AHB Biggest Loser Challenge!

[acarey]

Hey All,

I'm getting fat and I know exactly why. Its because I love beer and I don't move enough.

I thought that if anyone else was keen to lose a few kg's with the help of a bit of healthy competition, we could introduce ourselves in this thread, state our weight and goals and check in with our results weekly. We could chat about foods we are eating, exercise we are doing, what works, what doesn't etc.

I think it would help with motivation to have a bunch of guys competing and supporting each other.

I'll start off.

Starting weight: 105.8kg
Current weight: 105.8kg
Goal weight: 95kg

 

[bradsbrew]

I started around August. Weight at the time was 105.5 and I am now down to 93.
I have cut down on the amount of beer I drink during the week and also been having shakes for breakfast and lunch then crackers and cheese for arvo snacks, pretty much anything goes for dinner and the shakes have helped me to stop eating when I am full. Also watching the amount of kj per serve has helped me understand what foods to avoid.
Cutting out soft drinks and substituting them for zero type soft drinks also only have bread on weekends.
Bought myself a tread mill and was doing four hours a week but have been slack and not done that for about a month.
Would be a lot more weight gone but had a few weekends of gluttony and spend the following week getting back to the previous weeks weight.
My aim is to get back down to 85 but more about my fitness than anything. I found myself being short of breath doing presentations, yes talking.

 

[Diesel80]

Lol must be something in the air! Started 102.5 now 93 looking for sub 90. Not been there since 20 years old.
I am doing the Michelle bridges thing my Mrs is doing.
Easiest diet ever not a even started exercising yet!
Reckon I won't have to at this rate. Will go the new year, got a double of Xmas ale on so will need to up the metabolism for that.
Cheers
D80

 

[Rowy]

Started in September. Gone from 132kg to 120kg. Heaps less beer homemade Bircher Muesli in the morning and bugger all sugar. Plenty of exercise. Goal weight 115kg.

 

[Bribie G]

Yeah last time I saw brad I thought "wow that's one beer belly growing there".. well done. :beerbang:

I went onto intermittent fasting earlier in the year but it didn't do much good as I just couldn't hack the fast days.

Warning: this thread is likely to be derailed by smug guys who are naturally lean anyway who will offer advice such as "it's simple, just do what I do, eat less and get off your fat lazy arses because the reason you are fat is that you are a morally defective weakling retard loser as opposed to my self disciplined fine figure of a man".

If it was that simple then there would be no global obesity epidemic and companies such as Lite n Easy would not exist. I doubt that, after 2.5 million years of existence the entire human race has suddenly become morally defective retards.

Currently 95. I got down to around 92 last year when I moved here, probably due to a lot of activity and running around getting settled in. Plus it took a while to get the brewery up and running. (light comes on)
Then it sneaked back up. I'm aiming for 85 as well. Looking back, my skinny periods were typified by less grog and more exercise but won't be going back to half marathons again when I was 79k.

Current plan: I've discovered a really neat national parks walking track that does a 5k circuit from the end of my street through coastal littoral forest. Yeah I've been here a year and only just discovered it. :blink:
So I'm doing that three times a week.

Also going back to 3 grog free days like I did when working evening shifts in Bris.

Having a serious crack at the French style of eating - they are the slimmest, less heart attack and stroke prone nation in Europe but eat butter, cream, etc:

3 meals a day, small breakfast. Eat at the same time every day. Use only good quality real food, if it comes out of a box it ain't food.
No concept of snacking
No concept of low fat - butter is main fat.
Small serves by our standards
Surprisingly low carb consumption, one freshly bought baguette does a whole family and they are not all that into burgers, pizza, pasta or rice.
Several small courses started by soup and finished with cheeses and fruit, again very small serves by our standards
Take time to eat, no TV dinners.

Seems to work for the French and they've been at it for centuries so it's hardly a fad.

I've bought a small plate and small bowl for my dinner set.

Will report.

 

[acarey]

Thats awesome. It seems being a home brewer and losing weight can happen!

I used to be 131kg and then through ages of exercise and eating well I got to 92. Held around 95 for a few years and then BOOM, started home brewing. That was last november and I've put on a sneaky 10 since then.

I used to be a weight loss machine, but I just don't have the staying power theses days. I find it really hard to keep to the AFD's (alcohol free days). My plan is 5 per week. It never happens though. I keep it up for a few weeks then lose the motivation.

My problem is balance. I'm constantly thinking of my next brew. How can I improve on my last one? What happens if I use this type of hops? this type of grain? this type of yeast? Then of course all my kegs are full, so I'd better empty one.

I know I can do it, I've done it before and 10kg should be kiddy stuff compared to my 40kg loss a few years ago. Just not sure if I can do it and be a home brewer as well....

