Help, weight issue

[mozzer]

Hey everyone, I need some thoughts on how to control my weight. Let me start by giving you a little background.


I'm 32, stand 6' 0" and weigh about 225. By no means am I FAT, but a year and a half ago I was at 207. Lately I can't seem to get my mind from eating. Food is constantly a thought and when I begin to eat, I seem to gorge like a **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** African lion.

I have all the same responsibilites as everone else, house, family and job. The irregular reserve schedule seems to throw me a loop and I never find "time" to be more active. I am certainly not a couch potato, but I'm starting to feel like one.

Is there anything FAA approved to curb hunger? I realize I need to spend some time back in the gym, but I want to hear what others are doing to stay fit. Frankly, I need a change and don't know where to start.

 

[350DRIVER]

METRX or MYOPLEX- can be found at GNC or any health food store and will get you back down to your desired weight. The weight loss pills are nothing more than a complete and absolute joke.


3 5 0

 

[Crizz]

Sugar is the devil

Control your sugar intake. By doing this, as well as controlling carbs I have been able to lose 90+ Lbs.

Dont buy "bad" things. Out of sight, out of mind. Pop, Juice, Ice Cream, and junkfood are the worst. Cut them from your shopping list and you will be a long way towards maintaining your weight.


FWIW, the first 30lbs I lost I didnt diet or exercise any more than I had been in the past. I simply replaced all Pop/Juice I normally would have drank with water. 6-8 glasses a day does wonders.

Good luck and feel free to PM with any quesitons.

 

[350DRIVER]

O R instead of the "pop", a pint of absolut will also work. Good information from the above poster.


3 5 0

 

[LJDRVR]

Real simple man. First you have to decide that you've had enough and that you're going to change. Period. No more excuses. Start exercising today. Whatever you can do. Even walking 20 minutes. Do something 6 days a week. You need to make time. I look at it this way: The time I spend running every day I get back in terms of needing less sleep. Secondly, quit eating any refined sugar or processed carbohydrates such as white rice, white potatato, bread. You will be amazed how much better you'll feel and how much weight you'll lose.

There are those that will say what I propose is too drastic. If you're looking for an excuse to avoid dealing with your addiction to sugar, then listen to them. But if you're interested in being healthy, then consider what I'm saying. No pills, no "program", no diet, no twelve-steps, just exercise and stop eating sugar. Human physiology was not designed to process what you're putting into it. If it wasn't on the planet 500 years ago, don't eat it!

If you need more details or would like to hear why sugar is the root of all evil, (I'm being serious) drop me a PM. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Bruin-Flyer]

Never underestimate the wonders of what H2O can do for you. Although I have always worked out a lot, I never really drank much water until about 6 months ago. After deciding that I needed to start drinking about a gallon per day, not only did I cut down on body fat, but my energy level went way up (all from simply being more hydrated). If you are going to drink a pop from time to time, just try and get used to driniking diet pop.

Someone mentioned above that diet pills are a waste.....however, taking supplements in concert with a good diet and workout program will expidite weight loss. Personally, I recommend Xenadrine or Hydroxycut (ephedra-free these days). Taking them alone will not do the trick, but taking them with what I just mentioned will AID in your weight loss.

One last thing.....and probably the hardest of all, is creating balance in your life. Although my schedule is not as sporadic as yours, take the time each night to write out what and when you are going to eat the next day. You will be surprised how much this can help you. Also, try to eat in moderation......although this is tough at times, it is much easier when you spread your meals out throughout the day. I never used to eat breakfast and then have a huge lunch and even bigger dinner. But I found that a small breakfast will set my pace for the entire day.

I hope this helps.....much of my family has struggled with weight their entire lives, so I have made it a point to make it one of my top priorities in life. Feel free to PM me and I can give you specifics that have worked for me.

 

[Crizz]

Bruin is dead on about breakfast and H2O. Dont skip breakfast. You do way more harm to your metabolism by not eating in the morning than you save by not having the caloric intake. I find that if I eat a moderate size breakfast high in protein (eggs, sausage, ham, turkey) I will not be hungry all day. Whereas if you eat a bowl of cheerios, you are ready for another meal by 10.. then noon.. then 2... then 4... then finaly dinner. Small snacks throughout the day arent necescerily bad, but its what you eat that matters.

 

[flynryan15]

Well

To answer your question the FAA hasn't banned the use of any diet pills to date. However they have laws on the amounts of Ephedra that you are aloud to have in our sysytem while on duty.

My .02 cents is that any weight you take off with the use of pills is subject to return when you stop taking the pill. Your body may also become resistant to the effects of pills when taken over a extended period of time. If a diet pill is your only source of weight loss then your chance for perminant weight loss is low.

Even though you think your life style is crazy and it is hard for you to get any sort of exercise routine you gotta try. You will find by reducing your sleep to 5-6 hours and adding a healthy diet and exercise program to your life style will make you have more energy and feel better then extra sleep.

