beans and it tells you your getting 4 cups, or 4 servings, and when you drain it so that your left with the remaining edible portion of beans or what have you, and theres only 1.5 cups... you've been scammed.

Thanks so much for the replies, I feel more confident now going on out. I never quite understood the so-called "starvation mode" until now. Starvation mode only eats muscle if that is all there is to eat... so our bodies are more picky about where we get our food from than our minds are 

Well I will be seeing a nutritionist today who had me get some blood drawn... turns out my sugar, liver, kidneys, and cholesterol are all good, but my thyroid was slightly underactive and I was slightly anemic. The doctor said this could be attributed to a false reading, but wants to double check anyways so in 2 weeks I get another blood test. Either way, I won't let this slow down my progress. I guess I will just have to eat more iron.

About my weight lost... I went on the Medifast diet for 4 1/2 months and after 2 weeks being on the diet began to work out. Alot. I lost about 25 pounds in the first month, with 11 in my first week. I would post before/after pictures if I knew how, so I uploaded them here:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v47/JonDoug h/CaliforniaSummer08003.jpg

To see the after, click my profile pictures. That was the best picture I had, am working on getting more up so u can see the fully body transition. And to be honest, it wasn't that hard. I just set my mind to it, didn't except no for an answer and completely removed myself from situations that might lead me to overindulge. I had a strict regimen, and so far its worked. Now its just getting these last 20-30 pounds out the way and maintenance from here on out. Again, thanks to everyone for the insight.

Sorry, I meant to ask: why is to much sodium harmful? Why is there a daily limit for it? I understand the effects of not including sodium, as excluding any vitamin/nutrient is not natural and we need everything we need to survive and be healthy, but why is too much sodium bad? From what I understand it dosen't make you gain weight or slow your metabolism down so what gives?