 

[Bribie G]

I've found an excellent method of losing ten kilos instantly for less than $15:


Buy a black T shirt h34r:

 

[acarey]

Of course it's haft to judge without a before pic

 

[bradsbrew]

Of course it's haft to judge without a before pic

Please No.

 

[superstock]

Started out @ 96kg and have been for about 8 years. Suddenly in about the last 4 months I've dropped to 84kg for no reason. Mentioned it to my doctor, he said "here piss in this, rollup your sleeve, I want a blood sample." 2 days later, "step into my office, take a seat. The bad news is-----you have type 11 diabetes"
Not the greatest way to loose weight!

 

[BeerNess]

A year ago I was 128kg, started seeing a dietician and walking, cut about 90% of the carbs and fatty foods from my diet, monitor my calorie intake, moderated my beer consumption and so far I'm down to 101kg, with a final goal of 90, only 1kg from my goal to be under 100 by Christmas.

 

[Midnight Brew]

I think this a great idea to motivate each other and get things moving guys, well done.

Just wanna state before I comment any further that I am not qualified/certified in anything to do with nutrition, health or fitness.

I believe there is no one size fits all option. Being humans we are all unique and no two people are the same. For what its worth Im trying to put on another 2 kgs as a fitness goal.

In terms of weight loss/fitness what I find works best is being self aware of what you are doing and why. Creating a set of goals is the best way to start because it gives you something to measure on. Whether that goal be 10kg weight loss, running 2km, running 5km, being able to do handstand push ups, what ever it is start with that recorded set of goals. Next give yourself a time frame of when you want to hit those goals by (reasonable not unachievable). Also keep a diary of what you eat. This step makes you self aware of what you're diet is and makes you think before you eat. It's all so useful if you decide to see a dietitian they can look at your diary and give important feedback on any changes you may need to make (if any mostly portion size if your diet is already a good balance of meats, veg, fruit, ect.)

Lastly if you're up to it, exercise. Most texts I've read about exercise state that the more muscle you have the more you're metabolism burns which in theory if you're eating a structured diet that you will lose fat. Try to incorporate full body workouts where everything is touched on. Squats, push ups, pull ups, burpees (if you're brave), rowing, box jumps, and more. The hardest part is starting, then the hardest part is stopping.

Warning: this thread is likely to be derailed by smug guys who are naturally lean anyway who will offer advice such as "it's simple, just do what I do, eat less and get off your fat lazy arses because the reason you are fat is that you are a morally defective weakling retard loser as opposed to my self disciplined fine figure of a man".

Completely agree. Seek a qualified person before taking on board what a forum of home brewers say.

 

[manticle]

Warning: this thread is likely to be derailed by smug guys who are naturally lean anyway who will offer advice such as "it's simple, just do what I do, eat less and get off your fat lazy arses because the reason you are fat is that you are a morally defective weakling retard loser as opposed to my self disciplined fine figure of a man".

Unlikely. Most people here would encourage people in their aim to become healthier versions of themselves. Theoretically it is simple - reduce intake, increase output (calories) through activity. However what makes it complicated is factors like genetics and psychology. That's not laziness (necessarily) or immorality and lifestyle changes of any kind are very difficult to begin and even more difficult to maintain.

What you might be referring to is the discussion that ensued when you spoke about the fasting diet - negative comments were more about the fad nature of some diets than about your moral fibre.

All the best to anyone here who has a crack at weight loss. Good food and exercise are key factors in healthy amounts and that is a simple equation but the process is not. It is worth it though.

A lot of people don't know how effective anaerobic/weight training can be for fat metabolism. Do it with guidance, don't overtrain.

 

[pnorkle]

My entire life I was slim - took up smoking cigarettes at the wise (or not...) age of 17. Smoker & skinny until about 12 years ago - then met a nice looking lady, and knew that if I was going to have any chance with her, at the very least I'd have to give up smoking - so I did.. and that's when the kilos started stacking on. Got to a very healthy 118kg, but am doing the Jenny Craig thing right now, and am down to 112. I want to be at or under 110 by Chrissy, and my goal weight is 90kg. But yes, you can drink HomeBrew and still lose weight - just imagine how quickly it would come off if you didn't drink!