Also they are right lots of water and you might want to carry something like a Metrex Big 100 meal replacement bar in your flight bag to eat instead of snacking or the garbage they feed you on the plane.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions or want some diet programs or exercise routines. I have lots of info if you need it

 

[hagen]

Pills are never the answer..Just ask Steve Bechler..Oh wait you can't..He's dead.. H20, exercise, eating right.....
Now the chronic masterbation...Your on your own...

 

[Homer Jay]

Atkins, South Beach Diet...SCREW THAT! Whatever happened to MODERATION? Everyone is different and has their own opinions. What works for me might now work for the next guy. I admit I have cut back on breads and other carbs...but I still eat them. Life is too short to not enjoy eating. I just watch my portion size and use common sense. As an example, if I'm overnighting in a city that has a great pizza place, I'll make sure I eat a salad for lunch. And as was previously stated, breakfast is key. I bring a bunch of low calorie Special K bars and usually pick up fruit along the way. Most of out hotels have fruit sitting out so grabbing a couple of bananas or something is great. Exercise is also key. I workout on most overnights and have a gym membership at home. I would say I workout on average 4-5 days a week. All and all, I lost 25 pounds and have kept it off. But as I said, this works for me. If you like eating very little bread, fruit, pasta and love shoving tons of red meat in your mouth...then Atkins would be your best bet!

 

[trfenwyd]

eat more!!

this may sound weird, but eat more often. Space out the food that you would normally eat to 5 meals a day. You'll end up not eating as much in quantity. Carbs are OK, as long as you don't go excessive, and really eat them in the morning. If you're doing anything with exercise you will have burned them off by the time you go to bed. Have your bowl of cheerios, but along with it eat and egg or something.

Lots and lots of water.

Hope it helps a little.

 

[Magneto]

Atkins, South Beach Diet...SCREW THAT! If you like eating very little bread, fruit, pasta and love shoving tons of red meat in your mouth...then Atkins would be your best bet!

It's amazing how many misconceptions there are about the Atkins diet. Since when did Dr. Atkins encourage shoving as much red meat down you as possible? Yes your protein intake may increase but you get protein from many other places than half a cow in your gut. Chicken, fish, etc... I've been doing Atkins and enjoying limited carbs and I've kept the weight off for more than 7 months now.

Educate yourself about things before spouting off.

 

[acaTerry]

Sounds to me like your problem is that you upgraded to Captain. When I was an FO, I never had a weight problem. Then I upgraded, didn't live off zuchini and rice anymore, and BOOM!!! ...instant fat a$$. Just be an FO again, and that will solve the problem.

 

[LR25]

Re: Why does water???????

Gang-
Just curious- I'm in the same boat......6' 255, but I dont look fat, just a slight mid section bulge....I find myself not drinking water because my plane doesnt have a bathroom. I fly 4-8 1hour legs a day and if I drink water, every 10 minutes Ive gotta go! If I drink soda (which I do for the caffeine), I find myself going at regular intervals. If you wane off the soda and switch to water, will your body get used to being flushed out and the need for urinating subside? I too am wanting to make a change am am not to saavy on being a dietician. Thanks!

That is exactly what was happening with me, I got of the diet coke and switched to water, and all of a sudden I'm running out of the airplane before the checklist is complete.

Magneto is correct, the Atkins diet does work, but its hard to do on the road unless you bring a huge bag with you with all your goodies to keep you honest. And forget about the free breakfast in the morning (continental), nothing there but coffee for me.

If you can disipline yourself and get past the first 2 weeks, you got it made with the Atkins diet. But watch out when you get on the road, you'll scarf that crew meal without thinking about it.

 

[SaladShooter]

As reported by the WSJ Dr. Atkins was a little obese when he passed on.

Dr Atkins weighed in at 258lbs when he died, according to New York's medical examiner.

The Atkins diet has caused a sensation because it allows dieters to eat as much as they like - while still losing weight.

I gotta say I agree with Homer Jay....everything in moderation can and will be a part of healthy diet. All these fad diets do is redistribute where the calories come from. A gram of protein has 4 calories, a gram of carb has 4 calories and a gram of fat has 9 calories. Adjust where the calories come from and you can eat more or less and still consume the same amount of calories per day. The fad diets just tell you the percentage of where to get your calories but if you eat to much you will still gain weight. If you just eat normal healthy foods in moderation you will lose weight. Lay off the soda pop and drink a ton of water.

When I was younger I read Arnolds book of Bodybuilding, he has a great chapter on food nutrition. He kinda keeps it simple....he does not eat anything that is white, he believes Mother Nature does not make foods that are white and we as a human species modify foods to a degree that make it unhealthy. He tries to eat foods that have the fewest ingredients and drinks plenty of water. He keeps his diet simple and it works for him.

I have been trying to keep it simple for years and it works for me, though on the road I find it hard to keep things simple. I do carry a large cooler with me on 4 day trips and try to eat from that as much as I can. I find that eating foods I packed at home make it easier to adjust to life on the road. Of course jumping on the exercise bike at hotels for an hour or so and riding 10-15 miles a day when at home make it easy to keep the weight off.