 

[dago001]

I did the Weight Watchers thing a few years ago in support for one of my kids. I lost just over 10 kg in 3 months. I was pretty happy with that. One of the issues that I had/have with diets is that they seem to be based around/for people who work 8 - 10 hr days. I work just under 15 hour days/nights on a 4on/4off roster. I get up at 4.50 in the morning, travel to work and start at 06.30. Finish at 18.30 and travel home. My meal breaks are at set time generally, and there in lies the problem, as most diets are "eat a little often" type diets. My boss would go spare if I was in the crib room every hour having a snack. By 10.00 in the morning I could eat a horse, even though I have breakfast. Night shift is worse. The weight watchers thing really was the only diet that has worked for me, and it may be time to have another go. Combined with a little exercise of cause. Taken me 2 years to put the weight back on. I didnt change my normal drinking habits either.
Cheers
LB

 

[bradsbrew]

That is why the shakes work well for me LB. I was doing the celebrity slim shakes for a few weeks before anybody bothered to tell me its a chicks diet, ahh so that's why everything is pink.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Just be carefull you dont buy a small dog and go on power walks dressed in lycra

 

[JDW81]

Just be carefull you dont buy a small dog and go on power walks dressed in lycra

I have a small dog, and take him walking, no lycra though. I'll leave the tights for our transparent and honest PM.

Good luck to all who head down the weight loss route.

JD

 

[black_labb]

Sorry if this was a bit long but it might be partially interesting being from a different perspective. After rereading it I didn't talk enough about how I perceive it to being a lifestyle issue that stems from full time work and family leaving little time for anything else.

I'm pretty fit but have gone from uni and 2 part time jobs that I would ride the pushbike to as well as uni to effectively a full time job (a ~6 months full time placement for my degree) where I need to drive there. With a combined work and travel time of at least 10 hours and the fact that I am getting up at 4.45 to start work at 6 means that I often don't have much energy at the end of the day. I've been having trouble getting used to going to bed early leaving me feeling shagged some afternoons when I finish.

I've suddenly realised that fitting exercise isn't as easy with a full time job. Juggling uni and a couple part time jobs takes up just as much time with a day here, a morning here, a saturday here, some study here etc. The blocks of full time work are a killer in terms of feeling like exercise and I've been struggling to fit in time and energy to do much during the week. I can understand how people working more demanding work hours have so much trouble. Throw in a family and even thinking about exercise is a chore.

I do walk the dog quite a bit (20-45 mins most days), either when I get home at about 4 or after dinner/a couple beers. I've been trying to fit in going for a run or swimming laps but it isn't regular I do find that I feel much better on weeks where I do manage to fit in some intense exercise and tend to feel like I have more energy, but it's easy to put it off for tomorrow. In terms of eating I eat quite well. I do a lot of cooking and have brought a meal to work every day for the last 10 weeks by cooking large curries, casseroles and similar and freezing them in individual servings. I tend not to eat them with much rice or bread but tend to use chick peas, kidney beans or lentils as fillers as their cheap, filling and healthy. I don't use processed food for much if at all and I don't eat desert unless someone else has made it, I'd rather have a beer instead. At work I'll only bring fruit for snacks and leave the change in the car so I don't buy chips or sugar snacks. I do tend to eat pretty huge servings for all meals but

Using the BMI scale I have been a bit overweight for the last couple years but that doesn't take into account body type. I'm a fairly solid build without much fat and exercise regularly. In the past year I have spent a total of 4 months travelling on a push bike riding the bike for about 5-10 hours a day 6 days a week and didn't find it was a strain on my fitness. I've put on 2 kg in 2 months since getting back from 3 months riding in Siberia which is fine but I'm worried that it won't stay that way. I want to stay fit enough that I could go on another bike adventure or a week hiking without worrying about getting fit again. It's much easier to keep at a level than it is to get back to it.

Right now I'm likely to have the work experience position turn into a regular job that I continue as a part time job when I go back to uni in a few months. Once I get that confirmed (and actually get paid) I'll be moving nearby to a new workshop where I'll likely to be working. Being nearby will mean I could get back into riding to work and getting a bit of exercise before and after work or just having more time once I get home. Sitting in a car is much more tiring than people realise, especially if there is traffic. I think that would help me get back into more regular exercise, but then again I'll probably end up with longer work hours at least some weeks.

 

[punkin]

I started around August. Weight at the time was 105.5 and I am now down to 93.
I have cut down on the amount of beer I drink during the week and also been having shakes for breakfast and lunch then crackers and cheese for arvo snacks, pretty much anything goes for dinner and the shakes have helped me to stop eating when I am full. Also watching the amount of kj per serve has helped me understand what foods to avoid.
Cutting out soft drinks and substituting them for zero type soft drinks also only have bread on weekends.
Bought myself a tread mill and was doing four hours a week but have been slack and not done that for about a month.
Would be a lot more weight gone but had a few weekends of gluttony and spend the following week getting back to the previous weeks weight.
My aim is to get back down to 85 but more about my fitness than anything. I found myself being short of breath doing presentations, yes talking.

Take it from someone who's just had a triple bypass a week ago, that's not fat, that's heart disease.

Go and get a stress test.