Good luck to you with however you accomplish your goal of losing weight. Just do what feels right as you are the only one who has to live with the results.

 

[Northern Lights]

Dr. Atkins 195lbs

http://atkins.com/Archive/2004/2/10-133186.html

February 2004: The Truth About Dr. Atkins’ Weight
By Stuart Trager, M.D.
At the time of his injury at the age of 72, after years of following the Atkins Nutritional ApproachTM, Dr. Atkins’ recorded height was 6 feet and his recorded weight was 195 pounds.

In today's Wall Street Journal a grossly distorted story on the health of Dr. Robert C. Atkins reported that he weighed 258 pounds at the time of his death, making him obese. In fact, the day after his fall, Dr. Atkins' weight was recorded as195 pounds, 63 pounds less than reported at his death! Based on the body mass index (BMI), a desirable range for people over the age of 65, is 24 to 29. At a height of 6 feet, Dr. Atkins’ BMI was 26.4, putting him squarely in the normal range for his age.

The Journal article was based on incomplete and inaccurate personal medical information that was released in violation of federal law. Furthermore, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), which, despite its name is a group of animal rights activists, illegally delivered these documents to the newspaper.


Dr. Atkins' weight was consistently and frequently documented in the years and months prior to his fall; as he was suffering from cardiomyopathy, his health was monitored closely. Despite this, he regularly played tennis, his favorite sport. His weight at his death was a result of water retention. During his coma, as he deteriorated and his major organs failed, fluid retention and bloating dramatically distorted his body.

Any implication that Dr. Atkins was obese prior to his accident shows a blatant disregard, or even worse, a twisting of medical facts surrounding this case to suit an agenda. One would also expect knowledgeable physicians to have a better understanding of the physiology of severe heart failure and the degree of fluid retention that occurred during this hospitalization for severe brain trauma. None of us would expect the physicians at PCRM to reveal any of this in light of their past and current motivation—but surely as medical professionals they understood that this weight gain was not due to obesity.

 

[SaladShooter]

I response to the previous post.



On February 10, 2004, The Wall Street Journal published excerpts from the New York City Medical Examiner's report on Atkins' death. The report indicated that Atkins weighed 258 pounds at his death, making the diet-guru clinically obese, and that he had a history of heart disease, congestive heart failure, and hypertension. Was this caused by his diet? Did the Atkins' diet kill Atkins?

Atkins' widow, Veronica Atkins, told the Journal she was outraged that the report had been made public, but even she conceded in a statement issued the same day the story came out that her husband "did have some progression of his coronary artery disease in the last three years of his life, including some new blockage of a secondary artery."

At his death, the family apparently objected to and stopped any autopsy, so city medical examiners conducted only "an external exam" and a review of Atkins' hospital records, according to the Journal . But in these records there clearly is plenty of information about Atkins' heart disease and hypertension, information that the public never knew of until this week and much of which is still unknown.

In her statement, Veronica Atkins asserts that her husband's personal medical history "is private and of no concern or relevance to the media or general public." She also calls the individuals who made public her husband's records "unethical." But couldn't the same be said of the Atkins' empire? Given the widespread popularity of the Atkins diet, Americans have a right to know all the facts. The Atkins' books and food sales continue to rise, exceeding $100 million dollars last year, and are expected to be at least double that amount this year. Given the nationwide popularity of the Atkins diet, Americans have a right to know all the facts about Dr. Atkins and the Atkins diet. They are entitled to know if this diet harmed the arteries of its most ardent proponent who followed the diet long-term rather than just for a short 6 or 12 months like the people in the recent Atkins' diet studies. They are entitled to know because their own arteries are at stake. The whole debate, in short, is not just about diets. It's about the health and well-being of the nation.

www.pritikin.com

www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1074967/posts

Nobody will ever know details about his death. The sales of his products is worth too much.

 

["TheBigPicture"]

Have you done a pregnancy test yet?? That might explain the hunger!!

Seriously.....I would have to agree with the majority of the posts on here and as a 50lb loser who has kept it off for over a year now, here is what I tell people who ask me how I did it.

1. COMMITMENT- to yourself and nobody else, until you want to do it for you it will never work.

2. DIET- Atkins, South Beach, Slim Fast, whatever,etc.......Find one that fits in with YOUR lifestyle, and start changing your current diet, cause it ain't working....when you think you can't find a way or are too busy, revert back to rule #1

3. EXERCISE- gotta do it......find something fun, if you hate running don't pick that because it worked for your buddy, you'll just find and excuse to skip it later on.

4. MODERATION- THIS IS THE GATEKEEPER ....go too extememe on either end of 2 or 3 and you will face burnout and revert back to your old ways, I guarantee it!!

Losing weight isn't a get rich quick scheme, it's a lifestyle change...so that doesn't mean you can't pile up a little cash up front to get you started, but if you don't spread it around you'll spend it and be just as broke as you were when you started!

Hope this helps